Horror 100 Volume 1

The Creature

My name is Magda and I'm 26 years old. I work in an office in the city. On weekends, I used to love to get away from all the hustle and bustle and take a trip to the countryside. Luckily, I have a cottage in a small village, which is located right at the edge of the forest. How I used to love to get out of the city and spend the weekend in my little cottage. Why did I stop? Well, I'll tell you...

After a hard week at work, I needed a rest, so I decided to get out of town. I went home, packed my bags, threw them in the trunk and drove off. When I arrived in the village, it was late in the evening and I was tired from the long drive. I went straight to bed and fell asleep quickly.

In the middle of the night, I was awakened by the sound of my car alarm going off. I looked out the window, but there was nobody in sight. I found my car keys, pressed the button to shut off the alarm. When the awful noise stopped, I lay down again and tried to fall back asleep. All of a sudden, the alarm went off again. I didn't feel like getting up, so I just grabbed my keys and pressed the button again. Everything was peaceful and quiet.

Five minutes later, the alarm went off a third time. Once or twice could have been an accident, but now I was wondering what was going on. Could someone be playing tricks on me in the middle of the night? I got up again and pressed the button to turn off the alarm, but this time, I didn't lay down. I stood at the curtains and watched.

After a few minutes, I saw something by the light of the moon. A shadow emerged from the bushes and slowly approached the car. I could just about make out the shape. It was something tall, skinny and black. The figure reached out with its long, thin arms and knocked on the car. The alarm went off again and, quick as a flash, the dark figure retreated back into the bushes.

At that moment, I realized what was going on and began shaking with fear. I turned off the alarm and continued to watch. The thing emerged from the bushes again and slid silently over to the gate. threw a hand through them and removed the partition holding the gates closed. I was paralyzed with fear and I couldn't move. My mind was overcome by panicked thoughts.

What was it? What did it want from me? What was it doing? Would it ever go away?

A shiver ran through my body, from my head down to my toes. My mouth was dry and my heart was beating fast. I was so tense, I was gritting my teeth and clenching my hands into fists.

I got control of myself and ran down the stairs as fast as my legs would carry me, to the ground floor. I wanted to look for something I could use to protect myself. However, just as I was about to switch on the lights, I suddenly froze in my tracks.

The dark figure was at the window. It was pressed up against the glass, staring in, looking to see whether or not there was someone home. I immediately ducked down behind the sofa and peered out. That's when I realized what all these tricks with the car were for. It was trying to lure its victim outside.

I could not take my eyes off its hideous face. The skin was the color of ash and covered with wrinkles. Its eyes were small, beady and completely black. Instead of a nose, there were two ragged holes. It didn't have any lips, just two rows of sharp, yellow teeth. Its breathing was so heavy and hoarse that it was misting up the window.

I just knew it was not going to go away. After standing at the window for a few moments, I heard a rustling noise as it came to the front door. I watched as it tried to push its fingers through the gap under the door. The handle began to twitch wildly up and down. And then the creature emitted a chilling sound... It was not like the human voice. It was a deep, beastly growl, like an angry dog chewing on a bone.

I knew that if it heard me, it would keep trying until it found a way to get into the house. I just crouched down behind the sofa, hiding in the shadows and desperately trying not to make a sound. Tears began involuntarily streaming down my face, no matter how much I tried to stop them. I could feel my pulse pounding in my temples and I was shaking like a leaf, just waiting for it to end.

I don't know how long I cowered there. I must have passed out. When I woke up and looked at the door, the creature was gone. The door was still in place and everything seemed secure. I have never been so relieved in all my life. I ran upstairs and looked out the window. It was light outside and there was no sign of anything wrong.

Taking a chance, I grabbed my keys and, without stopping to collect any of my things, I ran out to the car. I jumped in, locked the doors and drove away from the village as fast as I could. I didn't stop driving until I got back to the city.

When I got back to my apartment, I turned on the radio and heard a news report. The announcer said that, in the village, the dead bodies of two girls had been discovered. Their corpses had been mutilated and dumped in a swamp. I guess the creature found what it was looking for...