Short Stories

Weird strawberry thing

Until that day, I didn't know what true fear was. Now it was real. A dark feeling I will carry within me my whole life. Assuming I'll live through this.

It all began with a surprisingly nice morning, which was Fate's way of playing with my mind. I honestly thought that it was going to be a good day for once. I started out with my normal everyday routine. Feed the kids, clean the house, gather the food. All of the boring and mundane things that everyone must do.

I had left the house that morning, hoping to pick some strawberries as a special treat for the kids. I'd always tried to make their lives as good as possible, which was hard, being sixteen and the oldest of the household.

I remember finally finding the small patch of strawberries near our little house, and being happy that there were so many. I remember bending down and stretching my hand out to pick the first one, moments before my life was changed forever.

I grabbed the first strawberry I saw, and suddenly there was a red flash of light. When the light vanished, I was no longer in our little yard. I stood, confused by my surroundings. Instead of the bright green plant life that I had been surrounded by a moment earlier, I looked around at a dry, rocky area that stretched as far as the eye could see. Other than the occasional pile of dark rocks, there was nothing except me. I had looked down at my hand, still holding the strawberry. Surprised, I realized that the landscape wasn't the only thing that had changed. The strawberry in my hand was pitch black like the night sky, it's seeds like tiny stars.

I can hear the voice now, as clear as I did then. Eat the fruit if you wish to live.

I don't know why I did it. Looking back, it has to be the stupidest thing I have ever done. But Past Me did not know the things I know now. Past Me was terrified for her life, and she ate the dark fruit.

I don't remember the full transformation, but even now I can almost feel the blinding pain. The red light was back, growing stronger and stronger and then-

And then nothing. I looked around. It had appeared that nothing had changed. I looked down, and was shocked at what I saw.

I was taller. Stronger. The clothes that I had been wearing had vanished, and I wore tight, black clothing. The shock that I had had quickly vanished when the red light overpowered everything in a short blast of energy. When it was gone, I was surrounded by a circle of people, all dressed and built similar to me.

"Where am I?" I had managed to ask, my fear choking down the multitude of questions I had for them. However, they had no response. The circle slowly closed in, and that's when they attacked.

Although I don't remember much, I vaguely remember one tackling me to the ground, and the rest beating me into a pulp, until one placed a bag over my head, and everything was as dark as the strawberry I had so foolishly eaten.

When they finally took the bag off of my head, I was blinded by the bright light. I had blinked a few times to clear my vision, and once I had I was terrified by what I saw.

In front of me lay the mangled bodies of my siblings. Even little Cady, only six years old, her blonde curls now permanently dyed red. I had cried out in pain, as if I were the one dead on the floor. I might as well have been. The images of their dead bodies still haunt my dreams, even thought I now know it wasn't real.

The image of my siblings faded away, leaving me staring at a dark floor. I was alone, bound and gagged on a chair. I had tried to wriggle my way free, but it was no use. Across from me was a set of double doors.

Suddenly, the strange voice I had heard earlier said in my mind, "Unless you wish for this to be their fate, do as we say."

The moment the voice finished threatening me, the doors opened, spilling dark people into the room. One, who had seemed to be their leader, headed straight for me and had cut me free of my bonds. She forced me to stand, which was quite painful, and dragged me out of the room, the rest following behind her.