Turn back. This is no place for the weak. What lurks in the shadows always finds its prey. It sees you now. Don't look behind you. Maybe if you don't see it, the terror will go away? Too late, there is no escape.
Heart beat is heavy. Thump, thump, thump. Leaves rustle in the distance. Was that your own breath? The world seems shaky. No, that is simply the quaking in your boots. What has you on edge all of a sudden? The darkness of the forest seeps into the very crevices of the soul. You hear that? Surely you were not imagining it this time? A dampness from the forest causes a chill through the air. Nothing can be seen. The flashlight has ceased working. Alone. Without protection. And that thing lurking in the darkness. You cannot see it, but it is there. Its stare penetrates. Didn't I warn you to turn back?
Run. Don't look back. Don't look back. It is behind you. Each stride will take you to safety, right? Just get to safety. Is there a safe place? Remember, remember, this could save you. The sound of claws digging into the ground are close. It circles. It is toying with you. There is no escape; there never was. A cat playing with a mouse. As insignificant as a butterfly on a windshield, you are nothing to it. Darkness consumes. Stumbling you fall into a pill of leaves. Snap, a pain sears up from you legs causing a cry to escape lips. The creature has slowed as well. Its breathing still excited and heavy. Your back leans against a tree. Running is no longer an option. The agony of your legs causes movement impossible. Despite the end, are you still fearing death? Are you still fearing the dark?
Moonlight makes it way down from the heavens. The creature steps into the light. The only instinct left is to freeze. Thick black talons snake their way forward. Long black canines already drip with blood. The crunch of every branch and twig reduce to dust under its weight. Perhaps it once resembled a large cat, but now the hairless abomination had the look an decaying dinosaur. The creature's back contained a row of large spikes coming off of its spine. Its long legs gave the false interpretation of scrawniness. Clearly food was not an issue as nothing could tangle with the monster. What was once could have been a long tail had stripped to the bone, broken and rotting. It raises its front legs up. Sniffing the air, the bone cat gave a high pitched scream. Scenting your fear, it looks straight at you. Most unsettling of all are the two red eyes surveying you. One thing is on the bone cat's mind. How much can it make you scream?
YOU ARE READING
The Haunted and other short stories
ContoShort Story Collection including works such as Black Smoke and The Haunted. Black Smoke - In the old west a cowboy heads home only to find himself alone in the endless plains of his own denial. The Haunted - A man is tormented by the ghost of his pa...
