The crackling of burning wood, the smell of trees and melting marshmallows. The cold night air against one's back contrasting with the warmth of the fire. All accentuated by the sound of laughing children.
It was a late Saturday summer night, their parents weren't far, sharing a couple of beers in the back of a van from where they could hear the children.
It was Abigail's birthday, she was nine years old today, the oldest of her friend group. To her right sat her very best friend whom she shared friendship bracelets with, Elaine, Ella.
"Truth," Abigail sneered at her best friend, knowing she had no secrets.
Ella rolled her eyes, "fine, fine," she crossed her arms in resignment, "which sense do you fear losing the most?"
"What kind of a question is that?" Abigail sneered.
"Her sense of humour," another friend joked.
Ella shrugged, "just answer!"
"I dunno, my sight I guess, the idea of having to make an effort to remember how beautiful my face is! A tragedy!" she offered up a dramatic pose, throwing her arm into the air and all but collapsing atop Ella.
"Hey!"
Abigail laughed.
They all did. They didn't hear the big black cat that stalked them from beyond the trees hidden by the shadows made darker by the the bonfire.
Then, they screamed, the cat had pounced at where Abigail had been sitting a mere instant beforehand, landing inside the bonfire. Any normal animal would burn, they shook they fur as thought rather than fire it was bright red water.
Jet black fur with eyes that sparkled purple.
A monster.
All the kids ran in different directions. Abigail and Ella together. The monster dodged trees and leaped over bushes.
Ella tripped over, a mere metre behind Abigail, but the girl didn't make a noise and her friend didn't notice.
Abigail continued running.
Ella closed her eyes tight but felt a breeze as the monster leaped over her and continued to chase down Abigail.
Abigail didn't make it far, bushes too thick to run through, trees with no branches to grab onto. She turned to see the monster stalking her, ready to pounce. She could hear the running and shouting of their parents not far behind. She could see Ella on the ground staring up at her with big green eyes.
And reflected in those green eyes, she saw the monster pounce and her body fall limp to the ground.
YOU ARE READING
Out of Body Experience
FantasyNobody was asking for a genetic mutation that attracted monsters, aka bringers of death, to you. Oh wait, no, that's not true, plenty of people were asking for it. Because it wasn't just a mutation that attracted monsters, it also gave you magical...
