Well, it's been ages since I've written a new short story, so I thought I'd try my hand at another horror short story. This one may not be my best work, but for being written at 3 am while I'm on pain meds after getting my wisdom teeth out... It's alright. xD If you read it, please comment and let me know what you think or what improvements could be made. With your help, maybe it could be a pretty amazing story. :3 With that out of the way, shall we get to down to business?
It started with a scream. A strange, inhuman screeching. That was the first sign it had found you. That was the first sign you were about to die.
I gazed at the television in front of me, a mixture of giddiness and fear spread across my face as I shoveled handful after handful of popcorn into my mouth. It felt like it had been ages since I'd last watched a scary movie, and this had to be one of the best ones I'd ever seen. The husband and wife on the screen locked hands, cautiously navigating their dimly lit house as the man held a butcher knife out in front of them for protection. They had already locked their two kids in the master bedroom for their own safety - now they had to find the monster loose in their home if they ever wanted to give those kids the future they deserved.
Then, as if by magic, they saw it. A figure, strangely disfigured in the shadows, sitting in a corner of their nearly pitch black living room. Nervously the two inched closer, the woman pausing to quietly grab a lamp for self-defense as they closed in on the inhuman intruder. I could feel my pulse pounding, my hands starting to sweat, as my eyes stared unblinkingly at the screen.
"Why won't you leave us alone?" the man whispered through the darkness, his entire arm quivering with fright. "Wha - what do you want from us?" The wife began to quietly sob, shaking her head as if unable to accept what was happening to their family that had once been so happy - so peaceful.
Then the creature spoke. It was a gasping, rattling sound that hung in the air, as if waiting to strike. Its two pitch black eyes opened and stared lifelessly at the couple as the words it had just spoke sunk into them.
"I want... Your children."
Suddenly that high pitched, inhuman screech filled the air as it lunged towards the couple, knocking them backwards and making me scream myself. I flew backwards, toppling out of my chair and hitting the ground roughly as popcorn flew everywhere. Within seconds I could hear the sound of footsteps in the hallway accompanied with irritated muttering - never a good sign.
My door swung open, showcasing the incredibly annoyed mother and father I called my own who were both standing in the hallway. The darkness that had originally made up my room retreated instantly as my mother flipped on a light switch, tapping her foot impatiently.
"I thought we told you to get to sleep by ten," she said incredulously, arching an eyebrow. "I didn't know that meant watching horror movies until midnight."
"Relax." I chuckled. "It's only ten-forty-five. I'm only slightly up late - no need for punishment, right?" I got up on my knees, scooping the popcorn off the floor and back into the yellow plastic bowl it had originally been contained in as my father spoke.
"This is no time to joke, Alex. Your first day of high school's tomorrow, so you'll need all the sleep that you can get."
I groaned, wishing he hadn't mentioned that. Who really needed high school, anyways? "Can't I at least finish watching the movie?" I asked innocently, trying my best to pull off the puppy dog eyes that had gotten me so far when I was younger.
"Please?"
My mother walked past me, ejecting the DVD from my XBOX 360 and placing it back into its case. "No! Now get to sleep - the first day's always going over the rules, so you need to make sure not be tired if you intend on staying awake."
"And whoever said I intended on staying awake?"
"Just go to bed," she replied, this time cracking a smile. "As punishment, well... Your father and I are going to watch it without you while you fall asleep in here." She laughed. "Let this be a lesson to you!"
"Lordy, lordy, I'll never break the law again!"
"Well, you do know what they say about kids that break the rules, right?" Dad asked, trying his hardest to look serious.
I decided to humor him. "What's that?"
"The Boogeyman comes for them, of course!" He pointed at the DVD in Mom's hands, nodding sternly. "Just like in that movie!"
I rolled my eyes. "Of course. He must be dropping by pretty frequently by now, right? I'm sure you guys've even swapped phone numbers already." It was now my turn to stare at him incredulously. "I'm not a kid, Dad."
"Hey, just because he hasn't swung by yet doesn't mean he won't! There's a first time for everything!" My father flicked the switch to my room as my mother grabbed the bowl of popcorn from me, walking once more into the hallway. "But in all seriousness, good night, Alex," dad said with a smile as he closed the door. "Now go to bed!"
"Night," I replied, watching the hallway light vanish behind my bedroom door, leaving me in total darkness once more.
"Go to bed. Right." I yawned, staring at my white ceiling uninterestedly. "If only it were that simple." I'd already been lying down for well over an hour, and there was still no sign of sleep kicking in. The ticking of the clock hung on my wall and the sounds of the movie from the living room were my only friends in this bitter boredom. Even the moon, usually out to play on nights such as this when I can't fall asleep, was apparently avoiding me. The window directly next to my bed was pitch black, a sorry sight since I could have easily been using the light for shadow puppets.
I huddled underneath my covers, pulling them tightly around me as I listened silently to the movie. The husband's fearful voice rang through the night, the same words he'd spoke nearly an hour ago right before I had lost the privilege of watching the movie tonight.
"Wha - what do you want from us?"
I smirked, imagining the look on my parents' faces as the creature's lifeless black eyes opened and it croaked out the words I could now hear drifting into my room.
"I want... Your children."
They both screamed in unison, making me snicker. That's what they get for watching it without me. They were complete wusses when it came to horror stuff - I was surprised they had even decided to watch the movie, let alone at night. Heck, my Mom didn't sleep for an entire week after watching -
Thud.
I blinked. What was that? I shook my head, realizing how much the movie must have actually scared me. I couldn't believe it had been that good. I bit my lip, trying to find something funny to say in order to get my mind off of things. Mom must've probably dropped the popcorn bowl like I had when I'd first seen that part. That was it. That had to be it. I cursed to myself silently. I never did find out how the movie ended... That was going to bug me. If I knew how the creature had been killed I wouldn't feel so scared.
A high pitched, inhuman scream filled the air, chilling me to my core as two more screams met it. That... That didn't sound like it was off the television. Then, abruptly, all the screams stopped and two thuds filled the silent void.
"What's going on...?" I whispered to myself, clutching the blankets tightly. I knew everything was alright. It was just the movie. But... But what if...
Suddenly there came the sound of dragging, with the thuds of heavy footsteps scattered intermittently through-out the continuous sound. Slowly it worked its way down the hall-way. My voice caught in my throat and my eyes widened, listening intently to the strange, foreign noise. The footsteps turned the corner towards my bedroom and the objects being dragged made a strange, padded thumping sound as they ran against the wall.
"Mom...? Dad...?" I asked softly into the night, my eyes locked on my door as the light filtering in from beneath it was blocked out. "This isn't funny. I - I need sleep. You said so yourself." The doorknob slowly began to turn and, almost against my will, I pulled the blankets over my head. From beneath the sheets I could hear the door slowly creak open and the heavy footsteps drag the objects inside my room. A strange, ragged breathing filled the air along with the worst scent I'd ever smelled.
The scent of death.
I bit my lip, pulling the side of the blankets up just enough to see what was in my room. As I stared, the worst fear I'd ever imagined filled every corner of me. I had to be asleep. I had to be imagining this.
A large man, nearly seven feet tall, towered over two limp bodies sprawled out in front of the doorway - my mother and father. My breathing quickened as I looked at the blood trailing behind them into the hallway...
It... It couldn't be real blood... Could it?
Then the man turned to face my bed, walking past the door and into the light as he made his way over. It took everything inside me not to scream, to fling the covers up and run for safety. His skin was a pale grey and he was entirely naked, yet he just wasn't human. His skin looked charred, and a large hole replaced where his nose used to be. Pure black eyes swept the room, unblinking, as his long, disfigured arms swayed at his sides. His mouth had no lips, as if they'd been ripped off along with most of his cheeks. You could see the gum-line, the pointed, yellow canines that lined his mouth, and the tongue that seemed to lick them hungrily.
The creature stood over my bed, staring down at the blankets, as I tried my best to remain frozen. Maybe it doesn't know I'm here. Maybe... Maybe it thinks I'm sleeping.
With an odd snapping sound it bent over me, its nose pressing against the sheets and into my side as it began to smell the bed. Tears welled up in my eyes as it growled and hissed, the sound almost like that of a pig mixed with a rabid dog. The creature buried its face against my side and slowly worked its way up my body, till I could feel its face against the side of my head. Through the blankets I could smell its breath, hear its breathing, feel its dead gaze. I shut my eyes tightly, hoping to God it wouldn't notice me or that it thought I was asleep.
Then, with an inhuman roar, it pushed itself off the bed and towards my parents. I shot my eyes open, watching it walk on all four towards them. It stopped above my mother, cocking its head curiously before raising one arm. The hand, I could now see, had strangely long fingers - ones that, if I was seeing things right, had pointed nails at their ends. With a screech it buried the hand into her side, making me gasp in horror.
Instantly the creature shot its head towards me, its eyes fixed on the opening in the side of the sheets. I squeezed my eyes shut as quickly as I could, but I couldn't tell if it had seen me staring it. I held my breath, waiting for the sound of it coming over to the bed to kill me like it had the only two people I'd ever truly loved. Tears streamed down my face as I heard the floorboards creek as the monster shuffled over on all fours. Then, to my surprise, a new sound filled the air. Scratching.
I peeked my eyes open and saw, to my surprise, the monster standing against the wall in front of me, its back turned to the bed. It was covered from head to toe with blood, its hands pressed against the wall, scratching frenziedly against the paint and leaving behind it long smear-stains of the coppery substance. For minutes it went, tearing the wall to pieces as I watched, hypnotized, until suddenly it spun around in place and gazed at the bed once more. I closed my eyes once more, praying in my head for God to save me from this thing. I just wanted this night to end.
Then, to my surprise, I heard a strange croaking sound, followed by the sound of my door closing. I peeked once more to see what had happened, but the room was so dark I couldn't see anything at all except the silhouette of my mother and father from the hallway light. I laid there for hours, trying my hardest not to breath, as I kept my eyes glued on their horrified, still faces.
Finally, after what felt like days, the sun began to rise and, with it, strands of light lit up my previously pitch-black room. Shifting my hand over my mouth to keep from screaming, I glanced around for the monster.
Nothing.
I remained still and silent for several more minutes, keeping my eyes locked on the door, until it finally sunk in: The creature wasn't here anymore. I... I was safe.
I pulled back the sheets and sat up, swinging my feet off the bed. Despite shaking violently, I knew what I had to do. The police would protect me - they'd keep that thing from ever coming back. Wiping the tears from my eyes, I staggered to my feet. Mom... Dad...
Nodding my head, I swung my feet off the side of my bed and staggered up, feeling completely dizzy after such a long and horrifying night. As my feet hit the floor a strange, thick liquid soaked them, making a shiver run up my spine. My gaze slowly drifted down, noticing the thick pool of blood surrounding my bed.
No... No, that couldn't be right. That creature wasn't soaked with blood when it first walked over to me. It was just soaked when it was clawing into the wall -
Realization flooded upon me. I had never seen the end of the movie... If this was based on the same creature, how did I know it was ever killed? How did I know it could be killed? All that time it had been in my room... Had it just been toying with me? The way it sniffed my sheets, how it bent over, the way it gazed at the bed...
As my eyes focused in on the scratches the monster had left on my wall, a high-pitched, inhuman shriek rang out from underneath my bed as long, inhuman fingers wrapped themselves around my ankles. Before I could even scream my feet were yanked out from underneath me and my body hit the floor, quickly dragged underneath my bed. While the beast had its final meal, all I could do was scream and think of the words that monster had written so many hours ago along my wall:
"I know you're awake."
I Know You're Awake.
It started with a scream. A strange, inhuman screeching. That was the first sign it had found you. That was the first sign you were about to die.
I gazed at the television in front of me, a mixture of giddiness and fear spread across my face as I shoveled handful after handful of popcorn into my mouth. It felt like it had been ages since I'd last watched a scary movie, and this had to be one of the best ones I'd ever seen. The husband and wife on the screen locked hands, cautiously navigating their dimly lit house as the man held a butcher knife out in front of them for protection. They had already locked their two kids in the master bedroom for their own safety - now they had to find the monster loose in their home if they ever wanted to give those kids the future they deserved.
Then, as if by magic, they saw it. A figure, strangely disfigured in the shadows, sitting in a corner of their nearly pitch black living room. Nervously the two inched closer, the woman pausing to quietly grab a lamp for self-defense as they closed in on the inhuman intruder. I could feel my pulse pounding, my hands starting to sweat, as my eyes stared unblinkingly at the screen.
"Why won't you leave us alone?" the man whispered through the darkness, his entire arm quivering with fright. "Wha - what do you want from us?" The wife began to quietly sob, shaking her head as if unable to accept what was happening to their family that had once been so happy - so peaceful.
Then the creature spoke. It was a gasping, rattling sound that hung in the air, as if waiting to strike. Its two pitch black eyes opened and stared lifelessly at the couple as the words it had just spoke sunk into them.
"I want... Your children."
Suddenly that high pitched, inhuman screech filled the air as it lunged towards the couple, knocking them backwards and making me scream myself. I flew backwards, toppling out of my chair and hitting the ground roughly as popcorn flew everywhere. Within seconds I could hear the sound of footsteps in the hallway accompanied with irritated muttering - never a good sign.
My door swung open, showcasing the incredibly annoyed mother and father I called my own who were both standing in the hallway. The darkness that had originally made up my room retreated instantly as my mother flipped on a light switch, tapping her foot impatiently.
"I thought we told you to get to sleep by ten," she said incredulously, arching an eyebrow. "I didn't know that meant watching horror movies until midnight."
"Relax." I chuckled. "It's only ten-forty-five. I'm only slightly up late - no need for punishment, right?" I got up on my knees, scooping the popcorn off the floor and back into the yellow plastic bowl it had originally been contained in as my father spoke.
"This is no time to joke, Alex. Your first day of high school's tomorrow, so you'll need all the sleep that you can get."
I groaned, wishing he hadn't mentioned that. Who really needed high school, anyways? "Can't I at least finish watching the movie?" I asked innocently, trying my best to pull off the puppy dog eyes that had gotten me so far when I was younger.
"Please?"
My mother walked past me, ejecting the DVD from my XBOX 360 and placing it back into its case. "No! Now get to sleep - the first day's always going over the rules, so you need to make sure not be tired if you intend on staying awake."
"And whoever said I intended on staying awake?"
"Just go to bed," she replied, this time cracking a smile. "As punishment, well... Your father and I are going to watch it without you while you fall asleep in here." She laughed. "Let this be a lesson to you!"
"Lordy, lordy, I'll never break the law again!"
"Well, you do know what they say about kids that break the rules, right?" Dad asked, trying his hardest to look serious.
I decided to humor him. "What's that?"
"The Boogeyman comes for them, of course!" He pointed at the DVD in Mom's hands, nodding sternly. "Just like in that movie!"
I rolled my eyes. "Of course. He must be dropping by pretty frequently by now, right? I'm sure you guys've even swapped phone numbers already." It was now my turn to stare at him incredulously. "I'm not a kid, Dad."
"Hey, just because he hasn't swung by yet doesn't mean he won't! There's a first time for everything!" My father flicked the switch to my room as my mother grabbed the bowl of popcorn from me, walking once more into the hallway. "But in all seriousness, good night, Alex," dad said with a smile as he closed the door. "Now go to bed!"
"Night," I replied, watching the hallway light vanish behind my bedroom door, leaving me in total darkness once more.
"Go to bed. Right." I yawned, staring at my white ceiling uninterestedly. "If only it were that simple." I'd already been lying down for well over an hour, and there was still no sign of sleep kicking in. The ticking of the clock hung on my wall and the sounds of the movie from the living room were my only friends in this bitter boredom. Even the moon, usually out to play on nights such as this when I can't fall asleep, was apparently avoiding me. The window directly next to my bed was pitch black, a sorry sight since I could have easily been using the light for shadow puppets.
I huddled underneath my covers, pulling them tightly around me as I listened silently to the movie. The husband's fearful voice rang through the night, the same words he'd spoke nearly an hour ago right before I had lost the privilege of watching the movie tonight.
"Wha - what do you want from us?"
I smirked, imagining the look on my parents' faces as the creature's lifeless black eyes opened and it croaked out the words I could now hear drifting into my room.
"I want... Your children."
They both screamed in unison, making me snicker. That's what they get for watching it without me. They were complete wusses when it came to horror stuff - I was surprised they had even decided to watch the movie, let alone at night. Heck, my Mom didn't sleep for an entire week after watching -
Thud.
I blinked. What was that? I shook my head, realizing how much the movie must have actually scared me. I couldn't believe it had been that good. I bit my lip, trying to find something funny to say in order to get my mind off of things. Mom must've probably dropped the popcorn bowl like I had when I'd first seen that part. That was it. That had to be it. I cursed to myself silently. I never did find out how the movie ended... That was going to bug me. If I knew how the creature had been killed I wouldn't feel so scared.
A high pitched, inhuman scream filled the air, chilling me to my core as two more screams met it. That... That didn't sound like it was off the television. Then, abruptly, all the screams stopped and two thuds filled the silent void.
"What's going on...?" I whispered to myself, clutching the blankets tightly. I knew everything was alright. It was just the movie. But... But what if...
Suddenly there came the sound of dragging, with the thuds of heavy footsteps scattered intermittently through-out the continuous sound. Slowly it worked its way down the hall-way. My voice caught in my throat and my eyes widened, listening intently to the strange, foreign noise. The footsteps turned the corner towards my bedroom and the objects being dragged made a strange, padded thumping sound as they ran against the wall.
"Mom...? Dad...?" I asked softly into the night, my eyes locked on my door as the light filtering in from beneath it was blocked out. "This isn't funny. I - I need sleep. You said so yourself." The doorknob slowly began to turn and, almost against my will, I pulled the blankets over my head. From beneath the sheets I could hear the door slowly creak open and the heavy footsteps drag the objects inside my room. A strange, ragged breathing filled the air along with the worst scent I'd ever smelled.
The scent of death.
I bit my lip, pulling the side of the blankets up just enough to see what was in my room. As I stared, the worst fear I'd ever imagined filled every corner of me. I had to be asleep. I had to be imagining this.
A large man, nearly seven feet tall, towered over two limp bodies sprawled out in front of the doorway - my mother and father. My breathing quickened as I looked at the blood trailing behind them into the hallway...
It... It couldn't be real blood... Could it?
Then the man turned to face my bed, walking past the door and into the light as he made his way over. It took everything inside me not to scream, to fling the covers up and run for safety. His skin was a pale grey and he was entirely naked, yet he just wasn't human. His skin looked charred, and a large hole replaced where his nose used to be. Pure black eyes swept the room, unblinking, as his long, disfigured arms swayed at his sides. His mouth had no lips, as if they'd been ripped off along with most of his cheeks. You could see the gum-line, the pointed, yellow canines that lined his mouth, and the tongue that seemed to lick them hungrily.
The creature stood over my bed, staring down at the blankets, as I tried my best to remain frozen. Maybe it doesn't know I'm here. Maybe... Maybe it thinks I'm sleeping.
With an odd snapping sound it bent over me, its nose pressing against the sheets and into my side as it began to smell the bed. Tears welled up in my eyes as it growled and hissed, the sound almost like that of a pig mixed with a rabid dog. The creature buried its face against my side and slowly worked its way up my body, till I could feel its face against the side of my head. Through the blankets I could smell its breath, hear its breathing, feel its dead gaze. I shut my eyes tightly, hoping to God it wouldn't notice me or that it thought I was asleep.
Then, with an inhuman roar, it pushed itself off the bed and towards my parents. I shot my eyes open, watching it walk on all four towards them. It stopped above my mother, cocking its head curiously before raising one arm. The hand, I could now see, had strangely long fingers - ones that, if I was seeing things right, had pointed nails at their ends. With a screech it buried the hand into her side, making me gasp in horror.
Instantly the creature shot its head towards me, its eyes fixed on the opening in the side of the sheets. I squeezed my eyes shut as quickly as I could, but I couldn't tell if it had seen me staring it. I held my breath, waiting for the sound of it coming over to the bed to kill me like it had the only two people I'd ever truly loved. Tears streamed down my face as I heard the floorboards creek as the monster shuffled over on all fours. Then, to my surprise, a new sound filled the air. Scratching.
I peeked my eyes open and saw, to my surprise, the monster standing against the wall in front of me, its back turned to the bed. It was covered from head to toe with blood, its hands pressed against the wall, scratching frenziedly against the paint and leaving behind it long smear-stains of the coppery substance. For minutes it went, tearing the wall to pieces as I watched, hypnotized, until suddenly it spun around in place and gazed at the bed once more. I closed my eyes once more, praying in my head for God to save me from this thing. I just wanted this night to end.
Then, to my surprise, I heard a strange croaking sound, followed by the sound of my door closing. I peeked once more to see what had happened, but the room was so dark I couldn't see anything at all except the silhouette of my mother and father from the hallway light. I laid there for hours, trying my hardest not to breath, as I kept my eyes glued on their horrified, still faces.
Finally, after what felt like days, the sun began to rise and, with it, strands of light lit up my previously pitch-black room. Shifting my hand over my mouth to keep from screaming, I glanced around for the monster.
Nothing.
I remained still and silent for several more minutes, keeping my eyes locked on the door, until it finally sunk in: The creature wasn't here anymore. I... I was safe.
I pulled back the sheets and sat up, swinging my feet off the bed. Despite shaking violently, I knew what I had to do. The police would protect me - they'd keep that thing from ever coming back. Wiping the tears from my eyes, I staggered to my feet. Mom... Dad...
Nodding my head, I swung my feet off the side of my bed and staggered up, feeling completely dizzy after such a long and horrifying night. As my feet hit the floor a strange, thick liquid soaked them, making a shiver run up my spine. My gaze slowly drifted down, noticing the thick pool of blood surrounding my bed.
No... No, that couldn't be right. That creature wasn't soaked with blood when it first walked over to me. It was just soaked when it was clawing into the wall -
Realization flooded upon me. I had never seen the end of the movie... If this was based on the same creature, how did I know it was ever killed? How did I know it could be killed? All that time it had been in my room... Had it just been toying with me? The way it sniffed my sheets, how it bent over, the way it gazed at the bed...
As my eyes focused in on the scratches the monster had left on my wall, a high-pitched, inhuman shriek rang out from underneath my bed as long, inhuman fingers wrapped themselves around my ankles. Before I could even scream my feet were yanked out from underneath me and my body hit the floor, quickly dragged underneath my bed. While the beast had its final meal, all I could do was scream and think of the words that monster had written so many hours ago along my wall:
"I know you're awake."
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as far as I can see, next-to-no mistakes whatsoever