Thicket Terror

Anyway, I shivered.

But not Cyann. He was a tough motherfucker. Nothing scared him. Given the opportunity, he’d probably spit at Death’s face and then welcome him with open arms. He was that kind of crazy.

I was soaked from the rain and I wanted nothing more than the warmth of a campfire and fresh warm clothes to change into. Cyann just stood there, eyes staring into the distance, looking for the cause of the disturbance.

“Can we go?” I pleaded.

“No. Not yet,” he replied me and then to the darkness he yelled, “SHOW YOURSELF, YOU FOUL BEAST!”

Beast? What? Nobody told me we were dealing with creatures tonight!

“What do you mean by beast?”

“Hush.”

I pulled my knees in closer to my chest and closed my eyes. I rocked back and forth, hoping that the movement would translate into heat. It didn’t help.

Just when I expected Cyann to turn to me and say we were going back to camp, the rain stopped and the forest became hauntingly quiet. Save for the pitter patter of rain drops falling from the leaves it was quiet. Almost tranquil. Almost.

The sound of bushes being moved and undergrowth being trampled on started to fade in. I guess the creature was coming towards us.

“Get ready,” Cyann told me.

“Get ready to what?” I replied, quickly looking up at him and scanning my surroundings at the same time.

A loud shriek pierced through the darkness.

“To run!”

Cyann sped off without me. Uh oh. This isn’t a good sign.


Writing Prompt from Reddit: Pick your favorite novel. Turn to the 32nd page, and read the fourth sentence. Start a short story with that sentence.

The sentence was taken from A Clockwork Orange. Not my favorite novel (I loved the movie though) but it was the one closest to me. And I don’t think I have a favorite novel anyway!

Leave a Comment