Tags
book, fiction, flash fiction, horror, mini story, monster, short story, shorts, tea break story
Swearing warning
One of the tentacles wrapped around Danny’s neck as he pulled against the rough edge of the tunnel. He could feel the tiny veins in his neck popping as his vision blurred and the thing squeezed.
He couldn’t die like this he thought as his mind jumped between accepting his fate and thinking up an amazing escape plane. Time was running out. As the monster dragged him towards him in the dark tunnel he saw the graffiti he had sprayed earlier. The red paint looked more like blood now and Danny whimpered. He didn’t want to die here. Not here with this thing squeezing every bit of his seventeen year life from him. Twisting he searched the floor for something, a weapon. His hand rested on the aerosol can he had disposed of earlier. In a second the idea formed. With some paint still inside he might have half a plan. Twisting his body he inched towards the thing in the shadows behind him. It let out a gurgle of surprise as Danny angled the can and sprayed where he thought the eyes should be. In the darkness he couldn’t know if he his shot was accurate. Until he felt the tentacle relax a fraction and the monster released him. spotting his only chance Danny ran.
With the thing behind him bellowing Danny headed for the light that signalled the tunnels entryway. The beast was behind him and was catching up. His trainers slipped in the thin stream of runoff at the centre of the track, but he couldn’t fall now. Stopping now would mean death and Danny was determined that today was not his day.
Flying from the pipe Danny kept running until the breath in his throat caught and he fell heavily to the ground breathing in the dust that billowed around him in a cloud.
“What the fuck was that?” he spat when the air had cleared. His hands trembled as he looked back at the pipe stuck from the ground like an artery.
The beast groaned and Danny was sure he could smell the putrid stench of its breath as it descended back into the shadows.
“Danny?” Callie’s voice called from over the bank and she appeared late as normal. “was that you just screaming? Or were you trying to sing again?” she sat next to him and Danny shook his head. How could he tell her what had just happened? For a moment they simply stared at each other until Danny, finger shaking pointed into the mouth of the tunnel.
“Monster” his voice quavered and his hand returned to his knee.
“Monster?” she echoed and Danny shrugged. Pulling down the neck of his shirt he leant forward and showed Callie the marks around his neck. He could still feel the pressure squeezing and pulsing.
“Holy shit? The monster crap is true?” Danny nodded not wanting to be the one that leant more weight to the urban legend the whole valley knew about.
“It tried to kill me… down there.” Danny’s voice was returning to normal and he stared at the tunnel entrance. “What do we do?” he continued.
“We find the others and we get Kent’s camera. Then we get down there and get some footage, that’s what we do.” Callie said, excitement causing her voice to raise an octave or two.
“I’m not sure thats a good idea Cal, this thing is dangerous. It tried to kill me for fucks sake”
“True, so we get weapons too. This could be our way out of this shit hole. This could be the way we leave here forever.” She was right.. Grand Point was dying after the last timber factory closed a month ago.
The Grand Point Monster was real. It had near enough choked him to death down there. Resting his cool hand on the burning welts around his neck Danny shook his head in disbelief. Turning to Callie he sighed.
“let’s get the others.” he agreed reluctantly. Callie high fived him and scrambled up the bank the way she had arrived, not waiting to see if he followed.
A groan of anger echoed up the tunnel and every single hair raised on Danny’s body as he shook his head.
Was this the way to escape the town he had lived in his whole life? Was it worth dying for?
Danny had the feeling he was about to find out.
Thank you for reading this short story. I would love some feedback if you would be kind enough to leave some.
Until next time.
Marie x