Snippets from the Mind

Fear the Shadows

Genre: Horror

Look! Another story for my English class! Yeah, this one was written before Wrath of the Wolf, but it is the first story I published on Wattpad. I'm quite proud of this one.

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I sit up in my seat on the plane and look out the window. The ocean below screams calm, promising peace and quiet to all who dare venture this far out. Breathing a quiet sigh, I turn to my best friend, David, pushing his shoulder to get his attention.

"David, how long until we get to London?" I ask, silently hoping he'll say soon. He groans and pulls out the itinerary for the trip. Looking at his watch, he says, "Right now it's 2:30, so about two more hours. Now leave me alone, Karen, so I can sleep!"

I frown and look at his watch. The hands spin as though they were on a compass. That's odd, I think to myself. I tap my index finger on the glass and they spin the opposite way. Interesting.

Outside the plane, lightning flashes, the resulting thunder waking David. He jolts upright and looks around the cabin. "What happened?" he asks, a sleepy look to his eyes.

Abruptly, the plane drops, and the oxygen masks are released from the ceiling. As I put on my mask, the captain comes on the intercom. "Ladies and gentlemen, please remain in your seats. We are falling from the sky due to a lightning bolt hitting the right engine. I am trying my best to get it back up and running, but as a precaution, I'll need you to fasten your seat belts and brace for impact."

I do as he says as the cabin turns chaotic. David puts his hand on my arm. I turn toward him and he gives me a halfhearted smile. He didn't want to fly, I remember. He wanted us to take a boat, but I talked him out of it. It's my fault that we're here.

Tears well up in my eyes and I turn to face the window so David doesn't have to see me cry. I look at the clouds and see movement. Wiping my eyes, I look again. Hiding amongst the clouds is a pitch black figure of smoke. On its face are a pair of green eyes and an eerie smile etched in bright yellow.

The figure floats from the clouds to the plane's wing, deteriorating each piece of metal it touches. It stops about halfway to the cabin and begins scanning the windows. My heart stops as its eyes settle on me. Its smile grows and it shifts into a large cat, its eyes and smile still the same.

Slowly, it makes its way toward me. All noise in the cabin ceases and even though I am terrified of taking my eyes off the creature, I look away. Everybody is gone.

"This can't be happening." I whisper. I turn back to the window to find the shadow creature right outside. Shrieking in terror, I fumble for my seat belt buckle, but can't find it. The creature backs up and slams into the window. The glass yields and pieces of it fall around me.

The smoke making up the creature filters through the opening, wrapping around me. It coils around my throat, constricting my airway. I try to suck in air, but only succeed in breathing in the creature. I'm dying. That's the thought that crosses my mind as I suffocate. Not "what will become of my family," or anything selfless. Just a selfish thought that is an undeniable fact. Finally, when  I don't think I can take anymore...

I wake up.

I'm back in my bedroom. There's no plane, no shadow monster and no death. Just me and the dark, familiar bedroom of my home. I roll over and attempt to read the time on my digital alarm clock. The numbers are unreadable and flicker on and off.

"I need a new clock." I grumble. I hit the top of it and the numbers change to letters and stop, forming a word:

LOOK

It's silly, but that one word sends shivers down my spine. Lightning flashes and, moving slowly, I turn to examine the room. Nothing has changed. Nothing except for a single corner. There, suspended in the top left-hand corner of my room, is the shadow monster. It's green eyes and yellow mouth shine brighter than they did in my dream, sending more fear coursing through my veins.

"W-what are y-you?" I ask, my voice shaking. It cocks its head, not changing its expression. Then, without moving its mouth, it speaks.

"I am your death." Its voice comes from everywhere at once in the form of a thousand whispering voices speaking in unison. "And theirs."

Slowly, it extends a gaseous hand to point at a figure sitting in my floor. It's you. A small sob escapes your throat and I realize that you are crying. You look up at the creature, cheeks glistening with tears.

"Any last words?" the voices of the creature ask you. Seeing that you have no chance of survival, you hang your hand in submission. The shadow blinks slowly in a nod and redirects the inquiry at me.

"Only a question: can you run from death?"

The voices of the monster howl in laughter. I take that as an answer and hang my head as well. Smoke rolls off the monster, heading in both of our directions as the shadow creature continues to laugh hysterically.

I think back to my dream. If the shadow creature was there, then how is it here? Then it hits me: maybe I'm still dreaming. I close my eyes and try to force myself to wake up, to no avail. The smoke rolls over my feet, rendering me paralyzed. It continues to crawl up my body, swallowing me piece by piece.

There's no way this is real, having lost control of my mouth. I repeat this in my head until it becomes my new mantra. My neck is consumed by the darkness, causing me to start screaming the mantra mentally. Smoke flows into my mouth and down my throat, cutting off my air supply. Frantically, I begin breathing in and out, desperate to survive. My vision is covered and I give in.

Maybe this is how I go; maybe this is my destiny. I feel myself fading, my life draining from my body, when...

I wake up.

I find myself in a hospital bed, David standing beside me on the right and you on the left. Relief floods David's face and he smiles. I sit up and look around. "What happened?"My hand flies to my head as a sharp pain pierces my skull. You place a hand on my shoulder and gently push me back.

"You are lucky, Karen Louise Capaldi. You could've died in that fire." David exclaims. He brushes a stray hair from my face and tucks it behind my ear. I swat his hand away and repeat my question.

You step up to explain. "It was storming about two weeks ago and your house got struck by lightning. You were asleep when it caught fire. Luckily, you didn't get burned, just inhaled a lot of smoke."

David pulls out his phone and shows me a picture of my house, or rather, what's left of it. I frown at the picture.

Handing David his phone, I look up at you and my breath hitches in my throat. I know I saw the face of the shadow monster in your eyes.