Short Story Collections

The Trip (handed in)

Stumbling over an old oak root, I kept running. The creature behind me roared, its paws pounding the mossy floor behind me. It lashed out, and I felt the air rush past my head. I narrowly avoided branches, spindling and hanging low from tall windy trees. I heard a familiar happy laugh in the distance, and I ran towards it. I needed to find my girlfriend, Poppy.

"Poppy!" I called into the forest. "Where are you?"

A shadow jumped from tree to tree, a familiar figure. I followed it, trying to lose the creature behind me. My breathing became ragged and my throat was dry. Adrenaline was coursing through my body, making sure I never lost speed. She stood at the top of a hill, her hair beautifully golden and her birthmark stood proudly on her neck; she smiled goofily and looking around in wonder.

"Run!" I yelled.

She grinned wider. "Darling! I found some really pretty flowers! Look." She held one out, but I took her in my arms. She was too caught up in the aroma of the flowers surrounding her. She was tripping hard. 

If I had her in my hold, he couldn't touch her. I faced the creature, a giant wolf, with huge teeth. Blackish-grey wisps of fog emitted from every corner and angle of the wolf, like an evil aura. It snarled at me, circling me. I held Poppy tighter. She hugged me back, her heartbeat was calm and breathing steadily.  She was safe in my arms, for that I was glad.

"Is this your girlfriend?" The wolf growled out, licking his lips tauntingly.

It made a sudden bark, as two women came out from the shrubbery; wearing a ragged old fabric over their breasts and hips and all slender and large chested. One was a redhead with a pale complexion and bright red lips, and the other woman was caramel-skinned with long curls and alluring chocolate eyes. They gathered around us, their movement slow and sensual.

"You have really pretty hair, miss." One of them said to Poppy. "And your eyes are a perfect shade of blue."

Somehow, the red head had replaced Poppy in my arms with themselves, kissing my neck and rubbing herself against my stomach and chest. I let go of her instantly, but she jumped forward and bit Poppy's arm off, chomping on it as if it were steak. Poppy giggled her shoulder gushing blood. I screamed in horror, running towards the girl and shoving her away. She didn't budge, but both girls ran at me and held me down. I glared at the red head, pulling hard at both my arms at try and get my hands around her neck. She was no longer a girl, she was a monster too. Both girls stood fast, holding my arms tightly. I couldn't move, but I struggled to free myself.

"Human, watch this." The wolf said, moving towards Poppy. I glared at it, struggling harder to free myself, to no avail.

The wolf bit off her other arm, keeping his eyes on me. She giggled, claiming it tickled. I struggled against the girls, screaming for mercy.

"Let her go!" I cried. The girls held me still, not moving. They were surprisingly strong.

"Why are you so ungrateful? You have us here." The redhead said, pouting as she hugged my arm; her breasts pushing hard into my bicep as an attempt to distract me.

Her love had blinded me against other girls, and I couldn't comprehend life without her. My heart pounded loudly in my ears, blood rushing around my body so fast I couldn't keep track between beats. I saw red from anger.

"How dare you harm my girl. Let her go!" I pushed forward with all my might but was pulled back suddenly when I was within an inch distance from saving Poppy. "I love you!"

Poppy smiled at me, laughing again as she picked another flower. Her hair was shiny golden, even in the dark and foggy air.

"How dare you." An unfamiliar voice hissed at me. "We are beautiful. More than that bitch."

I looked around and saw the pretty girls had been replaced with monsters. Their skin was scaly, with greenish tints, others with grey. Their eyes were bright red, their tongue poked in and out, forked in two alike to a snake's tongue, and needle-like fangs protruded from their mouths. A sudden crunch brought me back to look at the wolf, as I witnessed Poppy staring blankly back at me; her laughter and smile now gone. Instead, I was met with a dead stare of the decapitated head of the love of my life. Her birthmark was only half there, the other half somewhere within the killer wolf. Poppy was dead. No. I would not accept this. She is my sunshine. She is the reason I live everyday and the reason I awoke. My anger worsened, and I felt like a superhero, punching my way through things as if they were nothing.

The girls beside me hissed, letting me go and standing between the wolf and I.

"Give her back!" I yelled, fists clenched.

"I cannot. She's dead, and the women are her replacement. Much prettier than my snack I must say." Its lips twitched into a cruel grin at my grief-stricken expression.

I scowled, yet more anger burst from my heart as I punched my way through the snake-like females. They recoiled, screaming and hissing again as the ones I hit backed away in shock, retreating back into the shadows. They ran off, taking much of my need energy along with them. I felt hopeless. My beautiful Poppy was still dead. Colours and images swirled in my mind, and I ran at the wolf.I would kill this beast myself! I watched the wolf, my jaw and muscles clenched in anger and ready for action.

"Oh, you humans have always been so stupid. You have no weapon. I have my claws, teeth, both sharp enough to rip through flesh with only one action."

"Yes. But I have anger in my heart, you have arrogance."

I could feel the tipping of the scales on who was getting the upper hand. I will kill him, getting my revenge.

"You will be sorry you ever lived, human." The wolf gave a sudden howl, like a horn to signal the starting charge in battle. 

I wasn't joking around, this was war.

I smiled evilly at him, putting all feelings aside for now and focusing on my instincts: fight or flight. I would live, fighting to my last breath if I had to. Poppy, you haven't died in vain, I will kill this satanic being and then I shall bury you respectfully before mourning over your kind soul.

I ran at the wolf, my fist in front of me. It growled, running at me with its teeth bared and ears back. We hit each other, and I was hurtled back with such force that it winded me for a moment.

The wolf coughed, something obviously in its throat. "What..?"

Before it could catch its breath, I took it to my advantage. I ran at the wolf again, grabbing a sharp stick from off the ground as my weapon. As it coughed again, I jumped on top of him. I wrapped my arm around its neck, pulling upwards as I readied the stick in my other hand. The wolf struggled against me, probably light headed now, and I hit his throat with my other fist hard. The stick went through like a hot knife through butter. I felt fur and something wet around my hands and down the stick. I could feel the heartbeat thumping through the stick in its throat, and it slowed until one last beat stuttered and then stopped. He fell limp and collapsed under me.

Everything faded away in wisps and I yawned, blinking away wetness in my eyes, opening them to reveal our picnic, a beautiful girl in my arms with golden hair and a small birthmark on her neck. My Poppy. I dropped the joint in my fingers, trying to shake the bad trip from my mind. Poppy's joint was used too, still held in her slender fingers as she slept. She always fell asleep after her trip.

I hugged her tightly, crying, happy she was alive and was all a hallucination. She woke up, dropping her joint, hugging me.