The Great Book of One-Shots

Ben and the Beast*

He made sure to securely close the door before taking a few steps into the main entrance. There was a grand staircase leading up to the second floor and hallways in what seemed like every direction.

Curious, Ben headed towards the staircase but stopped after a few steps as noticed something out of the corner of his eye. He looked to his right, where he swore he had seen movement, and stared for a moment. When he saw no sign of life, he hesitantly called out, "H-Hello? Is s-someone there...? I... I just n-need somewhere to stay unt-til the storm lets up..."

There was silence for a moment more and Ben concluded that he must of just imagined the movement after all. Though, as he continued towards the stairs, he froze in his tracks at the sound a low growl.

It wasn't like anything he had ever heard before, but he didn't have to wonder what kind of animal it had come from for long. Just seconds after the sound had been heard, a large figure leaped down onto the middle of the stairs, scaring Ben half to death.

Frozen in fear, Ben couldn't get his body to move even as the large, fur-covered being leaped to the floor just a few feet in front of him. His heart felt like it was about to pound right out of his chest and his vision was starting to blur as the room seemed to spin around him.

The being moved a step closer and its large, sharp teeth were the last thing Ben saw before his world went black.

He woke up with a groan and brought a hand to rub the back of his head. A throbbing headache wasn't his ideal way to wake up, but it looked like he'd just have to deal with it.

Letting out a deep sigh, Ben moved his hands to rub his eyes and forced himself to sit up. He instantly wanted to curl back up in the impossibly soft and warm blankets, though, as he finally opened his eyes, that thought changed.

He quickly snapped awake as he observed the room, far too large and luxurious to be his.

The bed he was now on was twice as big and comfortable as the one in his room and had nightstands on each side. To his right was a wall full of large, curtained windows and to his left was a small table and two chairs in front of a fireplace. Across from him was a large dresser and wardrobe. All the furniture seemed to be made of the same dark wood, beautifully carved with intricate designs.

After a moment of staring in awe, Ben managed to get to his feet and slightly blushed as he looked down. His clothes, which had been made cold and wet by the snow, had been replaced by a thick, long nightgown. It, too, had beautiful designs and was much fancier than anything Ben could of ever imagined owning.

Pushing the embarrassment of knowing someone had to of redressed him aside, Ben wandered around the room a bit. Almost instantly he realized that everything seemed to have a layer of dust on it and spiderwebs weren't uncommon to see in corners. Though, what caught his attention the most would of had to of been that some of the fabric in the room, like the curtains and the canopy over the bed, had been ripped. It almost seemed like some sort of large animal had slashed its claws through them.

A bolt of fear shot through Ben's body at that thought as images of the being from last night flashed through his mind. Giant. Fur-covered. Sharp teeth. Everything about it was terrifying to Ben.

Quickly realizing that he must be in a room of the castle, Ben made it his mission to get out and as far away as possible. He wanted to put as must distance between himself that that beast as possible as he could, as soon as he could.

He ran to the door and quickly grabbed the handle. He yanked on it before pushing it as hard as he could. He desperately pushed and pulled the door in a panic before stopping and letting the despair set in. It was locked.