I
sat on the chilly balcony at two in the morning, head tipped back,
looking at the cloudy sky wishing for some stars. Two dogs shuffled
around, snuffling at birdseed as they followed the smell of
squirrels. It was my last night house sitting my Uncle’s cozy
two-story on the edge of town. He lived in the final house on a dead
end street spitting distance from woods that made a small portion of
a highly forested area.
I
was determined to take advantage of his balcony, since my apartment
didn’t have one, and enjoy the night sky in all its starry glory.
Unfortunately, that was looking less and less likely as time dragged
on and the temperature dropped. Drooping with disappointment, I
decided to give up when a loud rustling came from the woods below. A
stomping trample of branches and leaves had my heart racing as I
quickly sat up in my chair, watching the tree line for movement. It
was probably a bunch of teenagers, I decided, embarrassed by how
easily I startled. As the rustling got closer, I heard a voice.
Straining to listen, whatever sound the voice was making got drowned
out by the crunching of the plants and the undisturbed snuffling of
the dogs. Quickly, I tried to surreptitiously quiet them so I could
hear better, but they ignored my shushing.
The
voice disappeared into the woods as the trampling started to grow
distant, much to my annoyance. Giving the dogs a sour look I brought
them into the house, closing the sliding glass door so I could hear
undisturbed. Stealthily creeping back to my chair, I winced at every
scuffling footstep, certain whoever was in the woods would hear.
Straining, I listened for any sound. The thundering steps and voice
had stopped, muffled somewhere in the woods. With a frustrated huff
I closed my eyes, leaning my head against the chair’s cool metal.
So much for that diversion.
Might
as well go to bed, I figured, heaving myself out of the chair. A
shrill squeal erupted from the woods. Pausing, I looked over my
shoulder towards the dark trees below. Another frightened whinny
split the air. Whirling around I pressed a knee onto the chair,
leaning over the edge of the balcony. Eyes transfixed on the woods
where the trampling was last heard, my heart thundered madly in my
chest as I whispered in horror, “Is someone slaughtering a pig?”
Minutes
passed as the sound faded and I lingered, full of coiled tension,
staring into the darkness. Then I heard it. A sharp shrill screech
followed by terrified screams. Each echoing shriek was louder and
more desperate than the last.
Suddenly
it stopped.
I
waited. Listening intently, I ignored the stinging burn in my horror
wide eyes, holding my breath so I wouldn’t miss the tell tale sound
of movement. A heartbeat. Two. Ten. Nothing. No footsteps or noises
of life permeating from the forest, just an eerie silence pressing
down around me. Shivering against a sudden chill as my heart took up
a new jumping rhythm in my chest, I decided it was time to for bed.
Hurrying
across the balcony I went inside, locked the glass door behind me
with a reassuring thunk of the deadbolt and pulled the shade shut,
cutting me off from outside. With a trembling sigh I stepped back,
checked to make sure all the windows were locked and the shades were
drawn, locked the door to the hallway, and shut off the light before
climbing into bed. I lay in the dark listening to the soft whispery
breathing of the sleeping dogs. Something outside had been screaming.
The shrill, scared sound reverberated in my mind sending my
adrenaline spiking. Wave after wave of horrifyingly gruesome images
assaulted my mind, each gorier than the last. Something had been
murdered in the woods. Whatever killed it had come disturbingly close
to the house.
I
kicked off the covers and hurried across the room to grab a hefty
metal flashlight from my bag. Bringing it back to the bed, I slipped
under the covers, flashlight resting next to me on the pillow in easy
reach. I felt a lot better knowing I had something I
could use
to defend
myself.
It was ridiculous, I knew, behavior fit for a young child instead of
an adult, but as I lay in the dark, eyes slowly closing, the
reassuring cool of the metal made me feel much safer.
Drifting,
almost asleep, the sound of an uneven gait crushing foliage in its
path caught my hazy attention. Slowly, ears reverberating with every
crunchy step, I realized the disturbingly familiar sound was likely
what had walked by the house earlier. The same thing that killed
something in the woods. Eyes snapping open as that thought drifted
through my muddled mind I grabbed the flashlight, sleep forgotten.
The snapping crackle of plants dying underfoot gave way to the heavy
clicking grind of steps on pavement. That thing
was coming towards the house! Sitting up in bed, attention fixed on
the balcony door, I bit my lip, teeth sinking into the soft flesh as
the heavy rattling steps drew closer.
The
steps stopped. Swallowing with a painfully dry throat I listened as a
soft snuffling began on the street below. The sound grew louder with
each heaving breath as I sat, transfixed in horror, hoping it would
leave. Away. Away. Away. Please, God, please make it go away. But my
prayers went unanswered as the deep huffing breaths were joined by a
terrible screeching SKEEEERFWUMP!
Roused
from their sleep the dogs shot up with loud growling barks. Running
across the room they stood in front of the balcony doors in a
snarling frenzy. SKEEEERWUMP! SKEEEERFWUMP! SKEEEERFWUMP! Each loud
bang had the room vibrating with impact. The deafening noise was
drawing closer. Hackles rising, the dogs became more irate, little
bodies vibrating with barely restrained fury as the rattling blows
sounded just outside the sliding glass doors.
It
was on the balcony.
Chest
tight, my heart thrashed crazily; blood roaring in my veins as fear
consumed me. Low guttural panting began in earnest on the other side
of the glass completely ignoring the deafening barks of the dogs.
Eyes stinging, tears ran in salty tracks down my face as I watched
the door. Constricted, my lungs burned but I was paralyzed. Unable to
breath. Unable to blink. My entire world had narrowed to the
sickeningly deep huffs trailing along the sliding doors. A faint
tinkling sounded. Plink.
Crick. Tink. The
sound of cracking glass. It must be leaning against the glass trying
to get in, I realized as my heart gave a strange painful flutter and
my throat closed. Eyes rolling, the world turned dark. The last thing
I remember was the cool feel of the flashlight falling from my hands.
I
woke to thin beams of light streaming through the gaps in the blinds.
As I blinked gummy eyes, the events of the night before flooded my
hazy mind. Gasping, I pressed into the bed, eyes roving the room for
any sign of danger. Nothing was changed. The dogs slept peacefully at
the foot of the bed, I was snug under the covers, flashlight rolled
painfully under my ribs. Gingerly, I got up and went to the glass
doors leading out to the balcony. Gripping the flashlight tightly, I
pushed aside the blinds. Nothing. No cracks. No smears of something
pressed close. Just smooth unblemished glass. A bubble of hysterical
laughter escaped as I looked out at the balcony finding everything as
it should be.
A
dream! A stupid scary nightmare brought on by an overactive
imagination. I laughed again, feeling silly and light. It was a
wonder I could watch horror movies without having a coronary.
Humming, I took the dogs downstairs, letting them out in the yard to
do their business. Standing outside the door my gaze drifted to the
street, lingering on the space in front of the house where the thing
in my dream had stopped. Well, I thought, as my pulse sped up, better
safe than sorry. With slow determined steps I walked to the pavement,
searching for any sign of life. The street was fine, the grass
un-flattened, and no gouges marring the side of the house. Eyes
drifting up, I smiled in relief, feeling terribly foolish. Gaze
reaching the balcony I paused, blinked, stared. A scream tore from my
throat as I scrambled back. Heart pounding, legs wobbling, another
terrified wail escaped as I began to hyperventilate.
Along the side of the balcony was a dark red smear of blood.
