Rabbit in the Dark

This is something I wrote some time ago. Found it today, added a bit of a touch up.

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.