The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!

Just in Time
by Angela Yuriko Smith

They left the shelter too soon.

For a full week they had huddled together in the dark of the cave, hungry and licking moisture off the rough stone walls. A few stopped speaking. A few wouldn’t stop speaking. They all listened to the constant boom of the bombs echo through the cavern and tried to not think about those still outside.

The silence was sudden and alien. The cave had no light where they were, and sound—even as horrifying as the constant explosions—was better than nothing. Now that it was silent the group of survivors turned their thoughts to what was next.

“I reckon the bombing is stopped,” Sam said. His voice was startling in the black nothing. Someone cleared their throat. Another voice broke the quiet, softer and feminine despite the hoarse edge that snagged the shadows.

“S-sounds like it. Should we try and get out? Would it be safe?”

Sam stood up. In the dark he could no longer tell which direction they had come in from. None of them were familiar with the cave. None of them had known each other before. They were just a bunch of panicked campers that made it into the caves just in time.

“I reckon it would. We should find each other and link hands.” He didn’t even know how many people were with him. As a former scout leader, he felt it was his duty to take charge.

“Everyone crawl towards the sound of my voice.” There was the sound of slow rustling as invisible people started groping toward him. A panic rose up inside of him as he thought of zombie nightmares from childhood, but he stuffed it into the back of his mind. He had to be strong. He had to lead. They may very well be the only people left.

“I’m right here. Keep coming…”

When the first hand touched him, he squeaked. There had been no contact between any of them other than voices. More hands reached out to touch him but he was better prepared.

“That’s it. Good job everyone. Are we all touching someone else?” They were murmurs of assent, and then someone kissed his hand. Their face was wet from tears. He hoped it was a woman.

“Is anyone left in the dark alone?” He called out loud in case someone had wandered farther away. They all listened again, still and waiting. There was no answer.

“Okay, everyone link up and keep your hand on the person in front of you. We’re going to crawl out.” He offered a silent prayer to the universe to send him in the right direction and started crawling.

The first light was a trick on their eyes. The black cleared from their vision like evaporating fog. They cried out when they realized they could see again and scrambled for the entrance. There were six of them. Two women and four men. One male was just a teen.

They spilled out of the cave and stumbled into the light. The world looked untouched. The sun was low in the sky and shone through the trees, turning the leaves to gold. The forest opened before the small group like a celestial path. They embraced as a group, falling to their knees and wept. They had survived. Whatever trials lay ahead, they would face it together.

The leaves rustled as a wind picked up, shaking them free to drift to the ground. Sam looked back up to the sun on the horizon, and then up to the sky where another sun shone down upon the group. The wind became vicious, a gale that tore the remaining leaves free. He looked back to the sun that hovered above the earth’s edge and saw it was distorting, flattening into a disk of molten light. He struggled to his feet. Like a moth to the flame, he stumbled a few steps toward it.

“Guys…” His voice trailed off. The rest of the group looked up and followed his gaze. The wind was howling now and sounded like a train rushing through the woods. Trees snapped before it as if an invisible hand was sweeping the world clean of forest and creature alike.

“Guys…” His voice trembled. “We need to go back in the cave.”

Mesmerized, none of them moved. The wave of heat overtook them. Sam fell back to his knees as he felt his face blister. He held up one hand in a feeble attempt to ward off the rushing doom, and then it was on them. None of them screamed, their eyes transfixed on the brilliance even as they sizzled in their skulls.

The last thing Sam heard was the solid, resounding rumble and boom of the final explosion. They had emerged just in time for the end of everything. As a group, they receded back to ashen darkness.

Fiction © Copyright Angela Yuriko Smith
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com 

More from Angela Yuriko Smith:

The Bitter Suites

Book a stay at the Bitter Suites, a hotel that specializes in renewable death experiences. Whether you schedule your demise as therapy, to bond with a loved one or for pure recreation, your death is sure to give you a new lease on life. Renewable death is always beneficial… at least to someone.

Available on Amazon!

WRITERS WANTED!

Issue #40 of The Sirens Call – As Summer Leaves, Autumn Falls
Stories of disaster influenced by horrific intent.

Whether it be Mother Nature’s wrath or a devilish ghoul, a sprite most wicked or a stumbling fool, tell us a tale of disaster that happens as summer ends and autumn begins.

We are looking for stories, flash fiction and poetry of horrific happenings that take place in the summer months that lead into fall. As long as the piece is primarily horror/dark fiction, we’d love to see it!

Your piece can be creepy, sullen, emotive, freaky, elegant, bizarre, have a dark-humor edge to it, or simply be flat out scary as hell!

REPRINTS ARE WELCOME
Submission Deadline: August 10, 2018
Circulation: Approximately 35,000

Full page/single book cover ads for individual authors are available at $10 per ad. Please contact Nina@SirensCallPublications.com for advertising information.

All short story, flash, and poem submissions MUST be submitted to: Submissions@SirensCallPublications.com for consideration.

Visit our web site for more details: SirensCallPub.com