The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!

Sundown
by Kim Richards

Anseli stood on the bank of the wide lake. His body shook with the frustration of his inability to cross the water. He wanted to reach the town on the far side, next to where the lake emptied into the sea. That’s where food was. Yes, he tried to go around on either side but was met with rivers dumping their waters into the pool before him.

His kind could not cross any moving water. A few throughout the years scoffed at that and dove in. They immediately sank to the bottom and were unable to move. The others were fearful to rescue them without endangering themselves. To his knowledge, those fools remained in their watery prisons still.

Except for one. A fisherman caught her in a net and hauled her out. She looked worse than dead with a pale bloated body, eyes like white pupil-less orbs, and shreds of clothing rotted by the years underwater. The fisherman felt her frigid skin and built a small fire. He draped his shirt over her shoulders.

It took her a while to move and she watched him. Once she could stand, she fell upon him and fed. Still, the warm blood did little to heal her. She was never the same.

Anseli was desperate and hunger wracked his thin body. He already consumed everything near this place and left several villages in ruins. The animals avoided the area too, having learned it was a dangerous place for them. He hated eating animals anyway. However, sometimes one cannot be choosy.

As the sun set, painting everything red and orange, he noticed a small speck on the water. As he watched it came closer and he recognized a small boat coming straight for him. This was his chance!

He looked around and noticed a cropping of rocks. The center one was large enough to conceal him. He quickly ducked behind it and hid, hoping the two people on the boat hadn’t already noticed him. He waited.

After about twenty minutes, he heard their voices, though he did not understand the language they spoke. It was a strange staccato cadence. The sounds of splashing came next, along with grunts and groans. He figured that meant they dragged their little boat ashore. Still he waited.

When he saw a pair of legs and feet round the south side of the stones, he nearly leapt upon them. Caution held him back because he understood he only got one chance at surprise. He leaned forward on the balls of his feet in anticipation.

The person near him spoke in a tone which sounded inquisitive. Their heartbeat thrummed in his ears. After a long moment, they stepped forward two steps Anseli took that moment to attack. He stood and was immediately slammed to the ground from behind.

Spitting out sand, he cursed and thrashed. Something sharp pierced his skin and struck a rib, sending it sideways. His attacker bound his wrists and then flipped him over.

Two young men stood over him with hate filled eyes. They each grabbed him by an arm and hauled him to the water’s edge. The last think he remembered was sinking beneath the waves.

Fiction © Copyright Kim Richards
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com