The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!

One Hot Day
by Kim Richards

Maddie skipped out of the thrift store. She let go of the front door, leaving it to close on its own. A mourning dove perched in the evergreen tree just across the small parking lot. Maddie smiled at its “Ou…ou…hou” cooing. It ruffled its feathers.

Droplets of sweat conjured by the blasting heat of the afternoon sun dripped down Maddie’s neck. She was glad she left the moonroof open on her little Ford. 90-degree weather and black vehicles make for a miserable drive home. When she first bought her Fusion, she laughed at the cooling seats option. Who wants their crotch cold? Days like this one made her appreciate it.

A double click on the key fob unlocked the doors with a click. She quickly pulled it open wide and stood aside to let the heat waft out. She ducked her head in and reached over to the dash console to turn on the cooling seats function. Something small and black fluttered towards her face. Maddie hit her head on the door frame as she jumped back.

“What the…” she exclaimed.

Saying the words opened her mouth just wide enough for the thing to dart inside and fly down her throat.

 Oh, my God!  I swallowed it! Maddie doubled over, gagging. She felt its soft body against the wall of her esophagus and gagged again. Nothing came out.

She swooned as whirling dizziness grabbed her by the temples.

 What the hell is it? It couldn’t be a bee because she didn’t feel stinging inside her throat…just the soft fluttering of wings and scrabbling legs.

Well, if she couldn’t get it out, maybe swallowing would move it down and her digestive system would kill it. Hopefully it was edible. She gathered what spit she could muster and envisioned swallowing a pill. After three unsuccessful attempts at constricting her throat muscles, she stopped.  The bug must be stuck to the side of her esophagus. Maddie gagged again and this time her stomach muscles clenched.

Supporting herself by holding onto the top of the door, she ignored the pain of hot metal on her palm and looked inside her car. Maybe there was a leftover water bottle or soda can in the cup holder. Nothing.

She stood back up and looked at the thrift store door. Surely they had something to drink in there. However, as she turned and took a step, the dizziness whirled her to the ground. Her head slammed against the blistering asphalt with a hard crack and warm liquid flowing beneath. Her eyes fluttered closed for a moment.

When Maddie finally opened them, she realized the dove stood on her chest. It cocked its head to one side, then to the other. It stared into her pupils with its beady black eyes.

“I’m here to eat you,” it said.

Maddie could barely move. She struggled to turn onto her side.

“Can you just remove it?” she asked the dove. “The thing I swallowed?” Her vision blurred again so she squeezed her eyes tight.

Maddie opened her eyes at the sound of rustling and of rubber soled shoes on the pavement next to her. The dove had grown and now stood beside her, leaning in close.

“Hon, I’m here to help you,” it said in a female voice.

Maddie blinked and the dove evolved into a young woman with a sharp nose and a round face framed by grey hair. Her brown eyes looked deep into Maddie’s face. A second woman moved into view beside her. Concern wrinkled the corners of her mouth and forehead.

Maddie struggled to speak but the fluttering in her throat began again. She couldn’t speak. She cried silently as she realized she was unable to take a breath and then her world went dark.

The female voice sighed and then said to her companion, “Hand me the Narcan.”

.

Fiction © Copyright Kim Richards
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com