The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!
Shimmer
by Nina D’Arcangela
Glinting through the brush, I could see the reflection from the back of their eyes. Gold, cold; calculating. They stood in a tight row, one indecipherable from the other. They were a hunting pack, the only thing on their mind – hunger.
I tried to creep past, to be as invisible as possible, but those dead-eyed stares were nearly inescapable. No matter the pivot of my foot, the strange beasts tracked my every move.
A shiver of leaves set my spine tingling. I knew there was no way out without having to pass the pack, and they seemed to know it as well.
I feigned left, then darted to the right. Half the clowder fell for it, half did not.
As I ran full throttle to escape the teeth that accompanied those eyes, I knew I wouldn’t make it. I ran, they leapt, then the oddest thing happened. They seemed to freeze mid-air for just a moment before the furry bodies were yanked back into the foliage. Confused, I slowed to a stop. I could hear a ruckus taking place beneath the leaves.
Gathering my courage, I stepped forward, parted the branches, and saw what looked like several creatures, but in actuality was one long conjoined aberration. The snake of fur and eyes righted itself, foul intent bled from its glowing orbs. As I began to back away, I felt tiny incisors pierce my ankle, claws invade my calf, and fur begin to enshroud me.
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Fiction © Copyright Nina D’Arcangela
Image courtesy of Pixabay
More from Nina D’Arcangela:
Bent Metal
Where does reality end and dreamscape begin?
Woken each night by the sounds of screams and twisting metal, Lauren must relive the panic and fear of discovering her brother’s broken body on the asphalt. But each morning, she finds it’s only a dream… One she doesn’t want to keep having.
At what point does a dream become a nightmare, and a nightmare more than a figment of her subconscious?
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Spreading the Writer's Word 