Pack
I woke with the starting sound of a giggling child. It was the dead of night in the rural town of Ulm, Arkansas. Knowing no children were awake, I grabbed my 9-gauge and went outside. Once there, I heard a rustling in the bushes. I turned around and caught a glimpse of a tail disappearing into a bush.
"Damn, coyotes," I said as I approached the bush. As I nudged it with my gun, it jumped at me. I struggled to get it off of me, my gun being the only thing between it and my neck. And in that moment, I saw its face. It was human, almost. It was a bit bigger than a coyote, with a pale and malnourished body, so decrepit that you could nearly see the organs. It straddled me with hands and feet like a man's, except for the claws.
"What are you!?" I yelled, still holding it back, but then it spoke.
"Where's the fun in telling you?" The creature asked with what can only be described as a smirk. Then it jumped off of me and retreated into the woods.
"I can't let that, thing, live with the kids here," I said, and so I delved into the woods.
I could barely see in the woods. The only thing keeping me calm was the familiar crunching of leaves underneath my feet. I turned on the light mounted under my 9-gauge, and then regretted it immediately. Bodies, dozens of them. All gutted completely then hung like ornaments on the trees. I lost my dinner after a moment, the bile burning my throat. I stood there for a while retching, then I heard a rustle. I turned to see it facing me. Now on its back legs. Now standing at about four-foot-ten, it was walking.
"What in hell...?" I muttered again. It laughed.
"If only I was from hell, human." I could only stare dumbstruck as it approached me. It put its hand on my shoulder, to which I immediately reeled back, falling on my tailbone. It didn't make a sound as I groaned in pain.
"What are you?" I said again.
"Is that all you can say?" it asked. I cursed at it, to which it replied by scratching my face. "What's your name?" it asked me.
"Travis," I said.
"Travis, I've been watching you. You're a thief, no?" It said. Too scared to lie, I told the truth.
"Yes, but what does that have to do with this?"
"In good time Travis, now, would you like to play a game?"
"No!" I said. It scratched me again.
"Shh, wouldn't want to wake any children, now would we? Now, I'll ask again. Would you like to play a game?" It said in a guttural voice.
"Fine," I said.
"Good," it said, lightening up a bit. "Before we begin you may ask two questions, one I have the right to refuse, as is tradition out here."
Thinking for a second I asked, "What is your name?"
"Kinis," it said.
"What is this for?" I asked.
"Like I said, in good time, Travis," it said. "Now, we shall be playing Cops and Robbers, are you familiar with that game?"
"Yes," I replied.
"Very well, you shall have a thirty second head start, beginning now," Kinis said, catching me off guard. I was late on the gun. "Twenty seconds now," it yelled after me. I found an alcove that was only as tall as me, so if Kinis followed, it could only come in one way. After the grace period, I heard nothing at all.
Then the world went dark.
The only light left was the one on my gun. I took aim at where the hole is. The light reflected off two eyes. It lunged at me, and I shot it. But not without it sinking its claws into my shoulder. Kinis fell to the ground, It's claws painfully falling out of my arm. I screamed in pain. And I could barely hear Kinis laugh as it died.
Out of the alcove, I made it to a clearing in the forest. I had lost too much blood. And I was lost. This was it. I laid on my back, and waited for death.
Then, out of nowhere I heard Kinis. "Oh, no. The robber never gets away. Justice always prevails."
And then I heard the sound of a dozen giggling children.
Credited to DayQuil
Originally uploaded on October 7, 2012
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