Here we are with another writing group creation. The title is the prompt I used and it was fun. I notice a trend in my short stories and know I will be changing this, again. Hope you enjoy this unedited piece.
The howls mixed with the sound of the wind. Running season had begun and the warnings rang out through Brian’s mind. He looked outside again and cursed that he chose to stay on the ranch this night. The warm air blew through the cracks of the wood cabin. A whistling slid through the one-roomed building.
The defenses were as constructed as they could be with such short notice. All of the animals had been moved to a safe zone except for the ones who were out as bait. Brian cursed that one of his own was chosen this time. He said a tiny prayer, thanking Spot for her sacrifice that would save lives, possibly his own this night.
The moon behind him laid out the home’s shadow across the grayish ground. The brown dirt had shifted colors in the darkness and played tricks on his eyes. Shadows were both present and hidden with the mix of darkness and little light. He gripped the gun closer to him, almost hugging it. The cartridges were full of silver beads. They were meant to scatter into the oncoming group and pierce the skin. The silver would then poison both the animal and the host body.
A sword made of silver laid next to him. It was archaic. When he saw paintings of knights from back in an uncivilized time, they were carrying weapons likened to it. The sword was crafted recently. It was not made during these times of kingdoms as it would not have stood the test of time. Rust and wear destroyed many blades. Others were chipped off in the thick hide of the beasts.
Brian thought to the nursery rhymes that were sung as lullabies. They were meant as a warning once you got older. Age made them into a blueprint to fend off the monsters. His first encounter with them was only a few years ago. Teenage years meant more responsibility. This meant that the danger level of his duties had gone up. It was a series of unfortunate events that led to a rescue of him and his friends. They were left cowering before a couple of farmhands were able to kill and scare off the group.
The image was burned into Brian’s mind. It reminded him of the ugliest dog he had ever seen. It was more dangerous than he could have ever imagined.
The howling continued and grew closer. He tried to stay resilient and not given to the fear. It was the hardest thing he had done in his life. Brian knew he was alone this night and wanted to make a ride for town while they were still out of sight. His heart was pounding in his chest. He could feel the thumping in his body. The grip on the gun was loosened a little as he realized how bad his hands hurt now.
It was becoming too much. There was something in him that started to give up. Brian was not sure if it was his mind or body or a combination of both. His vision narrowed as darkness threatened to overtake him. He shook his head and slapped himself. This did little for his state and his eyes felt heavy. The room started to spin and Brian panicked. He teetered to the side and pushed his way up. Somehow the gun had slipped from his grasp. He reached out for it and fell. Whatever it was that threatened him had taken him.
Brian awoke to a smell of wet dog. The rain poured onto him and got him back to his senses. He tried his wrists, but they were bound together. A moo was let out from beside him.
“Where do you want the human?” The voice was guttural. Brian could barely make out the words but replaying it in his mind, he got the message.
“Keep it with the sacrifices. This was promised to us.”
Brian’s heart sank. Questions popped into his mind and he wanted to open his mouth and let them spew forward. One of the creatures walked towards him and he decided it was better to act dead rather than raise a fuss. He hoped there would be a time to get answers. His heart had betrayed his body and mind once and he hoped that it did not do so again.
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