Monday story

It was a dark, dark night, only not silent; amongst hundreds of youngsters who had come here to express themselves it was impossible to keep it quiet. Even when the speeches had commenced and the guy had grabbed a microphone, it was hard to concentrate on the voice above the many indistinct conversations.

That's how it had started and all that previous joyful noise made the dead silence ringing in her ears right now, so threatening. A pungent odour assaulted her nose, it was the powder and something else so horrible she didn't want to think about it but it was taking all her might to keep it out of her mind. A new series of sharp distant explosions echoed through the night; she held her breath and squirmed her eyes concentrating on bringing back the memories of that evening. Thinking about it, hell had begun quite beautifully. Who would've known that the end of her world could be announced in such a way.

Through out the speeches, two guys were flanking at all times, the person who held the microphone; just there, standing and watching over all the congregation from the first floor of the building facing the square where all the students gathered. Monica was one of the students of course, and was captivated by the sense of freedom that was brought to her by the loud words reverberating through the sound system. Then something had gone wrong.

She didn't know what happened first but close to the end of the meeting, in the sky shone a mesmerizing red light, like fireworks, and she thought -Gee, this guys really know how to put a show!- 

Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone taking the microphone forcibly from the speaker's hands and shove him to the floor. What was said she din't understand, but the sound of more pyrotechnics filled the air and people screaming started running in every possible direction. Monica was left confused and standing in the middle of it all, as all hell broke lose. It was then that she realized they were doomed. Surrounded by buildings, the only scape was to her back and she could see armed men on top of every building.

She turned in a hurry, just in time to see a pregnant girl fall to the ground face first when a bullet got her dead centre. Completely horrified, Monica run with all her might towards what she knew was the only exit even though she could see it was blocked. Suddenly her legs got caught in something and she fell flat; something worm and squishy cushioned her fall. The smell coming from it and what she could feel on her skin got the best of her and she shrieked. To her luck, it was deafened by shotguns intent on shutting down all similar screams.

Even more frightened now, she held her eyes shot tight as the slew of shots and screams went on.

Little by little all went back to quiet and the realization came to her that there weren't many alive people left. She opened her eyes back to reality and risked a glance up, still avoiding to look into what had stopped her short of the floor. She could see trucks. People with a white handkerchief tied to their left arm were piling the bodies into them. When Monica was about to look down, she saw a young boy, no more that 18, getting up and darting to the entrance of a building, but one of the others got him with a bayonet and punished him in a crazy rage until the bleeding body slew lifeless out of her sight.

Monica closed her eyes again and knew what she had to do. She'll play dead...

In the End

Last week, a person close to me left this earth after a long illness. It made me think a lot about mortality, sickness and, in general, sad stuff. But me being me, the way in which my working mind processes things is writing stories... horror ones. So, this story is dedicated to that special person:

Wherever you are, I'm happy because you're not suffering anymore and, though I'm sad because I won't see you for long, I know you'll welcome me at the end of the river when my time to cross it has come. I'll drink a beer for you, keep you in my heart at all times and I'll make something good of my life so we can have long talks on the other side.

Say hello to those who went ahead of you, we miss you dearly. I love you.

IN THE END

After so many hours lying in this bed, he had developed an ear for every unusual noise the hostile environment could throw at him; the dripping noise of a hundred tubes, the constant humming of machines, the never ending pumping of a-many unnatural hearts. His surroundings had become his new home; an uncomfortable, indiscreet, inhuman home with a horrific smell that he abhorred but knew he would never leave.

And for all his time in and out of here, he had a few not-so-bad memories, except that lately things had been getting worse and now she had arrived. He hadn't seen her, and though nobody else around him acknowledge her moving about, he could feel the cold breeze of her presence. He was tired and a few times over the last days, he had greeted her with more relief he cared to admit; but soon the desire came back. The same heart aching desire that had forced him to get this far, and a guilty feeling over powered him.

Now, it was not only in the air; he could hear her too. The slithering sound underneath his bed the others chucked to his old mechanical bed, but he knew better. He could almost see the cloaked figure blossoming in the shadows, crouching, waiting for his heart to show the slightest sign of weakness to snatch it right out of his chest, leaving him in the end as cold and pale as her.

By Georgina Morales.