Nocturnal
A story about a party gone bad.
I’m having a hard time finding a market for this story, so I’m sharing it with all of you.
Terry cracked open another beer and flopped down on the sofa. “Okay, Shanice,” he said, taking a sip of his beverage. “Your turn. Truth or dare?”
Shanice rolled her eyes. “Terry, can we please pick something to do other than play this stupid game? It hasn’t been fun since we were teenagers.”
Terry laughed. “Bullshit. It’s tons of fun. Now we’ve got our college years to draw on.”
Brittney slid closer to Terry and picked up her own beer from the coffee table. “Yeah, Shanice. It’s like being a kid again.”
Shanice huffed. “Fine. Truth.”
Terry sucked his teeth. “Are you serious? You’ve picked truth for the past three times!”
“There’s no rule that says I ever have to pick dare.”
“I mean, you’re right, but liven things up a little.”
“Nuh-uh. The last time Brittney picked dare, you made her flash you.”
“And if she didn’t want to, all she had to do was take a strike.”
“As competitive as she is, did you really think she was going to do that?”
“All I’m saying is that you don’t have to do the dare.”
“Whatever. I said truth. Now ask your question.”
Terry rubbed his hands together. “Alright, alright. Let’s see…” He looked around the room and tapped his chin. After a few seconds, he snapped his fingers. “Got it! How many men have you gone down on?”
Shanice gasped. “Are you serious?”
“Yeah. Go ahead. ‘Fess up.”
“I am not telling you that.”
“So you’re taking a strike.”
“You know what? I’ll take three. Now it’s between you and Brittney.”
Terry pouted exaggeratedly. “You’re no fun.”
Brittney finished off her beer. “Rick’s been gone awhile,” she mused.
“It was kind of a long walk to the wood pile. I’m sure he’ll be back soon.”
Shanice got up from her seat and headed to the kitchen. “Because God forbid we stay somewhere with central heat and air.”
“Come on!” Terry said. “This place is great. Nothing to do but spend time with each other. No electronics, no social media, no Internet. Just good company and good times.”
Shanice pulled a beer from the fridge. “Let the record show that I was in the minority when voting for a cabin in the woods as our destination for this little reunion but at least it has electricity.”
The front door to the cabin crashed open. Rick came stumbling in, shouting and moaning incoherently and grabbing at his neck. Blood flowed from under his hand and soaked his shirt. He was pale and sweaty.
Brittney screamed and bolted away. Terry stood up and caught Ryan as he pitched forward. Shanice dropped her beer. The glass bottle shattered on the floor.
Terry lowered his friend’s body to the floor. Ryan’s hand fell from the gash on his neck as he landed. Blood gushed with every pulse of his slowing heart.
“Shit, his artery’s been punctured,” Terry said, unbuttoning and taking off his overshirt and stuffing it into the wound. He looked at Shanice. “See if you can find some duct tape or something.”
Shanice needed a second to process the directions she had been given, but then started looking through the drawers in the kitchen. Silverware clattered as she pulled open and slammed shut one drawer after another.
“Ryan, stay with me man,” Terry said. “Stay with me, Ryan.”
Ryan tried to speak. “It…bit…it…it…it…bit…”
“Yeah, I know. Something bit you.” Terry hurriedly looked over Ryan’s body for other injuries, but found none. “Just hang in there, okay?”
Shanice picked up a roll of duct tape from one of the drawers. “Got it!” she exclaimed as she ran toward Terry. He took the tape from her.
“Hold my shirt up against his neck as tight as you can,” he told her. She leaned forward and pushed all of her weight onto the button-up shirt against Ryan’s wound. Brittney cried, loud and forceful, screaming between sobs.
Terry ripped a long strip of duct tape off the roll and placed it over the shirt. He pressed one end onto Ryan’s chest and gently raised him to a half-sitting position to press the other end on his back. Terry repeated this with three more strips of tape, crossing them over each other. When he was satisfied that his makeshift bandage was secure, he told Shanice she could let go.
Ryan breathed lightly. His eyes darted all around the room. “Am I going to die?” he whispered.
Terry took his hand and squeezed it. “Not if we can help it.”
Brittney wiped her eyes and took a deep breath. “We’ve got to get him to a hospital.”
Ryan shook his head. “It’s still out there.”
Terry nodded. “He’s right. We don’t want to expose ourselves if whatever did this is still out there. Most predators are nocturnal. It should be safe to take him into town in the morning.”
“Are you fucking kidding?” Brittney shrieked. “He won’t make it through the night.”
Shanice took her phone out and checked it for signal. “Of course we’re miles away from the nearest tower,” she mumbled. “Just had to go for a cabin in the woods.”
Terry stood and stepped toward Sharice. “It’s not like I knew this was going to happen!”
“I’m going to the truck,” Brittney said. “If we can get to the road, there might be a signal.” She ran to the door.
Terry ran after her. “Brittney, no, don’t go out there!”
The front door was still open from where Ryan came crashing in. Brittney dashed out without closing it after her, bounded down the front steps, and disappeared around the side of the house. Seconds later, she could be heard giving an ear-splitting scream.
“It’s got her!” Shanice shouted. “What do we do? Is there a gun or something in this place?”
“No. There’s nothing here. I mean, there might be a pocket knife in one of the drawers, but nothing we could defend ourselves with.”
“So not only are we trapped in this cabin with something out there, but we don’t have any way of fighting the thing off?”
“I’m afraid not.” Terry crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m going to go out and take a look.”
Shanice’s jaw dropped. “Are you fucking crazy? Ryan’s dying. There’s no telling what happened to Brittney. Do you really want to risk going out there?”
“I’m just going to step onto the porch and look around. That’s all. I’m not actually leaving the cabin.” He walked to the front door, took a step outside, and looked around. After a moment, he shouted into the night. “You can come in.”
He walked back inside. Shanice wore a quizzical look on her face. “Terry, what the Hell was that about?”
Terry smiled and stepped to the side. No one had ever looked more pleased with themselves.
A dark figure ascended the front steps. As he came into the cabin, Shanice could make out his sinister features. He had ashen skin, white hair, and red eyes. His mouth was open with razor-sharp fangs descending from his upper jaw. Blood covered his tattered shirt, spilled onto his dark jeans, and was splattered on his heavy boots.
Shanice’s breathing quickened. She stepped back, slowly at first, and then more rapidly. “No, no, no,” she said. “No. This isn’t real. This can’t be real.”
The vampire quickened his step as he came closer to Shanice. She backed into the kitchen and stumbled across a chair at the table. The vampire closed the distance between them as she hit the floor. He pinned her to the floor and sank his fangs deep into her neck, piercing her carotid artery. Blood sprayed from around his mouth as he lapped what flowed from the wound. Shanice screamed and thrashed and begged him to stop. The vampire drank, long and deep, growling and moaning with pleasure as he swallowed the hot and sticky fluid. As he drank, Shanice stopped thrashing and her screams grew quieter. She eventually fell silent and limp.
The vampire stood as Terry ducked down to check Ryan’s pulse. “This one’s already dead,” he told the vampire. “I tried to save him for you.”
The vampire shook his head. “No worries. I have drunk my fill tonight.”
“I told you that if you spared me, I’d bring you three others.”
The vampire turned to face Ryan. “You did well.”
“So I can go home now?”
The vampire strode toward the lone survivor. “If you can make it to your vehicle.”
Terry felt his chest tighten. “But you said you’d spare me. You said you’ve drunk your fill.”
“I have. But now it’s time for dessert.” He leapt forward, tackling Terry and bringing him down to the floor. He bit into Terry’s neck and began to drink once more.
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