Something Sinister

They decide to take a shortcut through the woods. It kills about half of the travel time so it makes sense, but Charles still feels uneasy about the decision. Rumors have always swirled around the school campus that people go missing if they try to cut through it. There is something very sinister about these woods that makes Charles very reluctant. As they walk the only sound that is audible is the screams of the fallen leaves that are being crushed by their footsteps. The night is starless and deafeningly silent. The woodland critters are nowhere to be found or heard. No breeze is around to keep anybody company. The trees are without their dancing partner tonight. The full moon is concealed by the ominous and dusky black clouds.

Charles follows right behind Daisy who is leading the way into the woods. He has a gut wrenching feeling in the pit of his stomach, but he ignores it in hopes of hooking up with Daisy. He's carrying a twenty-four pack of cheap beer as he pushes by the creeping bush branches. He keeps warm with his school letterman jacket as he is the starting football player. The twins linger behind Charles as they take turns taking drags from a joint. Danny is having a tough time keeping up with everybody. He's new to the neighborhood and trying to make friends. The twins and Daisy tease him a lot but he's just trying to fit in. Charles was the first person at school to befriend him and has helped make the transition a bit easier. He's built heavier than the rest of them but manages to keep up as they come to a stop. The woods open up to a spot with trees in a circle-like formation; the night sky directly above without cover. Danny drops the bag filled with logs down with triumph and begins to catch his breath.

"Let's get this campfire started." Daisy says with excitement. She is impossible to lose, her jacket is hot pink all around. Her blonde hair whips from left to right as she picks up some liquid courage. As she places the courage up to her lips and swallows it she takes a peak around to notice that all of the guys were watching her do it. Right when she notices them staring they all break away and start doing something else in embarrassment. She snickers to herself and takes another chug. She is well aware that she is the only girl in their small group of friends and enjoys the attention. She never really got along with other girls as they are usually too catty for her liking. Luke and Wyatt are twin brothers who befriended Charles back in their freshman year. They're a******s but get along well with Charles. The twins and Danny are setting up the fire as Charles takes a leak against a buff tree. Daisy finds that this is the best opportunity for a selfie and snaps one off with her new smart phone. Like her, it is hot pink and hard to lose sight of. She smiles with great satisfaction admiring her own work, but something she notices in the picture instantly removes that smile. Daisy pulls the phone closer to her face and squints her eyes. Her concentration is broken by Charles.

"Hey Daisy! Need another beer?" Charles offers as he reaches into the box of cheap beer. She turns and happily accepts. She again glances down at her cell phone but then shakes her head dismissively.

The campfire is set. The twins sit next to each other on a long log they found. Charles sits next to Daisy while sipping on a beer. Danny sits by himself closest to the fire.

"Hey Luke, can you or Wyatt toss me a beer please." Danny asks one of the twins. Luke stares at him with utter disgust, and slowly reaches into the box for a beer. He tosses it over to him while never breaking eye contact. The twins have this annoying habit of constantly hating everyone and everything.

Most of the beer box is empty now, leaving just a few lonely ones by themselves. The breeze starts to pick up and caress everyone with shivers. The dusky black clouds seem to be passing with more of a sense of urgency now. A subtle fog begins to roll in as if it were tiptoeing through to not be noticed. Danny gets up and goes to pee around the corner behind a tree. Sweet release it is as he slightly moans and yawns simultaneously. As he zips up his zipper he hears a sudden scream. The scream of a young man screeches across the woods. Danny just about falls over from it as he continues to zip, catching his fall with the buff tree. The breeze immediately picks up violently and starts dancing with the woodland trees. Panic ensues in Danny's mind as his heart rate accelerates. He rushes back to the group to find nobody there but the lonesome beers near the fire. He looks left, right, and all around but everyone is gone.

"Guys? Where did you all go? Are you ok?" Danny asks aloud. The accelerated breeze blows Danny's "scene" hair side to side. No response. Just the sound of silence echoing like a scream in the infinite void of space. The sound of tree branches and leaves being crushed catches Danny's attention and he turns toward it. The unsettling noise came from between two tall trees and in between them a pathway of tenebrosity. Out of the darkness rises Charles, but he's limping and bleeding. One of his knees gives out and he falls. He's got a pocket knife in his hand, and it's covered in a black substance.

"What the f**k is going on Charles? Is that blood on the knife?" Danny asks while Charles falls in front of him. He touches it and it's thick and appears to be black blood.

"Here, take it and run man. Save yourself!" Charles chokes out while blood oozes from his mouth. "Don't ask any questions, just get the hell out of here before they get you too!" Danny takes the knife but refuses to run without trying to save him first. He picks up Charles from his limp side so he can walk and they proceed.

"Let's go brotha', come on!" Danny yells with urgency. As Danny starts to walk with Charles in hand, he is suddenly forced away from him and ejected back into the buff tree with tremendous force.

His vision is hazy as he wakes and slowly starts to raise his head from the woodland floor. All he can hear is distressed moaning coming from just ahead of him. Danny struggles, but he gets to his feet very gingerly. Almost falling over again but he manages to stay on his feet.

"Oh look, he's awake." A sinistrous voice says ominously.

Danny's vision returns with clarity to make out what is before him. Luke and Wyatt sit next to Charles who appears like he's alive, but maybe just barely. He is extremely pale and bleeding from his entire face. Blood pours out from his eyes, nose, and mouth. His attire is also covered in blood, barely able to make out the words on his shirt. As Danny is staring in shock Wyatt ensues to unhinge his jaw like an anaconda and takes a colossal bite out of Charles' shoulder; which then a streaming river of blood comes gushing out. The blood spritz all over their faces as they aggressively feast on Charles. Both Wyatt and Luke then stick out their elongated tongues and start slurping up the pouring blood as it comes squirting out. Danny turns away and starts gagging in repugnance. The twins laugh at Danny as they get back on their feet.

"Can't handle the heat fatty?" Wyatt states with a smug chuckle. "We never did like you. Charles brought you in so we had to teach him a vital lesson in life. Now he'll never forget it."

"It's time to meet your maker Danny boy." Luke says with a horrifying smile.

Both Luke and Wyatt commence to slowly walk toward Danny, taunting him as they do it.

"Where is Daisy?!" Danny asks, clearly trying to delay his misfortune. He gazes all around him searching for a possible escape.

"She managed to escape us, or at least hide. But that's moot because you won't be around to find out." They both charge Danny as he reaches into his pocket to pull out the pocket knife he got from Charles. He yanks it out just in time to stab Wyatt directly in the forehead. Blood spits out of the wound and onto Danny's face. Luke screams in a rage, grabs Danny up and off of his feet as if he weighed ten pounds. Luke then tosses Danny in the opposite direction, and crashes against the long tree log. He grimaces and groans in pain as he turns over from landing on his side and onto his back.

Luke helps Wyatt up to his feet and forcefully removes the knife from his forehead and more blood squirts out. Wyatt yelps out an unnatural deep grunt. He zealously takes the knife from Luke's hand and approaches Danny who is still trying to get his wits in order. Wyatt leans in down toward Danny's face as he tries hard not to make eye contact with him. Danny sniffles while tears descend from his eyes, his lips quivering with ample fear. He firmly presses the edge of the knife into Danny's cheek to force his gaze onto him. He smirks and licks the rose-red blood from the bottom to the top of the blade while never breaking eye contact. Wyatt then rigidly stabs the knife into Danny's right thigh. Danny wails out in utter pain; he howls while looking up to the night sky. The dusky black clouds make way for the full moon to glow briefly around them. The shadows of the surrounding trees catch Luke's attention. The subtle fog disperses away and a figure suddenly appears behind them.

"Looks like you can use a hand, Danny." Both Luke and Wyatt turn their attention to Daisy who has come out of the bosom of the woods. She takes a few slow steps into the moon's direct shine and gawks up at it with absolute admiration. Her eyes have become just white, no cornea or pupils. "What a beautiful full moon we have tonight ey' boys?" She says with a sinister grin.

"Let's tear her apart!" Luke screams as they sprint toward Daisy.

They're just a mere few feet away from reaching her but she abruptly explodes! The explosion's vitality sends the twins crashing backwards. Danny lays by the log watching in paralyzing terror as his hair blows left and right from the blast. Flesh, blood, and ligaments fall all around them like a small passing hailstorm. Danny is now utterly covered in blood, he reaches for something that had fallen on his head. He grabs it and inspects it while making a sour expression. His eyes open wide as he tosses it behind him and starts gagging to the realization that it was Daisy's flesh. The twins landed on their asses and looked back toward Daisy. Both of their eyes broaden to the sight of Daisy's transformation. She is no longer the cute and rebellious school girl they all thought she was. She's now become something out of nightmares. Her frame expanded immensely, standing at an domineering seven feet high. She is now covered in thick black and brown fur. Daisy now has a large jaw that advertises her even now larger shark-like teeth. Her body looks like it's made from pure muscle. Daisy's fingers have five daggers on them that look like it can pierce through anything, including flesh and bones. Her eyes have changed from bright blue to fire red and with no pupils.

The twins both rise to their feet and stampede toward her together. Wyatt unhinges his jaw and bites the left arm of Daisy. Luke strikes Daisy with a powerful right hook to her abs. She snarls and rips Wyatt off of her arm like he was a ragdoll, his expression turns querulous as she goes in for a bite herself. He screams loudly before an unsettling audible crunch ceases the screaming immediately. Wyatt's body collapses to the woodland floor while Daisy belligerently chews and swallows his decapitated head. Luke stares in dismay, he pulls back his arm and thrusts it into Daisy's ribs, and it pierces her muscles and flesh. Black blood fires out of her side as she screams up towards the heavens. She angrily picks up Luke, holding both of his arms down like a petulant child, and while he kicks at the air desperately trying to break free.

"No, no. No! No!" Luke screams. Daisy starts pulsating with rage and unequivocal strength as he screams in exasperation. Now Daisy starts screaming and all the while Danny continues to just sit there observing the madness. A sound Danny will soon like to forget ensues as blood again erupts all over their campfire set up. She had ripped him in half like a hot dog and tossed him down like he was just a play toy to dispose of. Danny is once again covered in a preposterous amount of blood. He spits it out as some crawls its way into his mouth. Daisy makes her way toward him now. He doesn't know what to think.

Daniel decides to speak up, "Your blood is black. Charles gave me a knife with black blood on it. " He says with hesitation and reluctance while letting out an uncomfortable chuckle.

"Yes I was about to indulge on my first meal before those idiots interrupted." She starts laughing cynically. Her voice was just like it was before when she was human. Danny laughs out of nervousness. "Oh you think I was saving you? No no no no. My main meal was supposed to be Charles but those vampiric idiots ruined that. It looks like we can still have fun though. I want you to run." She says as she displays her overgrown sharp teeth.

" . . . like right now?" He asks.

Her voice deepens exponentially, "RUN!" Danny gets up impeccably fast and bolts the opposite direction. She starts laughing hysterically and then howls up toward the brobdingnagian-sized moon.