Gurglers

The sound of velcro unstrapping filled my bedroom. I heard the creature before I actually saw it. Its loud, palpable, and distinct gurgling separates the animal from any other. Its piercing blue eyes seem to see right through me. It hangs above my bed. Its stench overwhelms my nose and its gurgling fills my peaceful bedroom. I don’t know exactly where I got the adrenaline, but it hit me fast. I jumped to my feet and raced out the door. My son sleeps just a couple rooms down. I don’t know how many of them dwell in my house, but we aren’t  going to stick around to find out. I burst through the door and find my son staring at the ceiling. I see the eyes and just that image sends me lunging between it and my baby. I shield him with my body as I run out of my home. I hold my son close to my chest and I whisper soothing words to him as I run down the street. People crowd the narrow streets. People’s screams fill the night and some lay still on the sidewalk, in yards, or even in the middle of the street. A woman went running by screaming for help and behind her I heard the familiar gurgling. I got a closer look at the creature. It had dark brown fur and reeked of sewer. Its eyes glowed like bright, blue fluorescent lights. The woman didn’t make it far before she fell. She had twisted her ankle and could not run any longer. The creature made its way closer to her and started to roll up her body. The woman didn’t move. She lay there frozen as the creature persisted. The animal moved to her face and it opened its mouth. A dark green gas sprayed out of its mouth and the woman went limp. My son sobbed into my chest, but he choked off when I started to run even faster. My adrenaline peaked to its high and no one could  stop me at any point. I had to get to my husband, but he worked blocks away. I had to do it for my baby. I ran, but I didn’t get far. I turned down a dark alley and tried to shoot between the two buildings. As my speed increased, a trash can fell into the middle of the alley. I tripped, but I turned and took all the blows. I lay there for a few minutes before I opened my eyes and saw the blue dots looking down at me and the gurgling humming above my head….