What the Night Air Wants

A woman takes shelter in a cabin with two sisters, and the sisters are holders of a secret. They know of a creature that lives in the woods, who comes at night.

The Crash, The Rescue, and the Two Candles Eliza ran from the wreckage in a mixture of fear and panic. Nothing was left of the coach but splintered wood. She looked up at the edge of the cliff she had just plummeted from, and saw the dust from the horses who did not go down with her. Looking around, she could see no signs of civilization, just trees, and the ever closing darkness that was getting ready to surround her. 

  She began her trek away from the destroyed coach and towards where she believed the nearest outpost to be. She could feel a small pain in her leg, but she knew she had to push through it, she had to find some sort of shelter, or make it to a town of some sort before dark, for she did not know what lurked in these woods at night.   There was no sound in the forest apart from the sound of breaking sticks beneath her feet. Sitting upon a downed log she lifted her dress to spy the injury to her leg. Her stomach turned and she felt like she was going to be sick. There, in her leg, was a six inch long, and at least three inch thick sliver of wood from the coach inside her leg, now covered in dirt, fabric, and blood, which was still coming out.   

  "Doesn't matter, must travel on, get out of woods." 

  She stood up, but automatically felt a rush of dizziness and knew that she was passing out seconds before she actually did. Her body hit the ground with a force similar to that of her downed coach, and the world went black hours before night actually hit. 

  Her dreams were filled with a noise, a noise that sounded like it came straight from the bowels of hell, and it was hungry for something, for her. Her dreams were dark, and she could not see the creature that was making it, but she felt something else. She could feel it getting closer. 

  "I think she's waking, poor dear must have been through much."  

  The voice woke Eliza from her darkness. It took a bit for her eyes to adjust to the new surroundings. She was now in what appeared to be a dimly lit cabin, and in front of her were two ladies. Not old ladies, but just on the verge of being old, they looked down at her and both smiled. 

  "Welcome back my dear, it's so good that you have woken up." 

  "Who are you, where am I?" 

  The lady who spoke first helped Eliza to sit up, and the other handed her a mug which had water in it. Eliza drank as if she had just traveled through a desert. 

  "My name is Desdemona and this is my sister Isabella, and this is our cabin, you will be safe here." 

  As Desdemona informed Eliza of her situation, Eliza could not help but witness that Isabella continued to look towards the door, and the look on her face was that of fear. Eliza decided to ignore this for now, she had more pressing issues on her mind, like getting to town. 

  "I thank you for assisting me, but I must get to town, for you see I'm to get married in a week, and my groom is to meet me there, and I don't want to be late. I was on my way there but something spooked my horses and they broke free from my coach, which went down a small cliff and landed me here. Can you show me the way?" 

  "Of course, " replied Isabella taking her eyes away from the door, "but not till the morning. We don't leave the cabin at night." 

  "I was worried about the night myself, but surely you two must know your way through these woods." 

  They both had a smile on their face, but it didn't seem like they were real. 

  "Yes, we do, but for reasons of our own we don't dare leave at night."   

  Isabella looked at her sister, "Maybe she could? It may not want her." 

  "What may not want me?" 

  "Nothing you need to worry yourself with, you are not ready to leave quite yet anyhow, your leg requires you to rest for a few days before you'll be healthy enough to leave. Come with me and I'll show you to your room." 

  With a makeshift crutch, Eliza followed Desdemona to a small room near the opposite end of the cabin. 

  "You may rest here, at night we require that you open no windows or doors, but that you stay in bed, no matter what you may hear outside. The night has many voices, and all of them tell lies. You get some rest and we shall speak more in the morning." With that the two sisters lit two small candles, one on each side of the door on the floor, and then shut the door.  

  "What do they mean by the night tells lies?" 

  Eliza did not feel safe, and she could not help now but look towards a window on the other side of the room from her bed. What was out there that she needed to fear? And did it have something to do with the noise in her dream? She prayed that she would never find out. She watched the flames flicker on the ceiling of her room, and the ease of this helped her fall into a dreamless sleep. The Recovery, The story, and the night creature Two weeks had passed since Eliza's coach went off into the forest, and her leg was mending very well, but the two sisters still had not told her anything about what lurks in the forest at night, or why what ever it is may not be after her. She had attempted many times to get them to speak of what scared them so, but they did not give anything away.  

  Thus the night came upon them once again, and the doors and windows were all shut and locked. A small fire was started and the two sisters sat in front of it knitting, and not looking over at the door, which had Eliza's full attention. 

  "You must tell me. Not knowing is making me mad. If you do not tell me what you fear, I may open the door and let whatever it is in. You say it does not want me."

  Desdemona dropped her knitting and reached for Eliza quickly, especially for a woman on the verge of the elderly. 

  "You mustn't ever say that, not even in jest. For what's out there wants us all, and I'm sure it will want you too, if you can hear it, it will want you." 

  Eliza smiled and shrugged off the grip of the woman. 

  "I hear nothing but you two whimpering at the night." She barked in false courage. 

  Isabella put her stuff down and moved over to Eliza. Placed her trembling hand on the young womans shoulder. 

  "Put your ear to the door, and wait a few moments." 

  Eliza looked at the door. The words of Isabella playing in her head, and now the door no longer seemed like a door at all, but a living thing, and one that was hungry for attention. She could almost hear the door calling to her, "Come to me Eliza, there is nothing to fear, everything you want is on the other side, all you must do is open me, do it and be free." 

  She slowly moved towards the door, and placed her hear to the soft wood. Nothing, nothing but wind and silence. 

  "There is nothing, you two had me worried I might..." She was interrupted, and her skin instantly got cold, as did her blood. 

  On the other side of the door, in the night, she could hear what sounded like scratching sounds. There was indeed something on the other side of that door, and It wanted in. She could also make out a whisper, so faint she could not make out the words, but it was there, and it was begging her for something, but what it wanted she did not know. 

  "I hear it, the scratching, and the whispers." 

  The two sisters looked at one another, and the glimpse they shared informed her that the night did indeed want her as well. 

  "What you hear has no name, it's an ancient evil, an evil before names, and it feels we have intruded. The creature is not living, nor is it dead, but wants us. It can take on many shapes, but its true shape is unknown to us. You are now healthy, we shall take you to town early tomorrow, and you need not worry about what stalks us." 

  Eliza did not rest well that night, and continued to hear the scratching, and part of her felt like it followed her, and was now right outside her window. She expected to look at the window and see a gruesome face of a living nightmare, and one that would come for her, but she looked at the window, and found nothing, but the scratching continued. The Others, the Lone Dog, and the End They woke around five in the morning to the newly risen sun, and Eliza felt ready to leave the cabin, and the two sisters for good, but part of her was conflicted. 

  "Why don't you come with me?" Eliza asked as Isabella closed the haunted cabin behind her. 

  "We can't leave, this is our home. There is no other way to explain it." Desdemona responded, and gestured Eliza to move west, and they began their voyage to get her to town. 

  "Well you get back before night?" Eliza asked them as they moved farther away from the cabin. 

  "Oh, we shall be fine, we have done this before, you needn't worry about us. Lets just make sure to get you back." 

  Hours passed, and they did not rest much, for they all knew time was a predator, just as much as the night creature, and time was hot on their heels. It was now close to one in the afternoon, and they were nearing town, but they stopped, for something appeared in front of them that made them stop in their tracks. 

  A little girl was walking towards them, and she was drenched in blood that obviously did not belong to her. The three women ran to her and a look of shear horror was placed on the little girls face. 

  "Where is your family honey?" asked Isabella. 

  The little girl seemed to terrified to speak, all she could do was point, and Desdemona and Eliza ran to where the little girl pointed, and Isabella stayed with her. They ran several yards till they saw what the little girl was aiming at. Her family was lying near a destroyed camp. The father lay dead, with no hair remaining on his scalp. There was a mother and a young boy, they were hurt, but not dead. 

  "We can't take them to town, the rest of the trip is to hard to trek and carry them at the same time, our only choice is to take them back to the cabin, we can help them there. Will you help us?"  

  Eliza looked over and thought about just leaving, going to town and never looking back, but then she looked over at the boy and his mother. 

  "Yes, I will help you." 

  She bent down and placed her hand on the cheek of the boy. 

  "Wake up son, please, we must hurry." 

  The boys eyes slowly opened, he looked up at her and began to cry. 

  "Where's my family?" He wept 

  "You mother and sister are fine, and afraid we could not help your father, we must get you to shelter before night fall, can you walk?" Eliza asked spying that Desdemona had assisted the mother to her feet, and they were making their way back to Isabella and the little girl. 

  "Yes, I believe so." 

  Eliza assisted him to his feet, and they followed the two sisters and the surviving members of the attacked family back to the cabin. 

  They made it back several hours later, just before night fall. A good meal did a decent job bringing the family back to full health. Eliza could not help but watch the door, she knew that the scratching would come again, but would the family hear it, or would it not want them? 

  "Your new to this area?" Isabella asked the mother 

  "Yes, we were just passing through this forest to get to my husbands missionary, he told us that going through these woods would be quicker. But we got hit by a group of men, I don't know where they came from, and they attacked us. Little Maggie there watched as the men scalped and murdered her father. They beat Joshua, and as for me, well, I shall be strong for the children." 

  Isabella and Desdemona comforted the woman, and Eliza went to the bedroom to check on Maggie, the terrified little girl, who still had not spoken. But Joshua, he looked towards the door, and he heard it, he heard the sounds of the night creature. 

  "I think there is something scratching at the door." He spoke, but to deaf ears, the two sisters were still with the mother, and Eliza was in the other room. He slowly got up and made his way to the door. The unlocked it and opened it. The creaking sound of the old door made notice to Isabella and Desdemona. Joshua saw there, sitting at the foot of the door was a black dog, looked half starved and cold. It looked up at him with sad eyes, it's tail wagged when Joshua bent down to pet him. 

  "No! Get away from the door right now!" Isabella yelled as Desdemona grabbed the boy and pulled him away and shut the door quickly and locked it. 

  Eliza ran back to the room, "What's going on in here?" 

  "He needs us, we should let him in." Joshua cried out running to his mother. 

   "What did you do? Never put your hands on my child again." The mother scolded holding her child. 

   Eliza looked back at the door, a dog, the scratching was coming from a dog. What this meant she did not know, but she could feel something, and it told her that the dog was not an ordinary dog, and that what the two sisters said came back to her,  

   "The creature has many shapes" 

   You must keep your children away from the doors and windows at night. There are things out there that would harm them, that would harm us all." Eliza informed them. 

   The mother took her boy and went into the other room with Maggie, and shut the door. 

   "Why did it not come in?" Eliza asked

  

   "I do not know, perhaps it did not have time, maybe it needs to be invited, with all we know about this creature, there is that we still don't know." Desdemona replied. 

   The next morning the two sister took Eliza to town. The family stayed at the cabin, for they were worried about Maggie and decided they were not ready to leave quite yet. 

   "Thank you for everything." Eliza said hugging both sisters 

   "You are welcome, we enjoyed meeting you Eliza, but please never venture into these woods again, go and marry, and live a happy life. There is nothing in that forest for you." 

   Eliza nodded, and walked away from the two sisters forever. 

   It did take a few hours for Desdemona and Isabella to make their way back to the cabin, but they did so in time to shut everything before nightfall. They sat in front of the fire once again with their knitting. Maggie was asleep in the bed as was the mother, but Joshua was not, he was obsessed with the door, and with the black dog that so desperately wanted inside the cabin. 

   "We are to bed Joshua, are you turning in soon?" Desdemona asked 

   "Yes I am." 

   "Good night my boy, and remember what we said, the door is not to be opened." 

   He nodded in agreement and watched the two ladies retire to their room. 

   He sat with his back against the door and closed his eyes. Seconds later he could hear it, a sound of scratching, and a small whimpering, the sound only heard from a small dog in need, and his boyish heart broke. What harm can he do, he's a starving dog. Those two old crones don't know anything about it, he reasoned with himself as he unlocked and quietly opened the door. The dog looked up at him as it did the previous night, and the boy brought it inside and locked the door behind him.  

   Isabella and Desdemona got in their bed gowns and got ready to go to bed. 

   " I don't like how I left things with the boy. I'm going to talk to him, try to comfort him more. He is just a young boy, he does not know what haunts us at night." 

   Isabella nodded, "You are right. He is not to blame for anything." 

   The two sisters opened their bedroom door to see the young boy feeding the black dog. 

   "MY GOD!, What have you done?" Cried both sisters in unison. 

   The dog looked away from his bowl and towards the two sister. It's sad yet kind eyes turned a dark crimson red, and its scraggly patches of fur began to smoke and fall out. Its dog like body began to boil and transform. A smell of death and rotting meat filled the cabin. The figure that used to be a dog was now something new and evil. It was an old woman, her white hair hung down past her shoulders. Her eyes were milky white. Her skin did nothing more than cover her bones, her skeleton clearly visible as her skin was very translucent. The boy ran to the two sisters. 

   "I'm sorry." he cried hiding behind them. 

   The old woman looked at the two sisters and smiled her toothless smile. Blood poured out of her mouth and a hideous cackle erupted from her mouth. She looked down at the boy and spoke the last two words any of them would ever hear, 

   "Thank you." 

   Then she vanished. The two sister blinked and there was nothing there, but Desdemona could feel something hot on her neck, and the sound of a wet crunching came from behind. They turned to see the old woman ripping the boy in two. She dropped the lower half and began tearing flesh from the torso section of the deceased boy, and eating it.  

   The two sisters could do nothing, they were paralyzed with fear of this creature, this night creature which they had fended off for decades, and was now the instrument of their demise. The creature tossed away the remains of the boy, and leaped towards the two sisters. The forest that was quiet at night except for the sound of a light scratching, was now alive with the sound of screaming, but the last noise of the night, was that of laughter. Later that night, the door opened again, and from the haunted cabin came a black dog, and it appeared to be well feed.

Author's Note

This story is not all from my disturbing imagination. It is in fact inspired by a dream my sister had, and it was so awesomely freaky that I had to write it down. The "Night Air" series is one of the best series I have ever done, right up there with "Morty the Homicidal Bear" (humor) and "Politically Correct" (Sex satire). I hope you enjoy the 3rd installment of the series, and trust me there will be more.

Reviews

[V. Lucien Maier]

ok, The writing is very well done, the story flows nicely and has a great suspense build up.
The main character was a bit difficult because nothing happens to her. She hears all the signs of the monster. but in the end some random boy gets attacked and the main char is nowhere. This may have been what you were going for, but for me the Reader it really threw me off. All of my emotion investment was into the girl, and I didn't much care for the boy because there was no character developmental for him.
jsut a thought. other than that great story, very good suspense.

[Doctor JKC]

I love spooky tales of the woods, such as The Wendigo and The Willows by Algernon Blackwood, plus all his psychic detective stories featuring John Silence.

Milky eyes always gets me.

So creepy and a classic tale of horror.
The writing was excellent and Machen
would have loved this as I do.

Jack

[S. Liberace]

ahh, this is great! i really enjoyed reading this one. i saw some grammatical mistakes, but the horror was gripping and it was very suspenseful. very very well done! bravo!

[deeps]

Okay this is amazing, Little gross about eating the torso but very well written!
I like this alot, wonderful detail and imagery here. This is very enjoyable read!