Crunch

A laugh pierced the air -
Sharp like a jagged knife
Thrust into the crisp
Winter atmosphere.
It tapered
From a whining squeal
To raspy chuckles
That hinted of labored breathing
As though a certain task
Was proving difficult
The ability to properly inhale and exhale.
It drifted on the wind like a specter
Aimlessly wandering
Through a realm that lingers
As a film between branches and twigs
And a rustle of dead leaves
Still clinging to the notion of life.
If the forest creatures
Understood the cause
Of such disturbed bliss,
They gave no indication.
The earth,
Damp with melting ice that froze
The shadowed bases of mighty oak trees,
Was void of any sound to hint
Of crunching from the paws of critters.

The only sound,
Other than the maniacal breathing
Of bitter-cold winds,
Was of steamy breath
Rushing in and out
Of my nostrils as I ran.
The snap of a careless branch
That appeared beneath my feet
Shattered through the trees,
And I inwardly cringed.
A prayer felt useless.
I knew that if I were to utter a word,
It would fall to deaf ears.
All things here were a part of the forest.
What would happen in the dark -
When the only visible light was
Scattered about the ground
In broken shafts of moon -
Would always fall forgotten
With the morning
When the deer and rabbits and
An occasional bear
Groggily began their morning rituals,
No longer hiding from the silence.
The forest kept its secret hidden
In the darkness.

I knew the instant that
My fate was sealed.
The laughter that haunted and
Echoed
Had gone silent when my foot
Sent the crack of the branch
Ringing through the trees.
With lungs of fire,
I pressed on
Even more fueled to escape.
I should have never ventured here.
I should have never considered
A hike so late in the day.
I had heard the rumors,
But my arrogance
Had now left me running for my life
From a phantom laugh;
A menacing presence
No longer heard.
A sinking realization
Burned like acid in my brain.
I had no idea
If I was running from or
Towards the chuckles' source.

My fears presented themselves
In a black shape
That glimmered in a beam of
Fragmented moonlight
A hundred and fifty feet before me.
I skidded to a halting stop,
Chunks of dirt and leaves
Spraying before me and landing
On the tops of my boots.
The action rocked me forward and
I gripped a nearby tree before
I accidentally fell to my face.
Something like terror
Seized hold my heart.
I froze,
And not just because of the wind
That whistled against the back of my neck
That was exposed.
The hood to my jacket
Had some time ago flown back
From over my head.
I froze because
A jagged smile of glinting teeth
Had curled in the dark.
It was as though the grin itself
Was a spirit that glowed
An unearthly light in the distance.

The laughter.
It assaulted my ears
Like a slithering squeal
Before the shape lunged forward
Carrying thudding feet in my direction.
I gripped the bark
Till my blood dribbled down
And was drunk by thirsty white snow
Over the roots at the tree's base.
My last and
Final memory -
As my own curdled scream
Mingled with rasping, choking giggles -
Was the stench of rotting flesh
Decaying between jaggedly-edged
Scissor-like teeth.
Its jaw had disconnected
With a sickening pop
As cartilage that kept it in place
Was stretched and disjointed from itself
In order to accommodate
The girth of my entire head.

Reviews

[Meraki]

I do believe it's intensity has risen in the form of a poem. The urgency and the fear grew ten fold and I had to remind myself my room wasn't a forest. This time I was there it's probably the reason my hands are shaking. Who needs sleep anyways it's really overrated plus it gives me more time to dwell on my inner musings :D. Once again you've instilled terror into my heart! Bravo!

[Bob Sherunkle]

That was great,freaked me out somewhat! great write !

[R. L. Hill]

Glad to have freaked you out Lol

[nike butenco]

I lived every moment described here during reading ...

[R. L. Hill]

Awesome ^_^

[Lourisa]

Wow! What an amazing, chilling write. I was hooked right through the story and found myself hoping that the laughter was not that of a mad man (thing) but someone familiar, but boy, was I wrong. This is an excellent, descriptive piece. You create a chilling atmosphere and maintain it right through. Well done!

[R. L. Hill]

I had been tempted to make the laughter coming from a human source, but I was like...NAH...Toss that cliche out the window. Let's have an unknown creature just chomp off his head. Lol. I'm so glad that you found it chilling. That was the goal! I'm really into Vore so I wanted to add a touch of that creature-like hunger into the piece.