Every Third Quarter Moon

One of my first stories. My first take at horror. Still undecided if it is a genre I would be good at. Also posted before...

The flashing red and blue lights were a striking reality to the contrast of her night on the town. “S**t, s**t, s**t,” she mumbled as she put her car into park, and fumbled around in the floorboard for her purse. Flipping the visor down, she could see her brown eyes weren’t too blood shot and her wavy blonde hair wasn’t too badly mussed. Good thing she wore that short skirt. The girls had wanted to go out and celebrate her Daddy finally breaking down and buying her the Mercedes. The stick shift was giving her a few problems and with the drinks she had, she didn’t think her driving was that bad. She rolled down her window as she saw the officer approach. Adjusting her blouse for a better view, she smiled up demurely.

 

“Ma’am, license and registration please.”

 

“Sure, ofcourse officer, anyway I can help.” She handed him the information, and pursed her lips. “Can I ask what I was doing wrong?”

 

Not looking up he walked back to his car. ‘Great,’ she thought. ‘A cop with morals.’

 

After what seemed like an eternity he returned to her car.

 

“Ma’am, step out of the vehicle please.”

 

“Why?” she shrieked in a panic. “What’s wrong? I didn’t do anything! I don’t understand this! Why won’t you just tell me what I did wrong?”

 

He opened the door, pulling her roughly from the seat. Turning her around, he patted her down and then handcuffed her.

 

“I want to know what is going on? I have rights! You have to tell me what I did! Please, please don’t take me to jail. I’m too pretty to be in jail!” she cried.

 

“There is a warrant for your arrest. I have to take you in.” He escorted her back to the car, and placed her in the back. At 6’5 and a solid 220 he wasn’t concerned about any outbursts from her and didn’t see any reason to call back up.

 

“What are you talking about warrant? There’s no warrant for my arrest! I’ve never done anything in my whole life. Do you have any idea who my father is? I mean really, he will have your a*s for this. I demand you let me call someone. I have rights. Don’t take me to jail. I can’t go to jail. They’ll throw me out of the country club. No one will have anything to do with me. What am I going to do?” She wailed on and on, and the officer did his best to tune her out while gritting his teeth.

 

They drove for over an hour slipping past the edges of town into the fringes of the wilderness that bordered the Sierra Canyon Valley. It was a small community that harbored some very wealthy residents, one of which was in the back seat of his patrol car. The time passed intermittently with her shrieks and demands wanting to know where she was being taken, why she was in custody, and what in the hell were they doing in the middle of nowhere? Officer Criest was used to this from his charges. He had served in this county for over fifteen years now, and over the centuries he had made himself available in many different servitudes of power.

 

Pulling over into a small clearing he got out and opened the door pulling her from the back. He unlocked her handcuffs and stood off to the side as she looked at him with horror in her eyes.

 

“You’re not going to rape me are you? That’s what you are going to do isn’t it? You’re going to rape me. You’re going to rape me, and then you’re going to kill me. Rape me and kill me, I can see it now. I knew this was going to happen to me eventually, I mean just the other day….”

 

“Run,” he growled cutting her off.

 

“W-what?” she stammered.

 

He was changing. Changing right before her eyes. His shoulders were enlarging, and she could hear the fabric of his uniform stretching and tearing. His arms were elongating, and his skin was beginning to be become pebbled and mottled. His eyes, once blue, were now a cold iridescent green. The pupils were slitting, becoming reptilian in form. When he crouched down on all fours, and she saw the wings sprout from his back, she needed no more persuasion.

 

 

Tree limbs and branches thrashed her face and arms as she fled into the foliage. She dared not look back for fear of coming face to face with a monstrosity she had only had nightmares of. ‘This can’t be happening! This can’t be happening!’ echoed inside her head. Her legs burned with the exertion, but she couldn’t stop. Overhead she could hear the whoosh, whoosh of his wings as he flew above the tops of the trees.

 

“Oh God! Oh God!” she sputtered as she maneuvered around a fallen tree. “Oh God please help me! Please!”

 

She fell hard to the ground and looked furtive above, and all around as she scrambled back to her feet. A few yards ahead was an abandoned guard shack. The words SVC Forestry were emblazoned upon a plaque above the door. Running like hell, she rushed the entrance and slammed the door shut behind her. She looked around for what she could barricade it with and slid a heavy, metal desk across the front. She didn’t know if this would be enough, but it was her only hope.

 

Her breath ragged and her chest heaving with the effort she slid down into a corner and sobbed. “Why is this happening to me?” she placated. “How is this happening?” Then she heard the click, clack of his clawed feet on the roof. She cried out, clapping her hands across her mouth for fear he would hear her.

 

 

 

‘Why do they do this?’ he thought shaking his spiked head from side to side. It wasn’t that he didn’t like toying with them, but after all this time they got to be downright predictable. Hiding in a building! Honestly did they not think he would find them there? He only got to eat every third quarter moon. He was weary of the charade of scarfing down those awful fried doughnuts, and whatever else people were trying to shove down his throat, which as soon as he was alone would come right back up. He was ready for the real deal. ‘Now what to do with this high falooten b***h?’ he thought formulating a plan.

 

 

Nothing. She heard nothing. She didn’t know if it meant he left, or he was waiting. Whatever she wasn’t moving her a*s from this spot for nothin’. If she made it through this she knew no one would ever believe her. Things were going to have change. No more drinking and driving that was for sure. Hell, she didn’t even know if she would ever leave the house again, much less go partying.

 

Just as she was settling in for the long haul, she felt the floor beneath her start to rumble and shake. Then the boards beneath her were ripped asunder, and she could feel his claws sinking into her flesh. She grabbed at anything she could to not be sucked down into the abysmal pit of his open jaws. It was huge! Much bigger than she had ever imagined it would be. The hole underneath of the old guard shack spanned at least six feet across, and there was only enough room for the creature’s head and arms to poke through. The mouth alone had opened wide and was atleast five ft. across. Its claws were sunk into her lower abdomen and backside, and she clawed at the floor leaving scratches from her nails as it pulled her backward. Her strength finally leaving her, she gave in and embraced the blackness.

 

 

Officer Criest pulled himself from the hole he had tunneled a few feet away from the guard shack, and brushed the dirt and debris from his human form. His naked body glowed resplendently in the dull moonlight. He always did give off an aura after feeding. His fellow officers just assumed he was happy due to he had just arrested another old lady for jaywalking. He explained to them as patiently as he could, that the old bag had it coming.

 

This one had taxed him a little more than the others. Egads she would not shut up! He had never heard anyone yak so much in the face of her own demise. Rape her? Please he would never sink so low. She was good though. Her marrow had melted on his tongue, while her bones gave him that satisfying crunch he had needed. Her vital organs were like sweet pudding to his senses. Young, you had to get them young. He knew now after years of testing, he was a bonafide connoisseur of the flesh. No more than 25 and no younger than sixteen, and you would have yourself a piece of Prime “A” a*s right there.

 

Flexing his jaw, he pulled a sliver of femur from his teeth and picked out the silicone. “I knew those weren’t real,” he said aloud to himself. Whistling softly he jogged back to the car and put on his spare uniform. Patting his stomach he thought ‘That ought to do me for a while.’ 

 

 

 

 

Author's Note

Comments welcome

Reviews

[Nick Erickson]

!Wow! - that was a great twist to the story, the girl turning into dinner. Excellent imagery and flow throughout.

'Why do they do this?' he thought shaking his spiked head from side to side. It wasn't that he didn't like toying with them, but after all this time they got to be downright predictable. Hiding in a building! Honestly did they not think he would find them there?"

I loved that part, the monster thinking aloud about everyone's stupidity in jumping into the first building, room or hiding place they find.
Excellent.

[Captain Blackheart (The..]

Wow....I never expected this when she got arrested. What a wonderful twisting tale. Very well done.