Wait until Dark

catch

Wait until Dark (700 words)

 

 

Stay in your homes, offices or any shelter that you can find; keep your lights off and windows covered, barricade yourself in. We’ve been invaded by a parasitic species that has the ability to possess our minds and bodies. They have a symbiotic relationship with wraith like creatures with a taste and hunger for human flesh.  They are the Shadow Wraiths, a hostile alien species from the dark recesses of void space. Help is on the way, remain calm and be not afraid. The apocalypse is upon us.

(Emergency transmission sent out to all broadcasting stations and the World Wide Web, by the newly formed United Earth Government)

 

     How the hell are you supposed to be calm and not crapping in your pants from fear when you know that human eating ghouls and shadow monsters lurk outside your door? My dog Poe had ripped a hand off of one of those ghoulish things trying to get in. They kept pounding away at the doorknob that leads into the morgue. It was about to snap. I gave Poe one last hug and braced myself for the onslaught.

 

     At the last minute I remembered to shut off the lights. Being eaten is one thing but being possessed by shadows and becoming nothing more than a puppet is far worse than being a human pork chop.

 

     Four of the vile creatures burst in but thankfully were disorientated by the darkness. Poe leapt on the throat of one while I swung my broken broom about like a katana. I stabbed and poked at their eyes and chests and hoped for the best. The best is what I got. Two of the creatures howled in pain while clutching at their eyes while the third was being ripped apart by Poe. He dispatched his earlier attacker with ease. I crushed the heads of the howling ghouls making sure that Poe and I would never be on their menu.

 

     A Black Ooze started to leak out of the orifices of the dead wraiths. These were the shadow monsters trying to flee their dead prison and looking to attach themselves to me and Poe. But as luck would have it the lights were out and it was night outside. Only the glow of the moonlight that crept in the half shuddered windows made me able to see the shadows approach. But they were slow and sluggish due to the lack of light. I grabbed my Dyson vacuum and sucked them inside.

 

     I barricaded the Morgue door with anything I could find. They would need a larger contingent   to break through than the four that tried before. Those furry fanged b******s were strong in packs but individually they were easy prey.  I prayed that help would soon be on their way as Poe and I hadn’t eaten for the past two days.  Poe decided that meat was meat and took a bite at of the dead ghoul.

 

     Now I could say that ghoul tasted like chicken but I’d be lying. Poe and I puked a few times trying to get it down but after a while our bodies tolerated that foul pungent taste. We now had at least a few months of ghoul food and plenty of bottled water that was in the storage room. I stuck them in the cadaver freezers to keep them fresh.

 

     Poe and I went back to our routine of playing find the ball. Poe loved this game, it made him act like a puppy, and so for the sake of my buddy, I had no choice but to keep playing it. Time kept tick, tick, ticking away.

 

      I thanked god we had solar panels as the heat and electricity was still running. Without that we would be living in rot. It was three weeks since the attack; I was losing hope, if not for Poe I would have slit my throat a week ago.

 

     As I woke up to start another monotonous day, I saw Poe staring at me in the oddest way. He seemed to be smiling. He was different.  The vacuum bag that held the shadows was torn open. Poe put his paw on my leg and said, “Your turn”.