NIGHTFALL


It was twenty years ago that the great war was fought. Millions perished in that hail of fire and
radiation, but surprisingly over half the population survived the initial onslaught.
We began to rebuild our lives in peace. The armies of the world were disbanded, all weapons
were melted down to provide the machinery desperately needed. We thought our troubles were
finally over, harmony ruled our lives.
The word "if" is such a harsh word, if only we had known what those weapons of mass destruction
would breed in the sanctuaries of our dead. If only we had kept some way of defending ourselves
against this unimaginable horror, the carrion eaters, the Ghouls. Perhaps we could have survived,
perhaps we still can, who knows?, only time will tell.

It was a freezing night in november when they first appeared. The pelting rain stinging flesh as
the ice crystals formed to give the promise of a harsh and frigid winter.
They skittered out of the dank crypts, moaning and gibbering in a perverted form of language,
more akin to the ravings of a rabid dog than speech. Their pallid, fungus coloured skin given an
almost waxen appearance by the cold glow of the street lights, covered a twisted and deformed
figure with no bone or muscle definition, as if they were clay statuettes unfinished by the artists hand.
They raised slit like nostrils to scent the night air. The backward sloping skulls swinging from
side to side as they leapt about the cemetery, lengthened arms and black taloned hands propelling
them forward while their thin shrunken legs paddled the rain soaked ground.
Several of them discovered a freshly dug grave, shrieking in unholy glee they gouged deep
furrows in the earth eager to taste what lay within. As the noise of their scrabbling at the muddy
coffin lid pervaded the storm, hordes of them descended on the exposed grave. Huge, grasping
and pulling hands rent apart the thick wood like wet paper.
Reaching through the gaping hole the body was torn from its silken womb. Round rubber like lips
were drawn back to reveal a triple layer of circular jaws, hung with strips of decaying flesh from their
last grisly feast, were fastened on to dead human limbs. Smaller ghouls dashed in to tear out the vital
organs that dripped with half set jelly like gore, then ran screaming as their larger brethren chased
them away, stuffing the rotten viscera into gaping maws as they went.
Elsewhere in the city the demon spawn creatures searched through suburban trash for scraps of
meat and rotten fruit. Pressing their warped faces up against windows their fetid breath leaving a
slight green film behind.
Any animals unfortunate enough to be outside were set upon in a frenzy of slashing nails and
teeth. Cats, dogs on chains, foxes, all fell under the horrific rain of blows.
On occasions they caught children, if the night came faster than realised. Most of them died,
some who did survive would be better off dead as they became one with their attackers. Mothers
would see smaller ghouls wearing the remnants of childrens clothes, but any resemblance to a
human was wiped out by the pure hatred glowing from tiny red eyes.
When sunrise came we carried on with our lives, rebuilding our cities and clearing away the tragic
evidence of the night before. We work on, with our eyes dull and our hearts empty, just praying to
make it home before the endless night falls.

Wow, your kids must love you in the stories at bedtime hours!

That was amazing. In lots of terrible and wonderful ways.
You just can't help feeling hopeful for them and yet at the same time you have the small voice in the back of your mind that tells you they brought it all on themselves. Or is that just me?
Brilliantly well written and at times too well described for complete comfort. I would enjoy to read more of your work, and especially more of this story if you ever decide to extend it from it's short story status.
Thankyou for sharing this scars. It was a privilege.

Lady C.

*bows* i have many more short stories...most written years ago.

Ooooooh ugh! Goose bumps.

That was really really good scars.

It needs lots more to it and making into a book I can buy, and then sleep with the lights on for weeks and weeks.