They were going to catch him. He could hear them, getting closer by the second, closing the distance. They were panting, though they weren’t tired, it was merely the sound of the air passing through their hollow bodies as they charged after him. Like a gazelle running from its hunter, the boy knew that if he stopped, hesitated, slowed down for even a second, he would die. He ducked and weaved between branches and bushes, desperate not to trip. How long had he been running? He had lost track by now; all he knew was that he needed to get away from them. But there was no getting away. They would never give up the chase – it wasn’t in their nature. They wouldn’t stop until they had him, ripped at him, tore him apart… or worse.

Stop it. Can’t think like that.

It wasn’t supposed to happen like this. He wasn’t supposed to be alone; he wasn’t ready for that yet. But now he was, and all he could do was run. But no matter how far or how fast he ran, those things would catch up with him eventually. He had to think of something, fast. But what could he do? He had no time to think, no time to strategize. He hadn’t been trained for this. He shouldn’t have come. He was only a child, why had they let him come with them?

As Aiden ran, he switched directions, turning down a narrow alleyway on his right, squeezing through a narrow gap made by an overgrown tree. He slipped into the darkness of the alley, moving away from the opening onto the main street. As his eyes adjusted to the new shade, his heart sank. In front of him, was a large stone wall.

“No… please no.” He whimpered as he approached, desperate to see a way through. But there was none, the wall was intact, looming over him. He turned back towards the opening to the alley to find he had not yet been followed in. But it would not be long until they were here. Quickly, he searched the area around him, looking for any way of hiding himself. His eyes settled on a dumpster, long forgotten and disused, but still holding some remnants of what had been left inside it – most notably the smell. Without thinking, he pulled himself up and inside the large metal container, pulling the lid shut as he did.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Darkness was all around him now, with only the faintest crack of light coming from a few holes in the bin, created over time by the rusting metal. Aiden tried to calm his breathing, to catch his breath, but all he could manage were shallow gasps.

There were gasps coming from outside too.

Aiden froze, raising his hand to his mouth to try and silence his breathing. Tears began to well in his eyes as whatever was outside edged closer to him. Its uncut nails scratched against the stone walls of the alley, as if the creature was taunting Aiden, causing him to wince as the sound penetrated his ears. The rasping, hollow breaths grew louder. Leaves crunched under the feet of the monster. It was moving slowly, cautiously – tracking Aiden’s movements. Louder. Aiden prayed that a miracle would save him, lure these creatures away from him so that he could make his escape. But no one was listening. As Aiden slowly opened his eyes, he realised he was in total darkness. No light was shining through the rusted holes. 

The creature was in front of him, no more than 30cm from his face, separated only by a thin wall of ancient metal. Aiden had to hold himself back as the smell of the creature drifted into the box, worse than whatever he was sitting in. Tears now streamed down his face as he shut his eyes once again, resigning himself to his fate.

The sound of metal creaking filled the box, as did sunlight. Aiden gasped and opened his eyes, coming face to face with his pursuer. The dumpster had only been opened slightly, so Aiden could only make out the area around the creature’s eyes. It’s skin hung off the bone, as though all the muscle had been stripped away. Aiden stared into the creatures empty, dead eyes, as it stared back at him, unblinking.

This is it.