Night Creatures

By R.J. Byrd

Three college students were standing in a circle near the library at the CSU campus. They were in a wooded area perfect for this late-night activity. Since none of them had plans, they decided to meet here on Halloween.

It was a great place to meet because students often came here at night to let off steam from midterms and finals by screaming at the top of their lungs. Everyone called it Howling Woods.

A large bag of colorful candy was in the middle of their circle, waiting to be eaten. A damp chill was in the air, and large clouds sporadically hid the full, orange moon.

“It’s puff, puff pass. Don’t fuck up the routine,” said Hanna holding out a hand with black and orange painted fingernails toward Ryan. He passed the joint to Hanna, who put it to her lips and inhaled.

“Let’s tell some ghost stories,” suggested Ryan. A long cloud of white smoke came out of his mouth, and the musty smell of marijuana filled the air. He coughed several times and leaned down to rummage through the candy bag.

“I have one,” said Tyler, adjusting the eye patch from his poorly put-together pirate costume, which consisted of only the eye patch and a bandana. “It was Halloween night, and some college students decided to get high and gorge on candy. Little did they know, they were all about to die…”

“Oh, shut up, Tyler, tell a real one,” said Hanna, her brain feeling the fog of the drug. She passed the joint to Tyler. “Do we have any mini Butterfingers in there?” she asked, craving one suddenly.

The snap of a twig caught their attention, causing all three of them to stop and look around. They only had a small flashlight from a key chain sticking up from inside the candy bag for light.

“I hope you heard that,” said Hanna, her eyes darting around the suddenly scaring-looking trees.

“Yeah, we heard it. It’s nothing, don’t freak yourself out,” said Tyler, passing the joint to Ryan.

“Yeah, we’re high, and it’s Halloween. There’s no such thing as monsters, remember?” said Ryan, taking a long drag.

A loud scream rang out. They all froze. It sounded close. Footsteps could be heard. Hanna felt her heart start to pound.

Figures were becoming visible through the trees, and one of them let out another ear-splitting scream before they all laughed.

Hanna’s group visibly relaxed, realizing it was just other college students.

“I love a good scare,” said Tyler through a mouth full of Snickers.

From then on, they didn’t pay as much attention to the noises around them because a lot of students got the idea of hanging out in the woods on Halloween. They heard a few more screams and saw others wandering around in costumes.

When they heard sounds coming from behind them, they didn’t pay much attention. It sounded like someone was walking toward them. The scuffling noise got louder, but they didn’t see anyone through the trees.

“Hello, who’s there?” asked Hanna. No one responded, but the noises continued.

“Oh, fuck, you know, I just remembered I told Matt we’d be here. That’s probably him trying to find us,” said Ryan. “Hey Matt, we’re over here, man!” he yelled. They all waited silently for a reply, and when none came, Ryan huffed. “Don’t try to scare us, man, just get over here!” When there was no response, Ryan shoved his hands in his pockets and started to walk out into the trees. “I said don’t try to scare us, you douchebag!”

They heard Ryan mumbling obscenities as he stomped off to find Matt. After a few minutes, Hanna and Tyler were out of weed and out of patience. Just as they wondered where their friend was, a terrified yell was carried through the air.

“Now they’re both tryin’ to fuck with us? I bet they had this planned,” said Tyler, rooting through the candy bag, seeming unconcerned about the situation. “I guess tonight’s the night for it.” He picked up a dum-dum lollipop and started to giggle. “It’s so small,” he said. “Hello, little lolli, hello.” He snickered uncontrollably and waved at the candy before unwrapping it.

Hanna watched with a smile, but she was becoming increasingly worried about Ryan, who was still out there somewhere, possibly trying to scare them. The rustling and scratching noises started to sound like they were coming from all around them. A sense of unease settled over Hanna. Something was wrong. It was quiet all of a sudden. She couldn’t hear any more talking or laughing, just silence.

“Ryan, come out now. We’re not paying attention to your little game anyway. We’re not scared!” called out Hanna, although she was getting scared. She shivered as she tried to fight past the haze in her brain so she could think clearly. “I’m gonna go look for them,” she said, zipping up her jacket and trying to mentally prepare herself if they decided to jump out and scare her.

“Don’t go. They’ll be here any minute. We haven’t smoked all our stash yet. Stay here.” Tyler threw the dum-dum lollipop stick on the ground and looked for another candy in the bag.

“I don’t want to sit here,” said Hanna, and she set off to find the two tricksters. The dim light from the flashlight quickly disappeared as Hanna walked further from Tyler. “Come out, come out, wherever you are,” she whispered under her breath, walking slowly in the dark so she didn’t trip. The familiar rustling sound met her ears again, and Hanna froze. “I hear you, Ryan, come out,” she said.

The rustling got louder, and something hit her shoe. Hanna jumped back and let out a quiet yelp. A large brown lump was lying at her feet. At that moment, the clouds parted, and the bright light of the full moon shone between the trees. The lump was still indistinguishable, so Hanna kicked it softly with her foot to turn it over.

When she recognized it, a painful scream tore out of her mouth.

It was Ryan’s head.

A look of fear was etched on his face, blood leaking from his cleanly decapitated neck.

A loud howl echoed through the air. It sounded close. Something or someone out there had killed Ryan. Hanna started to run. She felt cold and hot as she reached Tyler, who was fishing for his lighter to start up the next joint.

“Did you hear that howl?” He asked. “And why did you scream. Are you trying to scare me now, too?”

“We… We have to get the fuck out of here. Ryan, Ryan’s head is over there, and he’s dead. We have to go. Something killed him!” Hanna knew she was frantic and not making sense. She grabbed Tyler by his shirt and dragged him along as she ran.

“They’re just trying to scare you,” Tyler said, upset at being forcibly pulled around. “Let go of me. I’m gonna get the candy.”

“No, we have to get the hell out of here,” Hanna whispered fiercely. Tyler pulled her hands off him.

“Whatever, I’ll be right back,” Tyler said as he traipsed into the darkness. Another loud howl rang out.

“Fuck!” exclaimed Hanna; she didn’t know what to do. Her instincts screamed at her to run, but she wanted to wait for Tyler. Her blood froze in her veins and then started pumping hard when she heard a gut-wrenching scream.

It was Tyler. Something got him.

The terrifying sound was followed by loud, sickening pops like bones being snapped. Hanna didn’t realize she was crying until she let out a sob. Without a second thought, she ran. She had to make it back to her dorm.

As she ran through the freshmen quad, she heard the howl again. A long, loud, ominous sound that sent shivers through her whole body. The only thought in her head was to run, run from whatever crazy creature was out there. She didn’t want to die. As she neared the dining commons, she heard something behind her, running, breathing hard, and it was getting closer. Something snarled, but she didn’t look back. She couldn’t. She just kept running.

She was nearing the dorm when she heard a deep growl and a sharp bark. The word ‘werewolf’ flashed in her brain, but she didn’t look back. She just needed to get inside.

Her lungs burned, and her legs and arms screamed in pain at the exertion. The adrenalin rushing through her system made her run faster than ever before; the fog in her brain was gone, and she was thinking a mile a minute.

She got to the front entrance of her building, her hand frantically searching for the key card in her pocket. Before her shaking fingers could grasp it, she felt hot, wet breath on the back of her neck. The rank scent of fresh blood hit her nose, and a deep growl vibrated through her body.

She allowed herself to turn around and take in the creature. Standing on its hind legs, it towered over her. Its fur was shiny with the bright red blood of her friends. Its teeth were long, pointed, and stained a dark hue. The sharp eyes were focused entirely on her. They held a horrible blood lust.

Hanna let out a scream that seemed to echo endlessly. Her last hope was that someone would come and save her. But loud screams were common at the college, especially late at night. So, too bad for Hanna, no one even bothered to look out their window.

The End

Copyright 2023 R.J. Byrd All Rights Reserved