Short Fiction Blog

This is my first try at fantasy, so y’all bear with me…lol. Hopefully I won’t mess it up too bad! 

Borate watched the golden-haired child run about the creek bank, seemingly unaware of the dangers in the world. He could not remember the last time he had witnessed a person so carefree, so alive and joyous.

From his perch high atop the mount, he gazed at the village of the golden-haired one. He could see the village was prospering, despite the recent increase in taxes others were complaining about. This puzzled him, so he decided to watch for a while and see what was different about the people of Dunmore.

A squeal from the child caught his attention.

Laughing, Meredith chided Shana, “I told you the water was cold. Come now, before your health is afflicted.”

“But I want to play longer, Mother,” Shana pleaded. “I’m fine really; it was just a shock at first.”

“It’s too cold, Shana,” her mother admonished. “Feel the cold on the air?” she started, and then stopped suddenly when a warm breeze began to blow over the land.

“That’s odd,” she stated. “The winds don’t usually change so quickly.”

Borate released a contented sigh, which warmed the winds even more, watching the golden-haired one begin to frolic in the creek again.

The girls didn’t need to hear anymore. They wanted no part of the sheriff, and they didn’t have to stick around to hear what Duke thought of the idea. They headed up the hill and out of sight as quick as their legs would take them.

Once over the top of the hill they both collapsed. “She’s so beautiful Isabel, let’s take her for a ride,” Isabel mimicked Betsy in a sing song voice. “I can’t believe I let you talk me into stealing that horse this morning!”

“You had as much fun riding the horse as I did,” Betsy snapped back. “We weren’t stealing her, just borrowing for a few hours. Everything would have been fine if you hadn’t of fell off and let her run away!”

“It’s not like I wanted to fall off. You’re more worried about the horse than the fact that I could have been killed!” Isabel snarled.

“No, I’m more worried that I’ll never get to know the sexy stranger now,” Betsy said with a smirk. Both girls started laughing as they headed down the hill towards home.

Turned out Isabel was right. Both men entered the barn still deep in conversation. As they passed through the door, the girls heard Duke say, “I don’t know what happened to your damn horse, she was here this morning when I did feedings.”

They couldn’t hear the strangers reply because the men were too far into the barn. With hand signals, Isabel motioned for Betsy to follow her. Slowly, they crept around the side of the barn until they were right at the door.

Isabel peeked around and saw the men standing at the far stall. The stranger was scowling at Duke and shaking his head. “She’s not here now though, is she?” he said.

“Obviously not, but that doesn’t mean I know what happened to her,” Duke replied. “I had to go into town right after feeding the horses this morning. I checked the barn soon as I got home and saw Dancing Lady was missing. I called you right away. For all I knew, you’d come and got her.”

“I didn’t come and get her. I left her for you to take care of. If I had somewhere to keep her, I wouldn’t have needed your services at all now would I?”

“Look mister, I don’t want no trouble. I take care of horses under my care. Someone stole the damn horse; you know it, and I know it, so let’s cut to the chase. What are you gonna do about it?” Duke snarled.

“I guess we get the sheriff out here,” the stranger recommended.

The girls took off running across the yard. About half way to the barn, Duke started to turn in their direction and they had to duck down behind the well. “That was a close call,” Betsy hissed.

“Yeah, but he didn’t see us. Come on, let’s go,” Isabel said, grabbing Betsy’s arm and dragging her from behind the well.

Once they made it to the barn, both girls had to catch their breath. By the time they looked around the corner, Duke and the stranger were walking their way.

“Isabel, they’re coming this way, do something!” Betsy shrieked.

“Be quiet, Betsy, they’re probably going into the barn. There’s nothing around here they’d need. If you hush they won’t even know we’re here.”

He walked out of the shadows, Stetson pulled low over his eyes.

“What a swagger,” Betsy moaned to Isabel.

They both followed his every move while he crossed to the stables. Once there, he started a serious- looking conversation with Duke, his body getting tenser by the moment. Duke seemed to be loosing his temper rather quickly himself.

The girls wondered what all the fuss was about. They hadn’t seen Duke this riled up in a long time; not sense the sheriff found his still up on Rock Mountain last spring. That caused a ruckus the whole town won’t soon forget. Everyone missed the moonshine.

“I wonder what all the commotion is about?” Betsy asked.

“Duke probably stiffed him on some shine,” Isabel replied. “You know he got his new still up and running last month. I hear he’s charging more to make up for lost time.”

“I don’t think Duke would be dumb enough to stiff this guy, he’s big. Sure wish we were close enough to hear what’s going on.”

“Let’s sneak closer then,” Isabel whispered. “We can go over there behind the barn. We should be able to hear them from there.”

Betsy eyed the distance to the barn skeptically. They had to go a good fifty feet at least, part of it out in the open. “They’ll see us, Isabel,” she whispered back.

“No they won’t. They’re too busy arguing to pay attention to anything else.”

Betsy thought about it for a few more minutes. Finally, curiosity got the better of her. “Ok, let’s do it. But we gotta hurry! I don’t want to get caught.”

Silently, he crept upon his prey. Senses attuned to any sounds of danger, he moved ever closer. Suddenly, a car door slammed, breaking the spell. He shook his head in disgust at thought of the missed opportunity.

He watched while the couple embraced, before turning back to the night. He would return. His connection with the woman marked her for death. Her scent still strong in his nostrils, he set out for a substitute victim for the night. It wouldn’t be the same, wouldn’t satisfy him on an elemental level, but would quench his hunger for a while.

He paused when a sound reached him. Turning east, he made his way, the sounds of his next victim music to his ears.

Amy reached New York within a week. Her journey would have been shorter had she been able to take public transportation. Even though it had been ten years, with her record, she was scared to chance being recognized.

She had changed her looks completely in the weeks following the murders. Her blonde hair became red; she wore padded clothing, and purchased some fake glasses that added to the transformation. After a few years of not being caught, she discarded the disguise. She knew it was risky, but didn’t believe she was on the most wanted list, and as long as she avoided public places, she thought everything would be fine. Charles had no family, so she reasoned the authorities were the only one’s concerned with the deaths, and after a while, they’d have more pressing matters to attend to. So far, she had been proven correct.

She searched the city for a few days before finding someone who knew the group she was talking about. Stalkers she spoke with thought the group was strange. They told her of members saving Outsiders, turning on their own, and a code of ethics unheard of in other Stalkers.

With much trepidation, she knocked on the door of the house she’d been informed belonged to the group. She was scared they wouldn’t accept her. Her own code of ethics was not something she was going to share with them. She thought the less they knew of her true personality the better. If she could get in, she was sure she could persuade them to let her stay.

Hiding her true self was something she’d become good at over the years. It didn’t even bother her anymore. She let the darker emotions out on unsuspecting Outsiders, feeding her rage with the taste of their blood. She came to find having this outlet made it easier to pretend the rest of the time.

She had a feeling her acting ability was going to be put to the test with this group. Only time would tell if she was up to it.

The door opened, and a strikingly beautiful woman demanded, “What do you want? Don’t you know it’s late?”

Amy looked the woman over. She’d never trusted beautiful women. They always thought they were better than she was. She wondered how this one got into a group that accepted outcasts. With her blonde hair and perfect face, Amy was sure she’d never had a problem fitting in.

Rissa got tired of waiting for an answer, “Out with it, woman!” she ordered. “What do you want?”

Amy squared her shoulders, and stated, “I’m looking for a Nathaniel. I was told I could find him here.”

“What do you want with him,” Rissa asked suspiciously.

“I want to join his group.”

The woman was about to speak when another one walked up behind her. Damn, Amy thought dejectedly, do you have to be a centerfold to join this group or something.

“What’s going on,” Susan asked Rissa.

“This lady wants to join the group,” Rissa sneered. “I told Nathaniel we should keep a low profile or every nut job in town would want to join.”

Susan scoffed, “You know Nathaniel. He wants the nut jobs to join. The more the merrier.”

Amy had had enough. If she had to put up with these two to join, she didn’t think it is worth it.

She snarled at both women, “I didn’t know being a bitch was a requirement, or that Nathaniel was forming some kind of harem.” She then looked them both up and down before she continued, “Doesn’t look like he has very good taste either.”

Amy turned to walk away, but laughter stopped her. She looked back and they were both doubled over in the doorway. She was seething with rage. How dare they laugh at me!

Rissa and Susan stopped laughing when they saw the rage pouring off Amy.

Rissa put her hand out, “Wait a minute, honey,” she started. “We aren’t laughing at you. We just decided you’ll fit right it with our little group here.”

Susan spoke up and added, “Yeah. We only allow people with spunk in. No pansy, whiney babies.”

They both then stepped back from the door to allow her entrance. Amy stared at them for a few minutes, thinking. She didn’t like them, but since she had nowhere else to go, she shrugged and stepped inside.

The End

Amy found that being alone wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. She wandered around different places never settling on one for long.

Each place she went, she met with problems from other Stalkers. She found they didn’t take well to strangers, and wanted her to prove herself. She was never hungry because each group required a kill for entrance. It became tedious after a while, and wore on her nerves. She wanted to find somewhere to fit in, yet not be taken advantage of.

After years, she learned to tone down her abrasive attitude somewhat to avoid confrontations. Her true feelings were kept hidden, only to appear at times of stress. She made a few acquaintances in each group, but moved on before lasting relationships could form.

At times, she missed her children. She would reminisce about the early years with them. Birthday parties, Christmas mornings, and days at the park were her fondest memories. She would then come upon a harassed mother with screaming brats and all the bad memories overrode the good, cementing her belief that she was better off without children. She sometimes feed on the families just to shut them up, easing her own unwanted pain.

It was a lonely existence; one that she hoped would come to an end soon. She’d heard of a group that accepted everyone for who they were, that didn’t judge you, or try to change you. She was heading to New York to find them and see if it was true. She was tired of wandering.

It didn’t take long for news of the murder’s to spread. The bloody massacre drew national attention, something that had never happened in Amy’s small town before.

Searches were performed of all buildings and homes in the area, so to avoid detection, Amy and the group she was staying with had to resort to living in the woods. This fostered resentment toward Amy, which made the living arrangements unbearable.

“I can’t stay here,” she informed Rhonda and Carl.

“Nobody’s stopping you from leaving,” Rhonda snapped. “Because of you, we’re living like animals in the woods, eating wildlife.”

“You made me, bitch,” Amy snapped back. “Remember that when you’re whining.”

Rhonda slapped her, stating, “Yes, I did, and I can kill you just as easily.”

Carl grabbed Rhonda’s hand, and pulled her away. “Think about it. We already have enough problems; we don’t need to guarantee the Council will come by killing one of our own. Just let her go.”

“What Council?” Amy inquired.

She’d heard talk of it before. The other Stalkers were worried they were coming, but nobody would tell her who they were exactly.

“You’ll find out soon enough,” Carl quipped.

With no more information forthcoming, Amy left the two and headed out of town. She wasn’t sure where she wanted to, only to get away from town and the Stalkers.

I’ll be better off on my own, anyway, she thought. It’ll be nice to be free to do whatever I want. 

Amy heard sirens blaring in the distance as she followed Rhonda and Carl into the night, destination unknown. They would only tell her they knew somewhere to go, but would give no other details. She couldn’t very well stay home, so decided to go with them.

She had looked back over her shoulder one last time before turning the corner and saw Janice peeking out her front window. Amy stopped, offered a big smile, and waved with blood soaked hands. She watched Janice faint from view, pulling the livingroom curtains down atop herself.

Rhonda stopped at an abandoned building downtown. The door opened a crack and Rhonda spoke with whoever was inside. After the exchange, they were told to wait.

A few minutes later, the door opened and they were quickly ushered inside. Amy looked around curiously at the occupants she passed. The sneers and dismissals were profound, showing their unease and distrust of anyone new into their midst. Amy wasn’t worried about what they thought. She didn’t come to make friends, only to evade punishment. She was aware she’d have to make an effort to get along with everyone though, or risk being kicked out.

I got rid of my selfish, ungrateful family, only to be forced to make nice with a bunch of freaks, she thought, sitting down on a mattress in the corner. It won’t be for long though. I am not going to be silent and submissive anymore!