Flash Fiction (12)

Jackie, Blodeuedd, and I are back to working up some Flash Fiction fun. We will do flash fiction posts every two weeks, give or take due to holiday's and such. I will post my complete story here. Jackie will add the beginning and a link to her flash fiction on her Live Journal and Blodeuedd will be posting on her blog.

Enjoy our quick glimpses into worlds of the unknown.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
((Untitled))
By:  Melissa Hayden

I lie here growing weaker and weaker from the wound at my neck. I clutch my ears trying to stop the pain of the running water roaring in my ears. I don't ever remember the sounds of the river being this terrible. I use to love boating up and down the river. But today... my head and body throb.

Pulling my mind from the pain I remember the last feel of Seth's warm hands as he placed me in this small wooden boat and pushed me into the river. I peered over the edge seeing the sadness in his eyes and then fear as the monsters pounced on him like cats of the night. I listened to his screams as the water pulled me away. I wanted to go back but I hurt too much, and felt ill. I couldn't move far from the spot I was in. The ache of the wound from the one that tackled me from behind burned down my body.

I turned my eyes to the full moon. The bats swirling and diving were easy to see in the dark sky highlighted by the moon. I squint at the brightness, an attempt to forget the screams of my village as it fell to a distance.

I groan, curling into a ball. My stomach is turning with the rocking of the water. The few bites of dinner I had before the village was attacked find their way to the bottom of the boat. A strong metallic taste hits my tongue. I remember the taste hitting my mouth when I was running through the town. The air was thick with the slaughter of my friends and family. I try to relax and maybe rest, as this is all I can do. But I can't.

The pain hits me like a wave of rocks again causing my body to shake. The physical pain compacted with the horrors of what happened to my home, my friends and family I whimper but no tears fall. I feel drained. It's all I can do to crawl to the back of the long boat, away from my stomachs rejected contents that I can't stand the smell of.

The swish of the water at the side of the boat drains the energy from my body. When will the pain end?

Just when I can't take it anymore the boat thumps to the shore. I'm too weak to rise from the boat. The fight and now small journey has drained me. But the hunger that ravishes me is growing. I'll try to rest and rise in a bit to find some food. A fresh venison sounds nice, raw and juicy.

*****

"Oh my heavens! Ryan, there's a woman in that boat. Come lift her out. I don't know if she's alive. Oh... the blood." A woman's fear filled words fill my ears. I can smell her switch from worry to fear. But she smells so delicious.

"Step back dear. Let me get her on land and you can look at her." A man, Ryan, says. I can smell his pride and strength as he approaches me.

My teeth ache with the hunger I feel. How long have I been lying here? I don't feel the sun. It has to still be night.

"Oh, so much for our alone time tonight. We have to get her to someone for help." The woman spoke.

"We will. Don't worry." He was closer.

I can hear his steps in the water. The boat tips as he puts his hands on the edge, and leans in swooping me up in his arms.

My jaw drops as my eyes open. He jerks back, stumbling in the thigh high water. But it's too late. He has me in his arms with my head on his shoulder. And now I'm on top of him with the moist ground at his back. I snatch his head and pull him near me. My teeth slide through his skin finding the sweet spot as the thick lush liquid hits my tongue. I groan at the delight of his taste, until I hear the woman scream. I release my grip on his neck laying him down at the edge of the river. Her eyes are wide and I can smell her fear and urine. She's frozen watching me, and I smile showing off my teeth. I will feast like a queen tonight and move on.