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The Story:
No one likes to be alone at night. Not really. We may put on a big act, but at the end of the day, we are scared of the dark. Although we have grown up, we still have a trembling child inside of us that secretly fears the absence of light. Growing up means we simply added the fear death.
In the home of William Oliver Knox, there were no city lights to stream through the windows and no busy streets to fill the air with noise. At night his home did its best to eradicate the safety of human companionship.
His abusive father had died in this very house, and William’s sickness had sealed a similar fate for him. He laid on his couch, with the lamp on, feeling the nearness of death with every breath in… and out… and in, one final time. His eyes closed.
A low thumping noise startled him awake. Thump. Thump. Thump. It sounded close, but he was the only one there.
He gazed into the darkness until a set of glistening black claws appeared in the lamplight and placed an iron grip on his arm. A large creature lunged on top of him. It had black eyes and a circular mouth that housed rows upon rows of clustered fangs.
“Welcome to death, Will.”
It was the voice of his father who was somehow sitting right beside him. His father nodded to the beast, and it began gnawing on his stomach, keeping his arms pinned.
He screamed and screamed, before managing to utter a word.
“Life!”
“Stop, Gallindor.”
The beast stopped chewing and sat down—its face covered in blood.
“What was that?”
A tear rolled down Will’s cheek.
“Life. I… I want to live,” he sobbed.
“You can.”
Will let his head fall to the side to look at his father.
“You can choose to end it all now, or you can choose to live. But you must find Gallindor a meal every night, or you will die.”
He trembled as he uttered his choice. His father handed him a vial of Gallindor’s saliva.
“All you have to do is slip someone a drop.”
So, the next time you’re alone at night, if you hear a faint thumping sound… Well, you might want to recall who was around your drink that day.
Think this story should become a book or a short film? Let me know in the comments below!