Flash Fiction Friday (24)

Dottie over at Tink's Place have come up with the idea for a Monday Morning Flash Fiction challenge. Each Monday a new picture prompt will be posted and if you choose to participate you post your story on Friday - 350 words, give or take.

I have to thank Blodeuedd at Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell for introducing me to this fun meme. I don't know if I'll be able to keep up with every week, but I'll give it a try from time to time.

The Image This Week:

By:  Melissa

My heart thrashed in my chest as fast as the speed-metal my punk brother listens to, to the point it hurt my ribs.  Gasping for air I knew that...that thing could hear me, if their ears worked.  But they had to; I couldn't guess anything to my favor.

My throat's swollen shut from the panting and heavy breathing I've been doing.  I needed to keep moving to get away from it.  I started running again, past all the large stone front buildings.  It wasn't worth the time stopping to try the doors to find a place to hide.  I'd already tried it.  They're locked.  I've realized the buildings where the same.  A repeat of the same seven buildings, over and over and over again.  The street never seemed to end and I couldn't see an end.

Nowhere to go and I was just about out of energy to run.  Whatever was following me will over take me soon and who knows what it will do to me.  I can hear the slapping of its feet on the brick road behind me.

Lightning flashed, the crack startling me into a stumble.  I trip over my own feet, sluggish from exhaustion, scrapping my hands as I tumble to the bricks.  Turning to sit on my butt, I saw it.  No them.  Closing the distance between us.  The red on the ragged clothing, dragging of a leg here, the shuffle of another there.  Skin peeling back like someone took a potato peeler to their graying skin but didn't finish.  The stench that drifted toward me, and I turned my head to throw-up, it was like raw meat left to bake in the sun.  I could see the maggots and insects crawling through the meat and when I turned back to the monsters coming toward me, I did see the creepy crawlies in the skin and on their faces, or what should have been a face.

I didn't have the energy to run any further, all I could see where the claws, bone and torn flesh of hands coming at me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My eyes flew open, breathing radical, heart pounding like a hammer in my chest.  I looked around in the dark; I didn't know where I was.  My room, I'm in my room.  In my soft bed, under warm blankets.  But as I turn my head, I see the buildings similar to my nightmare.