The Crimson Horror

I was drifting in and out of sleep. Morning was on the rise and I knew that soon I would be asleep and gone, like so many nights before when I tried to stay up only to fail myself the morning after. If I fell asleep, they would have won and I would have lost. I kept telling myself "You need to stay awake, forget those other times where you have tried and failed. This time, this is when it really matters." I needed to maintain the generators, it was my objective and they were the last source of power remaining.

My watch read 2 A.M, it felt much earlier but I had only 3 or so hours until morning would be shining my way. I was so close yet so far away, I had my generators on backup but with only a little gas left the lights would be fading fast. With all my preparation who thought that something like this would happen? Who thought this to be possible, something like that, like this - "It's nothing but fiction" they told me - I tried to believe; but here I am.

"I need to get up" I thought, I can't fall asleep and I can't sit here doing nothing. Light is what I need; I need to find light. A flashlight, a candle - anything that can give me light -I need to find something, anything. I must survive, if I don't then I will fail like the rest. Finally, I sat up and the window had appeared with the darkest black I had ever seen; to say this was the night that rid the world of light -but I advanced as if to try and find something that was no longer there, but there was nothing in sight. I knew what had happened and I sure couldn't let it happen here.

The generators were running fine but by some instance the back lights began to flicker, what could have caused this to happen? I was running a second generator for the outside lights so it could not affect the lights on the inside of the house to whom were merely protecting me. Still it was an unfortunate priority to see what the cause of this persistent flickering may be. Only time could tell how safe I would be and how long id be able to stay within the confines of my own living space.

I knew that one day, one day I would have to venture outside even if only for a moment. This was my tragedy, to know that soon I would be pushed fourth into the outside world but who knew it would be for something so insignificant. I had to go, that much I knew but I wasn't prepared for what I didn't understand. There was a box, I guess you could say it was an emergency box -something I always had in case of those disasters you always see on the news. I never used it before truth be told but I only needed my lantern. It was a present my father had given me on a camping trip when I was ten. It was a large lantern, with a dark green hue, almost like the color of the forest.

I swiftly ran up the stairs trying to reach my room before the lights vanished and with it my grasp of hope. I was determined, set only on my room. My room was minimal, always clean and set apart from the rest of the house. I decided to have a simple life requiring only things like my computer, dresser, and bed. Looking over I remembered placing the box under the bed many summers ago. I got down on one knee and stretched my arm outward underneath the bed hoping to retrieve what I was searching for. There was my lamp placed above everything else, but there was something else that caught my attention.

A pistol was barely showing from under a few particles of folded clothing; I picked it up and next to it revealed a magazine, it was full. A note was attached to the holster read "Son, if you are reading this now then I am terribly sorry that your mother and I could not make it to be there with you, I have left you provisions in the event that we are not there, do what we could not and live, live not for us or for you but for the others". I put the magazine into the pistol and pulled back the slide placing a round into the chamber, I hoped I wouldn't need it. I got what I needed and perhaps something extra but time wasn't something I could waste, I brought my attention back around to the lights. I needed to swiftly get back down stairs.

I left the room and ran down the hallway as I turned to catch the stairs. I was too fast, I slipped and tumbled, hitting my hand on the way down. I was at the bottom trying to regain my consciousness; my mind foggy and misplaced. It took a moment to focus but here I was, back again. I grabbed the railing and sat up-gaining hold of my stance and erecting myself up. My lamp was out but not damaged from the tumble and only a few steps up, I reached for it and grabbed it, I lit it and pressed on.

Still the flickering was progressing although with the exception that this time there were intervals of darkness, the light was not as quick like before but slower and the darkness was prolonged giving less light as previously noted. I stumbled over to the back door trying my hardest to stand straight. I opened the back door and immediately held my lamp high to provide light over an array of items including a path to the fuse box beyond giving myself an area of protection.

A distant growl could be heard and I knew I wasn't alone. With a quickness the porch lights went out. Slowly, so very slowly did I motion my lamp outward towards the rest of the yard, I peered out only to see Crimson red eyes peering back at me. Eyes that presented an unfulfilled lingering hunger. My lamp did not provide much light but I held it close, I looked back at the fuse box only to notice the unfortunate cause of the current issue; it appeared that the wires were chewed through.

With the lighting gone and the wires no longer available I knew I was in trouble. The wind was gradually picking up and it was just my luck for this to happen at a moment like this. The crimson horror was advancing closer and with it my death, all the while I could not move; what could I do- how can I survive in these conditions! Their crawl became a jog and then a sprint, I raised my gun and fired. One shot, two! I missed...I came right back with a third, a hit! I became enthralled with my small victory but this did not stop the small army that was coming to me.

Suddenly I kicked over the generator spilling gasoline, I no longer needed it. They were seconds away, I threw down my lamp destroying it in the process while flames erupted and shrieks were heard. I dashed back for the house, leaping over debris to grab the door knob and immediately shut it behind me. I was now safe or at least I was hoping to be...a movement was seen in the corner of my eye but what it was I could not say.

 I turned to look but it was nothing, I finally felt safe even with only one generator left. I turned back around to find supplies and block out the doors. What was before was almost indescribable -in comprehensible; a creature of such features were startling.

A creature of darkness, I had finally seen one up close; this creature was almost as if a piece of darkness formed a body of sorts, staring me down with its crimson eyes and readying it's sharp fangs for my death, it's body black but with a subtle transparency. What this some new breed? How the hell could it survive is this light?! It's growling became intense, louder than before - I fired at it and missed. I fired again, I missed yet again except I didn't...It had gone through the body of the creature! It leapt for me as I threw the gun at it and again it did nothing!

Trying in any possible circumstance I covered myself with my arms hoping that in some instance it would protect me. My defenses were lost and I was in trouble. The beast caught onto me as I fell, it was on me and it had won...It began ripping into me without mercy. There I lay in my last moments...as the sun rose above the mountain peak breathing my last words "God help my poor soul".