Crawling Silence

I saw what had become my world.

The first thing I noticed was a horrible, nauseating smell, almost like rotten meat, with a fruity undertone which made me gag instantly. 

I looked all around, yet all I could see was destroyed doors, scratched wooden floors and broken windows, which let in the brisk air of dusk.

Then there were corpses everywhere, I couldn't hold back the urge to vomit at the nauseating sight and rancid smells. Everywhere I looked were clouds of hungry flies.

I recognized so many of these people, despite my desperate desire not to.

I let the door close, and it did so with a horrible scraping noise piercing my ears and running down my spine.

As the door fell open I saw it.

It could only be described as an "it" as it had no facial features apart from something that looked like it was made up solely of scar tissue, bumps and grotesque growths coming outwards like some kind of external tumors, and pus-filled, bleeding lesions as if it had some horrible disease. It had no eyes, only a miserable mouth that opened from its collar all the way down to its stomach.

The rest of its body was entirely worse. It was covered in crusty flaps of flayed skin and the same scar tissue as was so prominent on its face. One of its arms seemed to be missing, only a lingering splinter of bone remaining. 

The creature seemed to be looking at me, despite its lack of eyes. It might have just been facing the general direction of the door scrape for all I knew. 

Time seemed to freeze as I saw its muscles tense under clusters of scars, what was it going to do? 

Oh wait, was it coming at me? 

I moved, throwing myself out of its way as it launched itself to my general direction, but missing and ridiculously hitting the wall, bouncing off and rolling on the floor. 

I'd have laughed if the situation wasn't so terrifying. 

I then looked around me for anything that could be used, I saw a large shard of glass with deceptively sharp edges. 

Just what I needed, but it would almost certainly hurt me too. 

I used my sleeve, grabbed it tightly so it wouldn't slip out of my grip and then faced the creature. 

It was still on the floor, spread out and motionless like a defeated, grotesque carcass.

I slowly moved towards it, shard of glass in  hand, but as soon as the crunch of glass beneath me betrayed my exact location, the monster sprung back to life with malicious ease. 

It was a swift, sharp movement of slamming its legs to the ground and shifting its weight fast enough to fly at my position. 

There was nothing I could do other than thrust the shard in front of me as the monster lunged towards my exact location, not missing its mark. 

And by some insane stroke of luck, it worked.

Its head went straight to the shard, impaled quickly but glass cutting through my sleeve, nearly severing fingers as I was thrown to the floor like a ragdoll as the presumably dead creature went above and behind me. 

It hurt like hell and I was definitely bleeding, but at least I was alive. 

How had I even done that? 

However I managed it, I had saved myself from a painful demise at the mercy of that gaping maw. 

But a shuffling behind me alerted me that the creature lived as well, glass still embedded in its scarred face.

I looked around for a way to run away and saw another person, a girl, likely the source of the scream, seeming perplexingly unharmed considering the circumstances.

Oh man was she running at me? At me and the creature?

I tried to get up but as my hands touched the floor to push myself up, I flinched at the aching pain in my hand. It was a painful reminder of the reckless action I had taken. 

It also reminded me of how quickly and decisively the creature had reacted to the slightest disturbance.

Wait, does it react to sound?

It must rely on hearing to find its prey. 

I suddenly noticed the girl sprinting at me. 

And her steps shook the floor and echoed throughout the building as if to alert everyone and everything in our vicinity. 

I hurriedly moved my unhurt hand to motion stop and then raised a finger to alert silence at her, which she quickly understood and stopped, but the creature had already heard her and was slowly crawling in her direction, settling itself to attack as if a lion on the prowl. 

How had I not noticed the few feet it moved? It hadn't changed the way it fell, but it looked tense under its disgusting skin and seemed to have moved slowly towards the sound. 

Oh hell, it was smart, too? 

How was I supposed to deal with a creature straight out of a horror movie?

I don't think I'll make it out of this one either. Oh hell. 

But I can't just die. I won't die. I said I'd build a better life given the chance, and for this I had to find a way to make this creature go away. 

Maybe lure it to a window? Or does it have echolocation? Could it know the layout or is it just instinctive and not intelligent? 

Me, the girl and the creature spent a minute in silence before it slapped the floor twice and started to stand. 

I almost fell backwards from the shock of this, how could it recover so quickly from such a serious wound?

But the creature didn't just stand, it straightened out its back and stretched as if it was a person preparing for exercise. 

Nothing could be more terrifying than this, but what else could wait for me if this was just here? I hadn't even left the school yet and was dealing with this!

I don't think I'll manage to live through this. 

But where was my fear at? Why was I not scared anymore? I thought I felt fear but I didn't at the same time, a weird sensation instead in its place. 

And the panic seemed to catch up at this realization. 

I felt as if my breath was taken from me, an uncomfortable cold feeling at my feet and palms, I started to sweat and my back had chills. The sweat stung my hand and I let out a wince without thinking, instantly regretting my reaction.

I tried to manage my breathing silently but the panic set in and I had an unexplainable itch at the back of my throat. I tried to stop breathing for a second to stop it, yet it seemed to merely add fuel to the fire. I coughed loudly although I covered my face. I didn't even have time to look back before I heard the girl yell something as I moved to the side without looking back. 

I didn't look up. I didn't have to. I saw the shadow flash by on the floor and I knew it was at least a few meters away this time. 

But if I move... I'll die. 

I just can't move then, I realized. 

It wasn't just the fact I'd make sound, but I physically couldn't move. My hand still hurt like hell so no chance I could defend myself again. 

Terror set in once more as I felt trapped in my own shaking body, chills spreading throughout.

My legs wouldn't respond, my arm wouldn't raise. What was wrong with me?

I felt years in terror as I managed to slightly look up with my eyes only and see the monster begin to ride in the same strange way it did before. 

My entire body still felt like it was under a spell. I couldn't shake it. I was bound to die at this pace. 

But suddenly, in the corner of my vision, I noticed movement. 

The girl began fearlessly– yet silently –striding forwards towards me with an expression full of fear but even more dedication on her green eyes. They seemed almost like they were delicately nestled into her soft, lightly freckled face. 

Was she going to help me? 

She was my second chance back there with that scream, and hopefully my third now.

I really am helpless aren't I? 

She kept slowly moving towards me with purpose, her black, dirty sneakers taking one step at a time. 

They had crusty, dirty red around the sole and I really didn't want to know what it was. 

The creature was within a foot of me when she suddenly stopped. 

She put her hand in front of her, as for me to grab it. 

Why was she doing this? Was she trying to help me? 

I tried to reach out but I heard the monster before I could even move. 

I froze, horribly so.

I couldn't see the monster, where had it gone? 

I looked back at the girl, but she wasn't looking at the floor anymore, she was looking above us. 

Above? 

Why above? 

I froze yet again, I couldn't bring myself to look up before I started shaking. 

No it couldn't be, how? It can't see, right? 

I stayed frozen as I heard a drip from my apparently still-bleeding hand and suddenly understood.

I knew the answer to my question now. 

I looked up and I saw it.

And so it jumped towards me, and I could not move.