“Who are you and what are you looking for?” Fayiah said, putting his hand to his side, where blood was already oozing through his shirt’s fabric and beyond his fingers. He was in excruciating pain as he was flung around like a toy.
The night was cold and windy. The creature’s hair was whipped by the breeze. The beast punctured every portion of Fayiah’s flesh with its sharp claws. It had always been there, waiting for the sound of a whistle in the dark. Fayiah lay on the grass counting his breaths after so many fruitless attempts to set himself free. He couldn’t believe he was up against one of the most terrifying creatures he’d ever seen. With tiger claws and a demon’s face, this creature planned to make this night Fayiah’s last. It was late, and no one dared to venture outside to assist him.
The beast moved a few steps closer to Fayiah, who was still laying on the grass, bleeding profusely from his wounds. Fayiah quickly grabbed a sharp stake to defend himself, but he was too frail. He then threw rocks at the beast, but it didn’t help either. Whatever he threw at it, the beast remained mostly unharmed.
The creature, while still maintaining plenty of distance, crouched down to Fayiah’s level. “My people your please help me ayyy. This gina will kill me o!” Fayiah shouted as loud as he could but no one came outside to help him. He didn’t expect anything like this. He had gone out with his friends to play football and decided to take the shortcut home since it was very late. Then out of nowhere, this creature appeared.
“Can you tell me why you’re attacking me? What did I do wrong? Why are you torturing a helpless child like me?” Fayiah inquired, attempting to awaken. He pushed himself forward and up into a stumbling run. As he ran, his slippers sliced through the air. After losing his balance due to the sand on the ground, he fell back down. The beast launched itself on top of him, scarring his face with its claws.
As he shouted in anguish and determination, Fayiah’s face became covered in blood. He fought and succeeded in removing the beast from above him, but his wounds had left him very weakened. The sand took on the color of Fayiah’s blood.
The beast attempted to push Fayiah back to the ground in a quick motion, but instead hit his ribs. Fayiah’s cry was cut short by the sound of bones snapping; he had already lost his voice.
“I think you should just kill me…” Fayiah could scarcely speak because the pain in his lungs was unbearable. His heartbeat became erratic, and spots appeared in his vision.
The beast then grabbed Fayiah’s throat with its claws. “Go ahead and do it. I’m very much dead already.” Fayiah urged the beast. He was too tired to fight anymore. Fayiah’s end came as the beast slit his throat with its claws. He bled profusely, and the light in his eyes started to disappear slowly.
The beast then pushed him to the ground and walked away from him, uttering a groan. The blood of Fayiah could now be seen all over the ground.
The creature’s blood-splattered face grew a strange smile. This fight had finally come to an end, and the prey was already about to die. No one would attempt to reawaken it again. It could now return to its resting place. There were stories about these creatures appearing out of nowhere and attacking people, but Fayiah had always been doubtful of the supernatural. Anything out of the ordinary seemed to have an explanation to him.
The rest of the night passed in silence. The beast circled around Fayiah’s dying body. With its big red eyes, it stared out into the darkness, as if it was looking for another prey to feed on. Nothing could be seen on this bloodied path because it was dark.
As Fayiah’s eyes closed slowly, the creature leaned toward his ears and whispered, “NEVER WHISTLE AT NIGHT.” And it vanished into the night.
Authored by: Roland K. Dweh Jr.
Featured Image by: Angel Luciano on Unsplash
