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Vulture
TW: horror + mild gore
A great flock of vultures swarm around me, dipping and swooping in grotesque patterns painting the sky with dark feathers. Few are settled on the ground and those that are, don't bother me for these few lonesome scavengers are indisposed. Tearing at the flesh of the decomposing carcass before me in a morbid ritual. they are entirely engrossed in the horrific activity and I’m frozen in place. A morose and eerie sight to be sure but more than that it’s revolting. I regain my senses and begin to run as far away as possible, out of the dense forest, away from the looming trees and the cowering bushes. My long brown hair whips against my face and nettles lash at my ankles.
The woodland stops just before my house, a secluded, little cottage overgrown with plants. I storm through the long grass and shrubs right through the front door. I turn around and slam it shut, dropping the latch down and leaning against the wall to steady myself. I wipe the sweat off my forehead and slow my panting. The image is still sharp in my mind. The birds and their lavish feast. Nature can be horrifying but I could never imagine something like this . I can still see the limp body of the decaying vulture being ripped to shreds. Animals feeding on their own kind. Cannibalising each other. That must be one hell of an omen. What would make an animal commit such an act as feasting on a friend.
A crash from further within the house snaps me out of my thoughts and I can feel my eyes widening. I slowly walk unwillingly towards the kitchen, I’m so terrified I no longer have control of my body. I peek my head around the door to be met with a pool of blood and a sight even more horrific than which I just so recently witnessed. A curled up animal with fur matted in blood and insides strewn across the tiled floor which is now stained a deep and beautiful red Is laying in the middle of the kitchen. Feathers are scattered across the dark, marble countertops. I can't move, I'm completely frozen.
The sight of my butured cat lays before me and every inch of my being is screaming and telling me to run but I stay, rigid and shaking violently. My head is heavy and my limbs hang off my body, completely still. Tears are streaming down my face and onto the tiles and as the tears mix with the blood I'm finally able to move. I sprint out of the kitchen, through the living room and down the creaky stairs into the unlit basement which is decorated with cobwebs and stacks of cardboard boxes. I reach the corner and crumple to the floor. My mind is racing and my skin is numb. There's a burning feeling inside me and the tears sting my pale cheeks.
I'm finally able to lessen the shaking and I put my hand over my mouth to stop myself from whimpering out loud. I barely have time to mourn my loss before something moves in the corner of my vision and my breathing stops immediately. My skin goes ice cold and I'm biting my tongue harder than I should as I can now taste blood in my mouth. The flapping of wings echoes through the cellar and suddenly a dark, flying creature swoops towards my face. I duck before the bird reaches me and I run back to the stairs. When I reach the top I immediately dart out of the back door. Through the weeds and long, thick grass. I throw myself over the short, broken fence to find myself once again sprinting through shrubs, greenery and dense woodland, my feet pounding against the ground.
I'm just about to stop and let myself collapse to the ground when I see the tops of buildings just over the hill and am hit with a sudden wave of energy giving me just enough to drag my shaky legs up the hill. I stand above the town and let myself stop for a second to breathe but I hear the sounds of feathered creatures in the distance and immediately go stumbling down the hill towards the comforting sight of civilization. I don't stop until I reach the road leading into town and I follow it, barely awake until my legs finally give way. I sit on the pavement, panting and shaking with my eyes closed until I gather the energy to open them again. I open my eyes to the sight of nothing. There's buildings and benches and a road but no people. I force my shaky legs into a standing position so I can look around properly but there's nothing. No signs of life whatsoever. I peer through a broken window but the lights are off all through town as far as I can see.
Flapping wings in the distance makes me turn and the sight of birds flying through the dark, cloudy sky sends me into a deep shock and fills me with such horror it leaves me helpless, mortified and unmoving. The flock of starlings is slowly coming into focus but I'm so tired from running, my limbs are unable to move and I stand there as they soar towards me and are joined by more and more. Thousands of birds are approaching and I sink to rest on my knees. They're here, feathers everywhere and a deafening cacophony of sounds leaves a ringing in my ears. I can hear a blood curdling scream echoing above the noise and realise it's me who's making the awful screech. Flesh is torn from bone and this time it's mine but I can't see it happening because my eyes are being plucked from their sockets by sharp, merciless beaks of the horrific monsters smothering my motionless body. Red fades to black and the ringing sound grows and grows until the pain leaves and suddenly there's nothing. No sound, no pain and my skin is numb or perhaps it's just gone. In the back of my mind I know but for now I choose to ignore the fact that I'm now utterly and completely dead. If I'm dead how do I know? I'm aware of the nothing yet I can't understand it. Maybe I could get used to this. The void is oddly comforting.
A great flock of vultures swarm around me, dipping and swooping in grotesque patterns painting the sky with dark feathers. Few are settled on the ground and those that are, don't bother me for these few lonesome scavengers are indisposed. Tearing at the flesh of the decomposing carcass before me in a morbid ritual. they are entirely engrossed in the horrific activity and I’m frozen in place. A morose and eerie sight to be sure but more than that it’s revolting. I regain my senses and begin to run as far away as possible, out of the dense forest, away from the looming trees and the cowering bushes. My long brown hair whips against my face and nettles lash at my ankles.
The woodland stops just before my house, a secluded, little cottage overgrown with plants. I storm through the long grass and shrubs right through the front door. I turn around and slam it shut, dropping the latch down and leaning against the wall to steady myself. I wipe the sweat off my forehead and slow my panting. The image is still sharp in my mind. The birds and their lavish feast. Nature can be horrifying but I could never imagine something like this . I can still see the limp body of the decaying vulture being ripped to shreds. Animals feeding on their own kind. Cannibalising each other. That must be one hell of an omen. What would make an animal commit such an act as feasting on a friend.
A crash from further within the house snaps me out of my thoughts and I can feel my eyes widening. I slowly walk unwillingly towards the kitchen, I’m so terrified I no longer have control of my body. I peek my head around the door to be met with a pool of blood and a sight even more horrific than which I just so recently witnessed. A curled up animal with fur matted in blood and insides strewn across the tiled floor which is now stained a deep and beautiful red Is laying in the middle of the kitchen. Feathers are scattered across the dark, marble countertops. I can't move, I'm completely frozen.
The sight of my butured cat lays before me and every inch of my being is screaming and telling me to run but I stay, rigid and shaking violently. My head is heavy and my limbs hang off my body, completely still. Tears are streaming down my face and onto the tiles and as the tears mix with the blood I'm finally able to move. I sprint out of the kitchen, through the living room and down the creaky stairs into the unlit basement which is decorated with cobwebs and stacks of cardboard boxes. I reach the corner and crumple to the floor. My mind is racing and my skin is numb. There's a burning feeling inside me and the tears sting my pale cheeks.
I'm finally able to lessen the shaking and I put my hand over my mouth to stop myself from whimpering out loud. I barely have time to mourn my loss before something moves in the corner of my vision and my breathing stops immediately. My skin goes ice cold and I'm biting my tongue harder than I should as I can now taste blood in my mouth. The flapping of wings echoes through the cellar and suddenly a dark, flying creature swoops towards my face. I duck before the bird reaches me and I run back to the stairs. When I reach the top I immediately dart out of the back door. Through the weeds and long, thick grass. I throw myself over the short, broken fence to find myself once again sprinting through shrubs, greenery and dense woodland, my feet pounding against the ground.
I'm just about to stop and let myself collapse to the ground when I see the tops of buildings just over the hill and am hit with a sudden wave of energy giving me just enough to drag my shaky legs up the hill. I stand above the town and let myself stop for a second to breathe but I hear the sounds of feathered creatures in the distance and immediately go stumbling down the hill towards the comforting sight of civilization. I don't stop until I reach the road leading into town and I follow it, barely awake until my legs finally give way. I sit on the pavement, panting and shaking with my eyes closed until I gather the energy to open them again. I open my eyes to the sight of nothing. There's buildings and benches and a road but no people. I force my shaky legs into a standing position so I can look around properly but there's nothing. No signs of life whatsoever. I peer through a broken window but the lights are off all through town as far as I can see.
Flapping wings in the distance makes me turn and the sight of birds flying through the dark, cloudy sky sends me into a deep shock and fills me with such horror it leaves me helpless, mortified and unmoving. The flock of starlings is slowly coming into focus but I'm so tired from running, my limbs are unable to move and I stand there as they soar towards me and are joined by more and more. Thousands of birds are approaching and I sink to rest on my knees. They're here, feathers everywhere and a deafening cacophony of sounds leaves a ringing in my ears. I can hear a blood curdling scream echoing above the noise and realise it's me who's making the awful screech. Flesh is torn from bone and this time it's mine but I can't see it happening because my eyes are being plucked from their sockets by sharp, merciless beaks of the horrific monsters smothering my motionless body. Red fades to black and the ringing sound grows and grows until the pain leaves and suddenly there's nothing. No sound, no pain and my skin is numb or perhaps it's just gone. In the back of my mind I know but for now I choose to ignore the fact that I'm now utterly and completely dead. If I'm dead how do I know? I'm aware of the nothing yet I can't understand it. Maybe I could get used to this. The void is oddly comforting.
