Scary Story Writers Group Forum The Beast In The Cave

As I looked into the eyes of the monster I saw the depth of the ocean and the darkness which always accompanies such vastness and that made its stare completely unfathomable. I dared not move. For how long? I do not know. When frozen in a state of sheer terror time becomes immeasurable. The only thing of certainty was that a delicate balance of wills had begun and I knew that if I moved even in the slightest that the beast would surely devour me. A bead of sweat began to gather at my brow slowly and with intent. The beast seemed to even notice this smallest of changes and its gaze challenged me to move, dared it to happen as if it's instinct was so strong it physically couldn't attack until I attempted an escape. An itch presented itself on the tip of my nose. An itch that begged to be scratched but i stood my ground and ignored it. A faint breeze drifted in through the mouth of the cave and carried with it a chill that made the itch intensify and worse still it nudged the bead of sweat from my brow and sent it on a slow decent rolling down the side of my face. The monster snarled a barely audible sound of content restfulness and I knew then it had played this game before. I struggled greatly with nervousness and fear not to scratch my nose or wipe the sweat from my face. Such a task as easy as it may be on any more ordinary occasion was indeed terribly difficult. My arms almost had a mind of their own and were begging the rest of me to let them raise up and do their job. I knew though that if I moved i would not even live long enough to release myself from my un-comfort before I myself was released from my life. As I stood frozen like a statue I felt my legs begin to ache. If I was going to run I would need to do it now while I still had the energy. Could I make it? Certainly not. The beast had an untold number of hind legs still consumed by the darkness of the cave behind it. Would somebody come in time to find me if I continued to stand and stare at this abomination of nature? Not a chance. I had gone off on this expedition with the assumption I would be gone for over a week and I had only been in the country a couple of days before I discovered this cave. I resigned to meet my maker. Just then a plume of dark green smoke casually issued from the monsters nostrils and began to form thick crawling carpet along the cave floor. The breath of the monstrosity gave off a pungent and terribly obnoxious smell. It was a mixture of decomposition and acidic flavours that assaulted my every sense almost knocking me backwards but still I held my ground without so much as even flinching or deviating my stare. It was only when I had been completely enveloped by the exhaust from this terrible thing did I even allow myself to breathe in its putrid output. As the smoke entered my air passage I felt my lungs contract harshly and my eyes began to burn and sting. I held my place as still as a statue for as long as I could but as my vision began to fade and my head began to be clouded, seemingly with the same smoke as my lungs, I moved. I collapsed down forward onto the floor of the cave and deeper into the green smoke. The last thing I saw before my vision and my consciousness left me completely deserted were six large claws swooping down through the darkness like gigantic and horrifyingly magnificent bird talons plunging toward their prey. *** I awoke some unknown amount of time later still disoriented from breathing in the creatures fowl breath. I slowly and dazedly looked down at myself in astonishment. I was still alive and I could scarcely believe it. I was laying on my back in near total darkness. The ground beneath me felt soft and powdery and there was a small wall I could barely make out stacked up all around me in a circle that measured roughly two metres in diameter. I was in the creatures nest. I swung about checking on all sides for either a source of light to mark the exit of the cave or for sign of the creature that could mark my death. I found neither. Panic was setting in and as it did it washed away the last drowsing effects of the smoke I'd inhaled leaving me high on instinct and a sudden feverish desperation for escape and survival that sent me up and running like I had never run before. I leapt up onto my feet like my legs were spring loaded and I bounded over the edge of the nest with ease. As I passed over the wall of the nest I noticed to my extreme dismay that it was completely constructed of bones and then the thought of feeling how soft and powdery the ground had been shocked me into a further state of heightened agitation which greatly added to my haste. I passed extremely quickly through as many as a dozen underground tunnels taking turn after turn blindly with my hands out in front of me. Then I heard the monster's cry tear through the dark behind me. It was a scream so inhuman and foreign to anything I'd ever heard before that it made me whimper as I ran and tears ran freely down my face. I made another turn and thought I caught a glimpse of the outside world. A slither of light that offered hope for escape. I somehow managed to pick up the speed once more but as I did so I heard a scampering sound racing up behind me. Another screech tore the air so much closer this time. I pumped my legs as hard as I could. Gaining on the exit metre by metre. Then the whooshing of air behind me rippled my skin. An attempt to grab me no doubt. I dove for the exit as a talon came for another attempt at seizing me. It's long sharp nails the length of my forearm raked down my back leaving deep bloody gashes. The pain barely registered as I kicked and thrashed across the floor and finally pierced the threshold and found myself under the warm rays of the sun. I looked behind me and the beast had stopped short of coming out into the sun. Lingering at the mouth of the cave consumed by shadow it stood around nine feet tall and was the perfect combination of what looked like bird, centipede and spider. It's long beak opened and it let out one more furious cry so loud i felt it in every fibre of my being. Then it turned and scurried angrily back into its burrow. It's many arms and legs thrashing behind it as it went back to where it would undoubtedly lie in wait for its next meal.