I’d seen it before – glimpsed it from the corner of my eye as I walked past the open doorway – but never had it revealed itself to me so openly. Today, as I glanced back into the guest room certain that I would see nothing, there it was, looming before me. It stared back, eyes the color of onyx, seething with anger and intent. Its clawed hands clenched into fists, its interlocking teeth bared in a snarl, its lips quivered with menace, and its chest heaved with hostility and rage. Foulest of all was the opalescent skin, skin that dripped putrescent globules of mucus onto the wooden floor. It conveyed a hatred beyond belief.
Frozen in the moment, I stood stock-still. The crash of the laundry basket hitting the floor yanked me back to the here-and-now. I turned in a vain attempt to escape but the thing spit and leapt into the air. I tried to scream; a near silent whimper was all I could manage. Just as I made my way through my own bedroom door, its full weight landed upon my back. It tore at my hair, ripped apart my clothes, and shredded my flesh as it dug into my left shoulder blade to pull the scapula free of the muscle and sinew holding it in place. I fell to the floor taking it with me.
Having found my voice, I screamed at full volume with every ounce of breath I could manage. It screeched in return, and tore at my face, rending my lip in two, and slashed bits of flesh from my cheeks. All the while, I dragged my body forward, desperately trying to escape. Then it bit into the base of my skull – the sensation of its teeth sinking in seared through my brain and halted my forward motion. I lay there waiting to die; it sat upon me, savoring my anguish.
Then another sound reached my ears; a venomous hiss. In a single fluid motion, the thing retracted its teeth, whipped around, saw the cat hiding under the bed, and used its clawed feet to leap into the air; further gouging my back as it fled. I lay there terrified to move; terrified not to try. It was no use, my body would not respond. The cat crawled out from under the bed, sniffed me and mewled deep in his chest as if asking forgiveness before he ran off, abandoning me to my fate.
I lay there alone, unable to move, panting for breath.
From somewhere in the room, the sound of a glob hitting the floor echoed off the wood.
~ Nina D’Arcangela
© Copyright Nina D’Arcangela. All Rights Reserved.
Pen of the Damned 
Gah, short and to the point, visceral and gruesome! Love it! Good job I’m not squeamish – I’ve just eaten breakfast… 😉
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Thank you, Karen! ‘Gah’ is a supremely coveted compliment in my world!! lol This is the stuff I actually imagine may happen to me one day (I should have subbed it for ‘Nightmares’) 😀
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Great story, Nina! I’m going to have to do a double take each time I walk by my guest room from now on! The descriptions were great but you left enough room for the reader to use their imagination! This was a fun read!
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Thank you, Jon!! It’s always a juggling act for me not to over-describe everything I see in my mind and leave enough room for visual interpretation on the readers end. I can be a bit wordy! 😉
And now you know for certain what lurks in the ‘guest room’!! :)~
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Great story and just when you think she might be saved…………………
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Now, Firefly, you say that as if you’ve never read Pen of the Damned before – no happy endings allowed -particularly on my ramblings!! lol Thank you, Adele, I’m glad you enjoyed it, and super happy that you took the time to comment!! 😀
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he he that is very true. Have a great weekend.
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You too, hun! 😀
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Wow…now that hits you right in the gut…very powerful.
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Hey slpmartin!! 🙂 Thank you for the ‘Wow’ and the compliment! This one is a bit of a gut-kick, but it’s meant to be at this length – it’s short and vicious. 😉
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Outstanding, Nina! This story, much like your prose in general, is so addicting! Another prime example that less is sometimes so much more!! 🙂
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Thank you, Joe!! Truth be told, reading back over the piece, I wish I had brought the voice down a notch or two to something more in line with a common-speak, but I like the overall concept as it’s exactly what was in my minds-eye at the time I wrote it. 😉
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Great story, Nina! Gotta watch out for globs. They are mean buggers. Yours certainly are.
Blaze
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Thank you, Blaze!!! I like that you made the globs a separate threat on their own. I initially assigned them vial attributes, but took it away and chose to let the reader infer what the globs themselves could do. But if you or Terri hear them, prepare for battle!!!! lol Hugs, Man on Fire! :*
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Bloody awesome tale, Nina! I love the visceral violence, the mysterious ghastly creature, and the Egyptian mythos element with the cat! Such detail and dread in such a small amount of words; very well done!!!
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Thank you, Tyr!! Good catch on the cat mythos, though I have to say this guardian of the underworld proves to be a bit of a coward… lol. I enjoy working out my more aggressive tendencies in these little tales. It keeps me out of trouble! 😉 Your compliment and the kind words are salve to my proverbial bleeding ears!! 😀
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Yet another kick-ass story, Nina. The way you always manage to string together the perfectly chosen words has become your trademark 🙂 Great story!
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Thank you, Craig!! There wasn’t much ‘playing’ with these words, they were fairly direct (that always leaves me a bit dissatisfied), but the dead cold description of the creature’s teeth sinking into the base of the skull made up for it, IMO. lol 😉
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you always conjure up blood thirsty flesh ripping creatures…this tale has a strong alien/ demon from the guts of hell feel…oh those things that linger in the corners of our eyes, that we often glimpse and at times flock upon us… I enjoyed this piece very much , thanks Nina!
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Ahhhh… but what other kind are there??? lol – Thank you, Magenta! I love my violent tales, particularly when they occur around such common things as thinking you saw something out of the corner of your eye when there was nothing there. Or was there? Doubt is a powerful weapon, couple it with fear, sprinkle on some pain, and you have a killer combo! I’m glad you enjoyed this little ditty, sweet one! 😉
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Short, sharp, and packed full of punch! (Much like yourself, Nina!) Great descriptive story. I smiled when the cat made his timely appearance (and his equally fickle departure!).
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LMBO!!! Yes, this one is much like me in it’s delivery – straight from the diminutive, yet feisty, hip! I knew you’d get a kick out of the typical cat attitude. I could hear the fury little guy running monologue in his head. I’d like to help, but…screw it, I’m saving myself – I hope you filled the food bowl! lol – Thank you, LDP, for the compliments and kind words! 😀
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Good Lord of all that is holy! I think I will be getting the French man to check under the bed for a few weeks!!!!! Really loved this, liked the way you describe the ripping of flesh and you ca kind of feel the pain of it! 10 thumbs up from are bed! 😉AWDW X
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The first line of your comment has me giddy, Angel! I would definitely have the french man check under the bed, and maybe even behind the doors! Thank you for the very flattering comment – anytime a writer can make someone else feel what they are imagining is a moment of self-triumph! 😀 XX
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pleaser! x
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Such sweet hors d’ouvres my dark angel! Vivid and visceral, all delivered in a concise blow, a “coup de grâs” as only the Damned can deliver!
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Thank you, Zack! Vivid and visceral indeed… “Knock ’em out the box, L” ;}~
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Reblogged this on and commented:
GLOBULES by Pen of the Damned’s Nina D’Arcangela
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Thank you for the reblog, Jon! 🙂
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Vivid and grotesque description! I enjoyed the anxiety and fear brought by the creature even though it was never revealed or described. Left up to the imagination the reader could interpret it as whatever they fear most, making this short piece incredibly effective. I also really liked the cat, and how you expressed its feelings as well, or rather the feelings the owner might assume of it. Really great story! A lot left to the imagination in a very effective way!
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Thank you, Lee! Vivid and grotesque, what a marvelous way to describe this little ramble; I’m stoked to hear it. I’m also happy to know you felt it exuded enough emotion to convey the level of anxiety and fear intended, while leaving enough room to invent your own nightmare creature. As to the cat, strange as it may sound, I have entire pieces I’ve written from the four-footed perspective. I truly enjoy personifying non-humans with thought and dialogue. It does say ‘quirky little horror chick’ in my bio, after all! 😉
I’m really glad you enjoyed Globules, and please know that your comment has made my day!! Thanks again!! 😀
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The terror and pain are palpable in this tale, Nina. Well done. The cat at the end is PERRFECT 😉 ❤
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Thank you, Chris! Sometimes it’s hard to know just when to dial back on how much you’re delivering with this kind of tale, or when to crank it up a few notches, but I like the balance in this one. The cat – life personified! And so very cat-like!! lol 😀
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