Silence
(Short Halloween Story)
By: A.H. Browne
He awoke in the middle of the night. Unaware as to what had awoken him. Looking around his room yielded no results as to why he should have been woken up.
Casting sleep aside, he threw the covers to one side and got out of bed to use the bathroom. As he came back, he realized something was wrong. Something inside him—an alarm—went off. He didn’t know what. He couldn’t figure it out. There was something though. Something not right.
Silence. …
It was silent.
Too silent.
It was the middle of the night. But… this was different. It shouldn’t be this quiet. Something was off.
The power in the apartment. It was not on.
No big deal, he thought. Probably just a power outage.
He walked over to the window and looked out. The whole neighborhood seems to be out.
Walking towards his battery powered radio, he turned it on.
Silence…
What the hell is going on? He thought to himself, a little unnerved.
There was something else though. Something else that was bothering him. Something not quite right in his apartment…
Where were his dogs? He owned two large cumbersome male Dobermans. They weren’t under his feet as was normal. Those logs always blocked his pathway to the bathroom and refused to move during the night. He always managed to trip over them. But they weren’t in his apartment. So where did they go?
He wandered around the entire apartment; he didn’t see them anywhere. Calling their names yielded no results. This wasn’t like them. They hid from absolutely nothing and always were by his side. But where were they now?
No electricity. ...
No dogs. …
No radio. …
Complete and utter silence surrounded him.
He grabbed his keys; a flashlight—checking to make sure it worked; and walked out into the hallway. Locking the door he went into the hallway to find his dogs and figure out what was going on.
They weren’t in the hallway or anywhere to be found; by once again, calling their names.
But the neighbors’ apartment doors were wide open. … All of them. As many as he could see up and down the hallway.
He knocked on the nearest neighbors’ door and walked inside, calling their names, flashing the light around.
No response.
Their electricity was off just like had been in his apartment. He couldn’t find their cat; calling its name produced no hairy glob running to greet him.
He walked into the bedroom still calling out to them—as well as their cat. Pushing open the bedroom door, he saw. …
Nothing.
They weren’t in their bedroom. They weren’t anywhere in their apartment.
He went back into the hallway; continuing to walk through the hallway and each apartment as he came to them. No electricity in any of them. Using his flashlight produced no help in finding people hiding in corners, animals scurrying underfoot; nothing.
No animals.
No people.
No electricity.
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
He didn’t understand what was happening.
Where did everyone go?
What happened to the electricity?
What the hell is going on?
He walked out into the cool night air of the city. There was nobody outside. There was no electricity as far as the eye could see.
He walked into the middle of the street as his flashlight gave out. He banged it against his hand a couple times, but it was done for.
As he stood there—glancing up and down the street—a slight fog slowly crept quietly along the street.
Silently it slid in along the street as it came ever closer to him. He stood watching, unsure of what exactly was happening. Unsure of what he should do, but remaining transfixed on what was coming his way.
The fog seemed to grow thicker as it enveloped him. No longer able to see through it, he felt something cold and slimy glide along his body, grabbing at him as it gathered around him. …
Then it was gone.
A horn blared at him from the street as a car slammed it brakes to avoid hitting him.
“What’s your problem?! Get out of the damn street you crazy jerkoff!!” The driver shouted at him as he jumped onto the sidewalk near his building and out of the way; dropping his flashlight into the street as he did.
He looked around to see lights on, people walking the sidewalks, and everything was … back to normal.
He looked around, trying to figure out what had happened. People simply walked past him as they went about their nightly stroll. He could see nothing amiss.
He turned and headed back to his apartment. He reached for the door handle to his apartment building, but it wasn’t there. He looked around as an ear shattering scream broke the silence. It seemed to surround him, causing him to quickly cover his ears with his hands as it grew in pitch and became deafening. He saw absolutely nothing when he looked around. There were no buildings; no street … nothing.
The fog appeared again as he felt something running through his fingertips—that were pressed against his ears—and down his cheeks. He pulled his hands away and saw blood.
The scream continued to pierce his brain as the fog enveloped him once more. Unable to run, unable to make a sound, he was helpless as he felt the thousands of slimy cold hands wrapping around his body. The screaming only increasing as the hands tightened their grip. …
She awoke in the middle of the night. Unaware as to what had awoken her.
(Short Halloween Story)
By: A.H. Browne
He awoke in the middle of the night. Unaware as to what had awoken him. Looking around his room yielded no results as to why he should have been woken up.
Casting sleep aside, he threw the covers to one side and got out of bed to use the bathroom. As he came back, he realized something was wrong. Something inside him—an alarm—went off. He didn’t know what. He couldn’t figure it out. There was something though. Something not right.
Silence. …
It was silent.
Too silent.
It was the middle of the night. But… this was different. It shouldn’t be this quiet. Something was off.
The power in the apartment. It was not on.
No big deal, he thought. Probably just a power outage.
He walked over to the window and looked out. The whole neighborhood seems to be out.
Walking towards his battery powered radio, he turned it on.
Silence…
What the hell is going on? He thought to himself, a little unnerved.
There was something else though. Something else that was bothering him. Something not quite right in his apartment…
Where were his dogs? He owned two large cumbersome male Dobermans. They weren’t under his feet as was normal. Those logs always blocked his pathway to the bathroom and refused to move during the night. He always managed to trip over them. But they weren’t in his apartment. So where did they go?
He wandered around the entire apartment; he didn’t see them anywhere. Calling their names yielded no results. This wasn’t like them. They hid from absolutely nothing and always were by his side. But where were they now?
No electricity. ...
No dogs. …
No radio. …
Complete and utter silence surrounded him.
He grabbed his keys; a flashlight—checking to make sure it worked; and walked out into the hallway. Locking the door he went into the hallway to find his dogs and figure out what was going on.
They weren’t in the hallway or anywhere to be found; by once again, calling their names.
But the neighbors’ apartment doors were wide open. … All of them. As many as he could see up and down the hallway.
He knocked on the nearest neighbors’ door and walked inside, calling their names, flashing the light around.
No response.
Their electricity was off just like had been in his apartment. He couldn’t find their cat; calling its name produced no hairy glob running to greet him.
He walked into the bedroom still calling out to them—as well as their cat. Pushing open the bedroom door, he saw. …
Nothing.
They weren’t in their bedroom. They weren’t anywhere in their apartment.
He went back into the hallway; continuing to walk through the hallway and each apartment as he came to them. No electricity in any of them. Using his flashlight produced no help in finding people hiding in corners, animals scurrying underfoot; nothing.
No animals.
No people.
No electricity.
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
He didn’t understand what was happening.
Where did everyone go?
What happened to the electricity?
What the hell is going on?
He walked out into the cool night air of the city. There was nobody outside. There was no electricity as far as the eye could see.
He walked into the middle of the street as his flashlight gave out. He banged it against his hand a couple times, but it was done for.
As he stood there—glancing up and down the street—a slight fog slowly crept quietly along the street.
Silently it slid in along the street as it came ever closer to him. He stood watching, unsure of what exactly was happening. Unsure of what he should do, but remaining transfixed on what was coming his way.
The fog seemed to grow thicker as it enveloped him. No longer able to see through it, he felt something cold and slimy glide along his body, grabbing at him as it gathered around him. …
Then it was gone.
A horn blared at him from the street as a car slammed it brakes to avoid hitting him.
“What’s your problem?! Get out of the damn street you crazy jerkoff!!” The driver shouted at him as he jumped onto the sidewalk near his building and out of the way; dropping his flashlight into the street as he did.
He looked around to see lights on, people walking the sidewalks, and everything was … back to normal.
He looked around, trying to figure out what had happened. People simply walked past him as they went about their nightly stroll. He could see nothing amiss.
He turned and headed back to his apartment. He reached for the door handle to his apartment building, but it wasn’t there. He looked around as an ear shattering scream broke the silence. It seemed to surround him, causing him to quickly cover his ears with his hands as it grew in pitch and became deafening. He saw absolutely nothing when he looked around. There were no buildings; no street … nothing.
The fog appeared again as he felt something running through his fingertips—that were pressed against his ears—and down his cheeks. He pulled his hands away and saw blood.
The scream continued to pierce his brain as the fog enveloped him once more. Unable to run, unable to make a sound, he was helpless as he felt the thousands of slimy cold hands wrapping around his body. The screaming only increasing as the hands tightened their grip. …
She awoke in the middle of the night. Unaware as to what had awoken her.
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