Creatures of the Night by Jeff Strand

Author:Jeff Strand [Light, Andrew Lennon and Evans]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: epub, ebook, QuarkXPress
Publisher: Evans Light
Published: 2019-09-07T16:00:00+00:00

HINKLES

Kristopher Rufty

Mike Harper knew something was off the moment he entered Matthew’s bedroom. His eight-year-old son was staying the weekend at a friend’s house and wouldn’t be back until Sunday. His bed was empty, save Hinkles, Matthew’s favorite stuffed animal. Toys were scattered here and there on the floor. Stacks of comic books were all over, a miniature city of paper and ink.

The room looked as it should be.

But it didn’t feel right.

A few minutes ago, he’d heard a noise from the living room, a quiet thumping sound while he was watching TV. Now, as he looked around the room, he wasn’t sure what he was looking for. He knew there was something he needed to find. He figured he’d know it when he saw it. Hopefully, before a knife was jutting from his neck while a masked intruder stood over his bleeding body.

Stop it. Jeez . . .

Paranoid. It was his own fault for watching Shudder all evening. When Matthew was home, which was usually, he stuck to family films and cartoons. With the little man being gone for the weekend, he went a little overboard on horror movies.

Mike searched the room, finding nothing out of place. He checked the closet, the corners, and even behind the dresser. Nothing. Heading back to the bed, he paused beside it. He put his hands on his hips. Something was different now. He scanned the room slowly, moving his head this way and that. His eyes landed on Matthew’s dresser.

And his heart jumped in his throat.

Hinkles was on top, tilted to the side, his tale curling out from underneath like a fuzzy snake. Normally, this wouldn’t be a big issue. He’d seen the fuzzy animal in the spot many times. But considering his son’s favorite stuffed animal had just been on the bed when he came in changed things. And the fact that Mike hadn’t been the one to move him made matters even worse.

He had been on the bed, hadn’t he?

Yes.

He had been on top, arms and legs splayed like Matthew was about to sacrifice him before leaving for the weekend.

“Oh . . . shit . . . ” Mike muttered.

The monkey’s head raised to look at him.

Mike jumped back with a cry. The backs of his legs hit the foot of Matthew’s bed, throwing them out from under him. He plopped on the mattress, gazing up at the dresser. The monkey stood up, moving its arms as if trying to get the feeling back in them. Its head moved from side to side, causing its neck to make soft cracking sounds.

“What’s the matter, Mikey?” asked Hinkles in a deep voice that for some reason had a hint of Brooklyn in it. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Mike screamed.

Hinkles leapt from the dresser, arms outstretched. His furry lips trembled around a mouthful of sharp teeth that hadn’t been there moments ago. Mike, still screaming, flung himself to the side. He hit the floor as Hinkles bounced across the mattress.

Getting to his knees, Mike spun around.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.