Darker Days by Kenneth W Cain

Author:Kenneth W Cain [Cain, Kenneth W]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Crystal Lake Publishing
Published: 2018-12-06T22:00:00+00:00

MANTID

How was he supposed to find a crawdad on a night like this, alone on Halloween? Nate Crawford wished he would have chosen truth, as opposed to this senseless dare, but now it was too late.

Having never cared for silly games to begin with, receiving this dare only intensified his loathing of the task. To think, they never would have concocted such a foolish request if not for his name. Thanks to that detail he found himself far from camp, marshmallow skewer in hand, and only a flashlight to guide him in his quest.

Stepping to the edge of the canal, he wondered if the water was fresh or otherwise. He wasn’t even sure whether crawfish braved these waters, but supposed they were the type of creature that could live anywhere. Regardless, he moved his flashlight over the brook, scanning the murky waters for any sign of one. His effort slowed upon noticing the battered farmhouse. Though he remained at the edge of the stream, his light now focused on the structure.

Damn, talk about scary.

As if to acknowledge his fright, a groan escaped the dilapidated building, its busted windows like gaping mouths, the rotted siding covered with lichen and twisted barren vines. A whistle made him leap back, and he circled a large, dark hole in its side with his flashlight.

It’s just the wind.

Although he stuck to this conclusion, he also knew it couldn’t be further from the truth. The cool misty air sat motionless, and he soon realized just how much he missed the warmth of the fire. Once more, he wished he had chosen truth.

What do I have to hide, anyway?

His life was as unimportant as the next guy. He enjoyed sports, a good book, girls, and camping. What was so unusual about any of that? At worst, they could have inquired about his parents, the particulars of their split. Even that wouldn’t have bothered him.

A splash drew his attention back to the canal. He lifted his skewer like a trident, keeping his eyes keen on the glassy night water. His vision sank into its depths and registered what his flashlight revealed while it crept across the surface to a swirl of water.

He sighed. Nothing.

Then he spotted something. A parade of crawfish sped by, and at first, he was too shocked to react. He thrust the skewer down into a group of twenty or so crawdads. The thin metal rod stuck in thick mud and an instant flurry of activity and pings against the skewer made it difficult to determine whether he had speared one. But, even with the waters becoming so cloudy, he believed there was a good chance he had completed his dare.

He eased himself down to a rock that stood just above the water and leaned out for the skewer. When he withdrew it, the impaled creature began to flap its tail. Reaching the shore, he stopped to examine the animal.

What the hell is this?

This creature was thicker than any crawdad he had ever seen, especially around its thorax and abdomen.

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.