by C.G. Miller
HOW DO I ALWAYS GET STUCK DRIVING?
“How do I always get stuck driving?” Shaun said to his friend Val in the passenger seat. His knuckles turned pale as he curled his fingers around the steering wheel and gripped the smooth leather. Every single time his friends wanted to do their dumb little rituals in the cemetery, he got stuck as the getaway man.
“You’re the best driver,” Val said. “At least you don’t have to be out there.”
Val looked past Shaun through the driver-side car window. The glow of their friend’s fire stood out vividly against the black of the cemetery. A slight chill scurried down his spine.
Shaun looked at Val. “Speaking of which, why aren’t you out there, hmm? Do we really need two people in the car?”
“Screw that. Do you see how dark it is out there?” Val said. A slight crack rang out as he popped his neck nervously and wiped the sweat from his brow. “Besides, something doesn’t feel right tonight.”
Shaun laughed teasingly, “Awe, poor wittle Valy. Scared of the dark? Do you need a kissums?”
“Shut up. I’m not scared of the dark. I’m scared of what might be in it.”
In a split second, the bright fire that had glowed so visibly a few moments ago snuffed out.
“Did you see that?” Shaun said as his head jerked to the left. He depressed a button on the door and the window slid down with a slight buzz.
“Oh damn. I don’t like this, man,” Val said as he began to quiver slightly. He peered out the open window as well, scanning frantically for any sign of his friends.
A faint boom shook the ground ever so slightly as they looked at the window.
“Did you feel that?” Val asked nervously.
“Unfortunately,” Shaun said. His right hand instinctively moved towards the key in the ignition.
Val leaned over Shaun. “Kevin?” he called out nervously into the night, only to be met with no reply.
“Guys?” Shaun also called out, but again, only silence met their ears.
Suddenly, a figure could be faintly seen sprinting through the headstones. It attempted to jump over a small stone, but crumpled to the ground. The figure snapped back up in an instant and continued hobbling toward them. It yelled something out to them, but neither Shaun nor Val could comprehend what was being said.
“Is that you, Kevin?” Shaun yelled. He hoped the figure could hear him, as something clearly was wrong.
The figure continued running towards the car. Again, it yelled something out, but it was just barely too far away to make it out.
“I think that’s Kevin,” Val said as he squinted through the window. “Where the hell is Don?” His hands shook fiercely.
“Calm down, man,” Shaun said as he noticed Val’s hands. “I’m sure everything is fine.”
“…THE…CAR,” the figure yelled out. They could only make out some of the words.
Suddenly the figure got close enough to see. It was Kevin; only something clearly was not okay. His shirt had a jagged rip across the chest and he had a nasty cut across his forehead.
“START THE CAR,” Kevin yelled out again as he ran right up to the vehicle and swung the door open. He dived into the back seat. “GO GO GO!”
“Dude, what the hell happened?” Val said nervously as he turned around to look at his disheveled friend panting in the back seat. “Where’s Don?”
“Don is gone. We need to get out of here now.” His chest heaved up and down.
“What do you mean Don is gone?” Shaun said. “Where is he? What is going on?”
“Something went wrong out there with the ritual tonight. Something broke through the portal that—“
BOOM!
With a gigantic quake that shook the whole car, a giant creature came jumping out and over the cemetery and slammed with authority into the street behind them. The asphalt cracked as easily as fresh baked bread.
All three friends slowly turned around and gazed out the window at the dark thing that just crashed into the road. It looked into their eyes and let out a smile. Its ragged teeth looked like yellow, misshapen pipes dripping with saliva.
“What the—“ Shaun began, but he was cut off as the thing let out a terrifyingly ear splitting roar. Drips of spit littered the back windshield.
Shaun spun around and turned the keys in the ignition. The engine let out a mighty growl as well, competing with the one just unleashed by the monster.
Shaun put the vehicle in gear and punched his foot as hard as he could against the pedal. The back tires let out a shrill screech as the car thundered forward. He didn’t care where they went, as long as they got some distance between them and the creature.
But the monster wouldn’t be left alone. With another roar, it began running like a gorilla after Shaun, Val, and Kevin. Every step it took felt like a mini earthquake as it chased its prey, smashing anything in its way.
“It’s gaining on us, man,” Val said, trying to fight back tears as he looked into the side mirror. Every step the monster took, it got closer to them. It didn’t seem like their vehicle was fast enough.
Shaun looked into the rear view mirror and saw the giant creature stoop and pick a car high above its head. It then flung it in front of their vehicle as Shaun squeaked to a halt to avoid a crash. They were done.
The monster beat on its chest excitedly and rocketed forward. The friends screamed as it picked their car up and ripped the back off as if it were a box of crackers.
With a sickening smile, it tossed its head back and opened its cavernous mouth wide. With a flick, it tossed the friends into its mouth and swallowed.
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C.G. Miller is a current creative writing student and freelance writer. He loves reading, spending time with his family, and learning new things.
Connect on Twitter at https://www.Twitter.com/ChristianGMill
