By The prompt for this piece was phobia. An open ended prompt where writers could interpret it however they wanted. I should have saved it for October. I was so creeped out by some of these pieces. I’m not great at writing horror but I know plenty of people that are.
This short piece did not go the way I intended, it was supposed to be spookier. That being said, it does focus on that primal human fear of what’s in the dark. Let me know what you think and if you have any phobias in the comments.
I’m fine. I’m fine. I can handle this.
The woods are dark and quiet except for the crunch of footsteps on leaves.
Fuck them for leaving. I can’t believe I fell for snipe hunting.
The path winds through the trees, the world barely illuminated by a rising moon
Was that a snapping branch?
Spinning, looking, searching for movement among the silent sentinel of trees.
“Sreeeeeeech”
I answer the owl with a cry of my own. My breath coming in pants, heart hammering.
Camp is just over the hill.
The climb seems longer, steeper than in daylight. Thank goodness for the trail markers that reflect dimly in the silvery light.
Almost there.
Hair fine, sticky strands stick to my face, my hair.
“Get off, get off, get off!” Where is the fucking spider?
A whimper escapes. This dark inspires primal fear. This is why we learned to create fire. Speaking of which, there at the bottom of the hill a golden glow dances. Laughter is carried on the breeze.
What kind of monster can I sound like before going back into camp? Maybe if I just ROAR?
Thank you KW Photography for allowing me to use your wonderful photos!
INSTAGRAM│TWITTER│YOUTUBE │PATREON
If you like the banner check out this design and others at Canva!
McGee Travel Tales 