George Fulton pulled his jacket more tightly around himself and shivered. He had been walking for almost an hour in the thick, heavy fog that blanketed the city. It clung to every surface and dripped from branches, gutters, and eaves. Sounds were muffled, like they were being swallowed by the dank mist that filled every space. His shoulder length, chestnut colored hair hung in strings around his face. Moisture beaded on the surface of his nylon jacket and rolled off to soak through his jeans. It was late. He was soaked. He was completely miserable and he still had another 30 minutes to go.

He had seen heavy fog before. Everyone who lived in the area had. It was as common as the mosquitos that descended on the area during the hot summer months. This time, however, it was different... strange. He shivered again and quickened his pace. He wanted to get out of the swirling, blinding, silent mist and into the shelter for his dorm room. It wasn’t much but it was better than the fog.

Is this the one, master?

The words drifted unembodied in the gray shroud that surrounded him. George stopped and peered hopelessly around him. There was nothing. Not even a shadow. He began walking again, slowly at first but more quickly with each passing second. Cold sweat, unconnected to the fog, trickled down his spine.

Yes, this one will do nicely. Be ready.

Ten feet in front of him the fog grew thicker, swirling violently before it wrapped itself into a tight ball that floated at eye level. George approached it cautiously. He’d never seen anything like it. Once it was within reach, he extended his hand cautiously. It passed easily through the mass and he breathed a sigh of relief. It was only fog. In spite of the eerie feeling, it was...

A pair of eyes appeared in the middle of the ball, dark, blood red eyes. Eyes without lids. Eyes filled with an evil so strong George felt it the length of his spine. Panic flooded his system and he ran, convinced he was being chased by the hounds of hockeysticks themselves. Soft laughter floated after him. He looked back as he ran and the eyes were still there, surrounded by a ball of swirling fog.

The car came out of nowhere. George flew 100 feet through the air. His head hit the curb and everything went black. The laughter continued to echo through the empty streets.

George lay motionless on the damp street. He was dying. The fog closed in around him and small brilliant sparkles of light lingered over the body. They appeared and disappeared in the blink of an eye. The mist slid along his jacket searching for a way inside. Once it gained access, it spread over his skin, coating him with a translucent shimmering layer of moisture. As George’s heart struggled to keep beating, the moisture forced itself into his pores and wound itself around his faltering heart in a delicate lover’s embrace.

Sirens echoed through the night and a sense of urgency filled the air. The lights became more frequent until it looked like George’s body was on fire. As the sirens drew closer, the fire died, one spark at a time. When the last one vanished, the heart inside the body failed.

Master, they are here...
It is all right. Let them come. I am ready.




So, opinions welcomed as always. And I've downloaded more to the yahoo site. I think. I hope. Let me know if it worked.

cjh

eeewie, creepy. In a good way. Sounds like New Orleans for some reason.

I'm going to the mail group to read more (I'm putting mine there too, easier to read)

And one benefit to the yahoo group is that Eisel's filters don't change things like 'hounds of hockeysticks'... which is, well, hilarious, and, well, doesn't exactly fit the mood of the piece... I'll have to read the yahoo version sometime.

The hounds of hockeysticks? Good grief. Never even thought about that.

Glad you like it. There is more over at yahoo.

cjh

It was a lot better without the break for laughing in the middle... Hounds of hockeysticks, indeed.

Kind of a creepy, ominous horror-mystery. I like the scene in the dorm room.

What the heck??

I could've sworn I posted a response to this a second ago. Good grief. Cyberspace seems to be getting the better of me lately.

Here's what I said...

Thanks for the comments. I rather liked the way that scene came out, too. The funny thing, especially with this post, well the other this post, going missing, is that I thought I'd lost that scene last night. I was sick about it until I found it hiding away in my files safe and sound.

I hope my original post doesn't turn up somewhere strange.

cjh