Monsters! Monsters! Monsters!

Pursuit of the Beast

Flash Fiction

I continue through the forest. The only thing I have to light my way is the moonlight. My heart thumps in my chest like a drum. The trees loom over me. They watch and laugh as I rush through them.

Every muscle in my body roars with a fiery pain. Twigs snap beneath me. I continue to run, but the growls of the beast follow close behind. Its distance from me never grows or shortens. Always right on my tail, but it never pounces. The hairs on my body stand on end.

A small light flickers through the darkness. My legs go numb, but they don’t stop. The trees zip past my face. A small cabin sits in a clearing ahead of me. I see a clear path through the trees and right up to the front door. A million questions rush through my head. Will whoever is inside let me in, or will they let me die on their porch? If they let me in, do they have a gun? Will they be able to fight off this relentless beast?

I race closer to the cabin and notice two people sitting by the window. The beast’s growls continued to rage from behind me. I can only run and hope I make it inside before I’m torn to shreds. Both of the people look out the window. The trees become a blurred tunnel as I run faster than I ever have before. At the end is the wooden door. My heart skips a beat.

The door inches open, letting out the light from inside. A man creeps out in a flannel hanging open with a tank top underneath and a pair of basketball shorts. He is holding a shotgun. His eyes scan the tree line. I dash out of the forest and into the clearing. The man’s eyes widen. He fumbles to aim the shotgun at me and squeezes the trigger.

A loud bang pierces through my ears. I lunge to evade the shrapnel. The man screams a blood-curdling scream. Without thinking, I land on top of him and knock the shotgun from his hands. He punches me, but I can’t feel it. My heart races harder as I see my hands. They are no longer human hands, but are now wolf-like paws with extended fingers. Nails protrude and dig into the man’s chest.

Blood seeps from the tears in his flesh. His eyes water as the cabin fills with relentless screams. He stares at me with fear in his eyes. My claws dig deeper. I try to pull away, but I can’t control my body. All I can do is watch. His skin tears like thin plastic and underneath is a sack of meat and bones. I strip away at his muscles like butter.

Everything inside me screams to stop, but my paws continue to dig and shred. The man’s eyes bulge from his head. They look like they are ready to burst. His blood puddles against the wood floorboards. It takes only fifteen seconds to turn him into a mound of flesh. Only one thing runs through my mind. What have I become?

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The Relic (1997)

Movie Review #20

I have to say I really enjoyed The Relic. It is about a monster arriving at a Chicago museum during the opening of a new exhibit, so staff and visitors must fight for survival. Some scenes of the monster are CGI, which doesn’t look too bad, but I love the scenes when they use practical effects. The Relic feels like a detective movie and Alien mixed together, which honestly worked pretty well. The pacing felt really good, and there is a twist at the end that makes you rethink the film when you rewatch it. If you enjoy early monster films I think you should find a way to watch The Relic.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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