Horror Bites - Flight

The new Horror Bites photo prompt went up a while back, but I struggled to come with anything, being that I am not a vampire story person. But slowly something came into focus and presented itself. I have had to really cut it down to get it to fit the word count, which is a shame, as it meant cutting some of the suspense. But I still like it - hope you do!

 

Rachel took a deep breath and closed her eyes, trying to settle her mind. It was her first time meditating in the loft and she was struggling to focus. Each time she found a point in her mind there she heard a fluttering sound.

Maybe it was a bird on the roof or building a nest in the eves. But it’s dark outside, a little voice in the back of her mind whispered, are you sure? Rachel opened her eyes and re-crossed her legs the other way. Don’t be silly, it’s nothing.  

But just as she went to close them again, she heard it. It wasn’t outside. She looked round the room. The loft conversion hadn’t been that long ago, barely a year, so there weren’t any hidden corners.

She remembered the night Robert had finished it; how they’d celebrated – just a month before he’d disappeared. She recalled that night too, how she’d thought he was up in the loft, but when she’d gone to find him, he wasn’t there. She’d never found him. She had no idea why he’d gone or where. Tears pricked Rachel’s eyes.

She got up and walked around. The line of four spotlights in the ceiling weren’t very bright. They didn’t reach every corner. She spotted something in one of them. Could it be a moth? But the next time the fluttering came there was a tiny squeak with it.

Oh no, Bats, she thought. I’ll never get rid of them!

She walked over to the corner to take a look. She could just make out something where the walls met. She reached up to see if she could disturb it. The fluttering and squeaking came again. Then something dashed out.

It bit her hand and Rachel screamed, the room suddenly shrinking away from her, the ceiling coming closer. Two claws extended where her feet used to be and grappled at the wall, trying to hold on. She looked down at the room. Then a fluttering announced the arrival of a bat next to her. She turned to look. It had Robert’s eyes.  

Words 348