From The Sky

Suspense Stories | Aug 10, 2012 | 4 min read
56 Votes, average: 4 out of 5
Billings saw the man crying on the old bench near the water fountain, and decided to ask what the problem was. He seemed to mess the setting up, a perfect day was in full bloom in Hyde, and this wasn't meant to be part of it. The old man was sat down, but bent over, resting his elbows on his knees. His face was buried into two wrinkly hands. His panama hat blotted out any hair the man might have, but Billings didn't care. He felt sorry for this old man. Why would he want to cry on a day like this?

He walked over, holding his copy of Publishers Weekly, and he rolled up and tucked it into his back pocket. Cars and buses rushed past on Red Pump Street, children could be heard on the roundabout, joyfully screaming at whatever it was that excited them. Billings could hear the market traders shouting at the great deals they had on offer. Old Joss chimed it was one o'clock.

He sat down next to the man. His odor was forgivable, but he had an 'old person' smell. There was a half-eaten BLT beside the old man.

'What's wrong, mister?' Billings asked. He genuinely cared.

The old man looked up, and wiped tears off his eyes and cheeks with one wrinkled arm. Billings thought it looked like parchment, not skin. He looked about seventy, but Billings guessed he was at least ten years off that guess. The old man sported a silver goatee beard. His teeth were yellow through years of heavy smoking, and Billings noticed that the tips of his first fingers on both hands were an orangey-brown colour.

Yep, He thought, this man's a veteran smoker. Maybe he's just been given news of the Big-C or something.

The old man chuckled a bit, and then said: 'Boy, if I told you, you wouldn't believe me. You're better off going home and sitting this out, because when it happens, it's going to happen quickly. I dunno exactly what I mean, but it's going to happen.' The man began crying again. It was as if the world was about to end. And maybe that wasn't too far from the truth.

When it happened, it did indeed happen fast, and Billings saw. At first, nobody noticed that a huge grey cloud was coming over horizon, and they wouldn't, because of the town buildings. The cloud blotted out the strong rays of the sun, and most of the beautiful blue sky. Billings stood up. The old man cried harder. Billings looked up and saw what looked like huge bats. They had human heads, bodies, legs, arms. But those wings definitely belonged to bats. People were stopped, looking up at the cloud that had swooped in, and some began to run and scream when they saw the vampires. They ran amok; Billings noticed that parents were swarming the roundabout to get their kids off. The old man looked at Billings, his eyes puffy and red from crying. 'Go,' he said. 'Run, while you still can, boy. NOW!'

The vampires swooped down, landed and started their feast. They weren't fussy what they caught; one was knelt down at a buggy, drinking from the neck of a baby, one had hold of an old woman, and one was running around snarling, it's mouth smeared with blood. There had to be hundreds of them. They were naked. They had no pupils in their eyes. And those fangs, god, those fangs...

'GO!' The old man shouted at Billings, and Billings ran. He ran toward the mall entrance where hundreds of shoppers were trying to get in. He heard screams and screeches from behind him. He looked and saw that they had somehow managed to get onto a 330 bus. They were slaughtering people on the bus, and the bus lost control, smashed through some bollards and hit the Boots store. It caught fire. Billings turned away. He got in to the mall and ran for the back entrance that led onto the car park. He saw dead bodies on the floor, pools of claret and when he looked up; he saw huge holes in the glass ceiling. They had broken through. He thought about the old man. He'd be dead now, he thought glumly, and fell when a hand grabbed his legs. It was a little girl. She had become one of them. He saw the puncture wounds on her neck. Her eyes had no pupils in them, either. She snarled and salivated, her fangs shining under the lights. 'YOU'RE MINE!!' She proclaimed and tried to bite at his leg. He kicked her in the face and she let go, writhing on the floor.

Billings ran. He fumbled his car keys out of his pocket, ready to dive into his car.

The rear entrance wasn't crowded. He ran onto the car park, and saw a scene of carnage. Cars were on fire, and he noticed that some vampires were climbing up the side of the block of flats across the main road. It had begun to rain, and there was a sense of dread in the air. He saw his car at the far end of the car park. There was a yellow ticket under the window wiper. Well, he thought, I guess that won't matter anymore. He threw it on the floor, got into his car and started the engine.

He had to slalom around abandoned cars in the street. Blood was strewn up some of these cars. He had to get home to his wife. Had to. He hoped they weren't dead. He hoped she hadn't gone to the book club like she had been planning.

Near his house (so close, so close) he heard it. It was in the back seat. Billings wet himself. It snarled. Billings didn't bother looking behind him.

He didn't see the point.
He closed his eyes and waited.

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Reviews

Andreea Aug 10, 2012

very interesting, mister. Really liked it. But how about a part2? I'd be happy, really, to read it. ;) Exceptional story and writer. Keep writing ;)

Paul J Aug 10, 2012

Thank you very much for your kind comments. Alas, this is the only installment of 'From the Sky.' The story ends where it ends I'm afraid. I am glad you enjoyed it! Please read my other stories!

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