In 500 Words: Round Four!
In 500 words...a continuation of Round One and Round Two!
Dictionary.com's word of the day is rictus.
July 12, 2025
It’s been a month since the weird happenings down in LA. I’m back in the comfort of my home. It seems that Jacob, my Maine Coon hadn’t even noticed that I was gone. His attitude towards me when I walked through those doors was just as aloof as it was before I left. But I didn’t take all that energy and effort into starting a journal just to whine about my selfish cat. Oh, he’s looking at me now from my bed. Seems he somehow read my rebellious thoughts about him. No, Jacob, this journal is for those weird events of which I’ve told you about many times.
The heart attacks in the LA area were spreading both in numbers and in distance. When I had asked my friend for advice, he actually believed me about that strange woman and even suggested that she could be from another planet…He was also wearing a bright red jumper suit and matching helmet at the time…and not to mention a bit drunk from a rowdy Sci-Fi banquet he had just got back from. After that conversation, I had decided to leave my suspicions about the strange woman at that. She was probably just some sick whim of my imagination.
When the trip was over, I kept tabs on the situation through various online news feeds anyway. As stated in the previous paragraph, the heart attacks had been spreading. There was a 1% increase in deaths per day. Yes, I did the math. That was until yesterday…Not one death. The officials insist that the deaths were just some sort of strange and unfortunate coincidence.
I now know otherwise.
I have the proof locked up in the spare bedroom.
She came last night after I had finished giving Jacob his nightly meal. I was cleaning his glass bowl when I heard something thump and crash into the back door. Thinking that my dear Jacob had gotten himself tangled in the curtains, I sprinted towards the sound. White, tentacle-like fingers pressed against the glass, highlighted by the porch light above them. She stared at me, her eyes wide and her thin, slit of a mouth twisted into a rictus of gruesome mockery.
It was only for an instant, but the image forever remains. Right after she looked at me, the woman slumped forward and slid down the glass, smearing it with some sort of milky film. I grabbed the nearest heavy object, which ended up being my favorite figurine, the one of the firefighter carrying the tabby kitten to safety. I slid the door open.
The dreadful creature was unconscious, so what did I do? Did I do the sensible thing and call 911? No. I dragged her inside, shut up all the windows in the guestroom, and locked her there. She woke up around 0900 and started scratching the door.
I shouted that I was about to call the police. The hideous sound stopped almost instantly.
“I’ve come to ask for ye be’cuz ye lives.”
Dictionary.com's word of the day is rictus.
July 12, 2025
It’s been a month since the weird happenings down in LA. I’m back in the comfort of my home. It seems that Jacob, my Maine Coon hadn’t even noticed that I was gone. His attitude towards me when I walked through those doors was just as aloof as it was before I left. But I didn’t take all that energy and effort into starting a journal just to whine about my selfish cat. Oh, he’s looking at me now from my bed. Seems he somehow read my rebellious thoughts about him. No, Jacob, this journal is for those weird events of which I’ve told you about many times.
The heart attacks in the LA area were spreading both in numbers and in distance. When I had asked my friend for advice, he actually believed me about that strange woman and even suggested that she could be from another planet…He was also wearing a bright red jumper suit and matching helmet at the time…and not to mention a bit drunk from a rowdy Sci-Fi banquet he had just got back from. After that conversation, I had decided to leave my suspicions about the strange woman at that. She was probably just some sick whim of my imagination.
When the trip was over, I kept tabs on the situation through various online news feeds anyway. As stated in the previous paragraph, the heart attacks had been spreading. There was a 1% increase in deaths per day. Yes, I did the math. That was until yesterday…Not one death. The officials insist that the deaths were just some sort of strange and unfortunate coincidence.
I now know otherwise.
I have the proof locked up in the spare bedroom.
She came last night after I had finished giving Jacob his nightly meal. I was cleaning his glass bowl when I heard something thump and crash into the back door. Thinking that my dear Jacob had gotten himself tangled in the curtains, I sprinted towards the sound. White, tentacle-like fingers pressed against the glass, highlighted by the porch light above them. She stared at me, her eyes wide and her thin, slit of a mouth twisted into a rictus of gruesome mockery.
It was only for an instant, but the image forever remains. Right after she looked at me, the woman slumped forward and slid down the glass, smearing it with some sort of milky film. I grabbed the nearest heavy object, which ended up being my favorite figurine, the one of the firefighter carrying the tabby kitten to safety. I slid the door open.
The dreadful creature was unconscious, so what did I do? Did I do the sensible thing and call 911? No. I dragged her inside, shut up all the windows in the guestroom, and locked her there. She woke up around 0900 and started scratching the door.
I shouted that I was about to call the police. The hideous sound stopped almost instantly.
“I’ve come to ask for ye be’cuz ye lives.”
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