When We Were Still Human by Vaughn Foster (best ereader for textbooks .txt) 📕

and stepped out into the kitchen. Spotting the remains of the sandwich that’d been started earlier, her stomach roared back to life.

She took a step towards the plate then doubled over as sharp pain stabbed her sides.

Blood.

Dark red stains on a dirt path flashed, then vanished as she hit the ground.

Blood.

It was night. Long scratches covered her arms and she was running. There was something else, a sound—

A crash of glass sent her back to the kitchen. To her left, the coffee pot now lay in tiny shards. Realizing she’d tugged the power chord on the fall, Val carefully pulled herself to her feet.

The park.

It was the last solid memory she had from that night. Without second thought, she quickly found her shoes before speeding out of the apartment.

The sun was just going down, but the park was already cleared out. The July heat had probably veered most patrons away during daylight. Cutting through the playground, she started on to the trail she normally would take.

The air was thick. It was a clear night, but she felt as though a heavy fog coiled around her limbs. The winding trail took her at a sharp right and the foliage swallowed the entrance.

A stick snapped beneath her foot and a bloodcurdling scream shattered the still air. Val ducked to her knees and whipped her head in all directions. She was met with still-empty trails and gently swaying leaves from the overarching branches. When nothing moved, she stood back up and spun in a tight circle.

A sudden movement in the trees above. Something large dashed through the branches, then vanished. She took a step forward. Nothing else happened so she took another, more hesitantly this time.

“No! Please! Help!”

It was the woman’s voice again.

“Where are you?!” Val darted towards her, the sound of heavy footsteps louder ahead. Rounding the corner, a thin woman with dark hair stumbled out of the woods and fell in front of her. The brush had ripped her clothes and she was bleeding heavily.

“It’s okay!” Val rushed to the woman’s side. “I’m a nurse.”

“Make it stop!”

Val started, then skidded away from the body. The woman’s hair veiled her face, but Val already knew who she was.

The voice was hers.

As suddenly as she appeared, the woman dispersed into smoke and the violent crashing from the treetops returned. Behind her this time. A second later, in front. Now it was simultaneously on both sides.

Val broke into a sprint. More branches broke behind her and another shriek blasted. The spider-like creeping sensation on her neck was now akin to stabbing blades. The chill dropped to a freezing vacuum.

Deep panting and growls compounded on the roaring mix, and Val kicked at the ground harder, forcing herself to exceed what was currently her max.

Half a mile. It was less than half a mile before she reached the exit. It was—

A gust of cold wind crashed into her chest and slammed her onto her back. Gasping for breath, her scream caught in her throat. Everything went black and she could feel an invisible pressure on her chest. The audible crack of ribs sent her into shock and the gate suppressing memory collapsed.

It was Tuesday night.

Val was bobbing her head to upbeat electronic pop blaring through her earbuds. A sound louder than the music rumbled through the trail. The noise had prefaced movement in the surrounding brush and Val spotted something speeding in time with her strides.

She brought her body to a standstill and paused the music. “Who’s there?” The only sign of life was the chorus of crickets. Confident she’d imagined things, she resumed her music and continued jogging towards the park’s exit.

About half a mile later, there was more rustling. It was fine. She wasn’t the nervous type. Though she’d slacked off on lessons since nursing school picked up, she was still a first-degree black belt. If there was some creep lurking about, she could take him. But there was something…

Another quick check over her shoulder again proved she was alone. Maybe it was just the growing darkness coupling stress. Just an hour ago, she’d been studying in preparation for fall classes. And of course, there was the argu— she caught herself with a roll of the eyes— “strong discussion,” she’d had with her parents in regard to missing her great aunt’s birthday. That’s all it was. But even still, Val couldn’t help but steal another glance to the woods.

She screamed.

Any confidence she had imploded to nothingness as she skidded to a halt, nearly crashing to the ground, before quickly backing away. There was something large crouched on all fours in front of her.

Her already rapid heartbeat spiked as fear inflamed adrenaline. She pushed her tired muscles to their limit and broke into a full sprint. Branches snapped and the snarls increased, but no matter how many times she turned around, there was nothing.

It pounced before she rounded the next bend. Claws dug into her bare calves. She screamed in agony as they slowly ripped through her flesh, setting every nerve ablaze. The claws finally pulled out of her legs and she collapsed to the ground. As soon as she hit the dirt, her instincts awoke, and reflexes forged from years of martial arts took over.

She swung a fist at her attacker and connected directly with its face. A horrible screech, like a pig squealing, echoed through the abandoned trails as the creature stumbled back. Val opened her eyes and took in the twisted details before her; she regretted it immediately.

Pale, corpse-grey skin was covered in deep scratches and knotted scar tissue. It was humanoid with two defined legs but had hunched its grotesque body to rest on all fours. Each hand ended in long, black talons that were slick with red. Saliva dripped