Shadows

Episode 4 of The Intruder Serial appears below, after Shadows

Shadows

by Jules Enea

I have nothing left to give or take. Every night the shadows creep closer. I’m ready. It will be over soon and I’ll be at peace. The loneliness will end and I’ll no longer have to endure the pain. Everyone has been taken from me. There isn’t anything here for me to stay. It’s time for me to go.

The sorrow of my despairing life haunts me. Cold and gloominess envelop me as I lie here, my bed no longer offers the solace that it once did. The ominous shadows move closer and at last engulf me…So peaceful, So beautiful!

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Jules Enea
Jules Enea is a writer in the genres of Horror and Fantasy. Several of his stories are appearing in an Halloween anthology available from Amazon.

 

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Intruder houseThe Intruder

A Serial in Five Parts

Previous Episode 1 2 3

Episode 4

She came awake slowly. She hurt. She reached down and tugged at the torn nightgown, trying to cover her body. There was blood between her thighs and the pain there was intense. Her lips were swollen and she could taste blood. The noise of the intruder ransacking the downstairs reached her where she lay on the upstairs hall carpet. She tried to force what he had done to her from her mind. She moved and could barely stifle the groan.

Quietly she took stock of her condition. It hurt to move her legs, but at least they seemed to work. One of her eyes was swollen as well as her lips. All her teeth were there, but a few felt loose. There were several rug burns: on her cheek, hip, and elbows. As she lay there, what had happened to her would not stay submerged in her mind.

She began to feel rage. That bastard! The rage grew and she wanted to hurt him like he had hurt her. Rage overcame pain and she slowly got to her feet. To her left she saw the baseball bat, lying where she had dropped it. She picked it up.  The bat felt good to her. She should have used it to fight instead of running. She imagined the bat striking the intruder, bat breaking through hands raised in defense, blood flying as she connected with his face. Teeth breaking.

She fought to control the rage, she wanted enough for strength, but not so much as to cloud her thinking. Slowly and carefully, she moved to the head of the stairs. The intruder was in the den now. Quietly, bat in her hands, she started descending the stairs. Each step made her wince, but she paid it no mind.

A dim light came from the open door of the den. The desk lamp. Keeping her eyes on the door, she continued to the bottom of the stairs, bat at the ready. Moving was easier now. She still hurt, but the movement had started to loosen the aching muscles. Quietly she went down the hall, being careful to avoid the hall table.

The intruder was still the den. She stopped beside the open door. Taking a few slow motion practice swings, she positioned herself until she could get a full swing with no obstructions. She waited.

To be continued

2 thoughts on “Shadows

  1. Les, your daily morning stories waiting for me in my inbox have become a staple over breakfast. They rouse my mind and chase away my foggy thinking, getting my creative juices flowing for the day. Thank you! Love the serials you post, and am especially enjoying The Intruder. Can’t wait to read the ending!

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