Musemuggers #595 Broken Nights
Cross posted from musemuggers
Prompt #595
Open #1 - Broken Night
500 words exactly
Broken Night
“You go, it's your turn,”
“Why is it my turn? I went last time.” Anna’s face peeked out from under her thick quilted blanket which she had bundled around her. She pouted at Gary as sat up in the bed.
“And I went the two times before; so it's still your turn.”
“Do I have to? I just got warm.” Anna tried not to whine, but she found it so hard to get warm lately, “tell you what; you go this time and I'll do all next week.”
“You say that, but I bet you wont.”
“Pleeeasse!” Anna begged, “you know how hard it is for me to get comfortable at the moment.”
“Fine, fine. I'll do it. but you do all next week.”
“Deal.”
Anna snuggled back down into the blanket as Gary heaved himself up and padded out of the room. She listened to the swish of the door as it opened; scraping against the thick carpet. She squeezed her eyes shut and listened to the sounds of screaming at they floated down the corridor. It was the screaming that was the worst; Gary promised it would die down after the first couple of months, but they were six months in and it was no better. It was worse. Almost every night one of them go deal with it. Each trip eroded away that little bit of normalcy that the night offered.
At length the screaming ceased and silence moved in, but Anna knew she wouldn’t sleep until Gary was back.
She opened her eyes and stared into the black; no light seeped in through the cracks around the doorway and she was grateful for that.
He would be back soon.
But time eked on and Gary did not return.
Anna, wincing at the pain in her leg, extricated herself from the blankets twisted around her body and headed for the door. She grasped her thigh as the aching muscle protested each time she put weight on it. It would be impossible to get comfortable again tonight.
She pulled open the door and ventured slowly down the corridor; eyes fixed on a distant glow from the room at the end of the corridor. When she reached it she gazed through its open door. A full moon shone bright light through the window; casting its shadow through the bars of the empty crib against the far wall. Anna sighed, turned from the doorway and began to descend the stairs.
She didn’t call out.
As she rounded the corner her eyes took in the scene below.
There he was.
Sprawled out.
The front door hung on its hinges; their barricade broken.
They gathered around him; pulling, tearing, biting. She listened to the wet sound of jaws working against warm flesh as she crouched on the stairs.
She couldn’t run. Her damaged leg guaranteed that.
She didn’t want to anyway. Another flight. Another search for another refuge.
Alone.
Anna slowly rose and descended the stairs.
She had had enough broken nights.
Prompt #595
Open #1 - Broken Night
500 words exactly
Broken Night
“You go, it's your turn,”
“Why is it my turn? I went last time.” Anna’s face peeked out from under her thick quilted blanket which she had bundled around her. She pouted at Gary as sat up in the bed.
“And I went the two times before; so it's still your turn.”
“Do I have to? I just got warm.” Anna tried not to whine, but she found it so hard to get warm lately, “tell you what; you go this time and I'll do all next week.”
“You say that, but I bet you wont.”
“Pleeeasse!” Anna begged, “you know how hard it is for me to get comfortable at the moment.”
“Fine, fine. I'll do it. but you do all next week.”
“Deal.”
Anna snuggled back down into the blanket as Gary heaved himself up and padded out of the room. She listened to the swish of the door as it opened; scraping against the thick carpet. She squeezed her eyes shut and listened to the sounds of screaming at they floated down the corridor. It was the screaming that was the worst; Gary promised it would die down after the first couple of months, but they were six months in and it was no better. It was worse. Almost every night one of them go deal with it. Each trip eroded away that little bit of normalcy that the night offered.
At length the screaming ceased and silence moved in, but Anna knew she wouldn’t sleep until Gary was back.
She opened her eyes and stared into the black; no light seeped in through the cracks around the doorway and she was grateful for that.
He would be back soon.
But time eked on and Gary did not return.
Anna, wincing at the pain in her leg, extricated herself from the blankets twisted around her body and headed for the door. She grasped her thigh as the aching muscle protested each time she put weight on it. It would be impossible to get comfortable again tonight.
She pulled open the door and ventured slowly down the corridor; eyes fixed on a distant glow from the room at the end of the corridor. When she reached it she gazed through its open door. A full moon shone bright light through the window; casting its shadow through the bars of the empty crib against the far wall. Anna sighed, turned from the doorway and began to descend the stairs.
She didn’t call out.
As she rounded the corner her eyes took in the scene below.
There he was.
Sprawled out.
The front door hung on its hinges; their barricade broken.
They gathered around him; pulling, tearing, biting. She listened to the wet sound of jaws working against warm flesh as she crouched on the stairs.
She couldn’t run. Her damaged leg guaranteed that.
She didn’t want to anyway. Another flight. Another search for another refuge.
Alone.
Anna slowly rose and descended the stairs.
She had had enough broken nights.