Whining

Made it through the store this morning thank goodness. There were a couple of dicey moments and by the time I was finished, it was definitely time to go.

All the decorations are in place for a frightful time tomorrow night! One of our last writing prompts was to write a spooky story. I didn't make it to that meeting, so I thought I'd post it here. Happy Hauntings!

Bethany woke with a start. She peered around her, trying to see past the curtain that was midnight, straining her ears.

There. There it was again, the sound that woke her. A scratching was coming from underneath the house, or maybe the outside of the house? She reached across the bed and shook her husband.

“Andre, I hear it again,” she said in a low, calm voice. She knew what it was like to be suddenly woken from a sound sleep and didn’t wish that on anyone. When there was no response, she shook him again. “Andre!”

“What, Beth? I’m trying to sleep!” snapped Andre.

“I hear the noise again, Andre. Listen.”

Silence filled the dark room as the couple strained to hear.

“Scratch, scratch, scratch, scratch” was definitely coming from outside their bedroom window. Or perhaps from underneath the house?

“Well? What do you think it is?” Beth whispered.

Andre rolled out of bed and stomped, hard, on the floor. The scratching stopped briefly, than started up again, quicker and more frantic than before.

“Don’t worry about it, just go to sleep,” said Andre, climbing back into bed and pulling the blankets up to his chin.

“It keeps waking me up!” said Bethany. “Can’t you do something? It’s probably a raccoon or something.”

Andre sighed. Although they were newly married, he already recognized a stubborn streak in his wife that told him she was not going to let this rest until he got up and went outside to see what all the ruckus was about.

He sat up on the side of the bed and pulled on his slippers, then reached for his robe. As he made his way through the house, Bethany could hear him rummaging in the kitchen cupboard for a flashlight.

“Thank you!” she called out, getting a grunt in response.

As the door slammed, Andre stomped around the house, collecting the ax from the woodpile as he went.

“Damn it all anyway, what the hell? This will stop!” he said and he walked into the night.

Beth slipped from the bed, and made her way to the bedroom window. Pulling the curtain back, she peered into the night blindly. She could hear the scratching, but couldn’t quite tell from where it was coming.

As she wandered throughout the house, looking out each window, she could hear Andre’s mumbling. She smiled to herself. Her big, strong man was taking care of her.

Suddenly, she heard Andre calling her. “Beth, could you come here please? Bethany? I need your help, can you come here?”

“I’m coming! Let me get slippers on!” said Bethany, wondering what Andre needed.

As she walked around the house, she realized Andre must have found something at the access panel under the house.

“Andre?” she asked, not seeing him. “Andre? Where are you?”

“Here,” answered Andre, “Over here Beth. Can you come here please?”

“Sure, what’s making the noise?” asked Beth, finally seeing Andre.

A sudden motion caught Beth’s attention and she turned to see an unbelievable site. A hand was reaching out from under the house.

She screamed and backed up, but it was too late.

Andre clamped her arm and drug her forward.

“I’ll teach you to wake me in the middle of the night,” he said, his voice that of a demented stranger.

“Andre? Andre, what’s happening? Andre!” she screamed, knowing her efforts were futile.

Andre grunted, dragging her forward, shoving her under the house, toward that arm. "Here! This should satisfy you so that I can get some damn sleep!"

Arm. An arm! Oh my God, was someone else under the house? Why wasn’t she screaming? Maybe they could overpower Andre!

“Help me!! Someone help me!!” she screamed.

The hand reached out to her, clawing in the dirt, stretching, trying to grab Andre’s leg.

Andre’s arm was around her neck, choking off the screams of Beth as he pushed and pulled her toward the hole.

Finally reaching his goal, Bethany was hopeful the hand would help. It was the only hope left to her in this crazy reality.

Tears streaming down her cheek, eyes glued to that hand, Bethany gathered her strength. When the hand grabbed Andre, she would kick with her last breath.

The hand reached out, Bethany reached back, ready to kick, claw, fight with whatever she had left, when suddenly, the arm grabbed not Andre, but her!

With an inhuman strength, the arm pulled her under the house. Beth clawed and scratched, digging her hands into the dirt, desperately trying not to lose this battle.

Just before the darkness enveloped her, she saw him. Andre was smiling down at her as he turned off the flashlight. The darkness enveloped her as she heard the access panel close and lock.

Andre brushed off his sleeve and walked back inside the house. Maybe now he could get some sleep.