Taste of Blood
The rain washed out the bridge a few miles up the path, and the howling wind made forward travel uncomfortable and nearly impossible.
These four hikers got separated from their group because they decided to wait out the weather instead of trudging ahead through the cold and damp. It was a decision they were all beginning to regret.
The hillside was baren, rocky, the trees were stripped of their leaves, and bent against the constant wind.
“We are so screwed,” Andy said. “I wanted a warm bed to sleep in tonight.”
“Oh, shut up, Andy!” Chris said. “This stupid hike was your idea in the first place. Let’s keep walking. There’s got to be somewhere for us to sleep for the night.”
Andy grumbled and the girls remained silent. They trudged down the path and stumbled in the growing darkness. A few minutes in, everyone was swearing in frustration.
Chris ran ahead and came back shouting with joy, “Down here! There is a building in the distance!”
Three sets of tired feet took off running toward Chris, and all four young people ran for the building in the distance without hesitation.
They came upon a rusted iron gate that was chained with a dilapidated and rusted lock. Andy and Chris yanked on the chain, and it fell to pieces in their hands.
They walked down the fractured cobbled path, and instantly felt the cold chill of fright easing down their spines.
“Come on,” Andy said. “Let’s get out of this wind.”
The old castle was dark, drafty, and was scarcely more sheltered than the bare cliff-face outside.
The girls screamed as a small creature darted into the shadows.
“Oh, I hate bats,” Chris said. “But it’s better than sleeping in the rain.”
They huddled into a cramped corner, wary to venture further into the run-down castle.
Suddenly, dozens of bats flew into the open space surrounding them.
Everyone screamed, but those screams were short lived as the bats transformed into gaunt, pale, and wild creatures.
In their hunger they fell on the four hikers, leaving nothing behind but a few scraps of bloody cloth and shining white bone.
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