Of Moonlight, Monsters, and Misery
By: Garrett Copeland
Tags: Relationships, Fiction, Short Story, Horror Fiction, Literally Literary

Of Moonlight, Monsters, and Misery

Modern Supernatural Short Horror Fiction

Photo by Eric Michael on Unsplash

The sun had gone out hours ago. Between the forest pressing in on both sides of that country road, the long drive, and a thin mist under the full moon, it felt like driving through another world. Kansas had carried on about a wayward son as Janie’s blue rust-bucket of a charger burned down the blacktop, until Beth called. Her voice felt like a lifeline.

Reality crashed back in with the sound of a firecracker and a flash in the rearview. Janie’s thoughts flashed to the Ruger LCR laying in the passenger seat. “What was that?” Beth’s voice was harsh through the little portable speaker for her cell phone. The signal had a lot of noise, probably just the forest.

“Just that Exxon truck backfiring.” Janie hoped that was all.

“Tanker truck? Guess that’s where your gas guzzler’s getting its juice this week.” Janie’s new life only really started when she got Beth’s call. Even then, it felt like a dream. “I’m stoked you’re finally coming. Codependent? Anger issues? That guy was bad news.”

“Beth, I’m not really up for Rudi-talk yet. I still miss him. Could we talk about something else?” Janie blinked a tear away and choked back the sand in her throat.

“Yeah, sorry Jai. I’m just so excited. Everything’s ready for you. Guest room’s cleared out and we’ll get your name on the lease t — orrow morning. Get you unpacked and catch din — r, my treat! — onna be great!” The static turned into skips.

Janie brushed a wave of blond hair behind her ear. She could see the truck’s outline in the mirror and she was watching when the next bang went off. It wasn’t the engine, and it wasn’t a firecracker. She gasped, “Hey, Beth?”

“J — ie? Ev — thing ok?” The static cracked Beth’s words in half.

Janie gulped hard, and lied, “Yeah, it’s just dark and Mr. Exxon back there’s making me nervous. I gotta let you go for a bit. Love ya, see you soon!” She tapped end without waiting for a response and tossed it in the passenger seat. Janie stomped on the gas as Spotify picked Kansas back up where they left off.

She could see the truck driver shooting at something off to the right, somewhere in the trees. She didn’t wait to see what it was.

She already knew.

Weeks ago, Rudi had mentioned his ex driving out on one of these dark farm-to-markets without a seatbelt. Her wheels spun out in the rain. Her car flipped. He put her head in his lap and watched the light in her eyes go out.

He still worried about Janie driving alone though he didn’t get a say anymore. That privilege had dried up hours ago, when Janie’s rust-bucket rolled away.

The interference made Kansas miss a beat, then cut off the last minute entirely and skipped to the next track. Florence + the Machine’s “Howl” pounded out a strong beat as the charger burned rubber. Janie saw a side road coming up ahead, so she tapped the breaks just enough to keep from wrapping her rusty blue baby around some old oak or tall pine tree.

The frantic drums matched her heartbeat a little too well.

Just ahead, the moonlight glinted off the iron frame of a telephone tower. If her signal was spotty, reception wasn’t the problem. Janie glanced in the rearview as the tanker truck crashed into view on its side and trailing twisted metal. Spilled gasoline dripped from the truck’s undercarriage, burned on the blacktop, and lit the wreckage like something out of a bad disaster movie.

It didn’t seem real. It couldn’t be.

Photo by Katie Moum on Unsplash

Janie swerved across the broken yellow lines and brought her charger around. Florence mixed with gravel pelting her undercarriage and made her heart beat even faster. Then the music cut out and left her alone with ice running up her spine.

Something huge and shaggy staggered around the front of the ruined truck and Janie struggled to keep her nerve. The thing had the head and tail of a wolf, but the body and posture of a shaggy ape. It towered over the wreckage. The tanker’s door swung open and a fat man struggled to climb up with a shotgun in one hand. Janie couldn’t watch anymore. “Howl” continued, but it didn’t block out the screams. There was no gunshot.

She palmed away the tears, left the useless phone but grabbed her Ruger from the passenger seat, and climbed out on legs made of rubber. She didn’t kill the headlights. Instead Janie walked around to stand between them, and watched it come. She didn’t want to be in the charger if that thing decided to hit it. She’d get stuck in the wreckage like that poor semi driver.

The wolf-horror pitched forward and pressed its nose to the ground like some great hound. Then it looked up and stared directly at her. Orange and flecked, like burning wood. They reminded her of Rudi’s eyes but brighter.

It took one step, and three more, and it was bounding towards her across the blacktop with a tanker truck burning behind it. Florence skipped twice as it came closer, then Spotify cut out completely.

Janie shook like a leaf. She wanted to run, but that monster ran as fast as her car and tore through a semi like cardboard. If it wanted her dead, she would be.

Instead, it stopped short and sniffed at the air. When it turned back to Janie, she saw its eyes and everything snapped into focus. How he beat the paramedics to the accident, anger issues, the breakup, the full moon, and the monster. Janie tucked the gun in her waistband at the small of her back and prayed.

The monster grunted, collapsed, and melted away. In its place crouched a skinny young man with short dark hair — naked, filthy, shivering, and scared. He seemed so harmless. Rudi stood up and turned to stare at the flaming wreck, then to the moon, before turning back to her. “Janie? Is that you Janie!?” His shoulders hunched forward, he crossed his arms and rubbed his biceps. He must have been freezing in the chilly mist. “Jai, I’m so sorry, I couldn’t stop it…”

Her knees stopped shaking, but her throat was filling up with bile. “What the fuck was that, Rudi!? Look what you did!” Her voice sounded shrill. Why shouldn’t it? She was terrified. It’s hard to keep your wits when the world goes mad all around you.

His short dark hair fluttered in the breeze. “It wasn’t me. The monster did it.” Rudi seemed so small and cold, but the roar and pop of that fire wouldn’t let her forget. “It wasn’t me…”

Spotify piped out of the first notes of Lana Del Rey’s “Born to Die” from the front seat. Janie shrieked before she could stop herself and Rudi stepped forward with a look of concern. “Wait, stop!” Janie held out her hands like some kid playing Red Light/Green Light. It was just reflex. She wasn’t even sure he could see her between the charger’s headlights.

He wiped his lips with the back of one hand and it smeared red across his chin, like cheap red lipstick. “The monster glitches out phone and internet stuff. It’ll clear up soon.” Rudi tried to shield his eyes from the headlights, with that same hand, but still had to squint, “I’m sorry Janie, I tried to accept it and let you go. I didn’t want this. Not again. It just took over and now I’m here.”

He said ‘again’ like this happened before. Her thoughts raced faster than her heart. She put everything she had into slowing down and acting normal. “Are you cold, Rudi?”

He seemed to shiver more when she asked. “Getting used to it.” He took a step closer, then gasped and stumbled when he kicked a bit of loose road. Janie could see a bit of red in the yellow-white light. “I’m so sorry, Janie. I just can’t live without you.”

Janie swallowed the bile and tried to ignore the terror rattling in her joints. She held her arms out, “Oh Rudi, you’re such an idiot.”

Photo by Hamid Khaleghi on Unsplash

She had to force herself not to move as he ran to her. “I love you Janie. It’ll never let you go.” The words sent a tremor down her spine, “You ok?”

She pulled a ragged breath and the little machine from her waistband. “Just a chill.” Janie was terrified, but she owed him this much. “I’m sorry Rudi.”

“For what?” when she didn’t answer, he pulled back, looked her in the eye. His brow furrowed and he frowned his concern, “Jai, what is it?”

Tears poured down her face, but if she stopped, it would kill her. Janie choked down the stone in her throat, “For everything.” She lifted the pistol to Rudi’s temple and squeezed the trigger.