Blood-Red Riding Hood

Though this isn't very typical of teens, I loved going to my grandma's house.
My grandma lives out on a farm in Iowa. I don't live there, so I eagerly waited for the few times a year we went out there. It was so fun! So much space to run around on, plenty of animals to play with, and she even had a pool. And she gave me lots of sweets too.
Anyways, it was just over a year ago. My parents, my aunt and uncle, and I were all out there for Memorial Day. Memorial day is in April, so it was a bit nippy. My mom told me I could bring my favorite red hoodie. She hated the thing, so that's why I was excited.
A few days into the trip, I wasn't doing anything so I hopped on my computer, turned some music on, and shut the door to the room I was staying in. My music was on half volume, so it was pretty loud. Anyways, I was just sitting there, typing away as I always do, when I heard my grandma's dog barking. Now, her dog barks, just not that loud. It scared the crap out of me, so I ripped out my earbuds and listened.
I don't know what I was waiting for, but eventually I slowly got up and walked downstairs, flinching at every creak. I told myself over and over again, "You're out in the country. No one would break into a house in the country." I walked cautiously into the living room, where my grandma and aunt were sitting. My grandma, though, had gotten up to let the dog out. "What happened?" I asked.
"'Dunno. The dog just started spazzing. Thinkin' she saw something outside. And it wasn't no normal bark, somethin' fierce," my aunt said. I stared out the window as I saw my grandma and her dog outside. There was a drop-off on the driveway they were standing on, so the dog just paced along the side, as if trying to figure out the fastest way down, or showing that she protected the place.
As I looked, I could swear I saw a pair of golden eyes looking from the few trees that spaced the house from the barn. I brushed it off, telling myself it was one of the many cats my grandma had wandering the farm.
When my grandma came back inside I asked, "What was out there?"
"I don't know. The dog's calmed down now and is eating some food," she said. I looked at her for a second, shrugged, then went back upstairs. Nothing unusual happened the rest of the night, until I went to bed.
That night, I couldn't sleep. I laid there, listening to music as those golden eyes floated through my mind. They had to have just been a cat, right? As the night wore on, I finally began to drift off to sleep. Just as I did, my eyes shot open as I saw the door opening very slowly.
I froze, watching in horror as the door slowly opened completely on its own. The fact that it was opening wasn't what scared me, it was the fact that I didn't hear it at all. I had my music on a lower volume, because the house was quieter. And that door was probably the loudest door ever in existence.
Suddenly, I was getting up. I walked over and slipped on my favorite red hoodie. All the while, I stared out the window, seeing those golden eyes. I turned and walked downstairs, not making a sound. Odd. As if following something, I went to go out the sliding glass door that led towards the pool. Walking along the pathway, I kept going. When the pavement turned to dirt, and rocks poked at my bare feet in painful ways, I still kept on going. Finally, I had walked around to the barn and to a side that was hidden from sight at the house. What was awaiting me there truly terrified me.
It stood about ten feet tall. It had its back turned to me, but I knew exactly what to expect the moment it turned around. Glowing golden eyes. I felt no fear. Only the warmth of safety. Which in all, terrified me because the giant hulking monster inched its way closer to me. As it came close, I could make out more features.
It looked like a cross between a wolf and human, except the limbs weren't at all as gracefully shaped as they should have been. They were mangled and scarred, patches of its fur missing, revealing wounds. Some were even fresh and bleeding.
Finally, it stood right in front of me. Its eyes seemed to bore into my soul, and then, it seemed to smile. Well, smile about as good as a wolf can. "Hello, darling." Its voice was gravelly and deep. He moved and gently picked me up. "I promise you, this will not hurt one bit." Suddenly, he chomped down and tore off my leg. It hurt at first, but the pain disappeared after a few seconds.
He lay me down onto the gravel, smiling still. "Blood-red riding hood. That's what I shall call you now." And he bounded away. I lay there for a few moments, and then the pain rushed to my leg. I cried out and shifted my head, just in time to see the headlights of the car that was a few feet in front of me, and about to run me over.
I awoke with a start from the horrid dream. My music was still playing next to me. I looked up at the window to see it was morning. Pulling down my covers, I saw my leg was still there, completely undamaged. I shook my head at the thought of the nightmare, but froze when I looked down at the sketchbook I had left on the floor.
In big letters, written in blood, was a single word: "Delicious."
Category:Monsters
Category:Dreams/Sleep