It Lives: African Horror

By Angel Berry

A sinking pirate ship...

Three friends returning home from a fishing trip find what they first believe to be an abandoned ship. Curious and hoping to find forgotten treasure, they climb aboard the vessel only to discover that the entire crew has been murdered.

Believing that they've stumbled upon the remains of a robbery at sea, they flee the boat with an old, rusted metal trunk, convinced that it contains gold.

After carrying the trunk home to their village, they are informed by a local witch that its contents are cursed and they are ordered to carry it back to sea.

Skeptical about the village's belief that the trunk contains evil spirits and reluctant to part with what they believe to be a valuable find, they secret the trunk away and pry it open, releasing an insidious evil.

Short story from the novel Horror Classics by Angel Berry

• Language: English
• Publisher: Angel Berry
• Release date: Oct 2, 2016
• ISBN: 9781536526912

Angel Berry

Angel Berry is a court reporter from Detroit, Michigan. She enjoys writing as a hobby.

Book preview

IT LIVES: African Horror

Copyright 2016

By Angel Berry

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Then the Lord said, ‘My spirit shall not abide in mortals forever, for they are flesh...’ – Genesis 6:3

GULF OF GUINEA, 1902

What is it there?

Uffe had been reclining on the raft with his long dark legs stretched out lazily in front of him, but now he leaned forward and pointed at spots of fire burning in the distance. Do you see?

As Ewe rowed, what remained of the sun disappeared behind them and the sky darkened while the salty air began to cool, and though the sea remained calm, his concern was the dark, solemn storm clouds that began to settle over them like giant, rolling tufts of blackish-gray cotton.

The imminent threat of rain came with an occasional bolt of lightning that would streak across the sky in bronze, jagged lines only to disappear before re-emerging behind a loud crack of thunder.

Can’t you row any faster? Ewe scolded Qadir while worriedly glancing up at the sky.

I think it’s a ship. Do you see it? Uffe exclaimed, leaning over the edge of the large raft. Row towards it.

Are you crazy? Ewe scowled at him. 

Just a little closer. I want to see what it is.

And before Ewe could protest, Uffe excitedly rushed over and shoved him aside and Ewe sighed irritably as the oars were snatched from his hands. All he had wanted were a few fat snappers to gift Isla’s father. And he stared forlornly at his fishing bowl and shook his head. He could only imagine the trouble which Uffe was now conjuring in his devilish mind.

The raft glided across the water headed toward the huge ship and Ewe felt as if his nerves were going to snap. The animated jabbering of his friends was annoying especially since they remained determined to inspect the ship even after another streak of lightning shot across the sky. Here they were out at sea with a storm brewing and the two of them wanted to pursue nonsense. His usually calm demeanor escaped him and he paced the raft while gruffly protesting aloud at their foolishness, but his objections were disregarded. 

As for Qadir and Uffe, they were mesmerized – drawn to the ship as if it beckoned to them, and they were fascinated by the dozens of fiercely burning torches that illuminated their way and so they ignored the impending threat of rain. This further show of recklessness fueled Ewe’s agitation and he shouted at them, but in spite of his chastising they stayed their course – still ignoring him as if he weren’t speaking.

When they finally approached the enormous ship, the two men rowed swiftly towards it until the floating structure loomed direfully above them, and Uffe’s head fell back as he took in the total sight of it, and he gasped with satiated awe. The vessel was foreboding in its size – an intimidating behemoth of a thing gnarled but seemingly indestructible. The main and fore sail carried an image similar to the jolly roger - the tattered visage of a sneering corpse, a blade protruding from its skull, eyes deep and dark, and it stared directly down at them though it was aggressively whipped by the wind. Slanted at an angle, the entirety of the vessel sat wrapped all about in thick rusty chains.

The cold seemed to envelope Ewe then - the wind