More Monsters in the Dark

By Donovan Monster Smith

The nightmares continue as Donovan 'Monster' Smith brings you More Monsters in the Dark, a new collection of thirteen short horror stories. Dim the lights, close the curtains, and settle in for a spine-tingling selection of seriously creepy creature-features! From a weight loss clinic with a sinister secret to a Halloween outbreak of monsters to a teen's birthday party gone horribly wrong, More Monsters in the Dark is a wonderful selection of strange tales and macabre mutations that are guaranteed to keep you up at night.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Red Cape Publishing
• Release date: Nov 27, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223073024

Book preview

More Monsters in the Dark

Donovan ‘Monster’ Smith

DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author's imagination and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2023 Red Cape Publishing

All rights reserved.

Cover Artwork by Joe Gurmo

Cover Design by Red Cape Graphic Design

www.redcapepublishing.com/red-cape-graphic-design

With Thanks

M3 Karate Family for giving me the kick in the butt I desperately needed to do more in life.

Michael Christopher Jones for being a true friend and always having my back no matter what. Rock on Dedman!

Phoenix Cinematery Crew for your friendship and playing the greatest movies of all time on the big screen. Also, thank you for providing me with constant inspiration.

Dineta Williams Trigg and A Night of Misfit Films for believing in me and being a light of hope in a dark wasteland.

Jeannette Baugh for believing in me.

Benjamin Hunter for killing the audiobook and making my stories come alive and jump off the pages!.

Red Cape Publishing for sticking with a Monster! Y’all mean the world to me.

The Thing on Cutford Lane

The sky was dark and heavy and I had a strange feeling that something was watching me as I cruised down Cutford Lane. Thick black smoke filled the air and I floored it, speeding off into the night. I lit up a cigarette and cranked the radio, visibly shaken by what had just happened. Flying down the road without a care in the world, I was completely unaware that things were about to get a hell of a lot worse.

I’d had a few drinks earlier in the night and left the party due to an altercation with my ex-best friend Janie. I probably shouldn’t have been behind the wheel, but I was so distraught from the fight that I’d taken off without a second thought. In hindsight, I should’ve gotten a ride home instead of driving.

It’s funny how one silly little insignificant choice can alter your entire life in the blink of an eye.

Adapting had always been my strong suit, especially when dealing with crazy ex-boyfriends and backstabbing best friends. That’s exactly what Janie and I were fighting about in the first place. She’d slept with my ex, Ethan, less than twenty-four hours after we’d broken up. I was mortified and wanted her head on the block, but I thought better of it and slipped out the back door without anyone noticing.

Racing down the road, aggravated and fuming, I fumbled with my phone as tears stained my cheeks. I wasn't paying any attention to my driving, when something darted out in front of the truck, causing me to swerve and lose control. If I hadn’t hit the brakes when I did, I would have flipped and ended up in the ditch somewhere.

I’d clipped an animal of some kind, and the truck started to spin like a saucer on a crash course. Everything went black and the next thing I knew, I woke up to something rushing by the front of my vehicle. It was blurry and I didn’t get a good look at it, but I figured it must have been a deer.

Luckily for me, fate was on my side and I made the sign of the cross and thanked the lord up above that I was still in one piece. Counting my blessings, I quickly checked my pulse and made sure everything was intact. As I sat there, trying to wrap my head around what had just happened, my mind instantly turned to Ethan.

We’d been a couple for so long I’d often wondered whether or not he’d put a ring on my finger one day. He was the perfect man and treated me like a queen, but I just couldn’t take it anymore, something had to give. Unfortunately, he had to go.

The truth is I was scared of commitment and terrified of being hurt again. My heart had been through the wringer more times than I could count, and it was a lot easier to hide behind the walls I’d built than it was to put myself out there again. Sometimes, just when you expect things to go the way they are supposed to, you’re blindsided and forced to make decisions you never wanted to make in the first place.

I loved Ethan with all my heart, but sometimes he did things that made me furious and it was in those moments that I told myself I’d made the right choice in leaving him. It killed me to end it, but I felt like I had no other option. Things just weren’t the same anymore and the love had run dry.

Catching the two of them together had really done a number on me. Ever since that night, I did my best to avoid them both, however, we had the same group of friends, and running into each other was ultimately inevitable. I managed to dodge them for nearly three months until I ran into Janie at the party.

After seeing her face-to-face, I panicked and bolted as fast as I could. I didn’t know what to do, so I jumped into my pickup and burned rubber, squealing my tires as I fled the scene. I left that place in a hurry and never looked back.

Everyone in town knows about Cutford Lane and the animals that are prone to cross the road in the middle of the night. There are reports dating back as far as twenty-five years and it’d become a sort of unspoken rite of passage for the locals. The longer you stuck around, the higher the odds were that something would grace your hood sooner or later.

It was nicknamed Death’s Alley, and ran twenty-two miles long, connecting the town of Black Lake to its neighbor, Fairview. The road was blanketed by forest on either side, with a canal that ran parallel to it for nearly the entire length. I’d taken the drive numerous times throughout the years, and not once had I ever seen anything weird or out of the ordinary.

Losing control of the vehicle like that scared me half to death, and I froze up like a deer in headlights. I did my best to remain calm, but everything hit me at once and my senses went berserk. It felt like I was being consumed by a tidal wave and every time I tried to resurface, it sucked me right back down into the void.

I couldn’t see straight and was waiting for my vision to return when suddenly something zipped past the back of the truck. For a split second, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me, and I rubbed at them furiously, trying to get a clearer view. Whatever it was, it was fast.

All of a sudden my toes started to curl and my calf cramped up. I fought the urge to scream, but it was too much to bear and I couldn't hold back any longer. I yelled out in excruciating pain, realizing all at once the mistake I’d made. Immediately I slapped my hand over my mouth and held my breath.

Before I had a chance to react, I saw something that made my heart sink. A deer was lying in the ditch, covered in blood, taking its last breaths. The sadness I felt was unreal and I prayed to God to take care of it as it crossed over. It was not my intention for it to die, and there was nothing I could do for it now.

As I sat there for a moment, my vision began to clear and come back into focus, and that’s when I noticed the carcass was shaking and twitching. There was a big hairy animal hunched over it, and it appeared to be ripping chunks of flesh from the body.

I had to strain to make out its shape in the glow of my headlights, but I could tell that whatever it was, it wasn’t human. Just as that thought had crossed my mind, the thing stopped what it was doing and glanced up at me. We locked eyes and immediately I knew that I was seeing something I wasn’t supposed to.

It was covered in fur with a dog-like face and it had razor sharp teeth and long pointed ears. I’d never seen anything like it before and even though I knew I should look away, I simply couldn’t. I was drawn to it like a moth to a flame, and no matter how bad I wanted to, I couldn’t resist.

Blood and saliva oozed from its mouth and it growled as it slowly rose to its feet. It stood nearly seven feet tall with long slender legs, and it started to walk upright. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing and all at once everything around me went silent. The insects and bugs were no longer chirping and it was like something had suddenly changed in the atmosphere. Everything was darker and more ominous and instantly I was afraid for my life.

I was trapped in a dome of darkness with pure evil, and I choked back my own spit, dry gulping as it spun around and headed straight for me. My heart raced and I was so scared I couldn’t think of anything else to do but close my eyes and pray it would all just disappear. And much to my surprise, when I did gather up enough strength to finally open them, it was nowhere in sight.

Having a hard time coming to terms with what I just saw, I frantically searched the mirrors for any evidence that it was still around. After a few minutes of nothing, I let out a sigh of relief and tried to start my car to see if it would drive. Just as I flipped the key, a spotlight engulfed me, followed by a series of red and blue flashes.

A police cruiser had pulled up behind me and a female officer got out, cautiously approaching my vehicle with her hand on her weapon. She was African American and extremely attractive, but I could tell right away that she was fresh out of the academy with very little experience. I rolled down my window and greeted her, explaining why I was sitting in the middle of the road with my headlights on.

I was on my way home and I hit a deer, I said, glancing around to see if the thing was still out there. I was just sitting here trying to catch my breath, when I noticed a strange-looking animal doing something to the deer. It looked like it was eating it but I couldn't tell. I don’t know where it went, but it was here a minute ago and it's probably still out there somewhere. You need to get back inside your car and call for backup, I said, my eyes glued to the tree line.

Ma’am, I'm going to need you to step out of your vehicle with your hands in the air, she said, snapping her holster open.

You need to get back in your car, I reiterated. It’s still out there.

Have you been drinking tonight? said the officer. It smells like alcohol.

I had a few earlier, but that doesn’t matter right now. It’s still out there and we’re not safe. You need to listen to me and get back in your car and call for help.

Get out of the car, ma’am. Now! screamed the officer, unholstering her gun and pointing it at me.

I didn’t want to leave my seat, but I knew that she wasn’t going to let this go, so I unbuckled and unlocked my door, preparing to step out. Just as I cracked my door open an inch, a hand covered in brown matted fur punched through the police woman’s chest, spraying blood all over the window of my truck.

We both screamed simultaneously, echoing the siren from her cruiser, and the creature bit down on her shoulder, causing her to go limp. I slammed my door and locked it, twisting the key to start the engine. It picked her up with its large human-like hands and drug the poor woman’s lifeless body off into the forest, never to be seen again.

In an instant, they were gone. A nightmare forever framed in time. I smashed on the gas pedal and got the hell out of there as fast as humanly possible. Still to this day, I have no clue what I saw, or if any of it was even real.

I haven’t drank since that night, and I get massive chills every time I drive past that spot. It still haunts my dreams, and I often wonder what ever happened to that police officer. I’ve never told anyone about it, fearing I may be held responsible for her disappearance.

Cat Nip

A dirty old crow sat upon the outer window sill, staring out at the screaming hunks of metal screeching up and down the block. It squawked feverishly at the useless sacks of organs beneath, hopping from side to side. Every now and then it turned to gaze back through the window and vocalize its disdain for those scurrying around inside. The infuriating black feathers danced around like a bad omen; a witch doctor casting spells of infinite fire and famine.

Henrietta bobbed back and forth in her antique rocking chair, watching the nasty, filthy little bird tap on the glass like a drug-addicted junkie fiending for a fix.

The chair had been gifted to her by her father early one summer morning before he passed, a decade prior.

As the story went, the thing had been handed down to him by his own father, and therefore Henrietta had developed a special attachment to the rickety, unbalanced hunk of junk. It was a family heirloom of sorts. Her father used to spend his evenings relaxing in the chair, a beer in one hand and a ballgame on the tube. She missed those days.

Stop it already, yelled Henrietta, angrily looking out the window as the annoying crow continued to terrorize her. Just go, already! Go away! Leave us alone, for god’s sake!

A cat was perched on the nightstand next to the window. It knew he couldn’t get to the creature on the other side, but that didn’t stop it from dreaming of pouncing on the damned thing if the chance permitted itself. Its feathery friend looked delicious, and it imagined what it would taste like, sinking its teeth into all that delicious, mouthwatering meat.

Oscar was a calico stray who’d lived with the woman for nearly ten years. She’d found him one day roaming around in a department store parking lot, lost and starving. He was scared and alone and the woman fed him and gave him some water to drink. After that, he was forever grateful to her and pledged to spend the rest of his life protecting her, out of respect for taking him home.

The woman was ritualistically nice and often cared for him, feeding and cleaning up after his daily messes. He knew he could never leave. Where else would he be taken care of as generously as he was with her? He lived the life of a domesticated house cat, with the occasional adrenaline spike coming in the form of a dirty old bird landing on the window sill and taunting him. He’d happily stick around and return the favor - dreaming of the day when he sank his claws into that loud, stupid thing.

The black mass squawked and pounded away at the glass like a jackhammer.

Stop that, you filthy thing! Henrietta demanded. Shoo, go away, she said, gesturing at the dirty bird.

The crow suddenly stopped its all-out blitz on the window pane and stared directly inside. If Henrietta hadn’t known any better, she would’ve sworn the crazy thing was looking right at her, piercing through to her very soul. She felt as if it was searching for some kind of hidden key, buried deep within.

She prayed for the unholy thing to leave, to vacate the premises, asking the heavens above to remove it, desperately needing relief at that moment. But she knew it was useless. If it belonged to who she thought it belonged to, it wouldn’t go lightly.

All of a sudden she was startled back to reality as the crow squawked once more and pecked at the glass like it was reading her mind. The next thing she knew, the stupid thing hopped off the sill, flapped its wings as it caught the wind, and disappeared out of sight.

Oh, thank heavens. I couldn’t take it any longer. That god-awful thing was driving me insane, she sighed, placing her head in her hands.

Oscar meowed, as if in agreement. He was happy the stupid bird had finally left.

Stretching out on the top of the nightstand, he yawned as he kicked his legs out behind him. He knew the old woman hated it when he was up there - she usually yelled at him to get down - but for the moment he knew he wasn’t her concern. They had both wanted that annoying creature gone, that much they agreed on.

Oscar glanced at the old woman, hoping to slink by without being reprimanded.

Get down from there. The godforsaken thing’s gone, she informed him, right on cue.

***

Henrietta awoke out of a deep slumber, visions of a long and prosperous life flooding her sleep like a tidal wave. She dreamt of her father gently rocking back and forth in his chair, her younger self playing at her superhero’s feet.

Instantly she was swept away to a memory of a cliff overlooking the ocean. There she was, hopping off the back of a motorcycle driven by her husband, Hank. She could feel the electricity and excitement coursing through her entire body. It was the day he’d asked for her hand in marriage, and she was seeing it all over again for the first time. She recalled the thrill of the water crashing against the rocks below and the exhilarating high, riding through the mountains on the back of Hank’s old hog - the clouds fighting with the sky as the thunder rumbled overhead.

The flashbacks took her on a long overdue trip down memory lane. So much love and loss had happened; the entering and exiting of close friends and family members. So many stories to tell, yet there was no one around to listen to them. A life well spent, if only someone else’s.

The air was serene and quiet. It was so silent, in fact, that Henrietta could hear her precious Oscar wheezing as he breathed, his face nuzzled under the covers at the foot of the bed - as usual.

Right as her little prince exhaled, there was a deafening bang that sounded like something had smashed into a wall. Henrietta looked at the clock as she tossed the sheets aside and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. It read 2:58 a.m.

She slid her feet into her slippers, threw on her robe, and grabbed her glasses. Still half asleep, she made her way to the door and flipped the switch on the wall.

She watched, judgingly, as Oscar swam around in la-la land, refusing to wake up and acknowledge what she’d just heard. He was such a lazy cat, never really doing much of anything except lying about all day. Taking more cat naps than she did in her late age.

Yeah, keep laying there, she said out loud. One day I’ll be gone and then what’re you going to do? Huh?

He didn’t move an inch, eyes sealed shut. If the crazy old woman couldn’t see him, then he didn’t exist - or so he liked to pretend.

There was another loud thunderous boom coming from the window area. Henrietta made her way toward the direction the sound emanated from, not knowing what to expect. She wondered if the crow had come back to haunt her and her heart began to race. It beat faster and faster with each breath as she approached the window.

Against her better judgment, and her eyesight not being exactly what it used to be, she couldn’t for the life of her find the switch in the dark. She took a few steps forward, being as cautious as she could, having no confidence at all in her own memory. Oh, lord. Please get me out of this mess, she whispered.

Out of the blue, there was a loud swooping sound, followed by a wave of stinging air, and before she knew it she’d toppled over, landing on her backside. Her tailbone felt like it had been split in two, and she howled in terror like a wild beast after a grueling fight to the death.

Instantly a sharp searing pain ran up the back of her right leg, from her knee to her waist. She was sure it had been cleanly sliced to the bone, but, as she reached down and felt around, she let out a sigh of relief discovering everything was still intact. A quick thank you to the man up above, despite the spill, and she managed to pull herself across the floor like a wounded animal, grabbing onto the nearest piece of furniture and hoisting her withered, crumpled mess of a body into a sitting position.

She paused to catch her breath, which took far longer than she expected.

All of a sudden, the pain became excruciatingly unbearable.

Feeling like she should yell for help, she knew it was pointless. No one was around to come to her rescue, it was just her and Oscar all alone in the tiny apartment at the top of a ten-story building. It was supposed to be a lush retirement community for the elderly, but it was more like a prison. You were trapped in a tiny, isolated space with someone popping in once or twice a week to check on you, simply to see if you're still alive and kicking.

It wasn’t where she wanted to live, but after Hank died of a heart attack all the money she had saved up had been spent over time, and now there was nothing left. She’d used a good portion of what she had to pay for his funeral service and burial, but the majority of what remained was burnt on getting herself into this godforsaken hell hole she now called home.

The woman had been duped, but by the time the dust settled, there was nothing she could do about it. Her body had many miles on it, and she was way too old and way too fucking tired to care anymore. She just prayed that her time would come soon, and she could finally be with her beautiful husband once more.

Things hadn’t changed much since Hank’s passing. Henrietta missed him dearly, having spent so many years together. It wasn’t the best marriage, as many aren’t, even though they did give it their all. Of course, there were dozens of arguments and disputes throughout the years, but in the end, they were always able to talk it out and work through it, together.

It’s a weird thing that happens after someone you love so dearly, and whom