The Wendigo That Plays Hide and Kill

What is this place? Who are all these kids. I'm surrounded by laughter as kids jumped and played among each other. They jumped on the furniture hurling pillows at one another. I glanced around at the room we were in. It looked like a normal living room, albeit more like a grandmothers living room. It held those furniture items that had those weird patterns with mismatches of colors. The room and atmosphere gave off nostalgia and joy. All the other kids seemed so happy. So why did I have that underlying sense of dread. Like this place is some sort of trap. It feels like I shouldn't be here, like I should run away as fast and as far as I can.

Suddenly, I noticed that the living room is the only thing visible. The rest of the house is cast in shadow. A shadow so dark, you can't make out what's beyond. I studied the darkness as hard as I could to try and decipher the other rooms. As I looked around, I noticed movement in the shadows. A large figure walked around in the darkness. He walked around the illuminated living room but never once steped into the light. He circled around the area, almost as if circling its prey. Not only that, but it seemed to carry... antlers on the top of its head. Deer antlers. That's no deer. Atleast I've never seen a 10 foot deer and especially one that walks on two feet. 

The dread I felt earlier seemed to reach an impossible peak. "WE NEED TO RUN! THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE SHADOWS!" I yelled out to the other kids. The kids looked at me with confusion and annoyance. "What are you talking about. Why are you trying to ruin the fun?" One of the kids, who was pillow fighting on the couch, shouted at me. "Just enjoy the fun. Stop being a freak." I looked at him dumbfounded "Listen, there's something in the shadows! Look! Don't you see it?" The kid wore a bored expression as he took a look around the living room. "All I see is all of us having fun and you ruining it." He pointedly glared at me. 

The kids continued on with their playing. I frantically started searching for the figure. Where did it go? As I looked around, I started to hear a faint growling noise, like an animal. What is that? The sound is followed by a raspy cackle. This seems to draw the other kids' attention. They suddenly stopped playing and started to look around. Some of them started clumping together, holding onto one another. "HIDE!" a girl shouts. 

The kids suddenly scattered, hiding. Though, their hiding spots weren't the best. Some kids hid under blankets on the couch, leaving an obvious lump of their body. Some kids hid in the few closets that were exposed in the light. And some kids hid behind the couches or bookcases. I sat stunned for a second. Where do I hide? All of the spots I could think of have already been taken. I know it's childish, but in my fear, I grabbed a blanket at the nearest couch and flung myself on the couch as I cocooned myself in the thin fabric. 

A bell tolled, and I held my breath. I shiverd but I couldn't seem to stop myself. My body was reacting against my better judgment. We all waited in silence for what felt like hours. Suddenly, a heavy tap of a shoe filled the quiet room. Footsteps lurked around the living room. Slowly but surely making its way around. I started to shake harder than before. There's was a pause, as if whatever was walking had suddenly stopped. The silence returned as I waited with bated breath. A scream broke out. A shrill, blood curdling shriek. It sounded like one of the kids was found! He yelled and screamed for help. His cries were suddenly cut off with a snap and a wet crunch. I jerked, feeling nauseous. I started to hear crying to my direct right. One of the girls had started crying. before I could even take a breath, i felt a gust of air fly by me, as if something had ran past me at very high speeds. Was that the creature? I laid stock still. Not even blinking in fear of being discovered. 

I shouldn't have been worried at that moment because the one who was discovered was the crying girl. After the creature made its way over to her, I heard her yelp as something thudded against her. Something cracked against the wall at unimaginable speeds. After whatever hit the wall made contact, it landed with a thump and some type of gurgling sound. Had it just launched that girl at the wall? That fast? That had to have killed her instantly. 

The quiet was deafening. The footsteps didn't resume. I waited for them to start falling, praying to whatever God was watching over me. A single footstep rang out and I started to let out a breath. before I could even inhale, my blanket was ripped off my body. I layed in the eyesight of the creature. I finally got to see who the figure was. I should say WHAT the creature was... It looked like some horrifying mix of a raven and a deer. The antlers tangled each other at the top of its head, reaching for the ceiling. It's eyes were beads of black as it stared down at me. It had the head of a deer but seemed to be covered with a ravens mask. I say mask but it looked like a grotesque splay of a large ravens' head that he just set on his snout. Entrails and thick layers of dried blood coated his face, all belonging to that dead raven. Atleast I told myself its only from the raven. 

The creature seemed to be wearing a robe of some kind. Even though it's body was covered, I could see weird bulges and indents in places of the robe, indicating that the figures form was misshapen and mangled. It just stared down at me, watching for a moment with a cocked head. I couldn't even muster a scream, I couldn't even take my eyes off of it. I watched as it's jaw obscenely unhinged, showcasing fang-like teeth decorating its mouth. I had no doubt that it planned to swallow me whole. All I could see was the back of its throat now as it launched itself at me. I saw something that looked like flaps at the back of its throat open. In that little area, I saw one thing. An eye. 

It maniacally looked around, suddenly it stopped and stared straight at me. It distracted me to the point that I didn't realize my whole head and shoulders were in the creatures mouth. I went to open my mouth to let out a noise, any noise. Anything that could signify I needed help. But nothing came out. The mouth violently came down and all I heard was a sickening crunch before everything went black. 

.

.

.

I blearyly opened my eyes. At first my eyes swam with colors, not being able to make out anything except an orange glow. Noise started to fade into my ears. Giggling and laughter. Heavy breathing and happy shouts. I slowly sat up and my vision cleared. 

I'm back in the living room and everyone is still alive and happy. I'm still alive. It's like nothing ever happened. 

A bell tolled. 

RUN