Short Horror Stories

Morning stroll

It's a beautiful December morning as I decide to take my dog out for a walk.

Every time I breathe small clouds appear glistening in the cold sun.

The ground seems to have been frozen overnight and even Layla seems to get used to it, luckily it doesn't take long and she starts running in front of me.

I live very close to the dunes, so that is the place we will be going to of course.

The dunes are a perfect place to let Layla run free and in the mornings, she doesn't have to be on a leash.

As we enter, we are immediately greeted by the trees and sand. By the calm singing of the birds and the soft swaying of branches.

Then Layla looks at me expectantly while wagging her tail.

"Do you want to play, Layla?" I ask and she barks happily at me as to answer.

I take the ball out of my bag and throw it away, immediately she chases the flying object.

It doesn't take long for her to return it to me: "Good girl!" I say, petting her as she gives me a happy yawn.

I take a few steps and throw the ball again.

This continues for a while and we slowly get deeper into the forest-part of the dunes.

Seeing my Layla so happy always makes my day, she doesn't need much to be this way.

Starting my mornings like this is always delightful.

As we get further in, Layla suddenly stops wagging her tail and starts to become more quiet.

I walk up to her: "Hey girl, what's wrong?" I ask her.

Slowly I reach out to her, but she doesn't seem to want to be patted. Even going as far as trying to avoid my hand.

How strange, she has never done anything like this before.

"Layla?" I ask, but I only get a soft growl in return.

All this time she hasn't turned to look at me and stares at something between the trees.

I look at it as well, but I don't see anything out of the ordinary.

Well, there is a small stream up ahead and it seems to have been frozen, but it's so small, it isn't really strange.

I don't trust it, so I take out Layla's leash. Suddenly she starts to bark and then run straight ahead, away from the path.

"Layla! Wait!"

Without thinking I run behind her, leash still in hand.

Luckily, following her isn't that difficult, her white fur stands out in between the dark trees after all.

After a short while she stops, standing in front of a frozen puddle and it seems like she has something in her mouth.

It sounds different than a twig, like something softer. I hurry over to her and try to get the thing out of her mouth.

"Let go Layla!"

But she growls again in return.

As the object that was in her mouth enters my field of vision I immediately drop it.

"What the-?!"

The thing I was holding was a finger.

A human finger.

I look down at the frozen puddle and see something like writing in it.

It says: 'The voices'

What kind of sick joke is this?

'Don't listen to the voices'

What is that I hear in the distance?

Something is getting close...