Gillian Church posts regular Writing Prompts on her Horror Prompts Instagram account and I like to take part with a few snippets and pieces of flash fiction.
The Prompt:
I know the sign says that the beach is closed, but what’s the worst that could happen?
The Submission:
“C’mon, Ste-ee-ve!” Poppy teased, tugging him by the hand.
“Pops, wait…we shouldn’t be here…”
“Oh, man up,” she giggled, sand flying as she danced around on the beach under the pale moonlight, the dark waves lapping at her toes.
Steve held back, his skin crawling despite the warm wind. “C’mon, let’s get outta here, this place has bad vibes..”
“Startin’ t’sound like a pussy, boy,” Poppy purred. She ran her hands through her thick, dark locks and over her perky breasts, tugging at her top to expose her tanned flesh.
Steve hesitated; he’d heard the rumours about the beach, and there was a reason it had been closed for the summer. He could still see the police tape fluttering in the breeze and the last thing he wanted was to trip over the severed limb of some poor dismembered fool…
But Poppy was stripping before him, dancing on the sand, her body clean and smooth and beckoning…and he couldn’t resist.
He went to her, frantically tugging at his vest, but she slipped from his grasping hands, tittering and teasing him. assertively, he lunged at her, grabbing her by the wrist and spinning her into his arms and a deep kiss, groaning as she cupped his crotch.
“There’s my man…” she sighed, biting his lip.
Steve pecked at her neck, lightly nibbling, not even caring about the slight taste of salt from the sea air. He ran his hands over slick body, enjoying her low moans; she gasped, almost a shriek, and he felt himself grow more excited at how quickly she was getting into it.
A warm, oozing sensation dribbled down his collarbone and Steve looked up, confused, to see blood, viscous from sand, bursting from her trembling lips. “Gurk…” she choked, her eyes wide. Steve tried to step back from her, to run for help, but she held him tight, her nails digging into his flesh, and he screamed as her eyes burst with sickening gore as tendrils of sand wormed their way out of her every orifice.
Poppy’s body jerked violently, causing Steve to tumble to his ass in the sand; her arms and legs contorted outwards, as though she were doing a star jump, and Steve watched with horror as sand, shifting and flowing like the tentacles of some deep-sea kraken, snaked through her, flowing through her veins, and tore her to shreds, drenching him in vile gore and entrails. Steve scrambled backwards, sand flying all around him and into his screaming mouth as he tried to flee. He got maybe four steps before the searing grasp of a whip-like tentacle wrapped itself around his ankle and dragged him back…
What did you think to this piece? Did you submit anything for Gillian’s Horror Hullabaloo prompt? Have you ever written any flash fiction before? I’d love to know what you think to my snippets and writing prompts, so feel free to sign up and let me know what you think below or leave a comment on my Instagram page. You can also follow Gillian Church and Horror Prompts to take part in the Horror Hullabaloo challenge.
Dr. K's Waiting Room 