Short Horror Stories

Last hearing

Tick, tick, tick... That sound haunted me the moment I stepped into the bunker that we were all shoved into. June fifth, 2024. The sound of the clock already hanging on the concrete wall, void of any life and just waiting for us. The first day down in there with a group full of strangers was absolute chaos. Half of us lost our voices screaming at each other, our angry statements full of blame for another person.

"Why should I be down here with all of you people? This isn't right." One older man snarls in a white button up and a disheveled tie, hanging loosely from his neck.

The curly haired guy turns to stare at him with tightened brows. "What do you mean by that?"

The tie man immediately has a look of sickness like he had just smelled something horrific, which could also be factual since we all started getting a bit too warm in such small space.

"I-I just meant that, it's a bit strange for me to be here because..." the man pauses, glancing from each of our faces. The woman with a daughter that couldn't have been older than fourteen, the curly haired man and then to me. His eyes landed on me a little longer than the rest with the look of plead well within his grey eyes.

"You mean, with the rest of us who are less fortune to be as wealthy as you in this neighborhood?" I asked the man. He flinched at the question, almost like he were expecting me to be on his side.

"Exactly what he meant." The curly haired man scrunched his lips at the tie man before wandering over to the other side of the bunker which wasn't much of a gap but wide enough to miss out on any conversations the tie man has with the rest of us.

2 years later

I walked through the door to the bunker and slid off the heavy satchel that hung around my shoulder to give it to Nelson. He jumped off the stained mattress and his big hand scurried through it to see the items I were lucky to obtain on my risky adventure.

"So, what do you think?" I asked him, hoping for him to approve of it. His brown curls hid his eyes from me, but I could make out a small smile on his face.

"Oh, this is perfect. You got more food, that's great. Water, sports drinks, batteries." He looks up at me, "That's smart." He added on. He goes to all the flashlights we had stacked on the nearby desk and replaces them with the batteries I gained. I stand by him, looking at that same clock on the wall while listening to the hollering, yelling and crying outside above us.

"I miss the others." I confess aloud and glance to Nelson who kept his eyes focused on the flashlights.

"Mhm...me too. Except David. Him and the stupid tie of his. He was too wealthy to be so stupid." He replied while moving onto the next flashlights.

"Yeah but the others weren't so bad. Madelynn, the mom and Whitney," I blow out air from my pursed lips that caused a whistle, "She was very brave for being so young. That's a good trait to have, not even adults can stay so brave during this time." I look at the clock as it reminds me of how much time has passed us by with its yellow stained glass. "I sure do hope they're okay out there...alive." I finished the statement.

Nelson nodded slowly. "Yeah and I hope they found her dad, also alive. But that's all we can ever do anymore is hope." He sighed heavily to himself and placed down the flashlights with a loud clack.

The two of us sat on the floor eating our soup and bread while talking about anything, sometimes we'd play a game but tonight was a bit different. I suppose I'd became a bit more of an emotional man whereas Nelson, stayed as cold stoned as ever. I could no longer decipher if it was a facade or not.

"Do you ever get tired of hearing that too? The screaming, cries and the chaos above us? Just knowing there's nothing you can do." I questioned him. I dip my piece of bread into the soup while I wait for his response.

"Maybe a little bit, but it doesn't bother me like it does you. Most nights I'll open my eyes and almost always see you wide awake. It keeps you up, don't it?"

"Sure does... I thought I would get used to it, but it's just as haunting as the first week of this incident."

"Well, it's worse to see it than to hear it. We both know that."

I nodded in a silent agreement, he was more than right. During my adventure today, I'd seen a father with his son. He was aggressive but also just wanted someone to take him and his son in safely and away from everything else. Due to what had happened with David, we knew we couldn't trust anybody. Even if it was someone as innocent as a child, nobody could be trusted to do the right thing because as soon as chaos spreads, all morality flies out the window; some just refuse to acknowledge that fact. I had to deny them and it hadn't ended well. The father raged on and on, which didn't make those things very happy. I had quite the journey back to the bunker to avoid them, but they were everywhere. I stopped telling Nelson about every encounter I had on my adventures but it was driving me insane.

"Everyone had said they would take over as a joke, but maybe we should've believed them."

Nelson looked over to me, "Franc, we should probably get some rest. It seems like today really messed with you."

I carved tallies onto the concrete walls and they've almost covered two full walls now, yet Nelson hasn't made his return back. I used to look at myself in the mirror but I stopped after how monstrous I started looking. Skin sagging and circles under my eyes darker than a void. I hadn't recognized myself anymore. I'm sure Nelson will be back soon. The clock stopped ticking and for the first time ever, I do wish it would come back. To make up for it, I began making the noises in its absence.

"Tick, tick." I spoke to myself. I laid on the mattress, looking up at the ceiling and for the first time in awhile, I had a realization. One that would give me a gut wrenching feeling and chills to raise every last hair on my body. There were no screams, no hollers, no crying or footsteps. It was just complete and utter silence above.

Either I had lost hearing or there was nothing left to hear and I didn't know which was more terrifying.