Day Dreaming

Today, Daniel O’Donnell brings us a dark, atmospheric supernatural tale centered on a young man who encounters a mysterious girl during a Halloween night in Glasgow. (Guest Author Series)

“I brought you here to kill you.”

James looked curiously at the girl sitting next to him.

He wasn’t exactly sure what he’d heard. His heart was still thundering in his ears, blood racing through his veins, making his body thrum like a freshly played guitar string.

They’d been making out on this rickety old bench, with its peeling green paint and crumbling supports, for a while now. It was perched precariously on a grassy knoll at the top of one of the steep, tree lined streets in Glasgow’s west end.

Darkness had enveloped them.

It was late.

The rest of the world seemed to have taken on a strange consistency. Like it was a thin, distant mirage and the two of them existed in a universe of their own creation. Free from everyone else.

His thoughts were muffled and confused. What was her name again?

Breathing out slowly, he tried to clear his mind.

He had been at university for just over a month. It had taken a few weeks to find his feet, but James was a personable lad and soon made friends both in his course, and the wider community. His group had been in the midst of a raucous evenings at the student union, where they regularly gathered to pickle their livers and put the world to rights, when someone had pulled a poster from the bulletin board.

“Fancy dress Halloween party! We gotta go to this!”

And so it was they ended up traipsing up Byers Road dressed as musicians, gangsters and movie stars.

Not one of them a monster, ghoul or ghost.

Everyone else seemed to have got the same memo on costumes.

Except her.

That’s why she caught his eye.

She stood tall in a long black dress that highlighted her pale, unblemished skin. A sparkling ruby red choker was around her neck. Dark, curled tresses tumbled over her shoulders and framed smoky eyes that watched carefully as he walked over, without waiting for an introduction.

“You look incredible.”

Her ruby red lips curled into a smile over sharp teeth. “Thank you, James.”

Wait, did he know her?

She looked about the same age as him, but it was hard to tell. Was she in his year? His mind was already racing to catch up with his actions. He was never normally this forward.

They ended up talking for hours about the important and vital things that only seem to matter when you are young and still have hope for the world. Then, when she asked him if he wanted to take a walk, he didn’t hesitate.

And so he found himself in the middle of the night, next to a beautiful girl whilst dressed as Indiana Jones, trying to figure out why it was, the longer he sat next to her, the more unsure he felt.

They kissed again and he tasted fruit, smoke and something much deeper and full. His worries fled and he looked into her eyes again, completely smitten.

“You know I saw my family being murdered.”

The statement was so sudden and blunt that James lurched back in shock.

“What?! That’s terrible. I’m so sorry.”

“He kept me alive long enough to watch. Saved me for last.”

“I’m sorry,” he repeated lamely.

James was flailing, as he tried to grasp on to what he was being told. He wished his teenage mind could conjure more comforting words to ease her terrible sorrow, but he’d had too many beers, and nothing seemed enough.

And yet a question was itching at the back of his mind, if he could just find the clarity to ask it.

“It was a long time ago,” she sighed. “I made sure he paid for his crimes.”

She made a strange low growling noise at the back of her throat.

“What …?” James asked. Fear beginning to outweigh all other emotions.

She leaned in close to him.

“Where do you think we go when we die, James?”

The night sky and its millions of stars shimmered above, reflecting the dazzling city sprawled out before him, like a painted reflection of its celestial magnificence.

“I was raised a Catholic,” he began uncertainly. “Now I’m not sure anymore. Hopefully we see the people we’ve lost again. I hope so, but …”

His words trailed off. He looked at the girl sitting next to him and shuddered. Her hooded eyes glinted yellow in the jaundiced street lights, as a blood tear rolled down her porcelain cheek.

Then he finally understood her earlier words, and knew death was coming for him.

“I’ve got to go.”

He frantically tried to rise but his legs were pinned to the bench.

The growl came again. This time more guttural and hungry.

“I wonder …” she muttered huskily.

Her face was changing. Skin bulging and stretching. The jaw snapped and crunched, becoming elongated and angular. James tried to move, heart racing in terror, but his body was still fixed in place. He would witness this unfolding horror before the end came.

“I need you to see, James. See what happened to me and not let it happen to others. They must be stopped. I have chosen you. Do you accept this burden?”

“What? Who?” he whispered.

“Hold my hand.”

Her voice broke on the last word. He wrapped her ice cold fingers in his warm, shaking palm and did as he was told.

Long, sharp serrated teeth, like bleached white razor blades, pierced her gums, flesh tearing open, yet no blood came from the wounds. Goblets of flesh splattered wetly onto the bench between them as her mouth became a glistening, gore drenched maw of death.

James felt his mind start to break as it struggled to comprehend this monster in front of him.

It leaned forward, eyes now slits set deep in a narrow canine shaped skull. No longer human. Something foul and ancient and evil. A red, forked tongue slithered out and caressed his neck.

“Yessss,” the creature whispered.

Suddenly it scrambled back with a shriek.

He looked to the horizon and saw the first glimmers of dawn break over the city.

The creature tried to pull away, but it’s hand still held tightly onto his. Two souls fighting for supremacy in one host.

As the sun continued to climb, filling the sky with its golden radiance, there was another shriek of pain and James saw that the monster was shrivelling back, its face becoming human once more.

Its body convulsed with a hacking, spewing cough, and puked out a long, black slug like creature with straggly white veins running through its slimy body, onto the grass. As soon as the sunlight touched it, the thing burst apart with a pathetic high pitched squeal, and exploded in a wet plop of puss and blood.

The girl let out a shuddering sigh, and James was stunned to realise he was still holding her hand.

Her skin was even paler. Almost translucent.

“You saw?” she gasped and he could only nod. She removed her hand from his and he noticed that her choker was lying in his palm. “This shows you when they’re near. I’m tired of being their killer. I’ve fought it so long. It’s up to you now, James.”

Tears came to his eyes and he shook his head.

“I don’t know …” he began.

“My name was Rose.” The words were faint. Her skin started to glow in the red of the early morning light. “Find them. Hunt them. Avenge us.”

As the last words left her lips, the sun fully crested over the hill and set her body aflame.

James scrambled off the bench and stood watching as the fire consumed what had once been, many centuries before, a teenage girl, and yet now was also a monster straight out of his nightmares. She didn’t scream or cry out, but instead let the all consuming inferno take her, with a calm look of relief, her eyes never leaving his.

The swirling orange embers floated up and away, towards the brightening sky, taken on a never ending autumn breeze to dance and be free amongst the wonders of this world.

To be at peace.

And then it was over.

No mark was left on the wood of the horror and magic that had happened there.

Just a young man, standing with an ache in his heart, and deep fear in his soul.

Face turned to the blue sky, he let out a breath he had been holding for too long. The plume of air misted in the cold, like he was expelling part of what he had once been, and drifted solemnly away.

Then heat began to radiate from his hand. He opened his clenched fist, staring down at the scarlet gem lying in his palm.

It was glowing with a bright, desperate light.

James looked to the sprawling city he had once trusted, as it crouched menacingly below, and nodded.

His fingers closed over the jewel.

He knew what he had to do.

Halloween Guest Author Series

Halloween Candy | Spooky Season | Homecoming | A Dark and Dreary Night | Blood Moon on Halloween | Day Dreaming

Author's Note

Daniel O’Donnell

is a passionate short fiction writer who discovered his love for storytelling when he was just twelve years old! He has a knack for crafting captivating microfiction, spinning tales that range from 50 to 100 words, often with a delightful, eerie twist—perfect for curling up by the fireplace on those chilly nights. Daniel is also a huge fan of sci-fi and fantasy.

Besides his stories, Daniel shares essays about TV shows, movies, and books on his Substack, Dans Deliberations. He also takes every opportunity to say why his all-time favorite film is John Carpenter's classic, The Thing. In 2024, he was honored as the Most Valued Writer from Top in Fiction, which is pretty exciting! So, come join Daniel on his adventures through the weird, bizarre, and uncanny worlds of storytelling and entertainment! Subscribe to his Substack by clicking the button near the end of this page.

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