A New End?

"Ugh, I can't sleep."

"Just close your eyes."

Tanke sat up from his stiff goat fur cot. he rubbed his eyes drowsily, and turned to his friend, Rythe.

"That's, not gonna' work, Ry'." Tanke remarked.

Rythe sat up. "It's not spose' to work. It's just somethin' parents say that they think 'ill work."

Almost abruptly, a gargled screech broke the unbearable silence.

"What was that?" Rythe asked fearfully.

"I don' wanna know!" Tanke covered his head with his blanket.

Rythe got up from his cot and stepped toward the window of which to sound came from.

"You know, there's rumors of a man-witch 'round these parts." Rythe said slyly.

"Don't joke 'bout that stuff Rythe!" Tanke  was getting nervous.

Rythe paused, "Hey, should we check it out?"

"WHAT!" Tanke gasped. "We're not gonna go outside! Yer' Ma, and Pap' would get mad!"

"So?" Replied Rythe, who was already halfway out the window. "I never listen to them after dark!"

"I still don' think-"

"Shut up, you scaredy-cat."

Another screech broke though.

"Ugh!! Fine!" Tanke gave in, exiting the room through the window.

------------------------

Through the night they traveled, stopping after every screech. At last they reached the cave where the screams emitted. It was past midnight at that time, for the moon shone on the dust around the mouth of the cave. Unnatural red light came through the opening.

"Something feels... off... about this place." Rythe remarked.

"Y-yeah." Said Tanke, not quite used to waking around in his night clothes. "Do... we go in?"

"...Yeah..." 

Rythe stepped into the cave. The air felt stuffy, like the air did not move right. Rythe walked slowly, promptly he slipped on a pebble, sliding into the redness. Tanke screamed something he couldn't make out.

"Oof!" Rythe landed with a thud. He certainly was somewhere, but he couldn't make it out. The air was more stiff than when he was at the mouth of the cave, it was almost unbearable. The red light was more bright. 

Rythe quickly discovered what made made the screeches, it was an red liquid substance, inside the mass seemed to be a trapped person, drowning in the crimson substance. 

"Oh God!" Rythe exclaimed.

"EEEAAARRRRRRRCCCAAAAA!!" The person's distress quickly turned to rage. It used it's left claw-like hand, straining through the liquid.

Rythe cursed, backed away, and looked around to see a way out. The way he came in seemed to disappear.

The creature crawled closer. Almost touching Rythe with it's claw. Rythe, pressed against the wall.

            Moon Dust: Strange Signs