“The Break”

Author’s Note: This is a Take Ten to Write story and has not been proofread for errors. If I feel inspired or if there’s interest in the story, I’ll post a revised, edited, and extended version at a later date. Happy reading!

No one had ever dared venture into the Break before. At least, not on purpose. Those who were exiled from the city were sent to the Break to die. Their screams would be heard late in the night, providing the music for the rising moon.

But the time for fear was over. Fire chased them from North while Nightcreepers trapped them in from the East and West. The unknown seemed better–safer–than the known. The Break was their last chance.

And so, they prepared. They packed up their entire village and tried to ignore the chills that clawed at their spines every time they thought about the Break. They collected supplies and tried to push the screams of the exiled to the back of their minds. They gathered their children and tried to reverse the bedtime stories that they had told them about the Break to scare them into behaving.

They tried to reprogram their instincts. They thought that they had done it. Every day leading up to their departure seemed easier and less scary.

But when they were in front of the Break, the chills, the screams, the stories, the fear… Everything returned.

Final Comments: I had an idea about a creature who lives in the Break, but I didn’t get to writing it in the 10 minutes…

Overall Rating: 😲