The Cooing that Caught Jane

She heard the unmistakable noise come from behind her door. Which made her skin shiver and her hair to go skyward. She was frozen a scream swelled from the bottom of her stomach to the back of her throat; yet she remained deathly silent.
The noises started about a month ago. Although it felt much longer than a month to poor Jane. Jane was a quiet women by nature never started anything that she couldn’t finish on her own. A strong country women who was often alone in her family house in the middle of woods. Ten miles away from the nearest neighbor fifteen from the town, yes Jane is quite alone. This did not bother her though she made her way through school without making any real friends. She prefered it that way Jane was only close to one person her Great Aunt Bertha who passed away two year ago. Jane was the only child an accident between two people who should for the good of all been fixed. When she was twelve her mother was beaten to death by her father who then shot himself. Jane then moved from the desert she grew to love to her Great Aunt’s house in the middle of the woods. She was content in her ways she enjoyed the sights and scents of her woods she gardened and worked part time at an antique store.
Jane was content until a month ago when the noises started. It began when she was taking her evening walk she heard a soft cooing at first she thought it was just a bird but the noise came closer and she realized she couldn’t hear anything else just the soft persistent cooing. The noise in itself wasn’t terrible but the silence that surrounded it was the thing of nightmares. The cooing came closer to her and she noticed that she had come to a stop. This is crazy she told herself and continued on in a faster pace the noise left and singing birds and chirping crickets soon filled the air once again. That morning she was surprised to find her front door open when she makes sure it is locked twice before bed. All day she could not shake the feeling that she was being watched. She told herself to stop being paranoid. However later that night and every night since she would wake up to the cooing noise. At the beginning of the month it seemed downstairs in the kitchen but to her horror she began to notice it becoming closer each passing night. Soon she slept no longer instead she lay awake in the silence of her house, the shutter that usually clank all night was hushed. The tree outside her window that rustled in the wind lay quiet. It seemed as though the world was put on pause and only the cooing remained. Jane tried to think logically of the situation what did she know; First thing she knew for certain was that it was getting closer and not louder for it remained the soft and gentle as if beckoning her to some horrible future. Second that she was not going to be scared off from her house and that here was no trace of any unknown presence in the morning. Third that she never heard any footsteps or anything else for that matter. Fourth it only comes at night she has yet to hear it in the daylight. Fifth when it reaches her door she’ll be ready.
Last night she heard it coo from the top of her stairs so today she prepares. Her Aunt taught her how to clean and shoot their old shotgun way before she could drive that was the most obvious weapon. She also had an axe used for chopping wood. Next she needed traps she had a few small traps that she puts out in the spring for rabbits. She stringed one up so that in will fall on that horrible thing when it enters. She then laid one at the bottom of her door. After that she crushed a lightbulb in a towel and put it before her door. So she could hear it approach. She placed the axe by the door and held the shotgun pointed at the door. Now she waits. As she waits she can’t help but ponder how something as simple as a sound caused her life to go upside down. How long has it been since she last went into town or been to the shop? What did her garden look like; did her roses bloom yet? Why did she stop enjoying her life? No more she thought this was going to end tonight one way or another.
She must have dozed off because when she awoke…She heard the unmistakable noise come from behind her door. Which made her skin shiver and her hair to go skyward. She was frozen a scream swelled from the bottom of her stomach to the back of her throat; yet she remained deathly silent. She did not hear any glass crinkle all she heard was that dreadful coo. If she hadn’t been watching it happen she would have never notice the doorknob start to turn.
This is it she thought and she swallowed her nerves but nothing could have prepared her for what was opening her door. In an instant what little sanity she had left went out the window. Towering before her was a mass that was more of a shape than a form. It had no face only dark gray fur all over. It would resemble a fury snowman if it weren’t for the four tentacles on either side of the beast; they had no suction cups on them. They came to a deadly sharp point. Peeking out from behind were two awful huge wings of what seemed like flesh. To top it all off the monster was hovering above the trap.
When Jane regained herself she fired shot aimed at the middle of the awful form. She wasted no time in releasing trap above what may be head that she hardly notice the buckshot fall from the beast to the floor. The trap fell and clapped shut over its’ top lump it let out a shriek. Jane took this time to realise her gun was useless and that it fur must act as a shield. At that moment the monster continued to shriek she noticed the cooing stopped and she could hear her house her world beneath the shrieking this fueled her. An in instant the monster lashed out a tentacle and snapped the shotgun in half with a loud bam all the while two tentacles from each side tried to remove the trap from its’ head.Jane then went for the axe…
“AAAAAAAAAA!!!!” Jane let out a battle cry as she swung the back end of the axe against the trap.
“ ARRRRRARRAHHARRAAA” , the monster let out a cry but Jane was already preparing to go for the tentacles.
“ Leave me alone you son of a b***h!!!” Jane screamed as she successfully relieved its side of four tentacles. “BOOOM.” the monster landed on the floor also causing the bottom trap to clasp on the monsters lower half.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!” Jane had successfully pissed off the monster. Jane did not hesitate and neither did the monster.
The beast lashed its’ terrible tentacles at Jane and managed to sever a thumb but to the monsters disbelief Jane did something unexpected…
“Hahhahahahahhahahahahaha!” she laughed hysterically as she already began to hack off its’ wings. What she heard next surprised her.
“Please stop please…” in the same bitter sweetness that the cooing was in.
Jane’s’ response was quite simple she laughed even harder a wide cheshire smile across her lips, “HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!” the whole time she was hacking away the beast pleaded and begged, “Please I’ll leave and never come back. Please of for the love of Glurok please stop. “
Jane hardly noticed the purple ooze gushing out the beast’s wounds. She was too busy enjoying herself for what felt like the first time.
“HAHAHAH! Finally silence.” the beast lay in pieces his cries were silenced long ago Jane stopped and smiled as she heard the wind in the tree outside and the crickets playing their nightly tune.
Jane was then brought back to reality by her throbbing pain coming from her thumb or lack thereof. She went to her bedside table and grabbed her hooched that she traded jam for. Taking a swig she poured it on her thumb she didn’t even wince. What to do with the pieces? Jane thought to herself wrapping her hand she went downstairs where she grabbed a rug. She then began to put all the purple stained pieces in the rug. Jane whistled a tune as she worked. Caring the now heavy rug down the stairs was strenuous but Jane made it happen. She then set the monstrous heap on a dirt patch near the driveway and went to the shed in search of lighter fluid. While watching the heap ignite she began to feel strange the stars shining above were like stage lights and the dirt beneath her feet a grand stage. She began to dance freely and to anyone watching it was a beautiful sight.
1 Year Later
Jane was taking her usual evening walk with her companion Bruce a golden retriever, when suddenly everything went quiet except a low cooing noise and this made Jane smile.