The man who Called Himself God - Spooktober 2024

I huddled in the shed with 10 other people, scared to shift my weight, talk with anyone, or even breathe too heavily. Anything to ensure our safety as the monster stalks the small town, scanning the buildings with its bright purple eyes, lighting up the insides of the tiny cracks between the walls. The night sky was devoid of the moon and stars, providing us with a good, dark place to hide. A faint purple light shone dimly on the ceiling of the shed we hid in, indicating it was coming closer.

The light suddenly disappeared as it found its next snack.

"AAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHHGHGHGH"

My body tensed up as I heard the screams of Nathaniel, the town butcher, from a couple blocks down. His screams ended almost as soon as they started, the terrifying speed of the monster being put on show with just the sounds of a scream.

The purple light reappeared slowly, and dread sunk into my heart. It continued its prowl, the light getting brighter and brighter. The light got fainter as it seemingly turned away from our shed.

A slight whimper came from the thatcher's son. His mother quickly pinned her hand against his mouth to prevent any more noises from escaping his lips.

It was too late, though. The purple light snapped to our shed, lighting the entire room. Its eyes pierced through the cracks of the weak wooden wall, threatening to break it down with just its gaze.

However, it didn't move.

It simply stared through the wall as if daring one of us to make a move or noise and confirm our positions in the shed. No one took the challenge and stayed statue still. A tear ran down my face, but I dared not to wipe it away and let it fall to the ground. I dared not even close my eyes in case it took that movement as an invitation to pounce.

Besides death staring at us on the other side of the thin wooden wall, the scariest part was the lack of noise. No animalistic grunt, no loud breathing through its nose, and now that I think about it, not even its footsteps made a noise, nor when it killed the Nathaniel.

My heartbeat became impossibly loud, and I feared it would take that as the challenge. But it stayed, stayed utterly still, the light unwavering. I feared I would die simply from the stare.

Suddenly, I noticed a golden light that slowly started to overpower the piercing purple light. The monster seemed to see this too and turned away, the ethereal golden glow acting as our saviour for now.

The monster made its first and last noises as it roared in pain and anger, almost shattering my eardrums with sheer loudness. I and everyone else desperately covered our ears, going into the fetal position to help quell the noise. After about 30 seconds, the noise stopped, and the golden glow remained as if God had decided to save us.

The heavy breathing of everyone in the shed replaced the noise of death screams. A couple started crying and hugging each other; the Thatcher family did the same.

"WORRY NOT SCARED LAMBS; YOUR GOD HAS SAVED YOU." The voice boomed across the town. "COME FROM YOUR HIDING SPOTS AND RELISH IN YOUR SURVIVAL."

Everyone looked at each other, and we anxiously stood up to leave the small shed. James, the father of the Thatcher family, ventured out first, nervously opening the shed door. He peeked out initially and then found the confidence to fully step out into the open. He beckoned us to come out as well, a smile of relief across his face.

The other surviving townspeople were doing the same, and everyone started slowly walking towards our saviour, a young-looking man with a golden aura backing him. He stood atop the bloody corpse of the demonic monster, its bright purple eyes no longer shining. His body was unbelievably toned and radiated strength. He seemed godly. A great, confident, and superior smile was plastered on his face. His eyes were wide with confidence and happiness and pierced differently from the monster. They seemed to stare directly at me, examining my entire existence. Yet I didn't feel the least bit disturbed by the intense gaze. Instead, I felt safe and reassured that this man, no, this godly figure, was here.

He stared at everyone until someone eventually asked, "Who are you?"

"Who am I, you ask? I am God." He said this as if it were an obvious statement. Someone else asked, "You are our God? Thank you, my lord, thank you for answering our prayers."

God laughed a little, "Nay, you mistake me. I am not your Chrstian God, he never answers your prayers." Gasps of shock were heard from all the survivors, including myself. "I am named God and will do far more for you than your god will ever do. However, I force you not to follow me, but if you do so choose to, state your intention now and pray to me. Your prayers will make you all my followers and will allow me to help if another threat such as this were to appear before you once more."

Nervous glances appeared between all the townspeople, scared to forsake the God we have been worshipping our entire lives. I made my mind up. I would follow this man here who states his name as God.

I pushed through the crowd of still-deciding onlookers and took my position before him on the ground.

"YOU are my God now. YOU are who I will pray to now. YOU are my saviour now." I stated loud and clear for all to hear. I knelt on the ground, closed my eyes, and put my hands together in prayer. I heard rustling from the crowd as another person made their way forward and knelt beside me in prayer. More and more people followed suit, all kneeling in prayer towards our new God until, eventually, the entire town accepted this new God and began praying to him.

"Worry not my followers, as long as you hold me dear in your hearts, you will NEVER experience the fear and loss you have tonight." His words reverberated throughout my entire being and soul. "Now, fall back to sleep in the comfort of your own homes and worry not of the disrepair of your town. I will fix everything for you. So sleep, sleep to your hearts content and awake tomorrow with a hope filled heart."

Everyone did as he told and returned home to their beds, hope filling their sleep.

...

Dawn broke, and I awoke, happy with the new God I accepted into my heart. I got dressed and exited my house to try and find God. I knew he wasn't here anymore, but this did not sadden me, for I knew he would be there for me and all the surviving townspeople.

God's presence could still be felt from the golden glow of the morning sun and the fact that no damage could be seen in any of the buildings in town.

We held funerals for the dead and prayed for their safe passage in the afterlife. There were no bodies to bury, so instead, we buried their prized possessions. We prayed in the name of not the Christian God but the man who called himself God.