The Hunger Below (written by Universal Monk)

The basement reeked of damp rot and something sharper. More vulgar. Coppery, like blood. I clutched the flashlight, its beam jittering across the concrete. “Jake, you down here?” I called out, voice shaking.

A sloppy wet gurgle answered. I swung the light toward it.

There was Jacob slumped against the wall, his chest a gaping, glistening ruin, ribs jagged like broken teeth. His eyes, wide and glassy, locked on mine. “It… it’s still here,” he rasped, blood bubbling from his lips.

Something skittered in the shadows. I froze. A low, ravenous chuckle slithered through the dark. “You’re next,” it hissed.

END