A Scary Story

The resort was located almost within the tiger sanctuary; it was rather like an island in the forest. We had been to many tiger sanctuaries and every visit had excited us with unknown apprehensions.

It was already dark when we reached the resort. We had hardly settled in our room when someone frenetically knocked on the door.

‘Please…. open…… quickly.’ We heard a shout; whoever was knocking on the door appeared intensely terrified.

‘No,’ said my wife, instinctively clutching my arm. I could feel the fear rising in her veins.

‘Please hurry…….open the door.’ What followed was a blood-curdling scream.

‘We have to do something.’ I ignored my wife’s protest and opened the door.

In a flash someone entered the room and bolted the door from inside. He was a forest guard. He was trembling like a dry leave.

‘Tigers….. I was locking the back gate….it is behind this hut…… I saw the tigers…….two tigers…..three…. jumping in……..they are inside,’ he blabbered with some effort.

We heard a strange noise; someone was scratching on the door, furiously. ‘It’s a tiger.’

The lights went off. We were all drowned in scary darkness. My wife almost screamed in fear. The guard was carrying a torch-light but he fumbled for many seconds before he could switch it on.

At that moment something crashed on the door. ‘It’s trying to break open the door. Last month a tiger broke the door of a house in the neighbouring village and killed a sick old woman.’

We were terrified. ‘Can’t we call the police or someone for help?’

‘No one will come. Everyone is scared of these tigers. The tigers are very angry with us. We have occupied their jungle.’

Another crash followed and it appeared that any moment the door would give in. I recalled having seen a second door in the bathroom. ‘We can leave through the bathroom, there’s another door.’

‘Yes, yes we can; but where will we go. All rooms are locked. There are some people in the dining hall but it’s quite at a distance. Tigers may be lurking near the dining hall.’

“But we can’t just wait here and do nothing,’ I took roughly clutched my wife’s arm and rushed to the bathroom; I opened the door but couldn’t dare to step out.

It was a dark outside and two glowing eyes were focused on us, unwaveringly.

Post for A to Z Challenge 2016

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