Darkness Reigns

The blood curdling screams rang out into the night The little beggars were dragging someone to their lair Huddled together, trembling with fear, we closed our eyes She whispered “Do you think they will come?” I held my breath and forced my hand across her frail chin There was nothing I could do or say to ward off the knockers Paralyzed I watched her as she bit deep her lips drawing drops of blood As the screams echoed into the black night air I grabbed a bottled drink The putrid odor caused me to wretch but I forced a sip She pushed it away causing the grey, dank liquid to spill What had we become? Monsters, sickly beings, animals This was no life for a human, this was not our world It began with what they called a pandemic, a virus We were forced to isolate, forced to wear masks, our identities were lost The vaccine came in a hurry, one dose or two, it was forced on everyone The elderly got sick first, hair loss, teeth breaking, nails turning black Then animals changed dogs grew long sharp teeth and doubled in size Cats turned to mangy horrific beasts that would gnaw tails until they fell off A nightmare began nation against nation, trickery from those in power The sun was barely visible, plants wilted and turned to mush The water changed to a grey gel and then the eclipse hit Once the moon covered the sun it froze and our world became dark Freezing temperatures killed off many of the children The heat suits were rationed and some malfunctioned burning those inside No one survived the burns, it was as if they melted in the suit The little beggars with their pointy ears and scraggly hair would run up and drag the remains away leaving nothing but a burn mark in their wake We, the survivors live in fear, costumed in soiled rags, visions fading into darkness 05/02/2021 Written for A Poem of Horror Poetry Contest Sponsored by Funom Makama