The Bracelet

by Amira Luo

Bang! The gunshot rang in my ears. I dropped my gun and took a deep breath, my heart still racing.

My family has owned this nuclear energy company for many years. I let my employees dump all of the radioactive waste in the lake since it was much cheaper than burying it deep underground. Recently, I had heard many rumours that there were strange creatures made out of radiation wandering about. I must investigate the situation at the lake. I decided to carry a gun with me in case of an emergency.

I saw dozens of leaking barrels into the lake, with most of the radioactive waste mixing with the water. The lake was dark and murky and the water was still. I began walking towards my car to head home for the night. A strange bubbling sound came from behind me. An eerie light glowed and tinted my surroundings green. I turned around in alarm. A huge creature rose from behind me. It took the shape of a human and its face was wrinkled and bloody. Its skin was green and part of its flesh had rotted away. The monster’s teeth were as sharp as thorns. Its clothing was ripped and in tatters. It slowly walked towards me with its long, deformed arms reaching for me. I froze in shock for a few seconds. My fight or flight response activated and I tried to run from it as fast as possible. The faster I ran away from it, the faster it approached me. I tried to scream for help, but the words were stuck in my throat. No one could hear me. There was only one thing left to do, and that was to use my gun. I slid it out from my belt. My hands shook as I pulled the trigger. The monster shrieked an ear-piercing scream. It tumbled to the ground and lay still.

I breathed heavily and shook my head in disbelief. What was that terrible thing that just tried to kill me? I squinted and looked more carefully at the creature. Its body was now fully submerged in blood. Its eyes were still wide open. A strange bracelet was on its arm with a red string and heart charms. I shrugged and decided to take it home, wondering where I had seen it before.

Finally, after all that hassle, I reached home and opened the door.

“Have you seen Himari? She’s been missing for the whole day,” my wife asked me.

“I don’t think so. You shouldn’t have let her go outside. It’s not safe right now.”

“Oh, look! She made us a pair of matching bracelets. This one’s mine.”

It was a bracelet with a red string and heart charms.

My heart suddenly stopped beating as I remembered the bracelet that I had taken from the monster’s arm.