Dark Rain

• Eloise Newman, Grade 11
• Short Story
• 2013

One thing that should be clarified is that this was not an epidemic that began with one person. In fact, humans had no part to play in this disaster. This virus was discreet. It stealthily slipped into the town and decimated the population so efficiently that doctors barely had time to identify the victims before they too succumbed to their fate.
In the very early hours of June 4th, 1874, an ear-splitting shriek resounded through the rustic, western streets of Pillton. Almost every one of the 1300 inhabitants woke to the noise, aside from Danny Lister, an elderly citizen whose hearing was failing. What did rouse Danny Lister and cause him to peer out his window was the vibration of a thick, almost rain-like substance hitting the roof of his shack. If others had looked out the windows of their rooms instead of cowering from the commotion, they too would have seen the red, sticky liquid running down the panes and walls. However, by the time the dark rain had ceased and anyone had the courage to step outside, the streets had returned to their normal dusty state, and it was almost as though nothing had ever touched their once-safe town. The only identifiable source of the shriek appeared to be the huge swarm of black creatures that flew high in the night sky, silhouetted against the bright full moon – the bats that only Danny Lister saw.
If the people had looked to their fields they may have seen the crimson, viscous substance soaking into their crops. None of them saw the red dripping into the roots of their pumpkins and carrots and potatoes. If they had, perhaps they would not have eaten them the very next day. Of course, it is not in a human’s nature to ignore something of beauty, and by the next morning all that the people in Pillton acknowledged was that overnight their vegetables had grown to a size and apparent richness never seen before. Only Danny Lister did not consume them. He observed quietly and anxiously as his neighbours feasted on their engorged produce, unaware of the dangers which Danny Lister prophesised would befall his town.
People began dying that very night. At an alarming rate they passed, only to Stand once again several minutes later, with sharp teeth and eyes the colour of the sun. For some, their contaminated crops did not destroy them fast enough - and before they too could Stand, their bodies had Fallen, puncture marks adorning their skin as the handiwork of the new monsters. Within two days, 1200 people had either Stood or Fallen. It was clear to the few survivors that there was little hope of leaving Pillton. Only Danny Lister remained silently confident.
He knew that there was only one way to escape such an unnatural death. As he raised his gun to his head, he could not help but reprimand himself for not warning the town sooner about what he knew to be Vampires.