Sweet Haven (1st Place)

Word Count: 275

They came unseen at first, their diminutive numbers hidden by the moonless nights that encased this small forgotten town. Wrapped so deep within its misery, the two-legged population paid little attention to them, and thankfully so. They flourished upon the death that hung like a shroud around this human settlement. During the day, they buried themselves deep beneath the recently abandoned houses and rotting barns and sheds, preferring the dark and dankness of such places. Hundreds of gold beady eyes glimmered from the shadows like fireflies caught in ebony webs. Their population grew each day, ever searching for food in order to nest and multiply. Now they had another important task to fulfill. They had found the perfect domain here in Canoria; the smell of death was so sweet and tangible, it proved a beckon to all of their kind.

They skulked from one musty place to another, always keeping to the dark of the shadows, thriving in the gloom. Long leathery tails followed behind them and sharp, tiny claws scratched upon the dust-covered ground. The humans ignored them, blinded by their deep-rooted grief of the many loved ones lost to this horrid disease.

The majority of their population congregated at the ‘pit’ where the pile of dead bodies grew every day - before flames set them alight. The eerie sounds of their high-pitched warnings to their brethren filled the air like tormented banshees. Their kind knew to run to safety when the scent of pitch reached their sensitive noses.

Yes … this was their haven, their sanctuary, and within each of them they carried the power … they carried the plague.