Short Story - The Start

  Photo by Roberto Nickson from Pexels

This is the first 350 or so words of a short story that I am working on. As I probably will entering the story in a competition in the next few months, with or with this beginning, I need to be a bit careful what is out in the public domain.

This is the start of a story that I have had in mind for nearly 30 years! I think that there are parts of it on 5.25inch floppy discs somewhere!

It will be nice to work it up into about a 4000-word story to see how it works. I would like to think that I could then plan a book out of it.

I read a raw version of this at Ottery writers earlier in the week and received some nice reviews.

What do you think it is? Where's it set?  And what's going to happen next?

Please feel free to comment below. - Many thanks

Perfectly camouflaged against the cloudy dark skies above, the big black shape took care in moving over the top of the slope. Below, its target was oblivious to any movement. Inch by inch it placed its feet without sound, instinctively knowing where twigs and leaves were laying on the ground. Head and body low, it stalked effortlessly towards the unsuspecting target. Patiently edging towards the innocent prey, its senses were hyperactive. Its eyes wide and the large pupils dragging all available light in; its nose was twitching, searching all around for any unanticipated presences. All was silent. Each deliberate step, each placement of the foot; feeling for anything that would give its presence away. The thundering silence could not be broken. Its quarry, even as alert as it was, had no clue to what was happening. One more step brought it to a halt. Its eyes were transfixed by the prize. With thoughtless precision, it instinctively transferred weight and power to its back legs. They slowly and gently slumped into a compressed position, the front legs almost becoming weightless, before the decisive pounce, the final hammer blow of the stalk. The hunter was aware of all that was around it, but its eyes were only fixed on the final goal. The time was now.

Suddenly, from the cloudy sky above, there was the whining noise of aircraft engines. Out of the gloomy sky, lights started to appear and breaking through the night sky loomed a huge airliner. The noise startled the prey and it looked towards the heavens to see what it was, the hunter could see its chance and pounced. The prey didn’t know what hit it. Within seconds its throat was clamped in a vice-like grip. It couldn’t breathe and it panicked violently. The clamp only tightened, squeezing the life away from its victim. Its eyes were wide open in the throes of death whereas the hunters narrowed in pleasure.