//------------------------------//
// The Restless Heart 
// Story: Equestrian Nightmares 
// by leeroy_gIBZ 
//------------------------------//

The Restless Heart

Shining Armor tried to open the door and found that it was locked. He fumbled in his pocket for the key and cursed when he realized that it was still in his coat, which lay in a crumpled heap on the floor of his living room. He sighed, his breath fogging against the door of his patrol car, and he grabbed a nearby garden gnome.

The vehicle’s window shattered in the chill winter morning. Shining wrenched the door open and clambered inside the car, wincing as the jagged shards of glass stabbing into his legs. Pushing the pain aside, the policeman tore open the compartment beside the steering wheel and tried to hotwire his own car with shivering hands.

More glass exploded as the thing crashed through an upstairs window and smashed like a meteorite into the gravel driveway, just a few feet behind the number plate. Shining looked back down, keeping his head low and jamming wires together and praying for a spark.

Its footsteps were an uneven rotted clop and scrape as it lurched towards him. The thing that was Flurry Heart approached the broken window like a demented stop motion as its father worked desperately.

“Daddy.” Whispered the thing as its face came into view.

“You’re dead. You’re not real.” Shining muttered, try more to convince himself of that than stave of the horror.

“Read me a story.” It demanded, tugging at the door handle with worm-eaten hands covered it grave dirt.

“Go away. Go away. Just leave, please!”

“But I miss you. We all do.” The thing reached into the car, blindly clawing for its father.

It sunk its filthy nails into Shining’s shoulder just as the car roared to life. Shining hammered down the accelerator with and screamed. His ride finally obeyed and lurched forward, the wickedly sharp chunks of broken glass still fixed to the door ripped the zombie’s arm off with a spray of black blood.

Miles later, Shining ripped the still-twitching thing out of his arm and tossed it onto the highway tarmac. As it watched the wretched limb crawl back home, he spotted Flurry Heart in his rear-view mirror, galloping after him like a rabid dog. He shoved down the gas pedal again, but the dead girl was gaining.