The Townsend

by MemoryLane

Chapter Three

“Hello…?” Jazz called out, only to be greeted with the twisted sound of stillness.

Where did it go?

She was sure that she had heard something, not even a few seconds ago — some sort of weird, thumping sound that followed the beat of a metronome. Was somepony trying to get her attention? For just a brief second, Jazz’s face actually relaxed when that little sliver of hope emerged. “Hello? Is somepony out there?”

Jazz’s flashlight had begun to shake a little harder in her hooves. The pessimism was starting to set in, causing a few fearful tears to well up in her eyes. She was tempted to close her eyes, shake it off, and keep moving — however she wasn’t that dense. Jazz took a small breath, and worked up every single inch of courage she had.

Jazz slowly turned around.

Nothing.

The mare’s yellow eyes scanned the horizon. The street was untouched — uninhabited by anypony else but her. Jazz let out a relieved sigh, turning her attention to the ground for merely a moment. “Get a hold of yourself…” Jazz muttered, cursing herself for letting her mind play tricks like that. “Just… calm down."

Despite what she was telling herself, she was certain of what she had heard. That strange pounding sound was still ringing in her eardrums — a memento of her inner fears and nyctophobia manifesting themselves in real life. Though, she couldn’t think about it. She internally screamed at herself to knock it off. She hadn’t heard a thing. It was just her mind. She had to keep moving.

The police station was awaiting her.

Jazz turned back around, keeping her flashlight pointed way into the distance. The police station was still a mile or so away. She had a ways to go. If somepony else was still awake, they’d have to be there, right? J

Jazz’s father’s words played in her head like a broken record. “If you ever find yourself in trouble, just come down to the station. No one can hurt you here, pumpkin. Someone is always here to help you.”

If only she hadn’t made the decision to move from Canterlot to Stableside. Her father had been so proud of her moving out and taking on the world on her own. However, she knew her father’s station like the back of her hoof.

Jazz kept walking. One step. Two step. Three steps.

She passed the homes of ponies of whom she just vaguely knew. She passed a park that was home to many memories created by the community that she would probably never speak to again. She passed the store that she would walk to every morning for groceries. She passed the cafe, the only true outlet she ever had.

As she walked past each and every one of her standing memories, she cherished every step away from them she took, especially the coffee shop. Her years of performing her poetry were some of her favorites. From the eccentric crowd constantly being drawn in to the wonderful aroma, to the shamelessly passionate music and stories that have been told on that small stage in the back of the shop.

She stopped upon the thought, after having walked a good number of blocks from her home. Her eyes grazed the sign hanging on top — the one that read “Bits and Bites Coffee”. The sign itself was created by the middle school a few miles down the road. Bits, and her younger sister, Bites, actually paid the school’s art program and their excited kids to create the sign. The result was a very boisterous, flower and coffee bean covered sign that Jazz could see from all the way down the road.

Jazz gave in after she could still smell the sweet coffee grounds radiating in the air. Jazz kept her flashlight aimed at the glass doors, and for the first time since she made her way to the police station, veered from the road. Her hooves clopped on the concrete below her as she walked forward. “I wish I would have brought my pen and paper, at least,” she mused. The small sign in the window said “Closed! Happy Townsend!”, followed by a crudely drawn smiley face that could have been done by nopony else but Bites. Jazz sighed. What she’d give for a mug of their coffee right about then. It was a shame that coffee was one of the last things in the world she needed at the moment.

Jazz turned around, but then she stopped.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

There it was — that sound. She was sure she had heard it this time, however it was way closer than before, albeit muffled, like someone was punching a pillow with upstanding might.

“Hello?” Jazz whispered. The sounds were too close to ignore, and it seemed to come from inside of the coffee shop. Her heart quickened at her own very specific idea. “Hello? Is somepony in there?” Jazz lowered the flashlight, and grabbed the handle of the door.

Locked.

“Is somepony there? Please, let me in!” she cried, raising her voice for the first time. She shook the handle a few more times than necessary, as the thumping grew louder. Whatever was in there must have been bumping into things, and making quite a racket.

Jazz had had enough. She turned off her flashlight and gently placed it in her satchel. She put her left hoof on the glass, and peered inside. “Hello-”

On the other side of the glass, not even five feet away from the door, were eyes.

Large, peering eyes — the size of basketballs.

Eight of them.

Jazz jumped back, and let out a throat-shattering scream that had the potential to wake every single sleeping pony in Stableside, and not a moment too soon. From inside of the coffee shop, whatever was peering back at her let out a shrill, ear-bursting cry that shook the earth below her. The sound was ungodly — a noise that rattled her brain and made her eyes go so wide that they started to hurt from the lack of moisture. It sounded like a pig was being slaughtered right in front of the world’s largest megaphone.

Jazz fled immediately, hardly getting a look at the monster in the window before making a full sprint down the road.

Not even four steps later, she heard the mighty crash of the glass doors exploding just behind her. She wasn’t a rocket scientist, but she knew immediately what was happening.

Whatever the creature was, it rammed through the glass doors, possibly destroying the front of her favorite building. However, Jazz wasn’t concerned about that. What was, indeed, bothering her was the simple fact that whatever had the strength to break an entire glass entrance…

Was outside with her.

Jazz let loose another deafening scream, unable to bring herself to look at the monstrosity behind her. She forced her legs to move, despite the fact that they had turned to jelly moments ago. The frightful tears in her eyes only made it difficult to tell where she was going in the darkness of Stableside.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The sounds that the monster made followed her as she ran, screaming like an absolute banshee down the road that led to the police station. The thumping sounds were chasing her, getting closer and closer as the mare’s adrenaline finally kicked in at full maximum.

The thumping sounds were the monsters footsteps. She hadn’t heard a pony earlier — she had heard this monsters steps… stalking her for blocks and blocks.

The sounds came closer, as did the shrill cry that the screeching cry that could have penetrated the heavens. Whatever the monster was, it was faster than her, and it rattled the very air that entered Jazz's lungs.

Jazz welcomed death. She knew she was going to die ever since she found herself awake that night. However, after having stared it right in the face, Jazz couldn’t bring herself to die.

Jazz’s hooves moved at mach speed, faster than she had ever documented herself running in her life. Her heart felt like it was going to explode as the monster sprinted right along behind her as an astonishingly quick pace. No matter how fast Jazz would run, the monster would always be moving faster — gaining on her, reaching for her… hungry for her.

There was no way to outrun it. She was going to die.

Jazz tried to holler actual words, but all that came out was a garbled mess. Every attempt to call for help came in vain. Even if she could get it out, nopony would hear.

Nopony was awake. She was the only occupant of Stableside.

Not for long.

She sprinted past the pharmacy, and took a hard left at the intersection. The monster cried out, and another loud crash was heard. Had it ran into something? Jazz would never know. Whatever happened, she hoped it slowed whatever was chasing her down as she entered the middle of town.

The police station!

She had no other choice. She couldn’t run forever. Her heart could only take so much before it would simply explode on its own — making an easy meal out of her.

As the buildings around her grew in size and shape, Jazz made a hard right onto Mayberry street. Another cry escaped from the monster, one that threatened to destroy Jazz’s sensitive eardrums. Jazz wanted to wipe the tears out of her eyes, but the risk of her tripping over herself was too large.

She was so close — only a block away.

She dipped into a thin alleyway, barely managing to squeeze through.

She ran. She ran, and ran, and ran, as the sounds of the monster grew quieter and quieter. It’s defeated cries and hungry shrieks dying out as it was left behind on Mayberry street, unable to fit through the alleyway Jazz hadn’t even thought about being an escape route.

She hadn't been thinking at all, actually. She couldn’t bring herself to. The word “Run!” replayed over and over and over in her mind until she made it to the police station, one of the only places in town that was prepared with a backup generator. It’s lights shown brightly in the dark, disgusting streets as Jazz made a beeline.

She practically slammed into the door, failing to open it before she could slow herself down. Much to her gratefulness, the door opened. Jazz disappeared inside, bathing herself in light as the door gently closed behind her.

She damn near broke every door that came in her way, until she reached the stairs leading to the cells. After taking a single step, Jazz tripped. Landing on a very uncomfortable part of her front leg at the bottom of the staircase, she dared not to stop and assess the damage she had caused. She got up, and started limping. Opening the door with her injured hoof, she jumped behind the desk.

Dad, where are they? You always said they’d be here! Police officers always kept them here!

Had it not been for the dimly swinging light in the middle of the room, Jazz would have never been able to locate the keys for the jail cells. She didn’t even celebrate. She tossed herself in the cell, potentially hurting herself further. She got up, and hurriedly closed the barred jailed door. She stuck one of the many keys in the lock located near the edge of the door, and jumped back, neglecting to make sure the keys were secured to the lock. She didn’t notice them fall out, and bounce off the floor about ten feet away.

She wasn’t worried about that. Everything was still, once again. Jazz’s twitching eyes showed no relief as she finally brought herself to fully wail in fright. Her cries echoed off the cemented walls of the jail cell, and she collapsed on the lone mattress in the corner of the room.

With aching legs and a wet face, Jazz dug her head in her hooves and trembled.

Comments

[QueenChrysalisForever]

Yay new chapter, and COLT was it a heart-thumping one! My poor heart is still a pitter pattering. Can hardly wait to see what happens next. If we meet any of the other poor ponies that couldn't fall asleep, or if poor Jazz meets her end. Keep up the good work!

[Semblance]

Not even four steps later, she heard the mighty crash of the glass doors exploding just behind her.

I wonder if waking up to massive property damage is a common part of townsend.

[Journeyman]

Oh, you poor dear. You're safe, but now you're backed into a corner.