Horror logo

Caged

Release the tiger!

By Joseph Roy WrightPublished 8 months ago 3 min read
Let her out



She didn't know why. Only that those angry humans had captured her, for reasons she could not possibly comprehend. Other tigers in the jungle had told her about the "hunters", the pale, furless creatures that wore other animal skins upon their bodies. The tiger did not know why, but the idea frightened her a great deal. She wondered if that's what they had planned for her, to skin her and wear her fur. The idea made the poor tiger sick, literally. She puked all over the floor inside her cage.
"Bad girl!" One of them roared, she could not possibly understand what he was trying to communicate, only that it was human noises, ones impossible for her to truly decipher. They prodded her with an electric pole, it stung like agony.
"You better behave yourself!" They made that strange, creepy noise again. The tiger wept, before falling asleep, dreaming of a better life, hoping her capture was nothing but a terrifying nightmare.

It wasn't. She woke up again and found herself in that same metal cage, the tiger was frustrated and furious. She tried tearing down the solid metal bars, thrashing wildly, roaring loudly and biting.
"It's no use, ya dumb animal!" One of the hunters sneered, but the tiger sneered back, trying to intimidate the terrifying creature. The hunter made a strange coughing noise, as if amused.
"Thick animal, you can't escape!" It made that noise again. The tiger roared incredibly loudly at the human, who actually jumped in fright, then fled off, speed walking away. The tiger may have been caged, but she knew those strange animals on two feet were still afraid of her, despite her captivity. She was getting hungry and those humans looked tasty.

The tiger was smarter than they thought, she pretended to be tired, waiting for them to open the cage to feed her. Somehow she knew this, perhaps she'd seen this happen to other captured animals or was told to do this by others who had escaped zoos or containment. Just as she predicted, her cage door opened, a shy human crept into the cage delicately, before dropping a fresh, juicy piece of red meat. However, that wasn't enough to satisfy this tiger's hunger. Suddenly, it leaped up onto all fours and struck the scared human, knocking it down onto its back, before the tiger began her delicious feast.
"No! God please no!" The human made a crying noise, before the tiger sliced their jugular, then drank their blood. It was lovely. Like orange juice for tigers. There were other human noises too, those of panic. The tiger looked up and saw humans with longer hair and feminine features, as well as smaller, younger humans who were possibly little human cubs. They all looked so damn tasty, the tiger didn't care about ending human life. They all deserved this, some of them she wouldn't even eat, just kill purely out of vengeance. The cage door was left wide open, so she exited and became the human hunter, chasing the smaller ones into corners, before devouring them completely, savouring their delicious taste. She seemed to be in some kind of human territory, one where humans gawked at wild animals in cages and behind glass boxes. This must've been one of those infamous 'Zoos' the other tigers had warned her about. She hated them all, chasing the scared humans as they screamed in fits of frantic terror! Out of nowhere, there was the sound of a loud, deafening bang, then she felt a sharp pain at the back of her leg, as if a speeding mosquito had suddenly decided to feast upon her. This made the tiger feel woozy and then unconscious. She never awoke again.

fiction

About the Creator

Joseph Roy Wright

Hello there!

My name is Joseph Roy Wright, the British author of over 30 Independent novels!

I like to write about movies, pop culture, fiction and horror! I review all the latest films (and classics), I also like to write short stories.

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2026 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.