Breathe.
-
Knock.
Steven’s eyes flew open he tried to turn his head toward the nightstand. It
moved easily and he saw that it was 3 a.m. Another knock, the normal pattern.
The horror of being unable to move in his own bed washed over him, and for a
moment he was afraid he might not be able to sit up. But his brain gave the
commands to his muscles and he found himself able to sit easily.
Another knock. Dad!
He raced
into the hallway. It was empty. Grief and guilt hit him like a tidal wave. He
was supposed to have kept an eye on him, to have protected him. But he had
fallen asleep, or been forced asleep — he wasn’t sure which — and now his
father was missing. He called out for him, and began frantically searching the
house. The final knock sounded. Steven raced from room to room, calling for
Roy, checking corners, closets. Nothing upstairs. He went downstairs,
continuing the search.
He found him
in the bathroom downstairs. Roy was curled up in the bathtub, sleeping. Steven
inspected him – no blood.
“Dad! Dad!”
he shouted, attempting to wake him. “Please wake up, dad! You’ve got to wake
up!”
He felt his
father’s body come to life and saw his eyes open to look at him. They were
perfectly fine. Steven let out a sigh of relief, and sat back on the bathroom
floor as his father awoke and gathered his wits.
“What time
is it?” Roy asked.
“I have no
idea,” Steven replied, “but I’m so glad you’re OK. Do you know what happened?
Do you know how you got down here?”
Roy grabbed
Steven’s arm, pulled him. “Steven, I know exactly what happened. Take me home.”
“What
happened? Tell me,” Steven implored.
“Not while
we’re still in the house. Take me to the car, drive me home.”
They walked
together, Steven offering to help Roy, but Roy insisting he didn’t need help.
Steven left Roy at the basement door while he went upstairs to get the car
keys. When he returned they went to the car together. The chair that Roy had
been sitting on in the hallway was on top of the hood.
“What the
fuck?” Steven exclaimed.
“It’s a
message,” Roy said. “Take it off and get in the car. We need to leave.”
Chapter Seven
Back at
Roy’s house it was still dark, but Steven and Roy had turned on all the lights.
Coffee was brewing in the kitchen, and Steven was trying to understand what had
happened to Roy during the trance.
“So you know
about the blood?” Steven asked. “Your eyes were gouged out.”
“I saw it
all. And more. Before you woke up in the hallway and tried to save me, I saw
plenty. The faces you described in your bedroom, the disembodied head, all of
it.”
“They all
appeared to you in the hallway?” Steven asked.
“No, not in
the hallway. In the trance. It’s a different place altogether. It felt like
other trances I’ve been in, years ago. Something yearning, trying to
communicate, and doing a damn poor job of it. But then, something else entirely
different. Something else I’ve never felt before. Completely overwhelmed the
trance, I lost all control of it. Then I felt my eyes being torn out. From then
on, the whole thing felt like an assault.”
Steven
didn’t know if he should share with his dad that he had had the same feeling
during the incident. The feeling of being violated, assaulted. Having something
overwhelm, control, and take something from you.
Roy paused,
reflecting. “The only word for the latter part of the trance was evil. I know
you don’t think much of that, and to be honest with you that’s not how I view things
either. But this was dark, unusually dark. So opposite of anything I consider
good and decent, the best word to describe it is evil.”
Steven
thought it best to let his father’s assessment stand, but he didn’t want to
acknowledge that he’d had the same opinion. “Are you all right? Physically? It
was horrifying to see you with your eyes torn out.”
“I’m fine. Exhausted
though. Feel like I need a
-
Knock.
Steven’s eyes flew open he tried to turn his head toward the nightstand. It
moved easily and he saw that it was 3 a.m. Another knock, the normal pattern.
The horror of being unable to move in his own bed washed over him, and for a
moment he was afraid he might not be able to sit up. But his brain gave the
commands to his muscles and he found himself able to sit easily.
Another knock. Dad!
He raced
into the hallway. It was empty. Grief and guilt hit him like a tidal wave. He
was supposed to have kept an eye on him, to have protected him. But he had
fallen asleep, or been forced asleep — he wasn’t sure which — and now his
father was missing. He called out for him, and began frantically searching the
house. The final knock sounded. Steven raced from room to room, calling for
Roy, checking corners, closets. Nothing upstairs. He went downstairs,
continuing the search.
He found him
in the bathroom downstairs. Roy was curled up in the bathtub, sleeping. Steven
inspected him – no blood.
“Dad! Dad!”
he shouted, attempting to wake him. “Please wake up, dad! You’ve got to wake
up!”
He felt his
father’s body come to life and saw his eyes open to look at him. They were
perfectly fine. Steven let out a sigh of relief, and sat back on the bathroom
floor as his father awoke and gathered his wits.
“What time
is it?” Roy asked.
“I have no
idea,” Steven replied, “but I’m so glad you’re OK. Do you know what happened?
Do you know how you got down here?”
Roy grabbed
Steven’s arm, pulled him. “Steven, I know exactly what happened. Take me home.”
“What
happened? Tell me,” Steven implored.
“Not while
we’re still in the house. Take me to the car, drive me home.”
They walked
together, Steven offering to help Roy, but Roy insisting he didn’t need help.
Steven left Roy at the basement door while he went upstairs to get the car
keys. When he returned they went to the car together. The chair that Roy had
been sitting on in the hallway was on top of the hood.
“What the
fuck?” Steven exclaimed.
“It’s a
message,” Roy said. “Take it off and get in the car. We need to leave.”
Chapter Seven
Back at
Roy’s house it was still dark, but Steven and Roy had turned on all the lights.
Coffee was brewing in the kitchen, and Steven was trying to understand what had
happened to Roy during the trance.
“So you know
about the blood?” Steven asked. “Your eyes were gouged out.”
“I saw it
all. And more. Before you woke up in the hallway and tried to save me, I saw
plenty. The faces you described in your bedroom, the disembodied head, all of
it.”
“They all
appeared to you in the hallway?” Steven asked.
“No, not in
the hallway. In the trance. It’s a different place altogether. It felt like
other trances I’ve been in, years ago. Something yearning, trying to
communicate, and doing a damn poor job of it. But then, something else entirely
different. Something else I’ve never felt before. Completely overwhelmed the
trance, I lost all control of it. Then I felt my eyes being torn out. From then
on, the whole thing felt like an assault.”
Steven
didn’t know if he should share with his dad that he had had the same feeling
during the incident. The feeling of being violated, assaulted. Having something
overwhelm, control, and take something from you.
Roy paused,
reflecting. “The only word for the latter part of the trance was evil. I know
you don’t think much of that, and to be honest with you that’s not how I view things
either. But this was dark, unusually dark. So opposite of anything I consider
good and decent, the best word to describe it is evil.”
Steven
thought it best to let his father’s assessment stand, but he didn’t want to
acknowledge that he’d had the same opinion. “Are you all right? Physically? It
was horrifying to see you with your eyes torn out.”
“I’m fine. Exhausted
though. Feel like I need a
Similar Books
