keep hearing voices in my
head. They sound like you, and Mom, and Dad, and other people, too. It’s mostly
just bits and pieces, but now I know they’re real. One of them makes me want to
do things… terrible things, but I think I’m stronger. I get these urges, and…”
“GET THE PHONE!” she yelled. He was raving. It was ridiculous to
blame their mother, or anyone. It had to be a freak power surge, or a solar
flare, or something, but that didn’t matter, to her. Nothing mattered except
getting to her mother. She pushed the door open, and her heart sank.
“Oh, no. Please, no!” she sobbed.
“Lisa Ann! It’s not safe, yet. Stay with me!”
Lisa Ann . She hated her name. He always
called her that when he wanted to sound important, or if he was nervous about
something. It was an odd thing to notice, given the scene she had just stepped
into.
Blood covered everything. It dripped from the ceiling and down
the walls, and soaked the bed. Her mother’s contorted, blood-splattered face
gazed vaguely in Lanni’s direction, frozen into a rictus of horror. Her legs
were both twisted to one side at an unnaturally sharp angle, and her belly
looked like it had been scooped away with a giant grapefruit spoon, leaving
only an empty red cavity.
Her father’s feet stuck out beyond the footboard on the other
side of the bed, toes down.
“Dad?”
Silence.
Lanni took small steps around the foot of the bed, not wanting
to see what awaited her.
“Daddy?”
One of his feet rocked gently from side to side. As his body
came into full view, she knew that she was losing her mind, just like her
brother. An impossible creature stood on her father’s back. It looked like a
wrinkled, black football with four bowed bulldog legs and yellow clawed feet.
Glistening with blood and gore, it made wet, slurping sounds as
it rocked back and forth, clinging to her father like a demonic tick.
I must have died. This is Hell.
Blood poured down her father’s side from beneath the little
monster, and his body jerked as it tugged him from side to side. It pulled away
from him, and sat back on two legs.
The center of its chest was split open from top to bottom, and
filled with several concentric rows of pointy, shark-like teeth. Each row
opened and closed in turns as they shredded an apple-sized chunk of her
father’s flesh, working it deeper into its body. If it had a head or any
sensory organs, they were very well camouflaged.
Ignoring her, it dropped back down on all four feet, and bit
into her father’s back. It must have hit a big vein or artery, because blood
sprayed from the new wound. He was still alive!
In a blind rage, she screamed and charged at it. She wanted to
hurl it against the wall and stomp it to death. It didn’t even try to move as
she reached for it. She was vaguely aware of her brother saying something from
the hall. It sounded urgent, but his words didn’t register with her.
The strip of floor between the bed and wall was barely wide
enough to accommodate her father, so she fell to her knees, straddling his
legs, and tried to pries the thing off of him. It was hot and slippery, though,
like it was covered in oil, and it slipped right through her hands.
A bluish substance dripped from her hands, leaving no residue
behind. It flowed like liquid, but felt as dry as powder. She scarcely noticed
these details before lunging forward to try again.
This time, as she reached for it, the monster quivered slightly,
and another wave of energy slammed into her. It definitely came from the little
toothy football beast. She felt most of the energy flow around her as it had
done in the hall a few moments ago, but the tiny bit that managed to affect her
felt like a bare knuckled punched from a professional boxer.
Completely dazed by the attack, she fell face-down on her
father’s back, while the impossible little beast easily hopped aside.
It sat up on two legs again, right in front of her face, giving
her a very clear,
head. They sound like you, and Mom, and Dad, and other people, too. It’s mostly
just bits and pieces, but now I know they’re real. One of them makes me want to
do things… terrible things, but I think I’m stronger. I get these urges, and…”
“GET THE PHONE!” she yelled. He was raving. It was ridiculous to
blame their mother, or anyone. It had to be a freak power surge, or a solar
flare, or something, but that didn’t matter, to her. Nothing mattered except
getting to her mother. She pushed the door open, and her heart sank.
“Oh, no. Please, no!” she sobbed.
“Lisa Ann! It’s not safe, yet. Stay with me!”
Lisa Ann . She hated her name. He always
called her that when he wanted to sound important, or if he was nervous about
something. It was an odd thing to notice, given the scene she had just stepped
into.
Blood covered everything. It dripped from the ceiling and down
the walls, and soaked the bed. Her mother’s contorted, blood-splattered face
gazed vaguely in Lanni’s direction, frozen into a rictus of horror. Her legs
were both twisted to one side at an unnaturally sharp angle, and her belly
looked like it had been scooped away with a giant grapefruit spoon, leaving
only an empty red cavity.
Her father’s feet stuck out beyond the footboard on the other
side of the bed, toes down.
“Dad?”
Silence.
Lanni took small steps around the foot of the bed, not wanting
to see what awaited her.
“Daddy?”
One of his feet rocked gently from side to side. As his body
came into full view, she knew that she was losing her mind, just like her
brother. An impossible creature stood on her father’s back. It looked like a
wrinkled, black football with four bowed bulldog legs and yellow clawed feet.
Glistening with blood and gore, it made wet, slurping sounds as
it rocked back and forth, clinging to her father like a demonic tick.
I must have died. This is Hell.
Blood poured down her father’s side from beneath the little
monster, and his body jerked as it tugged him from side to side. It pulled away
from him, and sat back on two legs.
The center of its chest was split open from top to bottom, and
filled with several concentric rows of pointy, shark-like teeth. Each row
opened and closed in turns as they shredded an apple-sized chunk of her
father’s flesh, working it deeper into its body. If it had a head or any
sensory organs, they were very well camouflaged.
Ignoring her, it dropped back down on all four feet, and bit
into her father’s back. It must have hit a big vein or artery, because blood
sprayed from the new wound. He was still alive!
In a blind rage, she screamed and charged at it. She wanted to
hurl it against the wall and stomp it to death. It didn’t even try to move as
she reached for it. She was vaguely aware of her brother saying something from
the hall. It sounded urgent, but his words didn’t register with her.
The strip of floor between the bed and wall was barely wide
enough to accommodate her father, so she fell to her knees, straddling his
legs, and tried to pries the thing off of him. It was hot and slippery, though,
like it was covered in oil, and it slipped right through her hands.
A bluish substance dripped from her hands, leaving no residue
behind. It flowed like liquid, but felt as dry as powder. She scarcely noticed
these details before lunging forward to try again.
This time, as she reached for it, the monster quivered slightly,
and another wave of energy slammed into her. It definitely came from the little
toothy football beast. She felt most of the energy flow around her as it had
done in the hall a few moments ago, but the tiny bit that managed to affect her
felt like a bare knuckled punched from a professional boxer.
Completely dazed by the attack, she fell face-down on her
father’s back, while the impossible little beast easily hopped aside.
It sat up on two legs again, right in front of her face, giving
her a very clear,
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