The house sat in darkness. It creaked and moaned under the heater as it started and blasted it’s way through the long ventilation. Todd awoke with ice running down his spine. A feeling startled him out of a dead sleep and he arose from his bed wrapping his night gown around him. The house was gaining warmth, but his skin still stood on edge. He moved out his room and down the large hallway to the main sitting room. Light from the moon filtered through the large windows. It was silent, besides the thumping of his footsteps against hardwood. He passed through the kitchen and then turned down to face another hallway. Usually a star night light brought a yellow aura to the this section of the house.
To keep the monsters in check.
It was dark. Todd reached for the light switched and clicked the over head lights on. They did not illuminate. He took a step back and flipped a lamp on in the main sitting room. It brought a pale yellow light that stretched just barely to the middle of the hallway.
“Charlie” he called out as he stepped back into the hallway then stopped. Pouring out of the shadows in front of him was dark red liquid. It crept smoothly and filled the whole floor towards him. His eyes grew large.
“Charlie!” he screamed.
Then the light from the lamp was allowed just a bit more into the darkness. A boy stood. He wore star and moon pajamas that were striped. His blond hair frayed all over from bed head. The boy looked towards his dad.
“Oh my god, Charlie, come here” His dad ushered. The liquid now slithered past his feet.
The boy stood motionless.
“Please, Charlie, come to daddy. Come on” Todd tried to keep his voice calm, but it quivered, just as his mouth did.
The boy stood motionless then fell forward, slamming into the floor with a sickening slap into the thick liquid.
The mans eyes widened straining against his skull to take in as much information as he could. His mouth sat agape until it took in a full breathe of air to fill the lungs that had just been stabbed.
He screamed and splashed towards the boy. He knelt down reaching for the boy, but something reached for him.
Arms. Multiple of them wretched from the darkness on the ceiling, the walls, and along the floor. The reached for him as he grasped his baby boy in his arms. He stilled screamed as he cradled the boy and looked up towards the darkness. Just beyond the veil of shadow a face emerged. Barely seen by Todds eyes. It’s face was smooth black, no nose. Eyes were shiny black ovals. Needle teeth stretched in a grisly smile in a mouth that extended three times the length it should. The arms encircled. The mouth opened. Todd weeped and rocked him and his boy into an endless sleep.
Carl leaned against the cop car in the autumn night air. Blue and red lights highlighted the mansion that at least 5 squad cars and an ambulance surrounded.
“Carl, about time you arrived” A cop walked up to him.
“Mick, what the hell is happening here. I got a call over the radio for all cars to get here asap. Kid and his father missing or something”
“yeah, yup” Mick rubbed his eyes “Kid and his father”
“Did you find them?”
Mick stared up into the sky and after a long silence said “yeah, we found them. On the ceiling, on the walls, all over the kitchen and family room. We found them alright”
“First the guy with the pens all over the place, now this. That was only two weeks ago. What the hell is happening around here” Carl said. He looked towards the house. He could see red splatter over some of the tall windows. “My god”
“Give the men in black a few minutes to finish up, It’s going to be a long night”
-
This was inspired by the old horror movies where kids were not safe. There was a rule in Hollywood or in movies that came about that you couldn’t hurt the children, or the dog. I understand why they do this. I had this vision of this scene from a hallway in my house. When the kitchen light is on, it only illuminates half of this hallway leaving the other half completely pitch black. I wonder what stares at me from that abyss.
I might revisit this in the future as I started off with a good vision of it, but after a bit of time started stumbling on the prose and how I wanted to present it. The scene in my head is a lot more, ‘impactful’ ? Anyway, hopefully this is the last of monster attacks for the poor citizens, though, I highly doubt it.