Home Sweet Home

Chapter five

   Warmth wrapped her body like a blanket as she stepped in and closed the door behind her.

   Evelyn's eyes were the size of golf balls at what she saw; all her belongings were in place, except that her electrical appliances were missing. An Oriental rug stretched across an oak wood flooring and Victorian-style couches was arranged in the center of the small room. Her antiques were neatly placed on a small piece of oak wood attached to the wall of the cabin which was near the hearth that radiated warmth.

  A counter partitioned the living room from the kitchen. In the kitchen area, her cooking equipment were hung on the wall.

  "This is crazy....." she pondered in disbelief.

  She went to every area of the house, scrutinizing everything. She furthered to the doorway at her right which was the bedroom and found a well-kept room in perfect order. A wardrobe— full of neatly stacked clothes —was adjacent to a double-sized bed well laid like she left it. There was a bed nightstand, only that it held an oil lamp instead of electric lamp. A large oak-dresser was just opposite the bed. There was only one wooden window close to the oak-dresser which was shut. A door which she presumed was the toilet was also present.

  "Impossible," she whispered, walking out of the room to the other door that was in the kitchen area. That was the only door she hadn't opened yet. She turned the door knob and slowly opened the door.

  She instantly regretted taking such decision.

  The piquant odor of rotten carcass slapped her hard across the face. A watery bulge plugged up her throat and she raced to the sink just in time before everything came pouring down. Her eyes became watery as she bobbed her head forward and backward, making etching noises. She grimaced as she viewed the content of her vomit. She turned on the faucet and washed her face, covering her nose as the putrid smell still lingered in the air.

  She turned to see cockroaches filing out of the room and large flies buzzing around. As far as she knew, she didn't have a door in her original house, leading to a dark room that smelt like decaying flesh.

  She screamed slew of curse words and instantly jammed the door shut. "Alright. I guess I've smelt enough for today," she said to herself, retreating from the door. She didn't even bother to explore what was at the other side of the door. She vowed to herself never to open the door again.

  Evelyn checked the time. It was past eleven o'clock and her eyes were screaming for sleep. She decided to take off her clothes and change to pyjama since everywhere was starting to get hot with the outfit she had on.

  Evelyn assumed the large pieces of hardwoods in the hearth would be enough for the night to keep her warm. She still made a mental note to leave the cabin first thing tomorrow morning. She would probably lodge in a hotel till she figured out something to do about her house.

  She entered the cubicle, not awed by the fact that her toiletries were present in a small cabinet. She peered into the pit latrine before using it. A long trail of dried blood was crusted inside but she couldn't care less. She urinated, cleaned up and stepped out.

  She pounced on the soft bed and rested her head on the pillow. She tossed and turned as she tried hard not to think of the whole events that happened right in front of her eyes but it was inevitable.

  She placed the phone beside her pillow. Evelyn was disappointed that the oil left in the lamp was very meager. She loathed sleeping with lights but due to circumstances, she just had to.

  Her eyelids soon became heavy and just like that...

  Evelyn was fast asleep...

  Curdled up like a child...

  Under warm blankets...

  Breathing softly through her nostrils...

  Her chest slowly rising and falling...

  But not long enough.

  Evelyn was a bit awoken by some irritating scratching sounds against the planks.

  "...ther-fucking rats," she murmured half-asleep.

  It completely ceased. Evelyn slept back.

  The noise returned, but louder this time.

  The scratching noises grew deeper which provoked Evelyn. She tossed for a while then shot up, breathing hard.

  The oil had finally exhausted. She felt uneasy realizing that she was submerged in darkness.

  She felt around the bed for her phone and put on the phone torch. She glanced around the four corners of the room, searching for the rats.

  The place seemed clear. She sighed audibly, wrapping her arms around her torso in a futile attempt to keep herself warm.

  Even the hearth failed me....

   She was too tired to put on warmer clothes so she laid back to sleep. It didn't take long before the scratching sounds resumed. More intense than the last one.

  It became deeper and louder by each second. She pulled the blankets over her head and pressed her index fingers firmly on her ears. A dull ache spread across the front of her skull. She opened her mouth in a silent scream as it only became worse.

  All of a sudden, it ceased.

  Evelyn stayed under the blanket for a while, her eyes as wide as saucers. She didn't realize her heart was slamming so hard against her ribcage.

  With quivering fingers, she reached out for her phone. It was 1:15am. She switched on the torch and leisurely removed the blanket from her head. The suffocating smell of rotten carcass—like the one she perceived earlier— contaminated the air and Evelyn's lips trembled as she felt the urge to vomit biting the back of her throat.

  She sat straight and hysterically shone the torch around, inhaling and exhaling the rancid air sharply. The horrid smell had come back to torment her. She pointed the torch everywhere until she saw it drop on the sheets.

  A drop of dark blood laced with a transparent fluid similar to saliva, stained the white sheets.

  Her eyes became wider than saucers as she swallowed a massive lump that formed in her throat.

  Reluctantly and tardily, she looked up.

  Her body became as stiff as a wood at what her eyes beheld.

A/N; Stay tuned!