The stories continue//COTC scenarios

Pumpkin eater Part 4

12/29/22

"Yes ma'am, my daughter is at home too the kids measles have gotten pretty bad but they should be returning to school any day now...Yes of course I've been homeschooling them in the meantime, what do you think I've been doing this entire time? My kids will be back when they're ready you can stop calling now!"Xavier's mother snapped over the phone and hung up, the phone calls were getting on her nerves now. The electric company threatened to shut off the power if the bills weren't paid but she could have sworn she paid them since her husband was off doing whatever and coming home drunk or too tired to do anything.

Xavier's skin had gotten worse, the shades of greyish greens, browns and blues covered his skin and it teared as easily as a wet paper towel. His mother was starting to run out of skin care supply cause of his skin getting worse, but that's a corpse for ya. As she brushed her makeup brush on Xavier's arm a chunk of skin fell from him and landed on the floor, just when she thought that was all gonna happen more chunks dropped and black liquid oozed out the spots where the rotten skin fell off. Under his shirt grey thick liquid dripped from him the bacteria was starting to do the same thing as the maggots, when his mother tried cleaning up the liquids some green fluid got on her cream dress. She shrieked as Xavier started to lean to the side in his wheelchair, she sighed in tiredness and cleaned up the mess more carefully. The slightest of touches would ruin the corpse, even a feather would rip off chunks of skin. She was lucky his bones weren't starting to show, she bathed and went to bed for the night.

Day 22

Cheyenne stayed locked in her bedroom still, the only times when the door was unlocked it was to give her breakfast, lunch and dinner. The times were irregular so Cheyenne never knew when it would be a good time to escape, there were times when she'd find maggots in her food so she couldn't eat it. She felt thinner with the small portions of food she ate, if she was lucky her mother would be too lazy to cook so she'd get some fast food but this was very rare. She looked out her window and saw some police come to her house, a look of joy came on her face and she went to eavesdrop on the conversation. She heard her brother getting hidden and the police coming cause of a smell complaint, her mother had lied about food doing bad in the pantry, insects and raccoons in the walls. She groaned when she heard her mother's lie and the policemen buying it.

But her hope sparked once again when the policemen said the caller mentioned Xavier not being seen in awhile, just one house inspection and that could lead them to finding the corpse that's been driving her family crazy. But her mother fished out a lie that he got the measles and wasn't improving and how her husband was too busy working to help, that lie made her able to the sympathy Cheyenne dreaded hearing and the policemen left, her only hope at escapism.

She let out an angered groan and kicked her bed, the sounds of Xavier's wheelchair being pushed past her room mocked her as she laid on the carpet floor longing for this nightmare to end.

Day 25

First it was skin but now a whole limb had just fallen off Xavier's body, his pumpkin head dripped to the side as chunks also started falling. It was barely attaching to his neck now, "I don't understand, I thought replacing his head would make him heal quicker but his body is falling apart!"Xavier's mother complained at the fallen limb on the ground, but just when she picked it up she got an idea. She turned to her husband and smiled, "I know what we're doing wrong, we need to replace his body too! We just need a boy who's the same age as Xavier! What about that Jackie kid, he's only 13 he's just one year older"Xavier's mother said.

"I want you to bring that Jackie kid by tonight, our son needs it more than their brat does"Xavier's mother commanded and she knew just by looking at her husband he was listening.

That night Cheyenne was woken up by the sounds of struggling and screaming from the basement, Cheyenne did a confused look since that sounded like a younger boy and the only younger boy that lived here is dead. What was going on? She wanted to check it out but she remembered her door was locked. She heard footsteps come to her room and her father walked in. "Your mother wants to see you"Cheyenne's father grabbed her by the arm and made her walk to the basement.

In the basement was a boy Cheyenne struggled to recognize at first but she remembered the same clothes one of Xavier's friends would wear, Jackie's body was in Xavier's wheelchair and beheaded. And for the head was Xavier's old head and a fresh new pumpkin. She wanted to throw up. She didn't dare look around anymore cause of the blood and Xavier's body could be anywhere. Her mother was covered in Jackie's blood, now she did the very thing her husband did, kill someone. "Look, Cheyenne your brother is finally all better! Aren't you happy?"Cheyenne's mother asked walking towards her more.

If she had the chance she would run, but her father was holding her still. "Finally they can stop pestering me about Xavier being absent from school and he can finally go back. Oh I just remembered, we got so caught up with today that we forgot about dinner it may be late but how about we have a meal to since your brother is all better now"Cheyenne's mother said happy with what she had done.

But her happiness stopped when police sirens were heard outside, "The police?! You foolish excuse for a husband, you clearly didn't do a good job at getting that Jackie kid the least you can do now is make sure they don't come down here they'll take our son away from us! Quick, pass me the dress behind you so I change into it"Cheyenne's mother ordered. Cheyenne saw how distracted her parents were now, this was her chance. As her father used one arm to get the clean dress behind him and the other to hold his daughter in place she bit down hard on his hand until she drew blood, he yelled in pain and Cheyenne made a run for it up the stairs.

"You better rethink that right now!"Her mother shouted then put the knife to the corpses neck. "If you leave out this house I'll kill him! You don't want to be responsible for your brothers death!"Cheyenne's mother shouted staring deep into her daughters blue eyes the threat was nothing to Cheyenne cause she knew Xavier's already dead, she really was beating a dead horse. "Huh, what's that darling you want me to kill her instead? You do you have a point, I always loved you more, sweet pea". Her mother seemed to have shifted threats in just a second, she realized how pointless threatening a corpse was so she had to threaten a real human, Cheyenne. "Cheyenne, you still have a chance to come down those stairs and live to see another day with me, your father, Xavier and Kenneth once he comes home".

Cheyenne wasted no more running up the stairs again and out the basement, she saw red and blue sirens flashing and a crowd forming around her house. Cheyenne bursted through the front door to the police officers outside her home, the second she was out the house they asked her a million questions all at once. These were the same police that came to her house and seemed to not know how a dead body smelled like, if they had searched just a little more Jackie wouldn't have been killed and this would be over sooner. It felt nice having physical touch with an actual human being after going so long with being avoided at school and so touched starved. She was finally free. Kenneth is gonna have quite the surprise when he comes home from college.

Cheyenne stayed behind in the crowd as she watched her mother being dragged kicking and screaming to the police car, eventually her husband was as well expect he didn't resist.

Time flew by quickly after the arrest, Cheyenne's father committed suicide in prison and no one mourned his death. Cheyenne knew she would never forgive her mother or visit her in prison no matter how much her family might insist just cause that was her mother. Cheyenne was at Randy's house as of now since her extended family was too embarrassed to take custody of her, she knew she'd need two therapists after this. One therapist for her and the other for her therapist after what she told them.

It was the talk for awhile and Cheyenne did school from Randy's house, maybe she could write a book about this experience like lots of people do with their trauma but that was a maybe. "*Sighs* You poor thing I can't imagine anyone going through something like this, but don't worry your father took his life and your mother is locked up so no one can hurt you. I baked a pumpkin pie, would you like a slice?"Randy's mother asked noticing Cheyenne moping at the kitchen table. The mention of pumpkins made her flinch, she knew what happened to her so why did she offer a pumpkin pie? "No thank you..."Cheyenne sighed trying to remain polite.

Randy's mother respected her choice and let her husband and son eat some, but Randy had avoided eating it in front of her knowing the trauma behind the orange round fruit.