(Chapter 4: Hide and Seek
+It's so quiet, not even the birds are chirping. Searching around the courtyard, for security, anybody, I'm soon disappointed not to even find a bug pass. Only the dead grass and trees appear to be the only ones moving, and the only ones here.
The streets are bare, but looking farther down I can see a few glowing specks in the distance. Running, trying to get closer I begin to frantically call out to them.
"OVER HERE!" I shout waving my arms in the air. "HELP, I NEED HELP!"
With my breath running short, I stop. Feeling more shocked than dim-witted I can see that the figures are cars, not people. What was scaring me was not the fact that they are empty, but that they're all on their sides. Crisp dried blood lies spattered along the seats and shattered windows.
Gazing amongst the destruction the rest of the town lies in ruins in the distance. Cars toppled amongst one another, charcoaled trees with cinders still falling like black snow. The buildings are falling apart, the same-burnt remains as the hospital. Dried blood splattered against some of the walls. What happened here? My mind speaks with fear. Where did everybody go?
+The homes didn't seem as damaged as the rest of the town. Some were even in perfect condition. Wandering down the blocks, I can almost picture how it used to be. There weren't as many houses as now, and I can notice a few buildings that have come around recently. My feet are terribly sore, but soon enough I finally find 204 West Greendale. It's different than I remember. Then again, you wouldn't normally see apocalyptic debris of cars and house strewn across a family-friendly yard. Rattling the door to my luck, it's open.
+Peering inside, various objects are scattered across the floor. The furniture is torn and shoved towards the far wall in the living room. Squinting to see, the lighting is terrible, even with the windows uncovered. Then I notice the problem. There are wooden planks nailed in layers over the windows. Someone was trying to keep something out, or something in.
"MOM...DAD..." I call out. "It's me, Matt! I'm home, where are you?"
I walk up the stairs to inspect the bedrooms. Pictures hang from the walls of unfamiliar people, and many of an old couple, but none in which reminded me of the past.
CreEEAAAKkk...
Suddenly, rattling comes from down below. Fleeing down the stairs, I carefully walk to catch another movement.
CreEEAAAKkk...
It still sounds like it's coming from underneath me. I start to randomly open doors that look as if they lead to a basement. Then, as I grasp the knob on the fifth try, I hear the noise getting closer. Gradually cracking it open piece-by-piece I come to see a descending abyss of stairs. Luckily, they didn't creak as much as the door.
At the bottom now the creaking has stopped. I can hear heavy breathing in the blinding dark.
The click of a shotgun chills my blood as a cold end of metal hits my nose.
"Who the hell are you?" A woman demands with her hand steadily on the trigger. Her short brown hair makes her appear as a cougar, or some kind of ferocious cat.
"M-Matt Midnigh," Her eyes grow wide as she furiously smacks me to the side with the barrel. I fall to the ground biting my tongue in the process. A metallic taste seeps into my throat and causes me to stand down in an attempt to show my peace.
"Who are you and what are you doing here!" She demands, "What do you want, money?"
"No, no I'm here to find my parents." I flinch. "Have you heard of anyone by the names of Kenneth or Farrah?" I ask shielding my face with my hands. She lowers the gun and helps me up. Dusting my pants off, she begins to trudge up the stairs.
"Wait!" I call after her, determined. "Have you heard anything about them? Would you happen to know where they are?" The barrel and my eyes meet once again. Sweat beads at the top of my forehead and soon enough she lowers the gun once more. She sure was acting indecisive towards whether to kill me or not.
"Leave this house or I'll shoot you."
"I'm not going anywhere until I find my parents." She swerves around and burns me with her enraged eyes as I step back.
"My sister and her family have been dead for twelve years. Why the hell do you want to find her now?"
It's hard to understand. How could we all be dead if so many people knew where I was? Where they were supposed to be or where I thought they might be. Maybe she was joking, or messing with me or something.
"How could they be dead? I'm standing right here, aren't I?"
"Stupid, they died in a home invasion. Do you really think I'm kidding in a situation like this?" My legs start to wobble. "Why do you want to find them so badly?" Losing my words I stare at her blankly. All I can think is that they're dead. My parents are dead. Shouldn't I be as well?
They're dead...
"I already told you," My throat runs dry. "I'm their son...your," Swallowing the words I gave them back in order to find out the rest. "...Nephew."
The woman shakes her head in a sense where she thinks I'm playing a game. Why won't she believe me? And how could my parents have been dead for so long without me realizing, or finding out? What else was the hospital staff hiding from me? On the other hand, what other secrets about my life have I not realized? I lower my head and take a seat on the stairs. I'm too late, far too late. How could I not realize the chance of finding them in a town where not even one person is roaming the streets is possible? Why didn't the hospital inform me?
Maybe the world would be much brighter if the woman would just shoot me now. The gun clicks again, but not because of me. A young boy walks into the room from the top of the stairs. He has a blanket wrapped around him, his nose bright red.
"Mom, w-what are who doing?" He sniffles.
"Alex, go back to bed or you'll get worse." She aims the gun right towards the crown of my head.
"Mom who's 'dis m-man, what's going o-on?" He sounds frightened now.
"Alex, go back to your room now."
"Mom, you're not going to soot him are-"
"Alex go back to you're room."
"Wait," I rise slowly with my arms in the air. Keeping my head down to hide the tears was a stupid thing to do because the woman had the extreme pleasure to slam her foot directly in-between my legs without me noticing before it was too late. Falling to the floor in stinging pain she slams her boot directly on my skull crushing It into the scratchy carpet. She aims for my brain.
"You stay out of this you freak!"
"Wait! At least let me talk for a second lady!"
"Mom, let him gow. He's not gunna' do anything!"
"Alex!"
"Please, let me at least do something." I suggest again, trying to calm them down. "I'll prove I'm not going to hurt you!"
"No Alex, I'm not going to do it again. You remember what happened with your father! He was your father! Why are we going to trust some freak off the street? Why should we!"
Her hands quiver the gun giving me quaking chills down my spine, part of me screaming for her to pull it already.
"I'll go," The argument grows quiet.
"What?" She asks confused.
"If it bothers you that much, I'll leave you alone."
"Mom we can't leave him outside with that thing-"
"Alex, please go to your room. Look here," I can feel her eyes burning through the back of my head. "I'm not going to just let you go that easy. Do you think I'm stupid? The minute you walk out that door-"
"Aren't you willing to take a chance?" Her eyes grow wide. I've never been able to convince people, but in this world at this moment I think I've struck something new. I can feel it in my gut.
She lifts the gun again and steps back.
Shoulders at ease, Alex sighs in relief. Rising from my place, I gaze at the mother for only a swift moment before I have time to react.
"No,"
A silencing blow fills the air and a gust of wind pushes me back. A shock of fire runs through my chest and sends me back to the dust.
I can't breathe, then why can I hear my pulse fill the air?
The room goes dark again.
+I'm running through a forest. It's night time.
Scrambling to my feet, I catch only a glimpse of a set of jet-black wings take off into the night. Pounding my feet against the chomping dead leaves, I try harder to get away. The air is pressing against my face, brushing back my hair I try my best to keep up. The moonlight becomes scarcer making it hard to see. It disappears into the night sky.
Falling to my knees, I whimper in defeat.
"Matt..." The forest mocks. I can hear many voices speaking at once, in tongues. They whisper gibberish and frightening words that I can't understand. All of this noise in my head...it's starting to hurt so badly. Clenching my ears to block off the noise I run off towards the other direction.
Wait, which way did I come from?
"Matt...stays with us"
"What do you want from me?" I cry out.
"STAY..."
"WHAT DO YOU WANT?"
The shadows begin to move, curling the roots of the trees into long tentacle-like arms. They reach out to grasp my feet as I run.
"Stay away from me!" I warn.
Searching out, I think I can see a building, just beyond a river.
My foot suddenly hits a hard edge, and sends me flying facedown into the sharp, ice-cold river. The jagged rocks immediately cut my face and lodge into my skin and eyes. I gasp for air above, and there, I come face-to-face with a vast Hell Angel. It had no face-like features, jet-black wings and coal bare skin stitched together like some freakish Frankenstein. Scooting back, I horrifyingly watched as it consumed the remains of an unknown victim. The appalling disgust did not come from it eating, but it slicing its lip where the mouth should be with its long, yellow, sharp nails. Its skin sliced into a slit, revealing four, long dripping fangs, budging outwards and stabbing into what was left of the person's neck. I can't watch anymore, capping my mouth as hard as I can, it's useless to the sickness that is coming back up.
"Come on Matt..."
That voice, why did it sound so familiar?
"You know you want it..." He taunted. Turning back to ignore the voice, the monster was gone, and so was the body.
But out of the dark came another black-winged demon, the Scarecrow.
"You..." I began to back away carefully.
"Stay away from me,"
"Come on, Matthew. Why don't you HAVE a BITE?" He hurls a hand towards me, splattering blood onto my trembling face.
"OH MY GOD," I screamed, as he laughed with such sick amusement.
"Come ON, Matthew. Don't fight it. You have so MUCH to gain...why not TAKE IT?"
"You're sick," I spat quickly wiping it away from my eyes.
"Then that means there IS a part of you INSIDE that wants it." He derided.
"That doesn't make any sense!"
"Does it?" His image swiftly fades, and his voice hisses from behind my ear.
"Or ARE you just in DENIAL?" I tired to smack him away, and had my hand strike against the rough, jagged edge of a tree.
I growled as he snickered with amusement. Cradling my injured hand, I retreated towards the church.
"You can RUN Matthew, but you can't HIDE!" His voice repeats. My legs leap from one side of the trail to the other, trying to avoid the swirling hands of the tree-roots. My feet have grown so numb it's hard to control where I'm running. But I have to make it out of here alive.
Something hard stabs into my back and causes every nerve in my body to singe. Falling to the floor my lungs give out.
I can't breathe. My back is wet and sticky. Dirt and blood cake my hands. Something drags me by the legs across the jarring forest floor, slicing my face and arms, slowly piece-by-piece.
It lifts me above. The air feels light and hazy. The scarecrow faces me with a devilish grin, barring his crimson fangs, his harvest eyes fixed constantly at the dripping liquid running down my neck. Licking his lips, I manage to feel a shudder of disgust beneath my wounds.
My eyes grow heavier by the second. Closing them one last time, I feel the last of my hanging hands fill with nothing. I'm nothing now. I can't fight it anymore.
"Please..." I beg weakly. I just want to sleep now.
"Just finish this. I can't anymore..."
The cool wind passes by, soothing the heat of my open flesh.
"Please just finish this." I plead.
"No,"
Simply, he denies me in a pleased grace. He just gazes into my thoughts, watching every movement of fatigue pass.
"Take Father's request." He commands.
"What?"
"Let him IN,"
"Please just...I don't want this anymore."
His smile grows wider.
"Is that a YES?"
"I..." Everything is spinning so fast. Pushing my hair back, I can feel the cool air soothe my hot, dry neck as he whispers into my ear.
But I can't hear, because I'm already gone.
It feels like someone is sucking the life out of me. The way it hurts can't be described because somehow it doesn't feel like a thing. Yet, I can feel something is missing and something is hurting inside of my heart. His fangs seep deeper, and I can feel him piercing into my being and ripping it apart. But this pain keeps going. Why am I not dead?
"Obey and Father can stop this."
"No,"
"Then don't die. Just fester like the wearing sore you are."