Monsters & Demons: A Collection of Short Horror Stories

by Brian Rella

  Mason’s heart was pounding. A little squeal escaped his mouth and he quickly covered his mouth so his parents wouldn’t hear him. Daddy and Mommy need to sleep. I can’t wake them up. But I’m scared! I’m scared, Daddy! He felt his underwear and pajamas get wet as he released his bladder. Mason pulled the covers over his head and shook under the covers. He was terrified. He was squeezing his bunny so hard and close to his chest, he heard a stitch rip.

  “It’s OK,” he heard from the closet. “I won’t hurt you, Mason. I’m a happy clown.”

  Mason screamed and shut his eyes, wishing the clown away. The closet door closed.

  His father came into the room, sat down next to Mason, and picked him up holding him on his lap. Mason cried, wrapped his arms around his father, and buried his head in his father’s chest.

  “What? What is it buddy?” Alec said.

  Mason pointed at the closet and squeezed his father tightly.

  “The closet again,” Alec said, annoyed. Another night of the closet? This was insane. “Look, buddy, there is nothing in the closet.” Alec pushed Mason back on the bed a little too roughly and walked to the closet door. He threw the door open. “See!” he yelled. “There’s nothing in there!”

  Mason cried louder. Alec walked over to him, feeling bad again for yelling, but still annoyed. He tried to get control of himself and spoke softly to his son to try and calm him. “Mace, buddy, I’m sorry I yelled. Daddy is tired. I’m sorry, OK, but…what’s that smell?” Mason watched as his father looked down and then touched his pajama bottoms. “Did you have an accident, buddy?”

  ***

  Alec was sipping his coffee and reading his work emails from last night at the kitchen table. He saw Mason come out of his room out of the corner of his eye and glanced up from his phone, ready to wish his son a good morning and give him a big hug. Mason had been going through a lot lately and Alec wasn’t handling it as well as he should be. He felt bad and wanted to make it up to him. “Hey, Mace,” Alec called. “Come here, bud, I want to tell you…Why are you crying? Come here, buddy…” Mason ran back into his room and slammed the door. Alec turned to Christine, with concern on his face.

  “He probably wet the bed again,” Christine said. Mason hadn’t been coming in to wake them up the last few nights, but now he was wetting the bed. “It’s the third night this week. He’s very upset about it.”

  Alec sighed. Mason had been potty trained at two and a half and hadn’t had an accident since. Now he’s wetting the bed? He looked at Christine and saw the worry he felt reflected in her face.

  “What the hell is going on?” Alec said. “Is this normal?”

  “I think we should take him to see someone,” she said.

  Alec paused. Did they need to see someone, or was this just a normal part of a child’s development? He had no idea. He was a rookie. This was their first child and despite researching all about the problems they were having with Mason on the internet, he felt they were no closer to helping their son with whatever he was going through.

  “What do you mean see someone?” Alec asked.

  “A therapist,” she said. “My mom recommended someone in Manhattan, close to Grand Central.”

  “A therapist?”

  “Because something is wrong and I don’t think it’s physical,” she said.

  “Nightmares and bed-wetting are normal, aren’t they?” he asked.

  “Something’s going on and I want to know what’s happening with him,” she said. She sounded really worried and Alec hated to hear her worried.

  She had a point, but Alec didn’t like therapists. He didn’t like to think that his son might have some kind of psychosis. Mason had been fine up until this point so what changed? I guess that’s the point of seeing someone. He had to admit he wanted answers and, more importantly, he wanted his son to be the normal, happy kid he had been. Mason looked terrible these days. He had black circles under his eyes and was jumpy. He had this frightened look on his face sometimes.

  “OK,” Alec said. “But let’s see the pediatrician before we see a therapist.”

  Christine sighed, and then agreed.

  Alec finished his coffee and checked the clock on the kitchen wall. “Gotta go or I’ll miss my train.”

  “OK, love you,” she said.

  “I love you too.”

  ***

  “I don’t think there’s anything to be concerned about,” Dr. Ruben said. “There’s a couple of things to keep an eye on, but otherwise this is normal developmental behavior.”

  Alec looked at his wife and he could see her shoulders relax and her eyes smooth. He felt some relief too. It was normal developmental behavior.

  “As children get older,” Dr. Ruben said, “their sleep changes. Early on, children alternate between light and deep sleep throughout the night. Usually children spend the first third of their night in deep sleep and the last two-thirds of the night in light sleep. Bed-wetting does not occur during light sleep. So, my guess is Mason is a deep sleeper most of the night and doesn’t even realize he’s wetting the bed.”

  “But then how come he looks tired all the time? I thought you said he was a deep sleeper?” Christine said.

  “My guess would be that he wakes up and realizes he’s wet the bed and doesn’t go back to sleep,” Dr. Ruben said. “At this age he should still be getting about twelve hours of sleep a night at least. If he’s getting up after he wets the bed and it’s early and he’s not going back to sleep, that could be the cause of his being tired.”

  The more he talked, the more Alec relaxed. He felt Christine take his hand in hers and squeeze.

  “There could be other things,” Dr. Ruben continued. “But a few accidents are not too concerning. If it continues for, say, one month or more, it might be something medical or psychological, but we’ve got a ways to go before we consider that.”

  “What about the nightmares?” I asked. “Same thing?”

  “Most likely,” Dr. Ruben said. “Again, keep an eye on it, but I think that this is all normal.” Dr. Ruben had a reassuring smile. Alec liked him. He was great with Mason and was always level-headed.

  Alec looked at Christine and she shrugged. “Well thank you very much for seeing us, Dr. Ruben,” Alec said. “We are so relieved.”

  “It’s no problem at all. Glad I could help. Remember, he’s developing and going through lots of changes. Most of this he’ll just figure out on his own. Leave him to it and he’ll be fine.”

  “Thank you again, Doctor,” Christine said. “Come on, Mason.” Mason jumped up into his mother’s arms and wrapped his arms and legs around her. She laughed. “Boy, you’re getting big!”

  Alec left the doctor’s office feeling much better. They had confirmation from a professional that there was likely nothing wrong with Mason and this was just part of his development and would pass.

  Alec put Mason in the car seat and got into the driver’s seat. He put the key in the ignition, started the engine, and put the car in reverse. As he turned to back out of the parking spot, Christine put her hand on his face.

  “Thank you for doing this,” she said. Her eyes were brimming with tears.

  Alec put the car back in park and reached for her, pulling her close and hugging her. He could feel the tension release from her body as he held her in his arms. Mason giggled from the backseat.

  ***

  Alec stood in the long hallway. The woman was beside him, her auburn hair laying loosely around her V-neck red dress. She put her key card in the door and pushed. Alec couldn’t help stealing a look at her ass. He followed her inside. Where am I? What am I doing here? Things were hazy. He was confused.

  She grabbed his hand and pulled him close, kissing him hard and running her hands down his back, gently squeezing his buttocks. She moved her hands to his front and was a little rougher there, just the way Alec liked it.

  They moved to the bed, dropping clothes on the floor as they went. He got on top of her and then, was inside of her. He
could smell her sweat and perfume mixing in the heat of their love-making. She moaned underneath him. Alec arched his back and drove deeper into her…

  “Alec,” he heard Christine’s voice from a distance.

  Christine? Is Christine here?

  “Alec,” her voice was louder now. She was definitely in the room.

  He looked down at the woman beneath him, but it wasn’t a woman, it was a clown. The clown smiled and had too many teeth. Rows of sharp teeth, like a shark.

  “Alec!” Christine shouted in his ear.

  Alec tried pulling away from the clown, but the clown held him there. He had his legs and arms wrapped around Alec, holding him tightly. Alec struggled. Let go of me! Get the fuck off me! The clown’s mouth opened and Alec froze as he felt the rows of teeth grip his neck and shoulder. Something unholy entered him; incorporeal, cold and dark, coursed through his veins, crawling around inside him, infecting him, mixing with him, changing him. It went to his core and settled there, wrapping itself around his center. Alec closed his eyes, unable to move as a blanket as dark as night covered him from the inside out, his body, mind, and soul trapped under its depraved fabric. Dread consumed him. Pressure and weight built in his head, as if something heavy had invaded his skull. The invader ravaged inside him, the force of it expanding and touching every part of him, blackening it. Charred, like burnt meat. He screamed.

  Something snapped and Alec was in his bathroom looking at himself in the mirror, but he didn’t see himself in the mirror. He saw the clown with too many teeth. Behind the clown was what looked like an amusement park. There was a Ferris wheel and a merry-go-round and some other buildings. He noticed letters across the clown’s chest. The name was on the tip of his tongue…

  “Alec, goddamn it! Wake up! What the hell are you doing?” Christine said.

  Alec blinked and saw his own image in the mirror again. He was naked and aroused in his own bathroom, but the image of the woman and the clown were still stuck in his mind. He was disoriented and confused. Was I dreaming?

  “Alec!” Christine yelled at him. She slapped his arm hard.

  He pushed her back. “Stop it!” he shouted as she knocked into the wall.

  “That hurt, damn it! What are you doing?” she exclaimed. “It’s three in the morning! What the hell are you doing in here? Why are you naked?”

  She looked worried and angry. Alec had no idea what he was doing. He was somewhere else just a few minutes ago, it seemed. “I…I must have been…I think I was dreaming,” he said.

  “Well you woke me up with all that moaning,” she said. “What the hell were you dreaming about? Were you having sex?”

  Alec looked into her eyes. The dream was so vivid in his mind. He wanted to tell her, but he couldn’t. The girl, then the clown. It was too bizarre. It was crazy. They hadn’t had sex in weeks. He couldn’t tell her he was dreaming about having sex with another woman…or a clown, for God’s sake. “I’m…I’m sorry. I can’t remember. Let’s go back to bed.”

  She looked at him fuming, turned, and went back to bed without another word. Alec got back into his sweats and dropped into bed next to her. He turned on his side, his back to her and looked at the clock. It was 3:06. He watched the clock change, thinking about the woman and the clown from his dream, until his alarm went off at 5:30. He got up, showered, and got dressed for work.

  Christine was at the kitchen table, reading something on her phone when he came downstairs. She didn’t look up at him, and he could tell she was pissed. He was exhausted and didn’t want to argue with her.

  “Sorry about last night,” he said.

  She didn’t say anything. She just kept staring into her phone.

  “Could you at least acknowledge my apology?” he asked, annoyed.

  “You’re sorry?” she said, a nasty look on her face. “What exactly are you sorry about, Alec?” Then she did look up. “You haven’t touched me for weeks, then I find you dreaming in the bathroom and jerking off in the middle of the night! What’s going on, Alec?” she demanded.

  “Nothing, I don’t know. I just had a dream. I…” he fumbled his words, trying to find something to say to defuse the situation.

  “A dream about who?” she asked.

  Alec got annoyed. What is she saying? That I’m cheating on her? “You’re getting pissed at me for a dream! What the fuck?” he said.

  “Don’t curse at me!” she yelled. “You’re the one who…”

  “Mama?” Mason was standing in the doorway to the kitchen holding his bunny.

  Alec looked at him, then back at Christine. He sighed and tried to get control of himself.

  “Daddy, why are you and Mama yelling at each other?” he asked.

  “It’s OK, Mace,” Alec said. “Mommy and Daddy were just having an argument. It’s OK, buddy.”

  He glanced back at Christine and could see it was definitely not OK.

  ***

  The clock was blue as the nightlight changed from yellow to red. The effect was eerie on Mason’s room as the closet door creaked open again. Mason felt the need to pee.

  “Mason,” the voice from the closet said. “Mason, are you there?”

  Mason was frozen under his covers. He was shaking and was focused on not letting go of his bladder and wetting the bed again.

  “Come on, buddy, it’s OK. I toldja already, pal. I’m a happy clown!” The clown’s gloved hand was just visible inside the closet from the bed where Mason lay trembling; he couldn’t see the clown’s face. The clown started making shapes with his hands. First the thumbs up, then the hang loose. Then a second hand appeared and made animal shadow shapes on the closet door: the shape of a bird flapping its wings, then a dog barking.

  Mason was mesmerized. How does he do that? He tried it lying down in bed with his own hands, but couldn’t make the shapes look right. He sat up, letting his legs hang over the side of the bed, and tried to copy the shapes the clown was making with his hands. He forgot that he had to pee. He forgot that he was afraid.

  “Wanna see how I do it?” the clown asked.

  Mason looked up from his hands and at the white-gloved hands in the closet and frowned.

  “No,” he said.

  Mason could hear the merry-go-round music from the back of the closet. “Turn that off!” Mason whispered. “You’re gonna wake my Daddy and he’ll get mad!”

  “Don’t worry, buddy,” the clown said. “Daddy can’t hear this music. It’s only for little boys and girls. It’s magic!”

  The music got louder and Mason was afraid his mother and father were going to hear it. He wanted to close the closet door. He slid off the bed, crept toward the door, and stood there for a minute, gathering his courage. The nightlight changed from red to purple and Mason stared at the tall clown standing in the back of his closet. The clown was dressed all in white and on his suit, Mason saw letters. He knew the letters one by one, but he couldn’t make them into a word he knew. H-A-R-V-E-Y.

  The clown bent down so he was eye-level with Mason. He had a red ball for a nose and red tufts of hair sprouting from his head: one on each side and one on top. His face was painted white with an oversized red smile painted around his mouth. Mason’s throat closed as he realized that it was the clown from his nightmares. He froze and wet himself.

  “Uh-oh,” the clown said. “You had an accident!” He pressed a button on his belt and a sound came from it. Wha-wha-whaaaaa… The clown grinned. He had too many teeth.

  Mason was terrified. He couldn’t move and started to cry.

  “Aww, come on, pal. Cheer up,” the clown said. “I can help you fix it! Let’s turn that frown upside down!” The clown made a frown face and then somehow twisted his head all the way around so that his mouth was pointing at the ceiling. “Whoa! I’m a little twisted up!” His head snapped right side around and the clown grinned his toothy grin at Mason again.

  Mason was amazed and scared at the same time. He was shaking and soaking wet and the smell of the urine was burning his n
ose and his eyes. He started to whimper. He was embarrassed about wetting himself again. He knew Mommy and Daddy didn’t like when he did it and felt bad about himself for doing it again.

  “Hey, pal,” the clown said. “No need to cry. Here’s what we’re going to do. You go to your drawer and pull out a new pair of underwear and pajamas. I’ll take those wet ones and clean ‘em up for you lickety-split! No muss—no fuss!” The clown squeezed the rubber ball of a horn on his belt. Mason jumped at the sound. “Don’t worry, pal. Mommy and Daddy can’t hear my horns! Only little boys and girls!” He blew the horn several more times. Mason looked around and listened, nervously waiting for his parents to come into the room and tell him to stop making noise. He didn’t hear any movement from his parents’ room.

  The clown grinned that toothy grin at him again and Mason grimaced. “Awww, you afraid of my choppers? No need to be afraid of these.” He reached into his mouth and pulled his teeth out and placed them in his other hand. The teeth started chattering in his hand. The clown pursed his lips and wore a shocked look on his face. He didn’t look so scary with the teeth out of his mouth. “Boys and girls are always afraid of my choppers,” the clown said with a sad face. “But I’m a happy clown.” He smiled and with no teeth he looked kind of funny. Mason laughed a little. “Ya see! I’m not scary, Mace!”