“Ms. Festin!” William shrieked, stumbling over each syllable. “There’s a problem down here...I need you to...”
“Don’t you worry,” The housekeeper’s voice again rang from upstairs, cutting off the master’s cries. “I will be down in a second.” As with earlier, a strange silence followed. “Just go into the study and read a good book, I will take care of everything.”
Without a reply or a single disparaging word, William shoved back his chair and stood up from the table. Making the effort to keep his attention from the unnerving cereal bowl, he made hastily for his study. As he prodded open the door and passed through its threshold, he felt an imperceptible tranquility wash over his skin.
Lending a tiresome exhale into the air, William fell back into his leather lounger. He noticed a dusty, weathered book balanced across the right armrest and abruptly brought it into focus. The Prospect of the Insect, a novel by Beaufort Giles, he read the gold leaf titling slowly to himself. The binding cooed as William pried open the cover, his unblinking eyes wavering over each word as he made ample headway into the first chapter. Though, while turning over the next page, he felt his vision darken and his head totter. He soon gave in to slumber, cheek to his shoulder and knuckles resting on the upturned page.
***
William’s eyelids slithered open. He straightened his head, massaging the stiff ache from his neck. The clock adorning the adjacent wall stared down with scornful intent. Somehow he allowed himself to sleep from early morning to mid-day. With disappointment glossing his features, William ambled from the study, through the kitchen, and up the newly amended stairway. As he walked, the haze began to fade from his periphery. From his lucid awareness, every surface in the house boasted a renewed spotlessness. Stopping at Ms. Festin’s room, William put his ear to the door.
“Good work today, Ms. Festin, everything looks immaculate.” He offered his words and loitered just outside the room.
“Oh, of course, anything for you, sir.” Ms. Festin’s voice came as if vapor. William shifted his weight, perplexed. His humble housekeeper never answered his routine utterances of appreciation.
“Is everything alright? If you don’t mind me asking.” William eliminated further distance between himself and the door.
“Oh...yes...it is all fine.” The housekeeper’s words came disjointed through a fit of coughing.
William’s heart pummeled his ribcage. He grasped the doorknob and forced the wood to the conjoining wall. Throwing his eyes to the bed before him, William saw his housekeeper’s body, at least what was left of it. The shoulders and head were propped up against the headboard while Ms. Festin’s desecrated limbs lay splayed out over the soiled sheets. William stood petrified of the disfigured woman, the hair ripped from her scalp, the skin stripped from her face. A flow of tiny black bodies weaved throughout the ravaged carcass, through the foamy blood and muscle, dilating the housekeeper’s already pared flesh. A procession of bugs tracked from wrists to sternum as another followed from ankles to pelvis. The scent of putrefying tissue, amalgamated with the sting of flatulence, bore into William’s unprepared nostrils; he cupped his nose. It was all he could do to keep from vomiting.
“No! You little fucking devils!” William spouted until his throat ran raw. “You demons! You intruders! You have no business in my home!” He rotated the hand from his ailing nose as his mouth jostled open for further reviling. Yet, noticing the bugs’ quickening pace, he opted for silence. The tiny oblong bodies organized around the housekeepers exposed larynx and began to oscillate.
“We...had...to do it.” The words came from the housekeeper’s mouth in sharp and surreal jolts. William’s extremities froze as a chill swiped over his sweating skin.
“Why...no...” William spoke, turning his head from the disheartening scene. “You might as well kill me too.” He inhaled deeply through the tensed gap of his mouth.
“We wish to bring no harm upon you.” The mutilated housekeeper’s words barely masked the sloshing of busy legs throughout her carved neck. “We are here to serve you, to tend to your every desire. You are our new master.”
Forcing his inevitable regurgitation down and his tears aside, William again brought his focus to the blood-saturated mattress. The wetted bugs began to climb out from the caverns of torn sinew and filed over the bed sheets to the floor. Awestruck, William stood his ground. As the shadowlike bodies amassed at his feet, he noticed a change welling within his gut, a feeling more near curiosity than terror.
The bugs assembled in uniform rows before him, as if miniscule soldiers awaiting an order. William’s knees bent slightly, his body rocked. Outstretching his right arm, he knelt down, placing the edge of his hand to the floorboards. Capturing the nearest bug in his gaze, he watched on as it undulated onto his knuckle. William stood, never breaking his stare, and shakily filled his lungs. He looked over the black bump, his eyelids never urging to close, as a smile reshaped his lips.
Adaptation
by Lesley Conner
Closing her eyes, Thea leaned back on the cream-colored couch, allowing the cushions to swaddle her. It was so relaxing, lying enveloped by the soft pillows. A cool breeze caressed her bare stomach. Relaxed, she sighed in contentment, thinking she would be perfectly happy never stirring again. A light movement along her body forced her to open her eyes. Looking down at her chest, a pair of emerald eyes stared back at her.
“Mommy,” the infant cooed. A thin smile formed on pink lips, and the baby nuzzled her chest. It hugged Thea's bare breast and latched on, drawing nourishment from her. A warm, tingling sensation spiraled through her, tugging at her nipple.
Thea smiled, proud she was able to feed her child and help it grow strong.
The green eyes stayed locked on her blue ones as it suckled deeply.
***
Awareness pushed through the cloud of sleep. Thea struggled to open her eyes. The dream was too strange, too surreal. She wasn't a mother. With school, work, and hopes of one day owning her own business, she didn't want a baby. She knew she was too selfish for that responsibility. Finally, the allure of sleep won out over the wrongness of the dream. She slipped back into its embrace.
***
The solid heft of the infant weighed heavily on her torso, seeming to pin her to the couch. It continued to stare up at her, and once it seemed sure it had Thea's full attention, it smiled at her again. She could see her nipple stretched into its mouth, its tongue rolled around it. Sharp, shark-like teeth lined the baby's gums.
“Mommy.”
Within the confines of the dream, Thea struggled to sit up. The pillows that had been so inviting, so plush a moment before, now were suffocating. The woman fought against their softness, only managing to sink further into them. A giggle escaped the baby, and then it burrowed its face in her chest, ravenously nursing.
***
Fear forced Thea awake. Her eyes fixed on the textured ceiling as she tried to slow her racing heart beat. The air rushing from between her full lips was loud in the quiet of night. Bringing her hands to her face, she groaned, wondering what the dream meant.
“I guess I'm really not supposed to have kids,” she said. “That was a nightmare.” She let out a little laugh of relief. The bed sheets rustled against the mattress. Thea froze, focusing on the sound, and then tried to sit up. A heavy weight on her chest stopped her. Panic crept up her spine, tightening the muscles on either side of her back. Even though she didn't want to, she looked down across her body. A pair of emerald eyes stared back. A scream ripped from Thea's throat.
“Mommy,” a soft voice said. The creature, lying across Thea's torso, looked like a baby, chubby and almost cherubic, but lacked the pink glow of a newborn. Instead, its skin was grayish blue and opaque. Its pale, milky lips pulled back in a snarl, revealing the razor-like teeth Thea had seen in her dream. She couldn't help but scream again at the sight of her bare breast within its mouth. Blood oozed from several bite marks, bathing the creature's tongue and throat. It swal
lowed greedily. Pudgy hands grasped her, trying to shove more of her large breast into it. The fingers ended in sharp nails digging into her tender flesh, bringing tears to the woman's eyes. As she lay there, frozen by both fear and shock, the baby giggled. Not only did it understand the terror it was causing, but it seemed to enjoy it.
It was the laugh that broke through Thea's denial. The sound was high and grating. It was something she’d never heard, not from an infant or anything else. Her legs kicked at the covers. Her hips bucked, trying to dislodge the creature. Its eyes narrowed, filling with hate. It used its sharp nails to anchor itself to her body and then it smiled at her.
As she lashed out, Thea thought she saw it wink up at her, and then it bit down. The pain was instantaneous, circling from her breast, then through her body. Blackness swept over her, wanting to force her into unconsciousness. Thea fought harder, not knowing what would happen to her if she allowed herself to blackout.
Her flailing hands came into contact with the baby and she clutched it just as desperately as it was clutching her. Yanking the thing away from herself, she felt her skin ripping and saw the baby swallow. Her nipple was gone. As she flung the creature across the room, she allowed herself to cry out once in pain and grief for her ruined breast. And then she ran, clad only in a pair of thin, black panties and a torn t-shirt.
Thea heard the baby moving from the corner. She didn't look back to see if it was following, but focused on her bedroom door instead. Her feet pounded on the soft, rose colored carpet, eating up the distance of the room. Wrapping her fingers around the doorknob, she yanked open the door and stepped into her hallway. A plaintive wail called from the bedroom. A part of Thea yearned to go back and cuddle the injured infant, but the rest of her balked at the idea, shoving the motherly feelings aside like she’d been doing most of her adult life. If she wanted to survive, she knew right now was not the time to start listening to her biological clock.
Halfway down the hallway, Thea risked a look back, needing to know whether or not she was being followed. The baby was crawling across the bedroom floor, illuminated by moonlight filtering through lacy curtains, one leg dragging behind. It raised its head towards her, its face scrunched in agony and let out another cry. Thea backed away from it, making her way to the front door of the small house.
The baby climbed to its unsteady feet and toddled towards her, hands raised to clutch her. It babbled and cooed, looking just as sweet as the infant in her dream.
Suddenly, its feet flashed against the carpet, covering the distance between the two quickly, as the charade of innocence was dropped. Turning, Thea ran.
She rushed through the house, her bare breasts swinging with each step. Blood splattered from the gaping hole in her right breast, covering her body and soaking the remains of her shirt. The pain was shocking.
Moonlight lit the narrow hallway, allowing Thea to avoid the clutter threatening to trip her. As she entered the kitchen, she let out a little yelp of joy. The front door was only a few feet away, and she knew she was going to escape.
Just as her steps were gaining confidence, Thea slipped, her body falling forward. She reached her arms out, trying to grab a hold of anything that would stop her fall, but they banged against the kitchen counter and then followed her to the floor.
The creature was on her in an instant. Small hands and feet dug into her skin as it crawled over her, its sharp nails sliding through the fabric of her shirt with ease. It bit and licked its way up her body, finally settling on her back. Thea could feel its breath on her neck.
“Why are you running, Mommy?” Its breath ruffled her hair as it leaned towards her. “I'm hungry. Don't you want to feed your baby?” A long, pointed tongue flicked out of its teeth-filled mouth and ran along the inside of her ear. “I'm so hungry, and you taste so good.”
Thea felt it nibbling her earlobe. Her mind replayed the sight of it biting through her breast and swallowing her nipple. Anger surged through her, making her chest feel hot and tingly. She wasn't going to lose another part of herself to this monster. As she found her feet and stood, the creature slipped down her back. Its nails ripped through her shirt and dug into her skin. It screeched in protest, sounding like nails on a chalkboard. Clamoring higher, it settled on her shoulder and grabbed her by the neck.
“I'm hungry, Mommy. Feed me.” Its voice was shrill, sending waves of revulsion through Thea. Without thinking of the long, sharp talons pressed into her throat, she grabbed the creature around its soft, round belly. Squeezing, she pulled it off of her and looked it in the face. Ribbons of her skin clung to its nails. She could feel blood pouring from the wounds it’d raked into her neck, and for the first time, she knew if she didn't get help soon, she would be dead. The chubby cheeks and pouting lips smiled at her, showing its joy for her terror as it popped its fingers into its mouth and sucked her flesh from them. Its nose wrinkled with happiness.
Not wanting to hold the squirming thing any longer, Thea dropped it to the floor and kicked it back down the hallway. She scrambled around the kitchen table and grasped the locked, front door. As she fumbled with the deadbolt, she couldn't help but look back down the hall. She could hear the thing coming towards her again, but couldn't see it.
Finally the door was open, and Thea ran out into the night air. Her skin puckered in its chill. She stumbled down the steps of her small porch and paused, not sure where to go for help. Looking around at the forest and the deserted road, she turned to her left and headed for Mrs. Burns' house.
The old widow was Thea's closest neighbor. Her house sat at the bottom of a long hill and was surrounded by a rock garden inhabited with what seemed like hundreds of lawn ornaments. Thea had asked her about it once, thinking it looked incredibly tacky, and Mrs. Burns had simply said she didn't have to mow a rock garden.
Now, Thea was happy to see the collection of garden gnomes and plastic animals grow bigger as she got closer. Her head was beginning to feel heavy and her steps were faltering. She kept reminding herself why she was bothering her elderly neighbor in the middle of the night. It felt like it had all been a dream. It was only the sight of her naked breasts, and the wounds and blood they bore, that proved to her it hadn't been.
Thea's bare feet were wet from the dew forming on the grass, leaving prints on the cold, stone path as she walked towards the house in the middle of the rock garden. She found it hard to control the shaking that had settled in her arms. Her eyes were growing heavy. The porch was so close, but all she wanted was to lie down and go to sleep.
A clamoring from behind made Thea jump. She heard a giggle in response. Turning, she choked on a cry as she saw the baby crawling across the rock garden. Its long nails clicked on the stones, and it grinned at her. Dipping its head, it licked at a drop of blood.
“I found you, Mommy.” The creature giggled again. “Not that it was hard. You left a yummy trail for me to follow.”
Terror poured through Thea, pushing back the shock that had been taking over her body. She watched as the infant stood and started running towards her. Stumbling on the flat stones of the path, she turned and ran. Her eyes were opened wide, searching for anything to defend herself with. There was nothing amid the smiling lawn ornaments.
Veering from the path, Thea took off across the rock garden, trying to buy herself some time. Jagged points of rock bit into the tender flesh of her bare feet. They were uneven and hard to run across. She had to concentrate to keep from falling.
It wasn't too many steps until her battle to stay upright was lost. She fell against a large, cement donkey. The ass was cold and unmoving, toppling the softer woman to the ground. Thea heard the baby give a whoop of glee as she tried to sit up. As she struggled, she saw the creature crawl over the top of the donkey. It smiled down on her from its perch.
“Caught you, Mommy. This has been fun, but I'm getting tired of our game. And so it must come to an end.”
“You're right. It must.” Thea shot a foot out and knocked the creature from the do
nkey's back. Then she placed both feet on its side and shoved with all of her strength. At first, the lawn ornament didn't move, and Thea feared that it was somehow anchored to the ground, but then she felt it give a little. Pushing even harder, she finally toppled the cement ornament. It fell to the ground with a thud, pinning the creature beneath it. A loud wail erupted from the baby’s mouth as its short arms pushed at the donkey. Its small face scrunched in anger and pain.
Thea stood up and looked down at the infant-sized monster. It no longer looked terrifying to her. Instead, it seemed small and pathetic. Weariness weighed on the woman's shoulders. She wanted this all to be over. She wanted to slip back into the comforts of a dreamless sleep.
Looking at the ground around her, Thea bent to pick up a large rock with a flat side. She crouched down beside the wiggling creature and lifted the rock high above her head. It came down hard, first with a soft pop, and then a crunch as it passed through the tissue of the monster's face and ground into the rocks beneath it. Thick, black blood splattered across the cement back of the donkey and covered Thea's hands. As she stood, she wiped them on the tatters of her t-shirt, thinking to herself that the thing had popped like an engorged tick. She guessed it really hadn't been much more than that.
Turning, she tried to cover her nakedness as she climbed the rickety steps of her neighbor’s porch and knocked on the door. The sun was rising over the hills. Morning had come to drive away all remaining nightmares.
Ruthless: An Extreme Shock Horror Collection Page 9
