Sinister Scribblings - Volume 1

by Matt Hickman

  “No, but the man I saw, he promised me…”

  The man cackled hysterically, which triggered the heinous laughter of everyone else within the room, Jack held up his hands to cover his ears.

  “Of course he promised you,” the man spat. “We were all promised the same thing. That’s how they recruit for hell, they prey on the greedy and the selfish with promises of immortality and power. You get an eternal life alright, but you get to spend it here, in everlasting suffering.”

  “But … the man … Isaac.”

  The shackled man laughed. “He would have been one of the helpers. The main man is far too busy down here to be scouting for candidates himself. Talking of which.”

  An audible clicking sound of a bolt being slid open echoed around the room. A door opened on the opposite wall. Jack screamed and emptied his bladder at the horrifying sight of the figure that entered the room.

  Sibling Rivalry

  The blistering Arizona afternoon heat threatened to melt the entire house as Melissa sat in her office, staring at the horrific images that were displayed on her computer screen. The dull vibrations of the ancient air conditioning unit were the only noise that sounded throughout the home. Despite the air conditioning unit running at full speed, rivulets of warm perspiration beaded her forehead and trickled down her back.

  The horrific images continued to plague Melissa as she continued to watch the screen, half-enthralled with a morbid curiosity, while also wanting them to stop.

  The video, coupled with the intense heat, was threatening to reintroduce Melissa to her light lunch. She swallowed the huge lump in her throat and clicked on the mouse button once again, restarting the video stream. The images slowly pixelated on the computer screen in front of her. Squinting, she took a closer look at the detail. She ran the video back to the same frame again and again, freezing and re-watching the same piece of footage. After the twelfth time, she shook her head in despair as a single poignant tear ran down her cheek and dropped from her chin, splashing onto the keyboard. It evaporated almost immediately in the heat.

  She knew then she was certain.

  *****

  Michelle Garza sat on the porch in the warm evening breeze, watching as her two little boys played happily in the front yard, the recent heat baking away any traces of grass to parched soil. The joyous sounds of their innocent frivolity filling the air with glee. Michelle groaned; despite it being late evening, the temperature had only cooled down to a mere thirty-eight degrees and the heat and humidity were making it difficult to breathe properly, let alone run around playing.

  She shouted out to the boys, “Hey, you two, come on over here for a while, it’s still too hot to be running around like that. You’ll make yourselves ill.”

  Both boys stopped running, and turned to face her, dejected, groaning in unison, “Oh, Mom. Do we have to?”

  “Yes, for now. Come and have a drink and a rest, at least.”

  Both boys immediately turned and started heading towards the house, disgruntled expressions plastered across their faces, kicking their feet in the dried-out dirt as they walked.

  Michelle smiled inwardly, her heart-warming, in addition to the sweltering temperature.

  Oh, how to be that young again.

  She jumped slightly at the sudden touch of a hand placed upon her shoulder.

  The soothing sound of her husband's voice came from behind her. “Hey, why so jittery?” Ricky gently rubbed her shoulder blade and ran his hand down the back of her neck, the feel of his strong touch comforting on her taught muscles.

  “Your shoulders feel like they’re tied up in knots. What’s the matter? Maybe you should lay off writing those horror stories for a while; they’re beginning to play with your mind.”

  He slowly moved his right hand down towards her breast. “Besides, I don’t want you going and leaving me…”

  She knocked his hand away, playfully. “Pack it in, will you? The boys are right over there.”

  He laughed. “I'm just trying to cheer you up.”

  “I’m fine, it’s just –”

  “Just what?”

  “I dunno, maybe I’m just imagining things.”

  “What things? Come on, how can I help out if you won’t tell me what’s going on?”

  Michelle hesitated for a brief moment, wiping the light beads of perspiration from her brow with the back of her hand. “It’s just … well, the last couple of times I’ve spoken to Melissa, she’s seemed a little … off with me.”

  Ricky immediately burst out into heinous laughter. Michelle turned her head to him, frowning in confusion. “What the fuck?”

  Ricky continued to laugh. “Is that it? Jesus, this is you and Melissa we’re talking about here. You’re closer than anybody I know, or anybody I've ever met. There’s no way on earth she’s pissed at you.”

  Michelle smiled. “You think so?”

  “I know so. Look, there’s no way that the Sisters of Slaughter would ever fall out. God forbid anyone that ever got in your way, but you and Melissa? No fucking way. She worships the ground you walk on.”

  “As do I, but I swear to you, the past few times that I’ve spoken to her she’s seemed a little off with me.”

  “You’re probably imagining it. It’s this damn heat, it’s getting to everybody.”

  Michelle looked at him and raised an eyebrow. “Are you saying I’m insane? You’re skating on very thin ice.”

  “Ice would be welcomed right now. Besides, didn’t you say she had invited us over tomorrow for a barbeque?”

  “Yes, but she was a little vague about the details.”

  Ricky leaned forward and kissed her on the top of the head. “Ah, she will be fine, you’ll see.”

  *****

  Ricky steered the battered car into the driveway, all of the windows wound fully down. With the air conditioning broken, even during transit, there was barely enough breeze to cool the warm cabin. Pulling the handbrake on, he removed the key from the ignition and turned to the kids.

  “You ready to play with your cousins?”

  Both boys nodded excitedly. He turned to face Michelle. “You all set?”

  Wiping the sweat from her face, she opened the door and stepped out into the afternoon heat. “I guess so. I hope her air con is running.”

  Ricky smiled, exited the vehicle from his side and joined Michelle on the driveway. He looked up at the house, the eaves appearing to wave from side to side in the hot, shimmering air. It looked unnerving, eerie.

  Rick nodded. “Looks kinda quiet, don’t you think?”

  “Well, it’s usually quiet, but yeah, I see what you mean. It’s like it’s been abandoned.”

  “What do you think?”

  “Stop spooking me out, will you? Let’s just go and knock on the door.”

  The family approached the front porch slowly, a sense of impending dread hanging in the agonising warmth. She glanced at Ricky, who smiled back at her, his look tentative.

  “Go on then,” he gestured.

  Opening the porch door, she balled up her fist, and gently banged on the door, three times.

  They waited.

  Nothing happened.

  She looked at Ricky, a concerned look beginning to spread across his face. He did his best to subdue his anxiety.

  “Try again,” he began. “They may be out the back.”

  Michelle nodded and banged again, this time a little harder.

  To everyone’s relief, the muffled sound of Melissa’s voice floated out from behind the entrance.

  “Come on in, guys, the door’s open.”

  Michelle and Ricky breathed a sigh of relief, and she cursed herself for acting so foolishly. Holding open the front door, she gestured to her children. “Come on, boys.”

  Michelle led the way into the house with Ricky and the boys directly at her heels. Entering the living room, she couldn’t help but notice that the room looked untouched - too clean and tidy for a house where a family of four and two young c
hildren lived. There wasn’t a single sound in the room, the usual reverberating echo of the air conditioning unit replaced with a deathly silence.

  They slowly walked to the kitchen, each footfall echoing across the wooden flooring. Melissa greeted them as they reached the wide doorway, a troubled, forlorn expression upon her usually cheerful face. Her welcoming smile was gone, replaced with deep worry lines around her cheeks and forehead, her usually vibrant eyes sunken into her skull behind two dark bags.

  Michelle opened her arms in greeting and offered her a hug, affectionately wrapping her arms around her twin sister, and giving her a kiss on the cheek.

  “Hey sis, how have you been?”

  Both women parted from the embrace and Melissa gave Michelle an inquisitive look. Her eyes suggesting a glimmer of suspicion and malice.

  “Not too good. They’ve gone.”

  “What … who’s gone?” Michelle replied, panicking as she realised that the house was now totally deserted.

  “Chris and the kids, they’re gone. I’m here alone.”

  “What? What the hell … is … what happened?”

  Again, Melissa gave her the suspicious glance, as if trying to weigh her up. Michelle felt the awkwardness from her sister’s gaze, her steady eyes burning a hole straight through her.

  Melissa smiled, her usual cheerful facial features replaced with a harsh and punishing expression. A hint of vehemence entered her tone.

  “Come into the kitchen, let me fix you guys a drink and I’ll tell you all about it. You must be parched.”

  Michelle cast a concerned peek over at her husband, who interjected into the conversation. “You can say that again, the heat out there is a real killer.”

  The group followed Melissa into the kitchen. She poured four large tumblers of lemonade from a jug that had been chilling inside the refrigerator. She handed them out to the group with a beaming grin.

  “Here you go, guys, utter refreshment. The same recipe as our Mom’s.”

  Michelle and Ricky handed out the glasses, and everyone took a deep swig, the ice-cold contents refreshing and bitter as it slithered down their gullets.

  Michelle looked at the glass, and then at her sister approvingly. “My God. That stuff never fails to hit the spot.”

  She took another large swig, now consuming at least half of the glass.

  Michelle wavered, as her vision began to blur. Her world began spinning as she dropped the glass from her hand. It fell to the kitchen floor with a loud smash, shards of glass exploding and skidding along the wooden surface. Michelle fell to her knees, her bare skin landing in spilled liquid and broken glass. The spinning in her head increased and she struggled to stay upright. Sounds began to seem distant and tinny. Somewhere in the distance, she heard someone calling her name. She took a glance to her left just to spot Ricky collapsing at the same time.

  She was too far gone to resist it; she fell to her face on the kitchen floor. The side of her cheek slammed the wooden surface with a wet smack.

  Melissa walked over and knelt between the collapsed family, clicking her fingers in their faces, none of them giving a response.

  Melissa sneered.

  *****

  Michelle began to prise open her eyes, the blistering evening heat bearing down on her from above. She coughed, her lips charred and blistered from the soaring temperature, her throat painfully dry. The pain in her head was agonising, seemingly equal to taking a blow across the brow with a sledgehammer. Her long hair clung to the sides of her face and neck with hot sweat.

  She felt the bite of the razor sharp steel barbs and yelped. They cut into the soft flesh of her wrists, producing deep cuts as she hung, her arms suspended overhead by a weathered, wooden frame. Warm blood began to sluice down her forearms as she began to writhe.

  She whimpered and then screamed out in pain and frustration. Looking down, she saw her underwear and her favourite, oversized Iron Maiden t-shirt, but aside from that, she was completely naked. Her feet dangled over the red hot, baked dirt, barely low enough to be able to support her weight; she could barely stand upon her tiptoes. Her slim ankles were bound with the same barbed wire.

  She frantically looked around her, and immediately recognised her surroundings – Melissa’s back yard. The familiar silhouette of the red brick, low-rise buildings stood in the distance to her left, scorched from years of exposure to the Arizona sun. She reminisced on the countless times that both of their families had shared many poignant and happy memories.

  She called out. “Hello. Melissa? Ricky? Kids, are you there? What the fuck is going on?”

  From behind her, came the familiar voice of her husband. “Michelle? What the hell? What’s going on?”

  Michelle attempted to take a glance over her shoulder, but failed to see anything. She sensed the closeness of her husband’s body. Frantically, she tried peering over her other shoulder to no avail. The barbs continued to produce fresh blood as she attempted to squirm. “I don’t know. Tell me what you can see. I’m tied up.”

  Ricky winced. “I am too. Barbed wire around my wrists and ankles. What the fuck is this all about. Where are the kids?”

  Michelle swallowed the lump in her throat. “I … I don’t know. The last thing I remember is having the lemonade in Melissa’s kitchen. What the hell is going on with her?”

  “I’m not sure, but you can ask her yourself.”

  Ricky peered. In the distance, his eyes squinted against the glare of the sun, he spotted the familiar outline of his sister-in-law walking slowly from the back entrance of her house. She appeared to be dragging something behind her.

  Ricky called out as the woman approached and came into clear view. “Melissa. What the fuck is going on here? Get us down from here, now.”

  Melissa continued to approach. Ricky noticed she had changed her clothes, and she was now wearing a simple pair of black shorts complete with a black vest top and open topped sandals. Her brown hair disappeared behind her head, pulled back in a tight ponytail, and her eyes now hid behind with a pair of dark sunglasses. Despite her cool appearance, her whole body glistened with a perspiring hue. In her right hand, she carried a large bottle of water; and in her left she appeared to be dragging a large, filthy woven sack. Letting the sack fall to the ground, it gave out a dull metallic clunk.

  She stopped and took a long, deep, swig from the water. She replaced the cap and looked up towards Ricky. Gesturing with the bottle, she mocked, “Would you like some?”

  Ricky looked at the bottle longingly as beads of water spilled down her hand and dripped to the scorching dirt at her feet. “Yes … please, Melissa. What the fuck is going on?

  Melissa walked up to him and loosened the cap before placing the rim of the bottle to his parched lips. He did his best to pucker up before she pulled the bottle away and slowly began to pour the full contents of the bottle into the dried earth. A slow, guttural, demonic laugh escaped her lips.

  Ricky frowned. “What the fuck, Melissa? What are you doing, you mad bitch? Have you gone fucking insane? We’re cooking out here.”

  Melissa threw the bottle over her left shoulder, the glass shattering as it smashed off a rock in the distance. Without a word, she approached Ricky and grabbed his chin between her forefinger and thumb, forcefully.

  “Listen to me, you patronising little bastard. I meant what I said earlier. My whole family is missing, and I intend to find them. You two are going to tell me everything you know.”

  Ricky's eyes widened, an incredulous look appearing on his face. “Missing? What do we know? What are you talking about?”

  Melissa frowned. She let go of his chin and stepped back, shaking her head. Springing forward, she threw a left hook that connected with Ricky’s cheek. His head snapped violently backwards, smashing into the head of his wife behind him.

  “Don’t come out with that shit. I know full well that you’re involved.” She took a step towards him, thrusting her face into his own, close enough that he could see his own re
flection in the lenses of her sunglasses, “And trust me. You’re going to spill the beans.”

  Michelle called out to her sister, her head held high. “Melissa. Melissa, please, whatever you think is going on, this is the first that we've heard about this. Please, you have to believe me.”

  Melissa walked around so that she was face to face with her twin sister. Pulling her sunglasses down to the bridge of her nose, she stared at her, her gaze dripping with menace.

  “Don’t give me that shit, sis. We both know you’re involved. Trust me, before long, you’ll be singing like a canary.”

  “Please, Meliss –”

  Her statement was interrupted as Melissa unleashed a wicked, back handed slap across her right cheek, directly below her eye. The blow was hard enough to make the bright evening sun turn a deep shade of brown.

  Michelle slumped, her legs going limp at the knees, the steel barbs cutting further into the flesh of her wrists. Drooping her head, a thick line of spittle mixed with dark crimson hung from her mouth.

  Michelle sobbed, still peering downwards. “Please, Melissa, where … where are my kids?”

  Melissa laughed. “Your kids? I was about to ask you the same question.”

  “Please, Melissa,” she pleaded. “We don’t know anything.”

  She stopped to look at her sister for a brief moment before shaking her head. “Okay, if you want to do this the hard way.”

  Michelle watched as she sauntered off into the distance and disappeared into the brick outhouse. A few moments later, she reappeared along with two children, their hands bound behind their backs, their frail torsos stripped to the waist. Melissa motioned them forwards towards, to where their mother hung like a slab of putrid, rotting meat.

  Michelle called out to them. “Boys. Are you okay? Melissa, if you’ve done any –”

  “Oh, shut the fuck up will you, you blithering cow.”

  Melissa stood with both hands resting on the shoulders of her nephews. “Now, sister, dear. I’m going to repeat myself once again, and you know I don’t like repeating myself. Tell me where my family is.