returning to the attic. He hadn’t forgotten how one of the little devils had bitten him. He decided to dash to the bedroom and cover up in some heavy clothing, complete with gloves and a stocking cap. He was instantly sweating, but he prayed the job would be quick and easy.
He pushed the attic door aside like before and pulled himself up. Reaching in his coat, he pulled out his trusty flashlight and turned it on. Daylight spilled through various cracks in the attic walls, but it was still very dark. It smelt like a bottom of a trashcan and he had to cover his nose with a gloved hand. He became discouraged because of all the holes and cracks in the walls. Even if he did get them out, there would always be a way for more to get in. He knew that bats could fit themselves into the tiniest of holes, and his attic walls harbored huge gaping ones.
With the fishing net in one hand and the flashlight in the other, he proceeded forward. Walking through mounds of insulation, he scanned the ceiling for any sign of the creatures. Then he spotted a huddle of them gathered in the far corner. It was as if they knew they had been spotted, because as soon as the light hit them, their mouths opened showing tiny fangs. Their menacing red beady eyes reflected back at Steve.
They darted from the ceiling headed straight for his face. He ducked and swung the fishing net wildly, but they avoided the net and swooped in a giant circle. They started to pursue him from behind. He went down in a crouching position and pointed the flashlight rapidly in all directions.
The bats were sticking together. They came at Steve in a group of four. Fangs exposed and wings flapping, they made another attempt at taking a chunk out of Steve’s face. He put up the net for protection and caught one. The others flew away in retreat. Steve twisted the bat tight in the net’s web and stared at the tiny creature. Without thinking about it, he stepped down hard on the bat, smashing it under his thick boot. The other bats had vanished out the attic holes after seeing their buddy being crushed to death. Steve wiped his sweaty forehead and examined the guts of the dead bat.
Once he got out of the attic, Steve knew his battle had only just begun. It was a small victory, but maybe it would send a message to all the bat’s buddies that you don’t mess with Steve Starks.
He placed the mashed bat in the kitchen waste basket and took the bag outside to the garbage can. Just as he put the lid back on, Cheryl, Alley, and Bobby came walking around the corner of the house. He had gotten away with it just in time, but there was one problem- He was still dressed like he was prepared for a winter storm, and the step ladder was still sitting under the attic door.
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Steve had to think quickly because Cheryl was giving him a strange eye. He explained that he was searching the attic for any left behind treasures and he put on the clothes to protect against the massive amount of cobwebs. Cheryl accepted his story without question and headed in the house to start supper.
Steve went to the bedroom and peeled off his sweat soaked clothing. He started to question his decision to buy the place. He had enough money to buy or build any home he wanted. Why did he decide to buy this dump? When he found the place online, it looked like paradise for a cheap price, but now that they arrived, it was anything but. He forced himself to stay positive. They could make it work. He would just have to put some old fashioned hard work and effort into it in order to make it the house of his dreams; maybe call an exterminator as well.
They all sat together for dinner, and for the most part, everyone seemed to be adjusting to the new environment. The cable had not been hooked up yet, so they listened to the radio while they ate.
“So honey? Did you see what I meant about the people in town?” Cheryl asked.
“Yeah, they’re a little different, but you’ll get that when you move to a new place.”
“I suppose you’re right. It’s just… they seem really different, like off their rocker different.”
“Yeah, they’re creepy.” Alley added.
“Alright, I know, I know. It’ll take time to get used to. Can we just eat now?”
Cheryl nodded and the family began to dig in to a homemade meal of pot roast with mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, and fresh out of the oven biscuits. The feast reminded Steve of thanksgiving dinners with his parents at his grandmother’s house. In this moment, Steve was exceptionally happy, and his wife and kids seemed to be as well.
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They nestled in their beds with full stomachs. Alley and Bobby shared one room, while Cheryl and Steve cuddled in the other. The wind whispered at the windows like a calming voice telling a bedtime story. There was no sound besides the wind; just a peaceful nights rest ahead of them, but as the easy dreams started to set in, a different noise disrupted them.
Alley woke first. It was the same scratching that she had heard the night they arrived; only it seemed to come from every direction of the dark room. She sat up in bed and pinched her cheek to make sure she wasn’t dreaming.
“Bobby.” She whispered.
There was no response from his side of the room.
“Bobby?” she tried again.
When he didn’t answer for the second time, she timidly crawled out of bed and slowly walked across the room. The scratching became intense like a thousand nails running along a chalkboard. She darted to her brother’s bed and found him weeping under his pillow. She stuck her own head under the pillow and tried to comfort him.
“Its okay buddy…Please stop crying.”
Bobby wouldn’t stop and Alley couldn’t blame him. It was terrifying hearing all those scratchy noises tearing at the walls. She wanted to cry herself. She was almost a teenager and she wanted to cry out, “Mommy, Daddy?” It made her sick, but she couldn’t help it. So she found herself screaming at the top of her lungs for help.
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“Mom…Dad?”
Steve heard his kids screaming. He also heard the rapid scratching noises before that. He stumbled around the foot of the bed dressing like some runway model. Cheryl had just woken to the racket. She panicked immediately.
“What is that?” Her eyes were about to pop out of her skull.
“Bats.” Steve admitted, but had no time to admit to himself how bad the situation might be. In his head, he told himself that they were just harmless little bats, but he knew that just one of the little pests had left a nice gouge in his hand, and now it sounded like there were a thousand of them. How much trouble were they in?
While holding Cheryl’s hand, he ripped open the bedroom door and marched down the hall flipping on lights as he went. As far as he could tell, none of them had made it inside yet, but it sounded like there were enough of them to pick up the house and carry it away.
They stormed into the kid’s room and ran to the bed to comfort their crying children.
Alley wrapped her arms around her mother. Steve whisked Bobby off the bed and held him tight to his chest. The scratching noises became louder and louder until it sounded like the walls were going to cave in as if they were standing in the heart of an earthquake.
Steve signaled for Cheryl to follow, then ran out of the room and tromped down the stairs. When he reached the main floor, he turned to make sure Cheryl and Abbey were still following. They were so close he could have hit them with an elbow. He crept through the dark living room and turned on a light. They scanned the corners and windows for any signs of a flying bat that may have gotten in. There was nothing… yet.
Steve slowly peeled back a curtain to peek outside and almost dropped Bobby on the floor. Outside, there were swarms of bats flapping and weaving around one another. They were so thick that Steve could not see a foot past the window. Bobby didn’t notice because he was still crying into his dad’s chest, but he heard his dad’s heart begin to race at an alarming rate.
Steve, turning as white as a ghost, turned to face his wife and daughter. His mind raced for something to say, but from the look on his face they knew that they were in deep trouble.
“What, what is it? W
hat’s going on?” Cheryl and Alley screamed in unison.
Without really having a plan, Steve raced to the basement door. He hadn’t thought to scope out the basement yet, so when he opened the door and flipped the light switch, he didn’t expect it to turn on. To his amazement, a hazy bulb flickered to life. He led his family down a creaky cobweb filled set of stairs into a dingy, musty smelling basement.
Even with the loud scratching noises overhead, they could hear a major water leak running onto the basement floor. They looked around and were horrified by what lay before them.
In the corner was a collection of homemade crosses built out of sticks and bound together by leather straps or rubber bands. Boxes and boxes of garlic cloves had been piled on a nearby table. But the worst was a decayed skeleton lying on the floor staring back at them.
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With one look at the sinister basement, they almost wanted to turn around and head back upstairs. The scenery gave Steve, Cheryl, and Alley the willies. Bobby hadn’t stopped crying long enough to notice the strange surroundings.
Steve passed Bobby off to Cheryl and began to
Fast Fears #1: Bats in the Attic Page 4
