Welcome Home
by Patricia Hatley
I slammed the door behind me, hinges squealing as they closed. My heart sank to the bottom of my stomach, making me want to clutch my waist in agony. I couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe, not without knowing what happened to them. My stomach churned, causing me to gasp in pain. I could feel chills rattling up my spine, forming slowly until they hit the back of my neck. I couldn’t let go of the pain, it clawed into me deeply, drilling holes inside of my thoughts. My once peaceful relaxing thoughts were now sparkling with fear and drizzled with the horrible stench of blood. I need to know where they are and who did this.
Thrusting my hand away from my stomach and feeling my heart begin to pound, I shrank down to the floor. My eyesight was defocused and blotchy, simulating small irregular bursts of light which made me blink rapidly. I rubbed them with my shaky hands, feeling my knuckles scrape across the barrier of my iris. Blinking, I relieved the anguishing pain within my eye socket. My knees were scraped and bloodied, my hands were pale and cracked, blood soaking within the cracks looking for shelter. I was no shelter. I was a madhouse.
Coughing up spit, I felt a flame of indulgence burst within me. I cracked a small smile. Why was I getting so worked up over something I couldn’t remember? But that’s when it hit me. I couldn’t remember it. So now, it was as if I had to find out. I brought myself up off my knees, taking in the air around me, feeling my arms droop to my sides. I hadn’t even bothered to turn on the light. My arm was weak, bruised and throbbing with unspeakable pain. It made me disappointed in myself. I didn’t know what I had done to my own body. Reaching to the side of my wall, I flicked on the light. The lightbulb lit up my once dim room, sputtering out a few sparks before finally subsiding. I rubbed my eyes once more, still taking in sharp and frightening breaths.
Peeking around, I noticed a familiar sight. Boxes upon boxes littered the corners of the attic walls, meshed in masks of dust and grime. The light from the lightbulb reflected on the curtains of dust, creating nearly transparent mist. I hesitated before letting out a shaky cough. My arms were still dappled with smears of blood, like I smeared my blood against something. I still didn’t know what.
The hardwood floors were coated with rusted nails jutting out from nearly every floor panel. Watching where I stepped in my nearly filthy black vans, I maneuvered my shaky self around the attic. My ears thrummed loudly with the constant beat of my heart pounding against my ribcage. It took effort to drag myself across the floor without making a sound. I knew I didn’t want to make noise. That would disturb my parents. Say, where are my parents?
I was suddenly filled with curiosity. Could they be deeper in the attic? Why haven’t they made any noise yet? I knew I had to travel deeper into my completely pitch black attic with only one light remaining to guide me. I swallowed the lump in my throat, stepping cautiously into the dark. My eyes shot back and forth, examining the darkness surrounding me. I was becoming nervous, and even scared. It felt as if things were crawling up my back as I walked, the lightbulb behind me shifting side to side on one uneven tendril. I continued nervously through the attic, trying to ignore the sweet and welcoming scent of pine engulfing the room. That’s mom’s favorite type of candle. Candle.
I gasped to myself, keeping to a quiet composure. Mom forgot to light the candle! I’ll get it for her.
Creak.
Creak.
Creak.
I froze. The noise began to grow. I couldn’t move, feeling as if every muscle in my body was screaming for me to stay put. My eyes widened as I gently placed my hand over my mouth. I wasn’t moving.
But something else was.
Without any second thoughts, I knew I couldn’t keep whatever was going on to myself.
“Hello?” I called into the darkness, cupping my one hand over my freezing lips. I shuddered as no movement was heard. Not a single sound accompanied my greeting. I grew more tense, my shoulders tightening and my muscles clenching. “Mom, or Dad, if that’s you, please come out.” I growled firmly, trying to calm myself down. But the fear rose over me like a wave, consuming me in a chilly depth of anxiety.
Creak.
Creak.
Creak.
I paused, feeling my breath grow heavier and heavier.
I had to get the hell out of here.
Creak.
Creak.
Creak.
SLAM!
I let out a scream, piercing my ears with the sound of my own fearful voice. I booked it, feeling my legs carry me out of the darkness into the light. Nails pierced my shoes as I ran, my hair bobbing up and down, causing the sensation of tickling on my back to grow. I felt the breeze hit my face like a bullet as I dashed closer and closer to the light bulb. My feet ached, sticky blood now beginning to trickle down the sides of my cheeks and arms. My legs, bruised and bubbly with swelling pulsated, causing me to let out another scream of agony. I fell to the ground, nails embedding themselves into my skin. I shrieked, pain cascading over me like a hurricane. I was swept away from a proper standing position and thrown to the ground, my screams filling my ears. It was all I could hear, relapsed over and over again in my mind as I tried to stand up. I could feel pools of warm liquid drizzle down my back, and slit marks from the nails open more as I began getting onto my feet.
I shakily stumbled upwards, my heart fluttering at an abnormal speed. Pain from the cuts oozing all over my back. It felt as if nails had dug into my back and gripped my spine, shaking it around as I tried to focus my vision. I was unsteady, nervous, and terrified for my life. I could hear whatever was in the deeper part of the attic closing in on me, scraping something against the floor like long claws. My mind swirled into a frightful daze, causing me to gasp as I nearly lost my balance once more. I had to get out of here, now. This was no longer my home. This is nothing like I remembered. I couldn’t stay here. This visit was over.
Then, it stopped. The noise of the person chasing me faded off. It froze.
I paused. I stayed silent, knowing that what I had just heard wasn’t a dream. I know it wasn’t. There was something chasing me. I slapped my hand to my heart and clutched it, breathing heavily outwards. I remained frozen, underneath the dangling lightbulb, trying to catch my scattered breath. Heaving in, and out, feeling myself almost slip away into possibly fainting. But I steadied my ground. I kept my feet aligned, coughing and hacking as my body made attempts to release as much stress as possible.
But that’s when I felt something cold drip onto my shoulders. It splattered, creating a dripping noise. It tumbled down my sleeve and made my blood run cold.
I remembered what I was running from.
A long lanky black creature, molded together by what seems like slick oil hung upside down from the ceiling, it’s head completely turned right side up while it’s body faced the top of the roof. Its crooked long lengthy claw-like hands gripped ferociously onto the wood masking the top of the ceiling. The creature had soulless white eyes, dripping white ooze. Its teeth were a row of serrated yellow human-like fangs. They were stained with blood. My parent’s blood. And soon, my own blood.
It slowly released and twisted one of its arms, bones cracking and crunching as they turned to face me. The one long arm dropped down near my face, a cold wind tickling the edges of my face. I couldn’t move. It sliced one of its claws down my cheek. I stared deep into the darkness, eyes wide with fear. I felt the claw make its way down my cheek and towards my throat. I could feel myself becoming overwhelmed with a shocking fear. I now knew what had entered into my house. I wasn’t the one visiting.
They were.
The serrated claw finally daintily fluttered above my neck. I shut my eyes and took a deep breath, absorbing the overwhelming sensation of dread flowing within me. That’s when I opened my eyes and looked up. I was greeted with a crooked human smile. It has extended its neck, lowering downwards to look down upon my head. The sight of its grinning teeth made me open my mouth to scream. But as I did, I felt my breath disappear. Blood began running down my neck.
The creature smiled. Its visit was worthwhile. It slowly leaned down towards my ear, it’s rotten breath stretching and hollowing its way into my eardrums.
“Welcome home.”
Thrusting my hand away from my stomach and feeling my heart begin to pound, I shrank down to the floor. My eyesight was defocused and blotchy, simulating small irregular bursts of light which made me blink rapidly. I rubbed them with my shaky hands, feeling my knuckles scrape across the barrier of my iris. Blinking, I relieved the anguishing pain within my eye socket. My knees were scraped and bloodied, my hands were pale and cracked, blood soaking within the cracks looking for shelter. I was no shelter. I was a madhouse.
Coughing up spit, I felt a flame of indulgence burst within me. I cracked a small smile. Why was I getting so worked up over something I couldn’t remember? But that’s when it hit me. I couldn’t remember it. So now, it was as if I had to find out. I brought myself up off my knees, taking in the air around me, feeling my arms droop to my sides. I hadn’t even bothered to turn on the light. My arm was weak, bruised and throbbing with unspeakable pain. It made me disappointed in myself. I didn’t know what I had done to my own body. Reaching to the side of my wall, I flicked on the light. The lightbulb lit up my once dim room, sputtering out a few sparks before finally subsiding. I rubbed my eyes once more, still taking in sharp and frightening breaths.
Peeking around, I noticed a familiar sight. Boxes upon boxes littered the corners of the attic walls, meshed in masks of dust and grime. The light from the lightbulb reflected on the curtains of dust, creating nearly transparent mist. I hesitated before letting out a shaky cough. My arms were still dappled with smears of blood, like I smeared my blood against something. I still didn’t know what.
The hardwood floors were coated with rusted nails jutting out from nearly every floor panel. Watching where I stepped in my nearly filthy black vans, I maneuvered my shaky self around the attic. My ears thrummed loudly with the constant beat of my heart pounding against my ribcage. It took effort to drag myself across the floor without making a sound. I knew I didn’t want to make noise. That would disturb my parents. Say, where are my parents?
I was suddenly filled with curiosity. Could they be deeper in the attic? Why haven’t they made any noise yet? I knew I had to travel deeper into my completely pitch black attic with only one light remaining to guide me. I swallowed the lump in my throat, stepping cautiously into the dark. My eyes shot back and forth, examining the darkness surrounding me. I was becoming nervous, and even scared. It felt as if things were crawling up my back as I walked, the lightbulb behind me shifting side to side on one uneven tendril. I continued nervously through the attic, trying to ignore the sweet and welcoming scent of pine engulfing the room. That’s mom’s favorite type of candle. Candle.
I gasped to myself, keeping to a quiet composure. Mom forgot to light the candle! I’ll get it for her.
Creak.
Creak.
Creak.
I froze. The noise began to grow. I couldn’t move, feeling as if every muscle in my body was screaming for me to stay put. My eyes widened as I gently placed my hand over my mouth. I wasn’t moving.
But something else was.
Without any second thoughts, I knew I couldn’t keep whatever was going on to myself.
“Hello?” I called into the darkness, cupping my one hand over my freezing lips. I shuddered as no movement was heard. Not a single sound accompanied my greeting. I grew more tense, my shoulders tightening and my muscles clenching. “Mom, or Dad, if that’s you, please come out.” I growled firmly, trying to calm myself down. But the fear rose over me like a wave, consuming me in a chilly depth of anxiety.
Creak.
Creak.
Creak.
I paused, feeling my breath grow heavier and heavier.
I had to get the hell out of here.
Creak.
Creak.
Creak.
SLAM!
I let out a scream, piercing my ears with the sound of my own fearful voice. I booked it, feeling my legs carry me out of the darkness into the light. Nails pierced my shoes as I ran, my hair bobbing up and down, causing the sensation of tickling on my back to grow. I felt the breeze hit my face like a bullet as I dashed closer and closer to the light bulb. My feet ached, sticky blood now beginning to trickle down the sides of my cheeks and arms. My legs, bruised and bubbly with swelling pulsated, causing me to let out another scream of agony. I fell to the ground, nails embedding themselves into my skin. I shrieked, pain cascading over me like a hurricane. I was swept away from a proper standing position and thrown to the ground, my screams filling my ears. It was all I could hear, relapsed over and over again in my mind as I tried to stand up. I could feel pools of warm liquid drizzle down my back, and slit marks from the nails open more as I began getting onto my feet.
I shakily stumbled upwards, my heart fluttering at an abnormal speed. Pain from the cuts oozing all over my back. It felt as if nails had dug into my back and gripped my spine, shaking it around as I tried to focus my vision. I was unsteady, nervous, and terrified for my life. I could hear whatever was in the deeper part of the attic closing in on me, scraping something against the floor like long claws. My mind swirled into a frightful daze, causing me to gasp as I nearly lost my balance once more. I had to get out of here, now. This was no longer my home. This is nothing like I remembered. I couldn’t stay here. This visit was over.
Then, it stopped. The noise of the person chasing me faded off. It froze.
I paused. I stayed silent, knowing that what I had just heard wasn’t a dream. I know it wasn’t. There was something chasing me. I slapped my hand to my heart and clutched it, breathing heavily outwards. I remained frozen, underneath the dangling lightbulb, trying to catch my scattered breath. Heaving in, and out, feeling myself almost slip away into possibly fainting. But I steadied my ground. I kept my feet aligned, coughing and hacking as my body made attempts to release as much stress as possible.
But that’s when I felt something cold drip onto my shoulders. It splattered, creating a dripping noise. It tumbled down my sleeve and made my blood run cold.
I remembered what I was running from.
A long lanky black creature, molded together by what seems like slick oil hung upside down from the ceiling, it’s head completely turned right side up while it’s body faced the top of the roof. Its crooked long lengthy claw-like hands gripped ferociously onto the wood masking the top of the ceiling. The creature had soulless white eyes, dripping white ooze. Its teeth were a row of serrated yellow human-like fangs. They were stained with blood. My parent’s blood. And soon, my own blood.
It slowly released and twisted one of its arms, bones cracking and crunching as they turned to face me. The one long arm dropped down near my face, a cold wind tickling the edges of my face. I couldn’t move. It sliced one of its claws down my cheek. I stared deep into the darkness, eyes wide with fear. I felt the claw make its way down my cheek and towards my throat. I could feel myself becoming overwhelmed with a shocking fear. I now knew what had entered into my house. I wasn’t the one visiting.
They were.
The serrated claw finally daintily fluttered above my neck. I shut my eyes and took a deep breath, absorbing the overwhelming sensation of dread flowing within me. That’s when I opened my eyes and looked up. I was greeted with a crooked human smile. It has extended its neck, lowering downwards to look down upon my head. The sight of its grinning teeth made me open my mouth to scream. But as I did, I felt my breath disappear. Blood began running down my neck.
The creature smiled. Its visit was worthwhile. It slowly leaned down towards my ear, it’s rotten breath stretching and hollowing its way into my eardrums.
“Welcome home.”