Shadows

Of course.

I was going to find out what the hell was going on, so I had some plans for the dog. The motherfucker who was screwing with me was going to get what was coming to him.

I was having visions of sticking the barrel of my little .22 caliber pistol right up the guy's fucking nose as I drove. Sam just stuck her head out the window, let her cheeks flap in the breeze.

Back at the house, I let the animals run, waited as they familiarized themselves. It didn't take long. One short whistle and Sam was back at my side, the cat was always within a few feet.

Once inside the house, the dog selected a spot over by the door, already on gaurd. Went to sleep. The cat curled up by her belly, and went to sleep, too. I went into the kitchen to fix breakfast.

We all ate smoked bacon and eggs, the cat just the bacon after flipping it around for awhile to make sure it was dead. I cleaned up, then steeled myself to go back upstairs.

I went into my bedroom, half expecting there to be no blood and it would all be just a dream, some figment of my imagination. The sheets were still bloody, whatever happened, it was real.

I rolled up the bedding, bagged it for burning, no point in trying to wash them. It hit me then that I hadn't checked that, where was the laundry room?

Fuck! More problems. I started looking, no laundry area. I went outside, Sam skipping along at my side ready for more adventure. Fucking cat following along behind. About 100 yards or so from the house I spotted a cover of some kind sticking up. I figured it was a storage locker, for Potatoes and produce, things like that. Lifting the lid, I saw stairs leading down and out of sight into the dark.

Fuck that, I wasn't about to go in there in my current frame of mind. On the way back to the house, I looked closely. It registered that the main floor of the house was high enough that there should be a crawl space at least, something.

But I had seen no doorway that could be a basement or entrance. Time to search. I went all the way around the main floor, both inside and outside. There weren't even any floor vents, like the place was built right on the ground or on a slab or something. I knew damn good and well it wasn't.

Finally, in the pantry off the kitchen, I was looking at the walls, and I realized the shelving seemed to be set back partially into the wall. A tug on the thing showed me why, the whole shelf rotated inwards, a set of steps a full six feet wide led downward.

The direction was towards the ones I had seen outside, I suspected it was an underground exit or entrance.

But why? Or maybe that was the laundry area? That made sense, easy to take garments out the other way to hang them to dry.

Now I was sure it was also a way into the house from outside, that meant that my idea about someone or something fucking with me was right. Feeling better now, I knew that this explained the blood and no cuts or wounds. Some dirty bastard had sneaked into my bedroom and poured blood on me.

Trying to scare me away.

The idea pissed me off but made me feel better. Likely someone living in the house all this time, upset at my intrusion and trying to frighten me into giving up and leaving.

Not fucking likely, I will take on anything face to face, and I planned on finding this son of a bitch and busting his ass!

I touched the handle of my pistol stuck in my waistband for reassurance, closed and blocked the shelves so they couldn't be turned.

Reassured, I went back to work.

I ran my ladder up to reach the broken window, trimmed it out of it's frame and set in the new one. Then I used a scraper to start peeling paint off the rest. I must have worked for hours, by noon I had them passible, some repainting of the sills would make them look fine.

I climbed down the ladder, made lunch. I resolved to head into town the next day and stock up on provisions for the animals, too.

We had just sat down to eat when I head the sounds again from the main room. The dog went into bristle mode and started growling, the cat took off like a shot out the kitchen door.

I got up and followed, the cat was stopped right at the edge of where sunlight touched the floor, every hair on it's body sticking straight out. The sound was much louder in here, and didn't go away when I looked for it. It sounded more like quiet screams of pain than the soft mewing, babylike noises from before.

I looked closely, nothing. The dog followed me into the main room, growling, I finally got her to shut up. I turned my head, the mewing began, I looked back just in time to see the cat leap forward.

It vanished in midstride!

It reappeared a foot or so on the other side of the shadow, laid down flat instantly and panted.

The dog ran right up to the edge, hair on it's back straight up, growling. The hair on the back of my neck went up, too. I reached out slowly with my foot, it touched the edge of the light.

{She appeared at the foot of my bed, naked as I lay there unable to move. Caught in the moment of awake yet not, I could only watch as she leaned forwards, took my erection in her hands. The blackened flesh of her hands, shriveled and scarred, seemed to tear at me, scratch me. I tried to move, scream, yell out as she leaned forwards and closed the teeth of her mouth over me, I orgasmed, a stream of fire and pain.}

A voice was screaming, high pitched little bursts, insane. I realized I was standing with my back against the wall, the dog backed tight against me, growling.

The screams were mine.

I bolted for the door, I felt the shock of dead cold as I passed from the shadow into the light, then I was outside, running. I finally stopped, fell to my knees, exhausted. I wiped the sudden sweat from my face, my hands came away bloody.

I managed to stagger to my truck, looked at my face in the side mirror at my face, nothing. I looked down at my hands, no blood.

{Am I going insane?}

I climbed into the truck, hit the key. Nothing, dead. Cursing, I slammed my fist against the steering wheel in frustration. I locked the doors. I must have sat there for hours. I know I slept.

Mustering my courage, pistol in hand, I went back to the house. I pressed open the front door, the dog and cat were laying on the floor, the dog was licking the cat who seemed to be enjoying it completely.

Everything looked perfectly normal.

Glancing over at the shadow, it was barely up against the wall now as the sun settled low in the sky. I listened, nothing, no sounds. I tried to concentrate out of the corner of my eye for motion, nothing. Then it hit me!

I could see outside! Right through the fucking wall where the sunlight hit!

I turned my head, looked again. Nothing there but the wall. All seemed normal again.

I braced myself for what I didn't know, walked into the room. I leaned down and petted the dog for a moment, she stuck her tongue out, seeming unconcerned.

Fucking dog.

I went into the kitchen, left the lamps off, made dinner. We all ate, Sam wandered off into the main room and stretched out, went to sleep. The cat soon joined her.

I went to bed, leaving the lamps off. I put the lighter and pistol on the table right by the bed, pushed the door shut, set the sliding bolt.

I stretched out and went to sleep. There was no more dreams, I woke the next morning feeling rested.

"Overwork." I decided. "Way too much work, I needed the rest." Getting up, I checked my bedding, normal.

I dressed, planning a day off, perhaps lay outside in the sun. Drink a beer. I went downstairs, made breakfast.

It hit me, where was the damn dog and the cat? I searched the house, nothing. Upset now, I went outside, the dog was lying on the porch with the cat. How in the hell did they get out?

I checked the front door, I had to trip the bolt to open it. I went into the kitchen to check the pantry exit, it was still blocked.

There was no way out.

I tried the truck, it started. I drove to the store, bought several flashlights, spare batteries. Back at the house, I started for the pantry. Pulling the shelves open, I switched on the flashlight.

I dropped it instantly as a shock of fire and pain shot through my arm, the bulb shattered as it struck the steps and tumbled into the blackness below.

{"It's too much light, use the lamp."}

"What?"

{"Use the lamp."}

I shoved the shelves back, ran from the room. The dog lay on the floor, looked up at me unconcerned, then lay her head back down.

I should have gotten one of the fucking Rottwiellers.

Grabbing my pistol, I pulled out my lighter, lit it. It took every bit of courage I had to swing the shelves back out, peek below. I could see the bottom of the steps, nothing else.

I stepped in, down a couple of steps, peered into the lower basement.

Nothing.

I could smell something, it was like the smell of old burnt garbage. Touching the railing, it felt cold and slimy, I jerked my hand back. Looking down, my palm was black with what looked like wet soot.

Stepping back into the pantry, I shoved the shelf into place, blocked it.

Then I sat down in one of the chairs, trying to think. Did I need to see a Doctor? I felt myself dozing, tried to fight it to no avail.

I woke up to a stab of pain...no, cold in my foot, jerked it back. Looking down I realized that the fading sun had allowed it's lower rays streaming in from the high windows to reach my feet. The noises seemed to be all around me, quiet but like someone whimpering in pain.

Now I KNEW it had to do with the light. I went and got some blankets, keeping my arms carefully behind them, blocked the windows.

{"Ahhhh....Thank you."}

I almost fell off the ladder.

{"Use the lamp."}

No fucking way.

"Who are you?" I said, to the walls.

{"It's been so long, use the lamp."}

"Who ARE you?" I demanded. "Why the lamps?"

{"I live here, the Sun burns me, it's too much."} the voice in my head was female, sad, now childlike.

"Where ARE you?" I demanded again.

{"I live here, under the house. The light lets me out. Please. Let me out, I won't hurt you. It's been so long."} Pleading, friendly now.

All right. I was going to get to the bottom of this, I was somehow more pissed off now than scared. I lit one lamp, waited.

{"One more, please."} her voice sounded bright, happy.

I lit the 2nd lamp. The soft mewing sounded, Sam came up growling fiercely, looking around for something to attack.

"Quiet!" Sam obeyed, reluctantly, then lay down, deep murmers of distrust coming from her periodically.

Fucking dog.

I waited, allowing my eyes to concentrate on the edge of the light without looking. I could almost see the motion.

{"Touch the light.")

"NO!"

{"Touch the light, It won't hurt you."} insistant now.

Against all better judgement or reason, I carefully reached out, braced for a stab of pain.

{My body lay frozen, unable to move. I could see her mouth open, then close over my erection, I could only feel. Her thin face smiled at me, her hands were dark, they looked burned. Her small breasts hung on her naked chest like flaps. I felt my body respond in spite of my sudden fear, I erupted in a torrent of fire and pain. I could move my eyes, I looked down at the torn flesh of my abdomen and genitals, blood was everywhere. I screamed and screamed.}

I woke up laying on my bed, my mouth open trying to scream, no sound coming out. I could not move.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw motion. There was several of them, all seemed burned, skeleton like.

{"This one was easy."} one said to the other.

{The young ones always are."} said the woman.

They grabbed my feet, pulled me off the bed onto the floor, dragged me down to the kitchen. I felt the heat from the big oven.

Now I knew what the big oven was for.

{You said you weren't going to hurt me."}

I screamed the words in my mind, my mouth open, no way to make a sound.

{"We lied."}

Jan hung up the phone at the real estate office.

"Hey, Jerry! That stone house is back on the market!"

"The hooker house? Again? What the fuck is it with that place? This is the third time this year."

"Yeah, and they always call it in by phone, with account numbers to deposit to."

"Strange. Oh well, maybe that young couple we were talking to last time are still interested."

"Yeah, maybe. Wanna go get lunch?"

MGM