“Ok, what is that?!” I slammed my hand for emphasis.
My friends around the table looked at me like I escaped from a psych ward.
“Dude, the hell’s wrong with you?” Alex chirped up quite apathetically.
“There’s a odor around here, getting on my last nerve right about now….”
“Probably Camillo’s kimchi?” Sawyer nodded to the spectacle of a Kirby wannabe acting like he hadn’t had a meal in months.
He guiltily looked back at us, cabbage hanging from his confused expression.”No no, it smells, rotten almost.” I clarified.
“Kinda what kimchi is, smart man.”
I ripped Alex’s voice box out with my gaze before trying to find any trash cans that could be the source; the closest being a good 15 feet away from our spot in the Cafeteria.
“I give up, I guess I’ll just deal with it…” Alex laughed and wished me good luck to the apparently imaginary stench.
~~~
I wish I could go back. Just a month ago, I was hanging around with my best friends, trading empty banter and typical teenage stuff. Now, most abandoned me; to be honest it doesn’t feel like I have friends in general anymore. Only a single person that is only tolerating my pressence. Now, I don’t even feel like a teenager from the shit that went down. The horrors I beheld. To think of the passive attitude I possessed over the whole thing, I curse my past self for it. Then again, the extent of the events that happened these past few weeks were for lack of a better term, impossible. I owe some context.
On a crisp March morning, something abhorrent crossed my nostrils. It was the faint smell of something pungent, but it wasn’t necessarily thick or closeby. Meh, I chalked it up to an overflowing garbage bin I may have passed by on the way to the bus stop. The only thing was, it oddly persisted. 3rd period, I smelled it again down the hallway on the way to the bathroom, somehow being even heavier. Probably some kid forgot to shower for, what smelt like longer than a couple days. This was only from my infinite wisdom however, as it struck me that barely a soul out and about. Odd, could be just the school itself. Broken pipe? My previous excuses still cease to amaze me. This continued for a while until I was on the way home, when it slowly faded. I assumed I may have an unchecked condition to take care of, but thought of the whole thing as just strokes of stinky luck. As you can probably guess, this hypothesis was dead wrong.
Whilst it was more of a slight brush against my nose the first time, the only way to describe what happened the following day was more of a punch. The second I stepped out the doorway, I got hit with the equivalent of contents from a week old dumpster. Now that it was easier to smell, I noticed something horrifying. This stench wasn’t just a bad stench, combinations of many things came to mind; a decomposing scrap of roadkill, putrid organic material, spoiled meat, and faintly, blood. All of which being disgustingly random to be outside my house all together. I speedwalked out of the area, and the potency didn’t change with it. I ran, same thing. I ran until my legs felt like they were going to turn into powder and it was still clinging to my surroundings. It was at this point I decided to spill my predicament to various people, which led to various reactions:
Alex was for lack of a better term, unamused. After my outburst from the day prior he almost assumed I was pulling an elaborate joke at everyone else’s expense.
“Are you pulling my leg, tu pendejo?”
I didn’t even respond. The way he took this so relaxed was insulting enough, more than the insult. Maybe it was a sign of the turbulence that was to come.
Sawyer and Camillo were the slightest bit concerned for my own well being in a physical, and mental sense. The rest of my “friends”, mainly being more of acquaintances than anything, either went on to tell me I’m on something or I had covid; not that I’m an expert anything but I was sure as hell it doesn’t make people smell literal filth. I turned to the school nurse and she suggested I had sinusitis—which didn’t make much sense as my airways were clear. After a miserable day experiencing the smell further, I finally spoke to my parents on the issue; unsurprisingly prompting them to schedule a doctor’s appointment for the weekend.
This charade of the malodorous odor following me around continued for the next few days. I tried to just accept it as normal as a way to cope for the absence of a solution. The gnawing feeling of knowing what was behind this however was, gnawing. The doctors found nothing abnormal in my checkup. When my complaints were brought up by my parents, olfactory tests done a day later came up clear. They didn’t chaulk it up to anxiety (like good doctors always do), but rather “needing to blow my nose more often”. At this point is where things started to get to me. I soon became less bubbly like I previously was and by far more irritable. Both were noticeable by the group as they soon started commenting on my ill-tempered habits. I simply felt stuck.
On a rainy evening I ploped on my bed with a face that can kill thousands. I didn’t deserve this, I thought with venom. I couldn’t understand how any of this was warranted. I at least took refuge in the fact that considering I was home, i’d wouldn’t have to deal with it for the time being.
Or, so I thought.
When I trudged to the kitchen in order to make a PB&J to calm my nerves, I caught a whiff of, at this point the smell. However, it almost made me drop the jar of grape jam in my frozen hand. It wasn’t wafting, it was concentrated from the dim corner of the kitchen next to the houseplants. It seemed being from the product of someone, or something standing there. Still. Motionless. It was almost like the smell had a mind of it’s own. It just–it was just inconceivable. All this time it was never in my house, which was worrying enough. There was also absolutely no way anything could have been hiding as there aren’t any spots out of view over there. I slowly backed away and unsuspiciously walked back up to my room to process what just happened.
Suddenly, the smell of death emitted from the doorway. I say that not as a exgaggeration, as in that moment of time, I assumed a fucking corpse waltzed up into my house fresh out the grave. It was lingering right infront of my room, and whatever causing it was unseen as the door was only open ajar.
The door! I ran to shut the door out of fear, and it just stopped. Not stuck, but stopped midway by a unseen force right behind it. It could have easily pushed it wide open, but it chose to settle for a game of push and shove. Whatever this shit was had been toying with me, and proabably relished in the fact that I was being further tortured. I was on the verge of pissing myself as I did my best to close it. No luck. The smell was so overpowering I almost lost my grip on the door and accepted defeat, but I knew better. With my free hand, I grabbed my desk chair and with the remaining energy I had slammed myself into the door and pushed it under the knob.
Squelch.
There was this fleshy sound that softly left the doorframe albeit overpowered by the thunderous slam of the needlessly heavy door. I catched my breath, but thinking back I feel this victory was intentional. I noticed a tiny insect crawling up my arm as my hand was still resting on the doorknob. How’d that get in here? I didn’t register there was anything amiss due to my shock until I remembered about the noise; until I looked towards it’s source–and a pile of earthy bugs were at my feet. Worms, beetles, maggots, even a slug or two were either lain to waste by the door or helplessly crawling away or up from the vicinity. That’s the last thing I remember before I colapsed.
~~~~~
Things got worse. Way worse. I had to endure the smell the every waking moment of my life now, sunrise to sunset. I started getting less sleep, with me often dozing off at 4 am. How couldn’t I? At times I felt crawlers wiggling their way through my blanket, and the smell taking up my bedroom. Sometimes, directly over my bed. Not only did I barely get a wink of rest, I looked the part too. I started going to school dishevled and sullen. The teachers felt pity for me, students kickstarted gossip putting my name through the ringer. The group both noticed my apperence and the rumors and expressed concern. I didn’t even bother trying getting them to believe me. What would that do besides more reasons to tarnish my reputation? A few days ago is when I can safely say is where my life went from bad to broken. It was also the last time I even had contact with my best friends, but to be honest I don’t know if I can even call them that now.
I reluctantly dragged my feet along to my table at lunch being already done with school for the day. Still having to smell that wretched stench. To my bewilderment, there was a extra person filling the slot I take with the main four and a few others. The table was booth style so there really wasn’t a practical way I can fit. I was even more lost when I stood like a dumbass infront of everyone, being slapped with expressions of malice or worry.
“And who is this?” The person asked with intrigue. Possibly aversion.
“Don’t mind him, we don’t want him here anymore, right guys?”
Alex was the first to run down the new change, which was suprisingly met in unanimous agreement. Camillo and a more distant friend seemed taken aback, but soon shook their heads in aproval as well. I was–at a loss for words. How can the people I known for the past 3 years do this? How did they think this was fair? None of this was fair. The anger that been brewing ever since all this started overflowed into my fist, and was transfered into the messenger’s lower jaw. Alex reeled onto the floor, the table seemed to get ready to defend him. However, after what they witnessed, they probably knew better. Memory is hazy from this point on, but I felt blow after blow of pure rage into my target, the liquid that splattered onto my knuckles. The uproar that disorented my hearing. But I didn’t care. After what felt like 100 hits, the barrage slowed, then ceased. The yelling mellowed. I was practically tossed off the unrecognizable boy before me as I was being carried presumably by security. As quickly as it started, I was in the principals office. The man himself sending spitballs from his livid mouth onto my face. It was already coated in tears. A siren can faintly be heard outside as the verdict was soon decided. All I had to over in my defense was:
“It wasn’t my fault.”
I been suspended ever since that spectecle unfolded. The only reason why administration didn’t expell me was how Alex wasn’t in serious condition, or worse. I tried to take my mind of things, really did. Brought nose clips, to my parent’s confusion. Rewatched some favorites of mine like Impractical Jokers and Neon Genesis Evangelion, etc etc. However my sanity dwindled further. I weighed the options. Therapist? They’d lock me away in a mental hospital and throw away the keys. Priest? They’d probably assume I was dabbling in mockery. I was pondering in thought on what to do on the situation, until I heard the front door ring.
I retrieved my odor reducer outlet accesory I odered a few days prior and marched back to my room still deep in determination to best the odds. Ignoring this whole ordeal was the best way to go at the moment I decided. Yea, like that worked before. This train of thought was soon de-railed as I heard something, a door creaking. I looked to my right, the bathroom, and saw it menacingly open on it’s own accord. Even with a partial blockage, I already caught onto the fumes emitting from the vicinity. Only this time, I fell to my knees. Not from the smell, but what I saw.
A face was looking down at me. Smilling. Two vacant holes for eyes bore into my soul. It was undoubtably dead, but here it was; reanimated, clear as day. It looked freshly deceased with dirt and pus lining every crevase of it’s darkened skin. However, it’s features were sunken in and hollow. Almost like it’s essence was just sucked bone dry. Its smile grew wider, proudly showing near cadmium yellow colored teeth with maggots in place of gums. I thought it was a mask, a product of a joke by my prankster dad. Anything other than reality. However, my parents were gone for the time being running errands. After everything that happened I knew it was just hopeless denial.
I did what normal people would do in something like this, and puked right then and there.
Only then did something even more horrifying happened. The face slowly turned 30 degrees, 70, then nearly 90. It, didn’t make fucking sense. It got closer in view, and that’s when I realized it was attached not to a body, but a arm. It was plastered on a grimy greenish-black forearm as the disjointed limb slowly made it’s way from the darkness gripping onto the doorway. It was somehow more disgusting to watch. The skin pulsated and bulged from bugs as they practically rained out infected wounds. It was slick with dark fluid as it dripped onto my feet. The face was decayed, but this arm, this thing, made it pale in comparison. It sinply did one thing as it slowly escaped the dark and outside the doorway. A beckoning motion with a single finger. The entire hand had split fingernails which looked as battered as the arm itself. The one on the pointer even falled off after taunting me. It then stopped, and opened up it’s palm. As almost to grab me.
The arm was halfway to touching me when primal instincts kicked in and I made a run for it. The arm slammed the spot I layed in, the floorboards caving in as I looked ahead towards the safety of my room’s window. It was the only option as it clearly posessed the strenght to evicerate any place I would have hid in. I opened it and leaped out into the bushes as I heard footsteps that was akin to a elephant that happened to break into my house. I never got to see the full profile of the owner of the arm as I never looked back. All I know is it was damn near a giant. I came to rest in the local 7-eleven a few minutes later as I flung myself into the building. It was evident it didn’t follow me, but I stayed there for what felt like hours. The employees eventually had to kick me out for “being a person of suspicion”.
My parents, were lack of a better term, dumbfounded. They arrived home before me and of course got on my case about the huge dent in the hallway, which convienently was so extensive they soon couldn’t find a way to blame me. I fibbed that I was outside the household at the park and wasn’t aware of what could have happened. They just decided to call some people to fix it later. I took off the nose clips, and the smell was completely gone. For the time being I assumed. I genuinely felt unsafe in the house so decided to crash at the house of one of the only people that still genuinely respected me; she was one of the people I was friendly with in my math period but not by much, so she found it peculiar I suddenly asked her to stay over. Eventually she caved in when I said I can help with her homework. She was somewhat aware of the dirt on me, especially my meltdown, so it was suprising she was being so generious.
That was from the other day. Nothing eventful happened since then, but I know whatever was making my life hell is still out there. Searching for me. I been trying to piece together what happened before then that may have caused all this, and with enough thinking figured out a possible origin. I honestly had nothing left to lose, so… I decided to tell every single thing that happened to this up to this point to this near stranger that doesn’t even now my birthday and thought it was a good idea. After posessing a blank expression for a moment, she stared at the man who somehow encountered a unknown being not from this plane of existence and somehow decided to treat this with a serious mindset.
“Ok… Do you remember what led up to the day you first encountered the smell?”
I gave it consideration, then found my answer.
“Yes, I was with my dad one saturday, hiking near the woods.”