It’s raining, again. Like it always does. Not strong enough to cause a flood, but enough for it to keep things from staying dry.
The hazy images outside the window played like a vivid dream from a very old VHS player in my drowsy eyes. My forehead pressing against the cold windowpane, I could feel it tremble slightly from the droplets of rain, the winds’ gentle howl asking to be let in. Curled up with nothing to cover me from the chilly air that crept into the cracks, I stayed in the same position, watching my breath slowly fog up the glass. With the sun starting to set, the window went from a light orange to a dull gray.
Reduced to a drizzle, walking outside would be somewhat doable. The glowing blue light from my digital wristwatch showed me the time.
6:46 PM
I buried my face on my knees, curling tighter into a ball. Sounds of displeasure barely audible from my muffled moans. Giving myself a few seconds to organize my scattered thoughts, I reluctantly got up and left the house.
Like a firefly lost in a storm, my bright yellow raincoat fluttered in the wind as if dancing vibrantly in the gloomy atmosphere. It’s glowing color, standing out in this drab weather.
The normal streets had temporarily vanished, replaced by unpaved muddy roads, causing my feet to sink with every step. Glowing purple plants that would chime with every sway of the wind lights up the path. The swirling breeze plays a melancholic tune as it removes my hoodie and lifts my hair into a dance, giving it the same buoyant wave as the sea.
I stood still for a moment, the soft downpour pelting my cheeks. The cold wind and raindrop stung as they grazed my skin. I just needed a moment, making sure I’m in the right mindset before proceeding any further. This part of the day I would very much like to do without, though more treacherous things might come my way if I do so.
The white frost I see escaping my breath tells me I’ve idled for too long. I pull the hoodie over my head and continued with a steady pace.
Within an hour and a half, the scenery changed once again. The night grew colder and darker, the only thing acting as a source of light was the sinister glow of the pale moonlight.
Like witnessing a time-lapse video unfold in real life. The muddy ground slowly began to fade, replaced with neatly cut grass. Very tall, thin trees stood high above the houses. I jumped back a little, startled by the sprinkler hitting cold water on the back of my neck.
I seem to be in the suburbs. No two houses were alike, and the empty streets seems to stretch endlessly into the unknown. The deafening silence was maddening, I could hear the ringing inside my ear from the lack of sound. None of the streetlights were working, barely making out from the blurry outlines; I could see cars and other vehicles litter the streets. Along with children’s bikes strewn about in each lawn.
Looking over my shoulders every few seconds; I chose to tread the grass in the yard, hopping from fence to fence to make the least amount of sound.
Scanning through my memories, I’m quite certain that I’m in Zone 7. Though some places share some similarities. The seemingly endless suburban landscape, the wet-unpainted asphalt roads that takes on the consistency of quicksand, and probably the most apparent indication was the anomalous property of the place where you can see one or two houses clipped inside each other. These characteristics put together made me sure of my current location.
8:59 PM
I knew it.
What happened next only strengthens my theory. Because this creature only shows up in this zone.
Coming from around the corner, the catchy jingle from an ice cream truck cuts through the air. Colorful Christmas lights hangs on each side. Like an angler fish, waving its lure back and forth like a fishing pole. The dazzling lights were just too tempting to ignore.
It may simply be the rose tinted glasses of nostalgia; but somehow, the sound of the ice cream truck seems to have momentarily stopped time, but it will inevitably start again; and as soon as it did.
They all surge like the biblical flood.
9:00 PM
It’s as if the night itself has come to life. All manner of ravenous and blood-curdling sound reverberates into the cold night air.
Grinding of large incisors followed by the unmistakable sound of wing beat flew above me. There’s more than one. It’s an entire herd. Their size aside, they nearly blot out the moonlight with sheer numbers alone.
It was time to move; the others would’ve notice the commotion. They’ll be making their way here soon.
Please be empty.
I quickly enter one of the houses, gently closing the door behind me. Drapes were drawn across the windows. Peeking just a little bit between the small spaces, I saw the mass feeding taking place.
Somehow unaffected by the anomalous properties of the road. The ice cream truck was taking a mild stroll. But the humanoid rats, hound shamblers, corpse wranglers, and other creatures that made prolonged contact with the road began to solidify.
The windows of the ice cream truck slides open and multiple elongated mandibles shot forth, snagging every creature that dared to get close. Those who swooped in from above fell into the swirling meat grinder; the roof of the truck tore open, revealing a fleshy pulsating maw. Its insides covered in eight inner rings of sharp rotating teeth that rotates in opposite directions, creating a vacuum effect that sucks in any living thing within the vicinity; spraying the ground with swirling blood.
I was planning to wait it out. Start moving again once the horde clears out. But my shoulders tensed, making the rest of my body follow. I stood upright, my back pressed against the wall.
The tittered suffocated moans crept across my spine nibbling all the way up to my neck. It sounded close. Dangerously close.
None of the electronic devices in the house are working, but an unknown power source is providing the minimal amount of light for me to see. Frantically, I strained my eyes to see through the flickering dim lights.
*Wheeee Hih Hih Hih Wheeee…*
I managed to clasp my hands on my mouth before it could let out a sound. A terrified shriek begging to be release.
Standing behind the lampshade on the other side of the room; half of its body peering out, staring at me. The creature clutches the insides of its lower jaw; laborious breathing and strained wheezing escapes its malformed mouth every time its chest rises. Wearing what looks to be the clothes of its previous victims; its skin no longer fits and was sagging. Scratching its sickly pale and yellow skin, its deranged sunken white eyes were looking at me with hunger. I was its next prey.
My hand fumbled a few times before I could turn the door handle and slam it shut. Stealth was no longer an option.
A phlegmy screech followed behind me; along with the sound of the door being torn off its hinges. Of course the nearby creatures took notice; and nothing was more desperate for a pound of flesh than the emaciated humanoid rats. They bumped, pushed, and clawed at each other, wanting to be the first to take a bite out of me.
Please Please Please Please be there.
The lawns were overtaken, my path was blocked, leaving me with no choice but to take the road.
I grunted, leaping as far as I could, landing on a square stone on the road with a purple and pink mushroom growing around it. Using these safe zones as my stepping stones, I kept jumping on top of them over and over. While the rest of the creatures that chased after me using the regular road finally started to feel the effects of petrification. Their bodies solidifies and slowly sinks in the asphalt.
I check my watch again.
10:30 PM
I’m cutting it close, but I’m sure I could still make it.
I’m not certain for sure, but the location should be the same every time. The scenery however, the one that changes every time makes it seem like it keeps moving from place to place.
The night was reaching its apex. It was getting colder and darker; leaves are falling from the trees.
It’s about to change again. I’ll be stuck here for an entire day if I miss it.
There is a chill in the air, frost on the ground, mist and fog in the air. Dry, dead leaves crunch beneath my feet and thick clouds appear when I breathe out.
A soft melody carried by the wind didn’t escape my ears.
Shit, they’ve started singing.
A sense of urgency has been added to my steps. With the daffodils starting to sing; my movement has gotten more bold and reckless. I vaulted over some of the creatures; dashing through the lawn and kicking over a few garbage cans to trip them over. I made a hard right, my footing nearly slipping from the wet grass.
There, I was sure of it. I has heading at the right direction. The singing became clearer as I made another turn; this time on the far left side of a backyard. Doing my best to maneuver all the large vegetable growing in the garden; I noticed my pace has gotten slower. It was the cultivated soil, it was too soft to hold my entire weight. I didn’t have the luxury to stop and pick a detour. So before I know it, I was knee deep in garden soil.
Almost there.
My heart pounded wildly as I saw a dozen or so humanoid rats still relentless on their chase. There was bound to be at least one or two that’ll catch up, but I didn’t paused nor did I had the foolish notion of trying to fight them. I was close, very close.
My thighs were burning, yet I kept pushing forward. Panic began to set in as I heard the gnawing of their teeth getting closer and closer.
I think my heart actually stopped beating for a moment when I felt their pointy snout grazing the back of my ears. I felt myself enable to breathe as I saw their emaciated disease ridden hands reach out to me. But with a stroke of luck. It happened just in time.
The scenery changed once again.
With the weight of the wet garden soil no longer holding me back. I stumbled forward, rolling four times before landing on my back. I waited a few seconds before picking myself back up. Scanning my surrounding, some relief was able to return to my body. No monsters, no mutated creatures, just a beautiful endless fields of wheat.
Behind me was a 90’s themed diner. I took a deep breathe in and exhaled very loudly, as if trying to let out all of my frustrations.
Turning the door open, the bell hanging above the entrance announced my arrival. Unaffected by the weather outside, the place gives off a warm and welcoming feeling that reminds you of summer.
I took a seat next to the window.
“What will you be having this evening?” a waitress walks to my table and pours me a hot cup of coffee.
I should be used to this by now. I stifled a gasp that threatens to escape.
The woman wearing a tight fitted waitress uniform appears on the other side of the table. Seemingly out of nowhere, like a performer walking into a stage from behind the curtains.
“Medium Burger, regular fries and a glass of iced tea.” Already know what I want to order, I still pretended to read the list on the menu.
“Will that be all?” the waitress asked, taking my order.
“Uh…” I cleared my throat. “I would also like one of your cookies, please.”
Our eyes locked for a brief moment before she answered with a customer service smile.
“Of course.” Her pearly white teeth were the last ones to disappear while the rest of her body fades away.
Drinking hot beverage in this cold weather made sense, I thought. My hand clasping the hot cup, the coffee’s tantalizing aroma wafting just below my nose.
I’ll have to pass on this one.
Pushing the cup away, the air that swirls from the coffee calls for my lips. Swirling with aromatic dreams the allure of caffeine only grew stronger, but the temptation wasn’t worth the risk.
“Can I have another one of this please?” in the quiet diner, the other customers and I subconsciously turned our heads to the person calling loudly for the waiter. Raising his cup, he asked for another fresh batch of coffee.
He finished the whole cup?
For a moment, I thought he simply forgot, a simple slip of the mind. But upon closer look at the man I reached the answer the same time as everyone else.
His from out of town.
A man wearing a cardigan paired with white shorts and brown loafers, along with who I assume his wife and 5 year old daughter judging from her size were talking rather rambunctiously; and from the look of their cups it looks like he wasn’t the only one who took a sip.
I sighed.
You hate to see it, but when you do. It only serves as a strong reminder.
“Here’s your order.”
I nearly jumped out of my seat when the waiter once again appears out of thin air.
“Jesus Christ.” I softy muttered under my breath, but somehow; the waitress still manage to hear what I said.
“How bold…” The corners of her mouth formed a slit, reaching all the way to her ears. Her dilated pupils quivered as her gaze descends upon me. “… To utter one of the great old ones favorite son.”
My throat went dry. Fear had drenched my body like a cold ice bath. I don’t know whether staying silent was the right choice or if saying something would just make things worse.
She locked eyes with me for a few more seconds before her regular customer friendly demeanor returned like nothing happened. “Please, enjoy your food.” Once again, she fades out of existence.
I stared into blank space for a moment before switching my attention to the food on my plate. Most of the stuff I ordered were mainly for theatrics.
The only thing I really want was the cookies. Served in its own separate plate. It was thick and nearly half the size of a regular burger. When it crumbled inside my mouth; a storm of unknown variety of sweetness invaded my senses. If the food of the gods actually existed, then this is as close to an ambrosia as one could possibly get.
Darkness began to crawl from the corners of my eyes, the encroaching hands of the void grasping every inch of my body. Losing the sensation of touch; the rest of my senses followed, taste, hearing, and inevitably my vision. Not knowing whether I was standing or sitting, silent or screaming. I drifted aimlessly into the abyss.
…
…
…
It started slow, very slow, the changes were barely noticeable, but I could feel my consciousness starting to crawl out from the depths. Was it an hour? Two maybe, possibly more. The first sensation to return was the cold tips of my fingers, then my legs began to shift around the sheets, and finally; I could feel my lungs take in the cold air, beckoning the awakening of all my senses.
Letting out a long depressed sigh, I stared at the glow in the dark stickers on my ceiling. I remember me and my friends spending an entire summer piecing them together to look like the night sky. I guess it’s one of the few things left that reminds me of the past.
Times that now only exists in distant dreams.
My hand automatically reach for my phone next to the bedside lamp. The first thing I checked was the group chat.
[I survived.]
[Somehow made it.]
[Still alive somehow…]
I began scrolling down the text messages from the people who managed to stay alive this time as well.
[This is bullshit.]
[I lost an arm. Pretty sure I have internal bleeding. I’m sorry guys. I don’t think I can survive the next one.]
[Me too. This is probably the last message you’ll be seeing from me.]
[I guess this will be my last one as well.]
[Joining this group made this bullshit more bearable. But… Shit. If were being honest. How long are we supposed to live like this?]
During the first year all of this started, we have more than a dozen group chats. Thousands were messaging each other every day. But with each passing day, less and less people were responding. One group chat after the next were steadily losing active members. Until the day would eventually come that only I was left.
However, one of the group chats that I’m in, seems to be doing very well compared to the others. It’s one of the earlier groups that I joined. There were only a few members, but the numbers always stayed consistent. It never lost a member since day one.
Deicide.
It’s the name of the group. Everyone was nice enough, but some of the members are a bit… different? No, you know what. There’s no going around this. Fucking weirdos. That’s the best way to describe them.
[E’rybody say sausage, keep it going!]
[Eggs, bacon, grits]
(Sausage!)
[Tell dat bitch, come and lick my-]
(Sausage!)
[Pull up in IHOP ordering]
(Sausage!)
[Need a pancake with the mothafuckin’]
(Sausage!)
[Give me that shit, I need some]
(Sausage!)
[Lick my dick, that shit a-]
(Sausage!)
[My shit brown like a mothafuckin’]
(Sausage!)
[Go head, get head, eat some]
(Sausage!)
[I like bacon and I like]
(Sausage!)
[And I like pancakes and I like]
(Sausage!)
[Waffle’s good but I like]
(Sausage!)
[I eat eggs and give me some]
(Sausage!)
[Yeeaaaahh Booooooiiiiii!!!]
[Goddamit you broke the flow!]
[C-C-C COMBO BREAKER!!!]
[Status report]
[I have tits.]
This was the first line of text I saw from them this morning.
It’s too early for this.
I put my phone face down on the pillow, forcing myself to fight off the sleep that’s still shedding from my body. Lazily sliding my feet in my running shoes, I grab my hoodie and wallet and left the apartment.
“The usual?” the bartender asked.
“Yes.” I responded, still half asleep.
After he finished with my order I paid in cash and told him to keep the change.
Standing outside the café, I stared at my hot beverage for a while. The early morning’s melancholic cold caressed my skin. The roads laid empty. No vehicles of any kind could be seen. So I walk nonchalantly in the middle of the street. From a light walk, it turned into a cheerful skip. Doing so for a few minutes I eventually stopped.
Looking over the horizon, there I could see it. The gray mist encasing the borders of our city. Dark purple skies remained a constant presence. The colossal underbelly of the eldritch centipede pierces through the clouds like a skyscraper, I couldn’t even see its head. Thousands of its gigantic legs and tendrils appeared in random cracks in the air. Unfortunately for us, those cracks became gateways for other creatures to come and go as they please.
“Hey Coraline.” I hear my mother’s voice calling me. I turn around, seeing her holding a paper bag. “Come on sweetie. I got you breakfast.” She reaches out her hand, waiting for me to reach out mine as well. “What’s the matter? Come on, let’s go home.” Her smile truly was beautiful, like the morning sun and the early birdsong.
If only it was real.
I took one sip from my hot cocoa; and the illusion breaks.
Floating on the same spot where my mother used to be. Attached to a tattered fleshy string was a dirty red balloon with a human face sewn on its surface.
“hH-hh He…” It’s sagging mouth struggling to form a sentence. “Hwie… W-We got a smart one here boys…” Bile dripped down its jaw.
Then, like a reverse firework. People began falling from the sky and exploding as they reach the ground. I looked up, there’s at least a hundred of them floating to the clouds; and after reaching a certain height. They start to fall.
“Nhyut n-n-n not now, miyh… maybe not tomorrow as well. But someday. We will get you.” The balloon starts to pulsate, veins starts to appear on its stolen face, turning into a darker shade of red.
“I’m right here bitch. What are you waiting for?” I threw the hot beverage at the balloon and a smile formed on my face as I watched it popped. Deflated and unable move it screamed and squirmed on the ground.
“Eiiiieieeiikkeiei!!!” It writhed in pain, straining its fleshy part to move.
I picked the paper cup that I just threw, glad there were still some left.
“Hey.” I slowly poured the remaining hot cocoa on the squirming creature. “Don’t worry…” It gurgled and choked on the hot liquid pouring in its mouth. “… I’m not going anywhere.”