horrors2

Rummanging.Nebulous_C.tex

  1\chapauth{Rummanging}
  2\chapter{Nebulous Cupboard}
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  8This city is my mistress; it is my wife; it is my secretary. All
  9that one can feel about a city, I feel it about this one, and more.
 10My best friend. I watch the public stream past my window, like a
 11river flowing past rocks, the rocks being my small 1 bedroom
 12apartment, which was by now dirty and neglected.
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 16When I leave for my patrol, I do not check for my gun. It is as
 17much a part of me as my toenails are of me. I am forced to bring as
 18well, my cellular phone. In an ideal world, I could never talk to
 19anybody, and all would be good, but it is not so I must. As the
 20rickety door rickets behind me as I leave, I cycle though my
 21address book.
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 25{\em ABE}
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 29{\em CYNTHIA}
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 33{\em MOM}
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 37{\em PIZZA HUT}
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 41{\em DIRECTORIES}
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 45{\em INFO HOTLINE}
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 49I ring for ``Abe'', as I am accustomed to doing. A gruff
 50New York accent shrieks in my ear.
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 54``Bavarious! Thank Christ you rang, something's not
 55right, need your help immediately! It's coming for me Luke,
 56it's {\bf comiii} --- ``. I interrupt him. ``Abe,
 57what is this? Where are You?''. I can tell from the tone of
 58his voice something isn't right. ``Why didn't you
 59phone ME if something's wrong!'' I said.
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 63``Dammit Bavarious, I ran out of credit, now get your ass over
 64here!''. I slapped the phone shut like the jaws of an
 65overprotective crocodile, and sprinted for Abe's hut. It
 66would be a long run from here, but I can tell he needed me.
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 70His wooden hut was hidden deep in the forest, the outside seemed
 71normal, well as normal as it could seem, Abe being an
 72unconventional character to say the least. In one slick
 73simultaneuous motion, I kicked the door forcefully, sending the
 74thing flying inwards, and swept my Beretta up from my ankle
 75holster, a task made significantly more difficult from the kick.
 76The lights were all not on, leaving the place shrouded in darkness.
 77I heard a noise from a closet, and rushed to meet the source. The
 78thin door was locked, so I shot 6 holes in it, allowing me to see
 79inside. There was nothing inside but my bullets. I carried on with
 80my sweep.
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 84The lounge: empty. The kitchen: empty. The bathroom: empty, save
 85for one poo in the bowl. The Stench was fresh, and strong. Whatever
 86left this vile gift was still here. I turn my head to check my
 87countenance in the mirror. I am entranced, until I hear a scream
 88from upstairs, distinctly Abe. I dart out of the room, and it
 89lumbers after me, slowly and scarily. I find Abe's shrouded
 90figure huddled in the corner of a blackened room. ``Abe, is
 91that you, have you been drinking again? You said you'd
 92quit{\ldots}'' I enquired. He looked me in the eye, and raised his
 93other hand. The light was so poor, I could not tell what was in it.
 94Until he flicked the lighter on. The small light illuminated his
 95tear soaked face, running down his cheeks, carving streams through
 96the dirt caked on his face. The dirty rag of material hanging from
 97the bottle neck became visible. ``I'm sorry
 98Bavarious'' he whimpered, and before I had the time to react,
 99to light the rag and tossed the bottle high in the air, shattering
100on the ceiling above him. Shards of glass and licks of flame fell
101down like hell fire onto his crumpled body. The house was wooden,
102and the fire spread like wildfire. ``{\bf Aaaaabbbbeeeeeee}'' I
103cried, crying for the loss of a friend. I was forced to vacate the
104house as fast as I could, the flames consuming the hut like the
105mouth of Lucifer. Just as I was maybe 20 feet from the hut, it
106exploded, sending shrapnel every which way. Something rock hard
107struck my head, I hit the floor like a rock, out cold.
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111Some unknown time later, the black mist tentatively receded from my
112vision, allowing me to see. It took moments before I recalled where
113I was, and I quickly looked back behind me. Nought but a single
114cupboard stood. I crawled to it, my legs too burned to work.
115Scrambling through the debris, I reached the un-charred doors,
116pock-marked by 6 familiar bullet holes. I tried the doors, now
117inexplicably unlocked. As the doors swung open, the bloodied corpse
118of a small child fell outwards onto me, still clutching his
119teddy-bear. I held the child as he held the bear, desperate for
120solace in our final moments. I jerked my head back and screamed to
121the heavens, and the skies opened. 
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