Rancid Soil

DODGER

   In 1963 the B & Dee Real estate Company opened its doors for the first time in what was now the city of Stunford. One of the first properties acquired was the Linsington estate which the private owner at the time sold, for next to nothing. Over the course of three years B & Dee remodeled and revamped every aspect of the Estate and by the end it was not so much an estate as it was a modestly large house on a couple acres. By this time most of the outlying property had been sold, it no longer had a green house, garden or courtyard. The pub and ballroom had been removed because 10 years earlier that part of the house was hit by lightning and severely damaged. The maids and butlers quarters that sat just off the house were converted into a two car garage with storage. Since the house was acquired so cheap there was no real hurry to off load it and the decision was made to rent it out. They felt that it would be perfect for a family that wanted to get away from it all. Over the years the town grew away from the property becoming a city leaving the house somewhat secluded but not so far away it was a hassle. It wasn't long after being advertised that a family was interested for the very reason B & Dee decided to make it a rental. Everything seemed to go off without a hitch.

    The Bandello's were a very happy family and quite pleased with the peace and quiet the house provided seeing as there were 6 ½ of them including Dodger, their mutt. It was only about 30 minutes to the city and for the first time every one of them could have their own space. A few weeks went by and the house seemed like it would turn out to be the perfect fit for the Bandello's.

    After the first few weeks Sara, the youngest of the four daughters, started to notice that Dodger was spending a great deal of time sniffing around the room at the top of the stairs, which the family had not decided what they were going to do with yet. So she decided to do a little sniffing around herself. "Dodger, what are you looking for?" Sara said as she entered the large empty room. As she looked around she noticed Dodger was sitting directly in the middle of room starring straight at the floor. He began whimpering as if he was frightened of something. "Dodger... DODGER..!" she yelled again but he paid no attention to her, it was as if he was in a trance. She knelt at his side put her hand on his soft back and said "What is under there boy, what's wrong?" Dodger looked up at her, she noticed a puddle of urine growing from underneath him when suddenly the room began to violently shake, the door slammed closed so hard it shot an incredible amount adrenaline through Sara and just then the most disgustingly wretched voice hit her like the dread of a lost loved one as wave of pure evil settled over her.. Dodger seemed oblivious to anything going on, "Do you love your dog?" the voice asked. In complete terror She hesitated with fright, She blurted out "... yes he's a good boy" she half screamed quivering in horror for what might happen next. "Is he a good boy?" the voice said sarcastically. Suddenly the floor under dodger made a cracking sound the urine began to drain between the seams of the old wooden floor when it instantly burst open so fast just underneath Dodger; he seemed suspended for just milliseconds before in slow motion Sara watched as he began to fall when the floor slammed closed half way up his body, he let out a terrifying yelp at the same time the sound of his bones cracking as the wooden floor started to chew him. Sara started screaming in insanity. It was so high pitched it sounded like siren from afar, after a few seconds her cries began to take on recognizable words "DADDY, DADDY, DADDY!" The floor opened up again and Dodger slipped further down, "SLAM" the floor shut so tight on his neck it snap instantly, sending wooden shards through him in all directions, Dodger began gurgling and choking up bloody chunks as he was being eaten by the floor. In a moment of sanity, She turned around and made a break for the door. "DADDY!..HELP! LET ME OUT OF HERE!" She screamed as she slammed her small balled up fist on the door as hard as she'd ever done anything. "YOU WERE RIGHT, HE WAS A GOOD BOY!" it yelled so load it left Sara's ears ringing wildly. Suddenly out of nowhere the shaking stopped so abruptly it caused the door to swing open violently missing Sara's center mass, instead just catching the left side of her whipping her a good four feet back into the room, almost into the bloody jaws still quivering from blood lust. She slid ever so close, For a fragment of a moment in time things seemed to almost freeze, as if in slow motion and in total fear she peered into the wooden jaws as a twinkle had caught her eye... the hole in the floor where Dodger went, was an indescribable scene.. She could see scraps of his fur and unrecognizable bits of him lining the throat when she pinpointed the twinkle, it was his tag still hooked to a part of his collar. As she gazed locked in time she witnessed small leathery grey hands slowly ascending in the throat of the jaws. They began to collect the chunks of Dodger stuck all over the inside of the jaws. Without hesitation she was up and out of the room.

    Flying down the stairs as fast as her little legs had ever carried her in her short life. As she got to about half way down she leaped clean off the stairs into the arms of her father who had just happened to turn the corner. She hit him like a wrecking ball, the force knocked him back a couple steps. Sobbing, shaking she looked up at him with a hopeless face, covered in sweat and tears she uttered trembling "D..D.DODGERS DEAD!... He's DEAD! HE'S DEAD" She just kept uncontrollably screaming He's Dead. "Honey please calm down it was only an earthquake" her father said as he tried desperately to grasp his frantically horrified daughter. He held her still with moderate force and said "No He's not dead, He run outside just as the earthquake hit" She seemed almost to collect herself, as she instantly returned to her horrified state and yelled "NO! I SAW HIM THE FLOOR TOOK HIM AND ATE HIM, HE'S DEAD" She again began to frantically repeat what she was saying. Honey, "THE FLOOR ATE HIM?... honey, I need you to calm down,..." before her father could get another word out she pointed all the way up to the empty room atop the dual staircase and yelled frantically, "ITS IN THERE! I HEARD A BAD VOICE TALKING THEN THE FLOOR ATE DODGER!" Her father looked up to the room "OK, OK just calm down, we'll go upstairs and see what's going on". "NO!" Sara shrieked as she pushed herself free, shooting from her Dads arms like a champagne cork she hit the ground in a sprint, bolted into her room and slammed the door so hard it shook the whole house.