Scribe's Hollow Halloween Horror Anthology 2023

The Familiar Stranger

Story by RyanThornetheAuthor

Trigger warning: This story contains:

Blood

Gore

Mutilation

Suffering

And other horrifying things

Do not read if this could be triggering to you.

Enjoy the story!

- Ryan

***

November 2nd

Ezra observed his mother from across the dining room, a deep sense of unease washing over him. Her once youthful expression seemed oddly strained, as if the skin on her face was stretched too tightly over her high cheekbones.

Her green eyes, once full of life and vigor, seemed unnaturally wide, empty, and darker than normal. She sat there, fingers delicately gripping a teacup. The air filled with an eerie hissing sound, as she continued to pull from the cup, oblivious to the fact it was now empty.

Suddenly, a disconcerting rupture of glass echoed through the room as she forcefully slammed the now-empty teacup onto the table, causing it to shatter into countless fragments. It was as if she had lost touch with reality, or perhaps some unseen force had gripped her.

Ezra, consumed by growing dread, inched closer to the exit, his eyes darting back to his mother who was fixated on the shattered remains of the teacup. Her gaze was one of incredulity, locked onto the glass shards strewn before her. With trembling, pale fingers, she reached for one of the jagged pieces, studying it with a macabre fascination. Then, in an act that chilled Ezra to the bone, she brought it to her lips.

Her teeth sank into the glass shard with a sickening crunch, causing droplets of blood to emerge from her lips, staining the table's surface. Yet, she persisted, greedily chewing the glass until it was no more than a fine grit that she swallowed without hesitation.

The sight was horrifying, unimaginable. Ezra's heart raced as he silently made his way outside, leaving behind the disconcerting scene. Something was undeniably amiss with his mother. The woman who had once been his nurturing, enigmatic caretaker, the one who had waved him off at the bus stop with affectionate kisses, had been transformed into something grotesque.

Something monstrous.

~*~

"Are you sure that's what happened? You're not overreacting?"

Ezra batted his eyes at his best friend Monica, unsure he'd heard her correctly.

"Overreacting?" Ezra scoffed, still trying to process what he'd seen. "Mon, she literally chewed the glass up and swallowed it."

Monica's long, black hair cascaded down her back as she brushed it behind her shoulders and secured it in a ponytail. Her eyes seemed burdened. He knew she had a lot going on at home, with her own nightmare parents, but it still seemed awfully dismissive.

"Well," she sighed dramatically, turning to meet his gaze. "All I'm saying is that I've met your mom. She's a total sweetheart. Maybe she just needs to see a doctor or something." Her eyes flashed with a bit of disbelief, though she quickly buried it.

Ezra remained quiet, opening his locker and grabbing his history book for ninth period. There was an exam the next day, and he'd spent his free moments speculating about his mother's bizarre behavior. If he didn't use this time to cram some studying in, he would totally bomb the test.