Too Far Gone

Chapter One

     The phone rang loudly, causing Eric McKay to jerk from his recent torpor back to full alertness. Grasping the phone, he took a deep breath before lifting it to his ear in an attempt to cease that infernal, demanding ringing. Making sure that he was prepared for the worst, he opened his mouth to speak. "911, what's your emergency?" He asked, his words obviously well-rehearsed.
"Y-yes, I'm Tracey Smith, and I think something's wrong with my husband." The person on the other end replied. She seemed like a young woman, and her voice was shaky and nervous.
"What do you mean? What's wrong with your husband?" Eric replied, pressing for more information.
"I-I don't know... He was sleeping on the couch, and he got up and tried to-" A loud banging sound emanated from the phone, seeming to come from the distance.
"What was that, Ma'am?" Eric inquired, his heart sinking in his chest at the sound.
"That's... That's him. He's trying to get to me, but I l-locked the door." She stammered, her voice laced with fear and worry.
"Where are you, Ma'am? Are you alone in the house?" Eric continued to ask questions, both to learn more about the situation and to keep her calm.
"I-I'm in my bedroom, and yes, I'm alone. He's the only other one here." The woman's voice was shaky, and the sound of wood creaking came from the distance.
"Alright, that's good. Is there anywhere you can get out of the room? A window, or a-" A loud smashing sound caused Eric to jump, and the woman interrupted him.
"H-He's inside!" She shouted into the phone, the sound of heavy footsteps filling his ears. "J-James?" She whimpered, her voice faint and barely audible. Nobody replied, but the footsteps gradually grew louder. "Are you... alright? What's-" An ear-piercing shriek deafened Eric, and he nearly threw the phone to the side in shock. He could hear a sort of raspy growl, and the sound of something heavy falling to the floor along with the phone.
"Ma'am?" Eric asked, doing his best to remain calm. "Ma'am, is everything okay?" The caller did not respond with words, but instead replied with a stream of deafening, incomprehensible gibberish and what seemed like shrieks of pain. The phone didn't seem to be against the woman's ear, anymore, but Eric could still hear some of the skirmish.
"God, no! Please... Help!" The woman choked weakly, the sound of something tearing emanating from the phone. This continued for a while, and slowly devolved into pitiful gurgles along with the nonstop sound of ripping.
"Ma'am?" Eric asked, the hand holding the phone shaking violently as numerous beads of sweat trickled down his brow. After listening for a few more seconds, Eric slammed the phone down with all of his might onto the table, the gurgling sound still within his ears. He would never forget the sound of that poor, innocent woman choking, gurgling helplessly.