Claws in the Dark | ✔

XI (Part II)

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1:00 p.m.. "Where are they?"

1:05 p.m.. "Why the heck are they taking so long?"

1:10 p.m.. "What the fuck could they be doing that takes this long?!"

Bill fidgeted with the Rolex on his left wrist as he stood at the entrance of the church. He pensively looked up the road to his right, awaiting Lou and Maxell to appear. Time was ticking away. The funeral hadn't started yet because they weren't present.

"Son," a voice came from the door behind him. Bill turned around to see it was Pastor Sloane. "Are your father and cousin still coming? It's well past 1:00 p.m., and I think we should start the service."

"No, pastor," Bill gasped, "we can't start yet. I don't know why they're taking so long to get here. Just give them five more minutes...please."

The pastor nodded and went back inside. Bill felt for his phone in his shirt pocket, took it out, and then dialled Lou's number. No answer. He dialled again, but still got no answer. Why the hell isn't he answering? He hung up and dialled his father's number, but that rang out, too. Becoming frustrated caused him to squeeze his phone, and he growled continuing to look up the road.

"Is everything okay?" Miles asked, walking out of the church.

"Huh?" Bill said, turning around. Miles caught him off guard. "Oh, yeah, everything's fine. I'm just waiting for Lou and my dad to get back.

"Oh."

"They've been gone for at least half an hour, and I've been calling them, but neither of them is picking up. It's not like them to not answer their phones, especially my father."

"Where'd they go?" Miles asked, looking at the road which led in three different directions: left, right, and straight ahead.

"Lou went back home to get Dad because he'd stayed behind way too long to get some stuff for the service. I just don't get why they're not back as yet."

"Well, maybe we should go and make sure they're okay, and bring them back to the church."

"Yeah, thanks. We probably should." Bill said as they both walked down the steps of the wooden, yellow building.

When they arrived at the house, Bill went up the stairs to the front door, seeing that it was still open just a crack.

"Lou? Dad?" Bill shouted as he and Miles stepped into the apartment.

"It doesn't look like they're here," Miles said, looking around.

Bill walked past the kitchen and checked all the rooms. "They're not," he confirmed, walking back to Miles, who was standing at the door.

"Whose phone is that?" Miles asked, pointing at the rectangular device on the kitchen counter.

"That's my dad's phone," he replied in surprise, and picked it up, pressing the home button to wake the screen. Missed calls and texts messages from him, Lou and Pastor Sloane popped up on the screen.

"Where are you?" was the message from Lou. It was repeated about five times.

"Did Lou find you? Where are you guys so long?" read Bill's message.

"The church is full and awaiting your arrival," was the final message from the pastor.

"He hasn't read any of these yet," he turned the phone to Miles. "I don't understand...why would my father leave his phone here? It's not like him. Something's not right."

"Is there any other room, or someplace else they would go?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot the garage." Bill rushed past his Miles and went out the door and down the stairs to open the garage from outside. Miles followed close behind, stopping a foot or two away from him.

The metallic door creaked as it lifted from the ground. When it was fully opened, blood was seen smeared on the ground. Bill and Miles both gasped, the latter taking his gun from its holster and pointing it into the garage.

When the sun shed its afternoon glow into the darkness of the garage, two decapitated, dismembered bodies were seen on the floor. Blood coated the few parked cars, the foul stench irritating Bill's and Miles' nostrils. They covered their faces with the crack of their elbows, coughing and trying their hardest not to gag.

"Oh my God," Bill uttered, his voice muffled.

Miles couldn't say much. He was a loss for words. Although he'd seen many horrific sights before, it didn't compare to seeing his best mechanic's body lying on the floor with his innards splattered across it.

"No! No, no, no!" Bill yelled as sobs emanated from his mouth. He ran to his father's body, recognizing it from the clothes, and tried to gather up his remains. The only thing missing was his head.

Miles immediately reported the killings, and dispatch claimed that the ambulances and police were on their way. As soon as he hung up the phone, he looked in the grieving man's direction. He inched towards him. "I...I'm sorry," he said.

"I should've...never let him stay," he sniffled.

Miles didn't get a chance to respond.

The Clawden, hidden in the shadows behind one of the cars, jumped out at Miles. It tackled him down to the ground and was about to slash at his throat, but he shot it in the chest, causing it to stumble backwards.

Bill backed into a car, dropping his father's corpse, and blood stained his entire attire. His eyebrows raised with the sudden widening of his eyes, and his mouth was agape. He tried to scream but, in sudden shock at the revelation of the Clawden, his voice hitched.

The monster roared and galloped towards Bill. He wanted to run, but he couldn't program his feet to move. He closed his eyes and waited for the monster to devour him, but ringing gunshots, followed by a thud, stopped that from happening. He opened his eyes to see that the Clawden was lying on its stomach just a foot away, blood rushing out of its head and other parts of its body.

Miles stood with the gun still aimed at the creature, his chest heaving, while he glared at the dead creature. Smoke rose from the opening of the gun's barrel as if a campfire was just put out.

Bill, finally being able to move, stood beside Miles and took in the features of the ungodly thing, too. "What the fuck is that?" His nerves were still on edge from almost dying, so his body was shaking vigorously.

"One of your brother's and sister-in-law's murderer," was Miles' curt reply. The sirens of the police cars and ambulances blared in the distance as they approached the gory scene.

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◀ MARDAIS ▶