The house I grew up in was always known for it's strange sounds and eerie landscape. My parents took a liking to the vast countryside of North Central Pennsylvania, and we settled there when I was only three years of age. Being an only child, my imagination would often soar, leaving me vulnerable to the essence of beings that were not necessarily human.
At the age of five, I was a curious little one that would usually find himself getting into trouble. I had an imaginary friend, who even after I named "Cookie" would consistently call himself "Meat Eater".
"Alex, do you want to hang out by the barn today? I found a bunny nest with some babies in at that are so cute! You need to come see!" Cookie then pulled me toward the front door of the house, practically throwing me out into the yard, and scurried over to the barn doors. Sure enough, there was a nest filled with little ones nearly ready to be out on their own.
"They sure are cute." I restated, Cookie eyeing me up to see my reaction.
"I told you! I told you!" Cookie's buck-toothed grin reaffirmed that we had made the right decision to play outside today. I never paid much attention to Cookie's details, but those buck teeth always stuck with me.
As I grew older, Cookie wasn't around as much to play. In highschool when I started dating, he would drop in from time to time just to catch up and see how I was, but he never stayed long. He would often come in the night, creeping into my bedroom when I was nearly asleep.
"Alex? You awake?" Sometimes it would scare the figurative shit out of me. "Cookie..." I groaned. "I'm trying to sleep..." Nearly drifting off, I would hear him quietly reply.
"Alright, buddy. I'll see you soon."
The memories of Cookie's adorable nature and sweet personality soon faded as I became overwhelmed with work, college, and marrying my highschool sweetheart. I moved out of the old farmhouse when I was 18, leaving my parents alone with Cookie. I knew that he would watch over them; there was no doubt in my mind.
The phone rang in our small apartment in Pittsburgh. "I'll get it!" Gina, my wife, called from the kitchen. I was in the bathroom getting ready for work, and I could hear the sound of her shuffling through the hallway to pick up the ringer. After a brief greeting, my wife sounded out again.
"Alex, it's your mother."
I finished brushing my teeth and fumbled into my shirt as I stepped into the hallway. I gave my wife the "what could she possibly want at 7 'o clock in the morning" look as I sighed and nabbed the phone.
"Mom? You do know I'm getting ready for work, right?" I rolled my eyes. Mom liked to call and chat at the most inopportune times.
"Alex. It's your father. He's gone."
"What do you mean, he's gone?"
"He passed away last night, hunnie. The coroner is here now. They have no idea the cause of death, but they think it may have been a heart attack. I'm so sorry, sweetheart." I nearly dropped the phone. I knew I had to make the 4 hour drive to be with my mother, no matter what the case. I needed to call work and let them know.
"Mom, hang in there. I will be there as soon as possible." I put down the ringer and calmly paced back to the bathroom to finish my morning routine.
"Is everything OK dear?" Gina was concerned.
"Dad passed away last night. I need to go be with Mom. I'm all she has." I looked back at her from the threshold of the bathroom. She nodded gently and turned to go back into the kitchen. "You don't need to go, baby. When we decide on the funeral arrangements, I will give you a call. There's no point in you missing work just to sit around and BS with my mom and I." She continued to nod and soon was out of view.
The drive felt as if it took three days to get there. I couldn't believe that Dad was gone. Having a heart attack at 45? Just seems like it's so young to die. When I arrived at my former abode, it appeared the same as when I left it four years ago. My mother was sitting on the top stair of the front porch, gently rocking back and forth, staring at the ground. She looked up and saw my half-hearted smile, and hesitantly shot one back. As we embraced, I felt all the pain that she had inside. I had to be strong for her.
"I fixed up your old room upstairs for you, dear. The only sheets I could find for your bed were the old spaceship ones you had as a kid. Sorry about that." I smiled at her and hugged her tightly.
"It's all good, Mom. That will make it feel even more like home."
Mom and I hadn't seen each other for a while, so we decided that having a country home-cooked meal and chit-chatting for some time wouldn't hurt. We talked about Pittsburgh and the countryside. We spat about politics, and mumbled about finances. It felt great to finally catch up.
As the sun fell swiftly beneath the horizon, we both found each other just as tired as the other. I yawned, stretching my arms out like a well-rested cat after a nap.
"I think we both need to hit the hay. It's been a long 24 hours, and we have a lot to catch up on tomorrow." Mom winked at me as she slowly vacated my dad's favorite recliner. "I wouldn't mind just sleeping there. It smells like him, and that makes me feel comforted." I gave mom a rub on the back as we both headed up the stairs.
Tucking myself in felt so natural. I was back where I belonged. Memories of all the good times I had in this place swarmed my brain; pleasant thoughts of the past. As I was departing to dreamland, I heard the ever-familiar whine of the hinge. It was Cookie.
As the screech continued, a smell hit me dead in the face. It was something so potent, so foul, that my tastebuds tingled. The noise ceased, but the scent was getting stronger and more pungent with each second passing. I felt like I needed to open my eyes, but I was disgusted just by the thought of what it could be.
"Alex? You awake?" His voice was not in it's usual location. He sounded as if he were speaking right over me.
"I'm up Cookie. What is it?"
"It's been awhile, Alex. I missed you." The voice that I became so accustomed to as a child was now hoarse and hissed like a serpent. A sudden wave of fear splashed over my being as I laid there under the sound and smell of the friend I once knew.
"Yeah, Cookie. I'm sorry-"
"Where were you, Alex?! Where DID you GO!?" I was sharply cut off by his jagged words.
"I- I moved, Cookie. I grew up. I didn't need you anymore." As soon as I said it, I immediately regretted it.
"You didn't NEED ME?! Alex, I NEEDED YOU! YOU LEFT ME ALONE, ALEX!" The hissing of his tongue spat bits of fluid at me. Don't open your eyes, Alex. Don't do it. "I can't believe this, Alex. I can't believe you." Anger immediately turned to sorrow. I could feel the emotion in his voice, and I felt moved. I felt as if I needed to hug him. The biggest mistake of my life was opening my eyes.
There, hanging contorted from the ceiling, the stale scent of blood fuming from his gaping mouth, was Cookie. His teeth were no longer bucked as I remembered, but sharp and lethal, tipped with black spikes that could rip through flesh. His eyes glowed red in the nearly pitch black room, illuminating the rest of his horrific figure. His long and twisted spine led down to a reptilian tail, forked at the end like a Great White Shark. His claws drenched with blood, writhed unhappily on his bony fingers.
"I had to do it, Alex. I needed you."
"Had to do what..." My heart was pounding out of my chest.
"I had to kill him. To get you back. I knew if he saw me that he would die. I knew your father had a weak heart. I just knew it." Struck with fear, anxiety, anger, guilt, no words parted my quivering lips. "And once I killed him, Alex, I thirsted for blood. I had to do it again, Alex. I had to. That's what Meat Eaters do."
Meat Eater. That's why you called yourself Meat Eater. I was paralyzed. A crackling sound popped my eardrums as Meat Eater rotated his grotesque head around for a better view. Spinning his head around like an up-side-down owl, he leaned down closer to me, his red eyes meeting my green. He laid a scaly palm over my mouth. I wouldn't scream. I couldn't scream.
"But it's OK now, Alex. You're back. And I have to keep it that way. You aren't going anywhere, because now, Mommy and Daddy are both gone."
