Descent

Chapter Seven

The light streaming in through the curtains woke Janice that morning. For once it wasn't the tea kettle screaming, the dogs barking, or a hand on her cheek from her husband. Just the giant ball of fire in the sky. She rolled onto her side, straining to read the clock on the wall without her glasses and finally gave up, reaching to the bedside table. With her glasses, she could now see it was 7:30 am.
    She stretched her way out of bed and made her way to the overcoat that was on the hanger. Her husband hadn't taken it yet so he must have still been home. She grabbed hers next to it and headed out to the hall.
    She walked into the hallway and down the wooden stairs to where the main room was. Still, she saw no one. Nothing was out of place, but still, no one was there. It was as if everyone had disappeared.
"Paul?" She was answered only by silence and birds chirping outside. "He must've gone to the market," she decided. It wasn't sensible to get worked up over something like this. She walked into the kitchen, humming along the creaking of the floor as she walked forward. She got out the tea kettle and the block of tea for when the water was boiling. As she lit the flame and put the kettle on, she noticed something- or rather a lack of something- that stopped her humming.
The birds had stopped chirping. It was, once again, dead silent, usually there was at least an ambient ring, but there didn't seem to be one now. She wanted to look around the kitchen, but was frozen in place from turning around.
Every part of her body was screaming to run, to scream, to grab the hot water and burn whatever was there. But she couldn't bring herself to move.
The tea kettle started to scream its chorus. She reached out to grab it and started cutting the block for tea. Until she whipped around with the knife to face what she could feel behind her. A man surrounded by a black cloudlike aura stood there, watching her from the kitchen entrance.
"Does this mean I can't have any tea?" She hadn't seen him in years... almost a decade and now he was just magically back. She wanted to run, but her feet once again wouldn't move. Whether she had been paralyzed by fear, or by him, she wasn't sure. She gripped the knife tighter in her fists.
"Get.. out." She forced as much venom into her tone as she could muster. She watched him look at her and chuckle. "What is so funny to you, Matt?"
Matt Bream looked at the woman with a devilish grin. "Well, you've had to have noticed your wooooonderful husband and his hellhounds have disappeared. I just wanted to show you how I've.. improved them.
Janice felt tears rush to her eyes and every part of her become tense. She started to scream at him "What have you done to him?? Where is he? I'll fucking kill yo-" She stopped and her eyes widened in horror as she saw what he had done. What was once her loving husband had become a large, stone man with spots drenching in blood from where the rock must have fused. His eye sockets were fire and his mouth was red with blood from where teeth were pulled out and replaced by needles. Tears ran down her face as she was filled with shock. She looked next to him and almost cried. What had once been two large and adorable dogs were now fused into one. The tail was sewn together with precision and the lines ran up the creatures back to meet at the end of its four claws and heads. He had used both of the dog's heads and they were strangely calm, but had blood running from their mouths the same as her husband had, with larger sharper teeth and the same fire eyes. She looked to Bream and suddenly felt control of herself and the realization of the knife in her hand. She ran at him with her blood boiling, "I'll kill you!!"
She was met by a sharp whack into her stomach and hit the ground. She saw bream laughing above her. "What's the matter Janice? Don't love your husband now that he's a freak? Well you don't have to worry. His souls in plenty of torment, but you'll join him soon." Bream snapped his fingers and the bouldered man walked up to where Janice was laying. She pushed herself back against the counter and was able to reach up and grab the tea kettle.
She threw it at the boulder and it stopped. It looked down to meet her horrified gaze.
"Matt, please. I know you're still there. I don't know what he's done to you but I love you. Please shake free from his grip on you and see me!" the creature glanced to Bream.
    Bream leaned against the wall, watching with joy in his eyes as he watched what would unfold. "Crush her skull, Matt."
    The giant lifted its massive leg and angle itself so all its weight would be pushed down onto the woman. Janice screamed as the dog ran up and each head held her in place and her head was stomped in.
    Bream stepped up and looked at what was left. He muttered a few words and the bones formed into a massive spider like creatures, some of which was covered in skin from what had been left. "Come, my creatures. We have work to do." He used his key to make a dark black door appear, unlocked it, and walked in with the creatures following into wherever it may lead.
The flame spread from the stove and eventually spread to the counter. All evidence of what had happened would soon be gone