Storm of the Century

Chapter 6 - Breached

The storm calmed down a little when it got to the beginning of day six. I thought the nightmare of voices, banging and visits were going to be coming to an end with it. Saying I was wrong would be an understatement.

The banging now became a regular occurrence in the house. I say that casually however, every single time I heard it, I winced, shrouded in the pure terror that the thing outside was one bang closer to getting through my wooden fortress, getting to me and doing whatever the fuck it wants to me.

Every single time I thought I had gotten used to the rhythmic beat, my skin crawled and I braced as I heard the house creak. Each time I thought of those wooden planks getting weaker and weaker. Every now and then, I'd see it's fingers slip through the openings and feel around. It still had Mrs Peters voice. Routinely imitating her and asking me to come to it.

After a few more days of the apparition asking to come in with its filthy mitts I heard something. Something out of place with the usual pleas which had become even more distorted and impatient. The sound of wood splintering. As I turned over to my living room window I noticed a new light shining through the room. At first I thought this had already been there but after a second barrage of knocking in the space of a few minutes, it got larger. More light seeping in and with it, I could see it. Part of it at least.

It was getting closer to me.

The grotesque being before me must've noticed the weakening timber too as it let out another torrent, sending splinters crashing against the thin window pane.

My shelter was breached.

I turned for Rex...nothing...he just laid there. Looking directly forward at that window. The bowl I had moved next to his bed still untouched from days before.

Calling to him, his ears wouldn't even lift in acknowledgment of my cries.

Not knowing what else I could do I just stood there, waiting for whatever this thing had in store for me. I stood frozen in place for what felt like hours, eyes glazed over watching it. The banging subsided shortly after but it was still standing there.

To my horror, a new sound resonated through the bones of my home. A weird creaking. I couldn't work out what the hell it was until I saw those rotten fingers wrap around a plank of wood directly eye level.

They clamped around it through the thin cracks and suddenly started pulling at it.

"No, no, no, no, no"

My vision started going blurry and an overwhelming queasiness flared up inside of me. The 2x4 started to bend and flex, with it I could hear the sound of the nails being yanked out. One was ripped from the safety of the window frame and I heard it ping off the patio outside.

Before I could even move, a block of light blinded me. The first plank was gone and I finally saw its face. This thing was much larger than I initially though. I was in line with it's mouth and jaw, or what was left of it.

Hanging completely agape, I could see three sets of teeth lining the roof of its mouth. All starting in separate places but intertwining as they grew out. Many were missing and the large majority of them were green and blackened.

Its lower jaw was devoid of anything but that disgusting tongue. It hung there loosely, detached from the lower jaw which should've been its nest. I could see bloody crevices scattered inside, assuming that had been where it's upper teeth had laid before it's jaw fell open.

I'd didn't have any hair on its head. Just a rotting scalp littered in craters and missing chunks of flesh. The rest of its face looked ready to fall off as the skin clung to its extremely bony features. Bags drooped around it's soulless eye sockets.

To my dismay, the sockets were empty. Two vast chasms carved into its skull knowing no end, deeper than any mountain is high.

I let out a whimper staring into the things open mouth. I could see everything and nothing inside, all at the same time. Unsure if what I was seeing was a conjuring of my own warped mind. It twitched immediately, it's putrefied body agonisingly close to ripping apart. After it had finished its centipede dance, it stopped, mannequin like in front of the window. I took the chance and started to back away from the new entrance to my home. Right foot. Left foot. Right foot. Left foot. Right fo...a moaning was let out by the antique wood floor beneath my right foot as it ached from the weight of my body. As quickly as I'd turned to look at the source of the "I'm here" alarm, the thing started ripping at the rest of the panels as if they were twigs. It's arms getting caught up in between the planks they broke through, blood oozing out of the old, infected wounds scattered across them as it plunged further through.

The sound of tree flesh being ripped apart was suddenly overridden by the voice in my head again.

"Come here"

I felt every syllable chime through me. This time was different though. This time the voice had a face to it. This time it matched the abysmal horror in front of me.

I clamped my hands down over my ears, trying to uselessly block out the barking. Knowing I was simply waiting for my slaughter I started to wake up and step away again, turning around so I could no longer see it.

*crash*

A sudden burst of adrenaline surged through my veins, throwing my limbs into overdrive as I started to run. Without thinking, I flung open the basement door. After locking it and bracing it with a small colony of boxes, paint cans and a shelf, placed rather annoyingly in any other situation, which I threw over the boxes for good measure.

I sat down here in silence for a long time. I could hear wet feet slapping against the wooden floor above me and the occasional scream of frustration. It was directly overhead and I could hear its muffled, disfigured breathing getting heavier by the minute. I followed it around the house, hearing each slap on the floor. As if it were heaving itself with each step.

It would wander past the basement door but never seemed to stop in front of it. I guess my adrenaline fuelled escape plan had worked for now. It wasn't long after the foot steps ceased that I realised what situation I was in.

With how quickly I ran into the basement, I didn't have time to think about what I'd need down here.