C22 Maggots

Nickolas couldn't bring himself to fall asleep. the light in his room was switched off, enclosing the room in darkness, he stood by his window and looked at the trees that surrounded the cottage in a distance.

The note was engraved in his mind. He wondered who was brave enough or foolish enough to threaten him. he didn't take it lightly to threats. anyone who threatened his family threatened him personally. he put on his bathrobe and left his room.

Grace stirred in her sleep. she had a feeling of being watched. she picked up her head and looked around the vast room.

"I didn't mean to wake you," he said when he saw the panic in her eyes.

"You could have made your presence known, how long have you been seating there?" her features softened.

" Long enough." he got up and came to sit on the edge of the bed.

Nickolas knew it was a mistake to be there. they were taking things slow. but now that he was there, he couldn't take his eyes off her chest. he could see the outline of her breast through the thin material of her night dress.

the fact that she believed James when he said the note was a prank. made her all the more vulnerable. with her puppy eyes, she believed in a world of good-natured people.

He composed himself and cleared his throat.

"James said you were upset today." his fingers brushed against her cheeks.

"I'm sorry I wasn't around." his gaze fixed on her plump lips.

"It was nothing, no need to be sorry." his gentle touch on her face had a calming effect. she linked her hand with his in an attempt to put a stop to his touch. but only succeeded in creating sparks from her fingers that traveled up her whole arm.

When Nickolas leaned in for a kiss, she didn't object and he took that as a confirmation, and their determination of keeping a safe distance unraveled instantly.

After they sat on the bed holding onto each other. none saying a word. each one lost to their thoughts, content just to be. the rain had started drizzling outside. the sound of rain and the dreamy feeling inside the room made one wish that things should always be this way.

****

Today was one of those days when the sun was not shining and the slow rain numbed her mood.

She didn't like days like these much, where there was no sun, she missed the singing of the birds. Not hearing their singing in the trees, she longed for the peaceful serenity they brought.

She sat on the bench by the French doors outside her bedroom balcony. and watched as the rain beat against the stony pavement. She made a mental note to ask Nicko if she could plant more flowers next to the green lawn, the landscape needed a feminine touch.

She was sipping hot coffee. One of her rare treats. This was her favorite spot in the whole house when she was not in her studio. Here she could sit and look outside, she imagined that when Neill was old enough she could have a big tree fixed with a swing, then she would be able to sit right there on that spot and watch him play.

Despite the rain dampening her spirit a little. she had to admit. the house was peaceful.

before she could finish that thought, She felt something rub up against her leg.

She brushed it off with her other leg. a few minutes later, the same thing was brushing against her foot. Annoyed she took a look under the bench, and as if hit by lighting she jumped up when she saw a group of maggots under the bench. the sight made the hairs at the back of her neck stand.

She took out her phone and switched on the light to have a better look. She noticed that they had spread around the base of the bench. No matter how much she looked, she could not locate anything rotten under the bench. rather a piece of paper stuck out from under one of the legs of the bench, then she pulled it out, and her heart started racing.

The note read:

~Next time, they will be eating your dead flesh. ~

She let out a scream and dropped the note on the floor.

“Neill!” she raced out of her room and ran through the house to Neill. When she reached his bed, she was panting. She took him out of his cot and started throwing clothes in a bag.

In a matter of seconds, When she looked around her, the house had changed and its dark shadows were laughing at her. She knew she could not stay inside the house, she had to find a safe place for her and Neill.

'She was coming, She was coming for her.'

she could hear voices, the whole house was whispering to her, mocking her. The bed started bouncing and laughing at her.

She took Neill from the bed and ran downstairs with a terrified-looking Neill. He got such a fright that he did not cry. He was looking at his mama chanting,

'She’s coming.

She’s coming.'

A frantic Grace was running through the house from an invisible enemy with baby Neill on her arm. She went to open the front door and stood gaping at the figure in front of her.

"Uhmm....I, erm...” the words would not form past her tongue. She let out a loud wail before she blacked out.

Opening her eyes she took a look at her surroundings, her head was heavy, and she had a tube running from her arm to a machine.

“Neill?” her voice was barely audible even to her. She started shaking her hands, then she realized she was cuffed into the bed.

The door opened and she saw a familiar face, it was Rose, relief washed over her like a breeze on a sunny day.

“Look who’s awake” she was holding a vase with fresh daisies on.

“Rose...Neill, she took Neill” her throat felt sore as she spoke the words out but she was desperate to explain to the older woman.

“shhh...Neill is safe with me, you need to save your strength now” Rose sat by her bedside brushing her hair. She was soothing, she started to relax back into her pillow and knew that Rose would understand.

She closed her eyes, coming down some more. She knew Rose would understand, she would understand.

Meanwhile, back at the Meyer Mansion, someone was tangled in a bundle of sweaty sheets on the wooden floor as if in a trance, moaning in prayer.

hands clasped tightly together in Reverence.

the prayers were always about vengeance, brutal vengeance where the wicked were visited. and the earth cleansed of their wickedness. one household at a time. a man whose hands were full of blood will face the great day of the Lord. that great day had arrived at the Meyer Mansion.

soon the earth will be purified of all filth the Mansion contained.