Ominous Memories.

Ominous Memories1

By Kasey Altman2

There are memories that, as a child, tend to get lost amongst the seemingly endless lessons that lead to true adult hood. Memories that at one time seemed so vivid and real begin to fade away into a fog of nothingness, very rarely to be brought back into actual thought. Then there are those few memories that grab hold of you and never let go. They haunt your daily life with the power of an unseen stalker, making you avoid delving too deep within your own mind for fear of being consumed by what lurks below the working surface. Some suppress these very images so deep that they deny ever experiencing them, while others are possessed with each dramatic detail plaguing their existence that they seek the help of professionals. The third, and truly rare, party is the one who actually goes back into those black corridors of memory to face the demons that dwell there. For it is a real act of courage to dive head first into the very thing that shaped the dark, ugly side of who you truly are.3

***4

Summer was always the season for adventure and new discoveries. The welcoming heat of a new morning that shone bright with an ascending sun always greeted those children eager to venture into the world in search of wonder. As a child of ten, I was often roaming through the neighborhood looking for something new and amazing to stimulate my imagination. Having only one true friend, a lanky boy by the name of Mike, we spent most of our days romping through the woods that bordered the plantation of a neighboring farm. More often than not we would find ourselves at the creek bed searching for frogs or small creatures to study or use as fishing bait. Those were the days that seemed eternal and real. Days when we would come home with scrapes on our knees and dirt on our clothes to find a hot meal our mothers made for dinner before watching the evening ball game. 5

Then there were days when I had to spend at my Uncle Jeremy’s cottage. Those were always long and unpleasant with the lurking sense of dread that makes your hairs stand on end. I remember sitting on the uncomfortable wooden chair in the kitchen watching him from the dirty windows as he and my father would work on some random chore. His house was always dark and dank with the stench of stagnant water. Those days were always better than when I was left alone in Uncle Jeremy’s care. When Mom and Dad would go out for a night for each other and I was to stay under the watchful eye of my caring Uncle Jeremy. 6

My uncle was what an author would describe as ‘mad’. He would ramble on under his breath about things that made my skin prickle with bumps. When left alone with him he would sit me down on the cold floor of his living room while he told me stories of strange creatures that stalked mankind behind the veil of shadow and disbelief. Monsters that were older than religion and written word but were now thought of as myth or forgotten by some entirely. 7

There were times when he would pull a random book from a trunk in his room and franticly search its yellowed pages for pictures of strange symbols and, most horrifying, twisted figures of deformed half-men that would leer at me from the paper they were drawn on. These drawling would come to life in my dreams at night. I would awake biting back a scream as the mutated creatures crawled on gnarled limbs toward me with blackened mouths stretched wide while diseased tongues stretched to taste my bare skin. 8

It came to the point that when my parents would talk of seeing a movie or going to dinner that I would plead to stay with Mike or go with them. They never understood my hesitance to visit Uncle Jeremy, mostly because I was afraid to admit to my father how his brother scared me, so they dismissed it as a boy not wanting to waste a summer’s day without fun and frolic. It was during one of these pleadings that my mother gave in and offered to call Mike’s parents and ask if he could join me in my visit. The notion appealed to me because, in my mind, there was no way that Uncle Jeremy would act so strangely in front of a new person. 9

I was wrong.10

***11

That day is one I will never forget as long as I live. I will probably go to my grave with the memory of every sense that it held. The sky was one solid sheet of the stone gray color of an approaching storm. The air was humid and sticky to where your skin would feel like it had a thin layer of grime over you and the gentle breeze carried the pungent smell of moist dirt and damp wood. The lack of sunshine made dark shadows expand over the overgrown lawn of Uncle Jeremy’s property. 12

I sat in the bed of my father’s truck with Mike at my side. We looked into the ominous woods that crowded the property line with twisted branches and large trunks that, if you looked hard enough, seemed to take in long slow breaths. A rusted wire fence stood against the tree line and wound its way far beyond the back of the cottage. I never went into the backyard but I knew that a dented metal gate stood locked at the start of an eerie looking path that disappeared into the shadows of the forest. A cold chill shot down my arms as we were jostled along the uneven driveway towards the waiting cottage.13

“This place looks haunted!” Mike said. 14

His voice was enthusiastic with the prospect of ghost hunting. I looked into his angular face that grinned at me with a mouth in need of braces. Feathery red hair fell over his brow and covered the mass of freckles that adorned is forehead. His thin nose looked like a game of connect-the-dots and I used to tease him that a hidden picture was somewhere in there. Mike was always a boy that loved adventure and would go anywhere that it was promised. Most times I was just as enthusiastic as he with the notion of ghost hunting but at the moment I felt cold and frightened.15

Before I could open my mouth to speak we came to an abrupt stop and I heard my father shout towards the porch. My mouth went dry when I heard the answering call of Uncle Jeremy and by the tone in his voice I could tell he was in one of his moods. Mike shot up and hopped from the truck bed onto the lawn. I slowly stood and looked over the trucks cab toward my uncle.16

Uncle Jeremy walked in our direction with a mouth turned wide in his clenched grin. Dark, windswept hair stuck out around his face making him seem pale and sickly. His glittering green eyes were wide and excited in a way that I had only seen when he told me his stories. He wore dirt stained blue jeans and a white t-shirt that had seen better days. When he stopped at my father’s door he leaned inside to talk to my parents. 17

The world around me seemed to close in and I knew at that moment that something bad was going to happen. The breeze in the air carried with it a scent of something rotted and foul and I could taste it on my tongue. My face twisted in disgust and I looked to the cottage but knew the smell was coming from the woods beyond. When I looked back to my uncle he was grinning at me with a look that told me he knew just what it was, and he intended to share it with me.18

“Well Joey! Are you going to stand there gawking or are you going to come visit with me?” he asked. Uncle Jeremy’s voice was always startling. It was deep and scratchy from too many years of smoking. When he was excited it would rise to a screeching sound that reminded me of my grandmother’s parrot. At the moment, it was subdued but I could hear the high pitch hiding just beneath the surface. 19

I slowly climbed out of the truck and walked through the knee high grass towards him. Mike was fidgeting at his side, ripe with anticipation to explore the looming cottage that waited just a few yards away. When I reached him, Uncle Jeremy wrapped an arm around my small shoulders and pressed me to his side. He reeked with a mixed smell of sweat, mildew and cigarettes. I wrinkled my nose and looked as my parents waved from the truck that began its leave down the driveway.20

Uncle Jeremy turned his head down to me and peered into my face with his own. The look sent my stomach into a nauseous fit because it was stretched into a look of maniacal excitement. His hair fell over his face and shadowed his features almost demonically. Without looking away, he drew Mike into his other arm and spoke with the parrot voice.21

“Well, my boys. I have a surprise for the two of you.” he said.22

He let us go and began toward his cottage. Every muscle in my body had gone tight and I looked toward my friend who only grinned even wider. He turned to me and pinched his nose with his thumb and fore-finger while his other hand waved in front of his face. I laughed and that was the last time I did for the rest of the night.23

***24

“I’m glad you brought a friend, Joey. I think I have something that the both of you will enjoy.” Uncle Jeremy said.25

We sat in his kitchen on the uncomfortable wooden chairs while he fixed us turkey sandwiches. My hands were gripping my shorts tightly as I kept stealing glances at the clock on the wall. I wanted this visit to be over quickly and silently prayed to the heavens to deliver us from this night without too many horrible nightmares. Mike on the other hand was alive with curiosity and excitement. He kept looking around the dark room for any signs of a ghost or monster lurking in the shadowed corners. Every few minutes he would kick my leg and point to a random spot with wiggling eyebrows and a smile that said he had seen something.26

“So, Mike. What are you into?” Uncle Jeremy asked.27

His face was still grinning as he handed us the sandwiches and two cans of generic soda. I looked at the food in front of me and grimaced at the small spots of green mold that were forming at the very edges of the stale bread. Mike grabbed his and bit off a mouthful without even noticing the small spots on his. I suppressed a gag at that and immediately opened the can of soda and guzzled it down.28

“Everything! Hiking, bugs, frogs, fishing and monsters!” he said through a mouthful of sandwich. 29

The look that passed over my uncle’s face made the soda in my belly begin to bubble with the hot digestive acids. A sour taste crept up my throat as I pictured him running to his trunk to show Mike the many creatures he claimed to be real. Instead he just stood watching my friend eat the moldy sandwich with his clenched grin and mad green eyes.30

“Monsters eh. Well that is something we have in common. I am entranced by the creatures that conceive fear. Ever since I was your age I would search out the darkest genre of human history for the monsters that plagued civilization.” he said.31

I could tell that the big words momentarily confused Mike but he went on listening anyway.32

“My parents thought it was only a phase in my childhood but it wasn’t. It grew to an obsession of mine. I wanted to understand the origins of such creatures and how to bring them to our world of sunlight and technology. I used to lie in bed at night and dream of having my own pet monster. Some twisted, loathsome creature that would do my bidding and take revenge on the boys who once bullied me in the schoolyard.” he said. 33

Uncle Jeremy’s green eyes grew distant with thought and he stood there for, what seemed like an eternity, with an enraged look on his face. From the living room, the grandfather clock chimed the hour and he was startled from his brooding thoughts. A confused look passed over his face as he realized that we were sitting at his table watching him. 34

Slowly he smiled and looked at the clock on his wall. When he looked back to us he was biting the tip of his tongue in his grin. A cold sweat began on the back of my neck and I wondered what he had waiting for us. In my mind I could feel those half-human creatures preparing themselves for a long night of torturous nightmares.35

“Well boys. Its time for you to see my surprise.” he looked to my untouched sandwich and only smiled wider.36

“Not hungry, Joey? That’s okay. You might be the type to need an empty stomach for this.” he said. 37

***38

I walked a few paces behind Uncle Jeremy and Mike as he led us through the backyard toward the mangled gate. The yard was cast in the bright fiery glow of a setting sun as it filtered through the tangle of trees. Long ebony shadows stretched over our path and I peeked over my shoulder to the cottage that grew smaller in the distance. The weight in the pit of my stomach was growing larger with my sense of dread. Ahead of us waited the darkening forest path and the mangled gate sat mockingly at its entrance.39

Mike was darting through the towering patches of grass to grab lightning bugs that blinked like yellow eyes within the green blades. I knew that he intended to press the small insects against the bark of a tree and trail his finger over the wood, leaving a glowing golden trail that would fade into a black sticky mess. I myself did not enjoy doing such things. Lightning bugs were pretty and I liked to simply watch them as they illuminated the night.40

“Come on, Joey. You’re trailing behind!” Mike called.41

I realized that I had stopped in the center of the yard and they were waiting at the now open gate. I trudged towards them and wished I could turn tail and run back home. Such an act would earn a beating with father’s belt later on, oddly enough; the idea of that punishment scared me more that what waited ahead of me.42

Uncle Jeremy stood waiting and smiling sinisterly as I joined them. Mike passed through the open gate and stared down the dirt path that led into the unknown. I began to shiver as I followed him. My friend was smiling towards me but all I could focus on was the faint smell of something dead and decaying. It wafted fleetingly on the growing breeze and a small voice in the back of my mind brought back the idea of running. 43

In the distance I could hear the rumblings of thunder and I knew that the storm was growing close. The sound of a metallic clang made me jump and I turned to see Uncle Jeremy locking the pad lock around the gate. When his task was finished he stepped between us and pulled us into the same embrace he had earlier. His smell was not as foul as the one on the breeze but it was close.44

“It’s time to see your surprise, my nephew.” he said in a high pitched voice that told me how excited he was. 45

With each arm still around our shoulders he ushered us down the path. The wet dirt made soft moist sounds under my sneakers and the sound seemed to grow louder as we descended further into the forest. My eyes darted around us as I took in how confining and alive this place felt. The towering trees reached their knotted, curling branches into the sky, blocking out any remnants of light that there might have been. Strange shrubs squatted low against the fallen leaves and moss covered roots on the forest floor. I searched my Cub Scouts training to try and identify these plants but nothing would surface. 46

The further we proceeded into the belly of the woods, the darker and more evil the place began to feel. I found myself clutching Uncle Jeremy’s belt loop in search of comfort but the shrill laughter that came from him only made me feel colder. I looked to Mike and saw for the first time a look of unease on his face. The path wound further and further and soon large drops of rain began to fall through the forest canopy and onto our heads. The smell of wet earth and foliage permeated around us and almost immediately the stench of that rotting dead thing hit us like a slap.47

A curve in the path led us around a large mass of shrubs before we came to the mouth of a wide looming rock formation. Large gray slabs formed an almost teepee like structure with a circular stone opening in the center. The stench was coming from that opening and I looked to my uncle with startled eyes.48

His gaze met mine and his pupils had widened to the point that they almost blocked out the green of his irises. Yellow stained teeth bit down on the tip of his tongue so hard that a small line of blood filled the crevices of his cracked, grinning lips. I felt a tremor run through my legs as he locked me in his insane stare. It was at that moment that I feared that my uncle could actually kill me. I forgot all of the horrifying creatures in his decrepit books and saw the monster that hid inside of him.49

“Um, we’re not going in there? Are we?” Mike asked. 50

Uncle Jeremy looked to my friend and I saw a flash of fear in his features. I could feel a wave of nausea swirling in my stomach and I was glad that I did not eat the sandwich earlier.51

“Of course we are! That’s where your surprise is!” Uncle Jeremy said. 52

He pushed us toward the stone opening and I now saw the tip of a wooden ladder that led the way down into the unknown darkness. Uncle Jeremy began humming a low tune and I realized with sudden horror that he intended to make us go down into that foul smelling abyss. Mike was whimpering, all eagerness in ghost hunting gone, and amongst the smell of rain and unknown decay the acrid smell of urine joined the mix. 53

I looked to my best friend and saw the paleness of his face. Fear had never been a part of him but now it had consumed every inch of his features. Even in the darkness of the forming night I could see his tears as they streaked down his freckled cheeks. 54

When we reached the lip of the stone circle, Uncle Jeremy pushed Mike harshly toward the ladder. The boy whimpered in protest but he grabbed his arm and squeezed with enough strength to make Mike cry out.55

“I thought you liked adventure, boy! Now your gonna go down that ladder or I’m gonna throw your freckled ass down there!” he said. Uncle Jeremy’s voice had heightened to a raspy squawk that made my ears hurt to listen.56

Mike nodded solemnly and climbed onto the ladder. He looked at me with his innocent blue eyes and in that brief stare I could see that our friendship had ended. He would always blame me for bringing him into this mess, no matter what waited for us. 57

“Get going!” Uncle Jeremy commanded.58

When Mike was far enough down the ladder, I was motioned to follow. With weak limbs I swung my leg over the opening and put my foot on the ladder. Uncle Jeremy grabbed me by the back of the neck with hot, clammy hands and he pressed his face so close to mine that all I could see was his insane eyes. 59

“I’ve always told you about the monsters of humanity. I’ve shown you pictures and prepared you for this. Yet, during all my stories I could see doubt in your damned eyes! Of all the people in the world I thought that my own nephew would believe me. Now you will or you’ll fucking pay!” he said before shoving me so hard that the ladder wobbled. From below me I heard Mike cry out in fright.60

I descended slowly into the darkness and soon I could see nothing but the shadowed form of my uncle blocking out the entrance. The smell was overpowering now and I could also find traces of rotting meat and stale water within that odor. The sound of thunder erupted above us and a flash of lightning momentarily lit the darkness. I took that instant to look down and I thought I could see a floor covered with moss before the blackness took hold once again. 61

As I climbed blindly down the ladder my brain began to spew forth the memories of my nightmares. Soon the shadows around me seemed to close in and I imagined those evil creatures were there. My mind made me believe that those arcane monsters were waiting beneath the ladder, watching me with their sunken, hollow eyes while blistered tongues tasted the air for my skin. The stench of death that emanated within this strange place added to my illusions and I could see them feasting on the rotting carcass of some poor soul. Perhaps an infant deer or, worse yet, a young child that someone had thrown to them.62

Without knowing, I had begun to scramble down the ladder and, in my haste, had stepped on Mike’s hand. He let out a scream of pain and I imagined it was the scream of a dying victim. Fear raced up my spine like a jolt of electricity and I lost my footing. The weight of my body came crashing down on my friend and we fell to the hard earth below. I landed on Mike in such a way that I could feel the hard bone of his shoulder in my ribcage. 63

We both let out wails of pain. I rolled off the boy and held the back of my head with both hands. During the fall I had smacked into his face so hard that there had been a loud crack. The sound seemed to echo within the dark dungeon and my stomach revolted. I could hold it down no longer and began to heave bile and generic cola onto the moss covered floor. The hot liquid burned my esophagus and nasal passage as the force of my vomiting caused it to spew from my nose. I began coughing as I did this and soon began to choke on my own bodily fluids. 64

My eyes stared wildly through the darkness and I could see the shadows moving. In my minds eye I could see all the monsters of history that my uncle had shown me. Not only the half-men that favored my dreams but the strange worm like animals that had crawled from the bellies of swamps. These creatures, as the books had shown me, were translucent in color so you could see every vile organ that pulsed within them as smooth, slimy fingers carried them across the ground. The most horrible were the faces with their many colorless eyes and strange shark like mouths that were surrounded by mandibles. 65

In my insane imaginings I did not notice that Uncle Jeremy had lifted me up and had begun pounding on my back to help clear my airway. 66

I was too busy staring at the alien looking fish that swam through the darkness. Their reflective eyes watched me as I heaved in gulps of stale air. They grinned at me with their needle like teeth and the gills shuddered with excitement on their shiny, ebony bodies while the venomous dorsal fin stood proud and erect, waiting to spear me through the gullet.67

“Ha! You see them don’t you! Snap out of it, boy!” Uncle Jeremy yelled. 68

I blinked my eyes and soon the darkness was still. I could feel the vomit on my hands and face as reality slowly set back in. I wiped my nose with the back of my wrist and took in slow, shuddering breaths. Tears were streaming down my face and short whimpers could be heard from my mouth.69

“Stop your crying you little pussy!” Uncle Jeremy said. 70

His voice was filled with amused disgust at my reaction and I stifled my cries as best as I could. It was at that moment that I realized that my uncle was shining a bright light at me. I squinted with pain as the burning beam of a flashlight shone straight into my eyes. I covered my face with my hand and peered through the crack in my fingers for Mike. He stood just to the right of Uncle Jeremy, his face emotionless and frail with fear. We looked at each other for what felt like eternity and at that moment all I wanted to do was hug him.71

“Oh, come on you little fags! Quit ogling each other and let’s get on with the surprise!” my uncle said.72

He turned then and began to walk into the darkness. The shadows began to close in on us and we both followed after him. Any thoughts we had of escaping up the ladder were gone. We were nothing more than two frightened children following the adult. Our fear had become our trust in him and the cowardice of being alone overpowered our judgment. 73

We trailed after him, just behind the glow of light in his hands, and out of the view of his insane gaze I reached out and grabbed Mike’s hand. I thought he would tear it away but to my amazement he clutched it tightly. Our terror had blinded out any thoughts of the word my uncle had used earlier. We craved the feel of each other at that moment. For the warmth of another human in this dark and ominous place with its crawling chaos of monsters and evil hungers.74

The stench of the place was something I had never experienced before. It smelled of decay and poison. The air was so thick with the acrid smell that I could feel it on my flesh like a second skin. I imagined myself shedding it like a snake would, emerging with a fresh new layer that was shiny and pink. I shook the picture out of my head and focused on following the man in front of me. With all the things I feared I felt a new emotion boiling down in my belly. 75

Hatred.76

I hated the man I called Uncle Jeremy. I wanted him to be devoured by the very monsters that he loved. I could imagine his limbs being torn away by the translucent worms and alien fish while the half-humans tore his skin free of his face with their blackened mouths and arthritic fingers. He looked over his shoulder then and graced me with a maniacal grin that made my lower body tighten with shear terror. 77

It was as if he had seen my thoughts.78

***79

We traveled the black cave for what felt like hours until we stopped in a large opening. The light from the flashlight did little to illuminate the walls but from what I could see they were a brownish gray stone with sinister looking symbols carved into them. Black streaks stained a few of the symbols and after looking long enough I realized it was dried blood. Someone had carved into the stone long enough to make their fingers break and bleed.80

“Welcome to my chambers.” Uncle Jeremy said. 81

He bowed like some jester in a king’s court. I held back a laugh at that and felt Mike squeeze my hand a little tighter. I knew he was terrified and I was as well but the intensity of our situation had me seeing the humor in all of this. Perhaps I was more like my uncle than I imagined.82

“Is it not marvelous, Joey? It is my life’s work. For years I have toiled down here, carving the walls with the inscriptions from my books. Working my fingers to the bone to make every symbol flawless so as not to spoil their meanings. I have tried numerous times to summon the beasts of ages to our time, bringing sacrifices to lure them through the gates of darkness, but to no avail. They did not deem my gifts worthy.” he looked at us then. The wide clenched grin growing so large his lips cracked and bled.83

Mike began to tremble beside me and I looked at him. His red lips were turned down and long streams of snot were trailing over his mouth. The skins of his cheeks were bright from the tears and his eyes were swollen beyond belief. I glanced at his hand that I held in mine and saw the dried blood from where I had stepped on him. His middle and ring finger were a dark shade of purple and I knew they were broken. Soon I knew why he was crying. The realization dawned on me as my uncles words sunk into my mind. 84

Looking around the room I found the source of the stench. The bodies of dead animals littered the floor in almost every state of decay. A large buck lay against the wall to our left. The body had sunken flat and the bones were poking through the rotting patches of flesh. One antler had been cruelly torn from the animal’s skull leaving a large gaping hole. From that opening I could see the squirming figures of maggots feasting on what meat was left. Small flies swarmed over the carcass, crawling into the empty eye sockets and laying their eggs in any available creviced.85

From where I stood I could see other animals. The skeletons of squirrels, foxes, birds, and even a bear cub were amongst the dead. All consumed with those insects that feasted on death and decay. The smell of the place was so strong that I knew there were probably thousands of corpses within this cave. All proud creatures that had fallen to my uncles sinister beliefs. I knew from the way he watched us, sizing us up with his gaze, that we were next. He believed we would be the gifts that would bring forth his ominous and hideous gods.86

“No!” I screamed. 87

I wanted to turn and run but my legs were frozen in place. Mike had actually summoned the courage to run and his violent yank made me stumble back. We ran blindly in the dark the way we came all the while clenching each other’s hand. Unfortunately, we had no light and knowing nothing of this place ran into the hard surface of a wall. Crashing to the ground we wailed in pain and fear as we tried to scramble to our feet. 88

A bright light beamed down onto our faces and burned our eyes. Strong hands grabbed us by our hair and lifted us to a standing position. Large blue spots danced before my eyes and I could barely see Uncle Jeremy as he led us back to the room filled with dead animals. His teeth were gripping the handle of the flashlight so it faced his path. He shoved Mike to the ground at his feet and held him there by pressing him against the floor with his foot.89

I screamed and struggled in his grip but could not tear myself away. He held such a large fist full of my hair that I could not yank myself free. I punched at him with my fists and kicked his legs with my own but could not get loose. All I was doing was getting tired and soon I just hung there with my scalp burning and screaming in pain.90

“You might as well get comfy. We’re going to be hear awhile. In fact, you two will be here for the rest of your lives. For how ever short that is.” my uncle said. 91

When he was satisfied that I was too exhausted to run he threw me to the floor against the body of the buck. The impact of my fall had caused the flies to swarm the air in protest and the maggots crawled over my arms and hands with their sickening bodies but I was beyond feeling disgusted. I watched helplessly as Uncle Jeremy dragged my sobbing friend into the darkness. 92

Within moments I heard the sharp sound of a match being lit and then a torch was suddenly burning. I watched as my uncle lit three more torches and the firelight illuminated a long smooth stone table in the center of them. The stone had been stained black by the blood of animals and I feared that table. I feared it because it was a death bed. It was soon to be my death bed.93

Mike screamed as he was laid upon the sticky surface. I watched as the mad man ripped open the boy’s shirt and yanked down his jeans. My friend fought against my uncle but was subdued with a quick blow to his face. The force of the hit had put Mike into a daze but not completely unconscious. I tried to lift my limbs but I was so drained that I felt heavy and weak.94

With disbelief I watched as Uncle Jeremy produced a knife from his back pocket. A small pocket knife whose blade glimmered in the firelight. 95

“Now watch nephew, as I pull out your friend’s organs and fluids so as to entice the beasts of ages with his youth. Do not fret, you are next” he said. 96

His voice was so high and shrill that it no longer sounded like my uncle. He had transformed into one of the monsters from his books. He was nothing more than a hideous creature in human form. A grotesque entity with a mans body and a mind gone insane. I knew then that I could not let him do this. Whether he could summon monsters or not I would not let him kill the only friend I had, even if our friendship was over after today.97

My legs moved under me to try and stand but they were sluggish and lazy. My eyes watched in horror as my uncle began to push the blade into Mike’s belly. Screams of pain could be heard from him as his stomach was slowly opened. He tried to fight but he was still slow from the hit to the head. His struggles were deterring Uncle Jeremy from making real progress and in doing so he put all of his concentration into his work.98

I could feel my strength returning and as I staggered to my feet I found a long bone in front of me. It had been broken in half, leaving a jagged edge that had gone yellow from age. I moved quietly and deliberately towards the two, making my way behind Uncle Jeremy. He was so enraptured with his work that he never saw me coming.99

When I was close enough behind him I lifted the bone high above my head, broken edge facing him, and plunged it deep into his back. He let out a scream of pain and fell to his knees, allowing Mike to roll from the stone table into a heap on the ground.100

I wiggled the bone to pull it free and as Jeremy turned around to face me I forced it into his shoulder at the bend of his neck. He yowled and cried in agony as I pushed it as far as I could into the soft flesh. When he fell to his back in pain I ran to Mike who was holding his stomach with both arms.101

“Mike! Come on, we have to go!” I screamed. 102

He looked at me with a lost look in his eyes and I knew he was going into shock. I had to get him out of there before my uncle was able to get us. So I pulled Mike to his feet and began to yank him out of the cave. In a act of luck I managed to see the flashlight on the ground and quickly snatched it. With the light to aid us we were able to find our way back rather quickly. When we finally found the ladder that led to our escape we both let out a sigh of relief.103

The moment was short lived when from behind us we heard the angry screams of Uncle Jeremy. I shoved Mike to the ladder and with one hand clutching his wounded belly he began to climb the ladder. I was right behind him screaming at him to hurry. When we were close to the lip of the opening the ladder staggered beneath us. I looked down into the darkness and saw Jeremy crazily climbing towards us. His eyes were wide with rage and his yellowed teeth had bitten through his lips. The bone was still protruding from his shoulder and blood was streaming down his white shirt.104

“Go! Go! Go!” I screamed.105

Mike flew over the stone entrance and I followed. When I was over the lip I grabbed the ladder and violently shook it. Uncle Jeremy was screaming obscenities to us and I was sure he would appear over the edge and drag us back into his chamber to our deaths. Out of nowhere Mike appeared with a melon sized rock in his hands. I watched in disbelief as he lifted it over his head. My eyes caught the wound in his abdomen and I wanted to scream when, beneath the blood and torn skin, I saw the tiniest glimpse of smooth purple intestine. 106

With an animalistic scream he let the rock fall upon our chaser. The sickening crack of stone against skull filled the air and then the crashing of a falling body. We both peered over the edge and found my uncle lying dead, or unconscious, on the earth below. I quickly pulled up the ladder and manage to free it from the entrance so not to allow Uncle Jeremy an escape if he had lived.107

The storm raged above us and we both began running and screaming up the path towards the cabin. Somehow we managed to climb the gate and burst through the back door. We fell to the floor and I gripped the dirty throw rug on the kitchen floor. My eyes were wide open for fear that if I closed them I would see the creatures from my nightmares, or worse yet my uncle. 108

The screams of my friend made me shudder as I remembered the color of his intestine that was held in place by the thinnest layer of tissue. I wanted to call an ambulance but I could not move. My legs were dead beneath me and I was screaming so much that I was growing dizzy. As my vision began to go black the only thing I could hear was my heart pounding in my ears and the feeling of hot excrement seeping down my legs.109

***110

My parents had found us later that evening. How much later I did not know. I had passed out from shock in my own waste. Mike had managed to hold a kitchen towel to his stomach long enough for the ambulance to retrieve him. The surgeons said that he was lucky in the fact that the knife had not opened him enough to allow his organs to fall completely free. 111

I remember my mother’s face when I had awoken in the hospital three days later. Her normally beautiful face was lined with worry and my father was pale and sickly looking. Mike had managed to tell the police what had happened and I confirmed it with my version. The sheriff informed my parents later that they pulled the body of Uncle Jeremy from the cave and had indeed found the open room with dead animals and carved walls.112

Even after everything I was made to attend the funeral of my uncle. My parents said it was the ‘Christen’ thing to do despite what he had done. My mother said that he was a lost soul that deserved our sympathy and prayer. That in itself had made me ill. After the funeral I attempted to talk to Mike but he refused my company. He blamed me for his near disemboweling and I could not blame him.113

I was plagued with dreams worse than before. I dreamt not only of monsters but of Uncle Jeremy.114

Even after growing up and graduating high school I am still plagued by these nightmares and each is the same. 115

I am standing within my uncles chamber with its symbol adorned walls and mass of carcasses. Grotesque half-human creatures feast upon fresh corpses, often children and elderly men, while sleek squirming entities crawl over the walls leaving behind an oozing trail of slime. Large insects with skeletal faces and long spindly legs pick at the bones upon the floor. The translucent worms swarm the stone table, consuming the skin of a screaming victim. Amongst the chaos of these alien wonders stands Uncle Jeremy. His face twisted in that grin that would send fear deep into my stomach and make bile climb my throat. The bone in his neck is still lodged deep and the skin around it has festered into a oozing infection.116

He walks towards where I stand with his insane eyes laughing at me while a rotting hand reaches out to me. He licks his lips with a dry and crusted tongue and says to me in voice so alive that I believe he truly is:117

“I told you didn’t I , Joey! The monsters of humanity do exist! You delivered me to them when you killed me! Now I serve them through the disguise of death. I bring them offerings far greater than the mere creatures of your light filled world. With each consumption of human flesh they grow stronger and more eager to join the world of man.”118

"I thank you for delivering me to them. Now I shall deliver them to you!"