I never really liked being in crowds and when I got sick and could not get out, I felt safe at home. In the end I ended up living with relatives, so I could get to the doctors and stores for food… it was the only way I could. As time went by I grew to like the outside less and less and found any excuse I could to stay in. It was a point of frustration for my family but they did what they could to help me out, to get me out. In the end even they failed me and I ended up in my own place again in a government low-budget housing complex, and that’s when it started.

“Aunt May, I don’t want to go to the family reunion. Everyone there is hateful and they look at me like I am a freak, most of them think I am faking being sick anyway. Why would I want to spend a weekend down there with them? I am perfectly comfortable here in my home.”

“If you don’t get out, you’re going to start losing touch with the world, you have to come Brian, Please do it for me?”

“Ok, I will do it for you, but you owe me big time.”

Hanging up the phone I turn my stereo back up and sit and enjoy the music I once danced to all night long. “Down in Hell” by Alien Vampires- I could feel myself wanting to dance but I just didn’t have the energy. So instead I moved over to the living room and opened my windows to watch the children outside playing, but instead of the road, and front yard and the buildings across the street I saw a wasteland. The skies were on fire and black, everywhere I looked out the window was a Hell of fire and ruin.
I slammed the window curtains shut and fell back and onto the floor, a scream almost escaped my lips… sweat was pouring from my brow; I was trembling from head to toe and could not move. Terror was building in me, and then, then I heard the voices from outside, calling my name, tortured voices in agony, voices screaming with Hell in them, suffering, begging me to come to them, that I was one of them.
The screaming in my head seemed to last forever. My eyes were closed and I could feel the heat from the fires all around me. Then I could hear the sound of something trying to claw its way into the house. The door was banging loudly and a sick wet sound was sliding on the window pane. I heard the glass give way and that same sick sound entered the room.
I could feel Cold coming from it like I have never felt before. A deep rasping of labored breath, or was it of someone breathing that had no lungs? It slowly came closer, and closer as the wailing of the tormented got closer, louder. Now they were chanting, “we will consume what God has given us to eat”, I was grabbed and shaken; someone was screaming my name…
Silence…






I was still being shaken and my name was being called.
“Brian, Brian… are you ok? Come on man show me you’re ok!”
It was my neighbor. He had come in and was shaking me. I opened my eyes and everything was ok. Slowly I stopped trembling, the sweat kept pouring out of me, and I knew my eyes look wild, frightened.
“Yea… I’m ok… what happened?” I ask him.
“You were at the window and I went to wave and you fell backwards and started to scream. I came in and you were on the floor convulsing. I thought you were having a seizure or something, I don’t know. You scared the Hell out of me”

And with the word “Hell,” I could hear an echo of wherever I had glimpsed… The fear begins to grip me again and he, Robert, slaps me on the face and it passes.

“What is wrong? Do you need to go to the hospital? Are you ok?” Roberts’s voice was full of concern, pleading with me to be ok.

“I’m… I’m ok. Did you see it, the fire; could you hear the voices screaming?”
“No. Man, are you sure you’re ok? All your color’s gone, and you’re so cold and drenched. If you won’t go to the hospital at least let me call your aunt, she can come over and watch over you and make sure you’re not coming down with something.”

I look at him not sure really if he is real, if anything, is after what just happened and I just nod ok. He helps me up and sets me down in my chair. He moves over to the stereo and turns it down. “Killing Fields” by Funker Vogt is on now. I try to focus on the music, I try to block out the memory of what just happened.

I look over to where Robert is and he is on the phone.

“No ma’am, he says he is ok, but he looks bad, well worse than normal… No, not that I know of… Today was the first I had seen him in weeks. Ok, I’ll let him know you’re on your way… You too, have a good day.”

“Is she coming?” I ask him

“Yeah, she should be here in about an hour. She really wants you to go to the hospital…”

“NO! I CANT GO OUT! THEY’LL GET ME!!!”

He looks at me, so much concern in his eyes, the wrinkles of his face distort and I can tell he is struggling with himself over what to do. He stands there looking at me for a while then runs his hand through what is left of his hair, and then rubs his chin.

“I know a person that can come over and have a look at you, she is a doctor, and makes house calls to people who … who are afraid to go outside. I can call her and she will come over. Is that ok?”

His concern is so tangible; I figure I am not getting out of this, so I agree. Then ask him to get my meds and something to drink. He does so without question, then picks up the phone again. A few moments later he comes over and sits in the chair across from me.

“I’m going to hang out here till she gets here. She thinks it would be better if you were not left alone right now.”

“Ok, what have you been up to?” I ask him trying to clear the memory and failing, “we haven’t talked in days. How’s your oldest doing in college?”

It went on like that for half an hour then there was a knock on my door. I almost jumped out of my chair. The fear began to build in me as he walked over and took the knob of the door in hand. I watch his fingers grip and tighten on the round brass knob. He looked over at me and smiled, his lips moved as if to say “its ok,” but I could not hear him. Slowly his arm flexed and the tendons in his forearm tightened as the hand began to turn the knob.
As the door was about to be opened, I could hear the sounds from before growing; screams, wailing, moans of suffering, begging, laughing, torturing. As the first crack in the door began to show as he pulled on it, I could see the air around the door distort with intense heat. The waves of it ripped into the room and set the curtains on fire, the table erupted into flame and my drink began to boil.
I tried to scream. But as soon as my mouth opened, my lungs were scorched and nothing came out…the door was fully opened now, and I could not move as the dark figure I had not seen from the first time stood there and pointed at me. Its arm came up slowly, the tattered remains of flesh and blackened cloth hanging around the wrist. As the finger, with great difficulty, unfolded from the fist it was part of, I could hear the bones cracking from the effort over the horror that raped my ears.
Filth and refuse fell from its eyes and mouth as it looked at me and began to speak my name.
“I claim you as my own, you have been sent to us by God to feed the damned that starve. You will suffer now as none have suffered in all…”
I am slapped over and over again. Robert, my aunt, and the doctor are holding me down and trying to get me under control. I can still see the thing, though it is transparent and fading. I can see it still moving towards me, a long sword in one hand now rising to strike me. The flesh of its hand and arm falling away as it does so.
“NO, NO, GET IT AWAY GET IT AWAY, CLOSE THE DOOR, GODS I BEG YOU CLOSE THE DOOR!!!!”

The doctor, seeing the door was still open, runs over and closed it. A strong wind had blown up and made closing it difficult. Thunder was rolling outside, and lightning was striking close by, each strike a death knell. They all looked up as the tornado horn began to sound.


“Does this place have a basement?” the doctor asked coming back over to where we all were.
“Yes,” said Robert as he quickly moved to help me up. “This way.”
My aunt and the doctor helped him carry me downstairs into the basement as the sound of the wind got stronger and stronger. It became almost deafening, but I could still hear the souls in Hell crying out for my flesh.

The power went out as we reached the smallest room in the basement and huddled together. For a moment my mind cleared and I was no longer afraid of the thing or the outside world, I was afraid I would die right here. We could hear from the apartment next to mine the children screaming to their father to make it stop. There was horrible sound of wood splintering, and metal tearing, and the screaming stopped, or was sucked away into the storm.

And as quickly as it started the sound of the storm passed and grew quiet save for the thunder and the sound of rain. The doctor turned to me and listened to my heart and then looked at my aunt saying.
“His heart is arresting, we have to get him to a hospital now!”
They agreed and picked me up, I was carried up the stairs and my living room was a mess but mostly intact. The doctor went to the front door as I was carried up to it and opened it. At once the heat and smoke and wrenched stench of burned flesh hit my nose. I open my eyes and the world is a savage horror of fire and destruction, people were screaming or wailing for help from all over.
As I was brought to the door, the sky went black and exploded into flames. The shambling dead of Hell lunged forward and I was ripped from the arms of my aunt and Robert. I scream and try to resist but I can’t, I am paralyzed and can’t move.
I was dropped to the ground and close my eyes fighting the nightmare telling myself it isn’t real, “it isn’t real!!” And the world was right again, save for the sound of all the wounded from the tornado.
I looked around and the doctor was still leaning over me, her hands on my chest as if she had just done CPR on me. I try to speak and she tells me to just hold on. I get her to lean down so I can tell her where my Will is, and she looks at me. Her eye’s they aren’t right. She smiles and her teeth are points and dripping with venom, as she hisses at me, “"You're going to be fine, it will all be over in a minute." Then opens her mouth and leans in to….

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