The Sandlot Origins

Scotty Smalls strolled up the driveway to his new home with a spring in his step throwing a baseball, high into the air and catching it with ease in his new AllStar catcher's mitt. He had just come from playing a game of baseball with his new mates at the sandlot. Each time the ball thumped into the mitt Scotty's grin would widen with satisfaction, his birthday wish had come true. Leaping over all three steps up to the porch he paused before entering the house under the glow of the ornate Sconces on each side of the door. With one hand holding onto one of the sconces long decorative rods for balance he proceeded to take off his shoes and socks. Scotty paused Midway through untying his shoelace as the wail of sirens in the distance broke his concentration, Sirens in his family's new town was very rare. He continued to take off his shoes and sock and then gathered them in his arms he opened the front door to head straight to the laundry. Scotty pushed heavily on the door and was immediately received with a loud dull thunk as the door collided with something solid and was followed by the gentle tinkling of broken glass falling on the entry way floor. The sound and collision of the door reverberating back into his shoulder made him jump with fright and drop the contents in his arms. "What was that?" he muttered to himself as he gathered himself and more gently this time pushed the door until it was braced against what was blocking his entry. The door opened partially allowing Scotty just enough room to fit his head in to look and he peered cautiously around to see what the blockage was. The families large wooden buffet and hutch was the offending culprit blocking his pathway, it was on an angle so the top or the hutch was resting on the doorframe and the glass doors had swung upon emitting the contents of his mother's precious fine china to lay shattered on the floor. Scotty's mouth hung open in bewilderment and he stepped sideways through the door thankful for his small frame. Surveying the disaster that was the entry and front living room, Scotty's bewilderment and confusion turned to fear, he hurried through the living room climbing over the overturned lounge and coffee table and stepping over the toppled lamps he thought only of finding his mother and she was more than likely going to be in the kitchen. His feet slapped on the cool tiles as he walked into the kitchen and took in the room at one panicked glance. He froze, there was nothing amiss in the kitchen and the adjacent dining room looked untouched by whatever had gone on. Scotty's fear made him twist his fingers together in a tight knot and jumbled thoughts bounced through his mind. Had they been burgled or attacked? he just wanted to find his mum.

Scotty next thought was to check upstairs to see if his mother was in her room when he heard a strange sound. He cocked his head to one side and listened and realised that was coming from behind the kitchen bench. To see over the counter, he took three slow steps towards it, gently placed his hands on the bench lifted himself on his toes and looked down to see the most horrific sight. His mother was bent over a dead body her long hair covering her face, the blood had pooled and oozed all around his mother, she must have been in that position for a while as the blood was being absorbed by her dress and was causing it to stick to her legs, one of which was at a grotesque angle protruding from behind her, the bone sticking out from below the knee. Her skin was mottled with red patches and the veins were bulging and black, like lightning all over her skin. Scotty could not comprehend what was happening, the drumming of his own heart was so loud, he was about to ask his mother what happened when he heard the wet slapping sound, it was coming from his mother as she slowly plunged both of her hands into the body grabbing anything she could grasp in the slick mess as she feverishly brought the entrails to her mouth attempting to stuff them in an already overfull mouth, her bulging cheeks causing the wet slapping sound. Scotty stared in abhorrent horror as his mother tried to fill her mouth again and again the bile rising in his throat with an involuntary retch escaping his lips. His mothers head snapped up and he was looking directly into eyes with no coloured iris or pupil, all white almost translucent. The blood-stained lips and chin quivered, and his mother's mouth fell open and emptied the contents back over the body and she began to groan and reach for him in a needy manner. Without touching any part of the floor with her hands she stood straight up even with the broken leg. Hands still outstretched she ambled unsteadily towards Scotty, her head was at an odd angle and she was continuously biting the air between growls evident that she wanted to take a bite from Scotty. Scotty backed away towards the lounge room still in disbelief at what he was seeing. "Mum?" Scotty breathed but all the response given was moaning and she continued to bite the air as she lumbered toward him. The back of his knees hit the overturned coffee table and it jolted him to his senses and he turned and ran for the front door. Squeezing sideways through the door and closing it behind him. He turned sharp left, brushing past the rocking chair to look through the lounge window to see his mother trying to follow his path but the overturned coffee table was proving an effective barrier.

A hand grasped Scotty's shoulder hard, the fingers digging into his skin and he whirled around and ducked and was able to dodge the teeth trying to bite his face. It was his friend Squints or he had been. He had the same dead white eyes and horrible skin as his mother. Scotty pushed squints as hard as he could and was able to throw him off a little. As squints regained his balance he came for him again, Scotty looked around wildly for something to protect him, the only thing was the rocking chair he picked it up and realising how heavy and that he couldn't throw it, he proceeded to ram squints into the wall keeping the chair between them. Squints reached for Scotty trying to grasp his shirt. Scotty tried to push Squints to one side so he could make an escape from the porch but the strength of Squints unbalanced him and they both stumbled right causing one of the sconces to break away from the wall, it clattered to the ground just as Scotty lost his footing and fell back, chair and squints on top of him. Scotty wheezed under the weight but was unable to push squints off or wriggle out from under the weight of the chair. Squints was slowly edging up and the gnashing of his teeth was mere millimetre from his side turned head and that's when he saw the sconce. He reached for the sconce clasping his hand around the decorative hanging pole brought it close to his face and plunged the pole straight into squints eye and into his head. The eyeball burst spouting blood all over Scotty face stinging his eyes, he blinked rapidly trying to see if it had stopped Squints from getting to him, but he was having trouble focusing not just from the blood in his eyes but the burning sensation in the back of his skull and was spreading slowly down his body towards his fingers and toes. The pain was so intense he tried to scream but all that came from his lips was a moan. The pain stopped instantly, and he rose with ease. He needed to eat, he was hungry, so very hungry.

"By Kelli Bourke
"Written For COMS1001 Engaging Media