Chapter Three: The Maelstrom
Matthew sat quietly in the dining room, playing with plastic building materials on the hardwood table. Several times, his sister, Sara, scurried through the kitchen, chasing Seth. He barely was mindful of Erik's disheveling of his hair.
Piece by piece, he snapped together a large airplane and rolled it across the table slowly. He smiled for the first time in a week. His smile was short lived, however, as he felt another presence in the room.
A shiver went down his spine as though there were eyes on watching him. Matt turned slowly and met eyes with something beyond accursed, defiled, and demonic. Its horrid radiant green eyes glowed brightly, a beacon of evil light. Matt inhaled sharply, a gasp, and his nostrils were immediately attacked by the fetid stench that the like of which was only smelled in an underground tomb.
He fell backwards, the oak chair clattering luridly to the hardwood floor. His head hit the floor with a thud and his vision blackened around the edges, the center of his line of sight blurring slightly. He sat up to see what looked like a mummy, wrapped scrappily in decaying gauze. Its green- tinted flesh smelled of a thousand years of undeath. The unblinking eyes stared dreadfully into Matt's, making him suddenly believe again in his older brother's stories.
Matt was speechless, so close to what he believed to be the manifestation of Death itself. He was petrified where he lay, unable to shake the shock of thudding to the floor.
The zombie clambered closer to Matt, then stopped, its eyes turning to the airplane that the child had just built. It picked the airplane up, looking at it, almost fascinated with the plastic shape.
Matt found his voice finally and screamed at the top of his lungs. Within three seconds, he heard the heavy thuds of Erik and James running from upstairs, both running down the stairs. The zombie-like being skulked closer to Matt, and in anger, flung the airplane across the room, shattering its body into simple shapeless building block clusters. Another five feet and it would be close enough to tear the young child limb from limb.
Erik and James arrived in the left and right doorways into the kitchen and dining room, respectively. Neither of them was prepared for the sight to see. The zombie stepped closer, dragging behind itself, its right foot. It kept shuffling toward Matt, as though he were its sole target.
Matt scrambled backwards, hiding between the stove and hutch, glanced over to the backdoor as it opened not two feet behind the undead being. Fred stood there, wide-eyed. He nearly dropped the ax in his hand, but then raised it again and swung hard. The dulled blade pierced through the rotted flesh, shattering bones. Everything from the waist up dropped to the floor.
Matt was hysterical, watching the legs take a last step before they crumpled to the floor. All was silent for a moment, save for Matthew's quiet sobbing, before the zombie's arm moved again, dragging the torso across the floor, approaching Matt. The thing grabbed the child's leg and James was the first to take action. He stepped around the table between the zombie and his son and pressed the heel of his shoe to the thing's neck.
"Die. Again," he said as he stepped down and put all of his weight on his right foot. He heard bones crack sickeningly under his heel and he shuddered disgustedly.
Matt began to cry loudly then, covering his eyes with his hands. Erik slumped against the doorframe, staring uselessly at the chaotic scene. Death had nearly come to another of the household and there was little he could have done about it.
James was leaned over his youngest son. "Fred. Remove that.that thing from my kitchen. Burn it, slash it, I don't care what you do, just get rid of it."
"Yes, sir," Fred whispered as he inhaled a deep breath of fresh air from the door. He held it and picked up the corpse's shambled remains. After a few minutes, the smell of fire invaded their nostrils. Fred returned, his sleeve drawn down to his palm and placed over his nose. "Disgusting being, that," he said as he walked slowly out of the kitchen, looking incredibly tired.
Alex had entered the room just as Fred left, fixing her belt. Caitlyn, Seth, and Sara had also assembled at the doors, mere onlookers on the scene.
Matthew sat quietly in the dining room, playing with plastic building materials on the hardwood table. Several times, his sister, Sara, scurried through the kitchen, chasing Seth. He barely was mindful of Erik's disheveling of his hair.
Piece by piece, he snapped together a large airplane and rolled it across the table slowly. He smiled for the first time in a week. His smile was short lived, however, as he felt another presence in the room.
A shiver went down his spine as though there were eyes on watching him. Matt turned slowly and met eyes with something beyond accursed, defiled, and demonic. Its horrid radiant green eyes glowed brightly, a beacon of evil light. Matt inhaled sharply, a gasp, and his nostrils were immediately attacked by the fetid stench that the like of which was only smelled in an underground tomb.
He fell backwards, the oak chair clattering luridly to the hardwood floor. His head hit the floor with a thud and his vision blackened around the edges, the center of his line of sight blurring slightly. He sat up to see what looked like a mummy, wrapped scrappily in decaying gauze. Its green- tinted flesh smelled of a thousand years of undeath. The unblinking eyes stared dreadfully into Matt's, making him suddenly believe again in his older brother's stories.
Matt was speechless, so close to what he believed to be the manifestation of Death itself. He was petrified where he lay, unable to shake the shock of thudding to the floor.
The zombie clambered closer to Matt, then stopped, its eyes turning to the airplane that the child had just built. It picked the airplane up, looking at it, almost fascinated with the plastic shape.
Matt found his voice finally and screamed at the top of his lungs. Within three seconds, he heard the heavy thuds of Erik and James running from upstairs, both running down the stairs. The zombie-like being skulked closer to Matt, and in anger, flung the airplane across the room, shattering its body into simple shapeless building block clusters. Another five feet and it would be close enough to tear the young child limb from limb.
Erik and James arrived in the left and right doorways into the kitchen and dining room, respectively. Neither of them was prepared for the sight to see. The zombie stepped closer, dragging behind itself, its right foot. It kept shuffling toward Matt, as though he were its sole target.
Matt scrambled backwards, hiding between the stove and hutch, glanced over to the backdoor as it opened not two feet behind the undead being. Fred stood there, wide-eyed. He nearly dropped the ax in his hand, but then raised it again and swung hard. The dulled blade pierced through the rotted flesh, shattering bones. Everything from the waist up dropped to the floor.
Matt was hysterical, watching the legs take a last step before they crumpled to the floor. All was silent for a moment, save for Matthew's quiet sobbing, before the zombie's arm moved again, dragging the torso across the floor, approaching Matt. The thing grabbed the child's leg and James was the first to take action. He stepped around the table between the zombie and his son and pressed the heel of his shoe to the thing's neck.
"Die. Again," he said as he stepped down and put all of his weight on his right foot. He heard bones crack sickeningly under his heel and he shuddered disgustedly.
Matt began to cry loudly then, covering his eyes with his hands. Erik slumped against the doorframe, staring uselessly at the chaotic scene. Death had nearly come to another of the household and there was little he could have done about it.
James was leaned over his youngest son. "Fred. Remove that.that thing from my kitchen. Burn it, slash it, I don't care what you do, just get rid of it."
"Yes, sir," Fred whispered as he inhaled a deep breath of fresh air from the door. He held it and picked up the corpse's shambled remains. After a few minutes, the smell of fire invaded their nostrils. Fred returned, his sleeve drawn down to his palm and placed over his nose. "Disgusting being, that," he said as he walked slowly out of the kitchen, looking incredibly tired.
Alex had entered the room just as Fred left, fixing her belt. Caitlyn, Seth, and Sara had also assembled at the doors, mere onlookers on the scene.