Okay, Mom.
“Put the pills in your mouth.”
I follow her orders.
My father praises me, assuring me that this will all end once I swallow the pills. The floor doesn’t have worms anymore—it’s black now. Something like tar flows from the fireplace, filling the room.
Will I drown?
“No, my love. It’s a hallucination. Just focus on my voice, and do as I say.”
Okay.
“Bring the glass to your mouth.”
I do.
“On 3, smash it on the ground and stab your father’s eye.”
Oh boy.
“1, 2, 3!”
The glass his the ground, the tar scattering like it’s alive, and I stab Father.
He cries out, falling backward and thrashing about, his hand covering the mess I made of his eyeball.
“Felix, spit them out and run!”
I do, but that other monster has come back! He blocks the front door.
“Go out the back! Into the woods, Felix. NOW!”
I run to the back door, but the monster is right behind me. The other one stumbles about the living room, his deep voice saying the most vile, disgusting things to me.
My hand connects to the knob, but the screeching monster grabs me.
“Felix, the pan on the counter! Hit him with it.”
The counter’s to my left. I have the pan. The sound it makes against his head makes me wince.
“RUN FELIX!”
My feet cross the threshold, and the trees scream at me. Hundreds of piercing, blood-curdling screams stop me in my tracks. They bow, lowering themselves to snatch me up and devour me.
“RUN FELIX.”
The monster inside bellows, then appears in the doorway, blood oozing from his eye.
I turn on my heels and run through the forest that threatens to eat me alive.
“Keep going! Don’t stop, Felix! RUN!”
I will. I will.
Chapter 40
Torren
