The holidays are finally over. I’ve neglected my blogs, and for that I apologize. So to make up for it, here is a little new content to throw your way. This is just the intro to a new Body Horror short story that I hope to have completed and submitted to an anthology by the end of the year.
ENJOY!
THE FIRST DISCIPLES
“Hey there, little man. Time to wake up.” The words were tinged with an English accent.
Matt Clark woke to the unfamiliar voice, startled and immediately alert. Thad Jamieson, a tall man with auburn hair and light green eyes, sat at the foot of his bed. A broad smile crossed his face.
“Uh, hi!” he replied shyly.
The room about them was large, larger than any that Matt had ever been given. This was the first castle he’d ever seen or stayed in. There were two towering windows on the north and east walls. A small clothes cabinet stood in one corner with a hanging ceiling lamp. The dark stone floor had three red and white throw rugs. A pair of nightstands bracketed the sides of his full-size bed. He was impressed and a bit daunted by the accommodations.
Unusually intuitive for a twelve-year-old, Matt was not often caught off-guard and without a proper response in mind. However, today was his first morning in Switzerland, and it was the first day with his new adoptive parents.
“Amanda is downstairs, brewing up a storm of eggs and pancakes in the kitchen. Are you hungry?” asked Thad.
“Yes, sir.”
Thad chuckled. “No need for the ‘sir’ here. You weren’t drafted into our military. How was your sleep? That was some bluster of a dreich last night, no?”
Matt nodded, yawned, and stretched. “Do you mean that thunderstorm?”
“Yes. It was a terrible welcome to our castle. Want to check out the basement with me before breakfast? The real estate agent did warn us about flooding from Lake Thun. I had a sump pump added last month, but haven’t had a chance to test it.”
The boy reluctantly smiled, charmed by Thad’s infectious good mood. “I have to use the bathroom first, then dress. Can I meet you in ten minutes… in the hall?”
Thad nodded back. “Sure thing.”
Fifteen minutes later, the pair crept slowly down a set of stone steps. The stairs were narrow and steep. Some of the stone was slick with moisture and slimy with small patches of gray-green mold.
Matt followed a short distance behind his new father. He carried two thick towels in his arms. There was a distinct sound of lapping waves echoing.
“That’s not a good sign. I had hoped the pump would automatically start.”
They came to where the final few steps were submerged in churning, muddy water. The basement chamber was massive, lit with caged, dirty light bulbs, and a set of three short, ground-level windows. The tops of racks, tool workbenches, and storage shelves could be seen above the surface. Random items like fishing baskets, plastic bins, and old wooden brooms floated everywhere.
“Wow!” the boy exclaimed as he ogled the high water.
“That’s easily seven feet. I didn’t think it would be this bad,” Thad sighed with frustration. “The water must have flooded in from underneath, through old sewage tunnels beneath the castle.”
He glanced over his shoulder and eyed the pair of towels. “You up for a swim, Matt?”
“I don’t like to be over my head.”
With an exaggerated smirk, Thad gave away that he was joking with him. “That’s smart. Sound thinking. Well, no worries.”
He stopped and pointed to a white extension cord hanging off a nail high on a concrete support pillar. “That’s supposed to be plugged in. Must’ve forgotten. I’m going to swim over to it and connect it to the other cord.”
Moments later, a small burst of bubbles in the center of the basement announced the pump’s ignition.
“How long will it take?” Matt wondered aloud, still in awe of the water.
The man shrugged as he used a towel to dry his face. “It’s likely to take a couple of days. In the meantime, after breakfast, would you like to go on the sailboat? I can teach you how to fish. I bet you didn’t have any city folk in Buffalo, New York, show you that.”
Thad was rewarded with a truly happy expression for the first time. “Yes! Please! Is it –“
The walls shuddered, followed by a huge, muffled thud. The flood waters of the basement frothed. The dark waves rushed back and forth, broke upon the walls, and washed over their feet. A distant feminine shriek was barely audible.
It was over as fast as it came.
“Was that an earthquake?” Matt shouted. His hands clutched onto a wood railing that bordered the steps.
“No. We don’t get those often in Switzerland,” Thad replied, shaking his head. “I think something, perhaps a wall, gave way in the water.” They stood motionless, held their breaths, waiting to hear or feel anything else.
The first-floor door squealed above. “Thad? Matt? Are you guys okay? What was that?” Amanda’s stressed voice echoed in the stone stairwell.
Halfway back down the steps, Thad replied, “I think something gave way due to the flood water and the sudden work by the sump pump. It seems over with now. Are you all right, sweetheart?”
“Yes. Is Matt with you?”
“I’m here, ma’am,” Matt called out.
“All right,” her words faltered in confusion. “Well, I have to go back to my skillet, but let me know what happened.” The door shut to the stairs again.
As the pump continued to lower the water level, Matt could see a thin wall, perhaps four inches thick, near the back had given way. Now it was a ragged, semi-circle of mortar and brick. Thad swam carefully over to it and started to examine the damage.
“Wow! Would you take a look at this?” he muttered under his breath as he peered beyond the wall
“Is there a lot of damage? Does it look like more will fall?”
He didn’t answer. For a minute, Matt wondered if the man had heard him. “Should I come —”
Thad spun around and hastily treaded his way back to the steps. His face was flushed, the skin pale. “No! Stay back. We’ll wait for the water to be completely pumped out.”
The water continued to churn, and the hum of the pump filled the interior of the basement. A gurgling rush of flowing water echoed beneath the sound of the machine.
“What’s back there?”
“Huh. The water is going down fast! I got a nice-sized pump, but it can’t work that fast!” he pointed out, ignoring the boy’s question. “It shouldn’t be cleared until tomorrow afternoon.”
Matt nodded, “But it looks like it’s going to be done after breakfast.”
“Right. That fallen-down section must’ve blocked the source of the flood water coming in from the sewer tunnels.” He put a towel on his head to catch the excess water. “Let’s go. I’ll get a fast shower, then we can sit down and eat. Maybe we’ll come back in an hour or two.”
****
The basement air was gamey, reeking of fishy slime and earthy mud. The water had reduced to a little over a foot. Thad and Amanda were inspecting the broken back wall. Matt maintained his vigil on the steps.
“It’s amazing,” Amanda said softly.
Thad shook his head in agreement.
Matt strained to see; he was hesitant to approach closer. The room’s poor lighting kept most of the area in shadow. He shrugged and gave in to his curiosity. Neither of the adults noticed or protested his presence when he came up behind them.
Thad was pointing at something in the inky shadows. Standing only three feet beyond the broken wall was a towering square bas-relief carved from smooth, black rock. It stretched four feet wide by seven feet, floor to ceiling. Thick, snake-like coils wrapped in and out of each other. Mysterious symbols were inscribed in random, small squares. An eerie electric feeling pulsed from it. The hair on Matt’s arms stood, and he noticed strands of his adopted mother’s hair standing out from her head to rise and fall in the air. She didn’t seem aware of it.
Amanda whispered, “This is so exquisite, Thad! It’s gotta be an ancient art piece or something.”
“Look at these minute scales. The time to etch all of them would have taken many years.” He replied and then ran his palm lovingly along one of the coils. There was a sudden flash as a pulse of transparent energy passed over him. It reminded him of the waves of heat radiating off the streets of New York.
Matt froze in shock, but neither Thad nor Amanda made any mention of the odd occurrence. They continued their intense inspection of the wall sculpture. Then it happened again when Amanda slid her hand over another of the coils. The obscure energy flowed through both of the adults.
“Oh, wow! It’s really smooth to the touch, too,” she stated with excitement.
“Are you guys all right?” Matt asked as he stepped closer.
Thad spun around and snatched the boy’s wrist. “Good! You’re here. You have to feel this!” His words were high-pitched and tinged with an almost frenzied energy.
Matt twisted his arm trying to extract himself, “NO! I DON’T WANT—”
“Excuse me? After what we’ve done for you already, you are going to throw a tantrum and give me disrespect?” Thad bellowed in the tight confines of the basement corner.
The words were harsh and bitter. Their ferocity caught the boy off guard, and all he could do was stare in shock.
Thad slapped Matt’s open palm against the bas-relief. The cool stone pressed against his skin. However, he didn’t feel any flash of energy.
Amanda backed her husband. “In this house – castle – we will do as instructed without hesitation or attitude. Do you understand, Matthew Adam Clark?”
He nodded nervously.
“Good. Go up to your room, get dressed for the lake. I want you to wait for me to come get you. Be quick now!” His tone had not changed. There was no emotion or humor, only an edginess to it.
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