The Closet

"The Closet"
By W. P. Gerace

The fierce crackle of thunder roared across the stormy sky outside, flashes of silver lightning lighting up twelve-year-old Bobby Parker's room as if one million cameras went off at once. Sitting up, not usually scared by these storms. After all, it was monsoon season, as his Grandma would say in her wobbly tone. Signs of several bad strokes, his father said, and this time of year, storms could happen anytime. Looking out his dark window, he could see the lightning streaking across the sky, lighting up the Western Mountains of Phoenix. A steady howling wind spiraled down from the skies, shaking his windows almost as if an invisible creature was trying to enter his bedroom. Was something terrible or worse, deadly out there trying to come in? Was it some super evil creature that lived on the flesh of little boys who thought they knew it all and then left them for dead?

Shaking violently back and forth, pelting rain and the roaring winds seemed too much for the bedroom windows to handle. Bobby saw glass streams flying everywhere, cutting him in a million places. It was almost like one of those scary movies he and his brother Matty watched every Friday. Bobby sure missed Matty, but his brother was nearly a hundred miles away in college up North. How he wished he had his brother, who was such a pain at times with his burping and other gross things that his brother did, Matty always made sure he was safe.

Just as he predicted, his windows flew open. The towering oak tree that stood guard outside their home on 10th Street for years crawled in. Its long spiraling branches leaped into his room, searching for something to latch onto. Pulling his dark covers over his head, he hoped the creature or whatever was taking control of the tree would not see him. Breathing hard, he could feel his Asthma start, often brought on when he got excited or scared. Wheezing, he felt as though he was breathing through a pin. Afraid, he hoped the thing did not see or hear him. Slowly the tangling branches went through his room, brushing his wooden floors.

Springing up from the floor underneath the pile of branches stood some being. Bobby could see its fire-red eyes glowing in the darkness clear through his covers. It had no hair or face, just those shiny red eyes. Its mouth opened underneath its eyes, revealing these sharp, red-stained teeth. He could hear its jaws clicking away like some metal thing was moving them. The thing's teeth began to push out, taking over its face. Each end of the teeth had these tiny needle-like daggers aimed straight at Bobby. The creature sensed Bobby and knew he was there. It would only be seconds before it penetrated his innocent boy skin.

Bobby could hear his heart racing in his chest as this creature dragged its lifeless body along the floor. Its scale-like feet scratched the surface, reminding him of that eerie feeling when someone strikes their fingers across a chalkboard. He remembered when Ms. Thompson, his wrinkled white-haired third-grade teacher did that to get the class to quiet down. He could still see her long pink nails pulling across the black surface of the chalkboard. Every hair on his skin stood up. This creature swaying across the carpetless floor made the same sound. Although this was not some mean lady who hated kids, this evil creature ate kids with razor-like teeth instead.

Chattering his teeth, he knew it could hear him. Yet it just kept swaying along the floor away from him. Its dark body wiggled back and forth as something above his ceiling controlled it with an invisible wire. In the back of its head, these red holes gave you a clear view into the insides. A thick red gooey liquid spewed about the inside of its head, allowing enough of it to spill onto the floor. On contact, his brown floor began to disintegrate, opening big holes that gave a clear view of the family living room. Grandma Betty was rocking back and forth in her rocking chair, her silver hair neatly tucked into a bun held by a black clip. Reading a black book with a leather cover holding it with her shaking hands, he was surprised she could not see or hear what was going on. But then again, Dad said Grandma Betty could barely hear or knew what day of the week it was. She would not be helpful to him if he were in any danger.

Swinging its head back and turning as if nothing held it on its shoulders, the creature smiled. Bobby could see its wide red lips showing more of those sharp teeth. How could he be the only one seeing this, he thought as he shook violently underneath his bed. If only he could distract the creature by throwing something and getting out of the door, he could get his dad to kill the thing. Not thinking a moment more, the being swirled back and leaped into his bedroom closet, quickly closing the door with grisly hands.

Suddenly the noisy summer storm stopped as quickly as it started. The trees stopped spinning around the windows quickly snapped shot as the locks slid across on their own. It was in here now, and it knew what it wanted. Bobby knew the creature would wait till the right moment.

"Bobby, what are you doing underneath those covers, kiddo?" His father came in still in his blue police uniform, his gun neatly tucked in his holster.

"Dad, there is a monster in that closet. It is going to eat me. It would be best if you killed it. "Bobby screamed, jumping out of the bed and clinging to his father's towering muscular body.

"OH, come on, Bobby. You are going to be thirteen in a few months. Young man, don't you think you are too old to believe such silly things? "His father smiled.

"Dad, you don't understand. There is a mean creature inside my closet. Use your gun and kill it. It's going to eat me and probably everyone else here! Pleassseeee!!! "Bobby yelled, his heart hammering away in his chest. He knew the creature could sense and hear him. It fed on his fear. He knew it.

Shaking his head, his father smiled some more, probably not believing this tale his nearly teenage son told him, but Bobby knew if anyone could kill the creature, his father could. Walking over to the closet door and opening the gold knob, Bobby could feel the sweat gliding down his arms and face as his father slowly opened the door. With the slight sound of the door's unoiled hinges squeaking in the eerie silence, he knew something would jump up and eat everyone. Grabbing one of his favorite superheroes Drak The Monster Slayer, with his steel blue uniform and steel tip sword in his hand off his bureau, clutching the action figures plastic shape in his shaking hands, he sure wished his hero would come to life and save them all.

"Oh, my god!! Oh, noooo!! No, no, no!! Please leave me alone, evil creature! Creature of death, go away!! You are hurting me!! "His father motioned back and forth, his arm slipping deeper in the closet as the evil creature seemed to grab more of him inside, wanting to chomp on flesh and devour him.

Bobby pushed Drak in front of the closet, telling the beast to be gone or Drak would devour him and send him back to Hell, where he belonged. Crying, Bobby did not know what he would do with just him and Grandma here—praying for his mom, who was in Heaven, to come and save them all. He was not ready to die, yet he sure wasn't.

"Doofus! What a doofus you are! Ha, me and Dad had this all planned, you dork! "Jumping out of the closet behind his father was Matty, all six-four two hundred pounds of him. His fire-red hair and deep blue eyes stared him right in the face.

"Matty! Dad! Really but I know we had a bad storm, and I saw something creep in that closet! I am not lying! "Bobby determined to prove there was a beast that lay beyond the inner confines of his closet, pitched his point as best as he could.

"Son, there is nothing in this closet but your clothes and some toys we need to throw out as you have grown out of them. You want to come and see it. I am not lying here to you." There was nothing but some shoes and piles of old toys from when he was six lying on the bare wooden floor.

Standing beside each other laughing, Matty and his dad looked at him as if he did not know what he was talking about. Bobby could not believe he was acting this way. Maybe they were right. Perhaps there was nothing in this old closet but some clothes and toys. Slowly calming down, he walked back to his bed, embarrassed he had caused such a problem. Luckily Grandma didn't realize what was happening in her world. It was just another day in the Heinz household, and the year was 1963 when things were good. The laughter suddenly stopped. That eerie quiet overcame his bedroom again. Turning around, Grandma Betty was standing behind Matty and Dad. She was not the innocent little old lady rocking in her chair that didn't know today or yesterday. No, this Grandma had a mean look in her dark eyes. Her hands had long nails like claws wrapped around Matty's and Dad's necks. Pushing her claws into their throats, a steady stream of blood spurted everywhere. They screamed, spraying his face and clothes with their blood, begging her to stop. He could hear this gargling noise come from deep within their throats. Their eyes, now solid white, popped out onto the floor. Grandma Betty's silver hair had a pair of bloody horns protruding from the surface.

"You dumb fools! I was the monster in the closet! I was a monster until I got sick with my stroke. It is the first full-blood moon of monsoon! Go ahead, look outside, fool! On the first blood moon of the monsoon, the Demon Gods chose one of their own to cure, and I was determined to be selected, and now I am back bitches!! "Bobby looked out the window and saw a vast red moon overlooking the clear sky, its fiery surface overlooking the valley, basting the dark mountain tips with its red glows.

Bobby started wondering if the sweet woman he had known since he was a kid with her shiny blue-green eyes and then fluffy blonde hair and smooth fair skin that he lovingly knew and called Grandma Betty was someone or something else. The same Grandma Betty that bought him these fancy presents wrapped in bright-colored wrapping paper. Her gifts were more than just dull things too. They were always something that made him think. From Chinese Checkers to Puzzles, things only she knew he liked. He never told anyone about his fascination with monsters and demons. Still, Grandma Betty always seemed to know which ones to buy him. Now he knew why she was part of this world and probably even had powers to read his mind.

"Now, child, you understand you will be my newest addition to my clan. Join me and live forever. These two were weak morons. I see much potential in you. "Grandma Betty spoke, returning to her former self sitting in her rocking chair.

"I don't want to do this, Grandma. I want to be a kid, a regular kid. "Bobby said, surprised he was brave enough to speak up to her now.

"Well, no one asked for your choice. I am the adult here, and you shall do what I say. "Opening her lips, a black murky cloud spewed from her and found its home on Bobby's body.

A burning sensation took over his entire insides. It was as if something inside was cleansing out the good in him. Slowly these invisible tentacles, he could feel their slithering presence take over inside of him, even sending secret thoughts to him. You will join us, Bobby. You are no longer a regular kid. You are now a demon. Accept your new life.

Bobby could see his previous life disappear before him as if it were a movie on Rewind. Everything was going in reverse, each part erasing a piece of him. He wanted to cling to his life, and what he had was no match for these new powers. As each scene played before him, more of his memory seemed to go with it. Finally, on the day of his birth, he watched as his newborn body go back inside his mom's tummy, his father's smiling face now gone. There was nothing but darkness left.