The Teeth

I see a man yelling at what appears to be a young male, a teenager perhaps, but the man treats the teen like a servant…

I am able to make out some of what he is yelling. “You have defied me for the last time Vilhelm! Remember this for ze rest of your life…” The man’s voice drops down to an un-audible level from where I am. His voice restores to its previous level, “now, get off of your knees and follow me.”

The teenager, named William, gets up and follows his ‘master,’ and they disappear around the northwest corner of the house.

I stay where I am, fearing the worst.

I still see the corner of the house. I see it in its white glory. I see the light blue trim for the house. The temperature remains at a sweltering heat level.

A few minutes later the older man comes back around the corner. He seems to glare in my direction…I stay as still as possible so I can try to remain out of his line of sight.

The man smiles…his teeth…covered in a red liquid…blood perhaps, God I hope not.

His glare intensifies as he yells, “Boy, vhat did you see?” I look around, afraid, hoping, praying he’s not talking to me.

“I know you just hear me, boy! Stand up! And move your scrawny ass over here!” I do as I am told. “Vhat did you see?” He grabs me by the arm, viciously, causing severe pain.

“Master, all I sawl was you yelling at William and then he got up and followed you around the corner.”

“Davide, vhat makes you think that I believe you? You vant to see vhat I did, you vant to be vhere Vilhelm is? Tell me, do you vant to be vhere your miserable brother is?”

My brother. My poor defenseless brother. How could I have forgotten?

“Davide, do you vant to join Vilhelm in his current position?” The man asked me in a calm manner with the red liquid slowly dripping off of his teeth…my greatest fear…has been confirmed.

“I don’t think I do, sire. Please don’t take me there. I’ll do as you ask, just please don’t do to me what you did to William.”

“Davide, just come with me.” His smile gets wider. The red liquid dripping ever so slowly.

“Please, no sire. I desire not to join William. He may be my brother, but I do not want to join him.”

“Davide, just live your life.”

He motions me to walk away. I do as I am gestured.

I walk toward the corner where my brother disappeared, just for a look… just for one last goodbye.

I see a door to a beige shed with dark blue trim. I see a small pool of a crimson red liquid forming on the ground in front of the shed.

I try to force myself to run. I try to force myself to close my eyes. I try to force myself…to believe that my greatest fear is not on the other side.

I walk closer to the door. Just one step at a time.

I can remember my brother and I working alongside each other. I can remember his voice when we were singing while we were working.

I remember seeing him with the girl of his dreams. I remember seeing how they looked into each others’ eyes. I remember how he had loved life, even though we never got a pay wage or time off. I remember how he made life enjoyable…for the both of us

…Is he really gone?...Could he still be around?...Does he still have a physical body?...Does he have anything left?...

I look the door over some more. I try imagining what exactly is behind the door. I don’t know what to think. I don’t know what to do.

Why does life present complications?

…If I open the door,…will I face what I fear?...If I open the door,…will I accomplish anything?...

What will become of me if I open the door?

Is the door my greatest fear? Or is my fear actually behind the door?

I think I should open it. If anything just to try and save my brother.

I walk closer and closer and closer…seeing the door get larger as I approach.

The door…a sight I will never forget. Beige, with chipping paint. Blue trim, so faded it seems as if it is white. I see scratch marks on the door. Four of them in a row. Something with major claws.

I remember the look on the man’s face. That smile, the red liquid. The horrible sight. The look that he just did something worthwhile…according to his mind.

What do I do?

I step closer. Ever so closer. I’m one and a half feet away from the door. I kneel down. I run a finger through the liquid. I bring it close to my nose. It smells sweet. What is red and smells sweet in my time? The only thing I can think of…is one of my fears…BLOOD…

I put my middle finger into the pool of red liquid. The texture is that of blood...I hear a growl behind the door.

I stand up quickly. I run away.

What was that?...Do I dare remain n-near the door?...Do I dare run and the thing behind the door sense my running?

I run further. I see the door shaking.

Do I continue?...Do I slow to a brisk pace?...Do I dare return?...

I turn and slowly walk closer. I notice the door still shaking, like someone…something is growling against the door.

I press my hand to it. I feel it. It’s not like a growl at all, but a steady vibration?

Am I still in my time? Or am I in a different time?

I feel the lock. It is secure. I tug at it. It won’t budge.

The door bulges out. It seems as if something is trying to come after me.

I turn and run away. I stop. I turn back and look. Something tells me to go back.

It’s still bulging. A steadier stream of red liquid comes spewing out. The man comes back around. He glares at me with his red liquid covered teeth…he continues glaring at me…seeing my fear in full force.

He slowly walks to the door. He slowly unlocks it. He slowly walks in while looking back at me. Once he’s in, the door slams shut, by itself, and it locks.

I hear screams…of pain…or of pleasure? I hear something crunching…like bone…

I stand there looking. The red stream and pool grow increasingly larger.

I don’t know what to do.

Is my fear still present? Is my life still here? Am I still in my time?

I walk back up to the door. Standing in the pool of the liquid, I reach for the door. Something, I don’t know what, but something…something grabs my arm.

I scream in pain. I try to pull away. It pulls me ever so closer. I can feel a form of mouth. I can feel it tearing and even burning my flesh. I can feel it searing the innards of my arm. I can feel everything being jerked off of my arm. I feel… something like…rotating teeth?

After a few minutes of struggling, somehow I am able to pull free. I fall to the ground. I get back up. I turn and run.

My fear has intensified. Why should I be afraid?

Look at my arm and you tell me why I should not be afraid.

I mean the rotting flesh. The innards of my arm falling to the ground and into the door. The blood oozing down my arm, onto the ground, into the pool of the red liquid.

I run to the nearest medical tent.

I get inside. Everyone has rotating teeth inside of an extra wide mouth. What is going on in this time?

I turn back out and run. I can feel myself getting weak. I can feel my legs getting wobbly and getting ready to make me collapse.

I fall to the ground. I look around and there is nothing in sight. I see only dirt roads and dying grass.

Could this be the reason for the draught? Could this be the reason for the missing people in the village?

I continue running away from the man’s village. I can see I am getting closer into a different Towne Center. I get to the center fifteen-foot fountain and collapse, having water splashed and misted onto me. I see people running to me. Are they going to help me? Or eat me?…

“Mr…what happened to your arm?”

“I…I…I don’t know. Rotating teeth.”

I get put on some form of flat plank. I am taken into a medical location. I slowly start to fade.

Everything goes black. I don’t know what’s going on.

I can see my life flashing in front of my eyes. Am I dying? Or am I dead?

I wake shortly thereafter.

I see the medical team. They all look to me.

One of them asks, “So, young one, what did that damage to your arm?”

“I don’t know what to call them. They were humanoids of some form with rotating teeth and expanding jaws for those teeth. I…I don’t remember much else.”

“Well, it sounds as if we need a government investigation…again…”

“You seem….wait…what do you mean again??”

“Well, you see, we have to call them at least once a week for assistance for the police department.”

“Well, hurry up and call them…please!?”

About three hours later, the government officials arrive. I can’t distinguish what unit there from. They talk to me…they tell me that they went in the direction that I came into town from and found things that could not be fixed without an atom bomb or another massive form of bomb.

The things from the man’s property are spotted coming into the town from someone else...thankfully…I think… I get up even though I am weak. I peak my head out of the door. I look in the direction in which I came.

Is this a disease? Is this a condition of some sort?

I don’t know.

I hear air planes over-head. I then hear something like whistling.

I hear a steady rush of explosions. Everything goes silent.

The next thing I know, everything’s gone. Where am I? In the middle of darkness… This is eerie. Silence…I hate it…I think everyone is dead.

I don’t know if I am dead, I don’t know if I am alive. I don’t know what to do…or think…

I will write more once I know more.

For now, this is…

The End.