Nine Inch Nails

Word count: 1, 379

Nine Inch Nails

Pulling into the drive way a small, elderly woman approaches the parked car with a smile on her face. The approaching couple has no idea what they are walking into. With the windows rolled down, the radio is blasting a popular Nin Inch Nails song at full volume screaming, "I want to fuck you like an animal..." This is the first impression of strangers coming to haul away her washer and dryer. The unsuspecting couple have no idea they have arrived with the elderly woman's theme song. This is the beginning of their nightmare.

Chase turns the music down, pushes his sunglasses up on top of his blond head, and turns towards the lady and says, "Hello. Mrs Marble?"

Leaning on the open window of the car, the smirk turned into a smile which lit up her face. Looking at the couple in the car, she sees the perfect six foot blond hair blue-green eyes of the Leonardo Dicaparo wanna be. She was distracted for a split second, thinking about the events to come. Mrs Marble answers with a thin arm pointing towards fire-red headed beauty, "Yes. You must be Mr Chase Bond. This beautiful creature sitting beside you must be Mrs Bond. I am glad you are here, please come in."

Mrs Marble walks back to the front door with Chase and Cindy following behind her. As they walk through the door everything about the house is very neat and organized. Not a thing is out of place. Cindy looks at Chase, as Mrs Marble leads them through the house and says under her breathe, "This place feels like a museum."

Chase looks back at Cindy and replies, "Behave yourself. We are only here for the washer and dryer." They both laugh at each other.

Mrs Marble says, "Please come in. I do remember being in love as you two are at your age. The washer and dryer are downstairs. Now it may be a little difficult to get them up the stairs, they are an old model. I have been here at least fifty years. Thank you so much for also agreeing to take the firewood I have cluttering the place up."

Chase responds with his hand held out for a hand shake, "My name is Chad and this is my wife Cindy. I am sure we can figure out a way to get them out of here. We are quite resourceful at times. The fire wood you just mentioned, Mrs Marble I need to clarify something. That is not what I said."

Mrs Marble puts her hand out to accept the hand shake and says, "Ok dearie. I just thought you would like to help an old lady out is all," Mrs Marble says with a disappointed look she leads Chase and Cindy to the basement. Following her to the top of the stairs, Cindy thought she heard a noise. Looking around her surroundings, she realized that there was nothing there it could have been. Mrs Marble made it to the bottom of the stairs without hearing the noise, or she just wanted us to believe. Chase and Cindy were about half way down the stairs. Grabbing Chase's right arm, she whispers in his ear, "Did you hear that?"

Chase stops and puts a stray strand of hair behind her ear and says, "Hear what?"

Looking frantic at Chad, she says, "That creepy noise. It sounded like scratching in the walls."

Chase looks Cindy in the eye and touches the side of her face. He says, "Babe, I didn't hear a thing. It was probably the wind."

"OK. I hope you are right."

Chase and Cindy continue down the stairs and they hear, "The dryer is here in front of the stairs and the washer machine is here right beside it."

"Excellent. Mrs Marble. Cindy, come and help me here." He looks up and notices Cindy standing at the bottom of the stairs with a look fear on her face, "Cindy...are you ok?"

The scene in the basement is quite creepy. There are random pieces of wooden boards with nails sticking out at least nine inches or more leaning against the back wall. More random nails sticking out of the walls at least nine inches or more too. Cindy looks frozen like a statue in place at the bottom of the stairs. She looks at Chase and says in an unsure voice, "Ahh, yeah. Coming." There it is, more distinct this time. The scratching down the walls. Cindy asks, "Mrs Marble, what is that noise?"

"That is probably Fluffy my cat. She loves scratching all my stuff. I should go check on her I will be right back."

Cindy and Chase wait until Mrs Marble leaves the basement. Cindy turns to Chase, "This is the weirdest place you have ever taken me too. What do you think those sticks of wood with the nails sticking out of them are used for?"

Chase walks over to one of them and as he picks it up says, "I have no idea. This is definitely creepy."

The scratching started again. Cindy walked over to the wall where she thought the noise was coming from and checked the walls. Looking at the wooden walls she came across a hole. She turned to Chase and said, "Chase, come check this out?" Cindy put her eye up to the peep hole and looked in. The eyeball staring back at her caused her to feel her fear to the max. She froze in terror and was just able to mouth Chases's name without a sound.

"Babe, what is it?"

Chase walks over to the wall where the hole is. He puts his eye up to the hole to look inside. Something grabbed him and smashed him against the wall. All Cindy saw was the blood pouring from Chase. She ran over to him attempting to pull him away from the wall and was unsuccessful. Covered in Chase's blood she let out a scream. "Mrs Marble! Help us!"

Coming back down the stairs dragging a piece of wood with nails randomly sticking out of it, Mrs Marble calls out as she descends the stairs, "You have found Brutus. It is a shame that it has come to this. No one is going to help you, dearie. I want to show you something." Mrs Marble walks toward Cindy with the piece of wood raised in the air over her head.

Cindy backs up pleading, "Please Mrs Marble. Do not do this." When she hits the wall with her back, Mrs Marble swings the piece of wood attaching Cindy to the wall by her shirt. Realizing what is happening Cindy panics with fear and wild eyes, she screams, "Why are you doing this?"

In a practical voice Mrs Marble responds, "My Brutus has to eat. He loves young girls like you Cindy."

Mrs Marble walks over to where the eye hole is in the wall and pushes a hidden button to reveal a door. The being walking out of the wall did not look human. He had an enlarged head with the left eye twice the size of the right eye. Each hand was missing two fingers each. He walked with a hunch back limp towards Cindy. Frantically, she tried to pull her shirt free and she was having a hard time. Cindy says to herself, "Damn fashion and this layering shit. If I was wearing one shirt I would be free by now."

Approaching his prey, Brutus licked Cindy's face and down her body. When he was satisfied that this is his meal for the night, he leaped. His teeth sank into her neck, ripping her flesh in chunks so he could chew each piece. Once he tried a variety of areas on her body, he went for his favourite spot. Slashing her chest open he felt around until he found her heart. Holding it up in his hands in a joyous achievement he squeezed the blood into his mouth which is his daily ritual. Excitedly, he put the whole delicate organ in his mouth and chewed to his delight.

Mrs Marble says to Brutus, " I am glad you are enjoying my gift, Brutus. I will leave you to your meal."