IT LURKS

It Lurks

by Victor L. Rolling JR.

"Help Me, Help Me, Help Me, Help Me!" screams a male voice pressed up against a glass-faced mahogany door. As he cries, he looks back, terrified, waking Michael and Julia, the residents of the home from their deep sleep.

"What in the, go see what's happening Mike," Julia says as she pulls the heavy blanket around her neck, with her back placed upon the headboard.

The beautiful modern Victorian home sits slightly off a beaten path, covered partially by fair oaks. Amongst the silence is the pounding at the door.

"Why can't I just call the police?" replies Michael getting out of bed, placing his pajama pants on as the beating continues.

"Please help me," sobs the male as he sees a light turn on inside the house.

"It's a guy, he sounds like he needs help," replies Michael looking at Julia.

"Don't you let him in the house," Julia replies, picking up her phone, placing it to her ear.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT?" screams Michael from the hallway.

"Please help me, it's going to get me," replies the male slightly whispering into the door.

Michael walks closer to the door; he can see the middle-aged man's eyes. They are brown and bright, he can make out a considerable bleeding scar over his eye. Michael unlocks the door.

"Michael, I told you not to open that door," screams Julia from the stairwell.

Michael doesn't listen, as he cracks the door and lets the man into the house. He hits the floor like a sack of potatoes. Julia runs back into the room and locks the door.

"Damn it, man, what got ahold of your face?"

"Please don't look at me. It looked like a wolf, but it also looked like a man. I don't know what it was. I just know I was walking home from work, and I heard something lurking in the bushes. At first, I thought it was a hungry cat, but then I was its eyes. It darted at me and clawed my face, missed me, and in an attempt to catch me, scratched a hole into the back of my shirt. All I want to do it go..." he stops midsentence as a giant shadow darts past the front door. "Go get your wife, we should all be together."

A series of thuds climb up the side of the house. Michael and the new stranger look at the wall as if whatever is making the noise is going to come bursting through it.

Julia sits in the glass shower with the phone clung to her chest. Suddenly a blanketing shadow fills the bathroom, and the enormous green-eyed creature comes crashing into the shower, causing glass shards to spray the floor like raindrops. A sheet of glass falls upon Julia's body silencing her screams.

"JULIA!" Michael screams, running up the stairs. Michael bursts into the room and notices the enormous wolf-like beast dripping in Julia's blood. He stands there momentarily as it drags her body still trembling as if jolts of life struggle to find a resting place. Michael turns, attempting to flee, but the beast leaps, grabbing him by the neck, as they fall over the stairwell snapping Michael's neck. His body hits the floor like a bag of sand, as the beast lands cat-like on its feet.

The beast stares at the strange man standing before it breathing heavily. The stranger walks over to the creature with a straight face and smacks it on the nose.

"The next time you scratch me on the face like this, I am going to kill you myself," he says, pointing at the large, slowly healing scar above his eye.

The beast morphs into a man and stands face to face with the stranger, "I told you I was sorry." He then kisses the stranger on the lips.

"Let's finish dinner and head home," says the stranger as his eyes turn a bright green.