11 comments/ 51795 views/ 4 favorites It Happened in the Night Ch. 01-02 By: loganforester This is an entry in the Halloween story contest. Thanks to Mistresslynn for her editing and help throughout writing this story. This story is the first two chapters of a very long tale that will encompass many different categories on lit. Not all chapters will contain sex. CHAPTER 1: TIES THAT BIND It happened in the night. At least it was nighttime in the small southern Ontario town where Brian Johnson lived. For others it happened in an instant, exposed to the stark light of day. Darkness hid how suddenly things changed. The story began the day before. Brian's alarm clock issued a loud wailing sound, much like a siren's call. His wife by instinct alone reached over and turned it off before rolling over and returning to sleep. He tried to look through sleep-blurred eyes, but could not focus. The room seemed vaguely familiar with its freshly painted walls. They had chosen a deep eggplant shade in sharp contrast to the hospital white that had previously adorned them. As his vision cleared, he could begin to see his wife's naked form lying beneath the warm covers of their bed. Her long brown tresses flowed over her shoulders like a waterfall. It was funny how even after ten years together looking at her semi-naked body could still make his body respond. The familiar feeling of blood rushing from his brain towards his cock made him very aware of her proximity. He rubbed the last of the sleep from his eyes as he slid over next to her. His boxers were the only encumbrance preventing his growing erection from pressing directly against her bare ass. Fingers encircled her waist and sought out her breasts. He could hear her ragged breathing as his body pressed against her. Nipples hardened as his hands gripped them. "Good morning sexy," he whispered in her ear. A feeling of heat radiated over her neck causing goose bumps to break out all over her body. She could feel a tingling sensation all the way down to her toes, causing her to curl them involuntarily. "Morning hon," she replied finally waking up just a bit. Karen couldn't help but stretch, warming up her napping muscles. The bit of movement only served to fuel his excitement. She reached back and felt his erection through his boxers. It felt good in her hand and she knew he loved it. Turning, she leaned over and gave him a tender kiss on the mouth. He returned her kiss with tongue probing passion. "You know I'm not into morning sex. Besides, you wouldn't want to be late for your first day back at work," she said grinning as she rolled onto her back to face him. Karen knew how much he dreaded returning to work after their weeks' holidays. He always had to work extra long hours before and after any time off to make up for his absence. Such was the case for small business owners, but she still wasn't very happy about the extra time away from her and the kids. "Yeah, I'm real eager to get back to work," he remarked rolling his eyes. "I should get up and going anyway. You just stay in bed. Such a rough life you have." "I know. That's why I'm so tired all the time," she responded as she playfully smacked him on the ass. Brian walked out of the bedroom and past the kids' bedrooms, making sure to be quiet. He knew his wife would give him big trouble if he woke them up early. Into the kitchen he went, pouring himself a glass of grapefruit juice and a bowl of cereal. It was the same thing for breakfast every morning. Brian was a creature of habit. He liked to have everything organized, planned and hated surprises. Usually he would watch TV before work. He realized it would be the same morning news as usual. Issues south of the border would dominate the discussion. Between the housing crisis, war in Iraq, mounting debt and currency issues he was more than a little concerned about where the economy was going. Not to mention the election that seemed to drag on forever. His business was purely Canadian, but what happened in America had a way of spilling over into Canada as well. This was one of his biggest concerns. With that in mind, he walked over to the dining room window. They had only lived in their house for a little over a year but it already felt like it had been their home forever. The view from the dining room window offered a nice vista of the outdoor community pool next door. The sparkling blue water was a favorite attraction for him and the kids. Karen often referred to him as a big kid. Beyond the pool was the playground, walking trails through the forest and a small river with a waterfall from the local dam. "This is why I put up with this everyday," he muttered to himself. The entire family loved the house and his large salary was the only way to keep it. Even though his days ranged from dull, to exceedingly unpleasant, he felt it was his responsibility. They had long since decided that Karen would stay home with the two young children until they were both in school full time. So until then it was on him to pay the bills. Time was running short, so Brian needed to get moving. He finished his juice and cereal, shaved and dressed for work. To make his anxiety about returning to work even better today, he had his black dress shirt with the company logo on. It had been a gift from his father, his boss, at the company Christmas party the previous year. It really was a very nice shirt, but it just reinforced to Brian how stuck with the situation he was. As he slipped on his work shoes, he looked around the house one final time. His short-term memory was terrible. He was always forgetting things. You know they say the memory is the first thing to go as you get older he thought to himself. The previous day was his thirtieth birthday and it still bummed him out a little. On his way out of the house, he walked by stairs covered in pumpkins. Corn stalks hung from the posts that held up the porch roof. Karen loved to decorate for any occasion and fall was no exception. Inside it already resembled a Halloween haunted house and outside a typical autumn scene. He thought again about growing older as he drove to work. It wasn't so much his advancing age as it was the realization of time slipping away. Every year time seemed to accelerate. Their were many goals that Brian still wanted to accomplish and with all his time and energy going to either work or his family, it didn't seem like he was making much progress. That thought echoed in his mind as he pulled into the empty driveway. Brian was glad to be there early. It would be another half hour before the rest of his staff arrived. The early morning was often the most productive time for him, before the chaos of the regular shift. Walking into the plant brought back all the familiar memories that he had allowed to fade into the background during his week away. His mind conjured up the sounds of saws, screw guns, dust collectors and edge-banders humming towards a common goal. Brian conducted his normal walk-through to check on the status of all his departments. They tended to slack off when he was gone, so he intended to see what the situation was before any of them arrived. He found exactly what he had expected. All of the areas were at least a day behind schedule. Shaking his head, he went to his office to see what messages he had to deal with. His head started to throb as he took one look at his desk and couldn't control his anger any longer. "For fuck sakes! I go away for a week and my desk is a complete disaster." His keyboard was barely detectable from underneath the gigantic stack of packing slips, invoices and messages. Binders of every color under the rainbow covered his desk. Not only was he swamped with work, but it was going to take an hour or two just to figure out where to start cleaning up this mess. The day was already taking a toll on his fragile psyche and it was still early. To make matters worse the light flashed on his phone showing he had a message. He picked it up, cradled it to his ear and waited to see who wasn't coming in today. That was normally the case when there was a message on the phone this early in the morning. "Hi Brian its Roger. My grandma passed away on the weekend and I'm not going to be in for a few days. I'll call you on Wednesday after the funeral to let you know. Talk to you later, bye." His mind began mentally rearranging the production schedule he kept in his brain at all times. It amazed him sometimes how he could compartmentalize and track those items so often and yet forget the smallest things. Karen always teased him about telling him to bring something home and ten minutes later, he would leave and completely forget about it. He would tell himself he had a great memory; it was just very short. "Well there goes my saw operator," he exclaimed shaking his head. The sound of workers coming in interrupted his train of thought. He slowly worked through clearing off his desk while he listened intently as all the rest of the staff filed in. Machines started up and noise filled the office before he got up and closed the door. Moments later he heard the door open again. "So how was your holiday?" Gary said, as he entered the room. "Oh hi Dad, it was fine. Nothing exciting," stated Brian, still miffed. "I see things went great while I was gone," sarcasm dripping from his voice. "What do you mean?" "Well, assembly is a day behind. I'm not sure what happened in finishing while I was gone plus we're an entire cut behind and now my saw operator is gone for the next three days!" "Roger's not coming in?" "Apparently his Grandma died and he's not coming in till Thursday. I have no idea how I'm supposed to get back on schedule." "Well, we have to do what we have to do. We can't be behind," he declared, as he closed the door and walked out. Brian could barely control his anger. "That was really fucking helpful. Thanks a lot. No wonder it gets like this every time I go away. It's like I have to do everything myself," he responded talking to himself, knowing nobody was around to hear him. Brian took a little time to get a hold of himself and went back to work. He talked to all his department heads and worked out a plan to put things back on track. They all really liked Brian and felt bad for him that the pressure seemed to land on his shoulders all the time. They decided to stay late every night this week and come in on Saturday if they had to. The business was headed into their busy time of year and they couldn't afford to get behind since they would never be able to recover if they did. By lunchtime, Brian had managed to get back in control of things and was feeling a little better about the situation. It was then that Lou stopped by his office on his way to the lunchroom. "Hey Brian. Did you want to see pictures of my trip?" "Oh yeah, I almost forgot you were away, too. Sure, I'd love to." Brian flipped through the pictures that Lou handed to him and tried to hide his jealousy. Lou had just gotten back from two weeks in the Mediterranean, a trip he would love to take and couldn't afford with only his income. "Yeah that's the one of me and the wife on Santorini. See the view of the bay and all the white houses. They say it's the best sunset in the world. Man it was crowded with people, but really awesome," Lou confirmed, going through the pictures as Brian flipped them. Brian really liked Lou. He was one of his best workers and really good at fabricating countertops. Lou was originally from Australia, so even after three years Brian could still catch his thick accent as he spoke. "Wow that does look nice." "This one is of the best just outside Athens. It was a scorcher that day mate. The water was so cold and clear though. Janice loved it. There she is lying on the beach." "It looks like you had great weather for it, too. So what was the best part?" "Probably the stop-over in Patmos. It's in Turkey. They have the most amazing ruins there. It was a great two weeks. We just got in last night, still a little jetlagged though." "Thanks for the pics. I'll talk to you later, you should get eating lunch," Brian responded. Nobody but Karen knew how much Brian wanted to travel and that they couldn't afford to. There was an entire drawer in his home office full of travel brochures that he read periodically. He even made a list of the top places he wanted to visit. Turkey was high on that list. Talking with Lou simply reinforced what he'd been feeling for months now leading up to his thirtieth birthday yesterday. It came and went with no fanfare except for his wife and kids. The goals that Brian had set for himself were slipping away. Time was moving so fast he couldn't keep up with it. Brian buried himself in his work for the rest of the day. His head cleared as he struggled to get back on track. Five o'clock came and went until he was again alone in the building. Six o'clock passed with him still slaving away at his desk, as he so often was. Brian heard the phone ring through his intense concentration. "Hello," he answered. "Are you coming home sometime tonight?" "What time is it hon?" "It's already after 6:30. We've eaten and the kids will be in bed in a couple hours, are you going to see them today at all?" "I'll be leaving soon. It's been a long damn day. Love you babe." "See you when you get here. Bye." He hung up the phone, looked over his desk, got up and left. There has to be more to life than this daily grind Brian thought to himself as he reached into his pocket, pulled out his keys and crossed the empty parking lot. The drive home proved to be uneventful. He pulled his car into the driveway and parked. Just then, a familiar sound greeted him. "Yeah, Daddy's home. Hi Dad." "Hey, Matt how you doing. How was kindergarten today?" "Good. Well ... you know what? We had a fireman come to the school today and we had to go outside." "Like a fire drill?" "Yeah a fire drill and he had his suit and hat on and we got to sit in his truck and ..." "Wow that's awesome bud," Brian responded smiling already. Coming home to the kids after a long day always lifted his spirits. "And he even let us turn on the siren. But it was really loud, it was ignoring me." "Ignoring you?" "Yeah," he said, shaking his head emphatically. "You mean annoying you." "Yeah annoying me, and then we had to go back inside. Oh Brandon's outside, can I go play with him?" "Sure bud, stay where we can see you." He opened the door and walked inside already feeling better about his day. The air had a faint aroma from the dinner he'd missed. "Hi Honey I'm home." "Daddy, are you?" uttered this little voice toddling around the corner from his bedroom. Brian knew his son was asking where he was. "Where's Josh?" "Here I am," was the response as he pointed to his little belly. Brian quickly scooped him in his arms and began to tickle his tummy. "Tickle, tickle, tickle," the voice responded. Brian's smile beamed from ear to ear. Each day his little boy became more and more like a big person. He learned another word or two every single day that Brian was away at work. "Simming, Simming." "Swimming? No swimming tonight little man." Brian looked out the window at the public pool and all the kids swimming. The sunlight glistened off the pristine waters only disturbed by the few people inside. "Bash, bash." "A bath? Yeah, we could do that. Josh want a bath?" "Ok baby," Josh replied with a grin firmly planted on his face. Brian carried his son down the hallway and noticed his wife walking out of their bedroom wearing her black pj outfit with pink trim. "Looking good hon. Ready for bed already?" he mentioned, giving her a wink. "Don't you wish? Keep it in your pants," she remarked, laughing as she stopped to give him a long slow kiss with a hint of open mouth. "Did you want me to bathe him, while you eat dinner?" "Bash, Bash" "You run the water, I'll bathe him. I haven't seen him all day." Brian took his son into the bedroom and got him ready for the bath. He shuddered every time he saw the large scar in the middle of his chest, even after almost three years. The thoughts of his son attached to all the tubes following his open-heart surgery still flashed in the back of his mind. Pushing those thoughts out of his head, he carried Josh into the bathroom and plunked him in the tub with a splash. Moments later Brian was wiping water from his eyes. Josh's feet and hands splashed a mile a minute under the shallow water. He had loved the water since his very first bath and this was no exception. Brian bathed his son the same as any other night since both of them enjoyed it very much. Josh prattled away as usual when his father took him into his bedroom and put his jammies on. The usual nighttime routine of turning on his fan, nightlight and music box was completed and Josh placed into his crib. "Night, night." "Night Josh. I love you." "Love you, Daddy." Brian closed his bedroom door and headed into the main living room in the basement of their house. It was really a walkout onto a deck, which overlooked the backyard. With ten-foot ceilings, this was hardly a typical basement. It had been the biggest selling feature that had attracted them to buying the house in the first place. They had done all the work to finish it themselves over the past year. "Hey Dad want to play ball with me?" "Matthew, it's time for bed. Get Daddy to read you a story," said Karen looking over the top of her crossword puzzle sitting on the couch. "Oh man, why do I have to go to bed?" "Come on buddy, it's late and you have to get some sleep before you go to Grandma's tomorrow." "Oh fine. I want you to read Berenstein Bears." "Ok, come on let's go." They fled up the stairs together and into the bathroom for teeth brushing. Matt sat up on the counters in the bathroom next to his fish tank. They had bought their multi-colored fish a year ago because they thought that a pet would be good for Matt. "I better feed Rainbow before bedtime," he said, as he dropped a few tiny pellets into the water. Rainbow gobbled them up before you could even blink. "Night Rainbow." Matt hopped off the counter and into his room, where the fan was already running and his three nightlights were shining brightly. "Can you read the racing one, Dad?" "Ok, here it is," Brian replied as he lay down on the bed next to his son and began to read to him. It was always a good bonding time reading with Matt since he was starting to be able to make out some of the words for himself. The days of being able to skip through the story quickly because his eyes were hurting him were over. Matt could tell every time he missed a word and wondered what it was. "Time for sleep buddy. A squeeze, a hug and a kiss," he told his son as performed the nighttime ritual that they had for the last few years. "What time is it?" Brian asked as he pressed the top of his son's "Cars" alarm clock to illuminate the time. "8:52. Night Dad." "Night son." Wearily, Brian retreated to the basement, hoping to relax a bit and enjoy his evening at last. Karen was still sitting on the couch engrossed in her crossword puzzle when he came down and sat beside her. "Hey sexy girl," he commented, putting his arm around her and pulling her against him. "How was your day," she replied. "Just amazing. I get to work and there is a huge stack of papers on my desk, all my departments are behind schedule and Dad doesn't really seem to care. Other than that it was great." "Sounds like a lovely way to start the week. The kids were pretty good today actually, but I think they miss you after being with you for the last week." "Not much I can do about it; there will be lots of late nights to get caught up. Some days I hate my job." It Happened in the Night Ch. 01-02 Brian kissed her softly, letting his mouth explore hers, the pent up frustration of his day trying to overwhelm him. His hand slipped down over her bra-less breast, massaging it through her shirt. A hard nipple responded by poking through the material and into his probing open hand. A TV commercial suddenly distracted her. "Halloween is coming soon," Karen cheered, as she pulled away for a minute. "We're going to the neighbor's party this year." "Halloween party? Do we have to dress up for it?" "Yeah it's a costume party. I thought we could go as a couple of surfers. We can wear our swim suits." "You know I hate costume parties. Besides, I don't think anyone really wants to see me walking around shirtless." "Yeah, I know you do hon. I wouldn't be so sure of that though; Cindy's always had the hots for you. Besides, between now and then you can work on making this into a six-pack again," she said, as she slid her hand down over his belly. She couldn't resist giving his semi-hard cock a feel at the same time. "Hold that thought hon, I just had an idea I have to get down on paper," he replied getting off the couch and walking towards the door to their office. "You have to do it now?" "While it's still fresh in my mind, or I'll lose it." Brian walked into his office and closed the door. To call it an office was being disingenuous. It was a spare bedroom with a long countertop and filing cabinets along one wall. It also served as their home gym, with his elliptical machine against another wall. Really it served a multitude of purposes. Karen even had her own end of the desk area to house her collection of scrap-booking supplies. He immediately went into the top drawer and pulled out his concept binder. That's where he kept all the story ideas and the rough outlines he made for each story. Unlike many successful writers, he liked to make detailed outlines before he could start to write them. The story he was trying to write had been causing him writer's block ever since before his vacation and he thought he finally had gotten past it with the idea he had percolating in his brain. He found the pages that pertained to that story, started Word and began to type. The words seemed to flow effortlessly through his fingertips and onto the otherwise blank screen. The feeling of energy flowing through him was always an exhilarating one. His top shelf of the desk area was his reference library. Aside from the obvious dictionary, thesaurus and other writing aides there were copies of his favorite author's works. He liked to write amateur stories about horror, sci-fi and fantasy concepts. His collection contained the works of Stephen King, Anne Rice, C.S. Lewis, Tolkien, Isaac Asimov, along with many literary classics. The words appeared on the page at a frantic pace. The minutes seemed to pass like seconds and still Brian's fingers were hammering against the keys, filling pages quickly. The scene was so vivid in his mind that he could almost smell the pine needles and rotting leaves of fall. The autumn breeze was blowing through the scene and that's what he thought he felt when warm lips pressed against the back of his neck. He hadn't even heard her open the door and sneak up behind him; he was so lost in his own world. The fantasy world of his writing mixed with reality and the passions that had so inflamed his writing, were now working his body into an inferno. Pants bulging and heart racing, he turned to greet his wife. Their mouths met and pressed into each other with their tongues exploring. Thoughts of throwing her down and having his way with her on the carpet exploded into his mind. His brain hadn't left the cold dark world of his imagination yet and he knew he had to close that doorway before he did something he would regret later. It was a cruel side of him that Karen wouldn't like very much. Nobody would, but he knew it gave him strength when he needed it most. With that in mind, he pulled back from her embrace, smiling at her. "Hmm. Why don't you get the shower ready and I'll join you there in minute. I just want to finish this paragraph. I'll make it worth your while." He reached out with his mouth and gave her another long kiss before he watched her ass saunter from side to side as she walked out of the room. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts he resumed writing until he had exhausted the last of his story. After saving his work, he left the room, climbed the stairs and went to meet her in the bathroom. But not before he checked the front door to make sure that it was still locked. Brian never thought of himself as being paranoid; he believed he was simply taking precautions. He opened the door, heard the sound of the shower running and could see a silhouette of a woman's shape through the transparent curtain. The bathroom mirror remained oddly free of steam. Brian laughed knowing that she would have the water turned down low; she hated the hot water. He shed his clothes and pulled back the shower curtain to reveal her naked body. Even after all these years, he couldn't get over how the look of her naked ass made his cock hard every time. That day was no exception. He gave a whistling sound, like what you would expect when a pretty lady walks by a construction site. "Can I help you?" she said, as she turned around grinning at him. The look on her face told him everything he needed to know about the next hour of his life. She was in the mood tonight and that meant he was going to be sore in the morning. Brian couldn't help but notice the way the water that sprayed her skin pooled between her legs as if taunting him. "I thought we could help each other," he replied, grinning at her as he pulled her against his body. The hardness of his cock pressed against her inner thighs as his hands moved down over her back to grab her ass and grind against it. Their mouths came together, pressed with anxious passion and lust. It was times like these that they were almost like teenagers dating again. Their carnal needs overpowered any sense of technique or caution. Caught up in a tidal wave of excitement, Karen dropped to her knees and took his cock into her mouth, slowly at first and then with increased speed. She had missed him so much today after having an entire week together that she needed to have him near her, penetrating her. Brian could only lean back against the wall. "Oh, fuck yes," he said, running his hands through her wet matted hair. The heat from her mouth caused his erection to rise as the water cascaded around them. He loved the feelings of surrender and the loss of control oral sex gave him. It allowed him to give her all of himself and not hold back. The build up inside became too much for him to handle and he gave her a squeeze on the shoulder to let her know he was going to cum. Karen moved out of the way as his cock erupted in a torrent of sticky fluid that splashed all over her hands. She continued to massage his cock as she kissed his mouth, allowing the water to wash away the mess. "Did you like that hon?" she asked. "Umm, very much," he grunted in response. His hands roamed over her breasts, teasing both nipples as they hardened reflexively from his touch. Lips closed over her neck, causing goose bumps to appear all over her body. She turned around to feel his hands running over her breasts and his semi-erect cock pressing against the swell of her ass. She reached over on the ledge and grabbed the soap slipping it into his hands. Bubbles lathered around her breasts, his hands making expert work of cleaning her. He worked his hands lower, exploring the gentle creases of her abdomen and over her thighs. Lather built up on her body, coating her inner thighs and down her shapely legs. Karen leaned back against him, resting her head as she moaned softly. "Let's take this to our bedroom." "Whatever you want tonight sweetie, it's all for you now." She reached over and shut the water off moving forward away from her husband. They opened the curtains and dried off slowly, teasing each other as they did. Brian took her hand and led her to their room, turning the lights on low. He closed the door making sure to lock it as well. Karen smiled when she heard the door lock. "Look at you, thirty years old and still afraid of the boogeyman," she teased him. Brian looked at her somberly and with an overly serious tone. "It's not the boogeyman. It's my imagination. Sometimes it scares me to death." "I know some way you can put your imagination to good use," she said giggling. "What did you have in mind?" She leaned back on the bed, her naked form illuminated by the dim light. It was an impressive sight with her large breasts, milky white skin and long wet hair hanging down. Her legs opened wide for him, she ran her hand through the trimmed patch of hair that surrounded her pussy. She toyed and teased herself waiting for his reaction. "Getting any ideas yet?" Brian wasted no more time as his body could barely contain itself. His mind raced as he buried his face between her legs, parting her lips with his fingers and stroking the tender skin beneath with strong fast licks from his tongue. Her reaction was immediate. Moans escaped her lips and the pungent smell betrayed her level of arousal. His mouth bore down on her pussy with an animal aggressiveness, seeking to devour her. Karen lay back and enjoyed herself, biting her lip to stifle the loud moans. Her hands caressed her hardened nipples, eagerly twisting and pinching them. She wasn't used to seeing her husband this aggressive with her and didn't want to admit to herself how horny it was making her. Cool breeze drifted over them from the open bedroom window. It felt nice against their superheated skin. Brian's tongue moved faster and with more pressure. Trying to make her cum as fast as possible and keep the dark doorway in his mind closed at the same time was a difficult task. His heart was beating out of his chest as the echo hollered in his brain. A couple minutes later, he could feel her body tense around him and then let out a torrent of energy as she came hard. He could tell that Karen had one of the most intense orgasms of her life, judging by her reactions. Her thighs quickly slammed against his head, further pressing him against her orgasmic pussy and preventing him for being more aggressive with it. "Oh god yes baby. That feels so fucking good." When her orgasm had subsided, he stood up from between her legs. "Was that good for you?" "Mmmm. Whew," she replied not quite ready to talk yet. "Turn over and I'll take you from behind, like you always want me to." Karen slowly got up off the bed and moved up to the front on her knees. She bent over so that her pussy spread wide open for him, before she buried her face in the pillow. "Wow. You look so hot like that. You drive me insane." He got onto the bed and positioned himself behind her, giving her ass a slight smack. His cock penetrated her from behind easily at first. He wanted to establish a rhythm, to get her even hornier than she already was. She loved it from behind and always let him know. He waited until he could tell she was getting close to having another orgasm. Then he sped up slamming into her as fast and hard as he could. He knew that he couldn't go that fast for very long, but wanted to make her get off. He was right. "Oh yes, oh yes, yes. Oh fuck yeah." "You like that. Tell me you like it," he replied, slamming into her wet pussy with more force. "I love it, I love it. Yes baby, oh yeah." He could feel the walls of her pussy contracting around his hard cock again, threatening to make him cum again. It massaged all along his cock until he couldn't help but pump harder knowing his orgasm was approaching. He made one last hard thrust deep inside her and felt his cock explode. They both collapsed into a sweaty pile of naked flesh on the bed. Barely able to move for several minutes, they both lay still, tired and very content. They snuggled together for what seemed like hours, basking in the afterglow of the hottest sex they'd had in months. "I think it's time for bed sweetie," he said as he leaned over and kissed her softly on the mouth. "Night hon, see you in the morning," she replied, as she rolled over to face the wall and they both drifted off to sleep for the night. CHAPTER 2: RED LIGHT Dreams inspired by his writing wafted through his brain as he slept peacefully next to his wife. Brian's subconscious turned to concerns about his workday as nighttime progressed towards the break of dawn. His sleep was disturbed and he began to move around the bed. Had they been awake by six a.m. things might have turned out different for him. As it was, he was still asleep when the sky turned a deep shade of red. Streaks of crimson light flashed across the sky bringing an electrical charge that caused the hair all over his body to stand up. To many people it looked like a meteor shower racing across the nighttime sky. Brian woke with a start. He looked over at his alarm clock to check out the time. It was blank. The power must have gone out in the night was the first thought that came to him. What else could he check to know that? He gazed around the room with a blank expression on his face and realized that the fan in their room wasn't running either. That would explain it. His wife loved her fans and couldn't sleep without them anymore. The soothing sound kept her sleeping like a baby. With her influence the kids each had fans in their rooms. One night when they were moving the fan, he accidentally knocked it over and broke one of the blades. She was so addicted to it she actually made him drive to the store to pick up a new one so she could sleep. With all those images running through his mind, he was surprised that she slept through the power outage. He looked over at her and could see she was sleeping peacefully facing the wall away from him. Without the clock he still had no idea what time it was, or if he was going to be late for work. Brian was careful getting out of bed, since he didn't want to wake her. Tiptoeing through the hallway that separated the children's bedrooms from their own, Brian shuffled his way towards the kitchen where they had a battery-operated clock on the wall. The clock faithfully read 6:37. He still had plenty of time before he had to leave. Work would entail another long day to try to catch up with the backlog. Gazing through the window revealed an overcast sky and light rain. Brian looked out the various windows and noticed that the lights were off everywhere he could see. Even the streetlight in front of the house was out. It was clear that the power wasn't just a local outage. He resigned himself to getting ready in the dark without a chance to watch the news. The usual routine of drinking grapefruit juice and then getting dressed in the bathroom went along as normal. Everyone was still sleeping when he went back into the bedroom to give his wife a kiss goodbye for the day. She was still lying with the blankets up around her chest facing towards the wall. Brian climbed into bed behind her, spooning up against her back through the covers. The memories of the night before came flooding back through his mind. He could still feel her body pressed against him, hair flowing around. The smell of sex was still in the air from last night. "Hey hon, wakey wakey," he whispered playfully in her ear. "It's time to wake up, I have to get going," he mentioned getting closer to her. There was no response. She was always a very light sleeper, so her lack of movement concerned him. He rolled her over onto her back, noticing for the first time that her face was pale. Panic began to set in. "Karen, wake up. This isn't funny," he implored as he began to shake her, desperate for a reaction. "Oh god, please wake up." His fingers reached up to check her neck for a pulse and stopped when they felt how cold her neck was. The coolness of her skin sent a chill running down his spine. He stripped the blankets off and checked her arms only to discover they were cold and clammy. Time seemed to stop and everything from that point on felt like slow motion. He forced his lips to against hers, held her nose and breathed deeply into her mouth. Her lips were stiff and lifeless. Tears stained his face as he inspected her for any sign of movement. Her chest rose and fell as he breathed for her with no reaction. Terror took hold of his brain. All he could do was sit beside her and stare for a minute until he snapped out of his stupor. "Hospital, I gotta get you to the hospital," he cried out in full panic. Brian scrambled for the cordless phone on the night table beside him and began to dial. He held it to his ear before he even remembered that the power was out and the phone was dead. Dead. That thought echoed through his mind as he tried to figure out his next move. All the phones in the house were cordless and needed power to operate. What did they do when the hydro went out? His mind was a blur of confused thoughts. "Right. There's a normal phone in the closet in case the power's out," he scolded himself as he rushed full force looking for it. A search of shelf after shelf revealed nothing. He continued to look through watery eyes until he finally found the lime green phone sitting under a pile of old blankets at the back. He grabbed it, almost running over to the table where he pulled the other phone out and plugged this one in with shaking fingers. Cradling it to his ear, he dialed 911. It seemed to take an eternity waiting for a response. Only after he was waiting did it occur to him what to tell the operator. How often do thirty-year-old women just stop breathing in the middle of the night? It was going to sound weird and suspicious but all he cared about was getting help for his wife. He would deal with any complications later. His mind was so distracted he didn't realize that it just kept ringing and ringing. It was only after a few minutes and no answer that his brain re-engaged. "Hello? Is anybody here? Does nobody answer the fucking phone?" He slammed the phone back on the cradle so hard that he half expected his wife to sit up in bed. She didn't. His legs carried him into the kitchen again, no longer trying to be quiet. The phone book sat on the top shelf of their hutch unit. He grabbed it and ran back down the hallway. Tearing through the pages he finally found the one for the local hospital. His fingers hammered on the keys again and he waited with the phone against his ear. This time his brain was very conscious of the waiting. He counted twenty rings before he banged the receiver down in the cradle. Where was everyone? "What the hell is going on?" he screamed to himself. Thinking fast, he picked it up again and dialed his sister's number. Again no answer. He dialed his father. Nothing. Finally, he realized that he was getting nowhere with the phone and turned back to his wife. She hadn't moved and looked the same. He raced out the front door and into the rain, running over to the neighbor's house. Brian knew he needed to find help. He hated the idea of leaving his kids alone in the house, but they were asleep and he was desperate. Sheer terror framed his visage as he ran across the yard. Rain cascaded down his face, mixing with tears, to form rivulets. He pounded on the door, hoping for a quick response. Both vehicles were still home, so he should get someone. No answer. Emboldened by his fear, he opened the unlocked door and pressed inside. "Hello! Is anybody home?" he hollered in the empty kitchen. They were close with their neighbors even though Brian and his wife were new to town. He navigated the house with experienced precision. Their bedroom door came into view and he screamed through a hoarse throat. "Is anybody home? I need help." It Happened in the Night Ch. 01-02 When he received no answer, he thrust open the bedroom door and peered inside. They were in bed still, blankets around their midsection. "Rita! Ted! Wake up!" They remained still. Walking closer, he reached out and touched his neighbors back. It felt just like his wife's did. He touched her as well, with the same result. Fear bubbled up inside Brian unlike anything he had ever experienced before. It took mere seconds to run through the kitchen, leap down the stairs and fling open the kid's bedroom door. All three children were in their beds sleeping peacefully. Or so it looked. Brian crept closer and found out they were not just asleep. The realization finally dawned on him that his kids were still asleep. Or were they. Racing like the devil was chasing him Brian blasted through the front door and across the yard to his house. Hope still clung to him, ever so gently that they could be awake when he got there. The house was quiet, too quiet. Racing to Matt's room first, he opened the door slowly, not wanting to panic him if he was alive. The room had an eerie chill as he crept ever closer to the bed. He could see a little figure asleep under the covers. Or was he dead. That's what his brain was screaming at him. Dead. His lips couldn't even form the words in connection with his son. The one that every person said looked exactly like him. Karen always joked that he was his father's clone. Tears streamed down his face as he walked over to the bed and pulled the covers back. One look at his son's innocent face confirmed his suspicions. Brian reached out, touched his cheek and felt a bitter chill reverberate through his fingertips. Utter revulsion built up inside him. His stomach churned and lurched sending vomit coursing up through his throat. He managed to choke it back, as he collapsed on the bed next to his son amidst a pile of stuffed animals. All sense of balance seemed to drift away as he lay on his back next to his dead son. Yes, he was dead. That thought finally broke through Brian's clouded brain and hit home like a sledgehammer, as the room seemed to close in on him. His head turned to look at his son's face, so peaceful it seemed. Memories flooded his brain like a series of waves. The smell of candles wafted through his nostrils as he remembered his birthday party just two days earlier. Matt had been so excited. His face was beaming as he handed his dad his birthday card. Inside the card was a little homemade pendant made of string with a bright blue crystal looped through it. Matt had picked the kit out and made it himself. Brian pictured the soccer field where Matt had just started playing that summer. This coming weekend was supposed to be their year-end party and tournament. His son loved soccer and playing with his friends all dressed up in his little uniform. Matt was a good player too. He was one of the team's best players and had already scored six goals this year. Brian hadn't missed a single game. How could he and disappoint his son. No matter the long hours he worked, his family was still his top priority. The world was closing in on Brian. His brain was swirling in a mist of memories. "Cow", he could distinctly hear a babies voice whispering. That had been Matt's first word when he was ten months old. One of the most important times in a parent's life is when they hear their child speak for the first time. Even if they can barely make out the word, it sounds like music to the ears. His thoughts drifted even further back to the day Matt was born. In his mind, he could see himself standing in the operating room with his wife heavily sedated lying on the bed in front of him, with doctors and nurses everywhere it had seemed at the time. The surgeons were working to free Matt from her womb as he gripped her hand and tears streamed down her face. She was so vibrant and full of life, so unlike she would ever be again. He heard his son's first cry as the doctors pulled him out. From his vantage point, Brian could see him clearly as they worked to disconnect the cord. He had noticed it even before the nurses told them. It was a little boy. Matt came into the world kicking and screaming and went out of it in his sleep. The hardest memory for Brian to handle was the first time he held his son in his arms in the hospital recovery room. Karen was still getting stitched up and the nurse gave Matt to him. Brian had never had an interest in babies before and not much experience in holding them. That changes when it's your child. He carefully held him against his chest and rocked him, not for the last time. Brian's trip down memory lane seemed to last forever, if only a few minutes in real time. Life seemed to slow to a crawl as he held his son in his arms, like when he was a baby. It suddenly occurred to him that there was one room he hadn't been to yet. Josh was usually awake by now and since there were no sounds it was a foregone conclusion that he was dead, too. Brian seemed resigned to his fate but decided to check to make sure he was right. Laying Matt back down on the bed carefully, he left the room and walked down the hallway to the closed door. Rain was intensifying outside. The bedroom door opened with a squeak though nothing but silence came from inside the room. A sheet slung over the window blocked out any light so the room remained very dark. "Josh, are you awake?" he whimpered, allowing only the slightest amount of hope to remain in his heart. There was no response. He reached into the crib with trembling hands and lifted the blanket off. No movement. Reaching under his arms, he picked Josh up and held him. The chill of lifeless flesh pressed against his hands and chest. Brian wrapped him in a bear hug and fell to the floor rocking him back and forth. What a waste, he thought to himself. Images of the three weeks the family had spent in the children's hospital while Josh had his open-heart surgery flooded back to him. To go through all that, just to have him die in his sleep like this seemed senseless to Brian. He had thought seeing his son hooked up to all those machines was the worst that a parent could possibly feel. How wrong he was. That heart-wrenching torture was nothing compared to the bitter anguish that was consuming his soul now. As he sat on the floor holding his son's lifeless body, it occurred to him how close to losing his mind he was. That thin line between sanity and insanity was one that he couldn't afford to cross. Somehow, he found the strength to stand up and place his son back into his crib. He took the blanket and covered him up again as if he was sleeping still. His mind was painfully aware he wasn't. He had to get away. Brian walked out of the room closing the door as he went. The doors slammed shut to remove reminders of what had happened. As he entered the kitchen, the next phase of his grief struck him. The crimson veil of anger descended over him, wrapping him in its destructive nature. "Why the hell did this happen to me?" he shouted, as if anyone was alive to hear him. He grabbed a tall glass off the counter and hurled it full force against the wall. It exploded leaving an indentation in the drywall. Shards of glass flew across the room but Brian didn't seem to notice or care. Brian's greatest fear had materialized. He was alone. Everyone he knew was likely dead. Alone. It tore through his brain like a raging forest fire pent on destruction. Anger gave way to fear. What was he going to do? Until now, the reality of living in a world with no other people had escaped him. How was he going to survive in a world alone without any electricity? The rational business side of his mind suggested it would be a good idea to survey the town to see if there were any other survivors. That hope was enough to get him moving again. He decided to check on everyone again. No change. Emotionally exhausted, he tied his running shoes, threw his raincoat on and headed out in the rain. By habit, he turned and locked the door behind him. The breeze seemed unnaturally cool. Thoughts ran through Brian's mind until he had a plan of attack. He realized he was going to need supplies for survival. Food and water would be easy to come by. He was more concerned about keeping the darkness at bay. The local hardware store would have lots of candles, lighters, lanterns and flashlights. Not to mention many other items that could be useful. It just so happened that the owner of the store was their neighbor that lived behind them. They had two children who played with his kids from time to time. Brian decided to go to their house first and see if any of them were alive still. If not, they would have the keys to the store in the house somewhere. After that, he could take his van to the store and hopefully see other survivors. The hill that separated the front from the back of his house was very steep. They had not yet created a path to connect them, so he had to walk down the hill of grass which could be very slippery in the rain. After descending the hill, he walked past the fire pit in his backyard. It had been the scene for many gatherings of not just his family, but with the entire neighborhood. They would light fires in the nighttime and cook hotdogs and roast marshmallows, while all the kids played between their yards. The adults would even sometimes engage in telling ghost stories over the fire after the kids were in bed. It was even more fun after a few drinks. Or more than a few drinks. That sudden thought made his body long for the panacea that alcohol would provide. He banished the thought quickly. The rule in his mind had always been if he thought he needed a drink instead of just wanting one, he couldn't have it. Using liquor to placate other problems was a slippery slope. The house ahead appeared desolate. As he approached, he could hear the sound of a little dog barking. "Sparky, he thought". Sparky was their Yorkshire terrier. It was nice to hear someone else alive, even if it was just a dog. Sparky greeted Brian as he opened the door and stepped inside. He barked a bit, and then wagged his tail as he recognized Brian. The dog seemed nervous as he pranced around the kitchen. Brian picked him up to pet the top of his head. When Brian put him back down, Sparky raced to the bottom of the stairs and began barking again. Brian quickly realized that the dog wanted him to follow. How strange the day was when he considered following the dog through a dark house was a good idea. The farther he walked away from the sliding door that he entered the house from, the harder it became to see. From the bottom of the stairs, he could tell that it would be pitch black at the top. Brian went into the kitchen, found a small red flashlight and returned to Sparky. They continued up the steps following the beam of the flashlight. Brian had never seen the upstairs of the house and was not sure where the bedrooms were. Sparky didn't have any indecision as he led the way. Sparky led him to an open doorway. Peering inside with the light revealed it as the master bedroom. Brian stepped inside and shone the flickering beam towards the bed where he could see two people laying under the covers. Upon closer inspection, he was sure it was his neighbors and they weren't moving either. No response came when he called their names. Just then, Sparky began to bark very loudly and assumed a defensive posture towards the bed. "Sparky calm down," Brian scolded, as the dog became increasingly hostile. Brian didn't know what to make of his reaction since Sparky was always a good dog and very friendly with people. He moved closer to the bed and noticed they looked just like his family did. The room was rather large and very well organized. Nothing appeared out of place. On the bedside table was a set of keys. Brian noticed a key marked "store" as he picked them up and flipped through them. He slipped them into his pocket and turned to leave. Sparky's frantic barking suddenly stopped and the dog ran out of the room. Turning towards the bed, Brian noticed something was different. Or thought he did. He was positive that they were facing each other before. Now the husband was facing towards him, with eyes closed. Brian backed towards the open door, not wanting to take his eyes away from the bed. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead. In the hallway, he found Sparky curled up outside the door with his head down. The dog seemed frightened to Brian. "Sparky, come on. Let's go outside." Sparky raised his head to look but wouldn't move. After numerous attempts to get him to come, Brian relented and went downstairs alone. He could really use some company he thought, but apparently, Sparky was loyal to his masters even in death. It was the least he could do; Brian thought as he filled up Sparky's food dish and carried it up the stairs. When he reached the top and looked towards the bedroom, he realized Sparky wasn't sitting outside the room anymore. The house was eerily quiet. Then he heard a very soft sound that most people without his extra sensitive hearing may have missed. It caused him to set the dog dish down where he was, run down the stairs and out of the house through the sliding doors without looking back until he was well within his own backyard. When he looked back at the house, he thought he noticed the curtains in the master bedroom swaying ever so slightly. His entire body shuddered as he marched back up the hill. Determination kept him moving ahead. What could it have been? It must have been his imagination. They were clearly dead. All of them were. Nobody else was in the house, although he hadn't checked the kid's rooms. Maybe they were still alive. Something deep inside his mind told him otherwise. The rain had stopped while he was inside the house and the sun was threatening to come out. Brian clambered into the van and peeled out of their driveway. There was no activity at all on the short drive to the hardware store. It was located on the main street of a busy highway. No cars were on the road and the sidewalks were also bare. The town appeared deserted. He found the ghostlike appearance of the town very disturbing. His hand ran through his hair in a nervous gesture as he drove. The store was like any other small town hardware store with the usual collection of lawnmowers and bicycles peering through the showroom window. Brian used the keys with trembling hands and swung the storeroom door open. A large can of paint sitting to the side became a prop to hold the door open. The large display windows kept the store from being overly dark, even near the back. Brian crept around collecting items that he thought would be useful. His mind was very much preoccupied with this task. He tried to push the terror that welled up inside him to the back of his mind, with limited success. Brian's first stop was to where the flashlights were. Finding the biggest one he could, he opened a pack of batteries and shone the light around the room. His head was on a constant swivel, looking for any sign of life. There was a list of items in his mind that he wanted to take, but the atmosphere in the store was distracting. He couldn't concentrate. "Get a hold of yourself Brian. There's nobody here," he muttered to himself, unconvinced. Tentatively, he started making trips between the van and the store hauling anything he thought he could use. Oil lanterns, flashlights, candles, a couple shovels, propane tanks for his bbq and even a hunting pistol with ammo found its way into the van. Learning how to fire a gun wasn't something that Brian had ever wanted to know. His mind was quickly changing. The entire trip lasted a short time and went without incident. Brian was more disturbed by the eerie silence than anything else. It was very distracting when he would make noise he always subconsciously thought he should try to be more quiet. As if there was anything around to hear him. Brian closed up the van and locked it. He thought walking around the main area and checking all the buildings for signs of life would be a good idea. There must be someone else in town alive. Crossing the main intersection in one direction brought him to a small restaurant with big windows that showed the entire dining room as empty. Across the main street on the other corner was a furniture store with large bay windows. The owners were customers of Brian's business. He peered through the window for any sign of movement. Nothing. On the other corner was a bar that his family visited every once in a while. It was a century old building with no windows from the street side. Brian walked up the steps to the building and then backed away. After the experience in his neighbor's house, this building was the scariest place possible to be alone in the dark. The entire time he was walking around, he couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. It felt like eyes were burrowing into him from the darkness inside the buildings. Shaking that thought away, he hurried back across the deserted street and into the van for the trip to the outskirts of town where the grocery store was. The drive was lonely and uninterrupted. Seeing the highway stretch out of site beyond town made Brian want to just keep on driving far away from the anguish that lay in wait at home. But he couldn't. The ties that bound his heart were too strong to break. He couldn't bear to leave his family even though they were dead. His thoughts went to Sparky and he now understood why he lay outside the door even though he was terrified and knew something was wrong. Brian's conscience wouldn't allow him to go just yet. Fresh tears graced his cheeks as he turned into the parking lot and parked in front of the sliding glass doors. His was the only vehicle on the property. It occurred to him for the first time that he didn't have a key for this place. Staring him in the face were the choices of committing a crime for the first time or walking away with nothing. Agonizing as it was, he wasn't prepared to leave empty handed. He returned with a shovel and smashed it through the store window with a crash. Broken glass flew everywhere. The feeling of guilt was immediate but he managed to suppress it and walk into the store grabbing a cart as he went. He dreaded going around the dimly lit store by himself in the dark but had little choice. The store was soundless as he strode around using the flashlight to illuminate his path. Canned goods were his focus for the trip along with some perishables he could consumed right away. First stop was the checkout area to grab some plastic bags. His head throbbed with a headache that ran along his temples. Luckily, the store also had a pharmacy area where he could get some aspirin. He passed by the train table the store kept for the kids to play while parents shopped. Matt used to go to that area every time they took him shopping. Brian's head pulsated worse as he tried to block out the memories of his dead family, but they came pouring through. He made his way through the aisles, always looking around to make sure that there was still nobody around. After he filled the first cart, he set it out by the van and proceeded to fill another. Brian didn't know how long he was going to have to survive with this food and was uncertain whether the store would be of any value after today. With the door smashed in, you could guarantee Mother Nature would be moving in. The store continued to be empty. It was a metaphor for the entire town. Nobody traveling down the highway would ever guess that the day before the road was full of cars and pedestrians lined the sidewalks. Oh, how quickly things changed. A sign for the liquor store caught his attention as Brian loaded the van. That same temptation for a drink returned and this time his will power wasn't strong enough. It Happened in the Night Ch. 01-02 With the van full of food and supplies, Brian walked over to the liquor store and smashed the glass door in with a crack from his foot. The only thing on his mind was relieving the pain and fear that were corrupting his thoughts. He really needed a drink to calm down and try to get his mind off his anguish. His brain rejected that logic as dangerous. Nonetheless, his legs carried him through the doorway and into the store. Bottles lined the walls and the rows. Every different type of liquor and brand was available. He walked along until he saw some white rum, which gave him flashbacks to his college days where he would drink it straight from the bottle. "That would go down smooth right now," he uttered to himself, getting used to having nobody else to talk to. He picked up the biggest one he could find and grabbed a bottle of Bailey's Irish cream for good measure. At home, he would have nothing but beer. That would not be strong enough for the relief his body craved right now. He grabbed the bottles and headed back to the van. It was only quarter after twelve but it felt much later. The day had been traumatic for Brian. He was in a very reflective mood as his van pulled into the driveway of the house that had felt like home until this morning. It no longer felt that way to him. The house felt more like a prison. He wanted to run away from this little town and all the memories that it held. But he couldn't when his family was still dead in their bedrooms. They couldn't be left like that. As he walked towards the door, keys in hand, the vision of his neighbors house came flooding back to him. What if they weren't dead? He was positive that the sound he had heard was the bed creaking. What else could it be? Then the way the curtain swayed after he ran away from the house. Somebody was watching him and he had to be careful walking through the front door. The key turned in the lock and Brian looked inside. Everything was quiet; too quiet. Closing and locking the door behind him Brian crept around the house. He looked down the stairs. Nothing. There was nothing in the kitchen or dining room either. His heart felt like it was beating out of his chest as he walked down the narrow hallway towards the three bedrooms. He checked in the bathroom. It was empty. The floor creaked beneath his feet. Their goes any element of surprise he might have had, Brian thought to himself shaking his head. Brian slowly pushed the door to Matt's room open and was relieved to see him lying in the same place he was before he left the house. He sat on the edge of the bed looking at his son. Shame was flush on Brian's face. It was awful to admit that he was glad Matt was still dead. Perhaps he wasn't losing his mind quite yet. After exiting Matt's bedroom, he entered Josh's room, only to see he was still in the crib right where he'd left him. A quick inspection revealed nothing else in the room. He stood by the edge of the crib and tried to fight back the tears that welled up inside but couldn't hold them back. His family had meant everything to him and they were gone. Only one room left to check upstairs. His hand trembled with fear as he opened the door to his bedroom. He would never have imagined when he woke up this morning he would be terrified to open up the door to his own bedroom. The door squeaked as it opened. Karen was still lying on the bed. Something wasn't quite right about her though. He couldn't think of what it was. Finally, it hit him like a ton of bricks. His knees buckled forcing him to the floor. "Karen," he shouted. "If you're alive say something, anything." The room was silent. All he could hear was his pulse reverberating in his ears. Regaining his feet and his nerve, he crawled over to the bed where she laid facing against the wall. He shook her forcefully. "Karen, honey. Wake up. It's Brian." No answer. Her face was colorless, her skin icy and clammy as ever. She looked very dead. But how could it be? She wasn't wearing this shirt when he saw her before. It didn't match her black and pink pj bottoms that she still had on. The shirt she wore, he bought her on their holidays last weekend. But there it was on her body. Brian's mind revolted and told him it was time to leave the room. He had never been so terrified in his entire life. Brian closed the door behind him and went outside to get the supplies out of the van. Thunder boomed in the sky. It wasn't raining again yet, but he could feel the humidity rising. As he piled the supplies in the upstairs living room, he formulated a plan. He knew what he needed to do. "I can't do this," Brian yelled at himself. "But if I don't I'll never be able to sleep again." Brian rustled around in the bags he had brought into the house and pulled out the full forty-ounce bottle of white rum. Wasting no time, he twisted the top off and took a long pull from the bottle. It burned all the way down his throat. At first, he thought his stomach would rebel, but he kept it down. He hadn't drank straight liquor since college and it was going down smooth. Too smooth. "Only a few more drinks," Brian told himself. "Just enough to take the edge off." After another three drinks, his mind became blurred enough to shut off the voices in his head that were yelling at him to leave town and never come back. He had to finish things. Brian couldn't stand loose ends. "I'm not just going to discard them like garbage for the animals to snack on," he argued with himself. His mind made up, Brian paced out onto the deck and grabbed the grey fiberglass shovel he had brought from the hardware store and headed outside as the rain started. The grass was slick from the rain and his balance was failing. So it was no surprise to Brian when his feet slid out from under him and he slipped down the rest of the hill. He thought he could feel eyes watching him from his neighbor's house, but was too preoccupied to care. His mind was concentrating on finding the perfect spot. He marched across the yard and starting digging. The pouring rain made holding the shovels handle tricky. Bit by bit the ground gave way to his shovel and the hole got bigger. Lightning crackled across the mid-afternoon sky as the storm closed in. High winds drove the rain against Brian, soaking him to the bone. His flimsy t-shirt was no defense against the storm. He dug for hours without stopping, sheer determination and panic driving him onwards. The storm had abated and was now only a light sprinkling rain. Blisters had begun to form on his hands that were unused to physical labor. His shoulders tightened in knots and his body shivered from the cold but Brian was relentless. The hole finally complete, he leaned on the shovel and looked down into it. The earth lay bare before him, opening up like a willing woman spreading her legs to allow access. Brian smiled at that thought as he trudged back up the hill. He slipped countless times, but didn't slow down. His brain warned him that his energy would not last much longer and he had to finish before he passed out from exhaustion. He strode into the house and down the hall towards his room. Opening the door revealed his wife unmoved from before, much to his relief. Inside the closet was a collection of old sheets and comforters. They included a few unopened ones they received as wedding presents seven years earlier. He grabbed a larger one and strode over to the bed. His hands shook as he laid the comforter over his wife's prone body. He began to wrap her in it making sure that it was tight around her arms and legs. She was surprisingly light, he thought as he lifted her off the bed and carried her down the hallway. He went downstairs and put her just inside the door to the back deck. Brian raced back up the stairs, knowing how important time was. He pulled another comforter from the closet and proceeded to wrap Josh the same way. In his mind, he was wrapping parcels, like Christmas presents to set under the tree. His brain couldn't handle the truth of what he was about to do. After repeating the process with Matt, he carried them both down the stairs and laid them next to their mom. Brian slid the patio door open and hoisted the bundle that held his wife's body over his shoulder and walked down the end of the deck onto the slippery hill. His feet betrayed him again and he landed with her on top of him. He was so thankful he couldn't see her inside. Tears ran in torrents down his cheeks as he reached the edge of the hole and dropped her inside. Turning away from the hole, he trudged back up to the deck and grabbed the other two bundles. They were lighter in weight but his burden was twice as heavy. When he reached the edge of the hole, he collapsed on the ground. The three of them had been so close and now he would have to go on alone. Alone. He gently unwrapped Matt's blanket, exposing his face and pressed his lips to his forehead. "Goodbye, son." With shaking hands he closed the blanket and tossed his son in the hole next to his mom. Only one more to go, he thought. Brian lifted the lightest bundle and tried to let him go but couldn't do it. He unwrapped him and held him tight against his chest, rocking him like a newborn baby. "Oh Josh, why, why did..." he moaned softly through tear dripping lips. The cold chill of Josh's body against him brought him back to reality. He closed the bundle up and placed it down on the other side of his mom. As the first shovel full of dirt landed on top of them, Brian's body began to convulse. He managed to turn just in time to avoid vomiting into the hole. The unimaginable horror was almost over. Just finish filling the hole, he told himself, and then I can go on with life. He knew he was only fooling himself. One by one, the shovels of dirt landed in the hole until he fell to the ground completely spent. He lay in the wet grass for several minutes before he dare try and move. He regained his legs and looked into the hole. It was then he realized it was over. The trip back up the hill seemed to take forever but eventually he reached the deck and entered the basement again. His mind screamed to get to bed before he passed out. Weary legs carried him up the stairs and into his room. He managed to lock the door on the way in and dropped like a rock onto the bed. Sleep was a welcome refuge. Brian awoke from his slumber into a pitch-black room. At first, he wasn't certain whether he was awake, asleep or dead. His mind cleared up enough that he started moving around and was pretty sure he was awake, not dead. Utter peace crept over him for a few minutes as he lay on his familiar bed in the darkness. His mind had yet to relive the events of the day. He could actually feel his body crumple as it hit him that his family was dead. Loneliness crept into his mind. He forced himself to crawl over to the edge of his bed and pull the blinds open. The moon was nearly full and there was not a cloud in the sky. Light swept in through the open window, giving sparse illumination to the room. Next Brian moved over to the bedside table and realized that in his exhaustion he had forgotten to bring the flashlight into the bedroom with him. "Good luck finding it in the dark," he muttered to himself. The house was quiet, deathly quiet he thought. His mind drifted to Shakespeare's Hamlet and the passage about the "sleep of death". In that moment of weakness, Brian thought he would welcome that kind of sleep. To be free from the pain that wracked his heart would be a blessing. Somewhere from deep inside his mind a voice screamed "you're not dead yet, don't give in". His mind suddenly stopped arguing with itself as he heard a noise. Brian had always known that his hearing was better than most and he had often used it to his advantage. The darkness has a way of amplifying other senses since the body can't rely on sight. The noise he thought he heard was the creaking of the steps leading up from the basement. It was very quiet at first and gradually got louder. The strange thing was it didn't sound like just one person either. He listened carefully, concentrating on the noise. Steps creaked over and over, as if someone was trying to be silent but the steps wouldn't cooperate. What he heard next continued to haunt him for a long time to come. "Bash," he heard the sound say in a little voice that sounded just like Josh. His heart threatened to leap out of his chest. Then he heard it again as if to confirm his fear. Tears streamed down his face as he heard a voice that sounded like his wife say "get your clothes off you two and get in the tub". The sound of the water running in the bathtub brought it all home to Brian. How could this be? They were dead. He had buried them himself, with his own hands. His mind registered a cross between joy and terror. They continued to frolic in the bathtub. The sound of their play a familiar one and yet it wasn't the same. Something about their voices was different. It was a more low guttural tone than the high pitch joyful cries he was accustomed to. Brian pinched himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. "What the hell is going on?" Brian's critical side was coming around. "But if they are in the bathroom, they can't be in the backyard can they?" With that thought in mind, he raced to the window hoping there would be enough light to see. There was. He could vaguely make out the hole in the ground. An open hole with piles of dirt on either side was all he saw. They had escaped. Brian as if he'd been struck by lightning. His hands shook as he slid down the wall, his back pressed against it for support. What he wanted more than anything else was to run into the hallway and sweep them up in his arms one last time. One side of his mind didn't seem to care if he paid the price with his life. The other side had alarm bells ringing at full force. If they were back from the dead, his life could be in serious danger. He could hear the water emptying out of the tub as both kids were off to their rooms to get ready for bed. There was nothing but the deafening sound of silence for a few minutes as they retreated to their rooms. Then he heard Josh's bedroom door open and close with a soft creaking noise. Time seemed to stand still as Brian waited for another sound. Someone tried to turn the door handle but they found it was locked. "Brian Honey. Matt wants you to read him a bedtime story. Get out here," he heard the voice that sounded like his wife say. It talked to him as if it knew he was in the room. He didn't answer; couldn't have if he wanted to. His sanity hung by a thread, he was nothing more than a huddled mess on the floor. Panic struck a cord deep inside him as he heard the voice say, "Sorry Matt, I guess Daddy isn't ready to come out and play yet. Maybe later." It sounded so matter of fact and happy. Brian couldn't get over the joy that came through in the way the voice spoke. She was enjoying tormenting him, Brian could tell. He heard the door handle rattle again. "So Honey did you like the shirt I put on for you this afternoon. It was all for you, I know how much you like it." Brian choked back his sobs, trying to remain silent. His mind issued a silent scream, as he realized she must have been awake earlier. Or she could at least see and hear him. Sweat began to trickle down Brian's forehead. The calm demeanor he had been trying to maintain was cracking. The voice sounded like his wife, had to be his wife. How else would she know about the shirt? "You're so boring Brian, you always were. I'll get in there eventually, said the spider to the fly. And when I do, I'll eat you all up," the voice intoned, this time adding more of a snarl at the end. He detected an undertone to her voice that if pressed to describe it, he would call reptilian. Something in the way the S sounds slurred together. The thought chilled his blood. This was a game to her, Brian realized. She was simply toying with his emotions, softening him up before she swooped in and took him. There was a sinister, malicious quality to her voice. He thought she was getting frustrated that he was playing so hard to get. Something stiffened in Brian, not his erection, but an iron will deep inside his mind. If she did come in, he wasn't giving up without a fight. "Brian, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. If you let me in on your own, we can have some fun. Remember last night how you fucked me hard. My body aches to have you inside me again. Please open the door and let me show you how much I missed you. I'll even let you fuck my asshole, like you've been obsessing about since we met." He sat on the bed listening to her. Her voice sounded so much like his wife's it was melting his resolve. The thought of sex hadn't occurred to him all day, but now his mind drifted off to the night before. It was the last happy moment he had and he could feel his cock harden thinking about it. How soft her skin was and the smell of her body as he licked her pussy flooded his mind. His will power bent and stretched as his hand lowered to his growing cock. "My pussy is wet for you Brian. Would you like to taste it? I just did. It's so sweet and juicy. Why don't you let me in and I'll let you bend me over the bed and fuck me from behind." Brian had never heard his wife be so vulgar. He couldn't help being turned on by the sound of her voice saying those things. A hand slid under his pants and gripped his cock. His hand jerked back and forth, rubbing himself. The mixture of emotions running through his brain made it difficult to concentrate on anything. "I'd love to take that hard cock in my mouth and swallow every drop you give me," her voice related as he heard the smack of lips coming together from the other side of the door. His hands strummed his cock with increasing speed. Then he suddenly stopped. "I won't give in to you," Brian declared to himself, shaking his head. He lay down on his pillow and waited for her reaction. "Maybe tomorrow night I'll bring a friend along," she said laughing. "Oh, by the way Brian, the neighbors told me to say hi. They are so sorry they were sleeping when you broke into their house earlier. Sparky would say hi too, but he's dead. Really dead, not like us. He was just too noisy." Brian shivered at the thoughts of what happened to poor Sparky. What kind of animals had they become? "I'll see you in the morning Brian, even if you don't think I'm watching you, I will be. Someone's always watching you. Watch your step. I'll leave you a message before I go to sleep. Sweet dreams," she tittered away, as he could hear the sound of her walking down the hall. That was the last time he heard her voice that night. After that, Brian lay in bed tossing and turning for what seemed like hours. He couldn't believe what he had heard and didn't know if he could face seeing them in the morning. That inner core of strength was fading and he began to sob again thinking of what happened to his life. Eventually his brain stopped churning from exhaustion. Sleep finally took him. * Thanks for taking the time to read my story. Any feedback or votes would be greatly appreciated.