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Monster Within

by Nick Cavuoti

By Nick CavuotiPublished 2 years ago 14 min read
14

In a quiet room lay a crying young man, he was crying because he had lost the ability to move his legs. His health had been deteriorating for some time but this was the culmination of a long time battle with his health. He felt tired, betrayed by his own body, missed the outside world and all of its glory. He could hear footsteps creaking nearby softly on the wooden floor outside his room, without looking he knew it was his mother coming to comfort him. He had been so strong for so long through a long string of battling through various issues from neurological to arthritic. He had done everything that doctors could muster up, but nothing gave him relief. His mother sat beside him on his bed and bent over for a hug, holding back tears of her own and kept rubbing his back. Her long hair ran down in front of her face which she swung behind her to look at her son.

“It’ll be okay. It’s just another hurdle. We’ll get another opinion and keep doing so until we find someone that can finally provide the correct care. We always find a way through this and we will, James.” The mother said, lacking conviction but doing and saying whatever she could muster to hopefully bring her son’s spirits back up.

“I’m just tired Mom. The tests, the medicine…” James stopped to wipe away his tears and face his mother. “It just feels endless as of late. When can I be a normal kid? I’m only thirteen years old. This shouldn’t be what I am worried about these days.”

In her mind, she didn’t have an answer. Any kind of answer wouldn’t help as with his long list of issues to his legs between nerve damage and arthritis, a life that other kids would have, wouldn’t be a reality for young James. Knowing this, she had to tell a white lie, which tore her up inside even more.

“That day is coming. I promise you. All I can say, as cliche as it may be, is to take one day at a time.” His mother spoke softly.

James nodded his head up and down in compliance, but not entirely sure if his mother was right. In his heart, he knew he had to continue being strong for not only himself but also his mother. They had no one else after all. He took a deep breath to calm himself and stop crying, which he did.

“What’s next then?” James asked to only see his mother smile. It was a relief for her.

“Well, in a couple of hours your physical therapist will be here to help you move your legs a bit. From there, I’ll look into second opinions we can get. We will find something. Just keep on your schedule, keep doing what you need to and you’ll be back in no time.” She reassured him once more and the two hugged.

The physical therapist came sometime later and helped the two smile as well as strengthen James’ legs. The therapist always had a good energy to themself that helped James on his worst days like today. Before she left after helping young James she asked his mother to speak privately.

“Lana, is James okay? Besides his legs, is he holding up okay? And you for that matter? If it isn’t my place, I apologize, I just felt as if there was something off when I first came in earlier.” The therapist asked softly, making sure that James wouldn’t hear them.

Lana took a beat to respond, thinking back to earlier and how upset James got over his endless battle within himself. She folded her arms up and her eyes drifted away from Marianne, the physical therapist. Marianne took notice of this and realized she may have crossed a boundary.

“I apologize if I overstepped at all. I just wanted to make…” Marianne was cut off by Lana interjecting.

“No, no. Not at all. I’m sorry.” Lana chuckled and dropped her arms to her side realizing how she looked dejected. “It’s been tough. He, well, we both had hopes that this last medicine would be it. I think he, more than I, put all of his remaining hope and strength into it all. He had a moment. I think he has been better since we talked, and of course your visit. Him having something to look forward to, a schedule and such, I think it is the only thing holding him together. So, thank you.”

“He’s a good and strong kid. As are you. If you or he ever needs help with anything else, I know a few people that could help, and as always you can call me. You both will find a way through this.” Marianne explained. “I’ll see you guys next appointment?” She smiled.

Lana smiled back and nodded. Marianne left out through the front deck of Lana’s home in the suburbs of Columbia, Maryland. It was a nice and quiet neighborhood and their house backed up into the woods, the privacy was nice for them especially after James’ health deteriorated. The house itself was even Lana’s childhood home that was given to her after her parents passed away and left to her in their will. After a long and rather annoying divorce from her abusive husband, the gift was just what was needed for her and little James. She waved goodbye as Marianne exited their long driveway down and with a deep pensive breath she headed back inside. Upon locking up the front door, she heard James in his room struggling with pain as he usually does after therapy. Going from being immobile to forcing movement is best for him, but does come with some discomfort after. She started to head to his room, off of the living room, and was stunned to hear a blood-curdling scream come from him. She had never heard him make a noise like that before. It stopped her in her tracks.

“Mom! Mom! Hurry!” James yelled from his room, the pain seemed to have passed from his voice only to be replaced by pure fear.

Lana took off into a mad sprint into his room only to find him peering outside of his window.

“Did you see it?” James asked, almost in a panic.

“See what?” Lana asked as she also began to look out the window only to see nothing but a storm coming in and the neighbors’ yard as they were putting up Christmas lights. “All I see is the Millers putting up lights.”

“Mom…” James stopped, knowing the ridiculousness of what he was about to say and laid back down in his bed. “I saw big red eyes, it was scary.”

“Red eyes? You mean the lights they are putting up?”

James shook his head side to side, he knew what he saw. He knew the fear he had felt. Lana’s heart was still racing from the scream thinking that her son was in horrible pain but instead, his mind got the best of him. Her dismissing his fear made him retreat further into his bed as he pulled his blankets closer to him. Noticing this, she sat by his side.

“I understand, you are in this room all the time. It is perfectly natural to make something bigger than it is...” Lana consoled him only to be cut off.

“I know what I saw Mom. It wasn’t lights. It had red eyes and they were right up against the window. I know what I saw. I swear. They were looking right at me.” James pleaded, tears began to well up in his eyes and fall down his cheeks. It tore Lana up even more. She didn’t believe he saw red eyes, but the pain in his voice was more than enough to make her feel hopeless. James was her world, and she was failing to help him.

“I believe you saw something. Whatever it was, it is gone now. Try to rest sweetie. Play a game or something, take your mind off of everything.” Lana spoke softly as she ran her hand gently through his unkempt brown hair.

James rolled over and put on some random television show to watch. He usually did that to help him doze off to sleep. Lana leaned in to kiss him on the forehead and took her exit from his room. She went to the living room, right outside of his bedroom and sat on their white couch, defeated. Lana felt at a loss, and her advice to her son began to roll over onto herself. They both needed rest. She laid down on the couch, trying to put everything aside. Shortly after she felt her eyes getting heavy and fell into a deep sleep.

A few hours passed, as it was now nighttime. The house had become enveloped in darkness as no lights were left on outside of the light of the tv screen in the living room and Lana could hear the television in James' room. Lana gingerly got up from the couch and cracked her back from falling asleep in an uncomfortable position. Her neck was even stiffer but she pushed on into James’ room, only to be shocked to find nothing but white noise coming from his television. James was missing.

“James? James!!!” Lana yelled frantically looking around his room as foolish as it was as he cannot move his legs on his own. She started questioning and running through a bunch of scenarios in her head, but how did she miss his screams or pleads for her help. He must have needed her but in her sleep, she didn’t hear a peep.

Lana checked the adjacent bathroom just a few steps outside of his room, but it was also empty. However, right off of the bathroom and his bedroom, the door to the laundry room was wide open and she is the only person that ever goes in there. Even more troubling was the cold draft that skid past her as the back door connected to the laundry room was wide open. The darkness that enveloped every room continued out the back door, all she could hear was the crash of thunder outside and the pitter-patter of raindrops hitting her rooftop. The cold air began to make her shiver, but nothing compared to that of the silhouette she saw outside of the door. It was painfully clear something was standing there menacingly, with each strike of lightning she could see it there for a moment, and strapped over its massive shoulders was James. She felt the air escape her lungs when she noticed the silhouette was dripping blood from its mouth, and James was bleeding out from his side. She swore she heard the monster growling like a feral beast. She began to make out its features more and more. It had the likeness of a human, but something was missing. It had hair, muscle, and a structure unlike any man. It had claws protruding out from where it should have knuckles.

Bravely, she stepped forward and became even more startled once the power came back and the monster outside her door became more into focus in the light. She could feel her heart beating out of her chest. A mother’s instincts took over and all she wanted was for James to be safe. She saw him beginning to wake up, he was okay but still hurt. James began to panic which in turn made the monster turn his attention from Lana to his escape. Lana let out a primal scream of her own as she reached for a baseball bat to her side in the laundry room, usually reserved for scaring off foxes that would sometimes get far too close to their home. Being backed into the woods that continued on for far too long, they were subjected to all kinds of creatures, but this was no creature. She was faced with pure evil. She put all of her power into one swing straight for the monster's face and connected. It let out a whimper, surprised by the power behind the swing and roared so loud that Lana and James’ ears cringed as if someone was running their nails on a chalkboard.

The monster took off toward the woods with Lana giving chase ready to take more swings at the faceless monster. She kept thinking about saving James, without caring about what would happen to her, but the monster’s face couldn’t escape her mind. The whole monster’s body was terrifying, brutal and visceral but it’s face had no immediately recognizable features. It was blank if anything. Pale eyes, missing a mouth and a nose. What kind of creature has been living in these woods, she kept thinking.

The two were now in the monster’s home territory, the endless expanse that was the woods, adding insult to injury, the storm had continued to get worse and she couldn’t make out anything between the rain and the darkness. All she had aiding her was the occasion; lightning strikes that provided light. Whenever it would hit she would notice the monster fleeing and continue along that path. Eventually, the monster came to a stop and laid a crying James down at its side and stood at a halt facing Lana. Lana’s fears were all absent now and her only goal was saving the only thing that mattered to her in her life. She had become just as feral as the monster itself.

“You choose the wrong family.” Lana whimpered, her tears were replaced by an intense resolve.

The two attacked one another, the monster had his claws at the ready and Lana had her baseball bat. Not the most even of circumstances, but the monster even knew the way of the wild. A mother backed into a corner fending for her own is unlike anything else. Lana landed another powerful swing across the monster’s face that let out another groan. The monster returned a strike to her side, drawing blood, similar to the cut on James’ side.

“I’m scared, Mom!” James cried out. Lana acknowledged him but her focus remained on her foe.

Lana let out another yell to help deal with the pain from the strike to her ribs, but with it she delivered another blow to the monster. This time she connected with its tall but skinny legs causing it to fall on its back. It whimpered in pain and began to hear something unfamiliar in the distance and it was getting closer. Police sirens echoed through the brisk winter air, the red and blue lights from their cop cars were close by. Lana noticed and thought that her neighbors must have heard some of the noises coming from the two. She let out a smile and began to wail harder and harder with the baseball into the monster’s abdomen until she had nothing left. The monster curled up into a ball and struggled to breathe after the beating it had endured. Lana, also struggling to breathe, dropped her baseball bat to the ground and stood victorious over the beast. She gathered whatever strength she had left as adrenaline that was flowing through her veins was now absent and picked up her son.

“It’s okay, I’ve got you. It’s all going to be okay.” Lana spoke softly to her son as she carried him out of the woods and back to their house. The police had pulled into her driveway and officers began to run toward them.

Lana felt a sense of relief seeing the officers run toward them, knowing this ordeal was over as she truly was terrified for her and James’ life. She smiled and continued to take deep breaths over and over. Her smile began to fade slowly when the officers began to draw their weapons and aimed straight for her.

“What are you doing? We didn’t do anything wrong!” Lana pleaded and yelled toward the officers. She couldn’t make out what they were saying in return as they were yelling back at her but over the storm and sirens, she couldn’t hear them.

Through the commotion, she finally heard, “Get down!” She rushed to the ground, covering James with her own body, and in her mind began to pray. Her eyes were fixated on the night sky, all the stars and rain peering back at her. It was as if time had come to a standstill as she heard the growls of the monster and gunshots. In a last-ditch effort, the monster tried to attack Lana and James but was saved by the officers that arrived at the scene. The monster crashed back down to the ground and lay lifeless, riddled with bullet holes. Despite this, a few officers still in shock walked up to it and continued to fire the remaining bullets in their magazine into the monster's empty face.

“What the fuck was that thing?” One officer muttered as he continued to fire his gun in pure confusion, even though it was empty.

“Hell.” Lana responded softly as she lay on the wet grass with her son at her side and waited for help. The two were exhausted but thrilled more than ever to be alive and have each other by their side. The bond between mother and son had never been stronger than at that moment. Lana reached out to James and held his hand and leaned over to kiss him on his cheek.

“Merry Christmas.” James chuckled softly. The two smiled at one another as the storm came to an end.

fiction
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About the Creator

Nick Cavuoti

An avid movie watcher, and I have been writing short stories and novels on the side for years now. Hoping to hone my craft here on Vocal!

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