Good afternoon, House of Madness lurkers:
Evil lurks everywhere, and while you don't want to feed it, it's just as important not to take it for granted, for that's when it thrives. I hope you enjoy this one, I wrote it last night at 3a.m. as I couldn't sleep. Maybe the eyes were on me too........
Eyes
Ever since he can remember, Caleb Murphy had been dealing with those eyes outside his window every single night without fail. Not just any eyes, or simply the feeling that he was being watched either - he wished; no, the eyes that menaced Caleb were piercingly red eyes that seemed to gaze at him from the trees beyond his backyard, and they followed his stare wherever he looked from, impossibly aware of his every waking movement. It wasn't as simple as just moving away, forgetting the burning eyeballs invading his psyche every night either, as these eyes have always been there, as long as Caleb can remember; even as a young boy whose childhood home was thousands of miles away.
"Yes Mr. Hannigan, I'll be right there sir", Caleb said as he hung up the phone and hurriedly got dressed for work. This marks three days in a row, and ten out of the last fifteen he had been late for work. "Those fucking eyes!" Caleb screamed at his bedroom mirror, "Why can't they just leave me the fuck alone!?" he cried. Making another appointment with his psychiatrist seemed inevitable at this point, but Caleb hated shrinks, especially Dr. Potsdam who he knew didn't believe him and thought him nothing but a crazed lunatic that sees things that aren't there. "BUT THEY ARE THERE! THEY'VE ALWAYS BEEN THERE!" Caleb shouted once more in frustration before he put his shoes on and headed out to work, where he stocked shelves and recommended hammers to wannabe handymen at Hannigan's Hardware.
"I'm sorry Mr. Hannigan, I'm not being late on purpose, I swear……" Caleb began, but was swiftly calmed by Mr. Hannigan waving his hand and telling him not to worry. Mr. Hannigan always called Caleb a good boy, and considering Caleb had been working for Mr. Hannigan for over twenty years, he supposed he was a good boy in one sense or another. Caleb had always struggled through every facet of life - from elementary school right through to the end of high school, as it's hard to concentrate with those goddamn eyes peering not just at him, but through him night after night after night. Any time he tried to show them to someone else, he would end up sounding and looking like a lunatic to them, although the eyes were right there in front of them for all to see. It's not just that there are eyes which stare at Caleb on a nightly basis, no, it's much more sinister and complex than that. If Caleb is watching TV, reading a book, doing housework, or anything in the nightly hours, those eyes stare at him, and he can feel their presence burrowing into his soul, trying their damndest to drive him mad. Tonight was gonna be different though, and even though Caleb had tried other methods to rid himself of this nightmare, there had to be some way to make it end.
Caleb had tried cutting down trees, hanging up blockades, or even painting the windows midnight black, but still those horrid eyes would find their way in, laughing but not laughing as Caleb slowly slid down the realm of madness, where those hideous eyes had plans for him. But what was their plan? This question is what haunted Caleb every single night as he stared at the red circles of evil, waiting for them to pounce, or put into action a plan so fierce, he couldn't comprehend it. Yet here he lies, a 33 year old man just trying to get by as a set of red ancient eyes most suredly have something in store for him, yet the unknowing as to why is what scared Caleb the most. Why him? Why have they always been there? Why haven't they come for him after all these years? Tonight Caleb would get his answers, and all of this ends one way or another.
"I've had enough of your bullshit!" Caleb screamed out the window at the eyes in the forest. "As of this moment, I will pay you no attention, give you nary a glimpse, or tremble in fear as I try to fall asleep. You don't scare me anymore, EYES!" Caleb yelled, with just a hint of a tremble in his voice, which he tried to disguise by flipping the eyes double birds before looking away…..for the last time. As Caleb turned his back to the window, the intensity of the eyes had never felt stronger, almost as if they weren't looking at him, but through him. As Caleb lay down in his bed, and closed his eyes in search of sleep far away from the nightmare he'd been living for decades, the eyes were suddenly upon him, and Caleb screamed and screamed, until he finally screamed himself to death.
"Damndest thing I ever seen" said the coroner to Detective Morris. "Why's that?" Morris asked with a confused rise of his eyebrow. "Well for starters, I don't remember Caleb having red eyes, but I'll be goddamned if these aren't the eyes of the Devil himself." "Hahahahaha, the Devil himself" Detective Morris chuckled, but as he looked into those eyes he couldn't help but notice that they were the same eyes he'd seen in his backyard last night, and the night before that, and the night before that, and the…….
NB
