Infested, Page 2

"I told you they they're still up," she said to the tall and dark outline behind her. "We can't go out yet."

  Then she returned to bed and waited.

  4

  SUE CAME DOWN EARLY that morning after a quick shower feeling very refreshed. She was going to prepare breakfast. She felt slightly sore and her hips felt a little strained but a silly smile crossed her face while remembering the pounding she took the night before.

  No one stirred in the house yet, although the sun was up. Susan was glad they moved into the house this time of the year. School was out and enrollment wasn't until the twenty-ninth of July which would be three weeks away. They all had time to cozy up and familiarize themselves with the house and the surroundings.

  Because the house was new, the faint smell of paint and wood still hung in the air, even more so in the morning. She took a deep breath while closing her eyes. She took in the sounds of the birds nearby, no doubt perched on the trees that surrounded the house. She loved the sound. It kept the smile on her face until she spied Jim from the corner of her eye as soon as she reached the living room.

  He was on the couch, asleep. Susan decided to go to her husband first and stood behind the backrest of the couch where her husband slept. He usually did this when he felt he had too much to drink the night before, and she remembered him sway a bit when he was leaving their room last night. She chuckled as she saw Jim's raised chin, the back of his head resting on the top of the backrest, and his mouth wide open.

  "Mmm, good morning, love," she said as she bent forward and hugged her husband's neck, kissing it as he woke up.

  "Uh, hi," he replied, still dazed. "What time is it?"

  "It's still early," said Sue, pelting Jim's cheeks with kisses, "I enjoyed what you did last night sooo much," she whispered.

  Jim raised his eyebrows sleepily, a slow smile spreading on his face as he, too, remembered. "Well, if you enjoyed it that much and it's still early..." He let his statement hang, looking around to emphasize his point.

  "That would be perfect," Susan replied, bending over further and reaching towards his pants, sneaking her hand inside it, and rubbing him from there, "But the kids are gonna be up soon."

  "We can do it fast," he answered, throwing his hands over his head to embrace his wife's neck, "Hell, we can do it here!"

  "Oh, stop it," she said as she removed her hand then slapping him on the chest, "We can have that later. Now go up there, take a shower, and breakfast should be ready by the time you get back down."

  "Come on, Babe, we still have the house to ourselves," said Jim, reaching farther back trying to cop a feel.

  "Go!" she squealed as she wriggled away from his grasp, "And don't you come back if you haven't showered yet."

  Sue quickly headed for the kitchen, Jim's grumbling following her all the way. She knew how her husband was always horny. She quickly grabbed a frying pan and proceeded to get ingredients from the fridge. Checking on her husband, she saw him enthusiastically humping the armrest of the couch with a ridiculous expression painted on his face.

  "James Lennox Miller!" she pretended to admonish him, "You are disgusting! Haul your butt upstairs and get clean. Now!"

  Jim put on a sad expression and rubbed his closed fists against his eyes as he headed for the stairs. Susan shook her head, silently laughing at her husband's antics and proceeded to cook.

  Jim headed straight for the bathroom, half awake, half asleep. It was still early indeed, seven in the morning. Normally, this would have been a reason for him to hurry up. Changes on the job however, with servicing and outfitting of new tech on the company's trucks still underway, he was left with a six-week break. It was supposed to be just two weeks but with the move, he had requested more time. The request was granted outright. It couldn't have come at a better time.

  Jim stood under the shower for a while, just thinking.

  The tiles, some of the few non-wood components of the house, were cold. He still felt sleepy. He held his penis and peed on tiled floor, a gesture that would have earned the wrath of Sue, had she seen it. But she wasn't there, was he?

  Then he noticed something.

  As his hand grabbed his limp member, he felt a light soreness on the skin. He looked down. He saw a few streaks of reddish-brown color on the sides and base of his manhood. He wondered just how intense their lovemaking was as he turned the shower on. Smiling and humming out a tune, he continued to shower as he thought that a perfect day had begun.

  5

  MORE THAN HALF AN HOUR had passed but no one had come down yet. Sue was almost finished preparing breakfast. Scrambled eggs, toasted bread, and veggie bacon were on the menu. An assortment of spreads was already on the table. Once the cooking was done, Sue went over to the coffee maker to brew fresh coffee for her and Jim.

  Sue sat down on one of the chairs by the dining table facing the window while she waited. Her mind began to wander as she looked at the trees, their leaves peacefully obeying the command of the breeze that swept from the river behind their house. The early sun streaked through the window opposite her, its rays falling on the table, lending a yellowish tint to the dark brown wooden surface.

  She felt someone pass behind her, the small shadow falling on the edge of the table opposite her.

  "Good morning, honey. Where are you going?"

  The coffee maker sounded off. Sue got up, approached it and turned it off.

  "I'm just going to check on the flowers, Mom," came the reply, followed by the opening and shutting of the back door.

  Since they moved in, Faith had shown interest in the ornamental plants that they kept in pots and flower boxes outside the house. That was a relief to her. At least Faith had something that would keep her busy. Jenna would prove to be challenging, she was sure of it. Cable had not yet been installed and even worse, there wasn't an Internet provider that was willing to come out to this side of town. The only internet they got was from their cellphones and the coverage was shitty at best. They were still working on getting a hard line for a phone. The provider hinted that if they wanted to, they'd have to pay for the additional length of telephone line that would lead to their house from the nearest pole. Right now, that would cause a serious dent to the remaining savings that they got so they were hoping they would find another option soon.

  She turned around, bringing with her two mugs of coffee and setting them on the table. "Jim, come down now! Breakfast is waiting," she called out. The dining table was opposite the stairs and she knew that, as long as the door to their room was the least bit open, Jim would hear her.

  A flock of birds outside passed, momentarily casting their shadows against the table and the floor. A sickening feeling in her stomach almost made her lurch as she remembered.

  The shadow her daughter had casted before she went out was against the light!

  Sue raced towards the back door. She looked at the flower boxes -- Faith was not there. She ran to the sides, one after the other and did not see her daughter. Then her eyes fell on the wooden walkway to the river.

  She ran.

  "Faith! Baby!" she shouted as she neared the walkway.

  Once there, her panic worsened. There no sign of her daughter and the water was undisturbed. She walked in circles and paced the walkway thinking where her daughter might have gone. The woods? No? Where?

  She felt she needed to keep moving. Susan raced back to the house, entered the back door, and screamed for her husband. "Jim! JIIIIMM!" She cleared the kitchen and she immediately went for the stairs, intending to storm their room to get her husband.

  She froze halfway up. A volatile mix of emotions threatened to overwhelm her as she met Jim, who was carrying a sleepy looking Faith in his arms. Their puzzled expressions almost made her laugh except she was still gripped by her terror. Oh God. She couldn't believe she had thought that Her youngest child might have drowned!

  "Honey, are you alright?" asked Jim, his concern and bewilderment showing in his tone.

  Susan did not answer, could no
t answer. She was immensely relieved that Faith was safe. But she was still paralyzed as she heard Faith's little voice in her head.

  "I'm just going to check on the flowers, Mom!"

  Who was it then? Whose shadow passed the edge of the table and made noise in the kitchen before going out?

  Had she gone crazy?

  6

  "IT'S NOTHING. It's silly, really," said Sue as she tried to calm her husband who was genuinely spooked by her panic earlier.

  The couple and their little girl sat across each from other at the dining table with both pair of their eyes on Susan. She wanted to pacify her husband's curiosity but how could she explain what had happened. Most of all, she did not want to scare her daughter.

  Sue thought that she might have just imagined it all, but the back door was already open when she ran out and she did not do it. Who did?

  "You did lock the doors yourself last night, right?" she asked her husband.

  "Yeah. I mean, you were still wiping the plates when I locked the backdoor, remember?"

  "I know, Hon. Like I said, it just silly," she said, smiling at Faith.

  The look on her husband's face told her he did not buy it, but he nodded. She knew he knew that she wasn't sure but was not willing to press it just yet with their daughter there.

  "Alright then, let's eat!" Jim announced, focusing his attention on the food that his wife prepared for them, "Here's for you, sweetie. Scrambled eggs, toast, your favorite spreads and ugh, what's that?"

  Susan's attention was effectively torn away from her worries at Jim's reaction to something. She saw what he was referring to and managed a smile.

  "Faith, baby," he said to his daughter. "What is this?"

  "I don't know, Daddy," replied the little girl, her focus also diverted. "Mommy? What is that?"

  "Yeah, Mommy, what is that? Fried cartons?" asked Jim before she could answer.

  "Oh, shut up, that's healthy food," she said, glaring at her husband. "This is good for you, honey," this time addressing the little girl.

  "Ewww, is this some kind of weird alien food from Mars?" continued Jim.

  The little girl was amused by her father's antics and went along with him.

  "Don't listen to your father. That's what happens when you eat too much unhealthy food," Susan said, placing three crisp veggie bacons on her daughter's plate. "This is veggie bacon. It's bacon made of vegetables!"

  The faked enthusiasm in her voice did not connect with the tough crowd. Daughter and father exchanged glances and laughed, the little girl throwing her head back in delight.

  "But pigs are not vegetables, Mommy," said Jim, mimicking his daughter's voice.

  The little girl squealed in glee. Sue did not respond. Instead, to prove her point, she took a slice of it and bit down, exaggerating her facial expressions to emphasize the crunch.

  "It's not bacon, but it looks like bacon. It's as crispy as bacon. Hmm, what shall we call it?" asked Jim, pretending to muse over it, "Oh, I know, its Facon! The fake bacon!"

  "Facon!" echoed the little girl, laughing.

  Susan shook her head. Usually, she would be irritated at this point. She didn't tolerate silly behavior in the table; but not this day. This day, Jim came to her rescue. The concern dropped from her daughter's face and was replaced with a glowing happiness over something as simple as Facon. The trio proceeded to eat their breakfast and was happily doing so until the chilling screams from upstairs erupted.

  It was Jenna.

  7

  JIM WAS FIRST to go. He sped from the dining table to the stairs and up like a piston. Susan followed close behind, leaving Faith plastered on her seat.

  Something caught Jim's eyes as he passed Faith's room. He had gone a few steps forward but whatever he saw in the periphery of his vision was enough to make him turn back. Sue was just turning from the stairs when he reached Faith's door. As soon as he stepped in, the hairs on his hands and nape stood up.

  He walked in measured steps, meticulously scanning the entire room for anything that could justify his actions.

  There was nothing. The windows were shut and locked, the entire room was clean. Nothing was amiss.

  But a second before, he thought he saw the whole room in shambles, with the bed upside down, and every single thing either broken or scattered.

  He felt stupid at being scared because he was imagining things. He had goose bumps all over his body. He rubbed his forearms as he exited his daughter's room. Sue gave him a quizzical look.

  "What is it?" she asked.

  Jim just shrugged his shoulders and hurriedly went to Jenna's room. Sue and Faith, who had also followed, were behind him.

  "Jenna?" he called as he opened the door.

  No answer. The room was quiet. His eyes immediately found the bed. In it was Jenna, under the covers, shaking. He hastily went towards Jenna's bed, his hand reaching out to touch her face. "Jen-"

  No sooner had his hand touched his daughter's face that Jenna bolted upright and pushed her back against the wall, a look of deep fear etched in her eyes. She stared at the far side of the room, then to her father, then to another side as if she was wary of something... something that brought her such fear.

  "Baby, what's wrong?" asked Jim, trying to divert her daughter's attention. "It's Dad, baby. What's wrong?"

  "Mommy. Mommy. Mommy. Mommy." Jenna kept repeating, her eyes still darting from one place to another.

  "Honey, it's me," Jim repeated, reaching out to hold her daughter.

  "MOMMY!" Jenna screamed, eyes closed, as her father's hand touched her skin, making Jim pull back once more.

  "I'm here, baby, I'm here. Mommy's here," said Sue in a reassuring manner, zeroing in on her daughter.

  "MOMMY!" Jenna screamed repeatedly.

  "I'm here, baby," said Sue, grabbing her daughter by the shoulders and pulling Jenna into her arms.

  Jenna fought, trying to break away from her mother's embrace, still calling out to her mother. Sue kept reassuring her daughter over and over. She was already scared too much, too. What was happening now?

  She choked. As soon as she stopped talking to her, Jenna raised her head and gazed at her mother's eyes.

  "Mommy?" Jenna asked, her eyes squinting, as if she did not believe what she was seeing.

  "Yes, it's me, dear. Mommy's here," Sue replied, touching both sides of Jenna's face.

  Jenna took a look at the surroundings as if she was seeing it for the first time, then looked at Jim, gazed back to Sue, and fainted. Jim had soon noticed that the bed was wet -- not damp, but wet. The mattress where Jenna was specially lying was soaked. Even the pillow was wet. It was as if she had perspired the entire night or someone dumped a pail of water on the bed because there was no smell of urine. Jenna hadn't wet her bed. But where did the water came from? Jenna was perspiring but it was impossible this was all sweat.

  Sue also discovered that her daughter was very hot, caused by a fever that was raging. Fearing the signs of convulsion, Sue ran down to get a basin. She filled it with water, grabbed some face towels, and raced back up.

  Jenna was delirious, murmuring unintelligible words in her delirium. She was shaking uncontrollably. Every time she exhaled, her body shook even stronger. Husband and wife speedily tried to give their daughter a cold sponge bath, Jim on the face and hands, Sue on the body and feet until finally, the fever went down. Then they changed the pillows and the blankets on the bed and brought the wet ones down.

  If even Jenna knew what was going on around her, she gave no indication.

  8

  WITH SUSAN TENDING to the sick child, Jim was left to tend to other matters in the house and to keep an eye on Faith. He was tuned to what's happening on the upper storey of the house, though, just in case Jenna's fever went up again and they had to bring Jenna to the hospital.

  Jim was worried the little child would be affected by the events that transpired in the morning. Thankfully, after assurances and diversion, Faith seemed to have shrugged it all of
f pretty well. The little girl was even able to finish her breakfast.

  Jim prepared lunch, making do with what little cooking prowess to come up with a decent meal. Faith ate with gusto while she and her dad watched some cartoons. Sue never allowed eating while watching TV. Snacks were okay, but full meals were not. But since mommy was busy, the little girl enjoyed the small lapse in routine with her father.

  He brought Sue's share up when his wife did not come down. He had already brought Jenna's soup because the older girl had no appetite for solid food. Afterwards, he sat with Faith for more silly cartoons. It was close to three in the afternoon when he went to the kitchen to prepare the ingredients for dinner while keeping his daughter within his view. Faith didn't mind. She was absorbed with television and her Barbie dolls, her voice as she made up dialogues for both dolls mingling with the sound of music and cartoon characters on the TV. Besides, her father could see her where he worked because the kitchen had a view of the living room and the dining area. Everything was in order.

  Jim was able to finish prepping the meat he wanted to deep fry later. As he started preparing spices for another dish, he looked up to see what Faith was up to. The little girl had been silent for the last few minutes. Seeing his daughter still absorbed with the program, Jim continued to slice the shallots into fine squares.

  Then Jim suddenly stopped.

  It took him a split second to realize what made him stop and once he did, Jim looked in his daughter's direction. She was still intently watching, the sound from the TV was still droning on.

  It was the images that made him look again.

  It was porn. Hardcore, disgusting, porn. Jim blinked several times just to make sure he wasn't imagining things. Because it was just impossible! They had no cable, the DVD player was not hooked up, and they only got broadcast channels!

  But there it was, despite the occasional white noise, gory porn was showing on Live TV! It depicted a couple fucking with abandon, like crazed demons undulating while blood poured on them in abundance!