A debt of blood and lies

 

The phone rang incessantly as Alice tried to do her chores, the floors were already scrubbed twice and she eyed her clothes on the line unsure if they were dry or not. The weather was pleasant outside but she was scared the wind might pick up and blow the clothes away, the stew she was making for dinner bubbled away in its pot but she was nervous. The phone was off bounds for her and if Bud found out she picked it up he would beat her, he was the local muscle and repairman so he was never much at home, and this brought a shudder from within her. Still after an hour of ringing the phone stopped and she let out a sigh of relief, then it started again. This time it felt like it was louder, Alice could no longer stand it and walked over to the phone and picked up the receiver and listened.

There was no voice on the other end, still listening the sound on the other side was that of someone near a lake as the sound of water passing by was evident. She did not say anything for a moment more and just as she was about to replace the receiver a voice spoke. “Bud isn’t around so why did you take so long Alice?”

Alice was startled by this, she stammered “wh… who is this. Bud will not like it when I tell him someone was asking about me.”

“Bud will be even more angry that you picked the phone at all. You know what happened when you picked it last time hmm?”

Alice was shaking now and tears were streaming down her face, the room was suddenly as hot as the oven. Sweat was also pouring down her face, she was scared.

“I don’t want to scare you Alice, I am a friend. I can help you if you can help me. I just need one thing and you will have peace. What do you say Alice, one favour for another and Bud will never be a problem again.”

“What… what do you want. I don’t have anything.”

“I know that, your father was a poor man and owed Bud’s father a little that cost you your life Alice. Here is where you get it back and all you need to do is leave a door unlocked at night. I know it’s a small thing but small things matter in this world. Nothing will happen to you so don’t you worry your little head.”

Alice did not know what to say but knew that Bud religiously checked the locks every night before they went to sleep. He did not even allow the windows to be opened saying that there was sickness in the night. “Bud checks everything at night before we sleep..”

“That’s not the door I want, there is small latch on the cellar door that can easily come loose if you know what to do.”

Alice remembered that the lock on the cellar door was faulty and Bud never bothered to fix that despite it being his main job. She mentioned it once and received a slap as reply, after that she never bothered. She nodded in reply then realised she was on the phone and said she will do that. The line went dead and she replaced the receiver and cleaned the phone before going about the rest of the chores for the day. Bud was late that night, the food she made was left cold and when she saw his car quickly tried to warm the food, he walked into the house and began shouting for his food. She put some on a plate and placed on the table, Bud had gone to the toilet so it her gave a minute to prepare. She managed to plate the hot food on the table and other things he wanted. As he sat Bud stared at the plate in front of him, the food was hot and the steam rising let him know, still he got up and walked to Alice who sat in her customary chair at the entrance to the kitchen. He looked down at her, Alice kept her head low and steeled herself, raising a hand he brought it down on her face giving her a slap forcing her off the chair.

“The fu… fucking food is too hot woman! You should know the right temperature I like my food. Next time it will not be a slap but a punch you hear me, you good for nothing woman. I provide… I provide you with a roof and… and….”

Bud was drunk and his words were failing him now, he turned and walked to the front door and locked it, he then began to walk around the house check everything like a machine. Alice remained on the floor waiting for her queue to take the food and dispose it. This was her usual night unless he felt the itch and it was worse as he would bite, slap and hit her in the act of what he said was real love. As she waited for him to enter the bedroom she sat there with the anger within her welling up, she hated this life which she had no real choices. There were times she wanted to kill herself but the act made her think of her siblings and she stopped, their lives would be much worse off if she died as another sister would be forced to marry this beast to pay off the debt.

She heard the bed creaking and then the light switch off, the room was on the first floor. Slowly getting up she cleared the table and washed all the utensils as quietly as she could then left the food in the garbage bag, wiping her hands she remembered the bargain the voice made and she decided to act on it. Enough was enough and she needed to be free of this man. Slowly walking to the stairs she listened to the telltale snores of Bud to try and open the basement door. It did not creak but there was still a chance he would wake up and call for her, once opened she checked the stairs that led down to the cellar. She made sure to clean the cellar once a week as it would be another reason she would beaten. Taking each step as quietly as possible she made her way down and once there she darted to the cellar door and checked the latch, it was tight so she loosened it and made sure it would come off when pulled. Taking a minute longer to confirm she made her way to the stairs and climbed them, at the top she stopped to listen and let out another silent breath as the snores were still coming through.

She closed the door and made her way up switching off the lights and lay down on the floor next to the bed, it was a carpet that barely kept her warm in the cold but it was all she was given to sleep on. Tears came out freely as she remembered sharing her bed with her younger sister and how they would cuddle up when it was cold, those memories were like ash in the wind, the would float in and out of her mind but that was all she had in this life.

Alice slept soundly that night and as the winds howled outside that night, Bud woke to hear a voice calling him and he knew that voice well and it was the same that called to his father. It was the voice that came to his father the night he disappeared, the same night he was with him hunting for gators. Bud got up and looked around, he saw Alice still curled up on her rug, he hated her but right now that voice was more important. He stood up and checked for his shotgun, it sat where it always did, next to the bed. Picking it up he checked for ammo and then cocked it, he turned to check where the voice was coming from. He knew he checked every window like he always did, nothing was left open. Alice was too dumb to tamper with the locks and he had drilled into her head never to open the windows or doors at night.

Walking out the bedroom he was assaulted with the smell of rotten meat, the kind of smell he would get in the swamps. He turned to check on Alice and she hadn’t moved a muscle, he hated her real bad but that can wait. Looking down the stairs he saw nothing, there was a little light but not enough to illuminate the house, he picked up his flashlight from the closet and started checking the house. There was only the room and attic, which was boarded up and inaccessible so that left the downstairs. Walking down the stairs sweat started pouring down, the voice returned and he stopped to check where it came from. Nothing, the voice felt like it was coming from everywhere so he continued his decline and kept the shotgun pointed. He wanted to make sure he had the advantage, at the bottom he turned to the right which led to the living room. There was nothing, then to the dinner room, again nothing. He then checked the kitchen, it was empty so all that was left was the cellar. He hated going down there but now he had no choice as the voice called out to him, his real name was Joshua and this voice knew it. Everyone called him Bud because his father called him that, this voice was taunting him with his christened name and he was getting angry with every step, if it was nothing then Alice will have a few more belt marks on her back in the morning.

He opened the door of the cellar and just as he did the smell of the swamp returned in force momentarily forcing him to take step back. He switched on the light and the stairs were illuminated and so was the rest of the cellar, he checked and took a step forward then another. As he reached the bottom he looked around and everything looked in order, Alice was told to make sure the cellar was spotless unless she wanted a broken foot as punishment. He walked over to a pile of old furniture which was covered with an old bed cover and he lifted it to check and just as he did that the lights went out.

“Joshua Burneside, your grandfather struck a bargain with us and now finally your time has come to deliver. Stand and deliver the blood promised, no more hiding behind the trinkets your father hid behind.” The voice sounded like sandpaper being pushed over wood making Bud’s throat hurt.

“That… that was his bargain witch, I had nothing to do with it. I am not beholden to your evil.”

“Evil you say, your grandfather whiped and killed hundreds, while your father killed and fed the gators of the swamp. You squandered generations of wealth on drink and cards, what makes you different Joshua. You killed your brother when he asked for his part and then fed him to the gators like your father, how about the time you killed the family of Alice when they asked for their girl back?”

“SHUT UP!!!” roared Bud at the dark, he turned to try find the voice. He was scared and it could be seen by the sweat on his back and face, he wanted to run out of this cellar but it was too dark and his flashlight was not working now. Knocking the flashlight a few time it flickered to life then died. Bud tried to grope his way to the stairs, he wanted to run but he did not know what direction to go in the absolute darkness.

“You lied to her when she asked where her family went to, you lied to the authorities when they asked about your brother. Thief, murderer and liar that is what you are Joshua Burneside. Time to pay in blood.”

The flashlight came on and Bud raised it find his way and just as he raised it Bud dropped it, in front of him stood an old woman. The light showed a corpse that was old, older than the land, the skin had darkened to the colour of the night and her eyes were just holes. The skin around the mouth had receded to reveal her blackened teeth giving her a hellish grin. She opened her mouth to let out the old dust and she spoke, “time is up Joshua.” With that she raised her hand and some thing shot forward from her shrivelled palm and entered Bus mouth just as he tried to scream. The root like appendage was forcing its way to his stomach and Bud could feel it rip his insides and the pain that came made him shake in agony. He was in complete panic and the pain was making it worse, he mind was racing in every direction as the darkness was slowly taking over his vision. The thing in his body was ripping him apart from the inside and he could feel each and every rip, there was blood flowing from his mouth and noose. His breathing was coming out in ragged breaths and plumes of red mist. The vision turned from red to black and Bud finally passed out from the pain and then just like a candle in a hurricane he died.

In the morning Alice was woken by a loud banging coming from the front door, it was someone calling her name. She got up from her rug and looked at the bed, Bud wasn’t in it. Maybe he was already downstairs, she got up and walked to the stairs and saw he wasn’t down either so she rushed down to find out who it was. Opening the door relieved it was the Sheriff, he stood there with his hat in one hand. “Ms. Alice, sorry to bother you. Its about your family, we found them in the swamp. I am sorry.”