It Happened in the Night Ch. 04

Thanks to Mistresslynn for her editing and support!

CHAPTER 4: BLAZE

He had to see her alive with his own eyes one last time whether he lived or died because of it. The knob felt icy in his grip as he opened the door, revealing a silhouetted figure beyond. Sweat pouring from his brow, his eyes rose to meet hers in an uncertain stare.

"I've been waiting for you Brian, waiting to fulfill your fantasies. Aren't you going to invite me in?"

As she said those final words, Brian could almost feel an invisible barrier blocking the doorway. It was some sort of metaphysical last line of defense. He realized it wasn't too late to turn back, not yet. He peered into the icy blue depths of her eyes that sunk into her head like an abyss of nothingness. Could he simply turn his back on her now and walk away, back into the room? No. He had to know for sure if she was dead inside.

"What are you waiting for Brian; it's rude to keep a guest waiting." There was a sinister undertone in her voice that she'd managed to keep hidden since the first night she came back. Her arms reached out to him, for him to hold her close. His body longed to feel her soft skin and her delicate breath licking against him. He'd made his choice and there was no turning back.

"Of course my dear, come in."

She crossed the threshold, dispelling the invisible barrier between them, leaving them one on one. He could see from the dim lantern light that the week's worth of slow decay still marred her skin, but somehow it seemed to radiate with an inner glow despite the imperfections on the surface.

"I can feel your heat, Brian, and smell the sweet scent of your sex from here. All that pent up energy trapped inside your body."

She slowly advanced on Brian with far more aggression than he was expecting. Actually, he had no idea in that moment what he had been expecting. He was lost in an epic battle between his basic need for survival and his equally primal need for sex and intimacy. His cock was standing at attention, clearly indicating which side of the battle it was on.

Brian's mind was a maelstrom of indecision as he backed up further and further until he felt the softness of his bed pressing into the back of his legs. "Wh ... what's your hurry? I thought we could maybe talk a bit first," Brian stammered, trying to maintain the thin veneer of composure that he was certain was transparent.

She flashed him a sardonic smile, delighting in his discomfort. "Okay, what would you like to chat about? I know everything there is to know about our lives together. How you like to be touched, teased and all those kinky things you wanted to try but could never tell me. The little dark secrets that nobody could ever know, I know them all. Guilty pleasures you could never ask a woman to give you. I can offer you those and so much more."

The look of shock on Brian's face prodded her onward. Her hands reached out, touched his face and ran down his defined chest, tracing lines over his thin T-shirt. "My, my, you've been working out, Brian. I didn't realize how well built you are. This is going to be more fun than I imagined. Especially this," she added, reaching down to stroke his full erection through the fabric of his track pants.

Brian's mouth tried to form a response, something to get her to back off for a minute to let him regain some control. He was losing all levels of self-control. It was too much to handle after the trauma of the last week. She seemed so much like his wife and this felt too good to be true. All he could do was stifle a moan as she stroked him.

"You like that big boy. Touch me. I can feel your lust. Reach out and touch me like you want to. Don't hold back, give it to me."

Almost against his own will, Brian's hands snaked out and grabbed her medium sized breasts, tweaking the nipples through her thin shirt, that was quickly discarded. Not even the musky smell of dirt and mildew could deter his lust. Her breasts were softer than he remembered or ever imagined was possible. The skin was a silky texture with a granite-like coldness under the surface.

She urged him on, reaching under his pants and tugging on his bare cock. The heat was building up deep inside him, trying to escape. Her vice-like grip acted as a tourniquet, preventing him from erupting. His fingers tore at her skin and the harder he pulled or pinched, the more she responded to him. They became more emphatic as his control slipped through his fingers. The only thing he could think to do was to mumble, "What's your name?"

"What?"

"What's your name? I'm not used to fucking someone without knowing their name first. That's rude."

She stopped touching him for a minute and stepped back to look into his eyes with a cold stare. "Just call me Karen, it's easier that way."

"I never do things the easy way. You should know that. What's your real name?"

"I was once called Leilandra. But that was a long time ago."

"That's a beautiful name. What happened?"

"I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you." Brian looked into the dark depths of her eyes and his entire body shuddered hearing her answer because he could see it was the truth.

"Where are you from? You're clearly not human."

"None of that matters now. All that's important is releasing your inner energy. Lay down and I'll make you feel like you've never felt before."

With an urgency born from fear, lust and idle curiosity, he laid on his back in the middle of the bed with his legs spread apart and waited. She whisked his pants down over his legs and onto the floor in a fluid motion that released his cock with a hard smacking sound against his belly. Without wasting any time, her fingers danced along the base of his rigid shaft like fine tendrils.

Her other hand crept down between his legs, caressing his sac and to the sensitive area below. The softness of her hands was incredible, and Brian couldn't help but think of how soft her inner core of wetness must feel. Pleasure overwhelmed his guilt in submitting to her as he pressed back into the bed and moaned.

He was startled out of his revelry when he felt a finger tickle the bud of his asshole.

"You've waited years for a woman to do that to you, haven't you Brian? All those times when your wife was between your legs sucking you, you silently pleaded for her to touch you there, to feel that forbidden dirty pleasure. "

"Yes. Please touch me."

The finger penetrated deeper into his ass, causing him to wiggle against her, as her mouth descended upon his slavering cock. She took it into her mouth and slammed it down her throat to what Brian felt was an impossible depth, as if she was swallowing his entire body. The sensations her mouth produced were beyond anything he had ever felt before. It made the hairs on his body stand up as if she'd administered an electric shock.

The grip around his cock tightened like a noose. Her finger was all the way inside his ass, penetrating, going in further than her finger should be able to reach. It felt like her tongue, which had started by teasing the base of his cock, had somehow wrapped around him. He was getting so close to orgasm it was starting to be painful. Every nerve ending he had was tingling with fire.

It felt like he was going to spontaneously combust from the sensory overload. Then the searing pain that he remembered from his dream hit him. Like an iceberg attached to his balls. He issued a silent scream, his vocal cords seemingly useless. Looking down he could see her tongue wrapped around his cock, covering it completely, with her mouth a long distance away. What was truly terrifying was seeing the forked end of her tongue, like a snake, burying itself into the tip of his cock.

Perhaps what horrified Brian the most was seeing her face looking normal, without the decay of the past week. The reality of the situation crashed into his consciousness. This was a huge mistake and he hoped he could still fix it. He was on the verge of the most intense orgasm imaginable and he had to hold it off.

"Brian, give it to me. Give me all your energy. Flow it into my mouth. Don't fight it; give in to your lust."

Using the last of his reserves, he reached under the pillow behind his head and pulled out the large carving knife he had stashed there earlier in the day. With one deft movement, he slashed it across her face and used his feet to kick her away, hoping that the surprise was enough to move her. It worked.

She fell back against the wall with a thud. Brian scrambled to his feet beside the bed, examining his scorched cock and brandishing the weapon in front of him to ward her off. His stamina was very low and he could barely stand up. Not exactly an imposing figure, more a result of sheer desperation.

Brian's mind churned as he put his hastily designed plan into action. Flicking a nearby switch, a loud generator started and a blinding flash showed him that the UV lights he'd rigged above the bed were activated. The room was aglow with a blinding white light. He looked over at her hoping that the sunlight would have an adverse affect.

She brandished a stark grin on her face, masking the seething anger boiling underneath. "Oh, it's so bright. Help me, help me," she mocked him for his efforts. "You watch way too many late night movies Brian. You should get some more sleep. Did you think that would hurt me? Oh silly boy you don't know what you're dealing with."

The color drained from his face as he realized what a pointless endeavor his "clever" plan had been. He was stuck with a creature he had no idea how to attack in a situation he couldn't run away from.

"Do you really think you can get away from me now, Brian?" She cackled in a loud voice as she rose to her feet and gave him an imperious stare. "You can't run away and you can't kill what's already dead."

"I'm certainly willing to give it a try, bitch!"

"Bitch, am I? I'll give you credit, Brian. You possess a great strength within you. Most men would have succumbed to my charms by now. But it won't save you. I need your energy and I will have it," she said as she lunged towards him with surprising agility.

The knife blade plunged deep into her chest, splitting the skin between her breasts, sinking all the way to the hilt, until he felt the blood gushing over his hand. With one swing of her arm, she knocked him back against the wall.

"You've seen what I did to my own fingers. Do you really think a knife scares me?"

Her hands reached forward, grabbing him around the throat and lifting him off the ground, choking him. She pulled him forward and slammed him back against the wall, knocking the wind out of him.

"I tried to do this the nice way Brian, but you had to be a hero. Now I have to take it by force. I do so love a nice struggle."

He could barely think as she slammed him against the wall again. His hope was fading fast; he knew there was no chance to overpower her. Just as he was ready to give up, he looked over and saw the oil lantern sitting just out of reach on the bedside table. He hoped her mind reading was still not working properly or he would have no chance.

"Are you going to pass out already, Brian? I'm disappointed in you. The darkness is already creeping ..." Just then, he smashed the lantern against the side of her skull in mid sentence. Her head burst into flames as she recoiled from the blow.

"It burns! It burns! I'll get you," she screamed through the pain.

Thinking quickly, Brian managed to shove her through the door and into the hallway, slamming the door shut behind her and locking it. "Consider yourself uninvited," he yelled through the door. The invisible barrier around the door seemed to reappear before his eyes.

"Mom, are you okay?" He heard Matt's voice through the door.

"No son, your dad just tried to kill me," she shrieked in response. "Look at my face."

"Dad, why did you hurt Mommy? I'll hurt you if you ever touch her again."

"I don't know who the hell you are, but you're not my son. He's dead and buried in the backyard," Brian responded, as he felt an enormous weight lifted off his chest. The fear and guilt of the past week had been unbearable. For the first time since that fateful morning, he felt free.

Eerie laughter filled the hallway. "You'll find out soon enough who and what we are. I tried playing nice and giving you the easy way out. But you had to fight me. I'm so going to enjoy getting my hands on you again," replied Leilandra.

Just as she finished talking, Brian heard this quiet little voice talking from Josh's bedroom. It was hard to make out exactly what he was saying but it sounded like "Daddy ... run. Daddy ... go."

"Shut up, you little brat. I don't know why you're not turning as fast as the rest of us, but soon enough you will."

"Josh! Daddy's here. I hear you."

"Daddy ... trap ... green light coming."

"What light, Josh? When's it coming?"

"That's it little boy. You've said too much. Good night," Leilandra yelled at Josh. After that, all Brian could hear was the sound of Josh's door opening and then his music box going on to drown out anything he'd have to say.

That was the end of the conversation for the night, as Brian stood by the door listening for a long time. Finally, exhausted from his ordeal, he returned to bed and drifted into restless slumber.

****

A long night's troubled sleep led to one conclusion for Brian. He had to leave town and do it as soon as possible. It wasn't safe anymore. What did Josh mean that there was a green light coming? What kind of trap?

The rays of light shining through the window prompted Brian to rush out of bed and get dressed. He knew it would be a long day ahead, so he needed to start early. The house was the same as every other day. Josh was asleep in his crib, hence no talking. In the next room, Matt and Karen lay tangled together as usual. Her badly burnt face showed a charred layer that was missing skin down to the bone in places.

So numb from the heartache of the past week, Brian didn't even register the grisly sight as anything unusual. Upon walking into the upstairs living area to read today's message, he was shocked to see the words 'Green Light'. His heart pounded in his chest as he climbed down the stairs to see the message there. The wall contained only one word, and it was more confusing than anything before. 'Shalima', he read.

"What the hell is Shalima? I guess it has something to do with a green light," he said, shaking his head and muttering under his breath. The messages confused him. All he knew was that if this green light was coming here, he wanted to be somewhere else.

Flying back up the steps, Brian wanted to get his family back into the ground so he could get out of town. It was like any other job to him at this point. Throwing his former loved ones into trash bags like a heap of garbage and tossing them into a hole in the ground. Under any other circumstances, he'd have considered this bizarre. One thing that you learn about the human condition is the resilience to do whatever it takes to survive, even if it's normally seen as a deplorable act.

With Karen and Matt already buried, Brian wanted to say good-bye to Josh. "Sorry buddy, I have to leave you. I just hope you can forgive me. Soon enough you'll be one of them, I can see it starting in you." Brian couldn't put him in the bag. Not anymore. He cradled him in his arms as he walked down the steep hill slope with the wind whipping all around. Tears streamed down his cheeks and his legs felt like lead.

When he reached the hole, Brian hugged Josh tight and started to lower him. "Fire ... burn ... hurt," Josh whispered barely audible.

Brian stared at him, mouth gaping wide open. Josh's eyes were open and his voice seemed so distant, as if coming from deep inside.

"Love you ... Daddy. Burn ... go."

After one more hug, Brian laid Josh into the hole and walked away, weeping from loss and despair. It was difficult for Brian to sort through his feelings but as he walked back up the hill, it became obvious what Josh had been trying to tell him. He had to get his stuff packed quickly and attend to some new business before he could leave town.

**** One of the good things about Brian was that he always traveled light. When he was in high school, he went on a school trip to France for two weeks and had the lightest suitcase out of the group. Now, aside from some clothes and hygiene products, Brian brought some food and a few mementos from his family. One of them was the pendant that Matt had made for his birthday. He slipped it into his front pants pocket of the light grey khakis that he wore.

There were a lot of family pictures strewn around the house as Karen had always taken the camera everywhere they went. He grabbed wallet size photos of each of the kids and of the four of them.

Once the van was packed, Brian drove to the liquor store and stepped through the shattered glass doors. His eyes scanned the inside of the store and it appeared empty as before. Bottles of every variety lined the shelves. Brian had never made a firebomb before, but he assumed that vodka was as good a choice as any was.

The wind howled outside the store, causing Brian to rethink his plans. If I light things on fire, how far is it going to spread? Is it going to go too fast and trap me in town? What about all the animals in the woods near my house? Brian, you have to trust your instincts, his inner voice countered.

He went over to the grocery store to take an empty cart to load the bottles in. As he emerged through the shattered outside doors, he heard a loud snarling sound coming from inside. The kind you'd expect from a dog, or even worse, a wolf. Wolves weren't very common where he lived, but there were a few around. The hair on the back of his neck stood straight in the air. The carts were only a few feet away, but he stayed still, paralyzed with fear.

Oh, the irony of it, Brian thought. He was escaping the horror of his house only to be killed by wolves before he left town. The sounds grew in intensity and Brian decided it would be better if he left empty-handed. He figured it was better to live to fight another day. Instead, he went back to the liquor store and used the hand held baskets to fill with vodka bottles of every description.

The stress was getting to Brian as he finished loading the alcohol. He opened a bottle of Smirnoff and took a long pull from it. The overpowering fire of the liquor entered his belly, causing him to step back and shake his head. "Wow. I don't know how people drink that stuff straight. It tastes like rubbing alcohol." Little did he know at the time that would be his last drink of liquor ever.

His next decision was the tough one. Which houses did he want to set fire to? He'd never done anything like this before and had to figure out how to maximize the destruction. There weren't enough bottles or time to torch every house in town.

Arriving home, he went to the back of his van and started winding the tops off a couple bottles and using strips of tea towels that he'd cut up earlier to act as wicks. The house across the street from his was an old run down dump owned by an older man who called himself Mr. Fixit. He'd hardly spoken to Brian in the year they'd lived across from each other and many of his other neighbors thought he was a pedophile.

Brian stood with his face ashen in the middle of Mr. Fixit's lawn brandishing a bottle of Smirnoff's and a barbecue lighter. It was an odd scene for any onlookers to witness. The usually calm and laid-back model citizen was about to destroy private property, again. This time felt different to Brian. There was a sense of calm to his demeanor that he found almost disturbing. He was adjusting to the new reality and a part of him enjoyed the freedom it allowed.