“Agh! I HATE bugs!”
Dave never really was one for camping or any kind of outdoorsy type activity. Quick to sunburn and even quicker to lose interest in any kind of physical task be it fun or not. The sun was at its peak that day and even the heat waves quickly disappeared from the street in angst of the uncomfortable boiling oven that it was. Dave quickly smacked his neck in response to a nasty bite, “You sonsa- OW,” hastily pulling his hand away he notices a small smear of blood. Not exactly the worst day of my life he thought to himself. Wiping the sweat from his face he picks up his pace remembering the air conditioning unit that he so lovingly put in and keeps at a steady 62 degrees. Checking the time on his phone he can’t but help but to see the temperature, “Screaming Jesus on a ferris wheel… 112 degrees.” A sharp stabbing from his neck followed by a wave of nausea hit him like a freight train. Faint voices could be heard in Dave’s head as he blacks out.
“I think we should keep the same color carpet just get it a different texture. Poor little baby is getting rug burn. Dave? Honey, are you alright?” The sound was almost deafening when he came to at the dinner table. What was that? Dave quickly rubbed his eyes and saw before him the usual home cooked meal with wife and son. A dull throb ached at his neck as he remembered the insane event that occurred earlier.
“When did I get home,” he asked still confused as to how this all happened without a single memory. Dave’s wife, Elizabeth, put down her fork and stared at him with fire in her eyes, “Did you even listen to a SINGLE thing I said this entire time? Did you drink before you got here? ‘Walking home’ my a*s,” she picked her fork back up and viciously stabbed a piece of pork roast and jammed it in her mouth. Still rubbing his neck he quickly thinks of an excuse.
“No Baby I swear I wasn’t drinkin’. I got bit by some bug and I think the heat got to me… I just don’t remember getting home and it’s bothering me.” Elizabeth hurriedly swallows the large chunk of meat and jumps to examine the bite mark.
“Honey, it’s just some spider bite or somethin’ you’ll be fine. Sammy wants to play with you he’s been sayin’ ‘Daddy’ all day and it’s makin’ me crazy,” she haggerdley replies ad she cleans up the table. Shaking his head he gets up to grab his son but stops dead in his tracks. A vision of strangling his son flashed in his mind. A hundred voices all at once and all at different times *DO IT*. As quickly as it came it was gone and a burning sensation could be felt on his neck. A bead of sweat ran down his cheek as he stared at his son while he played in his chair.
Dave lay awake that night, still horrified from the event that occurred earlier. He looks over at the dark shape of his wife curled up next to him, sound asleep. The rise and fall over peaceful sleep would normally calm Dave. But he was in absolute shock. What happened earlier? It was horrible to even think of something like that. Dave looked back up at the ceiling still pondering every little thing that he could recall. The burning sensation on his neck suddenly grew intense as he reached up and grabbed at the afflicted area. Hundreds of voices all at once and all at different times screamed in his head to move.
Dave had no choice but to obey as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stood up right. He was fully aware of what he was doing and could not control his body. His eyes widened in terror as he listened to the voices telling him to grab the pillow he was previously laying on. He started to walk towards the door with pillow in hand, slowly twisting the door knob to release the latch. In his mind Dave knew that what was about to happen would break him not only as a father but ultimately destroy him as a human being. Hundreds of voices all at once and all at different times screamed at him to walk into the room and Dave could do nothing but just that. He slowly crosses the room to stand in front of his only child’s crib.
The beautiful baby boy he so desperately dreamed of having was laying before him. Dave could do nothing while tears ran down his face as he began to take the pillow that was still clutched in his hand and place it over his sons face. Visions of playing with his child ran through his mind as he quietly sobbed for what seemed like an eternity in hell. A light came rushing into the room when a voice from behind Dave could be heard, “Sweety what are you doin’,” asked a still half asleep Elizabeth. Ice cold fear ran through his body as hundreds of voices all at once and all at different times screamed at him to once again do the unthinkable. Dave turned around to face the silhouette that was his wife standing in the door and Slowly walked towards her. Blood dripped from his hands as he walked towards the backdoor taking off the crimson stained pajamas he was wearing.
Dave had given up as his entire world crumbled before him. He opened the backdoor as he was now completely n**e and hundreds of voices all at once and all at different times screamed at him to stand in his yard. Dave did not care, he had lost everything and now he didn’t want to be apart of this world. His neck was on fire as the bite oozed a strange color from the bulbous and inflamed area. He stopped suddenly in the middle of his lawn and looked up at the sky. A bright and blinding light pierced the sky as it him dead in the eyes. Dave did not blink as his feet began to slowly lift from the ground.