The Bite

 

Synopsis:  A horror story surrounding a weird bite on the heel.   It begins looking unusual, pulsating, throbbing, and the victim begins having a chorus of unearthly voices pleading to be scratched.

 

                ‘God help the beast in me.’—some lyrics from The Beast in Me as sung by Johnny Cash

 

Chapter 1—Just A Hike

 

                The skies were clear, azure, and bright.   Above, the sun beamed cheerily as I walked down one of my favorite paths, contemplating the nature of many human mysteries.   Some of these questions I had rumbling in my brain no philosopher, scientist, or any learned mind would conclude in their lifetime, but the inquiries themselves were savory tidbits for my brain to mull this early in the morning.

                The birds were singing merrily in the trees while scurrying squirrels gathered acorns for the oncoming winter.   Even I could feel it in my barometric knee.   It wasn’t so much arthritis but a change in the weather that caused it to cramp.   This never slowed me down, and I continued the pace as I wove around the path to view the pristine lake.  

                Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain on my heel.   I looked, here and there, darting my head about, wondering what had bitten my left heel.   I couldn’t see anything whatsoever, but nothing worried me.   The first thought that entered my mind was that it might have been a tick that bit me and I would have to get myself seen by a doctor just to make sure.    I wasn’t going to take any chances, even if I didn’t have any symptoms and there was no residual aching.     It was simply a blip of agony, then it subsided.  

 

Chapter 2—Nothing Wrong

                My normal PCP smiled at my concern, but he treated me well and patted my back.   After all, we had been friends for years and he was proud I was being preventive with my health. 

                ‘There’s nothing out of the ordinary here, Cait.’, he said, reassuringly.   The visit itself cost me nothing, and as usual, I walked away with a clean bill of health.    As far as I knew that was the end of this story, but this was only the beginning of my woes. 

 

Chapter 3—Cloudy Disposition

                The proceeding day met with a nasty mood, a snarl upon my face and a murderous glint in my typically soft, understanding eyes.   My left foot had taken upon a livid pallor.    The skin no longer had its lovely pink hue.  Instead, it had begun throbbing, pulsating and weeping a gross green and yellow pus.   The smell was terrible, and my mood only became worse.    I found I had begun hearing demonic voices pleading to scratch the itch.  

                ‘Let us out, we beg.   We won’t vex ye more.’, said the legion plaintively.   I wanted to plunge a knife in whatever I saw ahead of me.   I longed to pull my Baretta out of its door.   The gun was kept safe behind a combination lock, and I never used it.    It only came with me whenever I was venturing in to seedier locations or in areas where I had never been simply as protection all because in this modern day and age, certain individuals could not be trusted.   

                ‘Some people deserve murder.’, the dark thought appeared in my mind.   Thinking of something so cold blooded wasn’t like me.    The pain in my foot shot up my leg as a tendril shot out of it, crawling up my leg.  

                ‘Scratch the itch !’, came another, scratchy, husky tone.    Normally my pain threshold was high, but this insidious vine was excruciating.   

                ‘I don’t know what you are, but I won’t fall prey to your whims.’, I thought.    I didn’t know how the hospital would feel looking at my case now, but I had no other choice but to drive myself there and be analyzed; hopefully treating whatever was inside me.  

 

Chapter 4—Nothing Earthly

                My PCP had no idea what he was looking at. 

                ‘I’ve never seen anything like this in all my years working in the medical profession.’, he said, both horrified and fascinated.   The vine had scaled my leg and seemed to be trying to dig into my side, making me more irritable.    My thoughts were worse and worse, darker and exceedingly violent.   I wanted to choke my doctor to death with whatever I had nearby.

                ‘It’s not me wanting to hurt you !   It’s this intruder.   I don’t know what it is, but I’ve felt this way ever since I was bitten.’, I explained.   I still had control of myself, but it wasn’t certain how much longer my own conscious had the wheel.    A flicker of fear flashed in my heart, disturbing my mind.   Mentally I waved it aside, knowing Who truly had the reigns of my heart and soul.    My grip on my own sanity was slipping.    Knowing what was best for me, my PCP had me sent immediately to the ER and I was put under.

                Whatever had been inside me had been removed.   Horrid, grotesque, eerily greenish black, this tormentor had the look of one of Ridley Scott’s aliens combined with an izzus from the comic book series The Maxx.   It was snarling, demanding to be loosed.  

 

Chapter 5—Under Scrutiny

                My attitude had completely shifted and my mind was cleared.    The voices had ceased and the tormentor was still clawing madly in its jar, screaming at the top of its wretched lungs.  

                ‘You wilt die !   All of you !   Death is inevitable !’, it shrieked in our familiar tongue.  It cursed in the languages it was familiar with and shot hellfire from its toothy mouth.    The fireball ricocheted and smacked the demon in the chest, knocking it down.    It sneered and chuckled.

                ‘Truly a minor setback.’, it snidely remarked, hoisting itself back onto its bended haunches.   The thing was truly monstrous and twisted, wishing ill upon all that beheld it.   It was the incarnation of evil, hatred, spite and all manner or despicable ideations.    It warned me that it had poisoned me with malice and darkness, to which, I simply chuckled.

                ‘We all have darkness.  Whatever you ‘infected’ me with is gone.  Sure, I may retain a fraction, but who doesn’t ?’, I retorted.   The imp wanted to exploit my darkness, enhance it.   Contained, it had no power over me, and it didn’t much care that I could recite platitudes, Beatitudes and scripture.

                ‘You’re a true Disciple.’, the demon cringed.   I didn’t heighten myself to this label.  I didn’t want others to know, but I bore the label shamelessly. 

                ‘You know Whom I stand under, beside and by, then.   You have no power here.’, I said.   I had commanded demons to flee before, this was no different.    Using what I knew and killing the thing with kindness, I demanded that it leave.   The scientists in the room were disappointed, wanting to study the abomination.    I informed them it was for their betterment they had no contact with such a bottom dweller, and it would only end in torment for themselves and their family.  

                ‘The only action I can request is that you hold each other up, pray for each other.   Strength comes from numbers, trust me.’, I said.    The researchers in the room could tell by the tremulous nature in my tone, I knew what I was speaking of.   I had experienced the terror of a demon infestation before, but never as something as unassuming as a simple bite.    From here on forward, I knew that I would cover myself with spiritual mail and an unbreakable sphere.    Of course, human attacks were more prevalent in my life, but at least the creepy crawlies couldn’t enter any longer.

 

Epilogue

                I warned others of demons along their pathway.   Most considered me ‘loopy’ or ‘insane’.   I had been called far worse daily.   Such commentary never dampened my spirit or snuffed my faith.   This pathway wasn’t easy, but the long-term return on investment was certainly worth more than anything physically attainable on this side of the Veil.

 

                                                                                                  The End