"Home" - Chapter VII

VII.

I awoke to an over-powering stench. The smell was that of wet dog combined with rotting garbage. The room was stifling. I could feel that I was propped up against a wall and sitting on what felt like concrete. My head felt as if it was splitting open right down the middle.

I didn’t want to move, but eventually decided that it might be a good idea to try and figure out where I might be. I opened my eyes just a bit and peered out through my eyelashes, trying to take the room in as surreptitiously as possible.

It appeared that I was in an underground room, a basement, with two small windows high up on one wall. It was empty but for a vague shape in one corner, which I could barely distinguish from the general gloom.

I didn’t see any movement around me, or hear anything but my own breathing. I slowly opened my eyes all the way and peered more closely at the shape in the corner. As I did so, the dog’s eyes opened and it looked at me intently.

I was frightened, but didn’t move or make any noise, lest it decide I was going to be its next meal.

The dog got up and padded toward me.

I still made no movement, hoping the dumb animal would sniff me and leave me be.

As the dog got closer, I noticed that it looked like it was grinning. When it got close, it stuck its muzzle in my face. I held my breath and tried to keep my eyes down, but I couldn’t. I felt compelled to look at it. I slowly raised my head, finally catching its green eyes with my own.

As soon as our eyes met, a jolt of intense pain coursed through my head. Like a knife driven into my skull. My ears felt like they were full of cotton. I couldn’t look away, even though I knew doing so would stop the agony. My mouth was open in a silent scream.

Slowly the dog started backing away from me, never releasing my gaze. I felt myself get up off the ground. It moved to the other side of the room, until it was sitting on what looked like an intricate and detailed circular chalk drawing depicting a pentagram. I too sat inside the circle.

Suddenly the dog lunged and bit my arm, never taking its eyes off mine. I could not react to the pain and the blood running down my elbow to the floor. My mouth moved.

“Ego vester sum.” I said.

A flash of light threw me back into darkness.