He wasn’t one for one-night stands but beautiful, mysterious women never made advances on him. The sex was wild and primal - it was like tripping on acid while having a fever dream - just flashes of abstract imagery but it was more of the way the imagery made him feel that left him uneasy. She had already left by the time he was woken up by crescendoing, omnipresent whispers. He wondered if he’d see her again.
It started with nightmares. The imagery he could barely interpret - horrendous flashes of macabre but the fear and dread were so visceral that he was ever so slightly more awake than asleep when experiencing them. Like he was being metaphysically waterboarded. Worse than any fever dream he had ever had. He was reminded of the beautiful, mysterious stranger. It induced a deep-rooted fear, an inverted tingle like a little vacuum in his gut triggering paralysis, and then a dissociation. Not quite an out-of-body experience, but like the space around him and the distance between objects and him could not be measured three-dimensionally. They were neither close nor far, big nor small and between all this distorted space he felt a heavy presence. The presence always whispered to him just before he woke up in a cold sweat at the same time every morning, 02:46 AM. Heavy breathing and dissociated, his routine was the same; stumble dizzily to the toilet, piss, and splash water on his face. Normally he would look at the mirror but fear swelled up inside him at the thought, leaving him motionless, staring down into the sink. Jaws tensed and fists clenched around either side of the basin. Just staring down the drain. Down the infinite, dark drain. He focussed on the water dripping from his face into the sink and the beads running for the inevitable, infinite darkness before snapping out of his trance and exiting the bathroom - ignoring the odd, unfamiliar shape in the mirror from the corner of his eye. He purposely didn’t switch off the light. For the following fortnight, this was his routine.
On the 14th night he thought that maybe by confronting the fear of his reflection, he might break this retched cycle. It was taking its toll on him at work. The dissociation was getting stronger. His fuse was shorter and his care smaller. He needed it to stop. He was exhausted. He almost thought he repeatedly bashed Mrs Claymore’s head in with a typewriter because she wouldn’t stop talking through her farewell cake she was eating - spitting moistened crumbs into the air supply. It repulsed him. He didn’t eat any. When he looked closely the cake was writhing. He wasn't a chef but he was fairly certain cake didn't writhe.
It was a cold bead of sweat that fell from his forehead that reminded him where he was. The cold bead of sweat was now rolling towards the inevitable, dark drain. He swore he heard a whisper echo softly out of the circular abyss. The thought dissipated almost immediately as he remembered his intention to look at the mirror and take control. Break the cycle. Fuck those dreams.
He lifted his head and steadily raised his gaze towards the mirror and made eye contact with his reflection. His oddly estranged reflection. He knew he was looking at himself but it felt more like it was an old friend that he hadn’t seen in a long time.
He held his own gaze for several awkward seconds before noticing a dry patch of skin just off the bridge of his nose, next to the inner corner of his eye. He became aware it was slightly itchy. His skin flaked off as he instinctively rubbed and scratched at it.
He splashed water on his face, gave himself a half-asleep intimidating stare and walked out of the bathroom, switched off the light and went back to sleep.
The following day felt normal for him. As he was standing in front of the mirror, straightening his tie, he recalled the last two week's horrendous sleep routine. He almost forgot about it. It almost felt like the past two weeks were a dream. He caught himself instinctively rubbing and scratching the dry patch of skin by his eye. He could see the flakes of skin fall off into the sink. He heard a faint whisper escape the drain. He needed a plumber he thought. He applied some cream to his eye before walking out of the bathroom, grabbed his suitcase, and made his way to the bus stop.
His stomach growled. He realized he hadn’t eaten anything. He lost his appetite since the writhing office cake. The thought made him belch in disgust. The itch by his eye was getting stronger and by the time he got on the bus, rubbing and scratching was a habit - he hardly noticed he was doing it, it was the stares of strangers that made him aware. He was surprised when he looked down and noticed the excessive flakes of skin on his tie and shirt. He saw his top coming and he hurriedly stood up and brushed himself off. He could see strangers grimace in disgust from the corner of his eye. He hastily made his way out of the bus and up the road.
It was Mrs Claymore’s last day and the day was dragging. By the end, he was highly irritable and uncomfortable. He could feel his anger rise inside him like hot air, making him even more irritable.
He managed to keep to himself for most of the day, occupying himself by rubbing, picking and scratching at his eye in his office.
The clock above the door read 17:10 - the office should be clear now. His stomach growled loudly. He was ravenous. He hadn’t eaten in over 24hrs. He didn’t bring lunch with him either and didn’t want to interact with anybody.
He left his office and made his way to the bathroom to splash cold water on his face and attend to his eye before making his way to the bus stop, but was unfortunately met by the annoying Mrs Claymore.
“Still here then, Mrs Claymore?” he asked rhetorically through slightly clenched teeth.
“Yes, everyone left so quickly while I was clearing out my office - won’t you be a sweetheart and help me with my stuff to my car?
He looked around the office to see if there were any potential scapegoats. There were none.
He reluctantly agreed. He hastily packed the last of Mrs Claymore’s belongings in the backseat of her station wagon.
“You know the husband and I are both retiring. We leave for Florida tomorrow. Our house is sold and everything is all packed up…Oh, dear!” She said as he turned around from packing the backseat.
“What’s wrong with your eye, dear?”
His stomach growled.
“Here, let me help,” she says as she pulls out a handkerchief from her pocket and motions toward his eye.
Without any warning; without any hint or preview, a small tentacle protruded from the corner of his eye causing a viscous, black liquid to run down his face. He could tell by her face she was horrified.
Before she could react the tentacle shot out and grabbed her hand holding the handkerchief, pulling her closer. She recoiled back just as he began to open his mouth. It continued to open, like a snake unhinging its jaw. And then, from out of the shadow of his mouth emerged multiple, fat, resplendent tentacles as his mouth kept gaping until it folded back over like it were the hood of a garment, revealing hideous rows of serrated teeth. He let out the vilest, guttural moan, unlike anything she had ever heard. She was petrified. Unable to move. Unable to scream. The collection of tentacles and teeth lunged forward and engulfed her before she could comprehend the inevitable horror.
He quickly fed in the empty car park with not a soul around to hear Mrs Claymore's muffled screams compressed with the sound of her flesh and bone being masticated and devoured.
After it fed, it contorted back and regenerated into the shape of Mrs Claymore. It entered the driver's seat of her car and started it up.
“We better give Mr Claymore a visit,” it said.