Episode 1 - The first pact with fear

Tick tock! Tick tock!

There's nothing that exasperates me more than collecting all my groceries in the shopping cart only to see that there's a long queue of people ahead of me. Sometimes I wonder if all these people come here at the same moment just to piss me off.

I am not some rich motherfucker but if I can, I would certainly pay extra to exit this concatenation of people who seem to have nothing better to do than bother me every time I come shopping here.

Senile old ladies, men grumbling over the taxes, women arguing amongst themselves about which soap has better fragrance (geez... perfume is a goto product for that you imbeciles) are some of the people that irritates me whenever I am here.

Luckily, by now I am the third person in the row. This gives me a huge sigh of relief. But it seems like misery has a mysterious crush on me intermittently.

My phone begins to vibrate. I pick up the call. It's from a person who's voice acts as black clouds on my shiny days.

"YES MOM"

The line moves ahead. The plebs on back are screaming at me to move fast.

Idiots

"James..."

"Is the call necessary? I am kind of busy right now."

"Son..."

It's been a long time since she has addressed me as such instead of cuss words.

"I know we are not on the best terms but..."

Wait! Why is she crying? Why are her sobs becoming louder with every word she says? Her breathing is unusual too.

"It's Lisa"

Woah!!!!

"What happened to Lisa?"

I can't masquerade being a poker face anymore. Boiling rage can be clearly seen on my face.

"It was a mistake to come here, to PORTSTONE. Please...help...Lisa... she's..."

The call gets cut off. Her panting voice is still resonating in my ear.

"Mom!Mom. Mama!!!"

Screaming is futile but I can't control myself. I show a middle finger to the maddening mob behind me and rush for the elevator. It's descending down way too slowly.

Mom is...or perhaps was a drug addict. She would usually being random men with her every now and then. You know how children with such parents usually grow to be?

That's why I left her after I got a scholarship to study in a college in New York. I got a job at local pawn shop which provided me with decent wage.

I wanted to make off with her to my current home, away from that hell hole that my mother sheltered her in. And I was constantly planning for that. But I stopped.

One day mom called me. She said she's guilty for everything and that she's got a job in Portstone,Maine. She'll take Lisa with herself and be a better mother for her. I was convulsed with the idea because I was pretty doubtful of her.

But at that time I was not capable of taking care of Lisa, so I had to give up on the idea. I begged Lisa to give me just one more year to make myself more financially independent at least to a level where I can handle her daily expenses.

That was bad move I think looking at situation right now.

The doors of lift open to reveal a path for the basement parking lot. My red mini truck stood there, parked in the furthest corner.

I approach it while gauging the eerie silence of the atmosphere. The car park is dimly lit and there's not a soul in sight. The silence is unnerving. I can't fathom a reason but this invisible curtain of muteness is giving me goosebumps.

I want to get out of here as soon as possible. This dead air in here is putting across some sort of warning for me.

I get on the drivers seat and start the engine. But it fails to do it's job. I try again. It still won't start. There was no problem with the machine till this morning. Did someone try to carjack it and destroyed something in vain attempt?

I get out and and approach the front canopy. It opens to reveal the basic body parts of a mini truck.

Everything seems fine.

No broken wires.

No missing parts.

The battery is not damaged at all.

I still keep my gaze on them while I slowly close the hood in a vain attempt to look for any signs of mishap that may have missed my eyes.

As I turn my gaze on the front, I see something that supplies nothing but cold creeps to my sight and from there to every part of my body. Sitting on the driver seat is a grotesque sturdy figure with long bangs for hair.

The person is of the same height as mine and yet there's a starting difference between me and him. It's face is swollen red and full of scars. Those long hairs of his covers his eyes but I can see red hue for his pupils through them. Instead of the white thing, the area surrounding his eyes were yellow. So yellowish it was noticeable that this thing isn't human. I don't know what it is? But it's definitely not human.

I am caught dead in the tracks. Sweat begins to form on my forehead. I feel like even moving an inch of my finger would cause a reaction which would lead me to a very fatal end. But it's human instinct to run in a situation such as this. And I did just that. I take two or three steps backwards still keeping my eyes on the movement of that corrupt looking subsistence.

But it does nothing in reply and just stares at me.

I dash backwards and my feet stops moving in their track. That being is in front of me, staring hard with a tilt in its neck. Before I can do anything, let alone scream for help, it raises it's hand in air and hurls them towards me. Something hits my neck and I scream in agony. The flesh around the area of contact seems to have tore off. Flesh encored in blood gets thrown on the wall and it sticks there like a centipede. I look ahead to see that it's ready to go for another attack.

Honk!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The loud horn of my mini truck wakes me up. My head was resting on the steering wheel. I see that...I am alive.

I touch myself here and there like a selfcest loving pervert to check up if I was attacked somewhere else.

Whew! So it was all a dream... or Nightmare

But how the fuck did I end up sleeping here. Last time I checked I was...

Before I can analyse the little details of my dilemma,my reflection in the mirror shakes me up. There is a large scar on the left part of my neck down below the cheeks. The very same part where that creature has attacked me in the sleep.

Damn! Is Freddy's story based on real incidents too.

I touch the scar that is left but it doesn't hurt me one bit. It's just like a birthmark that I never noticed. But I didn't had it till yesterday. All of this was messing up my head. But my sister's face flashes before my eyes as I start remembering all the details.

Shit! She may be in danger

I ignore the incident that has happened here and start my journey for Portstone, Maine.

My first priority is to reach my sister anyhow and as soon as possible.