Iniquity: Book One

Chapter Four

Chapter Four

Before making the trek to the grocery store, I decided to run home and get out of my dress. I just wanted, more than anything, to slip into something more comfortable before heading to the store. I wanted to get this over with, head home with my food, and get some sleep.. If I could. Sleep. The mere thought was gnawing at me like a termite on wood. It had been one hell of a day.

To my dismay, I noticed that my house was pitch black, much as most of the block was, as I pulled into the driveway. Sunset had came and went and now my little blue single story home was enshrouded in darkness. Usually I am not prone to any kind of premonitions, or bad feelings, but I was having them now. Something didn’t feel right. Something was making me dread getting out of my car. I wished I would have at least left my patio light on. Nevertheless, I acquiesced to fate and shut the car off and proceeded to run as fast as my little legs could carry me. As soon as I got to the door I fumbled for my key in my purse and quickly put it in the hole. It smelled like it would rain soon, but I ignored that pleasantry in favor of getting my ass inside. I hurriedly opened the door and flipped the light switch on.

As I crossed the threshold and entered my house I was startled by a very loud screeching sound that pierced my ears. Alex surprised the hell out of me before scurrying between my legs and out the door.

“Too bad buster,” I exclaimed with amusement with my palm hands over my breast after my heart calmed down. “You’re out for the night. Don’t knock too many bitches up, Romeo.”

Now to get changed into something more comfortable. I set my clutch down on the table by the front door and kicked my flats off. I also was carrying my camera bag with my laptop so I left that on the kitchen table. It was time to get to the store so I quickly changed into a pair of old gray sweats and matching hoodie. I wasn;t trying to impress anyone, especially at 8:30pm. Wasn’t happening. However, before coming inside I did notice some pretty dark clouds begin to blot out the stars.

Hopefully it wouldn’t rain, but wishing for rain to not happen in Seattle is like praying the cost of living will go down. Not gonna happen. Seattle experiences an average of 152 rainy days a year, which is more than most cities across the U.S.. How did I learn that you may ask? Well, they kind of drill it into you when you live here, which is why I grabbed my hoodie. f**k you rain. Bring it. My mom always made fun of me because I loved the rain so much that I would make her put on Enya and drive around in it when I was a little girl. It didn’t change. I put on some of that sweet and soothing music before I left the house.

By the time I had made it to Safeway the heavens had opened up as expected. Large drops of rain pelted my car’s windshield furiously. I watched people beneath street lights looking positively miserably, so I promptly thanks God for my car. In my sweat’s pocket I felt a familiar buzz, which momentarily distracted me from the rain. It was my mom. I glanced at the message without being too distracted from my driving, and noticed that she was informing me she had another date. Imagine that.

Ever since my dad had died a few years back she had become a bit promiscuous. Actually promiscuous would be an understatement. She had been playing musical chairs, or beds rather a lot lately with all sorts of men. Can you say midlife crisis? I read this latest message that exclaimed she had thought she had finally met the “right” one. That thought was enough to make me snort with laughter while I parked my car in the Safeway parking lot.

The supermarket was nearly deserted.

This was a rare thing, especially for Seattle. Stores really never got super empty, even at night. People were always in supermarkets purchasing late night munchies or groceries. However, on this night I only saw a handful of people. The only ones seemed to be a handful of stoned girls and an elderly couple. I really wasn’t in any kind of hurry to buy any junk food, so I found my feet gravitating toward the health food and produce.

The smell of fresh produce was intoxicating.It made me want to fill the little black hand basket with vegetables, fruit, and perhaps some chicken. I started doing just that. I grabbed some fresh strawberries, and some stuff for making salads. I went and grabbed some chicken, coffee creamer, and milk. Then I realized I was missing something. I needed some soda.

At the start of the soda aisle, coming from the back of the store, I stepped through a small puddle on the floor and somehow narrowly avoided falling on my ass. My basket fell, but thankfully not I. By the grace of God I made it. Don’t get me wrong, I do have a bit of cushion back there, but falling down would still hurt like hell. As I tell you my story you will learn that I am quite the clutz at times.

“Damn,” I cursed under my breath while steadying myself and picking up my fallen basket. “Someone really needs to f*****g mop around here.” I looked at the floor which was a mess of puddles.

Drops of water kept falling on my head as I walked down the aisle which annoyed the hell out of me. But, I kept walking. When I thought I couldn’t take much more of it I reached the Diet Coke, grabbed a two litre and was about to turn to leave when I heard the sound of someone walking behind me. I turned.

It was him.

Why was this thing here now? I was awake. This wasn’t right. I was fully awake and shopping. It wasn’t like I had fallen asleep in the tub or over my computer, although I could swear I was awake for both of those times. This time I was damn sure I was awake and conscious. I was in Safeway for f**k’s sake.

Everything happened so fast it was like it was in slow motion. It was a frightful blur when my eyes took it all in. He was much bigger than I expected. So much bigger. I stared with an open mouth at the hideous looking wolf thing, complete with hackles dripping with spittle and a mouth so full of teeth. My basket fell to the floor once more as my body froze in place and my heart seemed to cease its beating. He was staring me down with eyes so full of hate. His heavily muscled shoulders were squared and he was breathing hard with vaporous clouds being exhaled from his snout with every breath he took. I could smell him on the air. Wet dog. I watched his breathing quicken as he took his first step forward.

The scream was stolen from my throat as the water started streaming down from heavens that could not possibly exist inside this store. They opened up and the water cascading down over me and into my mouth as my hair was plastered to my head. It was like a vicious thunderstorm was now inside this store raining down upon us both. His breathing intensified and the clouds spewing forth from his snout grew in size. It was as if it had just run a marathon through the hottest part of hell to reach me and face me in this storm.

When I was younger I attended a private Catholic school. The nuns there never taught us about s**t like this. Sure, there was always that super-secret Catholic doctrine you saw on television, but the demons weren’t spoken of in school, or church for that matter. This thing, he, if it even was a he, seemed very demonic in the way it pursued me relentlessly in my dreams and now in my waking life. I tried thinking about God while I stood there, terrified.

My life had gravitated away from religion since my dad died. I just didn’t know if I believed in God anymore. However, standing here with this beast slowly taking steps toward me, I found my heart and soul crying out to him, wishing and praying that there was some sort of guardian angel out there that could snatch me up and save me. If there was a God I could sure use his help right about now. I don’t know if it was some lingering faith but I started to will my legs to move. Push. I started pushing them with my mind, forcing them to react. I pleaded with them to move faster. Grocery basket be damned. I was getting the f**k out of here.

Work damn it.

Run!

My mind screamed inside my head as my heart finally began to pound in my chest. Blood and strength coursed through me while I began to scamper down the aisle, all the while fear still gripped me like a terrible vice. My heart wanted to leap out of my throat. I could hear it behind me, even over the thunderous sound of my own beating heart. It growled loudly and I could hear it coming, splashing through the puddles in the aisle. It was coming for me. My nightmare lived, was flesh, and it had come for me.

The explosions began as I ran away. Boom! Boom! Boom! They came louder and louder as I ran down the aisle. It was the soda bottles. All of them were exploding, spraying their sticky, colored, liquid all over me from both sides. The wolf was getting closer. It was like the smell of him was growing as I ran and I could hear his footfall louder and louder behind me. Splashing. My mind still screamed loudly at me to run, even over the deafening explosions. Why couldn’t I run any faster?

My last coherent thought was a final plea to God to take me away from this madness before the darkness overtook me once more.