Tengzu Horrors

Tengzu Municipality, Tsi Luen, Cheena

***

'A dreadful neighborhood,'

Alysa thought while looking through the gaps in their blinds that covered their glass window. The night was supposedly better without the bystanders that lingered along the road. There were a few of them, some were girls. Their laughter echoed through the block. It was irritating as their guffaws went through the walls of their small house.

Alysa was left alone at home, her mother and brother had to head out for late-night groceries. They have limited food stocks in the fridge, they do not buffer much. It was because of their dire need for money. They do not want to exhaust what was left of her mother's salary just by buying food for the entire fifteen days.

Her stomach rumbled with hunger. She gazed at their wall clock and sighed, it was almost two hours that they were gone. It was unlikely, mostly it would only take them almost an hour to buy what they needed. The small grocery store was just situated three blocks from their house.

She grazed her fingers to her cell phone trying to call her mother but to no avail. It seemed to ring forever, just added to her anxiety. Even her brother too. No answer.

She slammed herself to their couch and tried to sleep to ease the hunger but, unfortunately, she could not. The bystanders were loud enough to make a quiet neighborhood noisy. Others neighbors had complained about their noise, but they grew tired of scolding these young adults as hard-headed as they were had never ceased their way of disturbing the neighborhood.

She did not want to go to her room for being alone freaked her out. The closest thing that could lessen her fear was their living room, the closest place in their house to the noisy crowd. She preferred the noise to be alone. She believed in ghosts as she had always watched horror movies.

"Mom! Where are you?" She grumbled while she kicked the small squared pillow on their couch.

She turned on the Television but it only showed three channels. One was for the news, which she had no interest in whatsoever, and the second and third were replaying Sitcoms from years ago.

She did turn the television on anyway to lessen the quietness of their house. She glanced alternately outside with utmost anxiety for her mother and brother to return. The TV did little help to ease her discomfort.

She glanced at the bystanders instead. She knew all of them, they all grew up in the neighborhood. One guy had tattoos all over his arms. He had been to prison for three years for drug pushing. The others were his homies, and the girls were either their sweethearts or participate in whatever they were doing.

Alysa dazed off back to the TV show. It was a funny Sitcom. She laughed a bit even though she already knew what will happen next and gave her a few minutes of a fun time.

Aaahhh!

A sudden scream loomed. Alysa looked back again at their window and the bystanders had gone. They left their things along the curb, their bags, and even their battery-powered radio. Screams seemed to echo from behind the house or farther away.

A cold chill visited her bones.

Hauling herself from the couch, she pressed her left ear near the crevice of their window. The screams fade as seemed to be the source was running farther away.

'They could be in trouble?' She thought.

She heard hurried footsteps and growling. She glanced left to right, end to end to where their window permitted her to see. Nobody was there. She started to quiver in fear, her chest pounded fast.

She glanced back at their wall clock, it said 9:10 pm. Too early for bystanders to retire the night, especially in Tengzu. They usually stayed long until midnight.

AAAAAAAH!!

The Screams again loomed but it was nearer than before. She hurried to the door and ensure that it was locked. She peeked through the peephole and found not a single soul.

Moments after, she could hear footfalls nearing their front door. She was scared shitless and started to sob. Growls now grew from behind the door and she took three steps back. There were at least two of them. Two sets of heavy breathing and snarls.

Alysa could see shadows from the bottom gap of their door on the floor. They sounded like monsters, not humans. She took further back and hid behind a corner table emaciated.

She curled into a corner, hugged her knees, and buried her head between her thighs. The gruesome snarls were so much for a twelve-year-old.

The growls stopped.

She started to stand up slowly as it was a momentary relief for her.

'It could be the bystanders. They were trying to scare me.' She convinced herself.

"Stop your pranks you stupid grown-ups!" She yelled against the door. Against the silence.

The terror overwhelmed her and she started sobbing again, her tears fell to her cheeks and her face scowled.

Carefully, Alysa walked towards the living room so as not to make any sound. She peeked through the gaps of the blinds. Her eyes widen as she saw somebody standing outside their window, facing her, her face obscured by the shadow of the tree planted in their front yard.

Hurriedly, she rattled and moved away from the window. She stumbled upon the pillow that was recently placed on the floor.

She saw her eyes, a set of eyes that only knew death and a face grimaced with pain and suffering. She had the same dress her mother wore, but her face was immensely different.

"Hello, is anybody out there? Mom!" She called desperately.

Suddenly, a scream appeared right before she called out. It was not a growl anymore, it was a gurgling scream. But it was not human, it was something else. It was so loud that she covered both ears with her hands again, her hands were frantic.

The door jumped as if the people outside tried to forcibly enter.

"Mom! What happened to you?!" Alysa cried.

The pounding at the door did not stop, it grew stronger and stronger until it swung open. The locks were dislodged. Alysa screamed as she saw her mother now turn into a monster. Her eyes were wide and dark, her teeth were now sharp, and her skin was very pale. Her finger turned to claws.

As instincts pushed her, she ran towards the stairs. She was fast, she had a lean body as a kid and she knew the steps towards her room. She had no struggle.

The monster followed her but stumbled along the steps. It gave Alysa more time to escape. She could feel gooseflesh on her nape as if the monster would reach her.

She shut the door behind her and locked it. She had nowhere to hide. It was the end for her though she had two options. The choices were under her bed and inside her wardrobe closet. She chose the bed and quickly slipped under her it.

The monster banged on her wooden door. It was not strong enough to withstand the monster's strength. It swung open, hinges falling, and the monster stepped inside, salivating for its next meal.

Alysa emaciated under the bed; all she saw was her mother's sandals. She covered her mouth with her hand for a futile pursuit of obscurity. She knew that the monster could peek under the bed any moment and reach her.

She surrendered everything, there was no way to run and it was the end of her life. She accepted it. At least her mom was the one who killed her.

"Mommy!" She cried under her bed. A hint of hope escaped her. Surrender was her best option and it was the fastest to end her agony.

She closed her eyes and waited for the monster to pull her out. Her eyes closed and her hands clasped her ears.

Thud!

She opened her eyes and saw her lying on the floor, dead. Blood gushed out from her neck and her eyes and mouth lit up underneath her skull until a demon ether flowed out from every hole on her face.