Floorboards

The funny thing about my dad is that I don't really remember what he looks like, actually, I don't remember anything about my dad. My dad died when I was three, my mom told me that he died in a plane crash during a business trip, and she didn't tell me about his death until a year and a half after it happened. And it's strange because, I don't really miss him. How am I supposed to miss someone I don't even know? Besides, I love my mom, with all my heart, and as far as I'm concerned, she's all I need.

My name is Corey, 17 years old, just your average teenager. I have a lot of friends, I'm somewhat in the "popular" group, class clown, you know the deal. I love the house I live in, simple, peaceful, nice warm bed, nice neighborhood, I'm just living the good life. There is ONE strange thing about my house though... At the corner of my kitchen sink, the floorboards squeak in a loud, unusual way, and they stick out as if you can just rip them right out... As if there's no floor at all... Just a large hole underneath.

I remember when I was just a kid, I would always try to rip the floorboards apart to see if there's actually anything down there, but as soon as I even touch the floorboards, my mom rushes in and gives me a good smack. She'll always give me a warning too.

"How many times have I told you to stay away from the floorboards?!"

*SMACK*

"If I see you ripping them apart ONE more time, you don't even want to know what your punishment will be!"

"Ye- yes... Mumma..."

My mom isn't abusive, she wouldn't hit me on a daily basis. Only when I did something bad, but lately... The house has been giving off this terrible odor, it seems as if everywhere I go I just smell... Rot. And Febreze doesn't do shit when I try to get rid of the smell, it always runs right back into my nose. Maybe a raccoon died in the attic or something... I'll check after school tomorrow.

...

Well, I checked. And there's no sign of a dead animal anywhere in the house. Now I'm pissed, because I've had to live with nights of no sleep because of how bad the smell is, but what I find weird is that my mom doesn't mind it... AT ALL. I'll always ask her about the smell and she'll just say,

"Well I don't smell anything... Strange... Maybe there's a lot of snot in your nose, just get that out and that'll do the trick, kay sweetie?"

Yeah, pretty damn weird huh? How my mom slaps me for touching floorboards and doesn't smell an odor that's CLEARLY in the house... Maybe I'll have a talk with her tomorrow.

...

I found something that seemed pretty damn fishy when I finished brushing my teeth, near the corner of the sink, you know, with the floorboards? Yeah, well I saw that there were maybe a dozen flies buzzing around that ONE area. Now this is getting strange... And I just have a thought in my head that I'm just... Concerned about... Could something be down there... Is THAT why my mom doesn't want me over by the floorboards? Does she know something I don't? Maybe if I sneak out of bed, and be very quiet, I can get those floorboards off.

...

It's three in the morning, and I can hear my mother snoring from upstairs. Now's my chance. Filled with anxiety with hands shaking, it's time to get those floorboards off. I'm lucky that my room is downstairs, so I don't have to risk walking down those squeaky ass steps... I've finally made it to the kitchen, I realize I have to be VERY quiet, due to how fragile the floorboards are, there's a row of 3 boards that line up, and I grab each one, one by one and I slowly pry them apart. One down, two to go.

The second one is more tricky to rip off, so I must lean back, pull with the weight of my body, and hope I don't fall backward and make a commotion... Thank god, two down, one to go. Those two ripped floorboards reveals a hole that leads to a pitch black area of what seems to be a room, within ten seconds of the floorboards being ripped off a huge wave of heat and a smell of rotting bodies flies into my face, gagging and tasting the warm stench, I manage to rip off the third floorboard.

Hands shaking, chills going up my spine, I look down the gaping hole, not sure of how deep it is. To make sure of how far it goes down, I form a big ball of saliva on my mouth, and spit. It takes about seven seconds for it to make a pattering sound.

"What the hell..."

At this time, I'm not sure if I should go down there or not, considering of how deep the hole goes, I'm not staying down that stench induced tunnel for the whole night. I then remember that in the kitchen counter there's a flashlight, I get off of my knees and get on both feet, and the second that I turn around I see my mother standing there looking at me, holding the flashlight. She slowly walks up to me, holds the flashlight directly in front of my face.

"Looking for something?"

She slowly grabs my hand and inserts the flashlight into it, after the flashlight is in my hand, she gives me a sinister grin and pushes me down the hole. I land with a hard impact directly on my side, holding out my right arm to embrace for impact, I hear my arm snap and about 9 seconds later pain shoots in and I can feel my bone sticking out. Groaning in pain, I reach and grab the flashlight. Seconds after turning it on and observing the room I see someone laying on their stomach, wearing a business suit, flies swarmed around him, with maggots slowly eating away at his flesh and bone.

"D- Dad..."

I can hear my moms bare feet walk towards the hole, and I hear her shout out to me.

"You're dad was a pig. Fucking other women behind my back. When I found out... Oh... I was... I was filled with so much... SO MUCH RAGE. I HAD TO GET REVENGE."

My mother begins to cry, I can hear her tears pitter and patter onto the ground next to me, I watch her, helpless and weak.

"And... And YOU. YOU A... A NOSY LITTLE SHIT. WHO CAN'T MIND HIS OWN BUSINESS."

"Mom..."

"NO. SHUT UP. SHUT THE FUCK UP WHEN YOUR MOTHER IS TALKING. I TOLD YOU TO STAY AWAY FROM THE FLOORBOARDS."

"Mom... Mom PLEASE."

"NO. YOU SHUT UP! I DIDN'T WANT TO LOSE YOU TOO COREY!"

My mother gets on her knees and begins to cry even harder.

"Mom... Please... I'm so sorry... Just... Just PLEASE. GET ME OUT OF HERE. PLEASE."

"NO. YOU'VE SEEN EVERYTHING. God... I... I TOLD YOU NOT TO GO NEAR THE FLOORBOARDS."

"MOM I'M-"

"I TOLD YOU TO STAY THE FUCK AWAY FROM THE FLOORBOARDS. AND NOW LOOK AT YOU. LOOK WHAT I HAD TO DO!"

"MOM PLEASE."

"THIS IS WHAT YOU DESERVE."

My mom slowly gets on her feet, and speaks with a more calm tone, as I look at her, tears streaming down my face.

"I'll be back... In a year and a half..."

"MOM... NO! NO! MOM PLEASE!"

I continue to scream for my moms mercy for 5 hours... When suddenly... She arrives with a hammer, nails, and more flooboards.

Comments • 0

Loading comments...