"Heartless Bastard." (1719 hits)
Category: NoneRating: 1.9 on 22 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by Bigmike (View user info) at 2006-09-06 22:55:53 EDT
His image stared back at him from what seemed like miles away. He never really liked what he saw, the mirror twisting his image like hair caught in a mixer. He would cock his head left, then right looking for anything that might bring his mood up. Anything of value. The mirror stood static, a lone testimony to what was real, what was true, what was insane.
He bent down to the floor and grabbed the curtain by the corners, lifting it up and ever so gently placing it on the nails he had pounded into the wall above each corner of the cursed thing. It covered the mirror completely, swallowing his image in darkness. his fantasy was that the curtain held his twisted image there while he could walk away looking somehow better, somehow sane, somehow whole. He fed this fantasy with thoughts of rapture and his lust grew heavily as he walked out of the room. As he reached the top off the stairs and turned left proceeding downward, step by step his apprehension started to take over.
As he reached the bottom, only one thought dominated his mind.
"Cut it out."
He turned right at the bottom of the stairs and walked quickly into the kitchen. He stopped when he got to the marble counter and stood in front of the sink looking down. It was highly polished because he wouldn't have it any other way and as he looked down, his reflection mocked him. Staring up into his eyes was the face of a madman, seemingly warped from something different, some amazing new molecule that every scientist would masturbate over getting his hands on. These could be shaped, formed, molded into things so terrible that all of mankind would go completely crazy at the mere thought of what they could do. He tried to smile at the horrible image looking up at him. The image twisted its mouth baring sharp uneven teeth and lips reminiscent of advanced leprosy. Those lips moved quickly, cutting him to the soul.
"Cut it out."
He turned away and walked along the counter to his right until he reached the coffee machine. He lifted an immaculately clean cup from the rack to the left of the machine and set it on the counter. Lifting the carafe out of the machine, he poured the coffee slowly and watched as it swirled around, filling the cup to just under the brim. He replaced the carafe to its original spot in the coffeemaker and lifted the cup with his right hand. His grip was sure and as he walked to the kitchen table, not a drop was spilled. When he reached the table, he set the coffee cup down and pulled out one of the wicker and metal chairs and slowly sat into it. He stared at the cup, wondering how the hot liquid would taste and wondering what his next move would be. He took his time with the coffee, savoring every mouthful. He let the steam waft up into his nostrils, breathing deeply of the aroma of the rich Columbian beans he had ground just yesterday. As he took his last sip, he went to put the cup on the table and he noticed some grounds in the bottom of the cup. They had arranged themselves into a pattern and he had to blink several times in order to make sure that he was indeed as insane as he thought he was. He looked at the bottom of the inside of that cup for many minutes before he realized what he was seeing.
The grounds spelled, "Cut it out."
He quickly got up and ran over to the counter, pulling out the first drawer that he came to. He looked down and saw there seven knives arranged in a row, all gleaming in their Damascus steel splendor. He could see the image of a tired deformed mans face, skin puffing out as if it were going to explode any minute. The nose of the man was sloughing off and open sores were running with yellow pus, dripping off his chin. The faces in the knives sang out in unison, beseeching him.
"It's dead, CUT IT OUT!"
He quickly grabbed the largest knife in the drawer. It was a Kershaw Shun Classic and it was his favorite knife. He looked at the gleaming blade, watching as the reflection in it mocked him with insanely bulging eyes. As he watched the eyes exploded in a rain of blood and vitreous fluid, thoroughly discoloring the blade. Holding the knife in his right hand, he reached down to his shirt, grabbed the opening between the third and fourth buttons down and pulled the shirt apart. He then inserted the tip of the knife into his navel, blade up.
He stood there for a moment listening to the chorus of voices in his head. He could hear his mother and his brother. He could hear his ex-wife and his three grown children. He could hear his boss and his co-workers. They were screaming at him, demanding him to, "CUT IT OUT!"
He looked down at the blade, pulled it towards his stomach until he felt the steel cut into his flesh. He began to pull the blade upward, cutting in a straight line until he had reached the point just under his chin. Blood was flowing freely from the cut, but he didn't notice. All he could hear was the voices.
He dropped the blade and reached his hands up to either side of the incision that he had made, halfway between his navel and his chin. He inserted his fingers into the cut and grabbed the skin under his fingers. To a raucous cacophony of screams and jeers in his head, he pulled mightily and separated the skin and muscle, ripping it the length of the incision. The last thing he saw before he passed out and slumped to the floor was his bloody breastbone, protecting what he had been trying to cut out.
As he died, he could hear the applause in his head, he could feel the approval of everyone in his life. His heart had been dead and he was on his way. He imagined that behind the curtain upstairs, the image was smiling from ear to twisted ear.
He was overjoyed.
User Reviews
Submitted by iradney (user info) at 2006-09-23 04:35:13 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
frightening
and very very well written.
Submitted by Bigmike (user info) at 2006-09-07 21:28:46 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by VelvetElvis (user info) at 2006-09-07 00:13:59 (#)
Ranking: 2
I recall reading a review by the horror writer John Saul about moving into a new (more upscale) neighborhood after his first big seller, a book in which there were several murders, mostly of children. He said, speaking of the leary neighbors: "No, no children disappeared when I moved in, pretty normal around here." This story of yours reminded me of him, in that you grant your artistic muse full reign when you write, from your old Carlos to the new, you don't care what people think.
I admire this second only to your talent. I said this years ago, and I'll say it perhaps this one last time as simply as I can put it: You could/should be paid for your writing.
Thank you Elvis. Sentiments appreciated. I let some of my work associates read my stuff. Ever since they have been looking at me strangely. Nobody has turned up missing though. Not yet anyway. :) And a little note on granting my muse full reign. I can't see a point to letting an inner "censor" rule my writing. It comes out as it does and I never give a second thought to whether or not something is inappropriate. There are subjects that I like writing about, or let's say I like exploring with writing. Sometimes these things skip around on the fringes of what may be considered out of the norm. Jack McCallum knows what I am talking about here, I am sure of it. As I do, I am sure he reads some of his stuff and wonders where it came from and why it came to be.
It just comes out. It's in there waiting to come out. This one came pouring out like a waterfall. Can't say why or how, it just did.
Glad you enjoyed it.
Submitted by Snark (user info) at 2006-09-07 18:30:07 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Someone get that man some crazy glue STAT!
Submitted by Pentameter (user info) at 2006-09-07 18:00:54 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
You...you're good.
Submitted by Void_Where_Prohibited (user info) at 2006-09-07 13:09:51 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
I don't know.
Submitted by St_Jimmy (user info) at 2006-09-07 12:52:22 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Wow. Really good. Really damn good!
Submitted by Brdn_Nkd (user info) at 2006-09-07 12:18:39 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by Davros (user info) at 2006-09-07 10:19:22 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by august_sobriquet (user info) at 2006-09-07 10:04:54 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
amazing imagery of the unhinged state of the man's mind. The contrasting the marble, expensive knives and the seemingly normal and affluent surroundings to the horror inside his head was very effective. good stuff.
Submitted by DonovanMD (user info) at 2006-09-07 08:55:06 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Stuff like this makes me wish I was a better writer.
Submitted by UnderOathMeal (user info) at 2006-09-07 08:26:05 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Macabre. Dark. Good.
Submitted by MANICMOTHER (user info) at 2006-09-07 08:19:05 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by Stagger_Lee (user info) at 2006-09-07 05:11:39 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by Wildman (user info) at 2006-09-07 03:15:59 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
What I would have done if I'd been that Indian who had the dead twin parasite in his tummy.
Submitted by TheUniter (user info) at 2006-09-07 02:18:53 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by JoeyG (user info) at 2006-09-07 01:20:09 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Deep, dark, original.
And most important of all - Cool.
Submitted by VelvetElvis (user info) at 2006-09-07 00:13:59 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I recall reading a review by the horror writer John Saul about moving into a new (more upscale) neighborhood after his first big seller, a book in which there were several murders, mostly of children. He said, speaking of the leary neighbors: "No, no children disappeared when I moved in, pretty normal around here." This story of yours reminded me of him, in that you grant your artistic muse full reign when you write, from your old Carlos to the new, you don't care what people think.
I admire this second only to your talent. I said this years ago, and I'll say it perhaps this one last time as simply as I can put it: You could/should be paid for your writing.
Submitted by goferforhire (user info) at 2006-09-07 00:00:04 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I was a bit worried when I saw the word 'cock' in the first paragraph at a glance, but then I read the story so it was cool.
Submitted by Bigmike (user info) at 2006-09-06 23:53:43 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
I didn't think it was that long. :)
It could have been longer still, but it felt right to end it there.
Submitted by Bubba2341 (user info) at 2006-09-06 23:50:36 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
So, dude, do you actually expect moi and others to READ all that??
Well, thank you very much, I did, in fact, read it.
Good job, guy. . . :)
Submitted by Saeki (user info) at 2006-09-06 23:15:33 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Twisted.
Submitted by Amontillado (user info) at 2006-09-06 23:01:19 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Wonderful