Hanish navigated the base until he arrived at the medical room. As his hand reached for the door, number 502, his heart began to pound in his chest. He stumbled inside, collapsing against a table before sliding to the cold floor. As his vision began to fail, he was suddenly transported back to the moment he learned of his brother’s death.

  Hanish heart ripped from his chest by the phone call from his mother. She told him his brother was dead. Aleaha held him close, both of them sobbing. The words echoed in his ears, sharp and painful: “Your brother was killed on duty.”

  The day before the funeral, Aleaha and Hanish drove to Cleveland to be with his mother. They arrived at a yellow brick house with a red lawn jockey on the white porch. An elderly woman opened the door, her hair thin and gray. “Mama,” Hanish spoke with ease. Hanish’s mother, a woman in her early seventies, had thin, silver hair and faded green eyes. He fell into her arms, and they sobbed together. Aleaha stood back, watching.

  They were invited inside, and Hanish looked around his mother’s house. It was different from what he remembered. The house was in disarray. Boxes were scattered everywhere, trash was strewn about, and papers were thrown around. Hanish hadn’t realized just how much his mother depended on Leon until now. He then noticed his mother was unkempt, as if she hadn’t bathed in months. Her hair was matted and tangled. “Mama, do you need any help?” He asked.

  “Could you brush my hair for the funeral?” Her voice trembled. “And Aleaha dear, would you go get my glass of tea out of the kitchen?” Aleaha nodded, and Hanish turned his head to his wife in silence.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “Of course, Ma,” Hanish said, grabbing the brush off of her coffee table. Aleaha, still without saying anything, walked into the kitchen, leaving Hanish and his mother alone.

  His mother sat in a chair, and Hanish took a brush to her hair. He pulled gently, but strands began to fall out. He gasped, and his mother turned to look at him. Her head snapped back, revealing a skull beneath her melted skin. He jumped back, dropping the brush, which rolled across the floor. “What did you do?” Aleaha stood before him, crying blood. She collapsed to the floor. Hanish ran to her, tripping over his mother’s brush.

  He opened his eyes, realizing he was in the medical office. He shot forward in the chair, his stomach churning. He felt sick and uneasy. He grabbed some medical supplies: a first aid kit, some electrolyte drinks, and some pain pills. He tossed those into it as well.

  Next to the medical office was a room designated for documents. Hanish reasoned that if he were to find more information about his brother, it would be in this room. He found the corpse of a woman clutching a file, a pen protruding from her head. Her eyes were wide open, seemingly fixed on him. He reached down, covering his mouth with one hand. He took the file out of her hand and opened it. It read a familiar name, Ryan Miller. Why was she clutching this file. He noticed papers were taken out and then shredded in the shredder. He wondered what they were trying to hide.

  Hanish decided he had to find his brother’s file and get out of there. He noticed the cabinets behind the woman were organized alphabetically. Assuming army standards, he figured the files would be arranged by last name. He opened the Js, searching through six other Johnsons, but his brother’s file wasn’t there. A wave of dread washed over him. Could it be too late? Had his brother’s file been destroyed?

  Hanish frantically gathered his belongings, desperate to escape the base before sunset. For that was when they rose from the grounds – creatures that lay hidden in the grass, their forms indistinguishable until it was too late. They were too fast for him to outrun. As Hanish raced towards his car, he saw bodies begin to stir. Just as he started the engine, he glanced over and saw the ghostly apparition of a woman silhouetted against the gate. “Go,” she whispered urgently. He slammed the car into gear and sped away.