The House of God
My name is George Cooper and I am a failure as a father. That’s all I am now. Every other part of who I was washed away by the sand of time. All that’s left now is a legacy of damage.
My trade was property development, but my ruin was gambling. Any money gained was money taken by the cards, only stopping when it was already too late. My kids suffered the most for it. Three of them there were, all carved with beautiful eyes filled with waking dreams. As they grew up, I saw that hope begin to wither and die. I don’t think college ever entered their minds. When it came their time, I sold them off to the world without a penny to their name. I think they live in the city now, at least that’s what they told me last time I saw them. They pretend they don’t hate me, but I see it. The glimmer of anger in their smiles at Christmas, the tremor of hostility in their voices on the phone. It stings my soul every time, the knife wound never getting any shallower.
About 2 years back, I got diagnosed with cancer. I’m doing chemo now, but I don’t have enough money to get it done myself. My kids are helping out, handing me the money I could never give to them. It was awful. As my body crumbled and withered away, I couldn’t shake the feeling I was taking them with me too. I had to give something back to them, leave them with something other than a worn-out corpse and a mountain of debt. I was constantly looking for something, anything, to make up for my sins. It took me by surprise one Sunday afternoon, appearing in my car window after a long chemo session.
Standing proudly on a dry grassy hill covered in soft white dust, was a house. It was enormous, looking like a castle against the backdrop of scattered clouds. Every inch of my body knew, in that very moment, that this would be my saving grace. I cracked a smile, driving home with a vigour I hadn’t felt in decades.
“You're in a good mood” my wife said as I stumbled in through the door.
“I am indeed!” I replied, kissing her on the cheek.
“Care to tell me why?” she asked, wearily helping me on to the couch.
“Shelly, I just saw the biggest, most beautiful house I’ve ever seen in my life just down the road New Orleans, and I believe it may just be the answer to my prayers.”
She shot me a tired look. “Sure, it is,” she said, beginning work on a mountain of unwashed dishes.
“No no I’m being serious. Not a soul has any ties to that house, I’m sure of it. I’ll just need to stay there awhile, at least ‘till I keel over, and they’ll give me the deed!”
“You can’t stay in a house like that, you’d get a papercut in a bouncy castle.” I furrowed my brow.
“Oh come on honey, I’ll be fine. It’ll be my last gift to the kids.” She looked over at me, a glimmer of sadness in her eyes.
“Alright, I ain’t gonna stop you,”
“I won’t let you down, honey. And you don’t tell the kids now. I want this to be a surprise!”
I grinned, gesturing over to her to sit down next to me so I could kiss her cheek. She declined, continuing through the dishes.
The following afternoon came and I drove up to the hill. The sun danced above the house, forcing me to divert my gaze to the soft and dusty path beneath my feet. It looked well worn, yet no hints of footprints were wedged into the sand. I began my ascent, feeling the soft crunch of dried grass beneath my sandals. The sun began to fade behind the house as I approached, illuminating it like an eclipse. Fine carvings in the walls began to come into view. Crescent moons, stars and angels decorated the walls, not a hint of mistake in any of them. I heaved up the steps to the patio, the door standing in front of me like a solemn guardian. I approached it slowly, feeling as if it was staring at me. Shifting my gaze from the door to its handle, I pressed down and pushed it forward. It swung open with as much ease as a door made of feathers. I stepped into the hall, nearly fainting at what I saw. It was a massive hall; its clear age only accentuating its grandeur. The regal wooden walls were adorned with rows and rows of candles, their wicks long extinguished. At the end of the hall, a grand burgundy staircase with a pristine red carpet, reaching down toward my feet like a tongue. A gust of wind joined me in the hall, rising a low groan from the floorboards as it whistled past my face.
“Jesus Christ,” I uttered. Every room was pristine. The living room, the kitchen, the bathrooms, all covered in gorgeous decor and those same carvings, just as smooth as the ones outside. The only sign of desolation was an old bookshelf in the living room, playing host only to dust. The masterpiece, however, was the master bedroom. A huge room, with a king-sized bed covered in silk sheets and white, linen drapes. It beckoned me closer and I answered its call, flopping silently onto the mattress. It hugged me gently, luring me into a deep sleep.
Hazy dreams slowly began to drift into view. Dreams of my children, playing with my grandkids in the fields below. I called them up, having cooked them pancakes with acorns rustled from the nearby forest. They ran up toward me, their grins glimmering gently in the soft midday sun. My eyes began to water, the smiles turning to hazy, bright moons amongst the sea of colours. Suddenly, a cold drop of water fell from the roof, hitting me square on the forehead. I woke up with a jolt, moving the drapes out of the way to get a look at the roof. Nothing. I grit my teeth, trying to coax the dream out from wherever deep corner of my mind it went to. It never returned.
The next day, my care worker Chris arrived. He looked like a child at summer camp, carrying with him a large bag of luggage and a glimmer of wonder only found in youthful eyes.
“Jesus Christ.” he said, staring aimlessly at the grand hall.
“Pretty good, right?” I smiled.
“It's better than good, Mr. Cooper. How the hell did you find this place?” His gaze returning to me.
“Gift from God I guess.”
“It’d have to be. I mean, this is unbelievable!” He spun around a bit more, soaking in the house. He shook himself out of it.
“Well, I’ll be back in a week with your resupply. Maybe sooner. I’ll be honest I want to get back to this house as soon as possible!”
“You can get a tour if you want.”
“Ah, I’d love to but I’m in a hell of a rush right now. Helping a man put in a stair lift after this. I’ll definitely take you up on that offer later though.”
“Noted.” I smiled. Chris finally returned his gaze to me.
“Alright. Resupply will be next week. Sunday, 2 o clock. Now, I want to give you this,” he handed me a small pager covered with a thin layer of grey grime. “This goes directly to my pager. If you’re having any problems, any at all. I want you to press that button and I’ll be right over to take you home. You got that?”
“Got it,” I said. Chris smiled, returning his gaze to the house.
“You’re a hell of a man, Mr. Cooper. I swear if my dad gave me this house...I mean I don’t even know.” The words hit me like a bullet. I tried desperately to hold it together, sucking my gums to stop the tears welling up in my eyes.
“That’s a real swell thing of you to say, Chris.” I said, a barely disguised tremor sticking in my voice. He grinned, pushing open the door and leaving me alone again. I looked back up at the house with my hands on my hips. With my vision blurred from tears, I was proud for once in my very long life.
A week came and went. My stomach rumbled after another incredible night’s rest. I hobbled down the stairs, poured the milk into the bowl and retired to the living room to enjoy. The air felt different as I walked in. It was cold, dead, smelling like sand and old soured meat. I spun around the room, searching for its source. My eyes hovered over the bookshelf, and my blood ran cold. It was full. I hovered a shaky hand over one, and snatched it from the shelf, running my hand against the cover. It had a tough beaten texture almost like a boars hide. The book opened easily, and I began flipping through the contents. Each different word changed from language to language. Hebrew, Arabic, Latin, many others I couldn’t recognise. I read word after word, searching for some kind of recognition, some kind of answer. I stopped, looking down at the paper with sweat inching down my neck. Genesis. Again and again it reared its head, screaming the answer to me with every appearance. It was the Bible. I ran my tongue over my teeth, stress now welling up inside. My search for answers continued as I sifted through more and more pages, searching for something out of the ordinary. After ten minutes of sifting through unknown words, the phrase hit me like a slap in the face. In the middle of the page, wedged between two paragraphs, was a phrase.
“He will come, in a form you will recognise and not recognise. Still your beating heart. Quell your breathing. For there is nothing to fear. He will take a creature free from sin to a land of untold bliss, yet unfamiliar to the mortal realm.”
My eyes skimmed the verse again and again, not giving me so much as a hint of recognition. I blinked hard, hoping the book in my hand would disappear, but it never did. My hand reached for my pager, my finger laying gently over the button. I closed my eyes, the dream of the week past finally crawling back to me. I felt my children's sundried smiles standing over their nutty pancakes. The smell of soft Southern air as I sat on the patio, watching them playing in the fields below. After a low sigh, the pager returned to my pocket. I took a deep breath; the musty dead air calming my head and took my now soggy cornflakes to the kitchen table. I returned to the living room to the see the books absent once more. I hoped that was a good thing.
Sleep evaded me that night, no thought in my head comforted me enough to whisk me to sleep. The view of my children just beyond reach no matter how much I clawed at it. A new thought had come to me. The Bible, flashing in and out of my mind. It slipped between my thoughts, each flash bringing a new page. Page. Page. Page. I felt I was going insane. Then, as the Bible hit the middle, a heart; quivering and spurting blood came flying out of the pages. It beat fervently at my feet, blood drenching my shoes. I woke up in a cold sweat, covering my eyes with my hands. After I finally settled my breathing, I dropped my hands back to the bed, revealing a dark silhouette just beyond my drapes.
It looked like an oval, maybe 10 foot tall. The wind around it blew harshly, moving my heavy drapes around like paper. I pulled the sheets out from under me, desperately fiddling with the drapes to pull them away. The figure began to slowly sulk away into the shadows. By the time I moved the drapes out of the way, the figure was gone, only leaving me with a small glimpse of tangled, black hair drifting across the floor.
I quickly put on my slippers and sped down the stairs, searching the house desperately for the figure. Room after room, not a trace of the thing anywhere. Now coated in ice-cold sweat, I began heading back upstairs. I slipped on the first step, sticking my hand out to the handrail to stop myself. It was covered in a thick, watery substance, almost like saliva. I shook the substance off my hand, having to use the steps in front of me to help guide myself upstairs. I felt the carpet beneath my fingers; it was oddly squishy.
Chris returned a day later, carrying more groceries. I came down to greet him, eyes bloodshot from lack of sleep.
“You doin alright Mr. Cooper?”
“Yeah, yeah. Doing just fine Chris.”
“Mr. Cooper, you really don’t look so good. Are you sure you don’t want me to take you home?”
I froze, a deep terror rooting itself in my bones.
“Never been more sure of anything in my life.” Chris let out a sigh.
“Well alright, but if you need anything. Don't hesitate with that pager,” he said before letting himself out of the house again. I stared at that door for a while, eyes vacant of thought, before walking over to the living room, hoping for a bit of sleep.
The door swung open, revealing the living room to be completely bare. Slowly, a lectern rose from the floorboards, making a wet squelching sound as it moved. My breathing quickened, my heart beating out of my chest. On the lectern lay a book, its dark red cover stretched over it like skin. Shaking, I walked toward the book, holding the cover in my hands. It quivered. Hesitantly, I flipped to the first page. On it, written in dark red blood, was a sketch of a vein, almost like a photo in its detail. As I inspected the page closer, I saw that it was throbbing. I was flipping rapidly now, the sketches of the veins multiplying in number and girth with every page. Then, finally, in the middle of the book, was a heart. A giant, purple heart throbbing off the page. Blood soared from it and into the veins around the book. I felt it soar through the cover, spraying blood into the ground where it was quickly absorbed into the floorboards. I dropped the book in horror, blood oozing from its pages as it hit the floor. The house began to creak and groan, the walls shifting and cracking. I looked at them, my eyes widening. The walls were now covered in hundreds of carvings, all spelling out one phrase. “GOD IS HERE”. Howls and groans came flooded into the room, filling my ears with unbearable noise. I fell down to the ground, shaking violently as I read the words again and again. I reached my hands into my pocket, pushing the button until it cracked in my hand. My legs soared up to my chest, tears of fear streaming down my cheeks.
Chris came running in, seeing me shaking on the ground.
“Mr. Cooper! Mr. Cooper are you there?” I saw his face, looking over at the walls around me, they had returned to normal.
“I-I don’t know what happened Chris, I don’t know.”
“I’m taking you back. You’re in no condition to-”
“Child.” It came from inside my head. The slow, haunting voice making my blood run cool. Chris’s eyes widened, he had heard it too.
“Wait here Mr. Cooper.” Chris stepped out of the room, walking toward the front door. He looked up at the top of the stairs and froze. His lower jaw began to twitch. It looked as if he meant to scream, but no sound came out.
“Chris?” I said. He didn’t move, still stuck in the same horrified expression. I heard a low noise, sounding almost like the snapping of teeth, begin to sound from the stairwell. Chris’s mouth widened, his whole body now tremoring. The snapping noise grew closer and closer, sounding more unnatural as it approached. I saw its shadow begin to creep along the floorboards, the same awful silhouette from the night before. It bobbed up and down, appearing as inhuman as it had before. I crawled back from the doorway, a low groan sounding from the creature as I did so. Chris was now shaking violently, his mouth so wide it looked as if it may break off. Sweat beads fell from every pore he had, so many hitting the ground it sounded like a light drizzle. That was when I saw it.
A ten-foot-tall human head floating above the floorboards. Its bulging eyes were plastered onto the side of its skull, looking straight up toward the heavens. Thick wormlike veins crept up its face like parasites, bringing the only colour to its sickly pale face. Its black, greasy hair fell raggedly toward the ground and its giant mouth lay thoughtlessly agape, exposing its flawless teeth, near impossible in size.
Chris tried to scream, his lips trembling so much he couldn’t make a sound. The creature unhinged its jaw, letting a velvety tongue loose from its mouth. It licked Chris up and down, coating him thick globs of saliva. Chris’s twitching stopped, instead standing before the creature, almost like a statue. Slowly, reaching from his open jaw, his tiny tongue came out to meet the creatures. The creature’s tongue touched his own, caressing each other softly.
“Sinner.” the creature mumbled. Suddenly, the creatures tongue shot back into his mouth, its giant white teeth extending and chomping down on Chris's arm. Chris howled in pain, falling to the ground as the thing took position above him. It began to gnaw on his legs, making a wet crunching sound with every long, sensual bite. I closed my eyes and covered my ears, unable to drown out the screams scrapping into my ears.
I felt its gaze turn toward me, pieces of gory limbs and bright red saliva oozing from its mouth. My heart in my throat, I crawled across the ground, digging my nails into the floorboards and slamming the door in its face. I turned, seeing the old bookshelf behind me, its wooden hide melting into soft, pink flesh. BANG, BANG, BANG. The creature was slamming its head into the door, small pieces of wood splintering off and flying towards me like bullets. I scurried over to the bookcase, pushing the horrid thing forward and hiding behind it, feeling its squishy body pressing warm against my cheek. With an almighty crack, the door flew off its hinges, shattering to pieces as it slammed into the wall next to me. I winced, hiding away from the shrapnel. A deafening silence descended upon the room. My breathing slowed, knowing the creature was listening with unknown ears. It banged into the walls of the doorframe, letting out a groan of pain matching the groan of the wall. A strange sloshing sound arose from the end of the room, the low terror of its origin growing too great in my mind. I peeked my head out to see the creature was licking the door frame, tainting every inch of it with its saliva. Fearing the creature may smell my sweat if I kept watch, I returned to hiding. Finally, the sloshing ceased, and a mighty heave indicated the creature was done. I poked my head out again, seeing only the desecrated doorframe.
Swallowing my fear, I took for my chance to escape. I planted my hand on a shelf and lifted myself up, crimson pus coating my palm. Grimacing at the feel, I crept toward the doorway, globs of spit dripping down from the top like tree sap. Eyes closed, I reached my foot over the thick puddle, feeling the untainted wood of the floorboard beneath me. The spit dripped down onto my leg, the slime seeping through my thick cargo pants. I pulled my way through, dousing myself in the warm slimy liquid. It felt nice, almost like an embrace. Suddenly, a snap, so loud it rocked my vision. I looked to my left, seeing the creature stood before me, its bottom lip nearly touching my hand. I screamed, running desperately for the door.
Harsh, chattering teeth came from behind me as I fled. I slammed myself into the door, hoping the impact would force it to swing open. It did not. I crashed and wailed against the thing, only the dust clinging to the frame moving slightly. I pressed both hands on the door and pushed with all the strength my body could muster. It pushed back against me, sending me sprawling to the floor. As my head struck the floor with a harsh bang, my vision turned to the ceiling, seeing the creature floating just above my head.
I crawled away, laying against the door. I saw a hatch appear between us, the creature’s dull expression not changing.
“Open,” it said, the snapping of its teeth the only sound from its mouth. I dropped down to my knees, lifting open the weightless hatch. The stench hit me first, causing me to wretch and recoil before I could finally see the horror laid out in front of me. It was a room of thick, slowly pulsating flesh covered in dark purple veins. Chunky blood crawled up the veins, sometimes breaking through the thin skin and spurting out into the room, covering the floor in a thin layer of blood. Suddenly, a hole opened up in the middle of the room, bringing a layer of hot air from the depths. A newborn baby clambered up from the hole, wailing and crying as it did so. Its nails were horrifically deformed, twisted into dark brown blades almost like a bears claws. It scratched wildly into the ground below, the nails ripping off and sticking itself in the bloody wound it made. The infant lapped up the spurting blood like a cat, giggling happily as the warm substance soothes its throat. The infant smiled before crawling up the stairs and out of the front door, making its way down the old dusty path. I looked back toward the room. The wound had healed.
“You remember this place” it said. I felt it’s hot breath on my neck.
“Yes.”
“It is where you were born.”
“And where I will die.” We stood there in silence, a tear falling down my cheek. “I-I’m not ready to go. No-not yet.”
“Child, it is your time.”
“I don’t want to go.” My eyes ran over the hole, my vision pulsing. “I DONT WANT TO GO!” I darted toward the hole, running as fast as my withered legs could carry me. I paused before the hole. It was an infinite blackness, the stench emanating from it causing my eyes to water. Looking back at the creature once more, I flung myself into the abyss. Inky black darkness enveloped me as I fell, the stench growing fouler and fouler.
Suddenly, a bright light opened from beneath me. A fleshy pink floor, growing closer every second. I slammed into it, the impact causing me to wretch. Wet heat came flooding towards me, so heavy it pulled my clothes to the floor. My eyes near blind from tears, I tried to get a look at the room. There were things clawing and ripping out from the pink flesh floor with those same horrid brown nails; babies. They were rubbed completely raw and horrifically malformed. Some had limbs missing, some had arms and legs protruding out of their tortured skin. They wailed in anguish, the powerful heat overwhelming them. From the walls came mangled claws, tearing the extra limbs from the kids and smashing them into the ones without, moulding them like clay. They grabbed the finished children and flung them up the hole, some falling back to the ground with a dull thud before being thrown back up again. I had to get out of here, the heat was becoming unbearable.
At the end of the room, I saw a small wooden door. Without a thought more, I dug my long fingernails into the flesh and crawled toward the door. Inch by inch I edged closer, sweating profusely from the humidity. Finally, I made it to the door, pulling down on the door handle and pushing the door open with the remaining strength I had. It cracked open just enough for me to slip through. I dragged myself across the ground, pulling against the doorway and hauling myself inside.
I gasped desperately for air as I hit cold floorboards, the sudden ice-cold air and deafening silence near paralysing me. My legs spasmed and my eyes widened. I was in a hallway, stretched out an impossible distance before me. The walls were covered in dark green wallpaper and mini chandeliers cast the room into a dark, orange glow. At the end of the hall, groaning and sputtering like a dying animal, was the creature. I tried to pull myself away, inching backward on the floor like an injured cat. A mighty roar rang out from behind me, its heavy voice shaking the chandeliers. I turned, seeing a dark pit etched into the ground. It was impossible large, seeming to warp the walls around it. Its velvet insides were lined with rows and rows of teeth, pale and thick like skin untouched by the sun. It shivered, its teeth quivering like jelly. I strained my neck, using all my strength to move my eyes from this horrible thing, but I couldn't. I couldn’t look away.
“You do not need to run anymore.” I heard. Its breath returning to my neck.
“I can’t go. Please don’t make me go.”
There was a pause, a long pause.
“It’s where you need to go, your time has come.”
I cried, my head still in my hands.
“Do you forgive me?”
Another pause.
“DO YOU FORGIVE ME?”
“No. There is no forgiveness I can give you. No mountain you may climb, no great deed you have done will change that. You are a sinner. You will only find repentance below.”
The mighty pit opened up, its insides stretching to their limit.
“Come to me, my child”
I looked down at the pit, hot wet breath caressing my face. Terror flushed from my body, feeling only a sense of hollowed love. I turned toward my creator, hugging him as hard as I could. He didn’t move, still staring blankly toward the sky. With one final look, I let myself fall backward, quietly into the void. As I slipped deeper beyond, the horrid teeth cutting and slicing me apart, I knew, with every inch of my discarded being, I would not see its face again.