The Beach House
I think I got the story hook from somewhere else, but I cannot for the life of me remember where it is. Tell me if you know what the idea was from, otherwise I have something new!
November 8 - Day 5.
Henry won't come downstairs. Me and Mel tried to talk to him, have him come down and eat or play a game or something. We don't have much, just a copy of Monopoly, a chess set missing a horse and a couple pawns, a couple of movies that got left up here last summer, even though we are afraid to turn on the TV to loud, but its something, right? He wouldn't even answer. Later we heard a gunshot, we panicked and tried to beat down the door. Then we heard another. And another. We calmed down and found the key. He had crawled out on the roof and was shooting at them. We talked him back inside, and we cooked some beans and some more of the fresh meat.
There is only a few of them here, this beach is out of the way, its why Mom and Dad bought it, when I was small. There was maybe 7 or 8, they don't look bright, but they knew, they knew we were here. They would stand outside and stare. Henry's target practice brought it down to 4 or 5, maybe we can catch a couple fish if no more show up. I don't like it when he shoots them. They still look like people. They are people, they are just sick. Right?
Kara didn't feel well. She laid down and skipped dinner, sleeping now. Maybe the radio will give us better news in the morning.
November 12 - Day 9.
There are more again today. Maybe 20. When we are out of frozen meat we are out, I don’t know how long they will stay that way. We had a good stock of canned stuff, though, so we should be fine for a while. Henry isn't as antisocial now. I think he just missed his mom. We all miss our moms.
I remember coming here when I was small. First with Mom and Dad, then later with Mom and David after Dad died. I still miss him. I’m glad he didn’t have to see this, though.
Phones are all dead, power went out mid afternoon. Water is from a well, and there is a solar panel on the roof that keeps the pump battery charged, though it won’t keep the house lit. When I am not looking forward to the dark. Maybe having the lights out will help keep them away. Kara was napping in the sun, earlier. Mel touched her and she was warm. She’s got a mild fever now. She should be ok, I gave her some Tylenol and told her to lay down upstairs.
I hate the noises they make. They sound so sad. We all sleep upstairs, you cannot hear them up there, and the ocean sounds carry to the windows up there, better, anyway.
November 13 - Day 10
They keep coming. It wasn’t the lights in the house that brought them to us, it must be something else. Maybe their voices carry to each other. I feel bad, having convinced Henry to stop shooting them. I’m sure he won’t have changed his mind if I go ask him to start shooting again. He brought plenty of ammo, to our protest, but now I see it’s a good thing. If he can get them all this morning, maybe me and him can go out and get some wood for the fireplace.
Kara is getting worse. She is still up and about, but the fever is a little higher. Pretty sure its just the flu. Gave her more Tylenol and something for nausea. Went down the to the basement, looked for supplies. Found some of my old dolls and things, packed away for storage. Everything smelt of dust and forgetfulness. It was sad, like they make me feel sad.
Novermber 14 - Day 11.
Kara won’t wake up. I think she is in a lot of pain, suddenly, she whimpers constantly. She started screaming a few times in the night. Still wouldn’t wake. Started her on narcotics (Vicodin; Hydrocodone-APAP 5mg/500mg) and some Benedrehyl, maybe calm her down a bit. She is burning up. I stripped her down and tried giving her a cold bath, when I found her bite mark. I dressed her back up in a gown, and me and Henry agreed to lock her in one of the bedrooms upstairs for now.
They just keep coming. Maybe it was Kara’s screams. Maybe they just sense us. I don’t know why I wrote that, that’s silly. There is about 60, their moans are starting to wear on us. I cut up a pillow case into strips, stuffed up my ears, told Mel and Henry to do the same. They block out the ocean, though.
November 15 - Day 12
Henry
We
So much blood
She is all over the walls.
Got to calm down. Kara got worse. She almost burnt to the touch, and her pulse was weak when I checked on her this morning. It gave up at 11 in the morning. She was dead. I covered her up.
It only took maybe 5 minutes.
I heard her get up, while I put away my kit. She was dead. She stood there and she made the noises. So sad sounding. I tried to back away when Mel came in the door and shouted, startled, went to grab her. She lunged. I decked her with my bag, and I tried to push Mel back out the door, but I’m so much smaller then him. He shouted at me, said she was ok, to stop hitting her. Henry got there first.
He didn’t even think about it.
It was so loud. Such an awful, awful noise. Like a melon tossed out a window onto concrete. Just so horrid. I was stunned. I thought Mel was going to kill him. Henry just kind of grabbed him and pinned him until he stopped fighting and started crying. I gathered up the bits of her that I could and put them in the sheet. Henry helped me get her out the window, we couldn’t keep her, so we pitched her out onto the sand. They looked up at us and their blank eyes didn’t understand. They welcomed her corpse with a curious glance and sad grunt. Then started back at the house, Mel sobbing in time with their little cries.
After I cleaned up the room, we got out the whisky and drank until we could not hear them anymore.
November 17 - Day 14
There is no end to them, now. They fill the clearing around the house, from back door to the edge of the woods. They are a like a tide, rolling in off the ocean, pulled here by something. I only hope they get pulled away.
There is no drowning them out now. They have taken to beating their arms against the sides of the house. They broke most the windows, now, and the cool November air is flowing through the cracks in the boards. We don't have a whole lot of firewood left. I try to sleep as long as possible, upstairs, where I keep trying to listen to the ocean. I probably would be better off in the basement, but it feels to much like a grave. Mel is sullen, he wanders around the house aimlessly. Henry tries to concentrate and focus by cleaning his guns.
I dreamt, last night, about the time I went up to Rosewood, and to Aunt Laura's with Mom and David. We walked on the beach, and when we got back to the house, Dad had come to visit. He smiled and said he was so proud of me. We all stayed there and were happy. Dad's dead. It was a silly dream. Mom and David are probably dead now, too.
I hope help comes soon.
November 19 - Day 16
It's unbearable. I wish I knew what they were thinking. Do they know they are driving us crazy? Is that how they will get us to come out?
Mel isn't holding up well. He lost it tonight, he just started screaming at the top of his lungs and started beating back against the walls. They weren't even words, just a stream of unintelligble hate and fear. They didn't care, they just bumped in rhythym and made their sad moans. Mel went on until his voice stopped, even then he didn't quit beating on the walls.
He scares me. His eyes got blank and glazed like theirs.
November 20 - Day 17
Dad called me. Sounded well. I took my cell down to the cellar and we talked all evening. I missed him so much. I'll go up and report to Mom and David later.
That never happened. That couldn't have happened, Dad is dead. He has been dead for 12 years. What the fuck is happening?
I'm going to have to start dipping into the stronger drugs. I better sedate Mel soon.
November 22 - Day 19
All alone now.
I didn't
Its all over the living room. There was blood.
-
I took a Zanax. I'm calmed down now. Something... Mel really lost it. It's still before dawn. He went nuts. He He tried to go outside, he took the hammer and frantically started prying the planks from the door. Henry ran down and tried to stop him. I came down in time to see him get wasted. Mel had taken one of the guns. It just went pop and Henry was falling down and he just went back to the door screaming, screaming that we couldn't stop them, we have to let them in so I had to.
I didn't want to, I had to.
Henry had shown me, what to do, how to aim it.
I'm not strong enough, to get them both up the stairs and out the windows.
They were still people.
November 24 - Day 21
I think, now, that Mel was right. They are a flood. A rising tide. Punishment, from the Almighty, we were not worthy of the world and so he swept us away. He did it before, and promised never to do it again. By water. So he used a different kind of flood. Them.
I am going to have to go now. I can't stand it. They fill my dreams with their moans, I can't tell if I'm awake or asleep or dead or anything anymore. I'm going to Rosewood. Mom and Dad are waiting for me there. They have a boat full of men to take us away from here. To sail somewhere safe.
The tide is coming in.
November 8 - Day 5.
Henry won't come downstairs. Me and Mel tried to talk to him, have him come down and eat or play a game or something. We don't have much, just a copy of Monopoly, a chess set missing a horse and a couple pawns, a couple of movies that got left up here last summer, even though we are afraid to turn on the TV to loud, but its something, right? He wouldn't even answer. Later we heard a gunshot, we panicked and tried to beat down the door. Then we heard another. And another. We calmed down and found the key. He had crawled out on the roof and was shooting at them. We talked him back inside, and we cooked some beans and some more of the fresh meat.
There is only a few of them here, this beach is out of the way, its why Mom and Dad bought it, when I was small. There was maybe 7 or 8, they don't look bright, but they knew, they knew we were here. They would stand outside and stare. Henry's target practice brought it down to 4 or 5, maybe we can catch a couple fish if no more show up. I don't like it when he shoots them. They still look like people. They are people, they are just sick. Right?
Kara didn't feel well. She laid down and skipped dinner, sleeping now. Maybe the radio will give us better news in the morning.
November 12 - Day 9.
There are more again today. Maybe 20. When we are out of frozen meat we are out, I don’t know how long they will stay that way. We had a good stock of canned stuff, though, so we should be fine for a while. Henry isn't as antisocial now. I think he just missed his mom. We all miss our moms.
I remember coming here when I was small. First with Mom and Dad, then later with Mom and David after Dad died. I still miss him. I’m glad he didn’t have to see this, though.
Phones are all dead, power went out mid afternoon. Water is from a well, and there is a solar panel on the roof that keeps the pump battery charged, though it won’t keep the house lit. When I am not looking forward to the dark. Maybe having the lights out will help keep them away. Kara was napping in the sun, earlier. Mel touched her and she was warm. She’s got a mild fever now. She should be ok, I gave her some Tylenol and told her to lay down upstairs.
I hate the noises they make. They sound so sad. We all sleep upstairs, you cannot hear them up there, and the ocean sounds carry to the windows up there, better, anyway.
November 13 - Day 10
They keep coming. It wasn’t the lights in the house that brought them to us, it must be something else. Maybe their voices carry to each other. I feel bad, having convinced Henry to stop shooting them. I’m sure he won’t have changed his mind if I go ask him to start shooting again. He brought plenty of ammo, to our protest, but now I see it’s a good thing. If he can get them all this morning, maybe me and him can go out and get some wood for the fireplace.
Kara is getting worse. She is still up and about, but the fever is a little higher. Pretty sure its just the flu. Gave her more Tylenol and something for nausea. Went down the to the basement, looked for supplies. Found some of my old dolls and things, packed away for storage. Everything smelt of dust and forgetfulness. It was sad, like they make me feel sad.
Novermber 14 - Day 11.
Kara won’t wake up. I think she is in a lot of pain, suddenly, she whimpers constantly. She started screaming a few times in the night. Still wouldn’t wake. Started her on narcotics (Vicodin; Hydrocodone-APAP 5mg/500mg) and some Benedrehyl, maybe calm her down a bit. She is burning up. I stripped her down and tried giving her a cold bath, when I found her bite mark. I dressed her back up in a gown, and me and Henry agreed to lock her in one of the bedrooms upstairs for now.
They just keep coming. Maybe it was Kara’s screams. Maybe they just sense us. I don’t know why I wrote that, that’s silly. There is about 60, their moans are starting to wear on us. I cut up a pillow case into strips, stuffed up my ears, told Mel and Henry to do the same. They block out the ocean, though.
November 15 - Day 12
Henry
We
So much blood
She is all over the walls.
Got to calm down. Kara got worse. She almost burnt to the touch, and her pulse was weak when I checked on her this morning. It gave up at 11 in the morning. She was dead. I covered her up.
It only took maybe 5 minutes.
I heard her get up, while I put away my kit. She was dead. She stood there and she made the noises. So sad sounding. I tried to back away when Mel came in the door and shouted, startled, went to grab her. She lunged. I decked her with my bag, and I tried to push Mel back out the door, but I’m so much smaller then him. He shouted at me, said she was ok, to stop hitting her. Henry got there first.
He didn’t even think about it.
It was so loud. Such an awful, awful noise. Like a melon tossed out a window onto concrete. Just so horrid. I was stunned. I thought Mel was going to kill him. Henry just kind of grabbed him and pinned him until he stopped fighting and started crying. I gathered up the bits of her that I could and put them in the sheet. Henry helped me get her out the window, we couldn’t keep her, so we pitched her out onto the sand. They looked up at us and their blank eyes didn’t understand. They welcomed her corpse with a curious glance and sad grunt. Then started back at the house, Mel sobbing in time with their little cries.
After I cleaned up the room, we got out the whisky and drank until we could not hear them anymore.
November 17 - Day 14
There is no end to them, now. They fill the clearing around the house, from back door to the edge of the woods. They are a like a tide, rolling in off the ocean, pulled here by something. I only hope they get pulled away.
There is no drowning them out now. They have taken to beating their arms against the sides of the house. They broke most the windows, now, and the cool November air is flowing through the cracks in the boards. We don't have a whole lot of firewood left. I try to sleep as long as possible, upstairs, where I keep trying to listen to the ocean. I probably would be better off in the basement, but it feels to much like a grave. Mel is sullen, he wanders around the house aimlessly. Henry tries to concentrate and focus by cleaning his guns.
I dreamt, last night, about the time I went up to Rosewood, and to Aunt Laura's with Mom and David. We walked on the beach, and when we got back to the house, Dad had come to visit. He smiled and said he was so proud of me. We all stayed there and were happy. Dad's dead. It was a silly dream. Mom and David are probably dead now, too.
I hope help comes soon.
November 19 - Day 16
It's unbearable. I wish I knew what they were thinking. Do they know they are driving us crazy? Is that how they will get us to come out?
Mel isn't holding up well. He lost it tonight, he just started screaming at the top of his lungs and started beating back against the walls. They weren't even words, just a stream of unintelligble hate and fear. They didn't care, they just bumped in rhythym and made their sad moans. Mel went on until his voice stopped, even then he didn't quit beating on the walls.
He scares me. His eyes got blank and glazed like theirs.
November 20 - Day 17
Dad called me. Sounded well. I took my cell down to the cellar and we talked all evening. I missed him so much. I'll go up and report to Mom and David later.
That never happened. That couldn't have happened, Dad is dead. He has been dead for 12 years. What the fuck is happening?
I'm going to have to start dipping into the stronger drugs. I better sedate Mel soon.
November 22 - Day 19
All alone now.
I didn't
Its all over the living room. There was blood.
-
I took a Zanax. I'm calmed down now. Something... Mel really lost it. It's still before dawn. He went nuts. He He tried to go outside, he took the hammer and frantically started prying the planks from the door. Henry ran down and tried to stop him. I came down in time to see him get wasted. Mel had taken one of the guns. It just went pop and Henry was falling down and he just went back to the door screaming, screaming that we couldn't stop them, we have to let them in so I had to.
I didn't want to, I had to.
Henry had shown me, what to do, how to aim it.
I'm not strong enough, to get them both up the stairs and out the windows.
They were still people.
November 24 - Day 21
I think, now, that Mel was right. They are a flood. A rising tide. Punishment, from the Almighty, we were not worthy of the world and so he swept us away. He did it before, and promised never to do it again. By water. So he used a different kind of flood. Them.
I am going to have to go now. I can't stand it. They fill my dreams with their moans, I can't tell if I'm awake or asleep or dead or anything anymore. I'm going to Rosewood. Mom and Dad are waiting for me there. They have a boat full of men to take us away from here. To sail somewhere safe.
The tide is coming in.