"Don’t Open The Attic Door" by Scott Wilson

Don’t open the attic door

by Scott Wilson

“But its November!” Dad said when his daughter Candy asked if they could decorate for Christmas early. He had looked to Linda for support but as usual her expression read “What Candy wants Candy gets, and if you plan to see me naked again this year, then you’d better get up that ladder!”

Their daughter wasn’t spoilt but after two previous miscarriages, Linda wanted their miracle child to be happy.

“Come on Dad, a few lights and the talking snowman won’t hurt” his wife coaxed, her best attempt at fluttering her eyelids, even though it made her look like she was having a stroke.

He smiled, anything to keep on her good side. Besides, the nights were getting cold and he wouldn’t mind a bit of her bodily warmth.

“Ok!” he said with a smile that told his girls that once again they had won. 

“Yay!” Candy cheered the way only five-year-olds can and it made him feel like he was winning at fatherhood.

The three of them went to the attic where Dad then tried to pull the hatch handle. The loft was small and only used for their decorations, so it had been eleven months since it had last been opened.

Seeing Dad was struggling, Mum unhelpfully said “Pull it!”

“I…am…” it finally swung open allowing dust and small feathers to rain down upon him.

After wiping his face, he went up on tiptoes to reach the ladder. It screeched like a rusty trainset before extending down to the ground.  

They watched expectingly as Dad began to climb.

Now near the top he picked up the torch he had left by the opening and quickly shone it around. Growing up in a house where birds and bats nested and tap-danced on his ceiling all night had given him a mild phobia, also watching the movie The Grudge hadn’t helped, so he wanted to be in and out of there as quickly as possible. 

The closest box had XMAS LIGHTS scribbled on its side and he reached for it. As the box was pulled closer, he heard a noise that resembled an egg being cracked and as he went to move the box aside, so he could angle it down, he saw slime stuck to it that reminded him of thick honey, its other end attached to something out of sight. 

“What the…?”

He put the box aside and shone the light towards the golden sinew to see that it was coming from inside what looked to be a damaged wasp’s nest. 

He could see small black bugs dead in the goo and the sight repulsed him.  

“What’s the hold up?” a nasally voice called.

“Hang on!” he said a little impatiently and in a tone he would be made to apologise for later.  

“Theres something up here, a nest or—” he was stopped when a creature resembling a hornet, roughly the size of his fist crawled from behind the broken nest. Its antennae looking to the damage before turning towards him. 

Horror struck him and he wanted away from the thing before…

Its wings began to buzz as loud as a helicopter, as they lifted the creature towards him.

He saw its stinger, as wide and as sharp as a letter opener and it was coming his way at an alarming speed.  

He dropped, risking a broken leg if it meant getting away from the speeding danger.

“What are you doing?” Linda snapped like he was playing the fool. 

Then the bug flew through the opening and straight towards her.   

She didn’t have time for one of her usual complaints as the creature clung to her face before puncturing her throat with its stinger.

Candy fled, now clutching her dad who was still on the floor, his pelvis aching as it had taken the worst of the fall.

They could only watch as Mum tried to batter the bug away, but the damage was done and it left of its own accord before sticking to the wall, watching, enjoying the show as Linda’s throat was now as thick as a tyre as her swollen skin stretched.

She made to grab for it as she fell to her knees, face purple and fighting for breath. Dad had covered Candy’s eyes and could only hold her tight, unable to help his wife as the bug on the wall watched and guarded.

Her throat then popped like a balloon and streams of think golden fluid sprayed the walls as she fell forwards.  

Inside the slime he saw bugs but unlike before, these ones were moving. 

Knowing that they had been backed into a dead end, the only way to escape would be up. 

He slowly got to his feet, still muffling his daughter’s cries, not wanting to remind the thing on the wall that they were still there.

The bugs began to move, some of the bigger ones already buzzing their wings.

“Candy, we need to go up the ladder” her cries were getting louder and he put his face to hers “Candy, we need to get up there. Now!” he said firmly.

She nodded and making sure she didn’t see the mess that had once been her mother, Dad shoved her up the ladder.

The buzzing of wings was deafening and he rushed up after Candy. Once at the top he needed to lay on his chest to pull the ladder up.

The bugs were now swarming around his wife and looked to be feasting on her flesh. 

He grunted and cried as he struggled to pull the ladder up before reaching down for the swinging hatch.

Just as he pulled it closed, he heard a familiar voice call out for “Candy?” then the hatch was closed and they were in darkness.

“Mummy!” Candy cried and Dad took her in his arms before whispering “Don’t open the attic door!”. 

Then buzzing started behind them.