B.T. Viscer is an author of speculative, fictional horror from the northeast hills of rural Georgia. He grew up with the classic slashers of the 80’s and 90’s and eventually developed a healthy taste for transgressive subject matter which pushes the limits of normal social flavors. When he’s not writing or submerged in the splatterpunk horrors of the world, Viscer can be found building Lincoln log houses with his youngest son, riding roller coasters with his teenage daughter, throwing horns at a metal concert with his oldest, or simply enjoying some much needed alone time with his amazingly spectacular wife, who he thanks regularly for putting up with all of his bullshit.
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SNUFF WATER
by
B.T. Viscer
The kids had one more week of summer vacation left before school. Alex took Friday off from work to take the family to Savannah, Georgia, for the last three-day weekend they would get for a while. He and his son Jake visited the Graveface museum, an attraction specializing in everything related to the human condition. They display a comprehensive collection of artifacts from the world’s most notorious serial killers, cult leaders and occultists. Alongside these items were various nicknacks for purchase.
“Check these out, Jake,” Alex mentioned as he perused through the nifty trinkets.
He held up a packet with little plastic figurines. The package said ‘Grow Your Own Demons!’ in big red letters. They were no bigger than a quarter each. Another caption on the bottom of the packaging read, ‘Never grow the same demon twice!’
“Look, you put them in a tub of water and grow your own demon! That’s pretty badass!” Alex said.
Jake glanced up from thumbing through the pins and buttons.
“Wow, pops.”
Alex rolled his eyes at Jake's indifference.
“Well, I’m gonna buy them for myself then. I think they’re cool.” He mumbled.
“I found a few pins I like. Plus, I’m snagging this Aleister Crowley hat.” He picked up the infamous Crowley occultist hat with the illuminated triangle on it.
“Thats a cool pick, son,” Alex mentioned.
They brought the items up to the counter, and the clerk raised his eyebrows.
“I think you’re the first to buy these things. I’d be interested to hear how they fair.”
"I'll let you know! Alex replied.
Back home, Alex and Jake checked out their esoteric goodies.
“Hey, Jake, let's check out these water demons. You think I outta throw them in a tub of water and see what happens?” he asked
“You should turn off the pumps and stick them in the pool.”
“You know, that’s a stupendous idea!”
They walked out to the pool and Alex turned off the water pumps.
“Well, here goes.” He said, then dumped the five pieces into the water.
“Should we say something?” Alex asked.
“Like what?” Jake replied.
“Hell, I don’t know. Make something up.”
“Uhh.. Abracadabra, hocus pocus, Hail Satan.”
“Really? That's your offering sermon?”
“That’s all I got.”
Alex laughed at his son, and the two of them went back inside to wrap up the night.
“What did you do with those goofy things?” Beth asked.
“We stuck ‘em in the pool. They have more room to grow in there."
“What are you expecting out of this?”
“Ehh, I didn’t set any expectations. I went into this blind.” Alex said with a grin.
With that, Alex, Beth, and the kids readied themselves for bed. It was around 3am, and the family had been asleep for hours. Flickers of bright red and white flashes bursted though the master bathroom window overlooking the pool area. The lights flickered outside their line of sight, and they slept right through the chaos.
The figures soaked the water up like a sponge, but not near as fast because of the hardened rubbery material. After several hours, the pieces grew to full size. When they reached maximum saturation, the conjuration began. The five creatures emerged from the water and set off on their mission.
A notification from his phone awakened Alex. 3:05AM ‘Motion on the back porch.’
“Ugh.” Alex grunted.
Beth stirred and rolled over.
“What is it?”
“I don't know. The back camera went off.”
Alex rubbed the sleep crust from his eyes and pulled up the footage. All he could see was the fleeting glimpse of a shadow.
“I'm sure it was just a deer. I’ll go have a look.”
Alex grabbed a flashlight from his nightstand and tiptoed down the hall. He went to the back door and shined the light through. He couldn’t see much through the screened-in porch. Unsatisfied, he walked to the porch door leading outside and pointed the light around, but saw nothing. Alex noticed that the water in the pool was still rippling and sloshing, but he passed it off as wind. He went back to bed and the rest of the evening was quiet and restful.
The next day, the kids made it off to school without a hitch. Alex and Beth’s day at work was running smooth, however, chaos was unfolding in town. It’s one thing for people to go missing in a city, since it happens every day. But it’s another when you have over a hundred within a few hours. The phones rang off the hook at the police station, reporting more misplaced people. With no fresh developments on the reports, schools and businesses continued as normal.
Jake was the first one home and went straight for the pool, where he expected to find his new bloated figures, instead he saw something he couldn’t fathom. He cupped his mouth with his hands and dropped to his knees. He remained in shock until his parents got home.
“Jake! You here, buddy?” Alex asked. He heard no answer. Between all the commotion and blabbering about missing people, he forgot about the figurines. Then, it dawned on him, and he walked out back to the pool.
“Jake?” He asked again.
“Right.. here..” Jake’s voice cracked.
“Oh, my dear God.” His eyes bulged out of his head.
The pool was full of mutilated, naked bodies. The demons threw the bodies into a heaping pile. What used to be water was now a giant tub of half-clotted blood and mushy tissue. The victim’s bodies had been desecrated beyond recognition. The arms and legs of the poor people were torn from the sockets and tossed about, leaving jagged flaps of skin. Many of the victims were still alive, which was the worst part. A cacophony of grunting and moaning filled the air, while blood soaked bodies wiggled and writhed like a mound of night-crawler worms. Alex looked at his son with saucer sized eyes and asked,
“What did you do?”