B.T. Viscer is an author of dark fictional horror and erotica. He grew up in the 80’s and 90’s with unsupervised access to horror, music, literature and sexploitation. He lives in rural north Georgia with his wife, dog, cat and a few other related cretins.
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THE STICKS OF INDIFFERENCE
by
B.T. Viscer
On December 5th, Bubba and his six-year-old sister, Renee, got off the bus and went inside to wait for their mom to arrive from work. Renee was testing Bubba’s patience, kicking a ball around the living room.
“Stop doing that, Renee! You’re gonna break something!” Bubba barked. “Nuh-uh, I won’t break nothin’,” she casually mentioned. Just then, she drop-kicked the ball, sending it careening into the gingerbread house he worked so hard to complete.
Gumdrops and shattered pieces of icing exploded into the air. “Look what you just did!!" Bubba screamed out. He dropped to his knees and Renee seemed less than concerned.
“Guess what? Just for that, Santa’s not coming to see you. Know why? Cuz, he ain’t even real.” Renee’s eyes welled up, and she burst into tears. Bubba stomped off to his room, leaving his poor sister devastated on the floor.
That evening was bitter cold, and a fluffy layer of snow blanketed the ground. In the back yard, a pine tree branch snapped from the weight of the snow, ripping Bubba from his slumber. He opened his eyes and scanned around his frigid bedroom. The icy air needled his face. His breath hung heavy in the air like a cloud. “Mom!.. Dad!” He hollered out. Nothing.
A tremendous thud boomed above the ceiling. Loud clomping footsteps, followed by the unmistakable clanking of chains, dragging and rattling through the attic. The stomping shook the house. “Please go away,” he whimpered. Then, a hulking, hairy creature crashed through the ceiling, landing on its feet. “AGGHH!!!” Bubba yelled, terrified.
A long split tongue slithered between long, sharp teeth. Thick, curled horns twisted up from its head. It stood upright on two legs. One foot had long black toenails, while the other leg tapered to a hoof. Bubba cried out again. “MOMMM!!.” She wasn’t there to save him. The monster snatched Bubba up and slung him into a burlap sack hanging over its back. The rope cinched tight, trapping him inside. Claustrophobia’s panicking grip suffocated the breath out of of the poor boy and he passed out.
Bubba woke up sweltering hot with sweat-soaked pajamas sticking to his skin. A viscous red fluid seeped through the cracks separating the stacked blocks from which the walls were designed. The ceiling oozed bloody chunks of meat which collected into grizzly raindrops, before separating and splatting onto the floor. He sat up on the flat stone altar. His body ached from the unforgiving comfort of the rock.
He screamed out again, calling for his parents. “MOM.. DAD!!!! PLEASE HELP ME!!” He broke down into tears, sobbing. ‘Clack.. Stomp.. Clack.. Stomp’.. The footsteps got closer to the massive wooden door. The clomping stopped, and then the door blasted open, splintering off the hinges, and the beast stomped over to Bubba. It leaned down and dragged its rough tongue across his cheek. Bubba clinched his eyes and pressed his lips together. He shuttered and limited his breathing as the sandpaper tongue scraped across his mouth. The monster got a taste of Bubba’s bitter behavior. It stood up and uttered a gutteral message. “Siehe, aich habe ein weiteres opfer! Lass die folter beginnen!!” The beast grabbed the chains one by one and pulled the anchors out of the slab. They exploded out like mini dynamite blasts.
The monster grabbed all the chains together in one hand and lifted Bubba off the stone. His body hung like a chandelier as it carried him out of the room and into a long, arched, rock corridor. The horned monstrosity lowered his arm, plopping him to the unforgiving floor. Without warning, it began walking toward the opposite end of the long hallway.
Bubba staggered to his feet to avoid being dragged across the gravelly floor. The hallway was much hotter than the room. He peered down the hall and saw many wooden doors. Some were ajar, and some were closed. Muffled sounds of punishment echoed inside the rooms. Screams and cries echoed from every direction. Bubba followed behind the beast, shivering, terrified to the core.
He glanced inside the door to his right and his eyes bulged. A disobedient boy was bent over the side of a rock altar with his rear end exposed. His parents were taking turns whipping him. One held a stick, the other a switch. Blood spattered as the lacerations got deeper. The boy was screaming in pain while the two continued to swat him. A moment before Bubba passed the edge of the door frame, the two punishers turned around and made eye contact with him. Their eyes were cloudy and milk white. A blank expression of nothingness hung on their faces. The two of them chanted “naughty.. naughty.. naughty..” as they beat the boy senseless.
The creature yanked him through the door at the end of the hall. Once inside, Bubba hesitated when he saw his parents holding the beating sticks. Their eyes too, were solid white. “NOOOOOO!!!” He yelled out. The beast jerked him forward with snappy intention, slamming him into the altar. He kicked and flailed, but his dad overpowered him, pinning him on the stone. His mom pulled his pants down, exposing his rear “Naughty.. naughty.. naughty,” they droned on, with each swat harder than the last. The searing pain escalated until he blacked out.
An eternity went by before Bubba peeled his eyes open. He was back in his room. Discombobulated and foggy headed, he sprung up from his pillow. What a nightmare! A glimpse of Renee flashed through his mind, followed by guilt. He dangled his legs over the side of the mattress and drew in a long yawn. He slid off the bed and the moment prior to his feet hitting the floor, his eyes darted down; PANIC! Kicking! Flailing! Grasping and missing! Falling through endless tree branches.