The Mark: Chapter 1

“I hope you have somewhere else to go, because you no longer have a home here!”

My father's angry words rang heavily inside my ears as the front door of the house slammed shut behind me. I didn't even look back once as I made my way across the yard to my car. This had already happened a few times before, and I knew all my belongings would be waiting for me in the front yard when I returned. I pulled my keys from my pocket, unlocked the car door, and climbed inside. I sighed as I put the key into the ignition. It was only then that I finally looked back towards the house. The hate that brewed inside could even be felt from all the way out to the street. Hopefully, all Dad needed was a little time to cool off, and by the time I got off of work things would be better.

Life had been utter shit ever since Mom died and Dad remarried. For the most part my stepmother was ok, we just didn't see eye to eye on a whole lot of things. I think she viewed my older brother and myself as physical evidence that Dad had once been in love with another woman besides herself, and resented us for it. Samuel, the eldest, got sick of it and left. I hadn't see or heard from him in three years. However, it wasn't all bad.

The best thing that had come from Dad's new union was my younger brother, Nicholas. He had just celebrated his fifth birthday, and watching him grow had been a joy. He was the flower that had grown from the field of shit that was our broken home.

Most of the tensions grew from Samuel, Dad, and myself. Every single night had been a continuation of an ongoing fight that had lasted for six long years. I wasn't even sure what this particular spat had been about. At that point, though, I didn't even care.

“Fuck it,” I muttered to myself as I turned the key. The engine roared to life and I sped off. I was gripping the steering wheel so tightly that my knuckles had turned white. With a shaky hand I turned the radio on full blast and got lost inside a cacophony of guitar and lyrics.
It was about ten minutes later when I pulled into the parking lot of the grocery store that I so reluctantly called my job. Part of me wished I could just keep on driving until I found somewhere better to be, or just simply ran out of gas. Quite frankly, I would've settled for either. I was already half an hour late and I knew the boss would have my ass for it. I pulled into a parking spot and shut off the engine. My hands were still shaking. Why did I always let him get to me like this? I should be used to this by now.

With that thought in mind I climbed out and shut the door behind me. I glanced at the store and then looked up at the sky. I took in the beauty of the blue abyss that had been dotted with clouds. I found solace in the warmth of the sun, and smiled briefly. If I had known that this would be the last time I would ever see it, I probably would have stood there a little bit longer.
“Well, from one hell to another, I guess.” I said to myself as I walked sullenly towards the store. Little did I know how prophetic that throw away comment would soon be.

Halfway to the store's entrance I noticed flakes of snow, slowly wafting down from the sky. Least, that's what I figured it was. Then I remembered that it was August, I live in Texas, and the temperature was a mild 99 degrees. I picked up one of these “flakes.

“Funny,” I thought to myself, “I don't remember the weatherman saying anything about it raining feathers today.”

I looked up and around the parking lot. These feathers were everywhere, ranging in colors and sizes, some over a foot long. Several of them had splashes of a red liquid that made them hit the ground with a splat, staining where ever they had landed. I had no idea what could have caused such a phenomenon, but I was late, so I tossed the feather aside.

The doors opened in front of me, greeting me with a gust of artificially cooled air, and I stepped inside. No more than two seconds in, and the boss was already down my throat.

“Where the hell have you been? Do you realize you were supposed to be here forty five minutes ago?” He interrogated.

“Well, if it helps, sir, I've been in the parking lot for fifteen minutes.” I spat out sarcastically.

“I don't have time for this, get to work or your fired.” He threatened before turning around and walking away.

I flipped him off, went to the time clock, punched in, and started working at my checkout line. God, I hated my job. I saw the worst type of people come through my line: thieves, liars, and, more importantly, the assholes. Days like this made it really hard to keep that fake smile plastered on my face just so I could interact with all the customers.

And then it happened.

My co-worker, Jen, screamed out to me. “Joe, come quick! You've got to see this.” She was standing next to the window with a look of bewilderment and awe on her face.

“Jen, what's wro...” I started to ask as I made my way over to where she stood, but lost my voice at what I saw.

She didn't need to answer anyway. The sight spoke for itself. I looked out the window and up at the sky. It looked like it was on fire. There was simply no other way to describe it. Enormous streams of smoke billowed from the fires and covered the sky like a shroud. The clouds of smoke only grew thicker and darker as the fires consumed the sky. This didn't stop until it and the sun and sky were blacked out, leaving a premature darkness over the city. Burned down to a smoldering blackness, the sky seemed to swallow itself up into darkness, taking the earth with it. It grew so black that all I could see was my reflection in the store window. Looking back, raining feathers didn't seem so strange, considering what followed it. Suddenly, the blackness began to glow with a blood red tint.

That's when the storms came and with a fury. Thunder like I had never heard before echoed from every direction. The glowing sky churned and seethed in a completely unnatural way. The thunder receded, and a silence came. Nobody outside moved. Everyone in the store crowded around the windows, completely frozen. That's when the sky screamed. It let loose an ungodly cry that rattled every window and crumbled loose bits of dust from the ceiling tiles. Then the rain fell. It was a horrible mix of blood and acid.

Those unfortunate enough to be on the streets screamed in agony as the boiling brew fell upon them. I watched in horror and revulsion as the flesh melted off of their bones. It reminded me of one summer I spent with a bucket full of army men, and a very powerful magnifying glass. I felt sick. Sick with sympathy for the poor souls out there. I swallowed down the bile taste that formed inside my mouth. It all happened so fast. I wanted to help the people outside, to open the doors and help them, but they wouldn't even make it that far. To go to them would be suicide.
The tires on the cars melted on the asphalt from the heat that was steadily growing outside. It was so intense that the windows became too hot to even stand near.

Unnatural lightning erupted from the heavens and exploded on the ground in fiery bursts of crimson, obliterating whatever they hit with pyrotechnic displays of destruction. Buildings all around us were being blown down to rubble by awesome winds. My lunchtime options were diminishing rapidly. That's when the lights went out.


Twelve hours later...
It was only when the storms ceased that the emergency lights finally kicked on. This gave us a better view of the chaos that had been wrought all around us. No other buildings surrounded us. It's funny. I had always joked that when the world ended, all that would be left were cockroaches and this god forsaken store. I just never thought I'd actually be right. People started to say that it was a sign from God that we saved.

Everyone was huddled together in fear or silent prayer. I saw a little girl that clutched a teddy bear close to her chest as she whimpered in her mother's arms. I felt a sting of pity when I saw the fear that resided within her eyes.

“Well, at least it's all over.” I said to her gently, hoping it would offer some comfort.

“Everyone, come here! There's something out there!” A man screamed as he looked out the window.

We all made our way to where he was standing and followed his gaze. All I could see was red. Red skies. Red pavement. Red rubble. Red mist...then I saw it. The shadows outside seemed to be alive. There was movement everywhere. The vapors hanging in the air swirled and cloaked the figures, making it impossible to tell who, or what, they were. Then, something came into view.

It looked human, as far as shape and form were concerned. Hunched over as it gated the ground, knees to face and elbows scraping the pavement. Hairless on the few patches of skin it had left, its body wretchedly thin. Every step it took looked like a mile, and it felt as if the creature could reach out from where it stood and grab us through the glass. The arms alone must have been 6 feet long from shoulder to tip. It stood up towering above everything, standing over eight feet tall. Its arms stretched down past its knees and ended with talon tipped fingers. But the creepiest, most horrifying detail was the face.

The corners of its mouth stretched to the back of its skull in a permanent smile that revealed a jumble of needles that can only begin to look like teeth. Thousands of them standing at a messy attention behind its jovial expression. It's face looked like a mans might after it was peeled off a brick wall after a head on collision, flat from forehead to jaw with two in the middle for sniffing out its prey. The tissue of it's scalp and forehead was bulled down over its eyes and tied back behind its head, creating a makeshift blindfold. Its spine jutted out like the teeth of a saw.
A few people in the store rushed to lock and barricade the doors. I knew it was useless. If the bastard wanted in, it'd find a way.

Its head swiveled back and forth as if sniffing the air. It paused, and turned its head to look directly towards us. As its eyeless gaze fell upon us I felt a shiver run down my spine and stay there. My worst fear was confirmed; it knew we were there. The chill was a stark contrast to the head that had grown from outside, but offered no relief. It reached a taloned hand out towards us and I blinked. In the fraction of the second that my eyes were closed, it had already made the distance from where it stood across the parking lot to the window.

“Fuck me,” I gasped.

It tapped the glass with a single clawed finger, and I watched as its smile grew even larger, tightening the skin around the face. I looked behind it and saw why. Hundreds of creatures just like it came out from the shadows and joined him at the window. Most of them were smaller than him, but some were bigger. It didn't make a difference what size they were, though, they all seemed just as deadly. Some had no skin over where their eyes should have been, just empty holes. Every one different in its own way, and yet the same.

Some people inside screamed and began to run to the back of the building, while others just stood in their place, paralyzed. Unfortunately, I was with the latter, and I've seen enough horror movies to know better. As if on cue, all the creatures opened up their mouths and let loose screams that shook the windows until they shattered inwards. Some of the people around me had blood pouring from their ears, a sign their eardrums had burst.

The creatures flowed into the store like water from a crumbling dam. They whirled through the crowd of stunned patrons, randomly slaughtering anyone in their path. Screams of agony could be heard from all directions. I stood there dumbfounded until one of them backhanded me. I flew back, bounced off a checkout counter, and landed hard on the floor. It was already on top of me. I gazed into the empty sockets that once might have contained eyes, then at that damn smile. The emergency lights reflected off of its bloody muscle and tissue where skin should be. It opened its mouth, and drool fell onto me. It smelled like rancid meat left out in the sun. I came out of my stupor as it raised its hand. I kicked his kneecaps hard, and it howled as they cracked and were broken in the opposite direction. I stood up and ran, my paralysis having finally wore off. God, they were everywhere, tearing customers and employees apart unmercifully and without prejudice.

I heard the fabric on the back of my shirt rip and felt the skin tear. I fell forward and landed on my face, hard. As I flipped over I saw two more standing at my feet. Before I could try any sad attempt at fighting back, one grabbed me by the head and lifted me up off of the ground. Its palm pressed against my forehead, and its fingers wrapped around to the base of my skull. A blinding light emitted from the center of its palm, and I pass out from the pain.


When I awoke it felt like my forehead was on fire. I had a blinding headache, and as I reached up to touch the wound, I could feel heat radiating from it. I stood up and looked around me, my eyes barely able to approach the carnage they were seeing. The store looked as though a fire had swept through it. Charred boxed and foodstuffs lay scattered about. More disturbingly, so were people. I random parts and entrails everywhere. Then, sadly, I saw a tiny severed hand that still clutched a teddy bear.

“Jesus Christ.” It was more of a declaration than a prayer, really. Upon further inspection I found neither a survivor, nor any of the creatures that had butchered them all.
I walked into the bathroom and looked into the cracked mirror. Nothing could have prepared me for what I saw in my reflection. A cross was carved and seared deep into the skin of my forehead. The cross was inverted, and inscribed around the intersection was a circle with three bent legs equilaterally placed. It looked like a six, copied and turned once, then copied and turned against. For those of you keeping score, that's three of them. It was about this point that I realized just how fucked I truly was.

Once I had calmed down a little bit, something lurking in the back of my mind came to the forefront and screamed for some much needed attention.

“Nicholas!” I screamed and ran to the front door.

I stopped, afraid of what might happen to me if I stepped outside, remembering the boiling rain and earth shaking storms from hours earlier. As I looked at the debris and ruin, it became clear to me that things outside had settled down enough to venture out.

As I stepped out onto the concrete, my shoes sizzled. The air was hot and heavy, filled with the stench of death and decay. There was nothing left standing on the block except the store.
I ran. I ran as fast as I could towards where I knew my house was, although all the old landmarks were gone. I could only tell where I was going by the up heaved road that I had been driving on almost a day prior. It seemed like a lifetime before I reached my street. All of the houses were gone or leveled. A sea of foundations where there had been a myriad of bricks, windows, and siding. What had once been trees and laws were now charred stumps amidst an ocean of red rubble.

My house was only a hundred feet or so from the turn, and I could see it standing alone, or at least I thought it was standing. Half of it was torn out, and the other half was staying up with only the support of my only prayer.

Please, let him still be alive. Please, let me find him. Please, please, please...
I saw my father's corpse lying in the front yard, dismembered and blood soaked. I nearly vomited at the sight of his body, and every word that I spat at him during our fight flooded my inner thoughts, wracking me with guilt. I fell hard onto my knees and wretched my stomach until I nearly heaved out my intestines.

Lying there on the ground, I heard it. The only beacon of hope from the darkest twenty four hours of my life. Using every bit of strength left, I pulled myself to my feet and walked towards the remains of the house. I passed through the remnants of the living room towards the source of the sound. There he was, my little brother, the only source of hope and redemption in my life. He was crouched, holding the lifeless body of his mother in his lap. Cradling her head, he rocked back and forth, back and forth. Tears streaming down his tiny face, barely audible sobs emanating from his rigid body.

“Monsters came. They took Daddy away. And now...Mommy won't wake up. Please, Joe. Make her wake up.”

I collapsed next to him and pulled him towards me, holding his head against my chest.

“I'm sorry, Nicky. I'm so sorry.”

We wept together then. Little did we know, we only got a taste of hell that day. It was meant to prepare us for the worst yet to come.