My Red Eyes

Photo by Elīna Arāja from Pexels

Who am I? Who are they? We're not like you Eric. - Identity confusion

Two days ago, a young couple living in London were found dead in their home. When the police arrived at the house, they found the couple’s seven-year-old son sitting in his bedroom, unaware of what had happened.

Now, Eric sat in the back of a horse drawn carriage, almost four hours away from his home, on his way to the New World orphanage in Lincolnshire. He clutched his favourite teddy, Benjamin, closer to his chest and gazed out the carriage window.

In the distance he could see the orphanage at the top of its hill, jutting out from the rugged, almost unkempt landscape like a sore thumb. It stood out like a piece of expensive art, with delicate woodwork framing the stained-glass windows, and mint painted weatherboards covering the walls all the way up to the gabled roof. Beyond the orphanage, Eric could see thick dark clouds brewing on the horizon. A storm was heading their way.

He lowered his head and focused his gaze on his reflection in the window. His skin was smooth and as white as snow, yet his hair was as dark as a shadow. It hung down to the top of his collar and hung over his eyes, which were as deep and dark as the ocean.

The carriage came to a stop just by the edge of the front porch. The driver jumped down from his seat and came around to open the door for Eric. Still clutching Benjamin close to him, Eric stepped out onto the ground, his feet crunching on the gravel driveway. He looked around. There was a small ring of grass around the house but after that, it was all wild bushlands. From afar the house had looked quite new, but up-close Eric noticed that the paint was peeling, and the wood was cracked.

As the carriage driver retrieved Eric’s suitcase from the trunk, the front doors swung open and a slender, middle-aged lady bustled out, her apron flapping about in the wind.

“You must be Eric,” she called out cheerfully, coming down and shaking the driver’s hand, thanking him.

She then turned to Eric and smiled, “How are you feeling?”

Eric only stared at her blankly. He blinked once. This woman seems a bit too cheerful, he thought.

He looked past the woman and noticed that six boys were standing on the porch, all about his age, gazing at him curiously. They whispered to each other and pointed their fingers at him. Eric scowled.

The woman noticed him watching the boys and she turned around to them.

“Toby, why don’t you take Eric inside?” she asked one of the boys on the porch, then turned to Eric. “Go inside with the others Eric. I’ll bring your suitcase in.”

The woman tilted her head, waiting for Eric to answer but he just strode past her and cautiously walked up to other boys on the front porch.

The boy called Toby smiled warmly, “Come on then,” he said as he grabbed Eric’s wrist.

He turned and ran inside pulling Eric along with him, and the other boys followed laughing cheerfully. As Eric stumbled along down the hallway and up the stairs, he tried to take in his surroundings, but Toby was pulling him along too fast. Then they ran into a room and stopped.

Toby let go of his hand and Eric looked around. They were in some kind of play room. Wooden blocks and trains, books and other toys lay scattered all around the room. At the far end a large bay window was set into the wall, looking out over the estate.

“What do you like to play?” one of the other boys asked Eric, as they all sat down on the floor.

“I don’t know,” Eric replied.

He wasn’t sure what kind of games these boys liked to play, so he decided to just watch them for a bit. He sunk down to the floor a little distance away from the others and hugged Benjamin.

The boy shrugged and they all started to play together, driving the trains around on the floor and building towers with the blocks.

After watching them play for a while, Eric noticed that there was something different about the boys. They didn’t speak much and yet they looked at each other and laughed as if they were having a whole conversation. They had an odd look about them too. Every now and then, out of the corner of his eye Eric would notice them almost shimmer, as if they were only a mirage on a hot summer’s day.

Suddenly Eric felt a sharp pain in his head, as if a nail were being driven into his skull. He winced and curled over. An image flashed in his mind, too blurry for him to fully make out but it looked like a group of people. No, these weren’t normal people. There was something off about them.

“Eric,” Toby’s concerned voice cut through the images in Eric’s mind and woke him from his trance.

Eric gasped and lifted his head, noticing that all six boys were quietly watching him. They had an odd look on their faces, almost like wild animals watching potential pray.

Eric suddenly felt uneasy. He wanted to stand but his legs were too weak. He looked down and saw that there was a small puddle of blood on the floor. He reached up with a shaking hand and wiped his nose. His hand came away smeared red.

“We’re not like you Eric,” Toby said, reaching forward.

Toby reached out and took Eric’s hand in his. Eric hadn’t noticed before when Toby had pulled him into the play room, but Toby’s hand was as cold as ice.

Eric jerked his hand away, leaving a streak of his blood on Toby’s hand. He was about to apologise when Toby grinned maliciously and raised his hand to his face. His tongue flicked out of his mouth and licked his hand. The blood was gone.

Eric shuffled back against the wall, shocked. Toby lowered his hand and his eyes turned red. He smiled, flashing long, sharp fangs.

A sudden realisation hit Eric. These boys weren’t normal. They were just like the people he had seen in his vision.

Toby leant forward and crawled over to Eric, until his lips were next to Eric’s ear.

“Don’t be afraid Eric. We don’t want to hurt you,” Toby whispered.

“Get away from me!” Eric tried to shout, but his voice came out as a hoarse croak.

Toby ignored Eric, and brushing Eric’s jaw with his cold fingers, Toby lowered his head, and sunk his needle like, gleaming fangs into Eric’s neck.

Eric screamed and tried to get away, but Toby was too strong. He dropped Benjamin and pounded the floor boards with his fists. Tears ran down his face as Toby backed away from him and stood up.

Through blurred eyes Eric looked up at him. Blood dripped from his lips and ran down his neck. He smiled, satisfied.

The agony continued. Eric writhed on the floor, screaming in pain. He shivered, feeling cold, but at the same time his body felt like it was on fire. His skin itched. Images flashed through his brain too fast for him to comprehend, and the world around him changed as his senses adjusted.

Eric let out an agonised scream and then lay still, panting heavily.

After a minute, he had mustered up enough strength to sit up slowly. He wiped his sleeve across his face, clearing away some of the smeared blood and tears.

The other boys watched him closely. All of a sudden, Eric felt an intense hatred toward them. They had done this to him. They were his enemy.

Animal like instincts took over, and Eric was no longer in control of his body. He rose to his feet.

His vision flickered as he glared at the boys, and more images flashed through his mind. Instinctively, he lunged at Toby and grabbed him around the neck. They fell to the floor. Eric landed on top and squeezed with all his strength. Toby clawed at Eric’s chest, but Eric held on firmly. He wrenched Toby’s head to the side and with a sickening crack that resounded throughout the whole house, Toby lay still.

The other boys, who had only watched up until this point, leapt towards Eric all at once. In a trance, Eric sprang around the room, attacking the boys like a wild animal. He snarled and, as his last victim fell his trance was broken.

The red glow faded from Eric’s eyes, as he regained control of his body and he panted heavily. Slowly, he looked around the room. At the bodies scattered around the floor. At the blood splattered on the walls. At the broken toys lying amidst the mess. A cool breeze blew in from the now broken window, rustling Eric’s sweaty hair. He shivered, and the weight of what he had done sunk in.

Eric sunk to his knees and buried his face in his hands. He sobbed, then threw his head back and let out a shrill, lamentable scream. He broke down into tears and dragged himself across the floor, over to where Benjamin lay. He picked the teddy up and cradled it against his chest. He sat down against the wall with his head on his knees, wishing he was anywhere but amidst the carnage that he had inflicted.