The Crossroads And The Cane

In The Walls

I can't tell you if it was real or not. Was it a figment of my imagination or was there truly something demonic there? So many questions fill my head to this day as I sit in the padded room restrained. Everyone keeps telling me that I was found naked in a suburban neighborhood in Long Island in the middle of the night covered in a viscous fluid that was believed to be blood. The doctors here claim that I was hallucinating and screaming about bugs and demons, but I don't know if any of that is true. Did I really see it in the walls or was I dreaming? While my eyes continuously confirm the presence my mind continues to debate otherwise.

It all started after beginning my job as an entomologist. Following the receipt of a few grants I had traveled to ruins found in the Amazon and discovered a ritual chamber that housed an insect never before seen by man. Insects that faintly resembled beetles but something more encased in amber. Surrounding the amber piece were markings on the walls of human people kneeling to an insect that crudely resembled the one in amber. I recall taking the dead specimen home to study and that is when everything changed. I had purchased a house in Long Island with a basement large enough to convert into an office where I can conduct tests on the specimen and get a greater understanding of what it was. Upon purchasing the property I devoted all my time to setting up the office space and leaving the home, which I postponed repairing until another time once I was able to figure out what was in my possession. With the knowledge, I had gained in-home repair from my father most of what had to be done could be accomplished without the assistance of an outside contractor. There was no rush.

Through the microscope, I poked and prodded the winged insect extracting DNA and running various tests on it. What was this insect and why was it only found in the ritual chamber? I worked tirelessly throughout the night cataloging the appendages and drawing diagrams of their makeup. The body of a beetle with the head of a mantis eerily looked human looking through the lens of the microscope. Days turned into weeks and while I forwarded many of the samples to Cornell University for assistance in the identification, many of the scientists returned with unimpressive results. How is it that entomologists with decades of experience were unable to identify this insect? Could it be that this species is undiscovered by man? If that was the case this would be my career. I could win an award and be remembered forever as the man that traveled to the amazon to find a new species of insect. The biggest mystery would be the role of this insect to the Mayan people who lived in the area. Were they used as food or was it sacred to them as depicted on the drawings at the chambers.

One night while laying on my makeshift bed of blankets set upon the floor of my living room, I heard a faint gnawing coming from the walls. It was only moments before I felt my body drifting to sleep. My body jerked and I sat upright looking around the room lit by a single lamp on the floor. "I must be exhausted," I said to myself. I laid back down and shut my eyes in the hopes of revisiting the restful state I was in. It wasn't long before I heard the gnawing once more. I stood up and grabbed my flashlight prepared to inspect the small home. Did I have mice or some other kind of vermin? It was hard to believe since the exterminator had made visits to the house and it was presently devoid of any furniture. I barely ate while working and most of my meals were eaten when making trips to obtain supplies. Some days I would even go without as much as a crumb of bread. I descended the stairs and with the use of the flashlight located the light switch to my office. As the lights went on my heart sank noticing the piece of amber which housed my discovery reduced to pieces and the specimen missing. I dropped the flashlight and began to look around. Was I so exhausted that the gnawing sound I heard was the sound of the amber breaking? Did the impact move the insect somewhere else? I had no idea what to think at the moment honestly. I was more concerned with the fact that the insect, which would have made me famous and solidified my career could not be found. I searched until the sun rose and finally gave up. I assumed that a mouse may have ingested the insect thinking it was food.

Weeks passed and unable to receive another grant to fund a trip to the Amazon once more, I began working doing deliveries and focusing on the repair of my home. Working into the late hours of the night I would collapse from exhaustion and be unable to be brought out of my slumber by any noises. Little did I know that even without the specimen in the amber the gnawing was continuing, this time from the walls themselves. I first noticed a distinctive lump coming from the wall in the living room right by where I slept a few days after losing the insect. It was hard to the touch but after putting up the drywall and painting it I was rather disenchanted and redoing the wall was not an option.

Consumed by my two jobs I failed to notice the hard lump growing in size with each passing day. The gnawing, if it ever occurred would begin at three in the morning and last only a few moments, but it was not witnessed by myself if I was out working. Late nights made it easier to ignore it. What began as the size of my thumb now was the size of the palm of my hand. Still hard it could not be moved and I knew that eventually, I would have to knock down the wall. With the rest of the house needing my touch I could not focus all my time and energy on one specific area, especially if I wanted to sleep in an actual bed.

It took over a year to finally finish the house and input the furniture. I still heard the gnawing every night that I could not fall right to sleep and the lump grew until it was about five feet in diameter. I stood outside my home to look at the new shingles I had placed on the roof and then decided that it was as good a day as any to tackle the wall. Walking into the garage at the break of dawn, I grabbed the sledgehammer and tarp. Dressed in my oldest clothes I made my way to the living room and slowly moved the furniture to the farthest side and placed the tarp in front of the lump. Placing the goggles over my eyes and putting on my work gloves I grasped the sledgehammer firmly and began to bang away.

Pieces of the wall began to fall and the dust from the drywall filled the room. I was overcome with rage as I hit the wall over and over. As if a man possessed I was unable to feel my muscles ache and the blood drip from my nose. At that moment all I could think about was the specimen and how my career had all come crashing down like the wall. My career which had been shining so brightly had burned into nothing so quickly. I don't recall how long it took to finally clear the wall but I do recall the emotion that came over me once I saw what the lump was. The sunlight shone off the brown exoskeleton of a giant insect which from antennae to tip was twice my size. My heart began to race and the hairs on my body began to stand on end. A shudder ran up my spine as I witnessed the antennae of the insect swaying side to side within the wall, making the gnawing noise I had heard all these nights. Its hairy arms stood motionless however its head began to turn to face me a full one hundred eighty degrees. It wasn't until then that I felt my heart swell to my throat when I witnessed the most fearful sight. It looked upon me with human eyes set upon its human face save for the mandibles in its mouth. Letting out a shriek, the last thing I recall was advancing to the demon swinging the sledgehammer, screaming.