Wants Us Gone

I watched it come into my cabin as if it were a long time family friend I hadn’t seen in years. The door opened, there it stood, and I said “Hey! There he is!” as if the thing that stood a head taller than me with long shaggy hair and bulging eyes in my doorway was a sight for my sore eyes, like I was expecting him. Like it was welcome in the cabin my wife and I were staying in.

“I want you gone.” he told me and my wife and I wasted no time in laughing at the joke. My wife smiled warmly and welcomed it in, and I turned to get our guest a drink from the fridge. I was reading off options when my wife entered the kitchen and asked me who I was talking to. I  sighed and reminded her that she had requested a drink and that I was reading her the options.

Having seemingly forgot, she smiled and asked for one of the knock-off brands of soda we had, not caring which, and took it into the living room. The Olympic Mountains here in Washington didn’t have much in the way of cable service, and our Wi-Fi service was practically nothing. So we took our spot in the chairs beside the fire and began to read again as we had before she had asked for a drink.

The creature approached us, coming from behind us suddenly. “Hey buddy” I said with a smile.

“I want you gone.” he replied causing me to raise an eyebrow at the return of the previous joke.

“You had a long trip, were kind of tired ourselves. Why don’t we all go to bed and we can get a fresh start tomorrow?” The creature said nothing and simply stalked away. I knew that something was wrong, I could see this creature with it’s wretched body with shaggy haired legs and cloven feet, backing away slowly towards the stairs up towards the bedrooms eyes unblinking on us.

Yet he was a trusted friend, my brain told me, and for some reason, it was true, despite what was really there. I glanced at my book, determined to save my place before figuring out what was going on. As I looked at the book and picked up where I left off it was as everything had gone to back to normal.

My wife finished her soda, and the chapter she had been reading. She closed the book and took the soda can to the kitchen. After that she bade me good night. I gave her a kiss and went back to my book, intent on getting another chapter finished. She went upstairs and I continued to read, the flames crackling low, it would soon burn down to embers, and put itself out.

I finished the chapter I was on and felt like I didn’t have the strength to keep my eyes open. I closed my book, made sure the fire was tended too, and head upstairs. I got into bed with my wife who laid very still and quiet. She must have exhausted herself, the poor thing, she was usually responsive to me coming to bed. I curled up beside her and threw an arm around her, too warm to get under the covers yet.

My hand landed in something wet and sticky. I frowned and asked my wife what she might have spilled. That’s when she began to shake, and I could hear her whimper. “What’s wrong?” I ask, moving to the side of the bed so I could roll her over gently. What I saw coupled with her response will haunt me for the rest of my days.

“H-h-he wants us g-gone.” she spoke, she had a long gash from her sternum down to just past her liver, it was deep, and blood poured out and over the sides of her body like a cup that overflowed under a running sink. I screamed and told her to stop speaking. I grabbed my pillow and placed it against the wound, grabbing my cellphone to call 9-1-1. However, even if I was to drive and meet them half way it would be an hour before we’d meet each other, she’d already lost so much blood... she would never make it.

As I send the call I notice movement in the corner of my eye. In the doorway was the horrible creature. Some kind of hybrid between a man and a goat. It said nothing, its hands were wet in my wife's blood. I began to shake with rage, I no longer saw him as a friend from the past, I saw it for what it was.

“He wants us gone.” sputtered my wife as she grabbed my hand forcefully, forcing words out as I try to shush her. “H-He wants us- us- us- gone.” She barks out the last word as her hand goes limp, her eyes roll in the back of her head.

“No!” I yell looking up angrily. Ready to leap across the room at the Goatman only to find an empty doorway where it had once stood. I look around the room to make sure it hadn’t entered and when I was satisfied we were alone I glanced up at the doorway once more, until a voice called out from the other side of my phone.

“Hello! My wife, she’s been stabbed! I need an ambulance at--” I cut my sentence short and listened to the strange audible breathing on the other side of the line before a horrible voice spoke.

“I want you gone!” it said.