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Tommy would always hear something outside his bedroom, it sounded like something being dragged. It wasn’t a chair or the sofa, but something like a sack being dragged somewhere in their house. He made the one mistake of peeking out of his room one fateful night during a thunderstorm, the thunder roared as he shakenly tried to go to his dad’s room for comfort.
He had gently opened the door by an inch, looking through the dark halls to make sure there weren’t any monsters lurking and waiting for him to leave the safety of his bedroom so they can snatch up and take him away from his family.
Yet, he saw the monsters. The lightning stroke and lit the dim hallway, he could see the living room being engulfed in dim light and there he saw three monsters dragging something, the sack was soaked with something that smelled metallic.
He was scared, the monsters were dragging it to the basement. It was always locked though! Tommy was sure of it! His dad always said that basement was locked and it has been locked for as long as he can remember so why did it open just now?
Fear had begun to flood him, tears forming as he lets out a stiff breath. The rain poured loudly, overlaying any sound he made. The monsters disappeared as the door to the basement close, he was frozen in place and rushed to open his dad’s room but it was locked, he couldn’t open the door and go to his brother’s shared room but which was also locked.
Tommy looked back at the hall, frozen in fear for a minute, waiting for the monsters to come back and see him out of his bedroom. His dad said that monsters can only get him if he leaves his room at night, and he did.
He saw the door to the basement gently open, it was his cue to run back to his room and shut the door, running to his bed and hiding under the covers. Petrified as the heavy sounds of rain drowned any sounds, he wasn’t sure if the monsters saw him, he imagines them waiting outside his door, waiting for him to open it again.
Once the night had passed he refuse to get out of bed, stained with tears and still frozen in fear. His dad had worryingly come to his room after he had refused to leave for school, he had flinched at the sound of the door creaking open, letting out a weak sob as he thought the monsters were coming to get him.
“Toms, nestling…What’s wrong?” Tommy heard his dad gently speak, worry stirring in their tone, soothingly running their hand on the blanket, it stops on the side of his face and he can feel his dad’s thumb gently brush them. “You can tell me,” His dad softly encouraged.
Tommy curled up, shaking his head. His pillow and bed sheet is stained with his tears, he didn’t notice how long he’s been crying, he hasn’t slept either in fear that he’ll wake up in a dark room alone and without his family there to protect him.
“Did you have a nightmare?” His dad guessed. Tommy reluctantly nodded his head, slowly pulling the covers off, the morning light greeting him warmly. Tommy tiredly and tearfully looked at his dad, their blond hair a bit messy and icy pale blue irises gazing at him warmly. It was strange to see his dad without the stupid bucket hat he made for his project, he didn’t think his dad would have even kept it.
“Oh, nestling…” His dad cooed, brushing the strands sticking to his forehead before he felt their fingers run through his hair comfortingly. “Was it that bad? Did the storm also kept you up?” Tommy nodded, relishing the gentle touches of his dad, he loves his family more than anything the world could offer.
“m’s-s-sorry…” He weakly cried out, his hand moving to brush the tears forming on his lower eyelid, “Shhh, you can sleep in your brother’s or mine’s room if you want.” His dad offered. Tommy weakly nodded again, scooting closer to the edge of his bed to reach out to his dad, they chuckled and picked him up.
“My little nestling, don’t worry the monsters won’t get you. We’ll protect you from them.” His dad assured. Tommy wrapped his arms around his dad’s neck, pressing his head against their shoulder as he tiredly hummed in response, he closed his eyes, letting himself fall into slumber as his dad carried him out of his room.
His brothers would come to his room at nights now, always there to help him fall asleep. Tommy felt safe again, the vivid image of those monsters had started to disappear and he can sleep without fearing they’ll come to his room one day and take him away. His brothers and dad would assure him nothing will take him away from them, each time they’d hold him tightly. Almost in a threatening manner, his brothers would say, “We’ll kill them before they can even lay a hand on you.” Not to him, it was a threat to those outside his family.
It somewhat felt reassuring yet worrying.
.
And then he heard it again, it was midnight and he could hear the faint sounds of something being dragged. Tommy didn’t know what had gotten into him to slide off his bed and shakingly twist his door knob and open the door by an inch.
Just like before the moonlight had dimly lighted the house through their windows, where he can see them again, the monsters that lived in their basement. But this time he could see what they were dragging, the taller one seems to pull out something.
A head.
It was a head.
Tommy stumbles back, inevitably slamming the door shut as his hand was still on the knob when he lost balance. He hears their steps; he can hear them coming closer to his door. Tommy locked his door in time as his knob began to rattle, they were trying to open his door.
Tommy trembled in fear, tears falling from his face as the rattling stopped, and then the knock started to happen.
Tommy whimpered as the monsters continuously knocked on his door, the muffled voices outside were pleading for him to open the door yet he stayed in the middle of his room hugging his stuffed cow, Henry, tightly. The moonlight barely illuminated the room, casting a dim glow that only serves to terrify him more. The muffing from his door continued, he backed away and looked around to find a place to hide, to hide from the monsters behind his door.
Then the knocking stopped, he can hear something clicking from outside his door and Tommy stood in the middle of his room frozen, only watching how his doorknob would twist as if it hasn’t been locked. The door creaked open, revealing the three monsters he saw.
He cried backing away until he out the wall, “H-Help…” Tommy whispered in between his hiccups, the monsters slowly stepped inside his room, “P-Please-“Tommy curled into a ball, shutting his eyes tightly with his hand covering his ears. “Dad! Wilby! Techie!” He cried loudly, sobbing as he faintly hears the monsters come closer.
One of them cupped his cheeks, forcing him to look at them with wide and fearful eyes. “Shh…It’s okay, nesting…I’m here, dad’s here.” It was his dad. But, why did they have blood on them? Tommy felt his dad’s hands once he took in his surroundings again, it was coated with blood, and the metallic smell lingered as the sticky blood got onto his cheeks.
Tommy’s mind frantically turned to process everything, many questions beginning to answer themselves. Why was his dad soaked with blood? He was the monster. Why were his brothers here too when the monsters were just here? because it’s always has been them.
“Tommy, sunshine it’s okay…Don’t cry” Wilbur moved to his side and so did Techno on the other, successfully blocking any way for him to escape. “Breath, Theseus…” Tommy tried to shake his head, but his dad kept it in place as his thumb brushed over his lower eyelids. “Fledgling, what’s wrong?” His dad asked in a worried tone again, just like that morning he had asked the same thing.
“M-Monster…” Tommy hiccupped, lifting his hands to pry his dad’s hands off but his brothers grab each side, preventing him from making any more movements. His dad only cooed at his response, “Oh, fledgling. No monsters are coming to get you.” Finally, his dad let go of his cheeks, standing up and moving to close the door. His brothers kept him in place, rubbing circles on his back and brushing his hair.
“It’s okay, Sunshine. We’re here”
“Nothing will hurt you.”
Tommy watched as his door locked, his dad turning to him again and gently smiling while splattered with blood. “No monsters are coming to get you, fledgling~”
The monsters we’re already inside.