The Parasite nosleep

It was almost exactly one month ago today that the doctor found a small worm like creature in my wifes brain, but it feels like a life time had passed since then. I can still remember the overbearing smell of ammonia as we waited in the stark white room, rubbing my wifes back as she cradled her head in her hands. She had been complaining of a migraine for the past couple days, but this really wasn't anything new to us. Her jaw was off center and migraines were a common occurrence, but this was different. She hadn't slept in two days because, as she described it, someone was drilling into her head.

The doctor entered a few moments later and pulled up the results of her cat scan, and sure enough, a small coil shone bright orange near her frontal lobe.

"I've never seen anything like it..." the doctor said, rubbing his chin and glancing at my wife. "It's relatively rare for a human being to contract a parasite in the brain, they're usually ingested through food and will latch on to the colon. Have you visited anywhere exotic recently?"

"Yeah, I suppose" I replied, pulling Caroline closer. "We visited her parents in Israel a few months ago for Ramadan, toured around Jerusalem."

Caroline moaned and rubbed her head, before responding "We didn't really eat out anywhere though, my parents cooked for us almost every night..."

"The parasite could've infested home made meals just as easily as ones prepared at a restaurant." The doctor mumbled, pen scratching a crossed his clipboard. "The middle east is home to many unknown species and diseases, this particular parasite isn't native to the western world, or at least as far as we have seen. Tapeworms from under cooked pork are the most common that we see, did you eat any pork while abroad?" The doctor asked, and after a, 'are you kidding me' glance from me and my wife, he cleared his throat. "Mhm, right. We will keep a close eye on it, but I'm afraid that due to it's location in the frontal lobe, removal will be very difficult and very costly." He tore a sheet out of his clipboard and handed it to me, which I scanned through.

"The medication I prescribed could hopefully slow it's growth, best case scenario it will starve and decay within a few days."

"What about worst case scenario?" I asked, trying to sound calm, but a slight quiver escaped from my lips.

The doctor pursed his lips and looked down at his clipboard. "It will continue to grow and feed, causing erratic mood swings, loss of appetite and dehydration, delusions and a possible complete change in personality. If it multiplies and spreads, it could begin to shut down vital body functions. If this occurs, we will need her at Miami Valley hospital as soon as possible."

Caroline jumped off the table and vomited into the trash bin.

The doctor pulled me aside, keeping his voice low. "The reason we are not committing her now is because we have seen success in home treatment with cases like this. Low stress is imperative, and that's most easily obtained in ones own home."

"So if I can keep her calm, will that help her condition?" I ask, looking back at the pale husk that was my Caroline, gasping over the bin.

"It's not just her well being I'm concerned for, Mr. Cheever..." He said in a soft voice. I turned to look at him, but could only see my equally pale reflection in his glasses.

Three weeks, 6 days and 4 hours later, I was sitting in the living room of our small home in Roddington. I could hear the low guttural moans echo throughout the halls upstairs. The coming days after the doctors visit had been a living hell, but a manageable hell. Carolines condition had not worsen, as far as I was aware, so I was holding on to hope that the meds the doctor had prescribed were working.

Hoping...

Every now and then she seemed to be getting better, but my hopes were diminished quickly after. The mood swings and delusions the doctor warned of were becoming evident. She called out for her brother yesterday, Robert. I never met him, he died long before I knew Caroline, but I've seen pictures of him around her parents house. He had been hit by a car when he was fifteen, the blood spread a crossed the street and flowed into the storm drain. I know this because she's been reciting this for the past 24 hours.

"Drip... Drip... Drip... Robert flowed into the shit. So young... so young..." I heard her cry from upstairs.

She began swearing a few days ago, never so much as said the lords name in vain for 26 years.

My hand hovered over the telephone, fingers twitching from anxiety, but something told me to wait. Caroline was a fighter, she could get through this. She told me when we left the doctors office that she knew as well as I did that we can't afford any sort of procedure.

"We'll find a way..." I had said, wrapping my arm around her, my shirt becoming drenched in her sweat. "I'm sure your parents will..."

"Drip... Drip... Drip..." Her voice ripped me out of the memory as I glanced at the clock.

4:30? Have I been sitting here for six hours?

I glanced outside to see that the sun had gone down, street lights flickered and hummed to life. I shook my head and made my way upstairs. I moved into the guest room so Caroline could have as much space as she needed, so I took a right instead of the usual left and made my way down the hall.

"Jack?"

I turned and looked at our bedroom door, open just enough so an orange glow lit the otherwise black hallway.

"Is that you, sweetheart?"

"Yeah..." I mumbled rubbing my eyes.

"Could you come in here for a second?"

I slowly turned and made my way towards the door. The past weeks have been exhausting, both mentally and physically. My days were spent with Caroline, making her as comfortable as possible, making dinner and bringing glass after glass of water.

Didn't the doctor say she was supposed to be dehydrated?

Changing sheets and cleaning vomit and scrubbing nose bleeds out of the carpet and scrubbing nose bleeds off the wall and cleaning the nose bleeds out of my head and pretending everything was alright and

I was in the doorway.

"What do you need, baby?" I say, walking to the side of the bed. A thin hand reached up from beneath the covers and took mine.

"I love you..."

I smiled, and squeezed my wifes hand.

"I love you too."

Everything is A-Okay

That night was unusually quite, normally the moans of my wife could be heard piercing the walls and piercing my head, but a stillness occupied my ears tonight.

See? Told you

Three days passed, the sun comes up and the sun goes down. That's how I know. Sleep is not a luxury I can afford anymore, but that's ok. I'm used to not being able to afford anything. Caroline seems to be getting better. Sure, the nose bleeds are practically non stop and I'm not sure if she even remembers who I am anymore, but I'm staying hopeful.

Drip

She's been comatose for the past 13 hours, so I'm sitting in the high back rocking chair, staring at a blank television. I still need to go up and replace the wads of tissue in her nose every few minutes, but at least I don't have to hear her cry anymore.

The crying is the worst. I can handle the delusions and the blood, but the crying is a constant reminder of the pain she's in. She is not alri

She is alright

I just don't want her to cry anymore.

I glance over at the phone, the red light next to "missed call" blinks back at me. It's been blinking for a few weeks now, I'm assuming it's the doctors office calling because we've missed the last eight appointments. I find it much easier to just let them go to voicemail now, I'm doing fine. I don't need them anymore.

You're not falling

No, I'm not falling. I'm standing. Standing to replace the tissue paper in Carolines nose. I grab the box next to my high back rocking chair and make my way up eight stair before making a ninety degree angle to the left, then taking ten paces to her bed side. Her shallow breath rattles my ear drums, rattled the skin on her face that was pulled so tightly a crossed her skull.

Loosen it

I reached over and plucked the wad of tissue from her left nostril, an endless crimson stream flowed from the darkness within. It's been so long, can she run out of blood?

Remain hopeful

I rolled a piece of tissue paper in between my fingers, flakes fell like snow onto my wifes blanket. I rolled it into a tight point that could be easily inserted into her nose.

or was it her skull?

The phone began to ring, radiating through the kitchen and up into the bedroom. I pay not attention to it, continuing to roll the soft and delicate tissue in between my fingers. I remember when Caroline was soft and delicate, how soft she was when we made love under the Israeli stars, when she couldn't stop telling me how madly she was in love she was, and so was I.

I looked down at the parasite in my bed, wheezing and panting in its sleep. The tissue was now sharp

not as sharp as the butchers knife downstairs

enough to put into her nose. I leaned in within inches of her face and pushed the paper in, the pearl white quickly stained as it slid deeper inside of her.

Remember when you were inside her?

I shook my head, clenching my fists to my temples.

No more

"No more..." I moaned, tears filling my eyes.

Never again

My entire body began to shake, tears dripped onto the bed sheet below me

because now I'm inside her

"W...What are you?" I stammered, pulling on my hair. "GET OUT OF MY HEAD!"

set her free

I could hear the knife down stairs, humming softly.

set me free

"NO!" I sobbed. I turned to run but a hand grasped tightly to my wrist.

"You pussy."

I slowly turned to see Caroline sitting upright, the wad of tissue fell onto the sheets as crimson oozed down her chin. Her eyes seemed to stare into me, into parts that I didn't even knew existed.

"C... Caroline?"

"Do you want to see me cry, John? Do you get off on it? Do you stroke your cock at the thought of me in agony?" She whispered, grip tightening as I try to pull away.

"I... I think it's time we go see Doctor Ramirez..." I stammered, ceasing my attempts to escape in fear of shattering my wrist.

"I... I... I..." Caroline mocked before pulling me onto the bed. I gasped I flipped over her and landed on my back. She was on top of me in an instant, seething and drooling mouth inches from mine.

"How about you take it out, hm? Make me feel like a reeeeeal woman, Johnny!" she growled, grinding against me. I struggled and kicked, but my paper thin wife held me down with ease.

"Rip me in half, baby. I want you to shred my cunt into little ribbons, like Robert used toooooo..." she moaned.

"Caroline..."

"SKULL FUCK ME PUSSY! SKULL FUCK ME AND THEN I'LL SKULL FUCK YOU!" She screamed, in a voice that was not hers. Her eyes rolled back into her head, white orbs gleamed like tissue paper, before lurching forward, sinking her teeth in my neck.

I screamed and kicked against her, feeling the blood

drip

gush out of the wound. I kicked against her with all my might and managed to slip free of her grasp, scrambling away from the bed and against the wall, clasping my neck with both hands.

Caroline hadn't moved from her mounted position, staring at the pillow, long strands of bloody saliva dripped from behind her mangled hair.

"C... C...C..." I stuttered, slowly pulling myself and the wall and sliding towards the door. Her head slowly turned and looked at me, and for a split second, Caroline was gone. In her place was... I don't know. It had so many teeth that they protruded out of its mouth, and every single one was as sharp as a canine tooth. My blood flowed between the mangled teethe and over its cracked lips, pooling on the bed. Jet black eyes lay deep into the sockets, sunken in the sore ridden skin that looked as if it were made of leather. Her once silky hair was now long and greasy, covering just enough of its face so I couldn't get a full view. I thank God every day that I didn't, because I truly believe I would have lost my sanity had I seen the full horror that lay before me.

Less than a second later my Caroline was back, gasping and choking on my blood, tears streaming down her face.

"W... What happened? John? Oh my God!" She screamed and tried to jump to my aid, but collapsed on the floor, writhing in pain and clutching her head.

"I... I'm going to call for help..." I sobbed, limping towards the doorway as my wife screamed in a voice that belonged in the deepest depths of Hell.

"I don't think doctors can help us... but I'm not leaving you. I swear..." I ran for the door just as she lunged at me, snarling like some kind of a wild animal. I slammed the door behind me as ran into it, clawing and scraping at the wood.

"Pleeeeeeease..." she cried, pounding on the door.

I stumbled down the stairs and towards the phone, the crying

please make it stop

continued upstairs.

I collapsed in front of the refrigerator, pulling myself up by the handle and leaving a bloody hand streak on the stainless steel. A magnet that depicted Caroline and I in Israel held a card with the number of Richard Ibrahim, Carolines Rabbi. I dialed the number and put the phone on speaker, stumbling over to the drawer below the sink that held medical supplies.

"Hello?" a mans voice rang through the phone.

"H... Hello? This is Johnathan Cheever..."

"Johnathan! It's been too long, my friend. How is Caroline?" He paused for a second. "Is everything alright? I hear screaming."

I paused, feeling the familiar tug, a warm feeling that everything was fine.

No...

I'm alright

It's not...

Caroline is alright

"We need your help, our address is 4423 Treshall way, please hurry."

"Oh, should I call the police?"

"The police can't help us, Richard. Please just FUCKING GET HERE!"

"Ok... I'm on my way."

The phone clicks, and I'm alone.

I laid down onto the cool floor, bandaging the wound. My ears were ringing from the noise that exploded throughout the house. I thought I heard knocking at the door, probably a neighbor coming to see what all the commotion is about, but it could've been the pounding from... whatever it is upstairs. I closed my eyes and waited for silence, but it will never come, not until Richard arrives. Until then, I can't tell whats louder, the screaming upstairs, or the butcher knife continuing to hum in the drawer directly above me.

Submitted September 13, 2017 at 05:32AM by santaismysavior http://ift.tt/2h19cXh nosleep