Eerie, Indiana fanfiction: Tractable

[froodle]

Marshall Teller stumbled into the tiny, cluttered kitchen. He'd bitten his tongue and thin rivuets of gory red oozed down either side of his chin.

"What is that noise?" he bellowed, fighting to be heard over the cacophony of screams and howling.

Simon knelt on the grimy linoleum floor. All the blood vessels in his eyes had burst and the dark brown of his irises were lost amidst twin oceans of crimson.

"It's the retractable leash!" he shouted. "The sound it makes when it's winding! He doesn't like it!"

Marshall's eyes flickered along the taut nylon rope that stretched the length of the little room. Coils of florescent green were wrapped tight around Simon's left wrist, eventually terminating in a squat yellow plastic box that he clamped firmly between his upper arm and his torso. The other end was attached to a rough-hewn leather harness worn by the gigantic three-headed hell-beast who was currently baying down the walls between realities in his distress.

Hands shaking, his mouth full of the copper-penny tang of blood, Marshall reached for the metal clip that fixed the lead to the jacket. He held the cord tight in one clenched fist, the fingers of his free hand fumbling with the clasp. Beneath him, the great hound quaked and the world quaked with him.

The rope slipped free, and Marshall and Simon held it tight between them, careful not to let it either extend or retract. Like a slow, sad tug-o-war, they moved towards each other. In the centre of the room, Sparky continued to wail.

Simon's fingers were turning blue, the tightly braided lead cutting off circulation where it twined around his arm. Grimacing, he moved to take the loose end of the leash from Marshall, but even this slight movement caused the mechanism within the day-glo tallow box to rattle. Sparky's screaming redoubled.

"Take him out!" Simon yelled. "Take him down the street to the park or something! He can't stay in the house with this thing, he'll bring the whole building down on us!"

Marshall's eyes widened. He shook his head. A crack appeared in the plaster ceiling overhead, and thin layer of white dust drifted down over them, lending the whole scene a ghostly surrealism. In the bright colours before his eyes, Marshall saw the NBC spotlights looming.

Securing the metal clip to the handle of the cutlery drawer, he wrapped it over and over, pulling the nylon tether tight. Simon grimaced but stood firm, his bloodless hand held to his chest, the sturdy plastic handle jammed into his armpit. When Marshall was sure it was safe, he let go, instinctively reaching to cover his ears. The plastic winder did not clatter. The nylon rope did not hum. The cries of a hell-hound startled by a strange noise when preparing for walkies did not increase,

Marshall seized the collar of moonlight and fish-breath in one hand, tugging Sparky towards the door. The great monster stuck close to his heels, his twelve eyes wide with terror, his viperous outer coat coiled in tight upon itself. The door opened, and closed behind them. The screaming cut off, and Simon sagged against the dirty kitchen countertop. His eyes burned and he could feel the slow trickle of blood as it dripped from one ear and ran beneath his collar.

The door opened. Dash X stood silhouetted by the light from the hallway, two bulging grocery bags dangling from each hand. He took in the scene; the gouges torn in the tired floor covering by four great paws, the rent in the ceiling where competing realities still fought to come through. His housemate, caught in the centre of the milieu as though by some demonic cats cradle, albeit one decorated in reflective safety patches suitable for night-time use.

"Leash training's going well, I take it?" he said, setting the shopping down.





Microwave-verse

Bonfire by froodle, in which Pinocchio is ruined forever

Gingerbread by froodle, in which there is a witch in the Eerie Woods

Leaves by froodle, in which plantlife finds Marshall entirely too enticing

Offspring by froodle, in which there are dragons

Based on Your Previous Purchases by froodle, in which Mars should really pay attention to Amazon's reccomendations

Housework by froodle, in which a rota cannot be agreed upon

Breakfast by froodle, in which Dash's attempts at cookery do not go well

Ghost in the Machine by froodle, in which a new laptop opens an old wound

Consequences by froodle, in which an encounter with leprechauns leaves the boys very tired indeed

The Microwave by froodle, in which Andrea Fantucci returns to Eerie after a considerable absense

The Eldritch Abomination in the Room by froodle, in which the microwave is most definitely not discussed

Basic Household Maintenance by froodle, in which manticores are inconsiderate houseguests

Torrential by froodle, in which there is a storm, and the boys eat ice-cream

Linens by froodle, in which Dash X makes a bed

Night Music by froodle, in which Simon is woken by a nocturnal visitor

In For The Night by froodle, in which Dash refuses to leave the house

Hound by froodle, in which Simon makes a friend

Errands by froodle, in which Simon has a to-do list

Waterlogged by froodle, in which Eerie experiences heavy rainfall

Wildlife by froodle, in which Simon and Marshall go to the beach

Rainbow by froodle, in which Dash fails to properly appreciate Michael Flatley

Jackolantern by froodle, in which the local pumpkin patch has a problem

Comments

[evilinsanemonkey]

how to get dash to volunteer for grocery duty: start leash training your hell hound

love this!

[froodle]

"Oh, moving it up to retractable leads, huh? Whelp, we're out of milk, better go take seven hours to find some!"

[deifire]

LOL...oh, dear! Here's hoping our heroes--and the architecture--survive the experience!

[froodle]

Sparky may have to just stay on the fish-breath chain for the foreseeable future though. He's not ready for big boy walkies.