Basements and Spray Bottles

I opened an old wooden door and found myself in a basement, floored with Georgia red dirt.

A maze of pipes hovered overhead and a pair of fresh-painted gray steps ran back up to the house in the back.

To my left, the dirt rose a few feet as if it were a platform and four teenagers held Windex-like spray bottles in their hands.

On the floor were hundreds of spray bottles and small canisters that looked like they should have been in church closets rather than a basement.

"Keep looking because we never know when they're coming!" A TALL MAN said and he held one spray bottle with dirty seaweed green liquid.

"Drink this," he said and gave me a cup of water.

As I drank, the boys kept their spray bottles pointed at me.

They waited, all the while eyeing the TALL MAN.

He nodded and motioned for me to walk behind him.

All the while, he kept his eyes on the stairs.

"Welcome home brother!" A teenager said and he hugged me as if it were the end of the world.

I froze in his arms and tried to keep still, but I turned and faced the TALL MAN.

"What are you doing down here, playing cops and robbers!" I said, laughing.

I walked toward the door and he held my wrist with supernatural strength. "Can't let you go back, you gotta stay here," he said, eyeing the stairs.

His spray bottle was pointed at the basement door, "do you want to die?"

A dim light came from the top of the stairs and I heard a door creak.

The TALL MAN threw me down on the ground and two of the others pinned me.

I strained to break free, but their strength was unbelievable, superhuman.

I peered over at the stairs and a pair of Nike flight basketball shoes clunked down the stairs.

With every step, more of the rest of the person's body came into view.

I laughed when I saw who it was, Michael Drummonds from Midtown.

"What up Howard, where you been hiding," he said when he reached the bottom of the stairs.

I smiled and tried to get up, but hands held me fast.

"You need to get back, whoever you are!" The TALL MAN said and held out two spray bottles at Michael.

He stepped slowly away from the rest of us and stopped when he was about six feet away from Michael.

"Go, go, go!"

Voices screamed from behind and beside me.

The TALL MAN sprayed Michael with the green liquid and ran back to our side of the basement.

Michael yowled as I've never heard a human scream.

The areas where the green liquid made contact with his skin boiled like burned soup and black smoke rose from the top of his head.

Again, he yowled and I wondered why they wouldn't help him.

I looked at the TALL MAN and he was filling his spray bottles with more water from crystal springs water containers.

"What did you do to him?" I screamed and the door at the top of the stairs creaked again.

The tall man ran beside the stairs and sprayed at the top of the stairs.

A series of hisses came from the top of the stairs and the door creaked again.

I peered out through the door of the basement and I saw Johnny Wyndham running full speed towards the basement.

Then, I was probably tripping, he floated as he neared the entrance.

I relaxed and grabbed one of the spray bottles off the floor.

The others clapped and the TALL MAN eyed me and smiled.

I ran to the door and sprayed several times.

I heard a hiss and opened the door.

Outside was Johnny and dozens of other people, floating in the air.

They hissed when they saw me and Johnny floated down and landed on the grass.

"Can't you see what's going on Howard?" He said.

It seemed that he was getting closer, but when I blinked my eyes, he was back at his original distance.

A hand grabbed me and shoved me to the floor of the basement.

As I looked, the TALL MAN sprayed Johnny with green liquid and water.

Johnny screamed and he began to melt like a large block of butter in a frying pan.

I almost threw up and ran over near the others.

They sat me down and patted me on the back below my shoulders, but I never took my eyes off the TALL MAN.

He slammed the door, sprayed it, and walked up to me.

"Listen, your friends were dead a long time ago," he said and wiped his forehead. "I don't know what's going on, but I do know that Atlanta's full of demons, monsters, call them what you want. They are everywhere and they will kill you or turn you," he said and wiped his forehead again.

This time, he looked at me and I stared at him without blinking.

I felt sleepy, but couldn't close my eyes.

"Oh no, he's turning. Quick, get us some water!" He screamed and I heard noises.

Suddenly, I was floating above them, looking down at my body and the others.

The TALL MAN couldn't find a container of water.

He motioned to the others and they gathered in a circle.

He placed the containers in the shape of a cross and they got down on their knees.

They grabbed each other's hands and began reciting the Lord's Prayer.

A bright light came from the containers and I heard hissing from outside the door of the basement.

I heard voices behind me and I flinched.

I sighed and looked behind me and saw a group of men floating away.

"Drink the water," they said and I floated down to the containers.

I picked up one of the containers and I drank from it.

A strong force pulled me and I tried fighting, but I was yanked back into my body.

I began coughing.

"He's back, he's back," I heard them cheering.

As I looked up, the TALL MAN was back in position, holding one spray bottle.

I grabbed a spray bottle and stood beside him.

Then, he turned and faced me.

"Welcome back," he said and his face looked serene as an angel and I tried to place where I had seen it before, but a loud creak came from the top of the stairs.

I grabbed another spray bottle and my muscles tensed, but I knew what I had to do.