Ear Worm

As I laid my head down to sleep something slithered across my pillow. I felt a long worm like object enter my ear canal. With every wiggle it moved further into my head. My panic was quick, I grabbed my ear without thinking about it and tried to pull the foreign object out.  It felt akin to a fingernail, slightly hard it was also round and wet. I could not gain a grip on it. It moved in haste burrowing deeper in my ear, causing little doubt in my mind that it was a living thing. A sharp pain struck me as the worm like creature forced its way through my eardrum. Living alone, my scream seemed went unheard. I clawed at my ear in desperation, I felt the pain of cartilage breaking as the object broke through passages that was never meant for it. I rushed out of bed in fright. The pain was intense as if someone took a drill to the inside of my skull. I reached for a phone I had to call an ambulance or some kind of help right away. Right as my hand want for the phone I stopped.

I stood, hand out reached for the phone but not making any movement. Confused, I tried reaching for the phone again but my body would not respond. My head and eyes started to slowly survey the room. Why was I doing this? I didn’t tell myself to move, my body was moving on its own. I couldn’t control my body, I tried to scream but my mouth would not move. My mind raced in panic. I could still think, I could still feel the cold night air against my skin, but i could no longer move. No, I could move but not by my will. My feet started to move away from the phone, heading in the direction to the door. Opening the door I looked around my apartment, what was I looking for?

My apartment was small with only one bedroom. With the money spent on college it was all i could afford, and it was just outside the campus. The living room was an uncleaned clutter of books and sporting equipment. My eyes stopped at a baseball bat and my body moved towards it. I could feel my hand tighten around the cold metal bat as I moved towards the exit. Before i could reach the door a knocking came from it. My body paused, I tried to scream for help but my body still refused to respond. I moved again towards the door, towards whoever was knocking behind it, baseball bat dragging against the floor by my hand.

Wordlessly my body opened the door, my mind fought for control but nothing I did seem to matter. At the door stood my neighbor in the dimly lit hallway. An older man whose hair was just turning white. Did he hear my first screams? My mind raced in joy at the thought of help, but before a word was said between us my hands moved. I could see his face twist in fear as both of my hands clenched the bat pulling it above my head. In the split second i could see him try to get out of the way as I brought the bat down hard just missing his head and landing on his shoulder. I could feel the vibration from the hit ring into my hands as the older man fell to the floor in pain screaming. Out the corners of my eyes I could see the lights turn on from the apartment rooms around me, and hear the scuffling of feet from them.  My eyes however remained solely on my neighbor, as my hands once again moved the bat above my head. I tried to fight for control, I tried to scream, why was i doing this? I could feel the pressure of the foreign life in my skull, It felt like it was growing, as if it was feeding on my despair. The bat flow down towards the floor, this time hitting its mark on the head. I watched my neighbor slump to the ground and stop moving. My hands stinging in pain from the vibrations on the other end. I wanted to cry, but my body denied me even that.

I could hear the yelling of many people now, and rushed movement towards me. Someone I only seen in passing tried to tackle me to the ground, but another swing of my bat stopped him as he was thrown to the side of hall. I saw bone sticking out of his arm where i must of hit. Two more came at me from behind, my body turned quickly to hit another in the face. I did not even see who it was as blood gushed out of his crushed nose and he fell to the floor. The other man managed to hit me with the full momentum of his body, throwing me to the floor. I could see the feet of many people around me now, one glance up gave me sight of a cop as well. A well placed kick broke one of my ribs, I screamed in pain. My scream snapped me to my senses, I could move my body again. I was free of whatever possessed me. That is when i felt something slither across my hand, my head pinned to the floor i could not look at it, but I could feel my tormentor fleeing. I tried to warn everyone, but one knock to the back of my head and my world became black.

I have been charged for my “crimes.” No sympathy was given to me when they sentenced me to death. The man I hit in the face also died, two deaths and a number of injuries sealed my fate. My story was not believed, nor was it convincing enough for a jury to even find me insane. Soon they will kill me, but I know that worm like creature is still out there. I think it feeds on something in our brains, our fear, despair, or even the chemicals that fill our mind when we kill.