Something made a buzzing sound close to the man’s ear. He swatted around his head, but the buzzing still persisted.
What is it? He though. The buzzing became louder yet it seemed further away as if…..that’s it! He realised suddenly. The buzzing is in my head! As this though crossed his mind, terror crossed his face. The terror turned to anger as he hit himself over the head, hoping to dispel the unknown buzzing. One thought, and one thought only crossed his mind. Get it out. Over and over he heard these words, infuriating him but yet he listened.
Like a man possessed, he put both hands to his head and shook it, but still the continuous high pitched buzzing still rang through his skull. He clawed at his face, his nails leaving trails of blood in his cheeks. Out, Out, Out. Furious at the voice in his head and verging on the edge of madness, the cuts in his face grew deeper as more and more blood trickled from the wounds.
He fell, slowly and clumsily to the ground, silent, still. Dead.
* * * *
It was a dark and stormy night. The rain came down in torrents soaking the solitary man to the skin.
On looking closer, a passer by may have seen the deep scars in the man’s face and the dried blood under his nails and had a doctor been examining the dead man, he would have found two tiny, almost microscopic holes in the man’s right calf, as if something had gone in and then come out of the man’s body, leaving almost no trace.
‘Oh god! It’s a man.’ The girl stopped and shouted back to the boy behind her. She looked scared and as she neared, her fear turned to horror. The man’s face had deep lacerations and she could see the dried, red blood on his hands. His once blue stripy pyjamas were now caked with mud and his bare feet were now black.
The boy ran past the girl who stood with her hands covering her mouth to stop herself from screaming. He knelt down by the dead man’s side and felt for a pulse.
‘He’s dead’
The girl broke down in tears whilst the boy reached for his phone.
‘Ambulance please. And the police.’
The boy stood up with the sun shining fiercely in his eyes and walked over to the girl. He put a comforting arm around her and wiped her tears with his sleeve.
‘Look at the scars on his face. What happened? It looks so terrible.’
The boy said nothing but pulled the girl tighter into his chest. The sound of ambulance sirens filled the air and the girl turned to face them.
The boy stood up to talk to the ambulance men. ‘Don’t leave me here with…’ Her eyes turned to look at the dead man. She ran to follow the boy.
The ambulance man thanked the pair and turned to look at the dead man.
‘Let’s go. Please. Please can we go? I’m scared.’
They turned towards the road and walked away, leaving the ambulance crew treating the man. Both in stony silence as the girl reached for the boy’s hand. He acknowledged this with a smile and together they walked away. Away from the horrors behind them.