Triumvirate of Terror - Book 1 - The Nightmare Begins

Part 1 . “It’s been Two years, So I wouldn't be surprised either way. Of course I’d say yes if he asks, but if he wants to wait a little longer I understand.”

Jessica and Christian have an unusual relationship, or maybe just particular is a better word.

Since day one of the relationship, they’ve lived together - Originally a favor christian was performing for his friend, Griffin. letting his Buddies sister stay at his house, since Griffin's home recently went up in flames.

Jessica didn't mind the change of scenery, she was living with her brother & his wife Elanor for two years before the fire, and didn't always appreciate the lovey dovey-ness of living with a married couple. That sentence feels like an insult after the fire though, since Elanor passed away in the accident.

Griffin’s family has always been close, and would get together frequently, oftentimes also involving Christian, because of how close He and Griffin are. So, really nothing (except their label) changed when Christian and Jessica inevitably hit it off (as Griffin says) when jess started staying with Christian.

Just like every Sunday evening, the family got together, with everyone in attendance, not missing a soul….”except Elanor” Griffin frequently remarks. Jess and her cousin Mason were having another gossip session, which seemed to happen all too often for Christian’s liking, this time, regarding jess’ future.

“You know, your brother proposed to Elanor just after the two year mark….”

“It’s been Two years, So I wouldn't be surprised either way. Of course I’d say yes if he asks, but if he wants to wait a little longer I understand.”

A simple response, for a simple relationship (as both have called it).

“We keep it simple and easy, no over complicating things, because that just causes trouble, and if there is trouble, we find the simplest conclusion that benefits both sides, and that isn't going to change in in our married life”

Part 2 . Two Years and six months, On a cold and exasperatingly snowy Early November day, Christian asked Jess to marry him, in front of the whole family, and, as she told Mason she would, she said yes.

The situation made both Jess & Griffin a little reminiscent of Griffin's proposal.

“I know we never Talked about it, but I’m sorry for your loss. I'm aware it’s totally inappropriate, but I constantly think about what we could have done differently in that situation, Griff. I don't know how we couldn't put out a kitchen fire in enough time to save her”.

In typical “Them” fashion, Jess & Christian went out the next day, and picked out an engagement ring together, as always, to keep it simple. Like the month before , and the month after, the newly engaged couple went back to Jess’ mothers house the next month to start planning the wedding. They decided they wanted to do it as soon as possible, and In house, since they didn't have any extended family to invite anyway.

Before the festivities closed for the evening, Jess’ mother brings a long narrow box out, holding two black woven leather rings inside it. She explains “They are only for the ceremony, and the first week after, to symbolize unity and acceptance into our family”.

With everything set, the family hosts a backyard wedding in just over a month. As per usual, just like the family dinners, every family member was in attendance, including Griffin, sitting in the front row. As the ceremony nears conclusion, the couple opens the narrow black box, and places the black leather rings on each other's fingers. For reasons unbeknownst to anyone else, just the sight of that black box sends Griffin into a silent panic, sweating, and slightly shaking, he makes an escape the next possible moment.

Part 3 . Over the next two days, Jessica tries to check on Griff to make sure he's doing alright, when she finally reaches him, he apologizes, stating that he never thought he’d see those rings again, and warning Jess that they're bad news. Jess can sympathize with her brother, understanding that thought after him & Elanor were the last to use the rings, but she has to abruptly hang up, because her neighbor has been relentlessly calling throughout the conversation.

Jess calls the neighbors back, where she learns of a noise complaint lodged against christian’s dog, she is also informed that the police made a stop earlier in the evening. Her and Christian rush home, pulling into an empty driveway, and dark house. As the two approach the door, they hear a faint moaning, and gently swing the door open to a foul odor. Buster, their faithful companion, was on the front rug, groaning and rolling in a pile of blood and stool, somehow pulled inside out and torn to shreds, foaming at the mouth with a mute glow in his eyes.

Jessica wakes up in bed with Christian, to the sound of an infant crying, and the black wedding band on her finger.

Part 4 . It's been a year and four months since the wedding. The couple eats breakfast with their new daughter, though just a couple months old, bears an appetite incomparable to anything they've seen. The wedding ceremony proved to be an easy turnaround for them, able to happen within a month. What took a little longer to set in stone, was the Honeymoon. Now willing to take the time away, leaving baby with her grandmother, Jess & Christian decided to book a getaway to their favorite combination of arable land just outside of city limits, in central Indiana.

The arid land, full of smoke and the scent of decaying flesh, attempting to pull what's left of the decomposing soon to be corpse from the flames, Jess realizes she's having a nightmare, and wakes up to find herself in the passenger seats of her husband's car. Soon thereafter, the couple arrives at their destination, sunlight as far as the eyes can see, with a brim of tall trees, all ascending in unison around the property, with a beautiful double tier cabin at the front of the land, just far enough off the road. The owner of the lands comes outside to greet them, offer delicacies home grown on the farm he tends, and of course, warn them about the gate rules, because they have free range farm animals of all kinds.

Part 5 . A breezy night, crackling branches less than inches from the window, cooing chickens, and rustling sheep below the cabin, add up to make sleeping during some parts of the night less than ideal. Just as Jess felt able to find sleep, two fleshless arms, dripping with innards and what was left of former skin, seeped out from under the mattress, one hand over the blankets pinning her down, and the other reaching toward her face, she feels her spine crack as a hand emerges from her throat, while the entity holding her down impels its fingers into her eye sockets, twisting and pulling cranial Grey matter from her skull, she wakes up.

With sunshine creeping through the window, and the smell of eggs coming from the kitchen.

The first day of their retreat provides a full dawn to dusk worth of activities. Everything from horse riding, to a basketball game downtown to top the evening off. Tired, Jesse makes her way to the bathroom to clean up before she turns in for the night. As she prepares herself and a shower for the evening, the lights in the bathroom and the connected bedroom dim, turning around expecting to see Christian ready to initiate the proceedings of any old honeymoon, she's grabbed by the back of the head, lead over to the laundry chute leading downstairs, and forced to put her head in, while a shadow of a creature slams the chute door till her skull in nearly nixed, and she's completely disfigured. The figure then leads her back to the counter, and starts shaving what's left of the skin on her face off with an open razor from Christian’s bag. Then she opens her eyes - Sitting in the bathtub, completely unscathed.

Part 6 . Now unable to sleep, Jessica researches reports of similar symptoms as she's been experiencing, trying to figure out what kind of paranoia, sleep paralysis, insomniatic nightmares she's having, or better yet, how to stop them.

Her efforts led her down a path she never knew existed - she matches her exact happenings, to “The Black Band Curse”, relating to wedding bands dating all the way back to the Byzantine Empire. families would hand down original hand woven leather wedding bands to every member of the family, to be used exclusively during the ceremony, and no longer than the week after, in order to symbolize unity between families, then kept safe for the next generation. But in the Byzantine Empire, if the relationship went awry, Women were not allowed to get a divorce, or even file a grievance - Unless the Man was found Guilty of Witchcraft……or Murder. So, in some instances, the Woman would either force the man to murder someone, frame him for witchcraft (usually leading to him being killed), or even Murder the Man herself.

These happenings caused the murdered souls to become one with the rings of their significant other, and would Haunt the wearer till they killed the significant other, or their own family.

Jess now realizes this is what happened to Griffin…or should we say, Elanor. As well as the reason the family has no extended ties to anyone past their mother. Jess & Griffin’s Family turned to be one in the line of Murderous wives, therefore, being tormented by every past soul in the line of the rings, until they killed for themselves.

Part 7 . As Jess finishes reading, she runs to the other room and tries to contact Griffin. Before she can, she's dragged down a flight of stairs, hearing his voicemail echo from above. The grabbing both her legs, and fragging her to the basement, then beneath the floorboards. She can hear Griffin’s voicemail echo through the house, slowly turning into a demonic chant - “Kill or be killed, KILL. or BE. KILLED”.

She wakes up in a dark room, in a bed next to her husband, with a knife on her nightstand, dripping in dark red blood. Again she hears an echo, soft this time, “Kill, or be Killed”. At the End of her bed, a figure of Elanor appears with a screaming baby, wrapped in a towel the same as jess’ newborn. The Figure removes a Knife from the swaddled child, as blood fills the cradle, and the clanging sound of a cymbal monkey toy flipping in blood fills the room. The figure approaches her, and puts its hands around her neck, and picks her up along the wall. She starts to pass out, but then comes to, leaning over christian, with the bloodied knife now in her hand, as the mutant cymbal monkey, screaming for blood, now echoes throughout the house.

Part 8 . Christian wakes up, the same as yesterday. A beautiful rural morning. He walks to the kitchen, and sees Jess with messy hair, and bags under her eyes over the stovetop.

“Are you ok, babe?”

“Of course, but can you grab and clean two of the dishes from the sink for breakfast for us?”

Of course, he agrees. He approaches the sink, and realizes there's no dishes in it a moment too late - Jess grabs him by the arm and the hair, shoving his hand down the garbage disposal, cutting it down as far as possible. Then, she opens the doors under the sink, takes the disposal cover off, and shoves his head in the blade underneath.

Moments later, she turns the disposal off, and peels the skin from his face and fingers off the rest of the way, and Finishes eating breakfast. The last thing left to do, is to get rid of the farmer, caught standing below, looking up at the second level window as if he heard something. Jess, now dawning the face of her former husband, sends the farmer running for his loft in the barn, where she catches up with him (thanks to some help from a cattle prod left next to the cabin).

With the Farmer down in the corner of his garage, Jess quickly grabs a Fluorescent Bulb Light from his work bench, shoving it through the farmer’s eye socket. As he screams and spits blood, she eyes a car battery charger box next to him, under his work bench. Without hesitation, she flips it on, and connects a cable to the end of the light bulb, causing the bulb to light up, and blow up inside his skull.

She quickly realizes she now has to handle his wife, who's heard the Man’s screaming, and is calling his name. Slowly galavanting up the stairs, Jess slides a hand saw off the wall. Gently opening the door, approaching the farmer's wife, Jessica kicks her over the bar, and sticks the blade in her back, ripping her in half.

The deed is done, Jessica can live in Peace, finally exorcizing her Demons, disposing the bodies in an abandoned overflow drainage tank, acres away from…anything - In the middle of the farmland, that expands for miles on end.

Part 9 . “Every family has their demons, hopefully the next generation can suppress, there was no use making him suffer too” Jess picks up her baby from her mother's, and puts the black rings on the kitchen table. Her mom seems pleased, with a look like she knows what happened. She hands Jess the baby, and her diaper bag. Upon further inspection, inside the diaper bag is another box, a silver box, with a note on it - “don't invite them in, for your safety” - Inside the box was a single silver ring, the only thing that'll keep the demons away, according to the curse.

Part 1 Dan was a nice old man. He loved his animals more than life itself, and showed it every day. Ever since they were puppies and kittens (and even a kit) he made sure their food bowls were never empty, and toys were always plenty.

Even with next to no family left, “Lonely” isn’t even close to what he was, as a matter of fact, it was always a full house. With six cats, four dogs, two more kittens, and a baby rabbit (or “kit” as we already established), he had his hands full, yet never thought about it for even a second. His pets were more than companions, and even more than friends. They were Family.

Part 2 As you can imagine, all his animals grew up to be strong and healthy - that was, until he took Mr. Muffins (the dog) to the veterinarian. There wasn’t anything “major” wrong, as the Vet said, he was just getting to be an unhealthy weight for his “make and model” (breed).

This sadly became common with almost all of Dan’s family (pets). The Vet, worried about the lifespan of the obese animals, warned Dan that he should cut back on the feeding times, but not to worry, because most of the time animals of this nature eat twice a day……as compared to the endless amounts of food dan was providing (refusing to let the bowls ever get below the halfway mark at any time throughout the day).

Part 3 Reluctantly, Dan did start feeding them just twice a day, in the morning and evening. Eventually whittling down to one full can a day (per the Vet’s orders). The Animals were starting to look more lean, but something odd was happening. The Animals would come back home in the evening, after being outside most of, if not all of the day, and it seemed like they were getting larger….not exactly fatter, but somehow….bigger.

Dan called up his neighbor, curious to see if they saw the animals eating anything they weren't supposed to, or even if the neighbors were feeding them.

Peculiarly enough, there was no answer, so, he decided to take the hike, and go knock on their door. As he made his way to their door, he noticed bingo, one of his

cats, exiting their house, furthermore, noticing a red patch on his fur under his chin. “Great, they got into another squirrel” he comments.

After knocking on the door, and no answer, he decides to head back home, after all, it was feeding time. A couple hours into the night, he notices some inordinately loud cooing, and scratching coming from the basement, and decides to check it out. It seems as though some of the animals thought it would be a good idea to bring that squirrel from earlier home. Dan approaches the feast with gloves. The Vet said this has been known to happen when you feed animals less than they're used to.

Upon further investigation of the feast, he realizes….it’s not a squirrel. Raccoon maybe….? No…..it’s….it’s a hand, missing fingers. Even worse, he recognizes the hand. Well, the ring on it. The black wilted metal wedding band….it’s his neighbor.

Part 4 In a flurry, he rushes next door, to realize the back door is unlocked, and propped open. Inside, he discovers something he’d never dreamed of seeing, not even in his worst nightmares. Two of his dogs, and three of his cats, mutated into some kind of giant carnivorous animals, consuming what was left of the neighbors, both husband and wife. Ripping them limb from limb, eating their inneards like a snack, destroying the flesh like wrapping paper, tearing them apart.

The lack of food has made the animals revert back to their undomesticated roots, and the amount they’ve eaten, consuming whole humans, has made them grow like no animal has before. Now, with a taste for blood, the furry fiends make way for Dan. holding the neighbor upside down by his spine, and walking on his hind legs, Muffin reaches for his owner, snapping his neck like a twig.

Part 1 For four years, Tully would tattoo relentlessly. He became so masterful at the trade, he no longer required the use of stencils, and was able to go straight to the skin freehand. This talent was enough to get him noticed by Phineas Mesmer, a famous hypnotist with his own sideshow.

Tully fit in well, and was a sideshow mainstay. His speed and accuracy was second to none, amazing guests, and showfolk alike. In his free time, he’d offer his services to those a part of the traveling show anytime they’d like.

What once was a hobby, was slowly becoming an obsession.

When he wasn’t tattooing the other performers, he indulged in the ink himself. Slowly filling every inch of his body with new designs, rather it be practice or further indulgence in an evolving addiction, he soon came to be known in the big top as the “Illustrated Man” - no title better fit for a man covered in his own art.

Part 2 While Tully performed, and indulged in his obsession, his time was running thin, unbeknownst to him. He finished his daily session and his last show of the night, in a panic, he realized he was out…..there was not another inch of skin he had left to tattoo on himself.

Late at night, unable to think about sleep, he ran to Mesmer, the wise man that he was, and asked what can be done; He ran out of skin to illustrate on. calm and collected, Mesmer replied “The body is so limited as a canvas”, sending Tully under his spell, Hypnotized, “so why don’t you cut it open, and restart from the inside”.

Before he knew it, if he ever even did, Tully was back in his trailer, cutting himself open from neck to waist, and just as promised, had plenty of room to illustrate.

Part 3 For days on end, he’d tattoo the other side of his skin. He missed some shows, and he missed some client’s appointments - what was once a hobby, maybe an obsession, now a never ending addiction. The sideshow slowly going down, becoming darker, and not just in relation to Illustrated Man, within days everyone in the sideshow seemed to get an answer from Mr. Mesmer, sending them into the natural horror of their minds.

Guests unknowingly attending shows, turned sideshows of the mind, forced to endure the deepest, and darkest depths of their fears. If too paralyzed to leave, guests became part of the act, and those who tried to run seldom escaped the Illustrated Man. Tattooed inside and out, an adrenaline rush like no other, his need for new flesh became immeasurable, hunting down guests heading for the doors.

There was never a limit, never amount good enough, He’d collect victims on end, and cut them from head to toe, peeling off their skin little at a time, to make sure it stayed in one piece to use for his pleasure.

His walls were covered in skin, so he could tattoo to his heart's desire, and when he finished, it was a new town made victim, to the Illustrated Man.