No Gein: An Alternate Horror Part Five

Part Five: The Blackest Eyes

October 11th, 1975, Madison Wisconsin.

George watched in awe at the nothingness that stretched far outside his dad’s car window. Even though he’d lived out here his whole life, he never stopped being amazed at how you can see off into forever. His stack of Spiderman comics sat next to him in the back seat, they’d long been read while his older sister still had her nose buried in a book. Nothingness soon became something as they approached a two-story brick building, in front of which a sign read Mendota Mental Health Care Institute. He couldn’t understand why his daddy would bring him to a place like this. He’d rather go to the Outagamie County Fair where that guy did the show with the trick mice. So, he asked, “Why are we going here daddy?”

“To see our aunt, stupid!” his sister Helen scowled.

“I’m not stupid!” George fired back, angry at his sister’s insult, and also because his mother didn’t intervene. In fact, her reflection in the rear view revealed that she even cracked a smile.

“Then why are you reading those stupid comics?” Helen retorted.

“You’re both gonna be stupid when I leave you on the side of the road!” their father said in frustration. “Now knock it off!”

The two tykes piped down as they got out of the car. Summer was gone but it wasn’t too cool yet. His mom dressed him in shorts that day, and he could feel the comfortable autumn breeze on his legs as the four entered the lobby of the hospital. 

“May I help you?” asked the Dr. in the lobby. At least George assumed he was a Dr. because of his white coat.

“Yes.” his father said as George now looked up at the two adults. “We’re here to visit my sister, Sally Kohler.” His father seemed like a giant to George’s young eyes. He wondered if he would ever get to be big like him.

The young boy was a little confused as he expected to be going into a hospital room and find Aunt Sally lying in bed, like how they visited grandpa before he died. Instead, he found himself in what looked like a big living room filled with people playing board games, table tennis, and watching TV. “Maybe I should get sick so I could get to play in a place like this,” he thought to himself. Of course, he didn’t dare say such a thing out loud, as he was sure his father would spank him. 

The people here didn’t seem sick either. They were moving about of their own strength and conversing with each other. He did notice some of them talked funny, and one of them had a bit of drool coming out his mouth. Looney Tunes was playing on a TV hanging high on the wall, so naturally George wandered over toward it. Approaching a nearby couch, he saw the back of a man’s head, who George assumed was watching the show. Coming around the couch, he laughed at the cartoon, but when George looked to his left; he noticed the man didn’t laugh. In fact, he wasn’t even watching the TV, he was merely looking at the wall ahead of him. Upon closer inspection, it seemed, in fact, that the man wasn’t even looking at the wall, but that he was looking past the wall, watching and waiting for some secret signal that only he would receive.

Then George noticed the man’s eyes, they were the blackest eyes he’d ever seen. George’s family didn’t go to Church, but he had a friend in school who always talked about the Devil, and who sometimes teased George, saying he had the devil’s eyes. George almost peed himself when those black eyes finally moved, locking onto George as if he’d just done something very naughty.

George jumped at the sensation of a hand in his shoulder. He couldn’t scream as he felt the pair of arms wrap tightly around him, his mouth now smothered with hair and a fleshy cheek. “George, it’s so good to see you. Thank you so much for coming!”  Finally realizing it was Aunt Sally, he hugged her back tightly as she kissed the top of his head and led him to a table where his parents and sister were sitting.

The family spent the afternoon playing Connect Four and various board games together while they all caught up. Sally was happy to hear that both her niece and nephew were doing well in school, and that George was doing great in sports.

After finishing the board games, his aunt brought out a guitar, which brought a smile to both George and his sister’s face. “Oh, are we gonna pretend we’re in San Francisco?” Helen asked.

“Yes, we are my little beatnik.!” Sally said, strumming her guitar. Both George and his sister cheered in excitement as Sally gestured towards an open chest in which various musical instruments sat.

“Brought my harmonica.” George’s father said, pulling the small instrument out of his coat pocket. “Here honey, try this.” he said to his wife as he handed her a tambourine from the nearby chest. Her hand lazily accepted the instrument while George anxiously pulled out a small set of bongo drums from the pile and immediately started banging away.

Sally laughed at her nephew’s exuberance while she accompanied his drumbeats with her guitar. George’s father chimed in with some light sounds from his harmonica, while his mom wasn’t as enthusiastic, only lightly hitting her tambourine. George’s sister Helen didn’t take an instrument, but she started singing a long, making up silly lyrics in this impromptu performance. His big sister could be annoying sometimes, but she was a great singer. Why. George even thought she could be a star on the radio someday.

Drumming away, George noticed other patients swaying to the music, some even clapping their hands and cheering. At first, George thought this place looked pretty dreary, but now it didn’t seem so bad. This pretend concert brought him back to those times when Sally lived with them. George fondly remembered those times when they’d put on mock music festivals and other performances in their living room. That was the time before Sally got sick, or maybe she always was sick. George wasn’t sure. His aunt’s illness was always a mystery to him. It wasn’t like having the flu or chicken pox. She certainly didn’t look ill, but the Doctor’s said she was, so she must have had some sickness he just couldn’t understand.

The TV was still in George’s line of sight while he drummed away. His hands slowed in their rhythm as a Spiderman cartoon began to broadcast. Soon his moment as a musician faded as he became hypnotized by the animation.

“Stop staring at that!” His father scolded. “We can watch TV at home.”

“It’s OK.” Aunt Sally assured as she herself took a break from her guitar. “Do you like Spiderman?”

“Yeah, I love Spiderman, he’s my favorite!” Little George then planted his feet on the seat of his chair to imitate his favorite arachnid hero shooting webs. “Thwap thwap!” he sounded before jumping off the seat and onto the ground. “Did you know his Aunt May almost married Dr. Octopus?”

“She did!” Sally said. Young George had no awareness of his aunt’s ignorance of current Spiderman comics, so he prattled on. “Yeah, and he had a new villain called the Punisher, but he’s not really a villain, but he has a skull on his chest! I like him more than Ghost Rider though. He’s too scary!”

Sally smiled as she watched his nephew play as though he were swinging through the skyscrapers of the Big Apple. George’s young mind dreamed of being in New York for real someday, while back in reality his dad scolded. “Knock it off this isn’t a playground!” It was too late though, he was off in his own universe as he leapt back onto the seat, then off again. Little Spidey leapt once more onto the chair, but this time its wobbly leg gave out and it sent him tumbling to the hard floor where he scraped his knee. His father panicked when he saw the blood. “Oh my god, are you alright!” he said, rushing to his side. 

“He’s fine.” his mom said dismissively. George knew his mom was a nurse and figured she was probably used to seeing a lot of blood. No way was he gonna cry, but he was a little mad when he saw his bratty sister laughing at him. 

At least his aunt wasn’t laughing. In fact, she looked a little scared. “Oh no.” she cried, still sitting in her chair. “Oh no!” George stood up and brushed himself off. He thought nothing of it when he looked down and saw a piece of skin hanging off his knee, but for his aunt, it was too late. “No no no, oh no!” Now George was scared as he saw his aunt shaking her head back and forth, tears streamed down her cheeks as she screamed “Gotta get away, GOTTA GET AWAY!!!!” 

“Watch him!” His father ordered his mother as he rushed to his sister’s side. “Sally are you alright!?!” Two orderlies in white uniforms approached behind her as she babbled “The bodies, the bodies, there’s bodies everywhere!!!” 

“I’m sorry,” the Dr. they’d met in the lobby came and said, “I’m afraid she’s going to have to come with us.” 

George’s mom looked at her watch while his dad replied, “It’s OK, I understand.” George was now fighting back tears himself. Some superhero he was.

“NO! NO! You gotta believe me!” she begged as the pair of orderlies took Sally by the arms and led her away. She struggled fiercely as the doctor pulled out a long syringe. The staff held her tight while she pleaded in vain, “You gotta believe me! There were bodies everywhere, they were everywhere!” 

“I’m sorry dad.” little George fell into his father’s arms, his tears dampening his father’s shirt.

“It’s OK son.” George felt his father holding him tight. “It’s not your fault.” His sister also came over to give him a hug, but George felt guilty inside for triggering such a horrible fear in poor Sally.

That was the last time George ever saw his aunt, and it was the first time he remembered really being scared.