Guttural

It happened the way they said it would.

Alone, shuffling cards, on an otherwise uneventful eve,

 The lights went out and the sky grew black,

 A heated gust brushed about my back,

Subsequently pressing lightly, right to left, from esophagus to chest,

Seconds mingled with minutes later, I thought it best to stay still and quiet,

As it turns, I couldn’t have ran if I had chosen to,

My feet were seemingly frozen from the ankle to the bridge,

What was to happen seemed would happen soon,

Like a midnight caller, heavy breathing echoed through,

I pictured some ninja assassin, biding time as he chose which method to use,

Then something courageous, some would say, more aptly I’d go with stupidity,

 Bellowed out from deep within arose a voice I’d never heard,

This cackling, wheezing barely audible tone,

The exact message forgoes me now, but it was as exclamatory as I’d ever been,

The response received was easily surmised,

ERGK BRM GRA, RTZ VR KM, SL, GG, GARKJ and some other sounds I dare not repeat,

Echoed loudly through the room, up the hall and out the roof,

This guttural voice was not from here, not of man, not of animal,

It stood somewhere near me, all around me,

Now I wished to move, to try my best to get away,

Instead my bowels got distracted and lost their way,

To my knees I dropped and prayed, Lord, please do not let this be that day, away now Satan I do decree, you’re not welcome here, please now leave,

Then in obvious cinematic display,

A hand placed itself upon me,

Blood-filled nails I imagined, like a talons’ grip upon the skull,

My tongue diligently increased its pace, repeating sermons unknown to me,

It was then, and I don’t know why, I awoke my eyes to put a face to my fate,

 At this moment, my assailant could be seen, only somewhat, but enough,

Crimson glowing eyes of green, lured me in and brought me to,

 The fiercest, deepest, deadliest parts of Hell,

Where the sounds of the damned wailed hopelessly,

 Skull shaped seashells, laced the shore of blood-stained sand,

Bones and corpuscles scattered all about,

The river rose, its wash dissolved the soles of boots three inches thick,

Climbing toppled ashen Pillars to rise above the persistent swell,

 I couldn’t help think of what supposed ills I’ve distilled,

Just then, a bird erupted from below, shooting upwards, releasing cast off as it flew,

The sky was covered, like sparklers in the hands of children,

One such ember landed firmly upon the forearm I held high, to shade the eyes,

Wincing in exaggerated pain, nausea overcame me,

To which I awoke, vomit retreating down the throat,

Darkness was no longer, light filled the room

Cards lay scattered about the floor, I paused, shaking head in denial

How could all this have felt so real yet exist solely in the mind?

Picking up the queen of spades, an odd scar, freshly formed is seen upon the arm.