The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!

Rid
by Scarlett R. Algee 

Since the day I killed you, in a certain type of sunlight, I can see your blood seeping out through the masonry and oozing down the surface of the bricks, pooling in the joints of the mortar. I’ve soaped and scrubbed and pressure washed, but come every evening the red slick of it is still there.

Maybe I shouldn’t have put your heart in the wall.

Since the day I killed you, in a certain type of rain you leak through the ceiling and fall on me in great red drops: on the couch, on the recliner, on the half of our bed that I still occupy. I’ve moved the furniture and sealed the drywall and every time there’s thunder in the west you still drip through.

Maybe I shouldn’t have left your bones in the attic.

Since the day I killed you, on certain days you erupt as round red patches on the linoleum of the back porch, dusty and dry. I’ve tried a mop and tried a brush and the only thing that shifts you is hard strokes of an old straw broom, the patches spreading and widening as I shove them to the door, where they curl and detach and waft out into the air in uncertain flight: back to the attic, back to the wall.

Maybe someday there won’t be thunder, won’t be sunlight, and I can rid this house of you.

Maybe.

.

Fiction © Copyright Scarlett R. Algee
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

More from author Scarlett R. Algee:

The Lift: Nine Stories of Transformation, Volume One

The hall is dark and the overhead light flickers. Sounds echo, and there’s a creaking and clanging that gets louder as you stand in the semi-dark. The elevator opens and you’re offered a ride. Step inside and ride it to the story chosen for your transformation. Don’t be afraid, for Victoria, the mysterious girl who operates The Lift, waits to guide you. Set in the same world as the award nominated audio drama, The Lift’s first written anthology features nine all new stories by fan favorite writers and special bonus content by creators Daniel Foytik and Cynthia Lowman. The collection is brought to life with beautiful illustrations by Jeanette Andromeda for each story.

Available on Amazon!