HEX

Emily Buggs awoke suddenly around 2 a.m. She wanted the feel of fresh air on her skin because she was drenched in sweat and spittle, and her satin nightie clung to her petite body. Her home, an ancient structure purchased at a 40% discount by her husband two years ago, was a brick structure that was either too hot or too cold.

She rose slowly from her king-sized bed, her sheets rumpled, and put on her best pair of flip flops. She opened her window, which faced a small bush behind their fence, and felt compelled to eat. She had formed a bad habit of eating her favourite cereal, HEX, at odd hours for several weeks. She saw the golden brown package in the shopping centre three weeks ago and decided to give it a shot. She was hooked after she tried it. There was nothing special about it. The vanilla flavor was bland, but she adored it. Every meal left her wanting more. She had eaten around 14 boxes of cereal.

She took the bowl of cereal into her room and sat by the window to slowly eat it. Brett, her husband, was out of the country on work. She was completely alone. She was on her fifth spoon when she found something out of the ordinary. Her heart stopped because it was so weird. The golden brown cereal particles began to turn a deep red colour. Her hands shook violently, as if she had been electrocuted. When she sensed a presence, she threw the bowl over the window and began to close the curtains.

Unfortunately, she was unable to move. Her feet were firmly planted on the wooden board. Although she couldn't see it, she could feel and smell it as it got closer. What was going on with her? She tried to move again, but she was transfixed.

When they first moved in, they found some gaps in the walls as well as how damp the house was. The plumbing system was also a disaster. When she would turn on the kitchen sink faucet, the water would be filthy. They tried everything they could to come up with a solution, but nothing helped. Sue, an African-American woman in her forties, tried to tell her secretly, but she didn't believe her, neither did her husband. She mentioned a young maid dying in that home, but Emily laughed and said she didn't believe in ghosts. Sue cautioned her to be alert since no one had stayed there for more than a month. She had laughed at that silly story that Sue shared with her. Her house was a little odd and spooky, but not haunted. She advised Sue to stop watching too much movies and face reality. Ghosts didn't exist. Besides,she and her husband had been there for more than two years which further proved that her neighbours were wrong.

She noticed a crack in the glass. When she looked in that direction, she noticed three long claws that resembled skeletons scratching the glass. She couldn't take her gaze away. Slowly, the word HEX became visible. Was she having hallucinations, or was the cereal evil? If she were still alive, her husband would not believe her when she told him the story.

When she looked up, she noticed a pair of eyes looking at her. They were a bright red colour, similar to the cereal.

She became perplexed. Was the house really haunted, or was it just a spooky brand of cereal? She was curious as to how many people ate this unusual food. It wasn't a well-known brand, as she hadn't seen any advertisements for it on television.

She hadn't had an appetite for anything else since she started eating it. Her husband mocked her about eating like a pregnant woman and suggested she buy a pregnancy kit, but she was on the pill and couldn't be pregnant. Is that all there was to it? Was she expecting? Did pregnant women have hallucinations? She wished she could see her husband. She was all alone in this insane home, and no one could rescue her. If only she could reach for her phone and call her husband.

She regained her voice at that point. She let out a piercing scream and took off running. She left her room and into her husband's study, but the eyes followed her. They were making fun of her and observing her. She ran from room to room, but the presence surrounded her. She burst into tears. She had never expected to witness such an unusual occurrence in her life. It was the dreaded cereal. She tried her luck and dashed into one of the restrooms, quickly closing the door behind her. She was by herself. She exhaled a massive sigh of relief as she tightened the window shut. She collapsed on the floor, her hands on her head. She was suffering from a dull ache in her brain. Her heart was pounding with fear.

After a few moments, the colour of the room shifted. It had tracked her down. She looked out the window and saw cereal flakes falling on her hair. It looked like snow. The intensity grew until they started to penetrate into her body through her skin. They were all over the place. A strong gust of wind swept her out of the toilet through the broken glass.

She knew she was going to die at this point. The cursed house, cursed window, and cursed cereal all conspired to kill her. Dave, her loving husband, will be devastated. He'd come home to an empty house, with no idea where his wife was. He was in love with her so much that he wouldn't rest until he found her. He'd wail like a child and call the cops. Emily wished it was just a nightmare or a prank. The wind continued to haul her to an unknown place. She came across Mr Jaxon, an elderly and odd man who lived alone and made a living by mowing lawns. He was standing outside, hands akimbo, staring up at the sky. He'd seen her, hadn't he? Could he assist her? Would he be capable of rescuing her?