The Crawling

By Lee A Jackson

Alex had wanted change, had wanted to be noticed, but there was a price to pay. Increasing horrors mount for her in the aftermath of her procedure.
The crawling sensations inside her give rise to an ominous blackness which overcomes her and leads to terrifying consequences. 
The paranoia from the shadows that Alexis glimpses trailing her every move is heightened when she hears them in her flat.
With her domain no longer a safe place, she has only one choice. She has to run. But is there something to run to? 
Will the crawling stop?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lee A Jackson
• Release date: Feb 6, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215837283

Lee A Jackson

I began writing in my mid to late teens, sequestered away in my bedroom in rural south west England. The writing originated out of a need to express myself and to communicate with the world, something I was not good at doing verbally. Writing became an outlet for me and it grew and evolved with me through the years.

Book preview

One

Quickly the vibrations and sounds from the heavy thumping fell away as a hand slid down towards the door handle and twisted. The solid unit offered only a false sense of security as it effortlessly eased open, swinging inwards on cheap, tired hinges. A dark hallway awaited the visitor who straightened his jacket and stepped in.

Trailing a hand along the wall, heavy footsteps announced themselves with a sense of purpose and direction. Cast by an exterior light slinking silently through the open doorway, a grim shadow preceded the trespasser. The shadow elongated, thinned, cowered and merged into the darkness ahead as the shouts of Alex’s name filled the space. In a frantic rush, the name roared into each of the rooms within the flat, searching.

Two

The warmth of the water clung to her, but it no longer felt like a comforting embrace. Alex heard the noises start, holding her breath at the first sound of turmoil. They were there. How had they made it in? She projected her mind to the front door and its locks. There’s no way she would have forgotten them. The routine of deadbolt, night latch and security chain had been followed, she was certain of it.

So how? Where were they now? Hovering in the hallway? Already in the bedroom? The questions sank into a relentless echo chamber as Alex slid further down into the bath, submerging her ears.

Had she fallen asleep in the bath, letting her defences down? Had the heat of the water, the steam, the scent of the rose petals, and the flickering of the tea light candles perched on the sink infused her with drowsiness?

Alex sunk a little lower, tilting her head backwards. Now only her eyes, nose, and mouth clung to the outside world. She felt the strands of her damp, heavy hair floating around her as her back and limbs pressed against the ceramic. A small metallic knife, misted up by condensation rested on the edge of the bath and Alex quietly slipped her hand from the water to touch it.

Three

‘Alex!’ His voice was sucked into the darkness. He was in the lounge, expecting to find who he was looking for supine on the worn, small brown couch. Fingers felt for the light switch on the wall by the doorway but met resistance from a plastic, fibrous feel of thick tape. He scraped at the edge and picked away. Stickiness clung tight underneath his fingernails as the tape pulled clear, and he rocked the tacky light switch to on. As his eyes adjusted from the darkness he stepped further into the room. The curtains were all drawn tight, which was understandable enough with the morning just raising its head. However, he got the sense that they hadn’t been opened in a long time.

The ceiling fan sat motionless, silenced from its whirring mechanical hum, which brought a disturbing depth of stillness to the space. The walls were bare, a nondescript pale cream landscape suffocating the room. Things looked in place. However, it was not a place that looked lived in, noting nothing like a mug lazily left on the coffee table, no book or shoes kicked