Hole

It appeared to be just another boring day in the middle of nowhere, where nothing ever happens. In our small desolate town that doesn't even have a horse got an unsuspecting surprise. The other night when we got a message from "the heavens" as my father called it. It just looked like a hole filled with dirty sink water and smells like spoiled mayonnaise. The hole is about 30 feet by 50 feet, in the large hole there seemed to be what looked like a hot coal about the size of a basketball. The object appeared way too small to make such a large hole. But I didn't think much of this new discovery, that seemed to appear overnight and without warning. Some town's people said that they witnessed a bright light streak across the sky, then plummet to the ground, and BOOM! I think people like to make up stories, especially in a town like this where nothing happens, people get bored, look for excitement. I wasn't like that, I have accepted the fact that I will live here and I will die here, like my father's father and his father before him. It's my heritage.
My father's ideas about the hole were much different than mine, partially because of his own beliefs and my lack of interest at the moment. That all changed quite quickly over the next couple of days. At first people would gather around the whole, discuss what they thought it was or why it was here, or if it was even anything at all. I started to realize that people were looking at this as a message from God, which wasn't surprising to me because someone last week thought they got a message from God in their soup, so I was speculative.
The general consensus is that this was a gift; the way I look at it is this is just a hole, how can this help us in any way? If anything we are worse off now because we can't farm this land anymore. That's a pretty fucked up gift, "here take this, you don't need food". It's like they say when a bird shits on you it's good luck, the way I think of it as your luck is already worse than it was before because now you have bird shit on you. I mean why are people just assuming this is a gift and not a curse? Only time will tell, and it did, much quicker than I or anyone else had thought. Now that I know, I wish I didn't.
It all started when people would start going by the hole more often, some would even sleep next to it. I immediately thought this was very odd, because it has only been 2 days. Instead of people getting bored of this, their interests are ballooning. Walking through the town during the day you can hear people all around you whispering, and manipulating ideas of Godliness. It's just a hole I kept telling myself. It has consumed most of the town's minds and is spreading quickly. Than after the 3rd night some people started to seem different. Normal daily activity slowed down, production slowed down. Life slowed down, the town seemed to be on a strict diet of bible and xanax. This was also very odd because this was one of our big seasons, this time is important to the following months, and we are behind.
The 4th day came and people started to feel protective over the whole, Eli jumped in. He was the first person to make contact with the hole. He wasn't the last. Others wanted to relish in the hole, Eli yelled "it makes you feel alive", how wrong he was. Basking in the ambiance of the dirtiest water I have ever seen, Eli started preaching. People started following, and one by one the town started to jump carelessly into the abyss. In just four days almost the entire town has been consumed by the hole. My father sat in our house all four days and barely spoke a word to anyone. Since mom died he hasn't said much. Not even to me. First words he spoke to me in almost a week was about this hole, he said "don't believe". He hasn't said anything since, he just watches the town. His face expressionless like he knows what's coming and can't bear to look at it, but yet can't turn away. Nobody could have expected what was to come next.
The very next morning everyone was awoken by a loud shrieking that was coming from Eli's house. But Eli was no where to be found, no one in his house could be found; his wife, daughter, no one. But who was screaming? Once most of the town was outside of his house, it suddenly stopped. "Eli"? "Hello", is anyone home? People starting yelling for Eli, checking through the house, but there was nothing. Everything was normal, just no family. It was like they disappeared in thin air. Hysteria starts to come over the town. I can't help but directly link this to the hole. Maybe I was wrong; it's not just a hole after all.
"God is now with us" slices through my brain like a razor; everyone in the town started to believe it. Since Eli's disappearance the town has become even more faithful towards the hole. It's been a day since Eli's disappearance, until Bennet found something that should have stayed lost. He was hunting in the woods w/ his rifle that had this old bayonet on the front. I asked him why he had that and he told me he found it along the way and has brought him luck. It was his tool unlike the town's people; whose main tool has been the Bible. Bennet always said "you can't eat the Bible".
Since the hole, production has pretty much halted, Bennet knew we needed food. He was one of the few who hasn't been consumed by the hole. He was always different, he wasn't born here. He was a drifter, and he just didn't want to drift anymore; people change. He stumbled upon Eli first, and wishes he hadn't.
Eli was found in the woods picking the bones of his wife and child, chewing and gnawing away at his 11 yr old daughter's leg; it made Bennet puke on the spot. The scene was unlike anyone could even possibly imagine. His wife's bare carcass was hardly recognizable, her fingers chewed off, her stomach ripped open. The grass and trees were painted red; it looked as if the sky had rained blood. Bennet composed himself and tried speaking with Eli, Eli's eyes were as hollow as can be. His mind was simply not there; his motions were fast and fierce. He came at you with a force, unrecognizable by human standards. With meat still in is hands and teeth he came at Bennet and attempted to tear his arm off. Bennet shot a single shot into Eli's leg to drop him to the ground. But he still continues to attack with an unstoppable strength. Bennet warns Eli one last time to speak; Eli yells "it was for the Gods". Eli jumped at Bennet and got the Bayonet, Bennet stood there with his friend on the edge of his blade, wondering what just happened. "Eli was eating his family", is all he could bear to mutter.
Bennet buried Eli with what was left of his family and preceded back into the town to tell what he had seen. He wondered if he should tell the whole story, or that he found them dead in the woods. Bennet couldn't bear to tell the truth. So he lied. Bennet known for his morals broke them in protection of the town. What he didn't realize is that he should have told the truth, like he normally would have; it didn't matter at this point e would soon realize.
When Bennet returned to the town he couldn't believe his eyes; he was only gone a couple of hours. He returned to a place he did not recognize, riddled bodies all over the place, house on fire, complete and udder chaos. He knew he was too late. He just stands watching people being attacked by their own mothers and fathers. Bennet stood and watched little Mary only 8 yrs old torn in two pieces by her mother and father, the ripping of her young flesh almost brought Bennet into a rage.He runs over to help what little he can and instantly blows the little girls fathers head off with his rifle. It exploded like a watermelon. Bennet is instantly attacked by the mother, he manage to get the bayonet under her chin and tore her head off with one quick swipe. He instantly looks down upon the poor little girl's body and knows there is only one thing to do. Stop them. Bennet runs back to his house trying to avoid "the changed". Bennet made it to his house grabbed all the ammo and weaponry he had available and began to plan his attack He knew if he got surrounded that he would be an easy meal. He searches for any other survivors, but all he sees are ripped and battered body parts covering what used to be the ground. Bennet holds his rifle close to his heart, and begins his war path on what used to be his friends and family.