Gothic Bite Magazine is now opening their gates to all authors who would enjoy sharing their work with the public. We welcome all writers, from the enthusiasts to the professionals.

This week, we are sharing the fantastic work of the author and now part of the Ghoul Family, Lycan Soul. Part of the Stories of Misery, the first chapter is now for your spooky eyes to enjoy!

ENJOY

Chapter 1: The Birthday

Lycan Soul

 

Jason woke up and looked at the clothes his mother set out for him. His eyes went wide as he let out a loud scream. He grabbed the shirt and stomped out of his room to the top of the stairs.Today is the one day the parents of Jason dreaded, his birthday. Jason, with the help of his parents, is one of the most spoiled children you will have the displeasure of meeting. He was turning seven years old today, and he made sure everyone knew.

“This is not the shirt I want to wear today!” he yelled as he shook the shirt above his head, “I want to wear my dancing dinosaur shirt!”

“But Jason, you know that shirt has a hole in it. Do you really want to wear that on your birthday?” Jason’s’ mother was a beautiful woman, once. Her once beautiful shining blonde hair is now thin and dry. Her skin has aged faster due to the stress of keeping Jason happy. You would never guess she was only in her late twenties. On this day she looked to be in her late thirties at best.

Jason threw the shirt down the stairs, “Then fix it!” Jason turned and started to stomp back to his room, “And I want chocolate chip pancakes! It is MY birthday today!” His mother gave out a sigh and walked to the kitchen to start on the pancakes.

As you can tell, Jason gets everything he wants, or he makes your life a living hell. His father, a once handsome man, became a truck driver to get away from home. It seemed like the perfect plan to him, but the Department of Transportation came out with new regulations, and he was stuck at home for this dreaded day of celebration. It seems he drove for way too many hours this month, and now must wait until he can drive again.

Mind you, Jason’s birthday is on the 13^th of October, and this year, that falls on a Friday. Jason’s dad is a very superstitious man. So much so, he did not want to get out of the bed. It took his wife to threaten divorce and tell him she would make sure he was stuck with Jason to get him out. Needless to say, that was all the motivation he needed to get out of bed. By this time Jason had already thrown a plate of pancakes onto the floor and glass of chocolate milk into the sink. All because they were not chocolaty enough for him.

A few miserable hours, for Jason’s parents, have gone by, and now it was time for the guest to arrive. Jason was wearing his dancing dinosaur shirt with the hole stitched up. His eyes grew large as he stared at all the presents that were piling up on the table. He was starting to bounce in his seat as his excitement grew.

“Which do you want first, Jason? The cake or presents?” asked his mother. She already knew the answer, I guess she was hoping something might change this year.

“Presents!!” he yelled, and his excitement was becoming overwhelming. The other parents looked at each other since it was no secret that Jason was a spoiled brat. They just did not know how bad, yet.

Soon there were two piles of presents on the floor. One was behind Jason that composed of the toys he did not like. The other smaller pile belonged to the winners. Jason opened a present and pulled out a dancing dinosaur shirt. The same one he was wearing. He turned to look at his mother and smirked as he threw it behind him, “I hate that shirt now.”

His father was getting very upset, and it was starting to show. His own father, Jason’s Grandpa, had come to town for this party. Jason was very rude to his guest, and some of them even left early to spare their children from the sight.

Jason got to the last present, the one from his Grandpa. As he opened it, he saw it was made of glass and was filled with dirt. He then saw movement inside and realized it was an ant farm, a rather large one at that.

“What am I supposed to do with this?” Jason asked as he looked at his Grandpa, “This is the worst present I have ever received!”

At that moment his father snapped and slammed both first onto the table, “That is enough! Go to your room, your birthday is over! The rest of us will enjoy the cake and ice cream while you sit in your room and think about how much of an ungrateful little snot you are.”

Jason stared at his father in disbelief, never has he raised his voice to him like that. He even heard a giggle from one of the guests. That set him off, and he jumped out of his chair and ran upstairs, yelling and cussing at his father. As he entered his room, he noticed he must have grabbed the ant farm without realizing it. He slammed it down on his bedside table, but the thick glass did not break. The same could not be said for the seal at the top.

There had to be thousands of ants inside the farm. It was the biggest one Jason had ever seen. As he looked closely, it seemed as if all the ants were staring at him. “They are all dead, stupid ants!”

A few hours later, Jason’s parents finished cleaning up after the party. His mother, for some reason, felt bad that he was sent to his room without any cake. She took a piece upstairs to give to him, and hopefully calm him down. He had been quite for a while, so she hoped he was asleep.

Suddenly the father heard his wife scream at the top of her lungs. He ran up the stairs and saw her collapsed at Jason’s door. He rushed to the door and looked inside. What he saw haunts him to this very day. All that was left of Jason was covered by ants from head to toe. His eyes and tongue were already gone, as well as most of his flesh. What terrified Jason’s father was on the glass of the ant farm. Happy Birthday was written in ants.

Lycan Soul