I’d been complaining for weeks about my grandma getting up throughout the night, walking around the house and waking me up. How was I supposed to get that track scholarship if I was showing up to practice with bags under my eyes and as sluggish as the walking dead?

It was especially disturbing when I’d wake up to her standing over my bed, staring at me with those empty, doll eyes. Gives me the chills just thinking about it… Mom says it’s just a side effect of her new Alzheimer’s medication and that she would speak to her doctor to get it dialed in.

“You’ll just have to tough it out until Dr. Newberry can get her in for a visit.” She had said. Ugh.

Mom was also looking for a full-time care facility for grandma to move to but was struggling to find one within our budget. I hope she finds one soon, her moving out couldn’t come quick enough. I tried to be sympathetic, truly, but she didn’t even remember who I was on most days, and it was a real burden on my mother to take care of her and telework at the same time.

I plopped down on my bed, exhausted and determined to get some good sleep tonight. I had a meet early in the morning and needed to be at my best. No way grandma was keeping me awake, I locked the door just to be sure.

————

I awoke to the sound of my doorknob twisting and jiggling. The door rattled in the frame as she struggled to get in.

“GO TO BED GRAN.” I hollered. The only response was heavy, labored breathing.

After a long pause, I could hear her leave and shuffle down the hallway towards my mom’s room. Good, she could deal with her. I rolled my eyes, turning to my side and fell back to sleep.

————

Beep, beep, beep.

My alarm blared. I smacked it with the heel of my hand and quickly leapt out of bed.

After I finished brushing my teeth and lacing up my shoes, I went to make sure mom was awake. She had to drive me across town and I couldn’t be late.

“Hey mom, we need to…” My voice caught in my throat as I slipped on water that coated the hardwood floor of her bedroom.

“Shit…”

I pulled my hand up to my face, it wasn’t water… my fingers were dripping with blood.

“MOM!” I cried out.

I lurched forward, nearly slipping again but caught myself on the bed post.

I screamed in terror as I saw my grandmother lying on the bed.

Blood drenched the sheets, chunks of meat and organ littered the mattress. She had carved out my mother’s insides and was wrapped in her flesh like a horrific cocoon, fast asleep.