Blood Magic

"I just don't think it's normal...."

"Honey, it's fine! You're just over thinking it a little. It is the Month of Mayhem and Madness--"

"Don't call it that." I snapped, "And I'm serious. He was talking about blood and really weird things and he's too young for things like that!"

"It's just blood!" Ted reassured me, "I had an imaginary friend when I was a kid, and half the time we were ripping the insides and throats from the imaginary enemies we had just slain. It's no big deal. Honestly. Just take a deep breath and relax."

I tried my best to cooperate and relax. Maybe I was just over thinking it after all. I had been getting into the spirit of October and watching a lot of horror films lately so maybe that was all it was. My imagination had always been large and I often spent sleepless nights imagining the horrible creatures that lay in wait, just outside my blankets.

But what he said to me was far too strange to come from the mouth of a seven year old boy.

"Blood is the essence." Tommy, my seven year old son had said, walking up to me completely out of the blue, and far past his bed time.

I asked him what he was talking about and he said that was what V told him. "V" was the name he had given to his imaginary friend, a name I had come to loathe.

A few days later he came into my study, again way past his bed time

"Mommy, why is 'blood the essence'". he asked.

"Baby, what are you talking about?" I said, concerned. " Are you watching R-Rated movies again? I told you to stay out of Mommy and Daddy's movie ca--"

"No, no, Mommy. V said that 'Blood is the essence' and that 'the process will be complete. And that--"

"That's enough, you listen to me young man. I told you to stay out of Mommy and Daddy's movie cabinet and I meant it! I don't want to hear any more about this 'blood' 'essence' nonsense. Go back to your room and what ever movie you took go and put it back, you hear me?"

"But Mommy, he--"

"Thomas James Abel I said go to your room NOW. And not another word about 'blood essence' or V, you got it?"

He nodded his head silently and slumped off back to his room. For awhile after that I didn't think of it at all, preoccupied with work and other things. But one night, I was searching the internet for horror movies and the words " blood is the essence" popped into my head. I decided to type it into the Google search bar and see what came up. Maybe the movie Tommy had been watching was good.

The first page was all about some World of Warcraft quest, which I knew couldn't be it since Tommy only played Xbox games. On the next page, however, there was a forum titled "Dark Arts" written in a creepy font and with creepy animations on the sides of the page.

I quickly scanned the page that I had been redirected to and found that the website's name indeed matched the content that was discussed in the forums. This particular thread had to do with what many users were calling "the darkest of all the arts": blood magic.

The introduction post at the top of the thread stated several times that 'blood is the essence of blood magic' and that all spells and enchantments cast must be paid for with the blood of something.

How could Tommy have gotten into this website, I thought to myself. Ted and I felt he was too young and never let him use the internet, yet it seemed he had somehow gotten access to this thread or some thread like it. Surely there were no books in the  house speaking of such things.

"Whatcha looking at?"

My husband had just walked in and was peeking over my shoulder.

"Well, I was looking for movies and I decided to type in this really weird thing Tommy said to me awhile ago."

"What did he say?" Ted asked, a puzzled look on his face.

"He came in the middle of the night while I was in my study and said that his imaginary friend 'V' had told him that 'Blood is the essence'.

"Oh really? Must have been up late watching those horror movies with you in secret." Ted said, paying it no mind.

"I just don't think it's normal...."

"Oh honey, it's fine! You're just over thinking it a little. It is the Month of Mayhem and Madness--"

"Don't call it that." I snapped, "And I'm serious. He was talking about blood and really weird things and he's too young for things like that!"

"It's just blood!" Ted reassured me, "I had an imaginary friend when I was a kid, and half the time we were ripping the insides and throats from the imaginary enemies we had just slain. It's no big deal. Honestly. Just take a deep breath and relax."

I took a deep breath and shut down the computer, which seemed to be the source of my growing anxiety. We sat for awhile in the living room, watching TV and eventually Ted bade me goodnight and went off ahead of me to bed, as usual.

I popped in an old favourite of mine, "The Blair Witch Project" and settled into the sofa. About halfway into the movie, during a more quiet scene, I heard something strange coming from upstairs.

Ted'll deal with it, whatever it is. He's already up there, I thought and continued watching the movie. I finished the rest of the movie, a bit anxious from the ending, which always got to me and went upstairs to bed.

As I reached the top of the steps, I heard an eerie voice drift down the dark hall, a tone that was almost unearthly.

"Ted?" I called. The voice had been somewhat deep like his and he often liked to play silly pranks like this at night, especially in October.

There was no response so I continued up and down the hall towards our bedroom. Ted was most likely going to try and startle me when I walked through the door so I readied my hand to karate chop him in the neck when he did.

The voice echoed unnaturally through the hall again, but not from our room. It was coming from Tommy's. I made my way down the hall to his door, not knowing what to expect. The voice was so strange it baffled me and made me feel quite uncomfortable.

"Tommy?" I asked, knocking twice at the door then twisting the knob. It was locked.

"Tommy, unlock the door and let me in." I said, but there was no response.

Then there was a loud thud from inside.

"Tommy??" I asked in a much higher register, but there was only silence.

I jangled and banged on the door as hard as I could but it wouldn't budge.

"Ted! Ted! I can't get in Tommy's room!" I yelled down the hall, starting to get anxious.

He didn't respond and the house remained silent as a crypt.

"Ted!" I screamed and tried to kick the door down, but it would not give an inch.

Suddenly the door knob turned, and the door slowly came ajar.

"Tommy?" I yelled, bursting into the room.

He sat on the carpet, an ominous red glow emanating from the candles that sat on the ground around him, with his back to me.

I started to walk towards him and speak but a sudden force stilled my feet and stole my voice. It seemed to weigh down on me like a lead blanket and I felt my legs begin to shake.

Dark lines connected in between the candles, forming a pentagram, Tommy at it's center. He slowly stood up and turned around, his long, dark hair shrouding his eyes.

For some reason I felt that this was not my son that was looking at me and a sense of dread began to fill my heart.

"He needs more blood, Mommy," said that fell, unearthly voice, though it came from his mouth.

He stepped to the side and revealed my husband's head laying, detached from his body, inside the pentagram.

Tommy had a cruel looking blade in his hands and the front of his clothes were covered in blood.

"He said you have just enough."