“So, you two will come in on Thursday at 2? Splendid! I’ll see you then!” The phone was placed back in the receiver with a quick click. Mother walked down the hall with a bit of pep in her step as she headed towards the living room.

“Great news!”

“We get to kill the little bastards.” Ken had looked briefly towards the hallway, away from the game of chess he played with his sister. He placed his queen on a cream square.

"White Queen to F3. Your move, fucker."

“Ken watch your language. And yes, I did call the fumigator. So pack your bags, we're all heading to Blue Ray tomorrow morning!”

Blue Ray Hotel was a familiar haunt for the Ikechukwu family. They had gone there regularly many summers ago when Mother didn't have a job, when Father was a normal professor, and when Teri had eyes that could see. Teri still has fond memories of the place; the feel of warm beach sand, the taste of salt in the ocean, and the glorious ranges of blue hues! Even though she didn't really think there was a Heaven or a God when the mid-afternoon sky blended with the ocean waves that she truly was in heaven.

They hadn't been back there for a while, not since...then.

“Pawn to F3. Doesn’t that sound nice, Father?” Teri was facing the man who claimed to be Father. His breath was a raspy one, choking out from his open mouth.

“Father?” She put her hand onto his shoulder. He jumped up with a start, arms shielding his face.

“Where am I? Oh, sorry, Teri, I-I guess I was gone for a moment, huh.”

Teri could hear the sigh of frustration from Mother's lips, could feel her fingers drum against the wall in frustration. She's gotten worse at being patient.

“What did I miss?”

“We’re going out to Blue Ray. Because of the fumigation. King to _” Teri started to feel the hairs on the

There was a deep laugh.

“That won’t stop them, you know.” She heard the hairs

“The fumigators are good. The bugs stay dead and gone for months!” She rubbed Father's rough hand for reassurance. To reassure herself or Father, she wasn't really sure. He squeezed back in response, a warm gentle reminder of the type of man he used to be.

"I-Okay, maybe they can stop it." He shifted up slowly and the sounds moved away from the chair. She could have almost sworn she heard faint mechanical laughter. Pull it together, Teri.

"Great! Oh by the way," she sang without turning around, "Rook on A2 to E2. Checkmate."

She smiled at Ken's groans of frustration. She'd won for the 6th time that afternoon and hadn't been facing her opponent the whole time. A trick she liked to pull at national championships to freak out her challengers.

Teri felt hopeful. She felt so hopeful, she could almost ignore the tiny legs she'd been feeling. They'd be gone soon enough anyway once the fumigators came in.

***

It was a simple job. A two-story home, 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms and a small garden house, all in the nice side of town. Gozie figured he and Adam could finish with enough time to grab drinks before heading to the community centre for the big game. It truly was a big deal, the game was; a match between Germany and Nigeria was bound to draw in more money into betting pools. And of course, Gozie wanted to make sure he could get as much money in before it started. It was the only reason he agreed to come in at 2 pm and leave at 4 pm.

So why was he still waiting for Adam outside the house at 4:45? It shouldn't have taken him that long to pick up the equipment he left behind. And besides, Adam knew how much the games meant to him. Surely something had gone terribly wrong. But what?

Gozie's patience had worn thin by this point. He swung the front door open and called loudly for

"Adam, for God's sake, we need to go! The game will start soon!"

Gozie could only hear a bit of his echo as a response. He grumbled a few curses as he jogged through the airy hallway. He was going to make sure Adam paid for every wasted second. Whether in drinks, in cash or otherwise, Gozie wasn't so sure just yet. In his blind fury, he missed a step on the stairs and slid back onto his bottom.

That's when he saw it. A large spot of dark red on the ground. He didn't recall seeing any spots on the carpet while fumigating. In fact, the house was spotless, like as if a hypochondriac lived there. He touched the exposed parts of his skin. Perhaps he had scratched himself on his way down the stairs. But the idea of that was ridiculous. His suit didn't allow for any of his skin to be exposed. And last time he checked, insects didn't leave blood like that. There was a chance that stain could have always been there and he didn't notice while he was working, but a stain that large couldn't be avoided-

A heavy drip on the top of his head jarred him out of his thoughts and into the room again. He looked up at the source and bits of red splashed onto his goggles. It was viscous, dragging along the rims of the goggles and almost smelled like-

No, Gozie thought to himself in horror. It's not possible.

He sprang to his feet and ran up the stairs and prayed that something hadn't happened to Adam. He was in such a panic that he didn't notice the blood streaks smeared erratically on the white walls. A faint liquid noise could be heard from the top of the stairs. Gozie stepped slowly and followed the sound, steadying his breath as much as he could.

Nothing could have prepared him for the sight at the top of the stairs; a lake of blood had formed onto the tiled floor. It glistened in the evening light from the windows and had consumed the white tiles on the landing. And the source was from Adam's gaping maw and open gut. His jaw had been ripped

Before Gozie could properly process his grief, a great multitude of black cockroaches burst out from the open chasms of the deceased. They moved like a dark sentient fluid, and they poured rapidly towards him. He grabbed his piston from behind him and sprayed the poison against the current of black that wadded towards him. He knew how strong the poison was. The amount could put a giant of a man into a medical coma for at least a month, as per Mrs Ikechukwu's request. Yet the pests soldiered on with a vengeance. He backed away in panic. His ankle gave way to his clumsy attempt at escape and he rolled down to the bottom of the steps. He crawled towards the closed door as fast as he could. He almost made it when he felt himself being pulled by his sprained ankle. He was dragged back to the middle of the living room, pinned to the floor by the weight of the insects.

"Where izzz he? Where izzz the doctor?" Thousands of robotic voices came from the mass behind him, mechanical and grating with each syllable uttered.

"I don't know! They went to some hotel!" Gozie never thought he'd see the day where he'd talk to the creatures he was supposed to kill. Not even his worst acid trip, not even his worst nightmare could have prepared him for these bloodthirsty..things.

He felt the hairy legs turn sharp against his temples as they dug deep into his brain. He shouted in pain and pleaded for help as they mixed his brain around. He hoped someone would hear him and save him.

"Somebody help me!"

But no one came.

"The human doezzz not know hizz whereaboutss. The doctor will not esscape uss. And neither will you."

He thought of his friend, his dead cold eyes, his blood pooling around his body as the cockroaches dug into his skin. He wondered if Adam had cried out for him and he couldn't hear him. He thought of cold beer and betting pools as they began to strip away flesh and sinew. He thought of his grandfather at home, when the pain became unbearable. As his screams grew louder and louder, he thought of how he abandoned the old man who still needed someone to help him eat and bathe or else he'd die. And as the pain gave way to cold and then to numbness, thought of the man who he’d spent most of his life working with, how he’d never be with him again. And then he thought of nothing as it faded to black.

Germany was defeated by Nigeria 3 to nil that night. According to the Daily News, it was the match of the century, with incredible plays. It was indeed a pity that Gozie would never get the chance to witness that game, nor any other game, ever again.