Terrance wasn’t blinking. His brother Jimmy took a step
back as his mother took a step forward. Is he even
breathing? He looks pale, like a…

“Ghost.â€? Terrance finished Jimmy’s thought.

Their mother stepped toward Terrance in a bleary eyed trance, overcome with relief that her son was finally home.
The bronze arms of the chandelier emitted a dim, twinkling light on the old wooden parquet under her feet.

“Mom, come back,â€? Jimmy said, then abrubtly felt a pulsating pain inside of his skull, followed by a squirming sensation as if a hatchling had broken free there and snaked through his head. Every pulse hurt more than the last. Something tunnelled through his mind. Feeding on his brain. Growing with each bite.
“Arrrh, Mom don’t. Moooom!â€? Jimmy fell into a shamble of excruciation, topped with a red face like a cherry finishes the sunday. Like breathless lungs finishes the life. Mom turned and watched a Cobra sliver out from the mouth of Jimmy’s dead body.
She realized he wasn’t her son any more.