The Birthmark
By
Keller Agre
“I didn’t know you had a birthmark,” Jenna said as she traced her middle finger up his thigh.
“What?” Cal said, jumping up from the bed.
Cal lifted his shorts and stared at the black splotch of hair halfway up his right leg. On either side, the smooth scar tissue shone.
“No, no, no, no,” he said, pacing the room.
“What’s wrong? It’s not that bad.”
Cal checked his leg again. Still there. He tried to wipe the mark off with his thumb as if it were an ink stain. Cal began chewing on his fingernails.
“I need you to leave,” Cal said. “I’m going to the hospital.”
“Cal, what’s going on? It’s just a birthmark.”
“It’s not just a birthmark. You don’t understand.”
Cal changed into jeans and a navy sweatshirt. He slid boots on and collected his wallet and keys from the wood bowl near the front door of his apartment.
“Jenna!” Cal nearly shouted.
“Give me a second!”
He could hear fabric rustling and Jenna’s quiet grunts as she struggled to fit her dress over her head. Cal tapped his foot and kept his hand on the door. The fuzzy feeling of necessity raged in his chest, and he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He reached for his leg. Even without seeing it, Cal placed his hand on the exact spot where his birthmark was. He’d learned as a kid exactly where it was and how to cover it without looking suspicious.
“Jenna!”
“If you don’t stop, I’m—”
He was out the door. The apartment could be left unlocked. The feeling of decay was in his stomach and the only way to alleviate it was to be moving toward his goal.
The nearest emergency room was only ten minutes away.
“I need to see a doctor right now,” Cal said to the clerk, leaning too close.
The clerk moved back in her chair as if Cal was diseased. She handed him papers to fill out.
Still standing, he rushed through the forms, scribbling the bare minimum. Under “Reason for Visit” he wrote, “Surgical removal.”
Even after the clerk assured Cal the next doctor would see him, he stood near the hallway that led back to the examination rooms.
Within ten minutes, he was in one of those rooms, again refusing to sit, and in front of a young doctor. The nurse who took his vitals seemed less than patient with Cal as it took multiple attempts to get an accurate blood pressure reading.
“Why are you here today, Mr. Haley?” the doctor asked.
Even the slowness of the doctor’s speech bothered Cal.
“There’s something on my leg I need you to remove,” Cal said as if it was one word. “It’s very serious.”
“Let’s take a look.” The doctor slipped on a mask and rubber gloves.
Cal unbuttoned his jeans. The spot had doubled in size since Jenna had found it. Cal could feel the mark rooting itself to his body.
“What is it?” The doctor leaned in for a closer look.
“It’s bad. I can’t have it on my body anymore.”
“That’s a birthmark. A large one, but nothing to be concerned about.”
“You have to cut it off,” Cal said, tightening his fist. “Please!”
“I can’t. You’ll have to go to your primary care doctor and go from there. They can probably schedule a cosmetic surgeon consultation.”
“Is there anything you can do?” Cal asked. “Can you take an X-ray of my leg?”
“Sure. If you really think something is wrong. I can send it to your doctor and that might speed up the removal process.”
“Yes. Do that.”
The X-ray had to be performed three times due to Cal’s inability to lie still. Each time the test had to be reset, he gritted his teeth harder, increasing the hum inside his head. Then, he agreed to a blood test. The nurse pricked his skin multiple times before finding a vein. After that, he was sent back to the exam room.
The skin on Cal’s right thumb was bleeding in between his teeth by the time the doctor came back in with his charts.
“I’m not sure how to explain this,” the doctor began. “There’re a couple dark spots on your femur.”
Cal bent over in pain. He grabbed his thigh and moaned. The feeling reminded him of long nights spent with dull growing aches.
“Can you operate?” Cal asked, strained.
“I want to take a CT, so we know what we’re dealing with.”
The scan did not go any smoother than the X-ray. Cal was fidgety, and the technician had to remind Cal every few minutes to stay still. The birthmark felt as if it were burrowing deeper into his leg.
When the scan was finished, Cal went back to the exam room and waited. He thrashed on the exam table in discomfort, tearing the paper underneath him. The taste of copper was on his tongue as he chewed his lips to bits.
The doctor came in, speechless and eyes wide.
“What’d it look like?” Cal asked.
The doctor opened his mouth, but no words came out.
“What’s wrong?”
“Well, let’s take a look together,” the doctor said.
The doctor pulled up scans on the room’s computer.
When the images appeared, a sound escaped Cal’s bleeding lips.
The black and white pictures showed dark tendrils that started from the birthmark and reached into Cal’s leg. They looked like tree roots that were spreading toward Cal’s heart. In a few hours, they had already made their way to Cal’s waist.
“I’ve never seen anything like this,” the doctor said, shaking his head.
“It’s bad, right? Can you remove it now?”
“I have no idea how I would do that. You’ll need to see a specialist. Your vitals and blood tests came back normal.”
“Goddammit!” Cal yelled, taking a fistful of the doctor’s robe. “Cut the fucking thing out of me!”
The doctor shook out of Cal’s grasp and called security.
“No!” he howled. “I don’t have time! We’re in danger!”
The guard grabbed Cal as he began going through the room’s drawers, searching for anything that would help free him of his spot.
Two minutes later, Cal was outside, the birthmark still attached. Still writhing up his leg. He limped to his car and drove home. On the drive back, Cal almost rear-ended an SUV after his right leg spasmed and prevented him from braking. He used his left leg the rest of the way to his apartment.
The door was locked. He fumbled with his keys and staggered inside.
“What happened?” Jenna said, getting up from the couch. “You look like shit.”
“Please go,” Cal said. “I need to be alone.”
“Not until you tell me what’s wrong. I want to help.”
Cal tried to maintain his composure. He knew if he appeared too much in pain, she’d stick around the entire night.
“If you really want to help,” Cal said, “then schedule an appointment with my doctor for tomorrow. Then, please do me a huge favor and run to the pharmacy. I need some painkillers. I have a nasty headache. And while you’re there, grab a first aid kid. Gauze. Sterilizing stuff. The biggest one they have.”
“Why do you need all that? You’re worrying me.”
“We have that camping trip coming up. Please? It would help so much. Take one thing off my to-do list. And I really need the painkillers.”
“All right,” Jenna said. “I’ll be right back.”
Jenna grabbed her coat and left the apartment. As soon as the door shut, Cal fell to the floor. The birthmark felt rooted to his pelvis. Any movement of the right leg was painful. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and called his dad.
“Hello?” Cal’s dad answered.
“It’s back!” Cal yelled into the phone.
“What’s back?”
“The birthmark!”
“Who is that?” Cal’s mom asked.
“It’s Calvin. He says the birthmark is back.”
“Oh,” Calvin’s mom said, “I’m glad it’s back. I always thought your little spot made you so unique. Should’ve never cut it off.”
“Dad!” Cal screamed.
“I’ll be on the next flight. Don’t do anything rash. And don’t listen to it!”
The call ended and Cal stayed on the floor. Inside, the birthmark wriggled and reached toward his stomach.
Jenna returned with the painkillers and first aid kit.
“Are you okay?” Jenna asked when she found Cal on the floor.
“I’m fine. Just needed to lie down. Did you make me an appointment?”
“Yes. They can see you the day after next.”
Cal yelled and put his hands on his stomach.
“You need to go to the hospital! I’ll take you.”
“You’re right,” Cal said.
Jenna helped Cal up and nearly carried him to the door. As they crossed the threshold, Cal shoved Jenna away and shut the door before locking it.
“Hey!” she yelled, banging her fist against the wood.
“Please, go, Jenna! You don’t understand! Get as far away from me as possible! For your own safety!”
Cal fell and crawled until he was halfway to the living room. The thing inside began spreading into his left leg. As it wrapped around his left femur, Cal passed out.
#
When Cal woke up, the apartment was silent. Cal wasn’t sure if Jenna had left or if she was sitting outside, waiting for him to open the door. According to the red clock on the stove, he’d been out for half an hour. The thing inside now covered his entire lower half. The birthmark squirmed just below the skin on his legs and felt as if it was about to sprout from the bottoms of his feet.
Maybe it would stay silent. Maybe he could outlast it until the next day.
There was no way. Only one option remained.
Cal lay on his back and scooted himself to the balcony door. Each push was excruciating. He was pleased with his decision to take the apartment on the sixth floor. Plenty high. Cal slid the door open and fell onto the concrete balcony. The sting as he hit his face was a splash compared to the tsunami wave of pain that was inside, now at his navel. He felt his birthmark reaching further, pushing his intestines aside as it made its way to his brain.
He grabbed the bars of the railing and hoisted himself into a standing position, but when he tried to reach a leg over, it refused to move. He no longer had control of them. Cal tried to pull himself over top of the railing with just his arms.
His legs involuntarily kicked Cal off and he fell back down. Then, his legs pushed, dragging Cal’s face against the floor, back into the apartment.
Cal gasped as it tightened around his lungs. He hit his fists against the vinyl flooring.
“Cal?” Jenna asked from behind the door. “What’s going on? Are you okay? Open the door!”
It was at his heart. The birthmark moved faster now that it had more control of his body. Cal tore off his clothes and bent his neck to see his body.
From the chest down, he was hairy, dark, and spotted.
Cal yelled at the sight, but his scream was cut off when it grasped his vocal cords. He clenched his jaw as the tendrils came up his throat. Then, all was silent and dark.
“Oh,” a voice said.
Cal wasn’t sure if the voice was inside his head or not.
The voice was deep and scratchy. It sucked in a breath, and Cal felt his lungs inflate and release at the same time.
“She’ll do,” the voice said. “For a start.”
Cal could not see or hear anything, but he could feel. The bottoms of his feet against the floor. Left, right, left, right. The cool metal of a knife handle. Left, right. The doorknob’s smooth curves. Impact. Wet.
Keller Agre is a horror writer originally from Overland Park, Kansas whose work has appeared in various publications including Undertaker Books and Haunted Words Press. He is a member of the Atlanta Writers Club as well as several book clubs in the Atlanta area. He also enjoys hiking the Appalachian Mountains with his Beagle, Banjo, and playing folk music on his guitar.
By
Keller Agre
“I didn’t know you had a birthmark,” Jenna said as she traced her middle finger up his thigh.
“What?” Cal said, jumping up from the bed.
Cal lifted his shorts and stared at the black splotch of hair halfway up his right leg. On either side, the smooth scar tissue shone.
“No, no, no, no,” he said, pacing the room.
“What’s wrong? It’s not that bad.”
Cal checked his leg again. Still there. He tried to wipe the mark off with his thumb as if it were an ink stain. Cal began chewing on his fingernails.
“I need you to leave,” Cal said. “I’m going to the hospital.”
“Cal, what’s going on? It’s just a birthmark.”
“It’s not just a birthmark. You don’t understand.”
Cal changed into jeans and a navy sweatshirt. He slid boots on and collected his wallet and keys from the wood bowl near the front door of his apartment.
“Jenna!” Cal nearly shouted.
“Give me a second!”
He could hear fabric rustling and Jenna’s quiet grunts as she struggled to fit her dress over her head. Cal tapped his foot and kept his hand on the door. The fuzzy feeling of necessity raged in his chest, and he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He reached for his leg. Even without seeing it, Cal placed his hand on the exact spot where his birthmark was. He’d learned as a kid exactly where it was and how to cover it without looking suspicious.
“Jenna!”
“If you don’t stop, I’m—”
He was out the door. The apartment could be left unlocked. The feeling of decay was in his stomach and the only way to alleviate it was to be moving toward his goal.
The nearest emergency room was only ten minutes away.
“I need to see a doctor right now,” Cal said to the clerk, leaning too close.
The clerk moved back in her chair as if Cal was diseased. She handed him papers to fill out.
Still standing, he rushed through the forms, scribbling the bare minimum. Under “Reason for Visit” he wrote, “Surgical removal.”
Even after the clerk assured Cal the next doctor would see him, he stood near the hallway that led back to the examination rooms.
Within ten minutes, he was in one of those rooms, again refusing to sit, and in front of a young doctor. The nurse who took his vitals seemed less than patient with Cal as it took multiple attempts to get an accurate blood pressure reading.
“Why are you here today, Mr. Haley?” the doctor asked.
Even the slowness of the doctor’s speech bothered Cal.
“There’s something on my leg I need you to remove,” Cal said as if it was one word. “It’s very serious.”
“Let’s take a look.” The doctor slipped on a mask and rubber gloves.
Cal unbuttoned his jeans. The spot had doubled in size since Jenna had found it. Cal could feel the mark rooting itself to his body.
“What is it?” The doctor leaned in for a closer look.
“It’s bad. I can’t have it on my body anymore.”
“That’s a birthmark. A large one, but nothing to be concerned about.”
“You have to cut it off,” Cal said, tightening his fist. “Please!”
“I can’t. You’ll have to go to your primary care doctor and go from there. They can probably schedule a cosmetic surgeon consultation.”
“Is there anything you can do?” Cal asked. “Can you take an X-ray of my leg?”
“Sure. If you really think something is wrong. I can send it to your doctor and that might speed up the removal process.”
“Yes. Do that.”
The X-ray had to be performed three times due to Cal’s inability to lie still. Each time the test had to be reset, he gritted his teeth harder, increasing the hum inside his head. Then, he agreed to a blood test. The nurse pricked his skin multiple times before finding a vein. After that, he was sent back to the exam room.
The skin on Cal’s right thumb was bleeding in between his teeth by the time the doctor came back in with his charts.
“I’m not sure how to explain this,” the doctor began. “There’re a couple dark spots on your femur.”
Cal bent over in pain. He grabbed his thigh and moaned. The feeling reminded him of long nights spent with dull growing aches.
“Can you operate?” Cal asked, strained.
“I want to take a CT, so we know what we’re dealing with.”
The scan did not go any smoother than the X-ray. Cal was fidgety, and the technician had to remind Cal every few minutes to stay still. The birthmark felt as if it were burrowing deeper into his leg.
When the scan was finished, Cal went back to the exam room and waited. He thrashed on the exam table in discomfort, tearing the paper underneath him. The taste of copper was on his tongue as he chewed his lips to bits.
The doctor came in, speechless and eyes wide.
“What’d it look like?” Cal asked.
The doctor opened his mouth, but no words came out.
“What’s wrong?”
“Well, let’s take a look together,” the doctor said.
The doctor pulled up scans on the room’s computer.
When the images appeared, a sound escaped Cal’s bleeding lips.
The black and white pictures showed dark tendrils that started from the birthmark and reached into Cal’s leg. They looked like tree roots that were spreading toward Cal’s heart. In a few hours, they had already made their way to Cal’s waist.
“I’ve never seen anything like this,” the doctor said, shaking his head.
“It’s bad, right? Can you remove it now?”
“I have no idea how I would do that. You’ll need to see a specialist. Your vitals and blood tests came back normal.”
“Goddammit!” Cal yelled, taking a fistful of the doctor’s robe. “Cut the fucking thing out of me!”
The doctor shook out of Cal’s grasp and called security.
“No!” he howled. “I don’t have time! We’re in danger!”
The guard grabbed Cal as he began going through the room’s drawers, searching for anything that would help free him of his spot.
Two minutes later, Cal was outside, the birthmark still attached. Still writhing up his leg. He limped to his car and drove home. On the drive back, Cal almost rear-ended an SUV after his right leg spasmed and prevented him from braking. He used his left leg the rest of the way to his apartment.
The door was locked. He fumbled with his keys and staggered inside.
“What happened?” Jenna said, getting up from the couch. “You look like shit.”
“Please go,” Cal said. “I need to be alone.”
“Not until you tell me what’s wrong. I want to help.”
Cal tried to maintain his composure. He knew if he appeared too much in pain, she’d stick around the entire night.
“If you really want to help,” Cal said, “then schedule an appointment with my doctor for tomorrow. Then, please do me a huge favor and run to the pharmacy. I need some painkillers. I have a nasty headache. And while you’re there, grab a first aid kid. Gauze. Sterilizing stuff. The biggest one they have.”
“Why do you need all that? You’re worrying me.”
“We have that camping trip coming up. Please? It would help so much. Take one thing off my to-do list. And I really need the painkillers.”
“All right,” Jenna said. “I’ll be right back.”
Jenna grabbed her coat and left the apartment. As soon as the door shut, Cal fell to the floor. The birthmark felt rooted to his pelvis. Any movement of the right leg was painful. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and called his dad.
“Hello?” Cal’s dad answered.
“It’s back!” Cal yelled into the phone.
“What’s back?”
“The birthmark!”
“Who is that?” Cal’s mom asked.
“It’s Calvin. He says the birthmark is back.”
“Oh,” Calvin’s mom said, “I’m glad it’s back. I always thought your little spot made you so unique. Should’ve never cut it off.”
“Dad!” Cal screamed.
“I’ll be on the next flight. Don’t do anything rash. And don’t listen to it!”
The call ended and Cal stayed on the floor. Inside, the birthmark wriggled and reached toward his stomach.
Jenna returned with the painkillers and first aid kit.
“Are you okay?” Jenna asked when she found Cal on the floor.
“I’m fine. Just needed to lie down. Did you make me an appointment?”
“Yes. They can see you the day after next.”
Cal yelled and put his hands on his stomach.
“You need to go to the hospital! I’ll take you.”
“You’re right,” Cal said.
Jenna helped Cal up and nearly carried him to the door. As they crossed the threshold, Cal shoved Jenna away and shut the door before locking it.
“Hey!” she yelled, banging her fist against the wood.
“Please, go, Jenna! You don’t understand! Get as far away from me as possible! For your own safety!”
Cal fell and crawled until he was halfway to the living room. The thing inside began spreading into his left leg. As it wrapped around his left femur, Cal passed out.
#
When Cal woke up, the apartment was silent. Cal wasn’t sure if Jenna had left or if she was sitting outside, waiting for him to open the door. According to the red clock on the stove, he’d been out for half an hour. The thing inside now covered his entire lower half. The birthmark squirmed just below the skin on his legs and felt as if it was about to sprout from the bottoms of his feet.
Maybe it would stay silent. Maybe he could outlast it until the next day.
There was no way. Only one option remained.
Cal lay on his back and scooted himself to the balcony door. Each push was excruciating. He was pleased with his decision to take the apartment on the sixth floor. Plenty high. Cal slid the door open and fell onto the concrete balcony. The sting as he hit his face was a splash compared to the tsunami wave of pain that was inside, now at his navel. He felt his birthmark reaching further, pushing his intestines aside as it made its way to his brain.
He grabbed the bars of the railing and hoisted himself into a standing position, but when he tried to reach a leg over, it refused to move. He no longer had control of them. Cal tried to pull himself over top of the railing with just his arms.
His legs involuntarily kicked Cal off and he fell back down. Then, his legs pushed, dragging Cal’s face against the floor, back into the apartment.
Cal gasped as it tightened around his lungs. He hit his fists against the vinyl flooring.
“Cal?” Jenna asked from behind the door. “What’s going on? Are you okay? Open the door!”
It was at his heart. The birthmark moved faster now that it had more control of his body. Cal tore off his clothes and bent his neck to see his body.
From the chest down, he was hairy, dark, and spotted.
Cal yelled at the sight, but his scream was cut off when it grasped his vocal cords. He clenched his jaw as the tendrils came up his throat. Then, all was silent and dark.
“Oh,” a voice said.
Cal wasn’t sure if the voice was inside his head or not.
The voice was deep and scratchy. It sucked in a breath, and Cal felt his lungs inflate and release at the same time.
“She’ll do,” the voice said. “For a start.”
Cal could not see or hear anything, but he could feel. The bottoms of his feet against the floor. Left, right, left, right. The cool metal of a knife handle. Left, right. The doorknob’s smooth curves. Impact. Wet.
Keller Agre is a horror writer originally from Overland Park, Kansas whose work has appeared in various publications including Undertaker Books and Haunted Words Press. He is a member of the Atlanta Writers Club as well as several book clubs in the Atlanta area. He also enjoys hiking the Appalachian Mountains with his Beagle, Banjo, and playing folk music on his guitar.
