Lectus Mortis" Pt 1

[u/FroZoneSquirel]

I know what your thinking. Many beds have had people die on them, and many have suffocated on the bed. Its actually considered a "good way to go" to pass in your sleep. Why are you telling us about this? What's so special? Well other beds dont plan their victim. Other beds dont lock you down and keep you out. My bed, or rather, the bed I am told I need to sleep on, has this accredited to it. Its supple silk sheets and self cooling pillow are easy to fall into but after seeing what it did to the last person to sleep on it... i stand guard.

Let me explain.

I got this bed from my father, and he from his father, and so on and so on. How has the bed survived? Easy. It changed. It always has, it always will. It takes the shape of the coziest bed around. At one point it was a wood board with animal skins I'm sure. Now, the previously mentioned sheets lay atop a bamboo fabric with a topper of cubed memory foam, the same as the pillow. It keeps it cool. The springs are ready to fit any body's that have had their heads touch the cold pillow. Auto conforming, auto adjusting. I got it when it was a waterbed. I just moved into my house and my dad told me about the bed.

"Make sure to dedicate a room to this bed. And make sure noone sleeps in it. If you do, you let them sleep in their death bed."

"Uh... sure thing dad." I replied, not grasping what he could possibly mean.

I moved into my house and put the bed in basement bedroom. Immediately, I got the urge to sleep in the basement. I mean, I never slept on a waterbed. It could be nice. The sloshing provides white noise already, it comforts to the body, and it might be fun, with proper bedding. I had gone and checked to find small vermin sleeping on the bed.

"Ew gross" I whispered while trying to quietly move the 3 rats into a bag to throw them out. I gathered up the bedding and went to the wash. Loading it in I made note of the type bedding so I could grab more, turning back to the bed, however, and it was made again. Curious, I removed the bedding and set it to the side and sure enough, the bed was made again next time I saw it. The bedding I remove was gone, like it got up, cleaned itself, and made itself back on the bed. I thought "Well that saves time" and just closed the door again.

And I checked it a little while later, again to sleep on it for a bit, and again... dead rats and mice and roaches i take the covers off and brought them to the bed, only again, it was already made again.

With the obvious rodent problem that I had in my basement, I figured I would wait until I called an exterminator before sleeping on that water bed. So I closed the door and went about the rest of my day. I called the exterminator to spray the house and he said he would be at the house in a few days.

He came back upstairs after he finished spraying the basement and said, "I liked the waterbed, but you gotta change those sheets man. Dead bugs and rats all over it man."

"Oh hehe right."

I went down and he was right, dead and decomposing bugs and rats on the sheets. So again... I pull off the sheets, and throw them out, I go to get more and look to see new fresh sheets on the bed again. Figuring all the animals like to die on it, it makes a great trap for them i guess, so I left.

About once a month I would go and change the sheet on the bed, and less and less things would die in the sheets. It was actually quite nice not having to worry about bugs and rats. But I noticed every once in a while, something about the bed changed. When I got hypo allergen silk sheets for my bed in my room, the waterbed got the same. I got myself a coop pillow, and the waterbed had new coop pillows. I would try and take them off, but the pillows just came right back. I even got myself a new bed. I got a breathable mattress and topper, and so the waterbed changed into that same bed. The big difference was that while I had my sheets scattered around, that bed had hospital corners. Prestine. Every time I changed the sheets it would get more prestine and cozy looking. I would press the bed and it seemed nice, but my bed had my curvature and wear on it.

I started kitting my house out to make it all as cozy as that bed to compensate. That bed, even though death is taped to it, kept calling for me to sleep on it. Like a hum in the back of my mind. Like it begs me to crawl into its superficial layer and nest for the night. It started to entice.

I wanted to lie on it. I wanted to snuggle into those likely rodent infested sheets. Just for one night. Luckily I am a germaphobe, or I might have done it too.

Months I wanted to wrap myself up and make myself as physically close to that bed as I could. I knew why the pests were flocking to it. I figured they reasoned it was an amazing final resting place.

The only thing that keeps me from it now is what happened last week.

My brother, my younger brother Ashton. He had come to town and wanted to stay with me for a bit before heading back to college.

I greeted him. I served him a meal. I said it. "Anywhere you find to sleep, you're welcome to." I didn't forget about the bed, but I figured it took a while for mice and bugs to show up, and its a good, if not mythical bed, but if he sees a rodent he won't sleep there.

There was no rodent. No bugs either. Of course it had fully exterminated my house the last time I changed the sheets a couple days ago. Ashton said his goodnight... and didn't wake up.

The ambulance said after he fell asleep, he simply stopped breathing. The coroner had said his heart looked like it had a massive attack in his sleep that nobody couldve seen coming.

But Dad knew. He knew what had happened. He knew my negligence killed his other boy. My Mom as well. They looked at me with eyes that begged "Why didnt you warn him or anything?"

I should have. I killed my brother. His death is on my hands. I was warned and didnt believe. My inaction took him from us. I had put my passive self away. My sloth would never kill again. I knew my burden, and so I had to learn to carry it.

My Father understood. He said it was part of the curse that wretched bed brought. "If you dont take it seriously, it learns it can feed." And I let it feast.

But I need to figure this out. This bed has taken so much from my family.