SpOoKy ScArY sToRiEs
This Can't Be Happening*
Copyright: Virgil Thornton II 2018
Finally. Someone thinks I'm cool.
Who would've thought it would be the prettiest girl in the school. I was at lunch one day, sitting at a random table (again) and eating alone (again). Normal lunchroom stuff went on without me, just like everything else. Wow, what a dark thought! I keep thinking; my parents don’t spend time with me, my friends only like because I give them stuff, and my teachers can’t even remember my name halfway into the school year. Warm tears come to my eyes.
The three girls sit down together around me, surprising me.
One of the girls is Priscilla, my only true friend. She was forced to hang out with me when we were too young and started to actually like me last year. The second girl is someone I think I’ve seen somewhere in the hallway. She’s got brown hair and normal eyes, a very average looking girl. I think she’s two or three grades ahead… seventh grade maybe? I only say this because she’s always with the third girl at the table, whom everyone knows.
It’s Morgan, the tall, paper-white, blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty that everyone loves. She’s got the coolest parents, the most friends, the nicest heart, and the highest marks. An odd, kind look is in her bright eyes. I’m frozen… this can’t be happening! She’s almost like a superstar, is she actually sitting with me at lunch?!
“Abby, right?” she asked, and I’m surprised she knew my name.
I nod. She smiles and opens her milk. As she takes a swig, I look at Priscilla. She smiles, proud, seeming hopeful that I’ll make another true friend. I’ve never been so grateful in my life.
“I’ve got a strange question for you Abby. Are you brave?” Morgan asks with a challenging tone.
I hesitate. I mean, I guess. The dark doesn’t affect me, nor do scary stories or big animals. I shrug, curious.
“If Priscilla, Kassidy, and I sneak into the Cabin today, would you tag along?”
The Cabin? The Cabin?! But only adults and senior high students go there. Only crazy or stupid people go there. Only daredevils and delinquents and bad kids who smoke go there. People like me would never dream of going there. I would’ve never imagined Priscilla ever dreaming of going there. And Morgan… well I guess she’d be cool enough to handle it. This is terrifying... I should never go there. But I am kind of curious. And if Priscilla’s going and Morgan’s going… I should go.
Feeling bold, I nod.
“Really?! Priscilla was right; you are pretty cool!” Morgan comments, filling my heart with happiness.
For the first time in my life, I loved lunch. The school day flew by. Then, at the end of the day, it got even better. Morgan talked to her parents, they talked to mine, and they have no problem letting me go with Morgan to a “slumber party”. Her parents are cool and my parents wouldn’t care anyway. Morgan’s mom checks me out of school and the three of us get into her nice red car. We stop by my house to pick up clothes and my mom is there. She waves as I enter and waves as I leave. No hugs or kisses; normal for her. We then swing by Tim Horton’s and Morgan’s mom buys me three of my favorite donuts, then drops us off at a house that’s so far down the main road I didn’t know it was there. Morgan tells me it’s her grandmother’s house.
“Alright girls. I’ll come by at 22. Call me if you need anything!” her mom says as we get out of the car.
Morgan smiles and nods, then gets a kiss on the cheek from her mom. I notice. We head into the house, put our stuff down, realize her grandma is sleeping, and as soon as her mom leaves, we get ready to too. I hear the TV say there's an incoming blizzard and so does Morgan, so we pull on some coats and gloves before we leave.
We walk a few kilometers, and I pretty much follow Morgan because I don’t know where I am. This is can’t be happening; I can’t believe I’m hanging out with the most popular girl in school! We walk down a road until we find a turn and the right side drops off. When we come around the turn, we see a group of older boys in jackets huddled around some tall silver cans. Morgan and I stop in our tracks, scared that the boys are either bad and will hurt us or good and will tell on us. One of them notices us and my heart gets cold with fear. The boy points to us, the rest of his group sees us, then they all sprint away, hopping into a bad-looking blue car and driving away backwards. They left their silver barrels. Thinking they went to go tell someone, Morgan and I quickly climb down the small, rocky cliff to our right and into a patch of tall, soft grass.
It’s getting colder. We go through a short bit of forest, and then we find the Cabin, sitting dark and tall across the road. I shiver in true fear, almost certain that we’re doing the wrong thing. Morgan, however, seems upset. I ask her what’s wrong.
“Priscilla and Kassidy were supposed to meet us here. Where are they?”
I shrug and say that we should go inside. She looks worried for a bit (which makes me worried) but then snow begins to fall and she agrees with me. It’s not any warmer in the Cabin, but the wind is blocked. We talk and look around in the broken, nasty living room for a bit. This can’t be happening; I’m actually inside the Cabin! Morgan finds a nice journal in the kitchen and uses it. I learn a lot of cool stuff about Morgan, and as she learns more about me, she scribbles it down in the diary.
The snow storm gets worst, and fast. After a little while, the snow is falling hard and everything outside is covered. I say to Morgan that we should leave. After a little bit, she says,
“Let’s give them 10 more minutes. We had a lot of fun stuff planned.”
I don’t want to stay here in the Cabin, but Morgan is with me, so I deal with it. Bad idea. In 10 minutes, we try the door. Snowed shut. Morgan and I begin to panic.
It gets colder. We go upstairs for warmth. Then… then we find the Mask. It’s so colorful and red and pretty. We don’t call for help because they might do something to the mask.
We stay. Days begin to pass. There is no food.
It’s too cold. Upstairs does no good.
Morgan’s hair isn’t pretty anymore. Her eyes aren’t pretty anymore either.
She smells bad. We both smell bad. Our stomachs keep grumbling. We can’t get out.
Morgan writes in that journal too much. She wears the mask too much. There is too much snow outside. I’m too hungry.
Why are we still here? When will there be food?
I can’t die, can I?
I go to sleep like normal on Night 5, scared and starving. Morgan is no longer pretty. She is no longer nice. She no longer speaks. She no longer writes. She just looks at me. Morgan is scary now.
Pain wakes me up. Morgan hits me in the head with the brick. Again, and again. She’s too strong; I’m too weak. She cries. She won’t stop hitting me. So much pain. This can’t be happening.
Copyright: Virgil Thornton II 2018
Finally. Someone thinks I'm cool.
Who would've thought it would be the prettiest girl in the school. I was at lunch one day, sitting at a random table (again) and eating alone (again). Normal lunchroom stuff went on without me, just like everything else. Wow, what a dark thought! I keep thinking; my parents don’t spend time with me, my friends only like because I give them stuff, and my teachers can’t even remember my name halfway into the school year. Warm tears come to my eyes.
The three girls sit down together around me, surprising me.
One of the girls is Priscilla, my only true friend. She was forced to hang out with me when we were too young and started to actually like me last year. The second girl is someone I think I’ve seen somewhere in the hallway. She’s got brown hair and normal eyes, a very average looking girl. I think she’s two or three grades ahead… seventh grade maybe? I only say this because she’s always with the third girl at the table, whom everyone knows.
It’s Morgan, the tall, paper-white, blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty that everyone loves. She’s got the coolest parents, the most friends, the nicest heart, and the highest marks. An odd, kind look is in her bright eyes. I’m frozen… this can’t be happening! She’s almost like a superstar, is she actually sitting with me at lunch?!
“Abby, right?” she asked, and I’m surprised she knew my name.
I nod. She smiles and opens her milk. As she takes a swig, I look at Priscilla. She smiles, proud, seeming hopeful that I’ll make another true friend. I’ve never been so grateful in my life.
“I’ve got a strange question for you Abby. Are you brave?” Morgan asks with a challenging tone.
I hesitate. I mean, I guess. The dark doesn’t affect me, nor do scary stories or big animals. I shrug, curious.
“If Priscilla, Kassidy, and I sneak into the Cabin today, would you tag along?”
The Cabin? The Cabin?! But only adults and senior high students go there. Only crazy or stupid people go there. Only daredevils and delinquents and bad kids who smoke go there. People like me would never dream of going there. I would’ve never imagined Priscilla ever dreaming of going there. And Morgan… well I guess she’d be cool enough to handle it. This is terrifying... I should never go there. But I am kind of curious. And if Priscilla’s going and Morgan’s going… I should go.
Feeling bold, I nod.
“Really?! Priscilla was right; you are pretty cool!” Morgan comments, filling my heart with happiness.
For the first time in my life, I loved lunch. The school day flew by. Then, at the end of the day, it got even better. Morgan talked to her parents, they talked to mine, and they have no problem letting me go with Morgan to a “slumber party”. Her parents are cool and my parents wouldn’t care anyway. Morgan’s mom checks me out of school and the three of us get into her nice red car. We stop by my house to pick up clothes and my mom is there. She waves as I enter and waves as I leave. No hugs or kisses; normal for her. We then swing by Tim Horton’s and Morgan’s mom buys me three of my favorite donuts, then drops us off at a house that’s so far down the main road I didn’t know it was there. Morgan tells me it’s her grandmother’s house.
“Alright girls. I’ll come by at 22. Call me if you need anything!” her mom says as we get out of the car.
Morgan smiles and nods, then gets a kiss on the cheek from her mom. I notice. We head into the house, put our stuff down, realize her grandma is sleeping, and as soon as her mom leaves, we get ready to too. I hear the TV say there's an incoming blizzard and so does Morgan, so we pull on some coats and gloves before we leave.
We walk a few kilometers, and I pretty much follow Morgan because I don’t know where I am. This is can’t be happening; I can’t believe I’m hanging out with the most popular girl in school! We walk down a road until we find a turn and the right side drops off. When we come around the turn, we see a group of older boys in jackets huddled around some tall silver cans. Morgan and I stop in our tracks, scared that the boys are either bad and will hurt us or good and will tell on us. One of them notices us and my heart gets cold with fear. The boy points to us, the rest of his group sees us, then they all sprint away, hopping into a bad-looking blue car and driving away backwards. They left their silver barrels. Thinking they went to go tell someone, Morgan and I quickly climb down the small, rocky cliff to our right and into a patch of tall, soft grass.
It’s getting colder. We go through a short bit of forest, and then we find the Cabin, sitting dark and tall across the road. I shiver in true fear, almost certain that we’re doing the wrong thing. Morgan, however, seems upset. I ask her what’s wrong.
“Priscilla and Kassidy were supposed to meet us here. Where are they?”
I shrug and say that we should go inside. She looks worried for a bit (which makes me worried) but then snow begins to fall and she agrees with me. It’s not any warmer in the Cabin, but the wind is blocked. We talk and look around in the broken, nasty living room for a bit. This can’t be happening; I’m actually inside the Cabin! Morgan finds a nice journal in the kitchen and uses it. I learn a lot of cool stuff about Morgan, and as she learns more about me, she scribbles it down in the diary.
The snow storm gets worst, and fast. After a little while, the snow is falling hard and everything outside is covered. I say to Morgan that we should leave. After a little bit, she says,
“Let’s give them 10 more minutes. We had a lot of fun stuff planned.”
I don’t want to stay here in the Cabin, but Morgan is with me, so I deal with it. Bad idea. In 10 minutes, we try the door. Snowed shut. Morgan and I begin to panic.
It gets colder. We go upstairs for warmth. Then… then we find the Mask. It’s so colorful and red and pretty. We don’t call for help because they might do something to the mask.
We stay. Days begin to pass. There is no food.
It’s too cold. Upstairs does no good.
Morgan’s hair isn’t pretty anymore. Her eyes aren’t pretty anymore either.
She smells bad. We both smell bad. Our stomachs keep grumbling. We can’t get out.
Morgan writes in that journal too much. She wears the mask too much. There is too much snow outside. I’m too hungry.
Why are we still here? When will there be food?
I can’t die, can I?
I go to sleep like normal on Night 5, scared and starving. Morgan is no longer pretty. She is no longer nice. She no longer speaks. She no longer writes. She just looks at me. Morgan is scary now.
Pain wakes me up. Morgan hits me in the head with the brick. Again, and again. She’s too strong; I’m too weak. She cries. She won’t stop hitting me. So much pain. This can’t be happening.
The Visiting Girl
Copyright: Virgil Thornton II 2018
His heart flutters as she responds with "Sure! I'll be over in about 15"
Hurriedly, he runs about the house in a frenzy of cleanliness; straightening photos, tidying rooms, cleaning dishes, he doesn't stop until everything's spotless. On the fly, he decides to make a pitcher of lemonade, but as he's stirring, he begins to feel nervous about the night ahead.
Won't it be awkward? What if she gets a bit too close? What if he slips up and embarrasses himself? The loud, cheery DING DONG slices through the house, sending a jolt up his spine and a second pang of nervousness through his gut. He quickly shoves the lemonade into the fridge and rushes to the door. Inviting in his guest, he's hit with a third wave of anxiety.
The two settle on the couch and turn on the Wii. He loads up Netflix, then goes into the kitchen to fix a bowl of popcorn. He sits back down beside her and begins the movie. The brisk winter afternoon quickly fades into a chilly night. The movie has captured his interest; it's just scary enough to keep him intrigued but mild enough to not have him cowering. His female companion, however, is mortified, and quickly cuddles up to his side in fear. His heart rate increases and a guilty smirk plays across his face. Her body is as warm and soft as the mound of pillows to his right.
After a few more scenes, it seems she's almost faded into sleep. He glances to his left. She's still awake, her eyes casually glued to the screen. He sighs with both relief and disappointment. Then, realizing it was quite dark, he looks to his right to check the time.
To his confusion he sees her laying on him, eyes still trained on the screen.
What? He looks left. There she lays. He looks right. There she lays. In a jolt of panic, he blasts out of the couch and whirls around, trying to get a glimpse of them both at the same time.
Both of them are gone.
Before any proper emotions could resonate in the midst of his confusion, all the power in his house cuts to black with a loud noise. He's thrown into darkness for but an instant before his TV lights up his living room with a white glow. Under the eerie light of his television screen, he cautiously scans the dim room. A thump under his couch startles him. Someone... something is there. Piercing, reflective red eyes stare into his soul.
Then, she lunges out, her entire face a tangled mess of black, almost metallic gums and razor-sharp vertical teeth. Bulging red eyes protrude from either side of the open maw, making the monster's horrendous screech and terrible appearance all the more savage. She overcomes him and clamps her powerful jaws over his face, filling his vision with blood and white-hot pain.
He jolts upright from his slumber to the sound of a doorbell. He pats his face and realizes it's smooth; it was all just a dream. Quickly checking his phone, he sees a text that reads "Sure! I'll be over in about 15" on his phone... sent 15 minutes ago. He panics for a second, then laughs at how ridiculous he was being. Would she really turn into a demon and attack him? Seriously?
He walks through his living room, which, to his relief, is already tidy and goes to let in... wait, what's her name again? He shrugs it off and goes to open the door, then freezes. He can see her in the hallway just beyond the peephole waiting patiently, beaming excitedly with her wisteria eyes glinting and her blonde hair tied back in a ponytail.
He stumbles back from the door as he realizes he'd never seen this woman before in his life.
The eyes should be a defining feature, the only one with eyes that cool is... her. But he couldn't remember her name, or anything else about her, or how he knew her, nothing! He quickly whips out his phone and looks at the text conversation they had. It's simply "Hey, wanna come over and look at some scary movies?" "Sure! I'll be over in about 15" Nothing more. What was her contact saved under? Bae?! He'd never use such a cheesy word for anyone, ever! He looked under her contact info.
No number is saved.
His stomach fills with dread as he looks out the peephole once more to find her staring directly through it with a blank, almost aggravated expression, ringing the doorbell a second time. He backs away slowly and sits on the couch, fearful. He gets a call from her on his cell phone about 2 minutes later. Of course, he doesn't pick up. And that girl, she just keeps standing there, giving him a call or ringing his doorbell about every 30 minutes or so.
She stays there for 3 days straight before leaving; after that he never sees or hears from her again.
Copyright: Virgil Thornton II 2018
His heart flutters as she responds with "Sure! I'll be over in about 15"
Hurriedly, he runs about the house in a frenzy of cleanliness; straightening photos, tidying rooms, cleaning dishes, he doesn't stop until everything's spotless. On the fly, he decides to make a pitcher of lemonade, but as he's stirring, he begins to feel nervous about the night ahead.
Won't it be awkward? What if she gets a bit too close? What if he slips up and embarrasses himself? The loud, cheery DING DONG slices through the house, sending a jolt up his spine and a second pang of nervousness through his gut. He quickly shoves the lemonade into the fridge and rushes to the door. Inviting in his guest, he's hit with a third wave of anxiety.
The two settle on the couch and turn on the Wii. He loads up Netflix, then goes into the kitchen to fix a bowl of popcorn. He sits back down beside her and begins the movie. The brisk winter afternoon quickly fades into a chilly night. The movie has captured his interest; it's just scary enough to keep him intrigued but mild enough to not have him cowering. His female companion, however, is mortified, and quickly cuddles up to his side in fear. His heart rate increases and a guilty smirk plays across his face. Her body is as warm and soft as the mound of pillows to his right.
After a few more scenes, it seems she's almost faded into sleep. He glances to his left. She's still awake, her eyes casually glued to the screen. He sighs with both relief and disappointment. Then, realizing it was quite dark, he looks to his right to check the time.
To his confusion he sees her laying on him, eyes still trained on the screen.
What? He looks left. There she lays. He looks right. There she lays. In a jolt of panic, he blasts out of the couch and whirls around, trying to get a glimpse of them both at the same time.
Both of them are gone.
Before any proper emotions could resonate in the midst of his confusion, all the power in his house cuts to black with a loud noise. He's thrown into darkness for but an instant before his TV lights up his living room with a white glow. Under the eerie light of his television screen, he cautiously scans the dim room. A thump under his couch startles him. Someone... something is there. Piercing, reflective red eyes stare into his soul.
Then, she lunges out, her entire face a tangled mess of black, almost metallic gums and razor-sharp vertical teeth. Bulging red eyes protrude from either side of the open maw, making the monster's horrendous screech and terrible appearance all the more savage. She overcomes him and clamps her powerful jaws over his face, filling his vision with blood and white-hot pain.
He jolts upright from his slumber to the sound of a doorbell. He pats his face and realizes it's smooth; it was all just a dream. Quickly checking his phone, he sees a text that reads "Sure! I'll be over in about 15" on his phone... sent 15 minutes ago. He panics for a second, then laughs at how ridiculous he was being. Would she really turn into a demon and attack him? Seriously?
He walks through his living room, which, to his relief, is already tidy and goes to let in... wait, what's her name again? He shrugs it off and goes to open the door, then freezes. He can see her in the hallway just beyond the peephole waiting patiently, beaming excitedly with her wisteria eyes glinting and her blonde hair tied back in a ponytail.
He stumbles back from the door as he realizes he'd never seen this woman before in his life.
The eyes should be a defining feature, the only one with eyes that cool is... her. But he couldn't remember her name, or anything else about her, or how he knew her, nothing! He quickly whips out his phone and looks at the text conversation they had. It's simply "Hey, wanna come over and look at some scary movies?" "Sure! I'll be over in about 15" Nothing more. What was her contact saved under? Bae?! He'd never use such a cheesy word for anyone, ever! He looked under her contact info.
No number is saved.
His stomach fills with dread as he looks out the peephole once more to find her staring directly through it with a blank, almost aggravated expression, ringing the doorbell a second time. He backs away slowly and sits on the couch, fearful. He gets a call from her on his cell phone about 2 minutes later. Of course, he doesn't pick up. And that girl, she just keeps standing there, giving him a call or ringing his doorbell about every 30 minutes or so.
She stays there for 3 days straight before leaving; after that he never sees or hears from her again.
That One Corner
Copyright: Virgil Thornton II 2018
Night has fallen. Your eyes are heavy and sting softly from fatigue. You can't wait to get into bed. Your electronics are powered down. You're in your comfy pajamas. The cover is pulled back so you can slide in and fall asleep. In a swift motion, you cut off your lights and dive into your bed. At once, the soothing presence of darkness, warmth, and softness embrace you, calming your earlier hunger for it. As you shuffle into your most comfortable position, your eyes graze across something. Your mind is hit with slight nervousness, and you pull your covers up a little more. Shifting the other way to avoid looking at the thing, you fall asleep.
Night has fallen. You're nowhere near tired, but going to bed now is probably the best idea. You wouldn't want to be groggy tomorrow morning and not be able to perform your best during the day. Hesitantly, you shut off your electronics, trying to remember if there is anything left for you to do. Your room is enveloped in darkness. When you slide into bed, you take a glance at the clock. You lay there comfortably, your thoughts roaming through deep, strange, amorous, and slightly creepy subjects. You enjoy yourself and your thoughts in the still and silence, but when you look at the clock, an hour has passed. You decide it's really time to fall asleep, so you shift in the other direction and try to settle down. You pretend you didn't see it, but you know the mere glimpse will make falling asleep twice as hard. What is it that you saw?
Is someone there? You can feel their eyes glaring at you, warming the rest of the bed with their stare, but alas, that isn't possible, for no one but you are in your room. Is it something sinister, hiding? You don't know what it is or what it can do, but you know it's there and you don't want to see it. Most of all, you wouldn't dare get out of bed and inspect it. So what is this creepy tormenting thing?
That one corner on the far side of your room.
It's seemingly darker than the rest. It even carries a sort of strange shade during the day, but at night, however, it's much more menacing. You lay there in still darkness and heavy silence, praying whatever's in the corner doesn't come out.
Copyright: Virgil Thornton II 2018
Night has fallen. Your eyes are heavy and sting softly from fatigue. You can't wait to get into bed. Your electronics are powered down. You're in your comfy pajamas. The cover is pulled back so you can slide in and fall asleep. In a swift motion, you cut off your lights and dive into your bed. At once, the soothing presence of darkness, warmth, and softness embrace you, calming your earlier hunger for it. As you shuffle into your most comfortable position, your eyes graze across something. Your mind is hit with slight nervousness, and you pull your covers up a little more. Shifting the other way to avoid looking at the thing, you fall asleep.
Night has fallen. You're nowhere near tired, but going to bed now is probably the best idea. You wouldn't want to be groggy tomorrow morning and not be able to perform your best during the day. Hesitantly, you shut off your electronics, trying to remember if there is anything left for you to do. Your room is enveloped in darkness. When you slide into bed, you take a glance at the clock. You lay there comfortably, your thoughts roaming through deep, strange, amorous, and slightly creepy subjects. You enjoy yourself and your thoughts in the still and silence, but when you look at the clock, an hour has passed. You decide it's really time to fall asleep, so you shift in the other direction and try to settle down. You pretend you didn't see it, but you know the mere glimpse will make falling asleep twice as hard. What is it that you saw?
Is someone there? You can feel their eyes glaring at you, warming the rest of the bed with their stare, but alas, that isn't possible, for no one but you are in your room. Is it something sinister, hiding? You don't know what it is or what it can do, but you know it's there and you don't want to see it. Most of all, you wouldn't dare get out of bed and inspect it. So what is this creepy tormenting thing?
That one corner on the far side of your room.
It's seemingly darker than the rest. It even carries a sort of strange shade during the day, but at night, however, it's much more menacing. You lay there in still darkness and heavy silence, praying whatever's in the corner doesn't come out.
*may be something important to the Blades of Trinity series