The Perdition Tales

Screams, Part One

Opening

The night was dark. The forest was still. Up above, a bright, red moon hovered. From the deepest parts of the woods, in the places that the moonlight touched, a mighty chorus of maddening screams echoed around. They came from the dark shapes that glided, touched but not illuminated by the moon; it was as if the red rays simply hit masses of solid darkness. Only the red eyes gleamed, scanning the forest or watching as their prey tried as hard as he could to outrun them.

Joe pushed tree branches aside and ignored the ones that he missed as they hit him roughly in the face and chest. The car! he thought to himself. If I can only make it to my car, I’ll be safe! And safe he would be, for there were blankets in his car, blankets that he could throw across the windows, blocking out the moonlight. The swamp was far behind him now. There was no way he would go back there. The creatures wouldn’t pursue him out on the waters, but more brutal things could, monsters without fears and taboos.

He ran faster and faster, the glowing red eyes gliding behind him. Their screams hurt his ears and threatened to drive him out of his mind. If he survived this night, those screams would haunt his dreams for years to come. Joe pushed a branch aside and flew into the air, hitting the ground seconds later and tumbling down the ravine that he hadn’t seen. He came to a halt at the bottom and breathed heavily for a second, struggling to remain silent. He was lucky to be alive. He could have broken his neck on that ravine. He stayed motionless, waiting, listening. The woods had grown silent.

Joe opened his eyes wide and looked around before standing up. There were shadows all around him, of course, but none had the piercing eyes of his pursuers. He took a few steps and calculated which way would lead back to his car. Wait, he thought. I don’t have any blankets in my car anymore. His car wouldn’t be safe. That left only the mansion. He would have to seek refuge in the northeast wing. Mane Manor was to the south and the northwest wing had suffered a terrible fire there a while back. It no longer had a ceiling, which meant that it would be fully exposed to the moonlight.

There was a loud squish as Joe’s foot fell down into a mud puddle. His sock was immediately soaked and he pulled his foot out. Suddenly, a new chorus of screams echoed from not far away. He could hear the sound of tree limbs being torn and broken as the creatures rushed toward the sound he’d made. A dark shape with two glowing eyes rushed toward Joe from up ahead. As quickly as he could, Joe pulled off his baseball cap, scooped up some of the wet mud and threw it directly at the eyes. The creature vanished, the darkness that comprised it turning back into normal shadows. But that only bought him a little bit of time. More creatures were approaching from behind.

Joe took off as fast as he could, sprinting through the trees. Moments later, he found the trail and ran along it toward the mansion. He would have to run through the horrors of the cemetery, but if he made it, he could barricade himself inside where-

Joe tripped on an uprooted tree root. He crashed to the ground and rolled onto his back. The root was wrapped around his ankle. It wasn’t a root. It was one of the creatures. With a thin, skeletal hand, it pulled him off the trail and back into the forest. The thing pulled him into a clearing, where a mass of dark shapes with red eyes surrounded him. The last thing Joe saw before his screams disappeared among those of the creatures was the bright, red gaze of the full harvest moon.

Part One: Arrival

It was a quiet afternoon when the bus took the exit off of 31 and pulled (figure out directions) into the parking lot outside the police station. The lot was empty at first, but the squealing tires as the bus grinded to a halt drew the attention of one of the deputies. He’d been waiting specifically for this arrival.

The engine stopped and, seconds later, the door opened. Rachel stepped outside and looked around. Squinting, she reached into her curly hair and pushed her over-sized sunglasses down over her eyes. It was a bright day. Behind her, Brian, Chris and Anne followed. Chris was an average-looking person, with brown hair and a long face. Brian was shorter and noticeably skinnier, with a round head supported by a thin neck. His hair stood straight up, spiked with gel that was beginning to shine in the heat of the sun. He wore sunglasses as well. Anne tripped as she stepped off the bus but caught herself. She was taller than Rachel, with blonde hair that was tied in pigtails. Her blue skirt almost glowed in the glare of the sun. The deputy stepped toward Anne and held out his hand. “Rachel?” he asked.

“Actually, that’d be me,” Rachel spoke, taking a step forward and shaking the deputy’s hand. “And I take it you’re Sheriff Hodgkins?”

“No, I am not Hodgkins,” the deputy responded. “I am Lymphoma.” He giggled slightly but stopped after realizing that no one joined him. “Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma? Never mind, it’s a dumb medical joke. I’m Deputy Russell.”

“You’re a deputy and you know medical jokes?” Chris asked.

“Only the one,” Russell responded. “Sheriff uses it all the time. Speaking of which, if you meet him, he’ll probably use it, so just pretend I didn’t.”

“Why isn’t he here?” Rachel asked. “I was expecting him to help.”

“I’m afraid he couldn’t make it,” Russell answered. “You’d be surprised at the things that happen in this town.”

“Like what?” Chris asked.

“We’ll get to that,” the deputy answered. “But first, let’s get your things.”

While they had been talking, the bus driver had been emptying their luggage from the stow-away compartment underneath the bus. He seemed to be in a hurry, for some things he merely tossed out onto the cement. He then scurried back onto the bus and sped away while Deputy Russell led the group to one of the police vehicles. He used the largest one the department had and was just able to fit their bags into the trunk. Finally, everyone piled in and he began driving them toward one of the hotels.

“Joe would have loved this car,” Rachel told Russell while on their way.

“Yep, it’s a recent acquisition,” Russell said. “The department decided to buy us this charger and keep the oldies in case anything happens to her. She is a beauty.” He drove in silence for a few seconds before continuing. “Anyway, Sheriff Hodgkins told me that you’re here looking for that guy that went missing a few days ago.”

“Yeah,” Rachel responded.

“So, were he and you-”

“Yeah,” Rachel answered. “We’ve been together for four years.”

“And the sheriff said that the last time you spoke to him was-”

“Two days ago,” Rachel finished. “He called me from his cell phone.”

“Did he…say…anything?” Russell asked.

“Not much,” Rachel said. “At least nothing useful. Just that he was camping out in the forest and how creepy it was at night.”

“Yeah, there’s a reason that forest is off-limits to campers these days,” Russell said. “Technically speaking, he would’ve been in a heap of trouble if we’d have known he was out there at night. The forest can be a dangerous place in the dark. Anyway, you will be staying at the same hotel that he was at. Or at least, the hotel he was checked into. But don’t think we’re sadistic or anything; it’s just the only hotel in town. We’ve talked to the owner for you and made sure that, uh, Joe’s room was left untouched. Who knows? Maybe you’ll be able to find something that we missed.”

They arrived at the hotel a few minutes later. Deputy Russell waited with them while they checked in and then acquired the key to Joe’s room. He helped the group carry their bags into the two rooms: one for Brian and Chris, another for Rachel and Anne. The rooms were small, with twin beds and a television, though Brian doubted there would be good reception, considering the town’s location. When they were all settled, the deputy led them to Joe’s room. It was a single, tiny with one bed, no TV and a small closet with some dirty clothes in it. Many random items were laying about as well, mostly notes and papers of no use or importance. Plugged into a wall outlet was Joe’s cell-phone charger and sitting beside its needled end were a few DVDs. Apparently, Joe had meant to come back.

“Hey, look at this,” Brian said from the bed-side table. He had opened the top drawer to find a printed article, an obituary. It was for a man named Warren Jacobs.

“Warren Jacobs,” Rachel muttered to herself. “That’s the person who called Joe.”

“What?” Chris asked.

“Joe came here because an old friend of his named Warren Jacobs called him,” Rachel explained. “Warren told him that they needed Joe’s advice in repairing a building, uh…Mane Mansion or something.”

“Mane Manor?” the deputy asked. “You’re saying he was called to fix something at Mane Manor?”

“That’s what Joe said,” Rachel finished.

“That’s not possible,” Brian explained. “Warren’s obituary is dated two months ago.”

“But Joe got the call only a week-and-a-half ago,” Rachel cried. “And he said it was from Warren Jacobs!”

“Maybe it was someone pretending to be him,” Chris suggested. “But if Joe knew - and he clearly did, considering the copy of the obituary - then why would he still go out to…”

“Mane Manor,” the deputy said.

“Yeah, Mane Manor,” Chris said.

“Look here.” Brian pointed to a note beside the obituary. Play along, it said, written in a red pen. “Maybe Joe knew something was up but he wanted to see where things were leading. Hey,” he said as he looked back into the desk. “There’s another article here. Hmm…it’s another one about Warren. It says that…his grave was broken into and his body was gone.”

“That sounds like grave desecration or grave robbers,” Chris said.

“Oh,” the deputy said, with a look of mysterious understanding. “So Jacobs was one of those.”

“One of who?” Rachel asked.

“I’m sorry,” the deputy said as he began to walk out of the room. “But that’s official police business.” He walked over to the door. “I’ll be outside. Let me know when you’d like the tour of the town.”

The four of them continued to look around for a few moments. Brian and Chris checked some of the drawers while the girls checked the closet and bathroom. While the girls were preoccupied, Chris found something beside the Bible in the bedside-table. It was a small box. Chris opened it, closed it really quick and called for Brian. “Should we show her?” Chris asked after Brian had looked at it.

“No,” Brian said, his eyes still wide. “If we find him, he should show it to her.”

“Joe?” Chris asked.

“Of course Joe,” Brian said. “But hold onto it for now. We’ll give it to Joe when we find him.”

“Did you find anything?” Rachel asked, as she and Anne walked up.

“Nope,” Chris answered, quickly sliding the box into his pocket. “Nada.”

When they walked outside and down the iron stairs, they found an older man, gruff with graying hair and a bit on the portly side, standing beside Deputy Russell. “Everyone, let me introduce you to Sage,” the deputy said. “He insisted on showing you around, if you don’t mind. He’s one of the few people in town willing to go near Mane Manor, and I assumed you’d like to go there.”

“Sage?” Chris asked, with a bit of a smirk on his face. The old man matched his name perfectly.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Sage said, as if he was reading Chris’ mind. “Some people build their name around their life. But I choose to build my life around my name.”

“Okay…” Brian said sarcastically. “Sure thing.”

“Don’t mind him,” the deputy said. “He’s a bit on the eccentric side.”

“Better to be eccentric than elliptical,” Sage said with a cackle.

“Oh, God,” Brian said, placing one hand over his eyes.

“Anyway,” the deputy began, ignoring the still-grinning old man. “I have things that I have to get back to, but don’t hesitate to give me a call if anything happens. Sage, we’re trusting you.” Sage gave a patriotic salute as Deputy Russell stepped into his car, started the engine and drove away.

“So, I have a feeling that you want to go on a camping trip,” Sage said to the four. “Like that other fellow a few days ago. Now, I’ll take you but you have to swear to me that you’ll do exactly as I say. Your life depends on it. And more importantly, do not tell the sheriff. Because he can put a real hurting on my business.”

A half hour later, they were driving through the woods along an old dirt road, with leaves and branches banging and scraping against the old windows of Sage’s car. It was an old car, but he assured them of its durability. “So is this the only road to Mane Manor?” Chris asked while they were on their way.

“The only road that anyone knows about,” Sage responded. “People feel a little more protected by that fact.”

“What do you mean?” Brian asked.

“Well, Mane Manor is kind of…” Sage trailed off, trying to think of how to put things delicately. “Well, let’s just say that Mane Manor is the scapegoat of this town, and for good reason. I mean, almost all of its owners - this town’s very founder being one of them - have always been a bit…”

“Eccentric?” Anne said quietly. She was shy around people she didn’t know.

“I’d go with dangerous,” Sage responded. “Too many of them have been burned as witches, or executed for terrible crimes. I’d say a good portion of the bodies in that personal cemetery up there were buried late at night by the mansion’s owner, if you catch my drift.”

“So who owns it now?” Brian asked.

“I dunno,” Sage said. “Last I heard, there was an investigator trying to track down the next of kin, but I don’t think he’s putting much effort into it. I don’t blame him, though. The most recent owner fled the house after burning down the northwest wing. No one’s seen him since. And the owner from before him died over in, uh, Mozambique, I think it was. And that’s an eerie story in itself, if you ask me.”

“What happened to him?” Brian asked. “Did he go crazy and start killing people?”

“Well, that’s a little blunt but no,” Sage responded. “You see, he was really interested in, uh, crypto zoology, I think it’s called.”

“The study of mythical creatures,” Brian explained, assuaging Anne’s confused look. “Creatures that haven’t been proven but are known in legend.”

“Yeah, that’s it,” Sage agreed. “Anyway, he was over in Mozambique, I think, looking for something and then he died. Some kind of flu is what I heard. His body was shipped back here for burial. But a buddy of mine knew a fellow on the plane, and the guy said that when he went to check the cargo, he found two bodies stuffed in the casket. But when the casket got here, there was only one, and the coffin had a real sick smell, like something had been feeding on rotten meat. A day later, when they were getting ready to bury it, they opened up the coffin and found it empty.”

“What happened to the bodies?” Brian asked.

“No one really knows,” Sage went on. “But after that was when the grave desecrations started happening.”

“Is that what Deputy Russell was talking about?” Chris asked. “He said it was ‘official police business’.”

“I wasn’t there when he said it, but that’s something he would say.”

“So what do you do around here, Sage?” Rachel asked.

“I’m in charge of the King’s End tourist industry,” Sage said. “That’s why I volunteered to show you around. No one knows this town like I do.”

“Do you get a lot of tourists?” Brian asked.

“Actually, we get next to none. But that’ll change as soon as I catch one of those monsters out in the swamp.”

“Monsters?” Anne asked nervously.

“Gators,” Sage explained carefully. “We get some real giants out there in the muck. Bigger, I’ll bet, than anything you’ve ever seen. Right now, I’m using the tourism budget to try and catch one of them. Then, we’ll draw a real crowd and my business will be better than ever. Who knows? Maybe those gators can save this little town. Well, we’re here.” Sage suddenly pulled out into a cemetery that stood before a massive house of gray stone.

“So this is Mane Manor?” Brian asked as he stepped out of the car. “It doesn’t seem very scary.”

“Some monsters look nice so as to draw in their prey,” Sage responded. “They may even look…inviting.”

“What part of the mansion was Joe supposed to fix?” Chris asked.

“I don’t know,” Rachel answered. “I don’t think he knew either. Sage, is it trespassing to go inside the mansion?”

“Well, the place belongs to somebody, even if we don’t know who that is,” Sage responded. “So probably. But, then again, so is camping out here. I’m not the law, remember. I’m only here to keep you alive.”

“Sure thing, chief,” Chris said, rolling his eyes. “The scariest thing I’ve seen-”

“Don’t go near that!” Sage suddenly yelled at Anne. She froze and then fell back a few steps. She had been investigating an old grave with a cracked headstone. However, before the headstone, all of the earth had been dug out, leaving only a demolished, empty coffin sitting in the bottom of the pit. There were shadows waiting silently around the coffin, leaving total darkness. But in the dark, Anne could almost see something…something moving…

“Don’t you listen, girl?” Sage said as he grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her back. “I said I’d bring you out here if you did exactly as I say! Stay away from the graves. They’re not safe.”

“Yeah,” Brian said. “If they’re like this one, then it looks like they could cave in at any moment. What is that, a sinkhole?”

“If it was a sinkhole, then the coffin would have fallen through the bottom,” Chris said. “Anyway, why don’t we start in the mansion. If we each take a wing, then-”

“Even if I let you start today,” Sage interrupted. “No one would go alone. I’m not even sure how we would fare if we all stayed together. But that doesn’t matter because we’re building camp right now. We can’t afford to be out here in the dark. Follow me.”

Sage led them all along one of the many paths, what he said the locals collectively called “Madison Trails.” Eventually, they came out in a large clearing. It was there that he finally let everyone drop the two large bags housing the tent and other equipment. He began setting up the tent with the help of the others and soon, the sky had turned a dark orange, signaling the end of the day. Sage seemed to grow nervous as the shadows became longer and longer. It eventually came to Brian’s attention that Sage had chosen a specific spot in the clearing, the area that would be the last to turn dark.

As everyone was beginning to settle in, unfurling the comfy-looking sleeping bags that Sage had provided, Sage retrieved a shovel and began digging a small trench around the tent. When Brian asked him what he was doing, he simply barked an order at him and Chris, sending them back to the car for an enormous jug of water that he had stored in his trunk. “Be quick about it!” he yelled at the two of them. “Be back before the moon rises or you’ll have killed us all!”

Brian and Chris returned fifteen minutes later, winded and exhausted from carrying the surprisingly heavy load between them. As soon as they got near the trench, Sage grabbed it away from them and began pouring the water into it, forming a thin mini-moat around the campsite. “What are you doing?!” Chris yelled. “We brought that all this way and you’re just pouring it out!?”

“Get in the tent now!” Sage yelled as he scrambled with the last of the water, filling the trench as best he could.

“But-” Brian began.

“Now!” Sage yelled. Brian nodded and he and Chris quickly walked to the tent and crawled inside after the girls. They left the flap open and seconds later, Sage came running and scrambled through the opening, zipping the flap closed behind them. “Time for bed,” he said as he slid into the sleeping bag by the tent opening. “Oh, by the way, if any of you have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night…hold it. Or use a water bottle. But no matter what you hear or think you hear, do not leave this tent, understood?”

“Why?” Brian asked. “What’s going on, Sage? What are you afraid of?”

“This is the second-to-last night of the harvest moon,” Sage said calmly. “I’ve been monitoring things carefully and after tomorrow night, it should be much safer. At least, if I’m correct…”

“If you’re correct?” Anne asked.

“Which I am,” Sage finished. “I have to be. There are only two more nights of the harvest moon. What it brings out should be gone after that.”

“And what exactly do you think the moon brings out?” Rachel asked.

“I’ll let you hear them before I tell you. You won’t believe me otherwise.”