Demented (Sinister Tales Book 1)

by Anna Gallegos

  Sam exited the bathroom and handed the key back to the man, and the three of them left without another word until they reached Kingly Road at 11:58 p.m.

  “We’re here,” Isabella said with an excited squeal. “High fives, anyone?” Sam high-fived her first then Carlos.

  “So what do we do?” Carlos inquired.

  “Hand me the camera, then give Sam the pen and paper.”

  Carlos reached into the bag, grabbing the pen and paper for Sam and the camera for Isabella. “Here.”

  Isabella turned the camera on, pointing it toward the road while saying, “Here we are at Kingly Road. We finally made it here on a full moon.” She made sure to show the moon on camera. “It’s one minute until midnight. Time to see if the legend is real or if it’s a hoax used to scare people out of coming here.”

  A minute passed and it was already midnight. “Nothing’s happening,” Carlos whined.

  “Give it time.” Isabella opened the car door.

  “Where are you going?”

  “Out. I want to get more shots of the road.” She hopped out of the car, and Sam followed. Carlos got out next, stretching out his legs and arms. He caught up with his friends as they made their way down the road, walking farther away from the car.

  “Hold the camera and point it at me. Make sure you get a good angle.” Isabella said as she handed the camera to Carlos. She slowly walked backward and talked as if she were a reporter. “Here I am on the actual Kingly Road at midnight. There’s a full moon high in the sky, but no signs of the axe man so far. I’m with my friends Carlos and Sam.” She stopped, taking a look around. “Where’s Sam?”

  Carlos turned around, expecting to see their friend, but he was nowhere in sight. The hair on his arms stood up and his muscles tensed while Isabella laughed. “What’s funny? Our friend is missing!” he yelled, handing the camera back to Isabella.

  “He’s playing a joke. This is what Sam does.” She pointed the camera at herself. “Our friend Sam is missing. While Carlos is probably pissing himself now with fear, I’m thinking Sam’s just messing with us.”

  Carlos stormed off angrily ahead of her, while she walked at a normal pace.

  Meanwhile, the camera captures a figure in the background slowly starting to make its way to Isabella without her knowledge.

  “Sam, where are you?” Carlos yelled from a distance.

  Clueless that someone is behind her, Isabella continued walking. “Maybe he got captured by the axe man,” she joked. “He could be chopped into pieces without us know—” The figure came up from behind her, forcing an axe down on her head. It hit the back of her head with ease. She fell to the ground with gurgling noises coming from her mouth. The camera shattered on the road, and her blood spilled on the asphalt.

  “Sam?” Carlos called out again, not knowing what happened behind him. “Come on, man! This isn’t funny.” Heavy footsteps came from behind him. “Are you actually going to help me find Sam, Isabella? Or are you going to continue to make fun of me?”

  The man walked closer with no response. Carlos turned around right as the axe came down on his face. The impact split his nose in half and left a big gaping wound on his forehead. Blood poured out of him, but he was still alive. Carlos attempted to crawl away when in the field beside the road, he saw his dead friend, Samuel. “Sam?” he whimpered, pushing himself toward his friend. Carlos didn’t see the axe man walk toward him, but he could hear him. He lifted the axe, sending it back down on his head before Carlos could reach Sam.

  The axe man looked down the road. When he saw no more people, he started to walk through the field, his feet stepping on the crunchy grass. As he passed through the field, his eyes remained on the woods. Through the darkness, he used the moon to guide him to his little cabin deep in the woods, which no one ever dared to enter.

  Once he entered the house, he sat down at his desk and started to write.

  Three more victims. I’ve turned this silly old urban legend into a real life horror for the curious ones. The adrenaline rush intensifies with each murder. I can’t wait for the next full moon. — The Axe Man.

  Late Night Pick-Up

  Be careful of who you trust. People aren’t who they make themselves out to be.

  Night was settling in. The trees became shadows in the darkness and silence consumed the streets. Darlene drove down the usual path on her way home from work, humming to the tune on the radio.

  Her eyelids seemed to droop more and more as time passed by, but she still kept her eyes focused on the road. No one seemed to be on the roads tonight except for her. It was a little odd, but also typical in a way.

  All but one of the light posts was turned on. She paid no mind to the situation, thinking it was just the electrical wiring that was bad. As Darlene got closer to the bright yellowish light, she saw someone crouched under it, hugging their knees to their chest. Darlene slowed down to get a closer look at the person, only to discover that it was a little girl. She had to be at least ten years old. The girl looked up and stared straight at Darlene, pain showing in her eyes.

  Darlene stopped the car in front of the girl, but she talk to her right away. All she did was look at her, trying to figure out the little girl. Why was she out here and why did she look so sad?

  After seconds, maybe minutes, of staring at each other, Darlene rolled down the window to engage the girl in conversation.

  “What are you doing out here?” Darlene asked the girl.

  The girl stared at Darlene, looking like she was debating whether to speak or stay silent.

  “I’m lost,” the girl said, making up her mind that it was okay to talk to Darlene.

  “Get in, I’ll take you home.” Darlene unlocked the door of her car and opened it for the girl whose name she did not know yet.

  Without any hesitation, she hopped into Darlene’s car. After a closer inspection of the girl, Darlene saw that she had burns all over her face and arms—burns that looked like she had been hurt in a fire or something of the sort. She tried not to stare, but it made her more interested to know more about the little girl.

  “What’s your name? Mine is Darlene.” The woman smiled sweetly at the girl, trying to get her to open up.

  The young girl stared straight ahead at the road, looking emotionless. “Emma.” She didn’t look at the girl as she said it, but Darlene could feel the girl watching her. Something was off about Emma. But she couldn’t put her finger on what it was.

  “Well, Emma, we’re gonna go to my house and eat real quick before I take you home. Okay?”

  Emma glanced at the woman just for a few seconds before looking back at the road. She nodded, not speaking a word for a while.

  The suffocating silence seemed to be too much for Darlene because she spoke again. “So…do you have any brothers or sisters?” It seemed to be a good question.

  “Not anymore,” Emma said in a monotone voice. The way she said it sent chills down Darlene’s spine, and she shifted uncomfortably. Kids don’t normally make her feel weird and in danger, but this one did.

  “What do you mean…?” Darlene swallowed the lump in her throat. Was Emma a psycho who might have killed her siblings? “Not anymore?” she finished her sentence, waiting for the girl to answer.

  Darlene drove faster, trying to get home as soon as possible. She didn’t know who Emma was or what she was capable of doing, and it worried her a little.

  In swift one motion, Emma turned her head in Darlene’s direction. “They died in a house fire,” she said indifferently, then directed her attention back outside like she was reminiscing on the good and bad times.

  “Oh, I’m sorry.” Darlene was speechless. Could Emma be the cause of the house fire? Only Emma would know. Darlene wasn’t so fond of the idea of asking the little girl how the fire started because she might not like the answer. “I’m sure they’re at peace in heaven.”

  “They’re in hell.” Darlene was shocked by her words. “They were mean to me and careless about what they di
d. It’s all their fault. They knew they weren’t supposed to mess with fire, but they were too stupid to care. They caused these marks on me and I hope they’re rotting in hell because of it.”

  “Oh.” It was all she could say.

  The sky became pitch black as they drove to Darlene’s house. The car they were in was still the only one on the road. Emma stayed silent, looking out the window at the houses and trees as they passed by them.

  Then out of the blue, she starts to sing. “I’ll always be here with you…” her voice was soft and beautiful yet eerie at the same time. She began to hum after singing those words. “Watching you closely…” The words seemed to go perfectly together. Darlene tried not to pay attention, but at the same time she was curious. “Even when you think I’m gone, I’ll always be here watching you…” After that last line, she stops and grows quiet once again.

  “

  "Did you make that up yourself?” Darlene asked as she pulled into her street.

  “Yep,” Emma answered. “Just made it up.” She smiled sweetly at Darlene and stared at her intently for a few seconds. Then, Emma looked away and fiddled with her fingers while she hummed the song she was singing just moments ago. The more she hummed it, the more evil it seemed to sound.

  Darlene let out a sigh when she saw her house in the distance. She decided it was best to stay quiet and not speak for the next few moments. Emma still continued with the stupid tune.

  When they pulled up in front of Darlene’s place, Emma stopped humming and stared at the house. She didn’t move a muscle and just observed the one-story home that sat yards away from the car. Trees loomed over the house, giving it a creepy appearance, but other than that, it looked quite decent and lavish.

  “Come on.” Darlene motioned for Emma to walk with her into the house, grabbing her things before getting out of the car.

  The little girl jumped out of the vehicle, closely behind Darlene. Once out of the car, Darlene was fishing around in her pockets for her keys when Emma instinctively grabbed onto her other hand.

  “Gotcha.” Darlene smiled as she held the silver keys up, allowing the moonlight to shine on them.

  They walked up to the front door and Darlene reached in to unlock it. The door creaked open, showing a teenage boy and girl in the living room watching some television. They looked over at Darlene and the little girl as they made their way into the house.

  A tall man, who appeared to be Darlene’s husband, walked into the living room with a huge smile on his face, mirroring the facial expression of the two people in the living room.

  “Dinner’s here!” the teenage girl said cheerfully, licking her lips.

  Emma looked at Darlene’s hand to see if she was carrying any food. She wasn’t.

  Sudden realization hit Emma like a bolt of lightning. She was their dinner! Before she could run or scream, Darlene tightened her grip on Emma's little wrists and wrapped a hand over her mouth..

  Everyone laughed menacingly at Emma’s failed attempted to escape. Darlene snapped the girl’s neck like it was the easiest thing in the world.

  Darlene’s husband and the teenage boy skinned the girl carefully, leaving some bits of flesh with the meat for anyone who wanted some. Meanwhile, the teenage girl and Darlene cooked the meat from Emma’s body, making sure to prepare it the way they were used to.

  “It’s done,” Darlene said, cheerfully. The hungry family sat around the table, waiting eagerly for the mother to toss the food onto their plates. They all attacked their food like hungry animals.

  “She tastes so much better than the last one,” the boy commented, licking his fingers.

  When they were done eating, Darlene took the bones down to the basement to place them with the remains of their past victims.

  Suddenly, a familiar humming noise echoed off the walls of the basement. It was the same tune the Emma was singing in the car when Darlene brought her home.

  “I’ll always be here with you,” the girl’s voice rung throughout the dark basement. “Watching you closely...” The voice became more menacing. “Even when you think I’m gone, I’ll always be here watching you.” The humming and singing stopped. The sound of a girl giggling filled Darlene’s ears. No matter how hard she tried to scream and run, she couldn't. "Darlene, don't leave." The voice of Emma sent chills down Darlene's spine. When she felt movement come back to her legs, she frantically ran up the basement stairs. Before she could reach the very top, she was dragged back down the basement.

  * * *

  “Mom?” The teenage girl came down the stairs, searching for her mother who had been down in the basement for thirty minutes. “Where are you?”

  Little Emma’s laugh bounced off the walls. The teenager ran up the stairs to get to the door, but it wouldn’t budge. “Where do you think you’re going?” Emma said in a demonic voice. Just like her mother, the teenage girl was suddenly dragged down the stairs by a strong, unseen force.

  One by one, they came down the stairs—only to be dragged down to the bottom and trapped in the basement as the house spontaneously caught fire. Huge flames enveloped the entire structure until it gave way and collapsed, instantly killing one of the family members while the rest slowly burned to death.

  Layla’s Gift

  Sometimes the past comes back for revenge.

  “What are you going to name her?” Rachel asked her daughter, Layla.

  Layla looked at her new doll, pondering on the question. She scanned the porcelain doll up and down. She twirled its brown curly hair around her finger and looked into its fake black eyes as she said, “I’m gonna name her Lacy.”

  “What…What made you pick that name?”

  Layla shrugged, caressing the doll’s cheek with her index finger. “It fits her.”

  Rachel didn’t respond, she just put the doll away and tucked her eight-year-old daughter into bed. After planting a quick peck on her little girl’s forehead, she proceeded to leave the room.

  “Mommy,” Layla called before her mother left the room.

  Rachel turned to see what her child wanted. “What is it, honey?” she spoke with a soft motherly voice.

  “Lacy doesn’t like you.” Layla frowned after saying those words, as if she was confused.

  “Oh” was all Rachel could say. She looked at the doll before walking out of the room and closing the door.

  While heading to her room, she could hear her daughter’s faint laughter. She would have gone back there and asked why she was laughing, but she didn’t want to step into that room for the rest of the night.

  Rachel tiptoed to her bedroom, trying not to wake her husband, Richard, but as she slipped into bed, she saw that he was still wide awake.

  “Does she like the gift?” he asked his wife, giving her a quick peck on the cheeks.

  “Yeah.” Rachel turned away from him, ready to go to sleep.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked, sensing the change in her demeanor.

  “Nothing.” Rachel replied vaguely, trying to push the subject away.

  “I know you, darlin’. Something’s wrong,” Richard said in a caring tone.

  “She named the doll Lacy,” Rachel blurted out, hoping to shut him up.

  After hearing that, Richard left the topic alone. He turned away from his wife, ready to catch some shuteye after the long day they had. They both found it hard to sleep, but as they let their minds rest, they quickly fell into deep slumber.

  A few moments later, Rachel was suddenly awakened by a thumping sound downstairs.

  “Richard.” She shook her husband awake. He made some grumbling noises in return. “I heard a noise downstairs.”

  “It’s probably just your imagination, Rach,” he spoke into his pillow.

  But the thumping noises didn’t stop. Richard quickly got out of bed, now on full alert. He grabbed a baseball bat on his way out of the bedroom, just in case he had to attack any intruders. How many people could there be? One? Five? The only way to be sure is to go downstairs and find
out. But he felt nervous about it. He desperately hoped the sound wasn’t coming from intruders. Maybe it's just rats or tree branches hitting the side of the house.

  Rachel sat in the room alone with the home phone in her hand. She dialed 911 after hearing the thumping noises a few more times, but didn’t press the call button just yet. She got up from the bed and walked to the door. Her hands shook as she grasped the metal doorknob. She felt an evil presence in her home, but she couldn’t bear the thought of her husband being on his own.

  Breathe in. Breathe out. She pulled the door open and was greeted by an eerie silence, one that made her heart pound and mind race. She didn’t have a weapon, so how was she going to protect herself?

  As she began to walk slowly across the hallway, she felt as if someone was behind her. She didn’t stop or turn around, she just kept moving forward. She thought ignoring the presence would help, but it didn’t. Rachel still felt something evil behind her, following closely… probably laughing at how vulnerable she was.

  When she reached the staircase, she turned around to find no one behind her. With a sigh of relief, she walked downstairs. “Richard?” she called out, hoping that he would respond and her nerves would be calmed.

  A few more thumps echoed throughout the house and her heart sank. She pressed the call button and held the phone against her ear. “911, what’s your emergency?” A woman’s voice spoke from the other side of the line.

  “I think there’s someone in my house,” she whispered back to the woman as she sobbed.

  “Okay ma’am, I’m going to trace your call. You need to stay on the phone with me. Can you do that?” Her voice sounded steady and professional, with no hint of weariness whatsoever.

  “Yes,” Rachel replied in a shaky voice, trying hard to keep herself calm.

  She walked into the living room, where it was dark and quiet. The only comfort she had was the 911 operator speaking to her. “Is there anyone else in the house?”