The Pit in the Woods: A Mercy Falls Mythos

by Nathaniel Reed

  “It's all right,” Jeremy said, and squeezed. It was something he just said, but then realized he really was all right with it. He didn't know why, but he was.

  Staci was behind them, and for the first time she didn't feel the sting of jealousy. She smiled, because Jeremy deserved to be happy. He deserved to fall for someone who could reciprocate, and she wasn't that person.

  They walked into a room full of vampires. Most of them were sitting around, on the floor, on large rocks and boulders, playing cards, drinking blood from bottles like wine. Three were standing sentry at the entrance, guns pointed at them.

  “Drop your weapons,” one of them said.

  Blake grinned, “What makes you think I can't plow through all three of you before you even pull the trigger?”

  “Do you want to risk that Blake? The guns are pointed at your friends,” another said.

  Blake raised an eyebrow.

  “Yes, we all know who you are,” the vampire said. “Lucio can't

  wait to see you again, dead or alive.”

  Blake grunted. “Oh, I'll see him dead all right.”

  “So what's it gonna be?” the first vamp asked.

  “Boys and girls,” Blake said to the group. They knew what he meant, and they were with him. To the vampires he said, “See you in hell!” and fired.

  John and Tony shot off their guns, and being the first in the line of fire to either side of Blake, they were hit with the slugs from the vampires firing at them. Johnny was hit in the chest, twice. Tony was hit in the shoulder and side.

  The shots they fired hit two vampires in the head, and Blake's machine gun tore through all three of their bodies. Blake assured that they didn't get off any more shots. They dropped to the ground.

  Johnny took the hits and as a vampire recouped quickly. Tony staggered back, falling to his knees. Staci and Jeremy ran to him. The other vampires looked on in shock, and began to rise. Blake plowed through them where they sat.

  The ones on the rocks were easy pickins, but the ones on the ground were harder to get at. One of them had snuck around while he'd been firing and grabbed Blake's arms from behind. Staci and Jeremy, who were tending to Tony, didn't notice, but Eve and Johnny did. Blake wrestled with his captor but ultimately ended up dropping the machine gun. He freed one arm and elbowed the vampire in the head. Eve and Johnny grabbed the vampire, pulling it off of Blake. Myron, who otherwise felt useless now without his good hand thrust the sword forward into the vampire's gut as Eve and Johnny held him. They let it fall between them as Myron pulled the sword out.

  There were still eight vampires left skulking in the corners. They came forward now, attempting to take advantage while Blake was not in possession of his machine gun. But Johnny still had his revolver, and Staci still had her crossbow, and they both fired.

  Eve joined Jeremy to try and patch up Tony, which essentially meant to stop the bleeding. They tore apart Tony's own shirt and wound pieces of it tight over his shoulder, looping it under his armpit, and another around his waist, to cover his side wound.

  2

  "Not good, not good," Johnny said. He'd emptied his revolver into them, and he wouldn't be able to reload while they were still coming at him. Despite having shot several in the head and chest, he hadn't slowed them much. At least Staci had killed two of them with arrows.

  Jeremy rose from helping Tony and swung his whip, wrapping it around three vampire’s legs, tripping them up and causing them to go down in a heap of tangled limbs. The hooks caught in one of the vampires calves and Jeremy yanked them out, taking the entire muscle with them. The vampire did not get back up.

  Blake, Eve, and Johnny were quick. Testing their vampire skills, they ran at the three remaining vampires still standing. Johnny did a combination dive/fly move into the nearest vampire, grabbing it by the throat and slamming its head into the wall. He didn't demolish the vampire's head as he would have liked, but caused a crater-like wound in the back of its skull that made the vampire drop.

  Blake came in hard, one hand holding his stake, the other formed into a fist. His vampire saw him coming, crossing his arms to block its chest, but Blake faked him out, making it think he was going for the chest, and instead punched it in the face. His fist landed square on the creature's nose, making a sickening crunch as it broke. When the vampire raised its arms to its face that was when Blake plunged the stake into its heart.

  While Johnny grabbed Tony's machete to decapitate his fallen vampire, Eve was busy twisting the head off the remaining one. She'd charged in, grabbing its neck, and twisting its head, and now she was using both hands on the side of its head, squeezing and yanking at the same time. The vampire tried to pull away from her, hands grabbing at her sides, nearly crushing her ribcage, but she'd already gotten a firm grip on him, and had already broken its neck. Its resistance was weakening. Eve used all her strength and pulled upward. The vampire's head popped off like a grotesque party favor, tendrils of

  muscle and sinew clinging to its flopping body, and she threw the

  head aside, grunting.

  Johnny decapitated his vampire with the machete, and the three that Jeremy had tripped up with his whip, two of who were starting to get back up again when their heads were lopped off.

  3

  These vampires were dead, but the fight was far from over.

  "Tony, can you get up?" Jeremy said.

  Tony nodded. "Yeah, I think so. Help me up."

  Jeremy held out his hand, and Tony reached for it, pulling himself up with several Owws. Jeremy was reminded of a time when Tony had helped him up; when they'd first met and he'd fought the Dragons for the first time. Now Jeremy was finally returning the favor.

  Blake picked up his machine gun, and Johnny reloaded his revolver. Myron held his sword feebly, and Staci readied her crossbow. Johnny handed the machete back to Tony.

  "Thanks," Tony said. "Don't know how much use I'll get out of it."

  They raised their flashlights and Eve her lantern, and ventured into the next tunnel.

  4

  It was the summer of 1986. Tony was alone in the shed at the back of the house. His father knocked on the door.

  "Son?"

  Tony was busy putting together the pieces of a birdhouse he was making, and stopped. "Yeah Dad?"

  "Can I come in?"

  Tony unlatched the door. "What's up?"

  "Oh nothing," his father said, "Just stopped by to see what you're working on."

  "Just another birdhouse."

  "Just another...? Just another...? Tony, nothing that you build is just another anything." The other two were amazing."

  "Thanks." Tony observed him. "You look like you've got something on your mind Dad."

  "Nooooo.... well. It's just your mother. She wanted me to check up on you."

  "About what?"

  "Well, I know you've got your friends, and well, it's your senior year..."

  "Spit it out Dad."

  "Isn't there a girl? Someone you want to take to the senior prom?"

  Tony laughed. "I'm not interested in things like that."

  "What about that girl, the blonde? She's cute."

  "Staci? That's Jeremy's girlfriend."

  "Well, isn't there someone..."

  "Dad, you're not listening."

  "What, you don't like girls or something?"

  Tony looked at him seriously.

  His father's eyes grew narrow, and then his face flushed red. "Oh my God, you don't, do you?"

  "No," Tony said. "I don't like girls. I'm gay Dad."

  "Well," his father said nervously, "That's that then." He turned and then looked back at him. "Are you sure?"

  "Yes Dad," Tony laughed, "I'm sure. Are you disappointed?"

  "No, of course not. Just..."

  "Shocked?"

  "Well, yeah. Okay, I'm disappointed a little. I always wanted a grandson. But disappointed in you? Never."

  "Thanks."

  "You are who you are. You're still my son." His fa
ther hugged him.

  "That means a lot," Tony said, "Thanks for being understanding."

  "Okay, one more question."

  "Yes, I'm sure."

  His father grinned. "That wasn't what I was going to ask. Does your mother know?"

  "Nope."

  "Oh boy."

  5

  He wasn't sure when he'd fallen out, but he was sitting against the wall, in a state of delirium. Tony had been thinking of his father.

  "He's lost a lot of blood," he heard Blake say, and as Tony swam back to consciousness he heard Jeremy and Staci call to him.

  That was when the cavern they were in was raided. A large wave of vampires flooded the room, swarming over them like bees. Blake blasted through as many as he could, but was quickly outnumbered. Jeremy couldn't extend his whip far enough, so he fired his revolver at close range, along with Johnny. Staci couldn't back up enough to fire her crossbow, and had to stake them instead. Myron didn't have enough strength or dexterity to swing his sword with his left hand, so he thrust it forward, skewering as many vamps as he could. Eve used her fists and kicks as best she could.

  The vampires had the upper hand against them, and the group was pummeled, bitten, kicked, punched, scratched. Although they gave as good as they got there were just too many of them.

  Tony didn't stand a chance. They overtook his fallen body and ripped him apart. He was bitten in every exposed area, his jugular torn out, arms ripped off. They fed off him like a pack of starving wolves. His machete never left the ground.

  He thought of his father one last time, and then his mother, and his friends, before the light faded from his eyes and his vision blurred to black.

  6

  Whoever he couldn't shoot with his revolver, Jeremy stabbed with his stake. They were tearing at him, clawing. He was bitten once on the bicep. He managed to club that vamp with the butt of his gun, then shoot him in the face.

  Staci wrestled a few vials of holy water she'd pocketed from her backpack. She really wished she had held on to her gun, but it wasn't fair. Johnny hadn't had a weapon. She smashed the vials over three vampire's heads, sending them screaming and falling backward into the vampires behind them, giving her enough space to aim her crossbow and begin firing.

  Eve had no weapon at all, but had seemed to find her inner martial artist. She punched and kicked her way through them, but she was getting hit too, hard. Staci wasn't sure how long she'd keep it up. When she was done shooting arrows at the vampires closest to her, she began to pick off the ones rushing at Eve.

  As far as the vampire hunter, Blake, he found that his machine gun worked fairly well, even in close proximity, so long as he could maintain a hold on it. They tried to steal it away from him, but he blasted through their guts, or else pummeled them with the heavy barrels. Johnny was firing his revolver right next to him, until he ran out again and started brawling, hitting them with the butt of his gun, his elbows and his fists.

  Of all of them, despite missing one hand, Myron seemed to be fairing the best. In his desperation to keep them away from him, he thrust his sword through one after another without pause, plowing deep through their insides, pulling the sword out again, and skewering the next one. He was sweating, fearful, angry. Fueled by adrenaline he went through them almost as if he had a gun himself.

  Despite their accomplishments they were being beaten severely. It was an accident that saved them. Eve had dropped her lantern during the attack. Although it didn't break immediately in the melee, a vampire kicked it over, shattering the glass container. The

  lamp oil spilled out and the fire from the wick set it alight, quickly

  spreading. The vampire's leg and then body was quickly consumed, sending him spinning and shrieking into other vampires, who also caught fire.

  The group backed away from them, keeping their weapons raised, as they watched the fire spread among them. There was a wall of flame now separating them from the vampires. Fortunately for them, the vampires were on the side with no exit. There was no way around the fire, only through. They would all burn.

  That was when Jeremy saw Tony, his face spattered with blood, eyes open, neck torn out, and limbs torn off, his midsection a bloody mess of entrails.

  "Oh God! Tony!" he screamed. They didn't have time to get sick or sentimental. Blake knew they didn't have luxury. They would have to leave his body there to be consumed with the rest of them.

  "We have to go!" he yelled, pushing them out of the blazing cavern. They ran out into the corridor and uncertain fate.

  7

  Silence reigned as they ran, except for the sound of their feet, and their heavy breathing. They stopped, out of breath, beat up, bloodied and bruised, tired and out of sorts.

  "We're close," Blake said, "I can feel it." He looked at his watch. Two more hours, he thought.

  "I can feel it too," Eve said, "I can sense them close."

  "Poor Tony," Staci shook her head.

  Jeremy eyed Blake, "Two more hours until what?"

  "Nothing," Blake said.

  "Stop lying!" Jeremy screamed, "What are you not telling us?!"

  "Whoa Jeremy," Johnny said.

  "Why do you keep looking at your watch?" Jeremy asked.

  "Fine!" Blake said, "I'll tell you. In the event we didn't make it

  out, I rigged both entrances on my way down- the old sewer tunnel

  and the pit opening, with enough explosives to bring the whole place down around them. Dynamite, and C4 to seal the pit forever, and trap whoever's left inside permanently, if any of them survive."

  "You what?!!!" Jeremy shrieked, running at Blake and grabbing him by the collar. "You mean you've risked all our lives when we could have left any time, and let the situation take care of itself?!"

  "No," Blake said, "We had to make sure there weren't any human survivors left, and I had to find the vampire that turned Eve. Make sure he's dead and make sure we kill enough of them to ensure they don't come back."

  "And my sister is dead! My best friend is DEAD!" Jeremy punched him.

  Blake hardly felt it, but the fact Jeremy had struck him was what hurt the most. They pulled Jeremy off of Blake.

  "I suppose I deserved that," Blake said, "But if you were in my position, wouldn't you want to be sure? We couldn't have saved your sister either way, and this was the only way."

  Jeremy growled like a feral vampire. Even with the four of them grabbing him, he was tough to hold back. They didn't know his sister, but they all felt the loss of Tony; even Eve, who had only known them all a short time. They understood his anger.

  "Blake," Staci said, "How could you not tell us?"

  "Because then you wouldn't have gone on," he said.

  "Well, at least then we would have had a choice!" Jeremy shouted.

  Blake bowed his head. "I'm sorry for the loss of your sister, Jeremy, and for Tony."

  Myron held up his severed arm.

  "And for Myron's hand," Blake added. "But I've lost people too. My wife, my daughter. I know how it feels."

  "And knowing that," Jeremy spat through clenched teeth, "You sent us down here to finish your vendetta! We only came here because you were dying! We felt like we owed you, and the town, something. But that's not true. We did our part. We risked our lives before for you, and we were only kids! The truth is we never owed you anything! Not a damn thing!"

  Eve put a hand on his shoulder, "Jeremy, don't..."

  "You would defend him!" Jeremy said, turning to her. "He took you in, gave you free blood, free room and board. Blake was your sugar daddy!"

  She spun him around and slapped him. Jeremy looked at her stunned, red-faced.

  "You know that's not even fair," Eve said, "I understand your anger and your grief, but Blake has been like a father to me. He's done more for me than any other person has in my whole damn life! So HOW DARE YOU?!"

  Jeremy blubbered, "I'm sorry Eve. This isn't about you, I didn't mean to..."

  "No, IT'S NOT!" Eve shouted.

  "T
hat's enough Eve," Blake interrupted, "Let him have his say."

  Eve ignored him. "Be as angry as you want. I'm sorry for what you've lost, but don't ever doubt that this man loves you, or that he would lay his own life down for any one of you."

  They released Jeremy. Although the anger simmered beneath, he quietly reflected. He wasn't sure that he believed her words, but they sounded convincing.

  "Jeremy," Blake said, sorrowful.

  Jeremy turned away. "I don't want to hear from you right now." He walked out into the tunnels.

  "I think it wise you follow him," Blake said to the group, "I'll be behind you."

  Unwittingly it was Jeremy that was leading them now, once again. They followed him in silence.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  THE FINAL BATTLE

  (2014)

  1

  "How much time do we have left?" Eve whispered to Blake.

  "An hour and forty minutes," Blake said, consulting his watch.

  Of the group Johnny was the only one who could hear them. He turned to Blake. "Don't you think the time for secrets is over Blake? Especially if we're deciding to go on."

  "Yes, you're right of course," Blake nodded. "We have an hour and forty minutes left," he repeated so everyone could hear.

  Jeremy pushed forward. He didn't seem to be retreating. No one knew what he was thinking, but he wasn't heading back the way they'd come.

  "You said we were close Eve?" Jeremy asked, avoiding Blake.

  "Yes," Eve said.

  "Close to the last ones, the head honchos?"

  "Yes, and whoever they've got covering them," She replied.

  "Good. I'm going to rip apart every last one of them."

  He got no argument.

  2

  As they were walking, Myron sidled up alongside Jeremy.

  "I understand what you're feeling," Myron said.

  Jeremy knew he meant that in the most literal of terms. The anger and grief washed over Myron like a sickness, until he looked as distraught and determined as Jeremy.