Dark Realms

by Kristen Middleton

  “We were all scared,” said the older woman, shaking her head.

  “What happened next?” I asked.

  Amy wiped a couple of tears from her cheek. “Um, I think she tried crawling back towards the ladder, but never made it.”

  “I take it you guys were too scared to do much?” I asked bluntly. “I mean, I’m sure I’d have been scared to death myself.”

  “Well, I was going to try and help,” said Tara. “But then I saw all of the blood.”

  I shivered. “Blood?”

  Amy pointed towards the top of the ladder. “Yeah, if you stand back far enough and get on your tippy-toes, you can kind of see Gloria’s shoulder. There’s blood there. Lots of it.”

  I stepped back and looked. Sure enough, someone’s hand appeared to be reaching for the edge, as if she’d been crawling away from something. I couldn’t really see her shoulder, however.

  “Did you ever see what attacked her?” I asked.

  “Nope,” replied Amy. “Thank God.”

  I squinted, trying to see the woman above better, but it was hard since it was still dark outside, and there were only a couple of lit lanterns in the barn. “Do you think it’s still up there?”

  “I don’t know and I’m not about to look,” said Amy. “Whatever was up there hasn’t made any noise for the last few hours.”

  “I think it might be sleeping,” said the woman with the bruise. “We’ve got to find a way out before it wakes up again.”

  Just then, the barn door was opened.

  Tara jumped up and we all moved closer together.

  Chapter Three

  “Ladies,” smiled the man who’d assaulted me earlier. “We have a new addition to your group.”

  Standing next to him was another guy with long blond hair, which was pulled into a ponytail, and pale skin. In his burly arms he carried a sleeping girl with short, spiky pink hair. He moved forward and set her down on the floor of the barn.

  “Excuse me, guys,” said Tara, folding her arms under her chest. “I have to ask –

  what in the hell are we doing here?”

  The blond guy smiled a big, toothy grin. “Oh, you’ll find out soon enough. For now, relax and get some rest. You’re going to need it tonight.”

  Her dark eyes narrowed. “Is this some kind of freaky sex thing that you’re into? ‘Cause there’s no way in hell I’m going to let anyone put their hands on me. Not without a fight, you know what I’m saying?”

  The dark-haired man threw his head back and laughed. “Sex? No. You’d never survive that, I assure you.”

  “Please let us go, Martin,” begged the woman with the bruise. “We won’t tell anyone. I swear. Just let us go.”

  Martin, my abductor, smiled brightly and I was stunned of how white his teeth were. “Anna, don’t worry, dear, we’ll let you out of here soon enough. By the way, are any of you ladies hungry?”

  None of us answered.

  “Well, if you’re not now, you will be later and you’ll definitely need your strength. We’ll be back for you later,” said Martin. He motioned to the other man. “Come on, Brandon, it’s almost dawn.”

  “Wait,” said Amy, taking a step towards them. “Gloria… um, something killed her. Something in the loft.”

  Brandon smiled coldly. “She should have stayed below. I advise all of you to stay away from the loft.”

  “Why, what’s up there?” I asked.

  “You really don’t want to know,” said Martin, his eyes twinkling. “But rest assured, it won’t harm you unless you venture up there.”

  “This is insane!” hollered Anna, raising her hands in exasperation. “Why are you doing this to us? Our families must be worried sick.”

  Martin sneered. “Really? You think your husband, the one who gave you a black eye, is worried about where you are at the moment? Or Tara, do you really think anyone is missing you? Face it, nobody even knows you’re missing, and if they do, they’re not going to be searching for you in the next couple of days.”

  “My parents will be worried,” I protested, wondering how he knew so much about our personal lives. “They’re definitely going to know that something is very wrong.”

  “Well, maybe your ‘boyfriend’ can tell them you’ve been kidnapped. Hmm?” said Martin.

  I glared at him. “What in the heck is wrong with you? Don’t you realize what you’re doing is illegal? You’re going to go to jail unless you let us go!”

  Brandon chuckled. “The little one amuses me. That’s the one who almost got the best of you?” he asked.

  “She fights dirty,” replied Martin.

  “I fight dirty?” I snapped, clenching my jaw. “You’re the one who kidnapped all of us. You can’t get much dirtier than that.”

  He grinned. “You have a point.”

  I stared at him incredulously. “You act like this is some kind of game. A woman has died and you are acting like it’s no big deal. You’ve got some serious issues.”

  The smile fell from his face. “Behave and we’ll let you out of the barn tonight. You can leave here and never look back. If you try and escape beforehand, however, you’ll fail,” his eyes narrowed, “and die quite painfully.”

  His words made my stomach clench tightly. As insane as it sounded, death was obviously within reason with these guys.

  “If you promise to let us go,” said Anna, “I’ll cooperate. As long as I know that thing upstairs is restrained somehow.”

  “You’re safe down here,” replied Martin, looking up towards the loft. “That’s all you have to remember.”

  Tara snorted. “And we should trust you?”

  “Whether you do or not is completely up to you. I don’t think you have much choice though, do you?” stated Martin.

  She clenched her jaw and looked away.

  “Remember, obey us and you’ll be free to leave the barn later,” said Brandon, walking towards the door.

  “What about Gloria’s body?” asked Anna.

  Martin and Brandon looked at each other.

  “We’ll take care of it,” said Martin. “Later.”

  “Now would be better,” said Tara.

  “I’m sure it would,” said Brandon, laughing.

  I watched as the two men left and locked us inside once again, wondering if we should have tried making a run for it or tried rushing them as a team.

  “This is crazy,” said Amy. “I just don’t get it. Why would they keep us in here just to let us go without expecting something?”

  “Oh, they expect something,” said Anna, her forehead wrinkling. “We just don’t know what it is yet.”

  “Okay, is it me, or are those two of the whitest people on this planet,” said Tara. “I don’t want to sound racist or anything, but they’re so damn white, they glow.”

  “It is kind of creepy,” said Amy. “My skin has always been pale but they make me appear tan. Maybe they’re sick?”

  I walked over to the girl with the pink hair and knelt down beside her. She was looking pretty pale herself and I wondered if she was even alive. “Maybe they’re albino,” I said, reaching out to touch her forehead.

  Her eyes popped open and she backed away in terror.

  “Wait,” I said, smiling reassuringly. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

  “Where am I?” she asked, her eyes darting around.

  “You’ve been kidnapped,” I replied. “Just like us.”

  “Kidnapped?” she squeaked. “I’ve been kidnapped?”

  I nodded. “Unfortunately. Do you remember anything?”

  “Um, yeah… I… Oh, God,” her green eyes filled with tears. “I was at this club with my boyfriend, Danny, and we got into this major fight. I left him at the club and started walking home when this man approached me from out of nowhere… and that’s all I really remember.”

  “He brought you here,” I said, standing up. “He brought all of us here.”

  She looked around at all of us. “But, why?”

  “T
hat is the question,” I replied.

  Chapter Four

  We took turns sleeping and guarding each other. When the sun rose, the barn started getting warmer and within a couple of hours, the scent of Gloria’s dead body was so pungent, my stomach began to roll.

  “Poor Gloria,” said Anna, shaking her head sadly. “She must have been so terrified.”

  Tara stood and walked to the barn door. She grabbed the handle and tried pulling at it. “Poor Gloria? Poor us… she’s dead and we’re still trapped in here. With it.”

  I glanced up towards the loft uneasily, wondering if it was awake.

  Clenching her jaw, Tara smacked the wood with the palm of her hand several times. “Dammit, I just can’t take it anymore!” she growled, turning back towards us. “I mean, really, we shouldn’t just sit around here and do nothing! Make it easy for them? You know they’re not going to just let us go.”

  “Exactly,” I agreed. “Why would they go through all of this trouble?”

  “Maybe they’ve sent ransom letters to our families,” said Amy.

  “Is your family rich?” I asked.

  She shook her head.

  “Well, either is mine. I doubt this is for money,” I replied.

  “My mama is so broke, she can’t even afford to pay rent next month,” muttered Tara. “If these guys are doing it for money, they’d better change careers ‘cause they don’t know what they’re doing.”

  Marie, the girl with the pink hair, moved next to Tara. “Not to change the subject, but have you guys tried throwing all of your weight against it at once?”

  “Yes, several times last night,” said Anna.

  I walked over to the barn door. “Let’s at least try again. It’s better than doing nothing.”

  “That’s what I’ve been saying,” said Tara. “We have to keep trying and not just give up.”

  Marie, Tara, and I tried pushing and even kicking at the door several times, but just like Anna had said, the door appeared to be impenetrable.

  Marie turned around and stared up by the loft. “Hey, there’s an open window up there.” She started walking towards the ladder.

  “No!” I yelled, grabbing her arm. “There’s something up there. It’s too dangerous.”

  Marie looked at me like I was nuts. “What are you talking about?”

  “Haven’t you been paying attention?” asked Tara incredulously. “There’s a dead body up there. Why do you think it smells so bad in here? Nobody living can produce that kind of stench.”

  “A dead body?” she asked, backing up. She stood up on her tiptoes. “Where? I don’t see anything.”

  I backed up too and noticed in shock that the body had indeed disappeared.

  “Seriously. Did anyone notice that Gloria’s body was missing?” asked Tara.

  Nobody answered.

  “Dead body or not, I need to get out of this place,” said Marie, pacing. “My dad’s going to ground me for a month if he notices that I never made it home last night.”

  “Marie, if you make it out of here, you’re going to embrace being grounded,” said Anna, smiling grimly. “And I’m sure your dad will understand when he finds out that you were kidnapped.”

  “I doubt it. He’s always yelling and screaming at me,” she muttered, kicking at some dirt with her high-tops. “Hell, he’ll probably tell me that I deserved it since I was out last night and should have been home doing homework.”

  “Nobody deserves this,” I said, trying to see if I could catch a glimpse of Gloria’s body above. The sun was shining down into the cracks of the barn and it no longer seemed as ominous. I wondered if the thing had left.

  “Still, I’ve got to get out of here. Has anyone seen a pitchfork lying around? The barns in the movies all have pitchforks lying around somewhere.”

  “Jesus, girl, this isn’t a damn movie,” huffed Tara, leaning back against the barn door. She folded her arms under her chest. “Obviously, they didn’t leave us with anything we could use against them.”

  Marie bit her lower lip and began moving towards the ladder once more. “Still, we have to try the loft window. It’s our only chance of escaping.”

  “Don’t, Marie. There’s some kind of animal up there. It killed Gloria,” said Amy, her eyes wide. “If you go up there, you’re going to get hurt.”

  Marie began climbing the ladder. “Seriously, though, I don’t see or hear anything. Whatever was up there is long gone.”

  I grabbed her ankle. “Please, listen to us. Even our kidnappers told us not to go up there.”

  She tilted her head. “Well, duh… that’s because they don’t want any of us to escape,” she said, looking down at me. “Just chill out, you guys. I’ll be fine. I’m really good with animals, anyway. My Uncle Tom used to raise dogs that were interbred with wolves.” She smiled. “He called me the dog whisperer.”

  “I don’t think there’s a dog up there. Now, just come back down here before you get hurt,” I pleaded.

  Before she could answer, there was a noise outside of the barn door and then two men wearing overalls and holding shotguns entered.

  “What the hell you doing, girl?” asked the older man with a scowl on his face. He was short, with long stringy white hair and neglected brownish-yellow teeth. He spit out a wad of chew. “Didn’t they warn ya to stay away from the loft?”

  Marie jumped off the ladder. “Uh, sorry.”

  The younger man had a receding hairline and appeared to be in his forties with gaunt cheeks and red-rimmed eyes. He looked like he either had a bad hangover or was sickly. “Come on now,” he muttered in a gruff voice. “You’re all supposed to follow us into the house.”

  “Why?” asked Tara, glaring at the men.

  “You want to eat, don’t ’cha?” he snapped impatiently. “Now don’t ask questions and do what you’re told. We ain’t going to hurt you unless you give us a reason to. Got it?”

  “Okay,” said Anna. “We’ll do what you want. Please, just don’t shoot anyone.”

  “Listen,” said Marie. “I really have to get home. My dad is gonna freak out when he realizes I’m not there.”

  The older man raised his gun. “Our orders are to feed you and nothing else.”

  “Those men kidnapped us and broke the law,” I said. “You have to help us.”

  “Save your breath, missy,” said the older man, his eyes hardening. “We ain’t lettin’ you go. Shit, if we did, our lives would be in danger. Now, get your butts moving so we can feed you, like they told us to.”

  The fact that he was actually scared of the other two men wasn’t lost on me. “Take us to the nearest police station and we’ll all be safe.”

  “We’re safe,” interrupted the younger man, scowling. “If you don’t start moving your butts, you won’t be. Now, git.”

  Frustrated but relieved that we were leaving the barn, I followed the others, wondering if anyone was thinking about making a run for it. When we stepped outside into the fresh air, however, my heart sunk – we were in the middle of nowhere, just like on one of those freaky horror movies where there is nothing but land and a spooky old farmhouse, which we were now being herded towards.

  “Don’t any of you try any funny stuff,” the younger man warned, walking behind me. “I’ll shoot any one of your asses from here to the cornfield.”

  Feeling anxious and tense, I followed Anna up the rickety steps leading to the porch and entered the house with the others. As we walked into the foyer, the smell of cooked meat made my stomach growl.

  “This way towards the dining room,” said the old man, leading the way.

  As we walked through the darkened house, I noticed that the windows were covered with thick curtains and the furniture, which looked old and worn, had all been covered with sheets. It was definitely a house that didn’t seem lived in.

  It made everything that much more eerie.

  When we reached the dining room, we all stopped and stared in surprise at the long oak table, which held a la
rge turkey and all of the trimmings.

  “Wow,” said Amy, biting her lower lip. “Is this really for us?”

  “Yeah, go sit down,” said the younger man, nudging me forward.

  Stunned, I sat down and stared at the large quantity of food spread before us – turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, bread, and even a bowl of cranberries. My mouth began to water.

  “What, no gravy?” mumbled Tara.

  “Just shut your yap and start eating,” said the older man.

  “This is just weird,” whispered Amy, sitting next to me. “Who kidnaps someone and then feeds them like this? I don’t like it.”

  “I know,” I replied, wondering myself. It just didn’t make any sense.”

  “So, now you’re going to poison us?” remarked Tara, sitting across from me. “Is that what this is about?”

  “Nothing’s wrong with this food, girl,” said the older man. He leaned over the table and grabbed one of the turkey legs. “See,” he said, tearing at a piece of meat with his teeth. “It’s good,” he said, with his mouth full. “Now eat before it gets cold.”

  “Who made this food?” asked Marie, sitting down on the other side of me.

  “Never you mind, missy,” replied the old man, dropping strands of turkey from his mouth as he talked. “Just eat.”

  “Why don’t you join us?” said Anna, staring at the younger man. “Obviously there’s enough food here for an army.”

  “No, we’re just supposed to make sure you eat,” he replied, although he was staring at the food hungrily.

  “Well, I’m not eating any of this until I know it’s not poisoned,” said Tara, folding her hands under her chest. “I’d rather die from your gun than get poisoned by potatoes. Would be much quicker.”

  “Go on, Darnell,” said the older man, picking at something between his teeth. “Dig in.”

  Darnell bit his lower lip. “Well, if you think we won’t get in any trouble, Clement…”

  “Hell, we’re gonna get in trouble if they don’t eat,” said the old man. He tossed the turkey leg behind him and wiped his hands on his overalls. “Now, grab a plate of food and show them that the food is fine.”