Alex and The Gruff (A Tale of Horror)

by C. Sean McGee

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Alex ran to the door. His white pants were still a little big for him so he had to hold them up with one hand. He grabbed the door and pulled it back slowly, peeking his head through the gap to see down the corridor.

  There was nobody there. The Man was gone. He was in his room and he was still sulking. Alex could hear the sound of his muffled cries sifting through the corridor but it didn’t sound like he was going to stop any time soon.

  Alex looked behind. The Gruff was still sitting there by the wall. He was holding the newspaper in his hand. He looked scared. For as mean and as grumpy as he was, he actually looked kind of scared.

  “Come on” whispered Alex. “He’s gone. Now is our chance.”

  The Gruff was shaking his head. His eyes were big, like a cat when they’ve just done something wrong. And he wasn’t moving. It looked like he was trying to get Alex to not move too.

  Alex rushed towards The Gruff. He knelt down and put his hands on his shoulders. He pulled him close to his face. The Gruff looked still and lifeless, like any other doll. He had probably cursed for this day to come for as long as he was kept a prisoner here. He probably thought about all the things he needed to do to make it happen, but he had no idea what to do once when the time had come.

  “Gruff, I need your help. I can’t do this alone” said Alex.

  He was pleading with his eyes. There were no tears welling and there was no sign of breaking down in his voice. He wasn’t breaking down. He was set on breaking out.

  “Ok,” said The Gruff, but he didn’t sound so sure.

  Alex took The Gruff under one arm and he held up his pants with the other. He had to limp across the room. His leg was still throbbing from where he got hit with the hammer. It didn’t stop him, though. He ignored the pain, focusing only on the door and then when he had reached it, the end of the corridor.

  He ran down past the other doors and as he passed each closed lock, he thought about another young boy or girl that might have been kept inside. There was no time, though. Not for them.

  “I’ll get help. I’ll come back” he thought.

  That made him feel better about leaving them behind.

  Alex stopped before the end of the corridor. On the right was a door that led out of the dungeon. There was probably a phone upstairs or a computer and the internet. He could call the police. He could message his brother.

  The door to the left belonged to The Man. It was the door to his bedroom. It was closed, but it wasn’t locked. There were two big latches on it, like all the other doors, but like Alex’s, it had been left undone.

  Alex pressed his ear against the door. He held his breath so he could hear better and he put his hand over The Gruff’s mouth so he could shut him up too. The Gruff was breathing so loud; deep nervous types of breaths.

  “Is this the way out?” he whispered, pointing to the other door.

  The Gruff nodded.

  Alex slowly turned the handle of the door and the handle slowly turned. It made a slight creaking sound, but he was careful enough to keep it low and diffused. He thought he heard the sound of The Man jumping out of his bed, but it was just the sound of his heart trying to jump out of his chest.

  “We’re getting out of here,” he said.

  Alex let the door shut behind him and ran. He ran with The Gruff under his arms. He was still keeping his hand over The Gruff’s mouth, just in case he made any noise. It was too late, though. The door slammed shut behind them and there was no suppressing the sound of his feet slapping against the staircase that wound around in circles. And around and around it wound and everything was so dark, he couldn’t see a thing.

  But Alex pressed on. His heart was beating so fast. His breath was hot. It felt like there was a fire in his lungs and every breath he took was short and it scolded his chest. If he wasn’t escaping from a man in a dungeon, he probably would have keeled over then and there and conceded defeat.

  The stairs seemed to go on forever. They just went around and around. He had one of his hands outstretched trying to feel for a door or a window or light switch; something to put an end to this winding darkness.

  The Gruff said nothing the whole time. He stayed completely still, letting Alex lead the way. Alex took a few more steps and stopped. His hand hit against something solid. He felt around. It must have been a door. He brushed his hand, feeling for a handle but he couldn’t find one. There were just lots of rows of bricks. It felt like a wall; a wall at the end of a staircase.

  What an odd place to build a wall.

  “What do we do?” asked Alex.

  “We have to go back,” said The Gruff.

  “We can’t. We’ve come this far. We have to get out. If we go back, he won’t let us go.”

  “There’s a door, in his room. It’s how he brings things in; food, games, children” said The Gruff.

  “Do you know where it is?”

  “It’s hidden. It’s behind a mirror. I’ve seen it, though. But it’s locked. It’s always locked.”

  “Well, then we just have to get the key.”

  “But he keeps it on him all the time. He never takes it off.”

  “We have to get it.”

  Alex leaned against the brick work. He slowly slid down the wall until he was seated on the last step. The Gruff was still in his arms, but he was holding him upright now and seating him on the steps beside him. Alex was breathing heavy. He felt like he was at the end of a race. And he wanted to give in. He was certainly at the end of this one.

  He felt like crying. He didn’t though. He could hear The Gruff starting to grumble. He didn’t want to make him mad. It would be funny if he did. And it would probably cheer him up. But he didn’t feel like laughing so he decided not to cry.

  The two sat here silent in the dark stairwell. Alex wasn’t thinking about anything. There are times when you’re so tired and so spent that you just don’t think of anything, your imagination is like a flushing toilet, just constantly washing away every new idea or every bad thought. And then people ask you, “What are you thinking about?” and you say “Nothing” and they don’t believe you, but really, you’re thinking about absolutely nothing.

  “Whatchya thinking about?” asked The Gruff.

  Alex said nothing.

  The Gruff felt a little uncomfortable. He had never really felt like this before. It didn’t at all feel good. He had this compulsion, deep within him, this stupid desire that he couldn’t stop. It was like an itch that he couldn’t scratch and it was making him want to turn to Alex and put his hands around his neck and he didn’t know why, but for some reason, he felt that he had to give him a hug.

  It was a horrible feeling.

  “Do you wanna play a game?” asked The Gruff.

  “I just wanna go home,” said Alex.