Anthology of Horror Stories

by Daphne Haydens

  Again, I am glad no one sees me here speaking with myself, but it's in the middle of the night, so everyone in the area is asleep. It seems like a good, rational solution though. Immediately, I betake myself to the mines, where it doesn't take me long to find some dynamite. I get some sticks of dynamite and push them between my ribs. Then I head back and light the sticks in front of the village wall. I flee and hide behind a building. I cover my ears and count down.

  Three, 2, one ... here we go.

  BOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!

  The wall blows up. The rocks and granite dust are all over the place. Smoke evaporates from the scene. I wave the smoke away a bit and watch the results.

  Excellent. The wall is broken. The villagers will be pleased. Now they can leave town more easily, and not just through one gate.

  Chapter 5: Plans of the Wicked

  I watch from the shadows as the villagers come to take a look at the loud noise. The blasts certainly woke them up, and they aspire to find out what just took place. I see them gather around the damaged wall, holding torches and looking in wonder at the destroyed structure, or what is left of it at least.

  " This is dreadful," one of the female villagers says. "We cannot protect ourselves against opponents this way. How are we going to fix this?"

  " We will be killed by the creatures from the Underworld!" a man screams in panic.

  " Our children will not be safe," lady says.

  I don't comprehend. I thought I was assisting these people by exploding their wall. The voice in my head said that they would really appreciate it, but they do not. Did I just make life harder on them? Oh, why did I listen to that voice in the first place?

  I don't know what to do, so I return home and go sit on a chair. I look at a glass of water but recognize that it would just go through me if I try to drink it. Being a skeleton is a special difficulty, but being part of the undead also has some advantages. Like I said, I don't have to eat or drink to survive, and that night, I cannot sleep at all. I do not have to sleep, so that's probably why.

  Then the voice comes back. "Well done, Reagan. Now you will be ready to join me and my army in the invasion against the village."

  " What?" I ask. "Who are you anyhow? You pop up in my head and I never asked who I am speaking to. Who is this, and how did you get in of my head?"

  " Ah, let me introduce myself. My name is Lucas. I am the chief of the army of the undead. I have the ability to get in your head as I am sending a signal only skeletons can hear. You, my friend, have the advantage to prepare the way for my undead soldiers to take control of; and by exploding the wall and taking the mayor's cash to buy fixing it, you have taken away their final resistance. I will assault at dawn in 2 days. Be ready and help me eliminate these horrible villagers."

  I am surprised. I didn't expect this. I thought the voices in my head were all there just because of schizophrenia or something, but it appeared odd to me anyhow, since I don't have a brain any longer. But now I realize it was that skeleton leader all along. He plotted a scheme against the villagers, and now he just used me to meet his objectives.

  I feel awful. What have I done? Why did I listen to that wicked skeleton?

  " |Don't you worry, Reagan," Lucas says. "Every little thing will be great. We will kill the villagers and use whatever we find in there. We will chase them out of their homes and make them suffer. Hahahahahaaa!"

  " Aaaarghhh!" I yell. "Are you still there? Get out of my head!"

  " Hahaha! Fine. I will leave you alone. At my command, all the skeletons in this region will be prompted to act and go to fight. You will see what happens, whether you like it or not. Goodnight."

  I am upset. I rage. This Lucas person is going to crush this village and murder these good people, and I helped him do it.

  But this has to stop.

  Chapter 6: Always Safe

  The next day, I determine a trick. I do not want to be seen as a skeleton. Nobody should recognize me as that or they will go nuts. I just know it. So I take some clothes and cover them around my bony body, making certain that everything gets concealed. I even cover up my head totally, with a little room for the eye sockets. I sort of appear like a ninja, but at least I will not look like a skeleton.

  I wait till the evening falls. It has to be dark, or this will not work. But this time, I don't wait till the middle of the night. As quickly as the sun sets, I take the tiny vault I stole from the mayor and drag it to his home. The weather is cold. It's a nice night, with a cool breeze. The lights of the mayor's house are dimmed. I am barely visible. The outfits cover every inch of me, and my eyes (or lack of them) aren't clear below the hoody.

  I knock on the door and wait.

  After a while, the mayor opens up.

  " And who might you be?" he asks, a little doubtful.

  " My name does not matter right now," I said. "I am here to provide a message. I have learned that a whole army of skeletons is on their way to destroy this town. Gather all your guys and stand prepared to face them."

  " How do I know I can trust you? And how do you know all this?"

  " You'll just have to actually believe me," I say. "I have my resources."

  " When will they come?" the mayor asks. "Just how long do I have?"

  " At dawn. They will come at dawn, and they will intrude through the wall I destr ... I mean ... someone ruined last night."

  " You want me to gather all the readily available guys by tomorrow? Are you crazy?"

  " Don't ever tell me I am insane!" I sneer. "Everybody has mental problems. Why should I be any different?"

  " Okay, alright. I will see what I can do," the mayor guarantees me. "Anything else?"

  " Yes," I say, as I reach into my bag and take out the vault. "I found this somewhere. I really believe it belongs to you. It had a little note on it that said, 'I am sorry.' Certainly, the one who took it, shows regret and regrets what he or she did. Please take it."

  " Wow. Thank you. You are right. I was searching for this. I am glad I got it back."

  " You're welcome. Best of luck, Mr. Mayor. You will need it. Bye-bye for now."

  With those words, I turn around and disappear into the distance. I do not look back. It's up to him now. All I can do, the next day, is help. It will be a slaughter, but the question is: One which side?

  I can only hope for the best.

  Chapter 7: The Last Battle

  The stillness of the early morning scene allows for a peaceful start of the brand-new day. Birds call one to another; the night dew stays with the leaves and trees and makes the plants glisten like crystals. Sweet vapors rise from the ground, and the sun hasn't shone its hot rays upon the destined villagers yet. It's still early, and the bunnies hop around on the soon-to-be battlefield as if it is yet another early morning of peaceful nature.

  But they couldn't be more wrong about this day, the day a potential trouble will result into the massacre of innocent villagers attempting to defend their houses and families.

  I am already awake, seeing that I haven't slept at all. Why would I? I am a skeleton, and I need to be alert for what is about to happen.

  I stand in front of the village, covered in rags and outfits. It's silent. Nobody is there.

  Then, suddenly, like a gush of wind, a whole army of guys appears on the horizon. They have come together in desperation, wanting to make it through the predicted skeleton attack.

  I wait for them and greet them.

  " Who are you?" they ask.

  " And why are you hiding behind a mask?" someone asks.

  " Never mind that. I am here to help you fight the fight. Is that all right?"

  " Sure. No issue, we need a ton of help, so yes, you're welcome here."

  " Okay, so shall we forget the name and the mask and just kick these skeletons out of our hometown when they come?"

  They do not have anything to say after that. They just continue lining up. It's an army, but an army of villagers who clearly do not have some combat skills. I take a look at
them and shake my head when I see only a handful of them carrying swords, and others pitchforks and shovels. They appear like a lot of farmers who don't know what they're doing. It's not soothing, since the skeleton army will quickly be coming at us with everything they have got. Personally, I still like the bow and arrows.

  We hear sounds. Screeches from afar enter our audible senses. The piercing war weeps of an undead army, prepared to kill and damage. We are standing on top of the hill and neglect another hill that appears a few miles away. Behind that hill, slowly but definitely, an army of skeletons emerges.

  " Prepare, men!" a huge person with a beard begins. "We are here to protect our partners, our kids, and our really survival! Do not get frightened by their grave, ferocious appearance. They are dead, and they will die again. Now, join me in the ranks against the forces of destruction and set all your fears aside. This is the moment of guts. This is the moment we say 'no' to wicked!"

  He raises his voice during the last few words and all the men cheer. They hold up their weapons and shout as loudly as possible.

  But then they take a look at the other hill. The skeletons are frustrating. Their numbers are excellent. When I do the mathematics in my head, I see a legion, a large militia counting thousands of skeletons with swords and shields. I look at the guys on my side. They are frightened. They didn't expect the army to be this huge.

  " Do not fear!" the leader shouts. "They are but bones and skulls! We have the spiritual blood of our predecessors! Prepare to protect yourselves and everything you love!"

  The time for fight has come. The bloodshed can start. The army of skeletons diminishes the hill. I shoot an arrow, and another one, and another one. I kill several, but they are approaching within seconds. It won't be long now till the one-on-one fights will begin.

  Swords are banging and clanging. Male and skeletons are yelling. I put effort into battling some of my own, but I am searching for a permanent solution.

  Then I understand what has to be done. The leader! He is the source behind all of this! Where would he be? Oh, that was easy.

  I see a skeleton on a horse. It's the only skeleton who has a horse. He is wearing a red cape and a war helmet, screaming commands at the other skeletons and pointing his sword into our direction.

  " Lucas," I say in a low voice. "You're going to do."

  But I still do not know how. I will need to break through hundreds of skeletons to reach him, and a battle may not even be the best way to end this. Perhaps I could shoot an arrow at him?

  No, pointless.

  If I miss, he will simply know where to find me. I need to find something better, something that will not only remove him from the scene, but also give the villagers a benefit. I need something ... something ... explosive! Yes, that's it! I am getting more of those sticks of dynamite from the mine.

  I don't wait. I hurry to the mine, leaving the fate of the civilians behind me. I run inside, look for the sticks, and find them at the exact place where I saw them last. I stuff them into my backpack and run back to the battleground.

  " There," I say.

  I find a way to steer past a bunch of skeletons and soon, I find myself within a hundred feet of Lucas. I hit a skeleton on the head, punch another in the ribs, and stand in front of the malicious monster.

  " YOU !!!" I say.

  He steps off his horse.

  " Hahaha!" he laughs out loud. "Reagan, is that you? Remove that outrageous camouflage. It does not matter any longer."

  " Why not?" I say. "I would rather appear like one of them than like you or your dumb, brainless skeletons."

  " You're just like us," Lucas says. "|Don't you realize you are buffooning yourself?"

  " I do not care," I say. "This ends now. You squandered your right to live by planning an attack on innocent people."

  " Bring it on," he says, holding his sword ready.

  " I do not want to fight you. I just wanted to get near to you. Any last words?"

  " Huh? What are you talking about?" he asks.

  " Funny. I would have said something else," I say. "Oh well, I guess your ending isn't going to be really poetic then."

  I take out a stick of dynamite and connect it to an arrow. I aim, shoot, and hit the arrow in his skull.

  "Nooooooo !!!!!" Lucas yells.

  But it is too late. The blasts of the one stick trigger the other ones to explode too in my bag, and the complete battleground ends up being a large, huge ocean of fire, swiping through the majority of the skeleton army.

  Chapter 8: The Dead Are Dead

  Needless to say, that I die here too. My spirit floats up as it towers above my body. I, my spirit, glance around and watch with satisfaction. I just exploded about 90% of the countless skeletons in the direct area. They are accumulated on and scattered across the battlefield. In the distance, I see some villagers kill the remainder of the wicked army.

  I take a look at my own body. It has broken into a thousand pieces, intermingled with the dead body of the offender, Lucas. He didn't even stand a chance. I compromised myself, but I do not care. I just wanted to help these town's people live a good life. My life is over anyway.

  I hear a voice in my head. It's not Lucas's voice. It's a soft, calming voice, like a colorful, forgiving wind that reaches the depth of my extremely being. It's strong and dominant but not powerful. It soothes my ideas and tranquilizes my mind. I float and I feel greater than ever.

  "Well done," the voice says.

  I have not the slightest idea who says it. I have no clue who is speaking to me. But just one thing I do know: My work here is done. This is why I remained: To save this town from the awful fate that would have befallen them if I would not have been there. Now that I look back, I am glad I heard those voices. I could only forecast the skeleton army's attack by hearing the voice of that horrible leader. It was required. My weak point had become a present.

  But I was there. I exploded the wicked undead and am now leaving this life with satisfaction.

  Life is over. I am glad. Whatever will happen now, I am prepared.

  THE END

  Killer Beast

  Chapter 1: The Coop

  It wasn't pretty. The mess was all over the chicken pen. Chickens were torn in half, and feathers were everywhere. The chickens that were still alive, walked around it as if nothing had occurred. They totally neglected the victims in the middle of the pen.

  Dylan took his hat off and walked over to James. James looked at him and felt his pain.

  " Very regrettable," James said. "I hope we'll be able to discover what triggered this."

  " I hope so too," Dylan concurred. "I do not think any predators have been spotted around the village. It's a mystery. What type of animal would rip chickens in half like that and not eat them?"

  " I do not know, man, but just one thing I do know: This is ruined!"

  " Well, yeah. I have never seen anything like this. I'll go get the gloves and begin cleaning it up, I think."

  Dylan walked away and James pursued him. "I will help you," he said. "We'll have this fixed in no time. Do not worry."

  They tidied up the dead chickens and returned into the house. Dylan offered James some tea and a cookie. James observed the silverware and the china on the racks beside him. He praised Dylan on his home, saying that it was pleasant and comfortable.

  " You actually worked hard to make this place relaxing and inviting, didn't you?" James asked.

  " I started from scratch, James," Dylan said. "I value everything I have, but especially my animals, and if something or someone is disrupting their peace, it bothers me, and not just for financial reasons."

  " I comprehend," James said while taking a sip from his tea. "What kind of tea is this anyway? I love it."

  " It's peppermint tea," Dylan said. "I grow the leaves in my yard. It's great. It gives you that little spike while relaxing the mind with its heat."

  " That's deep, man," James said. "You're a thinker. I do not think that much. And something is te
lling me that you worry way too much too. Am I right?"

  " Yes, you are. I hate it, but it keeps me going," Dylan said.

  They talked some more and James finished his tea. He left the house and walked home. He wasn't stressed at all, unlike Dylan. According to James, the chickens were probably just killed by some wolf or ocelot that had broken in.

  " Good old Dylan," he said as he got back and kissed his marriage partner.

  " What was happening this time?" she asked.

  " He is devastated over a few chickens," James said. "But I am sure we'll capture the predator soon. It must be a bear or a fox or something, or perhaps an ocelot or a wolf. Who knows, right? However, who cares? We have had attacks from those animals before, and we took care of them."

  " Yes, we did. No problem."

  " Exactly."

  That night, James was sleeping. His wife was up; she disliked it when her husband snored. She tried to cover her ears with her pillow, but it wasn't reliable enough. James was loud, and there was nothing she could do about it. She sat there all disappointed, wondering if she should just poke him or slap him and tell him to shut up. But she was too good. She wouldn't do that to him.

  But then she heard even louder sounds from outdoors. "Finally," she thought. "I have an excuse to wake my husband up."

  She leaned over and shook him a little. "James ... James," she said. "I heard something outside."

  " Mmm ... mwhah-what is it?" James mumbled.

  " I heard an odd noise. Could you please check what is going on?"

  " Oh, alright. Sure," James said. He got up and put on some clothes, and after that he went outside. Now he heard it too. The chickens were panicking. He grabbed a machete from the shed and ran towards the chicken cages. The moon was shining intensely, so that he didn't have to take anything to light his way.

  When he arrived at the chicken cages, he couldn't really believe what he saw.