When I say shadows, I didn’t mean the kind that appears when the sun is bright. These were dark, deep, nothingness, more of a blur rather. I blinked several times, and when I slowly turned my head to see them, they disappeared. They were gone, completely. I went back to the bathroom and flipped on the light. Leaning forward in the mirror, I pulled back the skin around my eye, seeing if I had something sticking there. Nothing, my eyes looked the same, bloodshot, with heavy bags drooping underneath. Splashing water on my face, I looked back into the mirror, and that’s when I caught sight of the shadows standing behind me. I yelled in a panic, almost climbing on the toilet as I turned around, but nothing was there. I glanced back to the mirror, but nothing dark and looming stood there. The bathroom was empty, void of anything other than myself. I sat on the toilet for a minute, trying to gather myself back to reality, my heart thumping in my throat. It had to be all in my mi
Abby had bought me lunch from a gas station down the road after four truckloads and a half-empty storage container later. I even scored a tv tray stand like my parents used to have, which she said was another freebie for helping. We sat on the tailgate of our trucks, taking a break, and she decided to start asking questions. “So why Sunny Field, Sam?” First name basis it is, I guess. “Hmm, no particular reason, Abby. It was the first place the reality company called me about,” I responded, biting into the soggy pizza with mystery toppings. “Oh, so you could have ended up somewhere else, then? Well, Sunny Field isn’t too bad. It’s just another small town with older people. There’s not much history to it unless you can count the Witmaker’s story. But that kind of history isn’t really talked about. It’s like a dark stain on the town. Folks just ignore it.” I looked at her, and it dawned on me, “Isn’t that whose property I just brought?” She nodded a little hesitantly before
I looked at her, not taking her offer too seriously, and shook my head, “No thanks, I better get back and take care of a few things. Maybe next time.” She shrugged, “Suit yourself. Thanks again, Sam, for the help today. My brothers are always super busy, so it’s hard to lock them down to help me with things sometimes. Anyway, drive safely, and if you need anything else, let me know!” She turned away and walked back into the store’s garage before I responded. I almost changed my mind, if only because I was still dreading going back to the house alone. Reluctantly getting in my truck, I started it, pulled around the store, and headed home. I passed the park and was tempted to take a look at the tree she was referring to when telling me about the property, but I decided against it for now. I didn’t need something else to increase my insane imagination further. Thinking about my insanity, when I finally got home, I decided I’d call Dr. Pearsion after I got things unloaded. Unlocking
With the bricked doorway to my back, I heard a noise from the hallway. “Shhhllliiipp,” is what I could hear first, and then, a wet pop as something hit the floor. Then, it repeated, “Shhhllliiipp, pop,” like something wet was dragging down the hallway. Again, I could only stare as I backed up. The noise was horrifying. Suddenly blood slowly wrapped along the bottom edges of the wall coming from that direction until it pooled out, heading to the center of the living room floor. I ran for the windows and found them still nailed shut. “Fuck, can’t I get a break?” My voice was drowned by the horrible noise getting louder behind me. I didn’t dare turn around. What was I supposed to do? Get on my knees and start praying? I hesitated, feeling at a loss. Finally, I asked for whatever god was listening to end this dream. The wet sound ceased, but whatever was making it, I could hear it wheezing behind me. Squeezing my eyes shut, I slowly turned with my head down. Taking a deep br
After discovering what was on the laptop, I had to reason with myself that I was the one who had written it. It was my starting point. Several days passed, and I didn’t dream a single nightmare unless you could count the despair of waking up after having one of Rebecca and Chrissy. After more in-depth research of articles online, I found what Abby was talking about the other day. The entire Witmaker family was hung because the wife was accused of witchcraft. There were several things the article listed that supplied proof, according to the local sheriff, during that time. People in the town accused her of summing demonic spirits to do her bidding. Even a local dairy farmer accused her of curdling their milk and driving their family dogs mad in an attempt to kill their children. There was also the ridiculous accusation that she forced her husband to have sex with women around town. One witness claimed to have screwed her during an animal sacrifice at their house. Of course, the
“Well, here in Sunny Field, the law decides someone’s due process. The Witmaker family was dangerous, and if my Pop didn’t take action, who knows what’d happen next? The town basically demanded the hanging, they had enough evidence, so it was a pretty open and closed case.” I nodded at his answer and then faked like I was shocked and in awe, “Wait, your Pop, was he the sheriff when this happened?” Chuck nodded, smiling from ear to ear, “Yes, sir, he was. A mighty fine sheriff too. He also farmed the land sitting next to yours. The Witmaker family did own the land, leasing it to my Pop, but they lost it to the bank for unpaid land tax. So, Pop ended up buying it outright and built a house there,” he said and then leaned in, like what he was about to say was a secret, “Bill Witmaker, the father, was furious and did all sorts of nasty things to get it back. One time, my Pop swore he’d seen Bill sacrificing a goat with his wife Anne to put some sort of curse on the land. Nothing ever h
“Okay, that’s great! When you have everything together, send me something to work with. Talk soon!” I hung up the phone and grabbed a drink before sitting back at my desk and getting to work. After a few hours, I felt the empty pit in my stomach grow, so I headed out again to grab food. This time I would buy a few extra things to stay home to write. It was busy at the local market, more than I’ve seen. Spotting Abby’s truck, I decided it would be an excellent chance to take her up on that dinner so I could probe her brain for information. “I swear they have this song on repeat,” I said, almost tripping again as I went through the doors. Grabbing a cart, I headed to the chip aisle first, which was what my main diet consisted of. Then, once I was satisfied with the number of bags I’d tossed in, I cruised the other isles grabbing random things. “Sam! Stocking up,” Abby said, pushing a cart herself toward me, “on junk food? Pfft, that stuff will kill you sooner than later.” I sh
“What in the fuck now? Walking to the barn, I noticed random patches of wheat had sprouted up next to the deep red color of the barn. I found it odd the paint seemed so new. Getting closer, the crying and begging, “Please stop, please! No.. No... stop! Don’t, please! I’m sorry! Please don’t, please don’t...” came out in desperate tones. I suddenly panicked, patting my clothes and looking for my cell phone, when I suddenly realized I had forgotten I was dreaming. I quickly went around the side of the barn, where a window was boarded up with plywood. In the corner of it, the light was shining through coming from inside. The soft noise I heard as I approached the window, between the begging, made my stomach roll. I didn’t want to look because I knew what the grunting, heavy breathing meant between the pleas of the young girl. I crouched under it, not knowing what I’d see other than a nightmare in play. Then, slowly rising, I rubbed my eyes before looking, praying that when I ope