Screams in the Night Short Story

Screams in the Night

By Danielle Conlon

Short Story

“This ought to teach our parents not to punish us!” a boy with red hair and freckle’s across his nose said, like he won a victory.

“Why did we have to come to this old tree house, that forest floor is ruining my new state-of-the-art shoes.” The blond hair boy sat down, then inspected his shoes up close.

“Arnold,” the third kid came away from the window he was staring through, “We shouldn’t be doing this,” he wrapped his arms around him to comfort himself, “Remember there’s a murdered on the loose, he’s in the area, what if he find’s us?” he pushed his glasses up.

“Will you chill-lax Jamie there’s no way he’d find us, and plus there’s three of us, no way he could over power us.” Arnold puffs out his chest trying to look strong.

“Yeah, but he’s forty two and he’s kill before, were just kid’s.” Jamie ran his hands through his brown hair.

Arnold shook his red hair making it look like a fire was blazing on his head, “George ain’t worried are you, George?”

George shook his shoe getting the pine needles out, “Nope not one bit, we’ll just stick to the plan and we’ll be fine.” he slipped his shoes on and then lean against the wall.

“But I…” Jamie started.

“Look Jamie, we all agreed to wait here for three day’s to put the scare on the folk’s, and anyway if we start leaving now we’ll get lost. It’s almost dark, so chill,” Arnold reach inside his bag and pulled a sandwich out, and toss it to Jamie, “Stop whining and eat.” he toss another to George.

Jamie went over and sat next to George, they ate silently with only there thoughts. How could I come and not think about that murder, Jamie thought he was stupid, mom and dad are probably freaking right about now.

“Wow,” Arnold said, “It got dark fast, good thing there’s a full moon or I wouldn’t be able to see you from here.” Arnold yawned, “I’m going to sleep so keep it down, and remember if you any of you want to leave we all go because we stick together.” he rolled over and started to snore.

“I might as well turn in too.” George saw the scare look on his brother’s face, “Don’t worry we’ll be fine, just don’t freak.” George laid where he was at and fell a sleep too.

Jamie crawled over to the door and looked down into the forest floor, there was nothing there except for pine needles and leaves. It was Autumn so most of the tree’s look like thin hands reaching toward the sky. A chilly breeze blew through the tree house, he pulled his hood over his head, then back away from the door and laid between his brother’s and slept.

A few hours later Jamie was shaken a wake by Arnold, “What’s going on?” he wiped the sleep away.

“Do you know where that idiot George is?” Jamie could tell Arnold was mad even with the little bit of light coming through the window.

“No I was a sleep,” If Jamie was  half a sleep before that question he wasn’t anymore his fear took over, “where is he Arnold?”

Both boys went to the edge of the door, they looked over hoping to catch a glimpse of his blond hair, which would glow in the full moon since he was a blond. Arnold lean out trying to look farther into the forest, but he didn’t see him.

“What do we do Arnold?” Jamie felt close to tears.

“I don’t know, I told that moron to stay close and that we stick together!” he was frustrated, Arnold took a deep breath, then lean over the edge, “GEORGE!!!!” he scream hoping to get his attention.

They didn’t get answer, “Maybe he tried to go home early, you know how he can’t bear to be away from society long.” Jamie was hoping that was it.

“No he wouldn’t do something like that,” Arnold eye’s kept scanning the forest floor, “he probably had to dump a load.”

They started to back away into to the back of the tree house, that’s when the screaming started. Both boy’s froze, the screaming was no other than George’s they heard it before. But this wasn’t the fake, playful, or angry scream, it was a scream full of terror, and pain. It would start and then start again, Jamie gripped the edge of the door so tight that his knuckles turn white. He barely notice Arnold starting to climb down the ladder, “Where are you going Arnold?!! Come back.”

“I’m going to save George come on.” he looked at Jamie waiting for him to move, “Aren’t you coming?”

“If we go we’ll die, we need to wait for day light and then try and get some help.” Jamie thought it sounded reasonable at the time.

“Fine stay here if you want, I’m going go save our brother!” he ignore Jamie’s cry's to stay and went after George.

Jamie watched as Arnold disappeared into the forest in the direction of George’s screams. He wanted to scream come back don’t go, I don’t want to be alone. Listening to every noise was hard on him, it was a long time before Arnold’s screams echo through the forest. Tears were streaming down his face, he was sure that both his brothers were dead now. Then his thoughts went back to the television with the evil man’s face on it. His hallowed out brown eye’s devoid of any love or life, the man was bald and has three long cuts across his face.

Jamie’s stomach turn threatening the sandwich to come up. Why couldn’t I been smart and stood home, I could have been in my safe bed instead of…  

Then realization hit him, he was next! He ran around the room there was no place to hide just the backpack and a window and a door less door.

“Lord,” he slammed down to his knees, he grasped his hands and prayed, “I don’t want to die yet! Please forgive me for wanting to scare our parents, please let me make through the night.” That’s when he heard something down at the base of the tree. He froze, his voice caught in his throat, his heart was pounding so hard making it hard to heard what was down there.

What ever it was kept walking around and around it didn’t even attempt to climb the ladder, Jamie was sweating so bad he was sure to catch a cold from that chilly breeze. Jamie continue to pray through the night hoping for mercy, the sky lighten outside, he could hear the thing start to wander away.

Jamie waited until the sun was fully up, he looked down and didn’t see anything just forest coming to life with animals. It’s either now or never he thought.

He thought to take the backpack with him then thought against it, it would slow him down and that’s the last thing he wanted. Jamie climbed down then stood at the bottom he looked about and didn’t see any foot prints of animal tracks. Taking a deep breath he took off into the forest he planned to stop for nothing, he was going for help. Jamie kept glancing behind him he was afraid of every sound, and movement it only made him run faster.

He looked behind him that’s when he hit something and he fell back, sitting up he saw a pair of dangling legs, he slowly looked up and saw it was Arnold! It had to be him, same red hair and freckles, his eye’s looked off to the side and tongue was hanging. Someone hung Arnold! Jamie jumped up and ran, the screams he so longingly wanted to let out caught in his throat. Tear’s blurred his vision, his heart was pounding so fast, he barely saw the log when he tripped over it right into the mud. Jamie stood up and wiped his hands on his shirt, that’s when his peripheral vision caught a white item. What’s that he thought, he reached over and grabbed it, it was a white shoe with orange shoe laces. It was Georges shoe, but he notice it to be heavier than usual, he notice the sock was still in it that meant his foot was still in it!

Jamie threw it aside, he stood up, but before he could run away he saw a pant leg sitting to the side oozing blood. He took off running refusing to look any more, he didn’t want anything to do with this. When he saw the edge of the forest he put on a burst of speed and smack right into his dad.

“Where have you all been! We’ve been looking every where for you and your brothers where are they?” He was so mad his face turn red.

Jamie couldn’t hold it in anymore, “There DEAD!” he sobbed into his dad’s shirt, “Someone hung Arnold and chopped up George!”

“Are you saying your brothers are dead!?” his anger went away it was replace with concern, Jamie nodded into his shirt. His dad whipped out his cell phone and call 911, he stated his name and told them where he was at, “Yes I just found one of my son’s, he say’s my other son’s have been murder yes we’ll wait.”

It felt like forever for the police to arrive, finally four police men came, “My name’s Micheal and this is Susan, Chad, and Robert.” they nodded there heads in greeting, then Micheal bent down to Jamie’s level, “Are you sure you saw what you saw?” Jamie nodded afraid to speak, “Were going to have to have you show us where.”

At first Jamie didn’t like that idea, but then again he was the only one who knew where they were at. The police followed close behind him and his dad, he stopped a couple feet from where George was suppose to be at, he pointed ahead, “Right in this area, his shoes are white and orange he has on blue pants and a orange sweater.”

The cops spread out looking for any signs, they look and look, then Micheal came back to Jamie, “There’s nothing here, are you sure you got the right place.”

Jamie ran ahead and looked around for himself he was sure it was the right area, this where he fell in the mud his impression was still there, “He was here I know he was.”

Susan, spoke up, “Show us where Arnold is.”

This time Jamie jogged ahead, he stopped in shocked when he saw that Arnold was gone! The cops look around and one even examine the tree. Micheal looked upset, “Is this some kind of prank, kid?”

“No I saw them they were dead! They have to be here! Someone must of move, them that has to be it!” Jamie was panicking, “That murdered that’s on loose must of killed them!”

 “That’s impossible he was caught yesterday night across town, look you said he was hanging in the tree he’s not here, and the other was chopped to bits, well there’s no blood.” Micheal, looked back at the other cops, they look equally upset, “Can you prove that you and your brothers were here all night at all?”

“Yeah we stood in the tree house, the backpack is still there.” they marched on to the tree house, Micheal climbed up and then came down empty handed.

“There’s nothing up there,” he reported, “we’ll keep a lookout for your other boy’s and I think this one needs to go see someone.”

“No!” he shouted, “I know what I saw!” Jamie kept yelling on the way out of the forest the cops kept ignoring him.

“JAMIE!” his dad grabbed him, “Stop it! If there not there and there is no blood then nothing happened.”

The cops were shaking there heads on their way to there cars.

ONE YEAR LATER

Jamie had been to see a psychiatrist, during the past year, she tried to convince him that he didn’t see anything. But he stood firm on what he saw, he lost his friends and peoples respect. He felt so bad about what he saw he wanted to be free of those images but couldn’t find way of doing so.

He climb off the bus a block away from his house the same way they did that day they decided to hide in forest. Jamie wander over to the forest and star at the trees, it was the anniversary of there death’s, he would go just to watch and wait to see if they would emerge from the wood.

This time he stood longer than he should of, it was dark by the time he decided to leave, he got up, but that’s when he saw them his brothers waving at him from the forest Arnold was yelling something, “Remember the plan!”

Jamie ran at them he was so angry his whole life destroyed in year because of him and his stupid pranks. He made it to forest only to have them disappear, “Where are you he scream!” he turned around looking for them, he threw his backpack on the floor, he step further into the forest, “COME OUT!” he yelled. Then he felt a sharp pain stab into his back he let out a loud scream….

ANOTHER YEAR LATER

A man and a woman were handing papers out, “Please let us know if you see them.” They kept saying. It was a missing poster of three boy’s, a red headed one, a blond, and a brown headed boy…

HAPPY HALLOWEEN