Screams within the Shadow
Short horror.
This town lives in total darkness... Never dose the sun touch it's mysterious surface. Nor dose the morning rays peak through the windows of the homes and shops. But the residents don't mined. In fact, they prefer it that way... For in darkness, there ominous secret is safe.
My discovery of this secret community was completely accidental. It was my aimless wondering that brought me here. I thought little of it at first, as I was checking into some rundown hotel that overlooked the park. It was very late, and I had grown weary of driving. The lobby walls were but cheap paneling and the service counter was laminated. I dropped my duffle bag and rang the counter bell.
And old man came to the counter. He was balding, short in stature and wore round framed glasses.
"No vacancy," he said. "Really," I replied. "The sign said vacancy."
"Nope," he shook his head. But I did not accept. " I've been driving all day. Surely you must have something?" The man leaned in and whispered, "You don't want to stay here."
"Look!" I demanded, " I can barely keep my eyes open. Please just give a room for the night. I don't care what condition it's in." The old man sighed, "Suit your self." Then gabbed a key from the wall. "You can have room twenty one," he said handing them to me. "Thank you," I said, "Check out eleven?" The man didn't answer. Just turned and walked away.
I had to jiggle the lock to get the key to work. But when the door finally opened I was pleased to see the room looked somewhat decent. A little drab maybe but clean, and a very large bed. I set my bag down and fell onto the bed. The blanket smelled musty, but did not care. And within minutes, I was fast asleep.
I awoke from what I thought was a nightmare. There was terrible screaming coming from outside my second floor window. I sprung up to investigate. As I pulled back the curtain, I was perplexed, if not dismayed at the spectacles running amuck out on the streets. They were naked... Running wildly about, screaming in horror. Men, women, and even children just running around, pulling locks of hair out of there heads, and clawing at their skin.
Some fell to the ground, gyrating as if having seizures. While others lashed out against one another.
It looked as though an elderly woman was about to be torn limb from limb by some of the others when suddenly, a painfully load siren rang out and the mob quickly became subdued. Many lean against the walls, while some sat on the curb, catching there breaths. Minutes after the siren had ended, a small squad of policemen came around and escorted them home. No one said anything... Just walk away.
It was still dark out. I happened to look at the time and saw it was 10:30 in the morning. In disbelief I checked the time on my watch and saw the alarm was indeed correct. "But how can that be?" I wondered. I was not in Alaska, just some town outside Pittsburgh. I walked down to the lobby and rang the counter. "Leaving so soon?" The man said as he approached.
"Why is it still dark out?" I demanded," And who were those people?" The man now shaking his head, replied," The sun never shines here. Oh no... Not since I was a boy have I seen the sunrise." "And those people?" "Just citizens... It seems once you've lived in darkness for a while, you tend to start having these night terrors... Strange fits of terror and madness. The sirens are sounded to wake them up."
The man turned away to tend to his book keeping when I asked," And how did it get this way?" "We don't talk about it," he replied, coldly. "Don't talk about it! That's insane!" The man turned as if to shush me. He looked around then spoke softly, "They call this place... The Devils Shadow... Years.. Decades ago. Some of our less upstanding residents where into things they shouldn't have been.
They formed a cult. They called themselves... The Sons of Lilith . They ran about at night, performing strange rituals, trying to evoke ancient gods and spirits. The town thought them silly, that is until two small children went missing... The whole town searched for them, but when they didn't turn up, speculation began to fly. They confronted the cult, and of course they denied the claim. An argument broke out and things spiraled out of control. The town turn into an angry mob and hung the accused right out there... in the park... Beneath the old oak tree. But before the last member was hung, he cursed this town to eternal darkness. "
The old man let out a long sigh, as he looked off in the distance. Then he continued, "After the lynching no one seemed to remember exactly who these children where. Or who they belonged too, for that matter. It was if it was some strange rumor that just sprung up... spontaneously. No one ever talked about it after that. It became a town hush. One that the people would never want to get out, ever. And as predicted, the sun never rose here again."
I cleared my thought and said awkwardly, "That's an incredible story, thank you but I must be going."
The man simply smiled and said," I would hurry... News of strangers travel fast around here." I quickly exited out the door. Once I made it to my car I realized my tires where flat. Upon closer examination I discovered that someone had slashed them. I stood up, bewildered before turning around to see that, somehow the whole town's people had sneaked up, behind me.
There must have been three... four hundred of them... Just standing there, motionless... silently looking at me with grim expressions. I calmly tried to walk through them but a man in blue coveralls stopped me. "We can't let you leave," he said, ominously. "Look!" I pleaded with them, "Whatever happened here is none of my business, and I would never say a thing." "It would be nice if we could believe that," A dreary woman said. "But we just can't chance it," another old man added," What would the rest of the country think of us? Nope, best you stay right here... with us good, God fearing people of Devil's Shadow... You'll like it, once you get used to our humble living."
And so... here I am... I stay in this little, cramped hotel room, just looking out my window. Watching the random fits of night terrors, that frequently spring up here... That is of course... When I'm not having one.
The End.
My discovery of this secret community was completely accidental. It was my aimless wondering that brought me here. I thought little of it at first, as I was checking into some rundown hotel that overlooked the park. It was very late, and I had grown weary of driving. The lobby walls were but cheap paneling and the service counter was laminated. I dropped my duffle bag and rang the counter bell.
And old man came to the counter. He was balding, short in stature and wore round framed glasses.
"No vacancy," he said. "Really," I replied. "The sign said vacancy."
"Nope," he shook his head. But I did not accept. " I've been driving all day. Surely you must have something?" The man leaned in and whispered, "You don't want to stay here."
"Look!" I demanded, " I can barely keep my eyes open. Please just give a room for the night. I don't care what condition it's in." The old man sighed, "Suit your self." Then gabbed a key from the wall. "You can have room twenty one," he said handing them to me. "Thank you," I said, "Check out eleven?" The man didn't answer. Just turned and walked away.
I had to jiggle the lock to get the key to work. But when the door finally opened I was pleased to see the room looked somewhat decent. A little drab maybe but clean, and a very large bed. I set my bag down and fell onto the bed. The blanket smelled musty, but did not care. And within minutes, I was fast asleep.
I awoke from what I thought was a nightmare. There was terrible screaming coming from outside my second floor window. I sprung up to investigate. As I pulled back the curtain, I was perplexed, if not dismayed at the spectacles running amuck out on the streets. They were naked... Running wildly about, screaming in horror. Men, women, and even children just running around, pulling locks of hair out of there heads, and clawing at their skin.
Some fell to the ground, gyrating as if having seizures. While others lashed out against one another.
It looked as though an elderly woman was about to be torn limb from limb by some of the others when suddenly, a painfully load siren rang out and the mob quickly became subdued. Many lean against the walls, while some sat on the curb, catching there breaths. Minutes after the siren had ended, a small squad of policemen came around and escorted them home. No one said anything... Just walk away.
It was still dark out. I happened to look at the time and saw it was 10:30 in the morning. In disbelief I checked the time on my watch and saw the alarm was indeed correct. "But how can that be?" I wondered. I was not in Alaska, just some town outside Pittsburgh. I walked down to the lobby and rang the counter. "Leaving so soon?" The man said as he approached.
"Why is it still dark out?" I demanded," And who were those people?" The man now shaking his head, replied," The sun never shines here. Oh no... Not since I was a boy have I seen the sunrise." "And those people?" "Just citizens... It seems once you've lived in darkness for a while, you tend to start having these night terrors... Strange fits of terror and madness. The sirens are sounded to wake them up."
The man turned away to tend to his book keeping when I asked," And how did it get this way?" "We don't talk about it," he replied, coldly. "Don't talk about it! That's insane!" The man turned as if to shush me. He looked around then spoke softly, "They call this place... The Devils Shadow... Years.. Decades ago. Some of our less upstanding residents where into things they shouldn't have been.
They formed a cult. They called themselves... The Sons of Lilith . They ran about at night, performing strange rituals, trying to evoke ancient gods and spirits. The town thought them silly, that is until two small children went missing... The whole town searched for them, but when they didn't turn up, speculation began to fly. They confronted the cult, and of course they denied the claim. An argument broke out and things spiraled out of control. The town turn into an angry mob and hung the accused right out there... in the park... Beneath the old oak tree. But before the last member was hung, he cursed this town to eternal darkness. "
The old man let out a long sigh, as he looked off in the distance. Then he continued, "After the lynching no one seemed to remember exactly who these children where. Or who they belonged too, for that matter. It was if it was some strange rumor that just sprung up... spontaneously. No one ever talked about it after that. It became a town hush. One that the people would never want to get out, ever. And as predicted, the sun never rose here again."
I cleared my thought and said awkwardly, "That's an incredible story, thank you but I must be going."
The man simply smiled and said," I would hurry... News of strangers travel fast around here." I quickly exited out the door. Once I made it to my car I realized my tires where flat. Upon closer examination I discovered that someone had slashed them. I stood up, bewildered before turning around to see that, somehow the whole town's people had sneaked up, behind me.
There must have been three... four hundred of them... Just standing there, motionless... silently looking at me with grim expressions. I calmly tried to walk through them but a man in blue coveralls stopped me. "We can't let you leave," he said, ominously. "Look!" I pleaded with them, "Whatever happened here is none of my business, and I would never say a thing." "It would be nice if we could believe that," A dreary woman said. "But we just can't chance it," another old man added," What would the rest of the country think of us? Nope, best you stay right here... with us good, God fearing people of Devil's Shadow... You'll like it, once you get used to our humble living."
And so... here I am... I stay in this little, cramped hotel room, just looking out my window. Watching the random fits of night terrors, that frequently spring up here... That is of course... When I'm not having one.
The End.
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