Bedtime Stalker

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Rhonda closed her phone. She had just ended a call from Mr. Carrier, who is at an overnight camping trip with his students from Tampa Catholic. She headed back to her room. As Rhonda got ready for bed, she thought she heard something. A whisper, a murmur. Probably just the wind. My imagination is getting the better of me.

Rhonda closed the door and turned off the light. The door creaked when she closed it. Crrreeeeaaaakkk. She shook off her insecurities and climbed under the covers. As Rhonda’s eyes started to slip closed, she thought heard heavy footsteps in the house, followed by a door closing ever so slowly. Maybe Mr. Carrier came home early? But to make sure, she grabbed her phone and texted him.

"Hey where are you now."
"Still at the campsite. Why?"
"I hear something in the house."
"It"s probably just the wind. I'll be home tomorrow, good night."
"Ok, good night."

Rhonda tamped down her fear for good. She should stop watching too much TV. As she once again attempted to get comfortable, her bedroom door opened. By itself. As Rhonda watched with terror, she thought she saw a sliver of darkness slip through. No. That’s impossible. But what’s going on? Is this a juvenile prank? Rhonda covered her head under the covers. All was silent, until she felt it. The covers sunk from pressure beside her. Someone was on the bed, right next to her.

Rhonda slowly turned around to see. Oh, this is most definitely a prank. Let’s see who’s responsible. she angrily thought. But all pretense of anger vanished when she looked into the glowing eyes of a dark monster. It opened its mouth to smile.

Rhonda screamed.

It was the last thing she ever did.

The Lady of the Lake

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Bernard’s calloused hand gripped the oars and rowed slowly to the center of the large foggy lake. He was looking for a midnight fishing session on the lake for relaxation.  Bernard didn’t worry about the eerie darkness. His years as a fisherman gave him experience on the waters.

Bernard was almost to the center of the lake. He was getting old. It took much longer to row then it would have 20 years ago. As Bernard took a break to catch his breath, he failed to notice the ripples in the water. But Bernard looked up at a faint sound. There was a high female voice singing a soft tune. “That’s lovely”, he thought. He looked around but could not find the source of the voice. Finally, Bernard spotted a beautiful young woman seemingly floating in the lake, deeper into the lake.

The fog seemed to gather around her. Entranced, Bernard’s arms rowed of their own accord. The song grew louder and louder as he grew closer. The beautiful tune made his head foggy and unable to form a coherent thought. But just as Bernard came 10 feet away from the woman, the fog blocked her from his sight. He looked around. The fog was thicker than before and closing in on him. When he glanced at the water, he alarmingly caught a glimpse of a figure in the water, circling around him.

Bernard realized something was wrong. The song abruptly stopped. Its silent absence unnerved him. But it also cleared away the cobwebs in his brain. As he began frantically rowing to shore, pale, clawed hands rose out of the water and gripped the back of the boat. Bernard rowed harder. “Let me go!” he cried. Those hideous claws used supernatural strength to flip the boat. His world turned a murky brown. Bernard’s lungs were quickly becoming filled with water. His arms were tired from rowing. He was so terrified he couldn’t tell down from up.

Through the haze of Bernard’s fear, he witnessed a horrendous sight. A long, scaled creature was coming towards him. With the top of a pale, skinny women, and the bottom of a bloody fish, it swam. Bernard hurriedly swam to the surface. But a hand caught his ankles. The claws dug into his skin, drawing some blood. The crimson sight was enough to put the creature into a frenzy. It dragged Bernard down…

down…

down…

down…

The last thing he saw was inky blackness and the face of the beautiful singing woman.

The Undead Uncovered

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George shook his spray can and decorated the tomb a bright orange skull. He and Brad were having a little fun with some spray cans in the graveyard. “Hey Brad, I’m all out. Got any more?” Brad paused his spraying and was about to reply when he got a strange look over his face. Brad sniffed. “Ew! What is that smell? Bro what did you eat? It smells like something died!” George took a cautious sniff. There was the smell of death in the air. One might expect that aroma in a graveyard, but this one was too pungent to be smelled from the topside. The boys were looking around for the smell’s owner when the entire tomb shook violently. They screamed.

By now the boys were trying to scrape up their dignity, but they were shivering violently and staring at the tomb. “W-what was t-that? W-we should go now.” But Brad smiled a little to show his “bravery”. “You scared man? Come on, let’s go look.” Brad grabbed George’s arm and pulled him toward the still tomb. Brad was about to place a subtly shaking hand on the door when it suddenly opened.

The boys jumped once again and stepped cautiously inside. Behind them, the door slammed shut! Cast in darkness, George took out his phone and tried to push the door open. “Brad! We’re stuck!” The boys busied themselves with trying to pound and yell their way out. But they didn’t notice the death smell coming closer, or the snarl grumbling softly, until it was too late.

Brad and George abruptly whirled around. A rotting body placed its hand on their shoulders. With it, were two other zombies trying to get to their next meal. The boys screamed. Frantically, they tried to escape but were immediately blocked by the massive stone wall. The undead were colorless, except for the green pus coming out of their mouths. They were gaunt and barely had any clothing. Their horrendous groans brought the boys’ fears roaring out. They came close. One boney, rotting hand latched onto George’s ankle. All Brad could do was watch as the monsters dragged George, until they ate their fill.

Brad knew he would not escape. The next thing he knew was a hand on his shoulder, and a snarl, centimeters from his ear.

An Unwanted Friend

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I shouldered my bag and squinted ahead to see my surroundings. The late night fog had rolled in and the whispering wind only added to my discomfort. Oh man, my parents are gonna kill me for being this late again, I thought. I checked my phone right before it blacked out and died. Great. I can’t see a thing and now my phone’s dead. At least I know that what time it is. 3:33. The creepy hour encouraged me to walk faster. But even as I suspiciously glanced side to side, I was too preoccupied about my well-being that I didn’t notice a figure looming vaguely to my right.

Then I did see it. Craning my neck and squinting my eyes, I could only make out a male figure. “Hello?” I asked, hesitantly. “Can I borrow your phone?” But the mysterious man did not answer. When I briefly checked my surroundings, I looked back at him. Only to find no one there. Uh oh. No witnesses to hear my screams. I started jogging toward where my house should be. My house loomed into view. But the figure was at my door. How does he know where I live? In full panic mode, I sprinted toward my back door. I frantically pounded until my brother, Jeremy, opened it. “Why are you coming in from the back? It’s super late and Mom and Dad are gonna kill you.” Unless the stalker killed me first. Jeremy closed the door and looked at me, oblivious to my fear. I didn’t answer and hurriedly brushed past him and into my room.

Relieved, I sank against my door. It was raining now. Thundering. I hadn’t realized until now. The lightning flashed and I saw the man standing outside my window, looking in. I released a startled scream. When the lightning’s flash of light illuminated his face again, I saw a creepy smile stretch across his face. “Go away!” I shouted, sobbing and frantically searching for my old baseball bat from softball. Although I didn’t dare turn my back on him, I looked around the room for escape. When I looked back where he’d been, all I was lightning. But when I turned around again, there he was, reaching for me.

Emilie’s New Toy

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“I hate this.” Emilie said. She and her older sister, Elise, had to clean the basement by order of their parents. “I know,” Elise replied, “It’s so creepy down here.” They flicked a switch on the wall and a dim light bulb in the middle of the room flickered on. The next five minutes were spent exploring and shifting around junk. “Here, take a look at this.” Elise said with a grin. In her fingers was a ratty old doll missing an eyeball and several fingers. The scalp was showing on some parts of the head and the mouth was inhabited by only two teeth. Emilie shuddered and batted the creepy doll away. Its porcelain white body clattered, cracked, and rolled on the ground. One side of the doll’s face had a long, spindly crack crossing her eye. Suddenly, the room goes pitch black. When the lights flickered on again, the doll was gone. But Emilie could’ve sworn she saw a buck-toothed smile.

Elise laughed nervously. “Um, it probably just rolled under something.” Her  sister wasn’t so sure. She wanted to get out. Emilie turned and tried the knob. It wouldn’t budge. “Elise! The door is locked!” Elise walked over and scowled. “It’s not-” But when she tried the door, it still stubbornly stayed. The two girls looked around and stayed close to one another. The light flickered again. But this time, there was a sound. Clack. Clack. “Elise, if this is a prank, I’m not laughing.” Elise shook her head and gripped Emilie’s arm. “Nope, not me.” Then there was a baby-like squeal. The girls immediately turned and started pounding on the door. Their unheard cries for help quickly turned into screams. The could hear the doll getting closer. Then it was dark again. Emilie heard Elise’s pain-filled screech. Her scratchy nails tore across Emilie’s skin as she was dragged away.  When the dim light turned on again, the only sign of Elise was a blood stain where she once stood.

Emilie started sobbing. On a tall box in the middle of the room, sat the baby. Its horrid features were contorted and there was blood around its mouth. The porcelain head slowly turned a full 360. When its one-eyed gaze settled on her again, it smiled again. Then it leaped off the box and started crawling toward Emilie.

 

Epilogue

Andrew,  their older brother, had been listening to blasting rock music in his headphones, was upstairs finishing an essay. He wanted Elise to proofread it, so he pulled out an earplug and called for his sister. “Hey Elise! Get over here.” There was silence except for a thumping sound in the basement. Andrew knew Elise was home because she entered the house only an hour to clean downstairs with Emilie. “Elise! Stop playing!” He stomped down to the basement and opened the door. Sitting in front of the door as it swing upon, the malicious doll stared up at Andrew.

 

Shadows in the Dark

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Mark and Annie packed up their things for the night. Outside it was storming. They had stayed another couple hours after school to finish some projects. Each carried their backpacks and turned off all the lights in their homeroom. Mark and Annie were walking toward their locker when all the lights but the emergency lights went off. “The storm must’ve knocked off the power.”Mark said. The rain, wind and darkness combined emitted a nerve-racking atmosphere. “Let’s just go. I don’t want to get caught in this storm. Plus, it’s kinda creepy now that it’s dark. The shadows look funny.” admitted Annie. That was an understatement. Mark could see that the shadows almost looked like… hands, reaching out to him.

The two teens wordlessly walked through the dark hallway. Then suddenly, Mark saw a dark figure creep up behind Annie. “Annie! Behind you!” Mark pointed behind her and she whirled around. But… there was nothing there. “Ha ha. Very funny Mark.” But Mark was flabbergasted. “Bu-but, I saw something. I swear!” he stuttered. Annie just shook her head when she heard a faint whisper. “What was that?” she asked. But Mark replied, “I didn’t say anything.” Annie just scowled. He was obviously messing with her, right?

But the wind grew louder and stronger outside. Mark and Annie both picked up the pace. The shadows were definitely in the form of long, spindly arms. The faint whispers that Annie heard were now screams. Mark dropped his belongings and shouted, “Annie! What’s going on? Let’s get out of here!” Annie returned his look of terror and dropped her things. They started running.

They could see the faint outline of the door up ahead. They were so close! The shadows and screams were gaining on them. Annie’s hair and clothing were being pulled by transparent, bony arms. The horrendous limbs were simultaneously trying to trip Mark. The two sprinted even harder until the door was clear in sight. They were so close… until they got Annie.

Annie was soon lost in a tangle of shadow. Mark screamed. He stopped for a moment and stared. Mark was startled by an oncoming screech. He turned and tried running out the door. But it was too late… he joined Annie in a matter of seconds.

 

Into the Woods

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The seventh grade was having an end of the year camping party in the woods. Devon and Sofia had wandered off chasing fireflies. By the time they realized they were lost, it was already nearly pitch black. The only light illuminating in the darkness was their dim glowsticks.

“We have to find the rest of the class!”cried Devon anxiously. Sofia just rolled her eyes and groaned. “Don’t worry. They’ll notice we’re missing  in a couple minutes. Then they’ll start yelling at us for being stupid and wandering away.” Devon let out a exasperated sigh while trying to fling the wet muck off of her sneakers. Suddenly she heard a rustle in the bushes behind her. “Sargeant,” Devon whispered, “I think there’s something behind us. I heard there were strange creatures  in these woods.” Then Sofia let out a short laugh and said “Dev, you read waaaaaaay too many books.” Then there was a loud growl of hostility. Then the two girls looked at each other and shouted simultaneously: “RUN!”

Devon and Sofia bolted and sprinted blindly past the trees. Sofia’s only thought was escape until she heard a yelp followed by a thump. She risked a glance over her shoulder and slowed to a stop. Devon had tripped. “Dev! Get up!” Devon looked up with tears streaking down her face. “I can’t!” Then Sofia watched with wide eyes as Devon was dragged through the dark shrubs. Sofia also had tears streaming down her face by the time she heard a strangled, “Go!” Then a scream, then silence.

Sofia burst into another sprint when she came into the camp clearing. Everyone was gone. The tents were ripped. Blood on the ground. But no one was there. Behind her, there was a deep growl. Slowly she turned around, before the painful darkness descended down upon her.

Under your Bed

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Emilie doesn’t believe in monsters, ghosts, or any other supernatural horror. Her parents are scientists and she has been raised to believe and rely on cold, hard facts. Her parents were working over night, so Emilie was sleeping over at Makenzies house. The girls were trying to scare each other with horror stories.

“You know, a monster lives under the bed. You better sleep with one eye open.” Makenzie taunted. Emilie scoffed. Shaking her head of any doubts, she got ready for bed and climbed in. Since there was only one bed, Makenzie slept in a sleeping bag on the floor next to her. So even if she did believe in Makenzie’s story, Makenzie would be eaten first.

In the dark, Emilie heard a strange scratching sound. Then the sound of someone thrashing on the floor.  Ha. Makenzie’s probably just having a nightmare. Emilie thought. She didn’t want to show Makenzie that she was scared, so Emilie didn’t turn on the lights.

Then, about an hour later, Emilie felt a thump under her bed. “Makenzie! Quit it!” Emilie whispered. There was eerie silence. Then, she heard a noise. Was that… a growl?

Then she got up and stood on the floor. “Makenzie? Where are you? Are you messing with me, because if you are, this isn’t funny.” Her voice quivered with fear. Suddenly,  a scaly, cold tail wrapped around her ankle. Emilie shrieked and scrambled to get away. She fell onto her knees, not caring about bruises or cuts, and frantically searched for her flashlight.  Emilie’s fingers grabbed its cold metal and clicked it on. Finally! she thought. She quickly stood up into a defensive position.

Emilie heard shuffling on the floor, but she couldn’t decipher where it was coming from. She heard another growl and what sounded like a creature licking its lips. I have to find the door. But I can barely see a thing. Fear messed up her sense of direction, so she backed up against the wall and felt around for the door. Emilie’s hand came in contact with a round, metal shape. Got it! She thought triumphantly. Just as she was about to turn the knob, the scaly tail wrapped around her ankle once again and yanked.

The monster dragged her across the room and under the bed.

 

The Creepy Clown

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Susan was babysitting two kids for a wealthy family. The parents were archaeologists that collected artifacts from all over the world and put them on display. Susan was watching TV in the basement. But her attention was divided because of the life-size, creepy clown statue. It seemed to be… staring right at her.

Susan glanced at the statue. Its piercing gaze looked sadistic. She looked away. After a continuous 10 minutes of looking and looking away, Susan was finally and officially creeped out. She usually wasn’t easy to scare, but in this case there was an exception.

Susan grabbed her phone and called the parents. “Hello? Mr. Bower? I’m sorry to bother you but the clown statue in your living room is kinda scary. Can I move it?” There was silence on the phone. Mr. Bower spoke up, “Susan, listen to me very carefully. The kids have been saying that a clown appears in their room at night, but we just thought they were having nightmares. Get out of the house and call the cops.” Susan was definitely terrified now. Just as she was about to call the cops, she looked up. The clown was gone.

The next thing she heard was maniacal laughter and a blood-curdling scream.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Haunted Hitchhiker

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A newly wed couple were driving to their dream honeymoon destination. It was dark, cold, and pouring. The couple was trying to navigate throughout the narrow, bumpy road. They were happily thinking about the next week or two. What they didn’t realize is what freakishness awaits them in the dark of the night…

As they were driving down the road, the man spotted a young women in a tattered white dress. She was simply watching them. “Good luck finding someone who will give you a ride,” he muttered. The women scolded him and told him to pull over. “It’s raining and she must be freezing cold. It won’t hurt to give her a ride.” The man sighed. Reluctantly he rolled down the window and called, “Hey Miss? You seem rather stranded. Do you want a ride?” She nodded and climbed into the car. After giving the couple her home address, the women tried making conversation, but the girl stayed silent and eventually fell asleep.

As they drove into the neighborhood, the women looked back and gave a little sound of surprise. “She’s gone!” The man turned around. She was gone. The only evidence she was ever there was a puddle in the spot she was sitting. “We should find her parents.” They went to the house and knocked.

A middle aged man and woman drowsily opened the door only to find two strangers at their door. The young woman said, “Hello. We picked up a teenage girl who gave us this address. But she was gone by the time we got here.” The old couple immediately woke up and exchanged a glance. “Our daughter Emily died 8 years ago. People have come to our door before telling us about a mysterious hitchhiker that disappeared into mid air.”

After  a couple minutes, the young couple left for their honeymoon and tried to forget about that mysterious night. When driving down the road, pick up a hitchhiker, if you dare…