13
Night Terrors
An Anthology of Horror and Dark Fiction
13: Night Terrors
Copyright © 2017. All rights reserved.
First Print Edition: September 2017
Limitless Publishing, LLC
Kailua, HI 96734
www.limitlesspublishing.com
Formatting: Limitless Publishing
ISBN-13: 978-1-64034-204-0
ISBN-10: 1-64034-204-4
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to locales, events, business establishments, or actual persons—living or dead—is entirely coincidental.
Table of Contents
Alvah Manor
By Nykki Mills
Demented
By Taylor Henderson
Into Mama’s Lair
By Elizbeth Roderick
Mama’s Closet
By Erin Lee
Mommy Hold Me
By Kristin Jacques
Room 158
By Thomas S. Flowers
The Best of Intentions
By Joshua Macmillan
The Body Farm
By Marissa Farrar
The Day That…
By Samie Sands
The House on Tabott Hill
By D.A. Roach
The Slit-Mouthed Woman
By Jackie Sonnenberg
The Sound of Deep Waters
By Jennifer Loring
Unlocked
By Sara Schoen
GET (5) FREE READS EVERY FRIDAY!
Alvah Manor
By Nykki Mills
Chapter One
Excitement coursed through me. I couldn’t believe this was happening. Here I was, the brand new owner of a historical home. I looked around the empty foyer and wondered how I was going to fill the place up. All of the furniture in my apartment could fit into the front room with room to spare.
To my left, I could see my mother frowning as she looked around. “This place is a wreck! I still don’t know what on earth you were thinking. The nearest neighbor is two miles away!”
My brother dropped a box next to me with a thud. “She was thinking that it would be a three-hour drive for you to come hassle her about her future.”
I coughed to cover my laughter, and my mom shot my brother a playful dirty look. That was the difference between me and my twin. He could say anything to my mother, and she laughed it off. Had I said it, she would bring it up every Thanksgiving for the next decade. My sister-in-law Zoe came in holding the reason my brother was Mom’s favorite in her arms.
My mom squealed in delight, like she hadn’t just seen him outside five seconds ago, and held out her hands for her grandson. My nephew was fawned over, being the first baby to grace our generation, and the collective apple of all of our eyes. He was a cute little monster. A pang ached in my chest; I was going to miss them so much. I knew that three hours wasn’t crazy, but my weekend babysitting was going to drop drastically.
My dad dropped the last box in the foyer and looked around. I could see the hint of pride in his eyes as he took in the surroundings. My dad loved to tinker with and fix things. This was a dream project for him. My mom gave a disapproving humph and switched Damien from one hip to the other. “I think it’s a money pit, Kayteigh. You could have gotten a brand new home around the corner from us for what you paid for this.” She looked around, not hiding her aversion to my dream house. “And what are you going to do with all this space?”
Zoe chimed in, agreeing with my mother, like always. “It’s kind of creepy…”
Like my own house was betraying me, a piece of plaster dropped from the ceiling.
My dad threw his big arm over my shoulder and laughed. “What it lacks in structural integrity, it makes up for in historic value.”
My mom rolled her eyes and looked at her watch. “We’ll go get dinner, you guys can help Kayteigh get her bed put together, but we should get on the road before dark.” Her eyes cut to me. “We have a long drive.”
She and Zoe made a beeline for the door. As the door closed behind them, I threw up my arms. “Do you think she’s ever going to forgive me?”
Kaleb snickered. “Maybe, when you give her a grandchild.”
My dad laughed too and patted my shoulder. “Let’s get that bed up or she’ll be mad at all of us instead of just Kayteigh.”
I gave him a playful shove and picked up the headboard propped against the wall while they grabbed the queen mattress and set to work.
My family was getting ready to leave when my mom’s attitude shattered. My dad tucked her close as the first of the tears emerged. “Deanna, she’ll be fine. This is her dream come true.”
I stepped closer and hugged them both. We stood like that for a couple beats before my mom pulled away and swiped her tears away. “You’ve always been a pain in the butt. I’m not going to sleep a wink thinking about you out here all alone.”
I hugged her again. “I’m going to be fine, Mom.”
She nodded against my shoulder and then pulled away, holding me at arm’s length and then smiling. “I know you will be, but I’m going to miss you.”
I fought the urge to cry too. “Me too, Mom.”
I ushered them out and waved goodbye until their taillights faded in the distance.
My eyes burning from exhaustion and probably allergies, I ambled to the master bathroom. I’d cleaned it first thing when I’d got here just for this moment. My first shower in my first house. I spun the handle, and a loud clanking rattled through the house, followed by the worst smell I’d ever encountered. The dingy brown water that sputtered from the faucet was the source of the smell. I spun the handle, shutting it off. Dropping my head against the tub, I allowed a minute for a pity party before making the calls to emergency plumbers.
Chapter Two
The sound of someone banging on the door woke me. I rolled over and looked at my phone. It was eight—shit. I didn’t wake up to my alarm. I snatched a hoodie off the edge of the bed, threw it on, and yanked on some shorts. I’d been up all night trying to get the water situation figured out. I needed a new well, and the pounding was probably the people who were going to make me one.
The pounding on the door sounded again. I hurried down the once-grand staircase and threw open the door. A man in a hardhat stood on the wraparound porch, looking around.
“Can I help you?” I asked.
He whirled around, startled by my voice. “Oh, ma’am, I was starting to think this was some prank and no one bought this house after all.” He offered a smile, one that caught me off guard. I was suddenly aware of how horrible I probably looked.
“Yeah, no prank…here I am, no water.”
“Right, so we’ll go over this contract and get started. It’ll probably be a two-day job, maybe three.”
I stepped aside and pushed the door open further to allow him access. He brushed past me and looked around the house, seemingly in awe. “So what possessed you to buy this old place?” he asked as he shuffled through the papers on his clipboard.
I left the door open and looked around the house, trying to see it from an outsider perspective. “I fell in love with this place. It’s got gorgeous bones, and I can’t wait to fix it up. Imagine how it will look once I’m done.”
He was smiling at me when I looked back at him. “Well, I can’t wait to see what y
ou do with it. I think this place could use a new reputation.”
I cocked my head. “A new reputation?”
His smile turned sheepish. “Oh man, this place has been empty long as I can remember, the legendary Alvah Manor. This was the house kids dared each other to go into in the dark. So many creepy stories. I don’t reckon any of them were ever true, but kids will be kids.”
I nodded, looking around again, trying to picture this being the town horror house. It seemed such a wild thought. He handed the clipboard over. I took it, and my stomach dropped when I saw the price. The six thousand dollars it was going to cost was going to take away from the new roof. I guess I could only hope I could get it replaced before summer was over.
I signed the papers without reading all of it—my mother wouldn’t approve—and handed it back to the man. I held out my hand to him. “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name. Mine is Kayteigh.”
He took my hand and gave it a firm squeeze. “Alex. Nice to meet you,” he said. A silence fell between us, and it wasn’t entirely uncomfortable. “I guess I’ll get out of your hair and let you get on with it.”
Once he let himself out, I gathered my toiletries and set off in search of a hotel to shower at.
Chapter Three
I felt better, like I could take on this well disaster and the world, after that shower. I turned down the narrow dirt road that led down to my little piece of heaven. It was almost like the outer neighborhood had been built around my property, which was set a quarter mile back from the road, my closest neighbor nearly a mile away on either side.
My heart sank as my house came into view. Several cop cars and a coroner’s van were parked along the road. I threw the car into park and jumped out. A uniformed officer appeared from behind the house and held a hand up to stop me.
“I live here, so get your hand out of my face!”
He dropped his hand and took a step back with a tight smile. “I.D., please.”
I fumbled with my purse. “What the hell happened? Did one of the guys get hurt?” I demanded, yanking my license out and shoving it into his waiting hand.
He looked it over and then handed it back to me. “No, ma’am, no one got hurt…” I started toward the back. He startled like he’d forgotten I was there and came after me. I’d reached the back of the house when another cop appeared. He was older and looked like he was taking no shit. Before he could tell me to stop, the other cop told him I was the owner. The older man nodded and waved me after him. I followed him the rest of the way into the backyard.
“The workmen started digging your new well and uncovered…bodies.”
My head snapped in his direction. “Bodies? As in more than one?” The older man rubbed his big handlebar mustache with one hand and gave a curt nod. “How many?”
The younger cop I’d run into first shifted uncomfortably. “They’re still digging, but so far they’ve got four.”
I was stunned. It felt like my chest was being squeezed. Did I buy a dumping ground for a serial killer? My knee-jerk reaction was to call my parents, but if I did, my mom would never stop with I told you so’s. No, that would be last resort.
“Four dead bodies in my backyard? Like, how recent?”
The younger of the two cops reached out to steady me. “Not all that recent. If the boxes we found are any indication, they’re all part of the Alvah family.”
The older cop held out his hand to me. “I’m Officer Gald, and this is Officer Rodgers, Ms. Moore,” he said, nodding at the younger cop.
I stared at his hand for a beat, trying to figure out what I was supposed to do with it. He dropped his hand, shifted his weight, and adjusted his belt. I looked to the younger one and back to Officer Gald. “What are you going to do with the bodies once you have them all dug up?”
“Well, I reckon the county will put them in donated plots,” Officer Rodgers answered.
I winced at how cold that sounded. “Just like that? No one is going to try and find relatives and see what they want done?”
Officer Gald straightened his spine. “No, ma’am. If I remember correctly, the town had a BBQ to celebrate when they left town. But that don’t matter. The coroner has to confirm who those bodies are first.”
I stared, stunned at his callousness. Those bodies were someone’s family. “Whether or not the townies liked them, they should be notified.”
His jaw clenched, and he shook his head. “No, they shouldn’t. I get that you ain’t from around here, but this is one of them things you need to let go.” He spun on the heel of his boot and walked over to the excavation crew.
I glared after him, hoping he could feel the heat of it on the back of his head.
“I don’t suppose there is anything I could do to talk you into takin’ his advice?” Officer Rodgers said, startling me.
“Hell no,” I said. I looked him over. He seemed nice enough. Maybe not the smartest, but a nice person. “You guys can show yourselves off my property when you’re done.”
Chapter Four
I sat on my wraparound porch watching the weeping willows sway gently in the wind while the fireflies danced across the night sky. The breeze helped chase away the sweat pricking against my skin. The humidity created condensation on my glass of lemonade tea. There were a couple extra splashes of vodka in tonight’s drink. There was nothing quite like a summer night in the south. Even on a dreadful night like tonight, you just felt the sense of home. My finger hovered over the call button on my cell. I’d found a living member of the Alvah family.
I couldn’t pinpoint the origin of my unease. Was it the way Officer Gald had reacted about the family? Maybe it was simply the weirdness of calling a stranger up about the bones of their ancestors. I wasn’t sure. Butterflies tickled my stomach as I forced my thumb down on the call button.
It rang once before a woman answered in a deep southern drawl. “Hello?”
I cleared my throat and introduced myself. The woman listened patiently while I explained the situation.
There was a moment of silence before she spoke. “Ma and Pa, eh? It wasn’t legal buryin’ the family like that…never…you know what? We’ll be there in no time. Thank you, sweetheart.”
I thanked her and hung up the phone, feeling lighter. I eased back into my chair to watch the fireflies and listen to the crickets while I finished my drink. I did the right thing. I couldn’t imagine if it were my granny and no one told me.
I knew as well as anyone that it wasn’t exactly hard to get black sheeped out of your own town. For me, it had been leaving the town’s golden boy at the altar. Barret was the star quarterback in high school, taking our small town to more victories than any other player ever, prom king, and serial cheater. We’d been together since freshman year, and I forgave him time and time again. Until my cousin and maid of honor boinked him the night before our wedding, that was. I caught them red-handed. I’d been all set to forgive him again, but when I got up to that altar, I freaked like a spooked horse and bolted. I never bothered telling my side of the story. By the time Kaleb found me, Barret had already told the whole town about his harrowing years trapped in an emotionally abusive relationship, which was why I needed this fresh start so much.
I shook away thoughts of the past and enjoyed nature’s performance until my eyes started feeling heavy. Resting my head against the back of the chair, I allowed my eyes to close.
I woke with a jolt. My heart was pounding, and sweat beaded down my forehead. I sat up straight and looked around, trying to figure out what jolted me out of sleep. Nothing looked out of place. I reached for my phone on the table next to me, and my fingers came up empty. I looked down at the table to find my cell missing and my glass knocked over. A muffled beep alerted me that my phone was near. Feeling around, I found it under my leg. The clock read 1AM. How had I slept out here that long?
I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and stretched out my legs. A loud bang sounded from inside the house. My heart went into overdrive. The banging sounded aga
in. I clutched my phone to my chest and stood up. A little more awake, I noticed the wind had kicked up a bit. I inched toward the screen door, listening intently. It had to be the wind. What else could it be? Maybe teens who didn’t know the place had been purchased? How would they have missed the porch light and the excavation stuff in the backyard? I sucked in a deep breath and threw open the screen.
Flipping on a light, I yelled out, “If anyone is here, you better get out before I call the police!”
Another bang sounded. Looking behind me, the property was more ominous than it had been only a few hours ago. I spotted a pair of box cutters sitting on top of a nearby box and snatched them up, making my way toward the sound, my face hot with fear. The only sounds were that of my pounding heart, the wind, and the periodic banging. It didn’t sound consistent.
This was either something silly like the wind or something sinister. My thoughts trailed back to the bodies that were dug up earlier, and a violent tremor racked my spine. I’d never been superstitious. Kaleb was, though. I imagined if I’d called him earlier and told him about the bones, he would have been here in less than two hours with the local priest in tow to bless the house.
It was a silly thought, because obviously if there were ghosts here, they wouldn’t have to wait to be dug up to haunt the place. The banging sounded again, this time three consecutive bangs followed by some light rattling. Gritting my teeth as I reached the doorway where the sound came from, I held my breath and swung around the corner with the box cutter in front of me. A loud bang erupted in the quiet house, making me jump. I flipped on the light and breathed a sigh of relief when I saw it was a shutter hitting into the house with the wind. I laughed, feeling like a complete idiot.
13 Night Terrors Page 1
