It Took Billy
Page 1
Also by Miguel Lopez de Leon
Babble Magic
The Light Dweller
The Covens of Elmeeria
The Galadria Trilogy
Galadria: Peter Huddleston & The Rites of Passage
Galadria: Peter Huddleston & The Mists of the Three Lakes
Galadria: Peter Huddleston & The Knights of the Leaf
It Took Billy
Miguel Lopez de Leon
It Took Billy is a dark fantasy for adult readers.
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2018 by Miguel Lopez de Leon
All rights reserved.
Print ISBN: 978-1-54394-762-5
eBook ISBN: 978-1-54394-763-2
Galadria Worldwide, Los Angeles, California
Table of Contents
July 6, Late Afternoon, Cabin
MAIN HALL: NIGHT
Tuesday. At the local café, having a delicious cup of hot coffee.
The handwritten journal of Billy Ranter was found inside a plastic bag in a hollow tree trunk in the forest. The tree was near a rented cabin where his father and he were staying. The pages from the first half of the softcover journal had been ripped out. At the time the journal was discovered, Billy Ranter had been missing for three months.
July 6, Late Afternoon, Cabin
I keep seeing the figure of a completely bald man, with skin as white as chalk. He seems to be dressed in loose, black rags. At least I think I’m seeing him. In the distance. In parking lots. At the supermarket. As Dad and I drive home. I see him through the corner of my eye, but when I turn to look, there’s no one there. Great—I’m quietly going crazy again, lol. Or maybe I’m just bored.
At least we’re back at the cabin now. We made a quick run to the market this morning, and we now have a fresh supply of coffee. It came in a huge, old-fashioned tin. It’s surprisingly good—very strong and smooth. I’m having a cup now. We also got some food, as well as the usual stash of chocolates and chips, fruits and nuts.
Dad is in the small room. His door is shut. No doubt still hard at work. After being here for a few days, I have to admit, this cabin is really nice. Three bedrooms, all fully furnished in a rustic style—wooden walls and floors, quilts on the beds, stone fireplace, old paintings of animals and trees, etc. The living room is the selling point though. It has a really high wall of windows and glass sliding doors that offer up a spectacular view of the mountains, forest, and river. Outside the sliding doors is a small balcony with some old patio furniture on it. Overall, not a bad place to spend the summer before school starts again. The living room has a flat-screen, cable, and Wi-Fi. This is our fourth time renting a cabin for the summer—and we never return to the same one. I don’t know why Dad always wants to rent a place instead of staying at our actual vacation house. What’s the point of having it if we don’t use it?
Maybe later I’ll take another walk around the property. No matter how many times we come up to the mountains, I’m still always surprised by how cold it is in the summer.
As for the white-as-chalk bald man I keep seeing, if he didn’t have such a striking similarity to that old black-and-white horror movie I keep watching online, I’d be a lot more worried. Not to mention there were many pale, bald guys at the supermarket. Oh, that reminds me, we got that big box of dark chocolates. I’m going to have some with my coffee!
9:08 p.m., Cabin
Dad’s gone back to work, locked in one of the bedrooms—his makeshift office. We had a nice, simple dinner. He made us pasta with tomato sauce and a salad. Now I’m in front of the flat-screen in the living room. The news is on, but I put it on mute. I was going to start a fire in the fireplace, but I got lazy. Never got to walking around the property either, maybe I’ll just do it tomorrow. I’ve been staring out the glass sliding doors and wall of windows and admiring the view instead. The moonlight is bright enough to sort of make out the river and a bit of the forest. In the distance, I can see the light coming from a couple of houses, but they’re few and far between. Although it’s beautiful, I’m not immune to how spooky it is—but I kind of like that mix of beautiful and scary.
Maybe I’ll watch another horror movie online and really freak myself out, lol.
July 7, Morning, Cabin
Just had coffee with Dad. He too is surprised at how good this old coffee brand is. He’s telling me not to drink too much of it. But who is he kidding—I’m short because I’m short, coffee’s not going to make it any worse. Oh, and it was freezing when I woke up this morning! I fell asleep watching TV in the living room again, but it was so cool to wake up and instantly see our awesome view. The sunlight was hitting the river so perfectly and making the water glisten and sparkle. I haven’t eaten anything yet; I think I’m still digesting the pasta Dad made last night. My stomach kind of hurts. Maybe tonight I should cook.
Afternoon, Cabin
So this is weird. I walked around the property today and explored a little farther than I had before. The ground continued to slope steeply downward, but it had several areas where it just flattened out and was easy to walk through. It was a beautiful day, the birds were chirping, the grass was green, the air was chilly—blah, blah, blah. But as I was trying to balance myself and walk down another steep part of the terrain, a whole bunch of squirrels ran by me, before they started attacking one another! About ten squirrels! It was like a gang war—except fluffy! I tried to take a video with my phone, but by the time I got it out they had all run to some nearby trees. They were so loud. The whole forest must have heard them trying to kill one another. Other than that, I suppose it was an uneventful walk. I took a lot of great pictures with my phone, mostly shots of the lake and forest from different angles, a lot of light streaming in through the trees, that sort of thing.
Now I’m back in the living room. It’s still pretty early. Maybe I should start planning an early dinner and let Dad have a break from cooking. I’m once again having some hot coffee and munching on chocolates—they’re so good. It really is peaceful here. I forget how the hustle and bustle of the city, and school, can sometimes wear a person down. Maybe I’ll start reading that sci-fi novel I brought. Looks pretty interesting. Maybe after dinner. Doing what I can to stay off the internet and my phone, if for nothing else, then just a change of pace. Seems like such a waste to come to a place like this then spend all day watching videos online. Although there was a hysterical one the other day of a cat sitting on its owner’s head, lol. Phone ringing…
Evening, Cabin
So that was Mike wanting to know what I was up to. When I told him about the squirrels, he said that’s not unusual, apparently squirrels are nuts. Hey, I just made a joke! Anyway, he was bored. He and Beth are going to the movies tonight, so lucky them. I sent him the link to the funny cat video, and he thought it was awesome. It should be—it has over five million views. I sent him some pictures of the cabin and forest too, and he said he’d show Beth.
So for dinner I invented something, and it turned out pretty good! I put a whole bunch of vegetables in a pan with some olive oil, breadcrumbs, and some spices, and then added that to cooked pasta. Then I put all that in a pan, covered it with layers of cheese, and put it in the oven until all the cheese was melted. I guess that’s just a casserole. Not bad though. Then Dad and I watched some TV before he went back to work in the extra room. I’m still here, taking selfies. Oh yeah, the sci-fi book! That’s what I’ll do tonight. Mike already read it and said it was very good.
July 8, Early
Morning, Cabin
So it’s about 3:30 in the morning, can’t sleep, but maybe it has something to do with all the chocolate and coffee. Finally made a fire in the fireplace, looking at it now…so relaxing. Despite the two sweaters I’m wearing, and the fire, I still feel a little cold.
Morning, Cabin
I haven’t slept yet. After making the fire, I ended up reading a little and binged-watched some shows online. It was pretty fun. Had the coffee ready by the time Dad woke up. We sat on the rickety looking balcony for a while, sipping hot coffee and enjoying the view. He asked me how the sci-fi book was; I told him I didn’t like it. He said I looked tired.
Afternoon, Cabin
I had an interesting afternoon. I tried to take a nap, but couldn’t, so I walked back to where I saw the squirrels. This time, I only saw four of them, but they were dead. Four dead squirrels. That’s weird, right? Or is that just normal for a forest? Wouldn’t some other animal come along and eat their bodies? Anyway, having seen enough horror movies in my life, my first instinct was to come back to the cabin, but I talked myself into exploring a bit more. It’s not like I haven’t seen a dead squirrel before, like on the road. I just haven’t seen four dead ones at the same time. Anyway, the scenery was beautiful. Took a bunch more pics with my phone.
July 9, Early Morning
Okay…so this is getting strange. After having a nice dinner with Dad, he went back to his room to work, and I finally fell asleep in the living room watching TV. There are curtains that can be pulled over the glass sliding doors to provide privacy, but since all that’s out there is the balcony and the view of the forest and mountains, we’ve just been leaving the curtains open. Once again, I woke up at about 3:30 a.m. and thought I saw something on the other side of the sliding doors. It was another dead squirrel, on the balcony right next to the glass. So naturally, like a coward, or smart person, or both, I made sure that the sliding doors were locked, and then I shut the curtains. I’m definitely mentioning this to Dad when he wakes up. I would guess that our balcony is about two to three stories high, judging by the steep slope of the land, and since the cabin is on the side of a mountain. How did a dead squirrel get up here? I guess it could have just climbed up the balcony beams or come from the other side of the house. How did it die on the balcony though?
Morning, Cabin
So when I pulled open the curtains this morning, the squirrel corpse was gone. I didn’t bother mentioning it to Dad. Could it have just been sleeping? No, that squirrel was dead. Which leads me to think, what animal got onto the balcony to eat it? An owl? FYI, I haven’t slept since finding the squirrel.
Late Afternoon, Cabin
What the hell is going on? I was on the balcony, checking to see if there were any clues about my missing squirrel, when I looked straight down over the banister and saw him again. That white-as-chalk bald man. He was wearing dark rags and was staring up at me. But I blinked, and he was gone. I know I saw him. Dad is out running a quick errand. When he gets back, I’ll tell him about the man. I don’t care if it sounds crazy. I already made sure that all the doors and windows are locked.
Evening, Cabin
I fell asleep. I can’t believe I fell asleep. It’s 3:30 a.m. again! Why do I keep waking up at this time? Dad’s fast asleep in his room. I guess he knew that I hadn’t slept and didn’t want to wake me. I checked again to make sure that all the doors and windows were locked. I closed the curtains in the living room. I’m back in front of the muted TV, with all the lights on, writing this. Should I wake him? I don’t think he
Unknown Location
Stay calm, stay calm. I’m in some kind of cave. I woke up here with nothing but my journal and pen. He took my phone and my shoes. It’s freezing. How did I get inside this cave? It’s small, with no entrances or tunnels, just rock all around me. I checked several times, but I couldn’t find any signs of how I got in here. There’s nothing but an old glass lantern with a thick, lit candle in it. Why would he leave me with my journal and pen? If anyone finds this, my name is Billy, Bill, Ranter. I’m 15 years old. I was in a cabin with my father, the writer Roger Ranter. I can’t remember the address of the cabin; it was on my phone. Everything is on my phone. The chalk-white-man brought me here. I don’t think he’s a man. I’m not sure what he is. I wrote “HELP-KIDNAPPED,” my name, and my dad’s email and phone number on the first page of the journal. I was going to write it on the cover, but that creature might take it away if he sees it. I don’t want to write down our main home address; I don’t know what that thing might do with that information. I don’t know what else to do! I must have looked around this cave for an hour, but it’s like I’m enclosed in a tomb. The only thing I can make out are little holes in the rock walls, really deep ones. I’m assuming that’s where the air is coming from. Focusing on this entry is calming me down a little. At least I can write down what happened.
It was the middle of the night, I couldn’t sleep, and I was in the living room writing in this journal (my last entry). Suddenly, everything turned off—the lights, the television, everything! My first instinct was to grab my phone, but when I tried to turn it on, hardly any light came from it. I quickly put on my shoes and used the phone’s fading light to get me to the kitchen counter, where I knew there was a flashlight. After turning the flashlight on, I quickly inspected my phone. I knew it was almost fully charged, yet it wasn’t turning on. Even the flashlight was very weak, though I knew it had fresh batteries in it. After pocketing my phone, I hurried to my dad’s room and found him fast asleep. I called out to him and even shook him several times, but he wouldn’t wake up. That’s when I started really freaking out. I checked to make sure he was breathing, which he was, and then I started looking around the room for his phone. I found it, but it wouldn’t turn on. I didn’t know his password anyway. Then I heard something in the living room.
I wanted to just lock the door and stay with my dad in his room, but it was not an option. For whatever reason, he was not waking up, and I wasn’t about to let anything happen to him when he was helpless in bed. I knew that the isolated cabin had no landline, so I had no way to call for help. I guess I could have shouted out the window. I’m pretty sure that our location on the mountain would have amplified my voice, but I knew that no one lived near us. So whatever was happening, I had to handle it. At this point, adrenaline had taken over, because I could hardly breathe.
Behind the open door of my dad’s bedroom was an old metal poker from the fireplace. Placing a weapon of some kind behind his bedroom door was one of the first things he did whenever we got to a new cabin. After grabbing it, I crept into the living room. This was about the time that the already dimming flashlight in my hand went out.
The previously shut curtains to the glass sliding doors were now wide open, and standing on the balcony, almost glowing against the surrounding darkness, was the bald man with the chalk-white skin. He was still dressed in dark rags and was staring right at me.
I ran back into my dad’s dark room and yelled at him loudly. I was also trying to get my phone to work, but it wouldn’t. I tried lifting my dad up, but he was too heavy to carry. I don’t know what I was thinking; I must have been panicking. I just thought that maybe I could carry him to the car and drive away. But the bald man, the look on his sunken face, it was like something out of a nightmare. He looked insane and gleeful.
Then I heard the unmistakable sound of the sliding doors opening, and my heart felt like it was about to explode. But I knew I had to defend Dad. I once again pocketed my phone and dropped the useless flashlight, before creeping into the living room, gripping the poker with both hands. The demon was standing in the middle of the room. I wanted to yell at him. I wanted to run over to him and start swinging wildly. I also knew that there were kitchen knives close by, and the heavy fire extinguisher could probably be used as a weapon too. But despite thinking all this, all I could do was stare at him. He was so tall and so thin. His eyes were sunken in, and his skin was so pale that it w
as almost bluish. I could feel the cold air coming in from the open sliding doors. The odd smell in the air nauseated me. Glancing at the balcony, the moonlight revealed the carcasses of dozens of dead squirrels on the rickety floor.
I don’t know if I was hypnotized or in shock, but I couldn’t move. The pale man just kept staring at me, and then he started whispering incoherently under his breath. I wanted to shout out when I felt something brush against my frozen shoulder. I watched in horror as my father walked past me. He seemed to still be asleep as he slowly made his way to the terrifying man in the center of the room.
Then the monster started whispering louder, and—there’s no other way to say this—my dad started levitating off the floor! His legs were hanging limply down, while both his arms were sticking straight out on either side of him.
I stood there, unable to move or speak, staring at my floating father. Then the demonic man glided up to me, still whispering under his breath. When he reached me, he started yelling in a high-pitched shriek. I could see his blackened teeth and smell his rotten breath. Seconds later, he reached out and grabbed my forehead with his hand. The last thing I remember was his touch. For some reason, I thought it would be ice-cold, but instead, it was hot, like a furnace. Like he was burning my skin. Then I woke up in this cave.
Where am I? Who or what was that creature? Is my dad okay? Did he take my father as well? Is he hurt? I have nothing but my jeans and sweater on me. Why did he take my shoes off? And why did he bring my journal and pen? I’m trying not to freak out, but I feel panic flooding over me.
I’m going to check every inch of this cave again. I already did it, but I’ll do it again. I need something to focus on. I need to stay calm. I was placed in this cave; there must be an entrance of some kind somewhere. There has to be.
At least everything that happened is written down here. I don’t know why that’s a slight comfort, but it is.