Don't Read After Dark: Keep the lights on while reading these! (A McCray Horror Collection)

by McCray, Carolyn

  “And at our office. We run a paperless business. It is all done on computers.”

  “Except for Post-it notes,” Jason corrected.

  “Well, of course. Except for Post-it notes.” Jeremy waved his hand dismissively. “What business could run without Post-it notes?”

  Derek cut in. “Fine! So you’re damn Druids!” Who really gave a shit? The only thing Derek cared about was the fact that they were cold-blooded killers. And what plans the brothers had for him and Jill. “It still doesn’t explain what you’re doing with a psycho-horror movie.”

  “Why, sacrifices, of course,” Jeremy replied to Derek, as if he were a child.

  “Blood rituals,” Jason supplied.

  Jeremy leaned forward in his chair, bracing his arms on his legs. “The film has been our tool to bring the great spirit of the Angeles National Forest back into the world.”

  Derek flexed his fingers, the bonds cutting off the circulation.

  “Through sacrifices during the filmmaking …”

  “… and our software technology …”

  “… we’ve constructed a nexus for the spirit.”

  “The film is a living conduit from our forest altar into the real world.” Rising from his chair, Jeremy walked to the control panel, bringing a new image up on the screen.

  “Cecil!” Jill yelled, tugging against her restraints.

  Tied to a stone altar, Cecil’s shirt was torn, and his left eye was swollen shut. Cecil struggled to break free from the rope wrapped around him.

  “This night, the equinox, He will come again!” Jason pushed himself to his feet, pacing the room, his voice elevated with excitement. “From our altar to the nexus. He will be reborn and destroy the defilers.”

  Jeremy looked away from the monitor. Placing his hand over his chest. “He will set His roots in our hearts! Give us power to defeat our enemies!”

  Jason stopped pacing, shaking his fist in the air. “And we will finally topple Bill Gates!”

  “Excuse me?” Derek frowned at Jill, then turned his attention to the brothers. Just when Derek thought he was beginning to follow them, they threw him another curveball. “Bill Gates?”

  “Well, of course … What do you think we’ve been doing?”

  How about murdering innocent people for the fun of it? Pissing me off with your games? How did they expect a sane person to understand the workings of their twisted minds?

  “Gates has been stanchioned in that great forest of his in the Pacific Northwest for decades. His god is strong …”

  Jeremy’s eyes darkened. “But once our spirit is unleashed in physical form, there will be no stopping us.”

  “His god will fall before us. His kingdom will be ours!”

  “Are you suggesting that Bill Gates is a Druid, too?”

  “I thought everyone knew,” Jeremy said, lifting an eyebrow at Jill. “Where do you think his power arises? From Windows Vista?”

  Jeremy and Jason both began to laugh. The sound was like dried leaves skittering across the floor.

  “So, this has all been some sort of corporate Druid takeover?” Derek asked through clenched teeth.

  “Well … duh!”

  “Why else would we put so much effort into this?” Jason finished.

  “But what does the premiere have to do with this?” Jill asked.

  “The culmination of our dreams. At a certain point in the film, magic and technology will merge …” Jason threaded his fingers together to emphasize his point.

  “Let me guess,” Derek said. “The ninety-minute mark. The ‘darkest hour’.”

  Surprised, Jason bent over Derek. “My, my … you have been doing your homework, haven’t you? You are most correct.”

  Jeremy lifted his arm, tapping his watch. “Which should be in about another thirty minutes.”

  “Speaking of which, we should be going. The helicopter is all warmed up. We’ll have just enough time to change into our evening attire.”

  “Quite right,” Jeremy added. “We wouldn’t want to miss this.”

  “Wait! What will happen? At the darkest hour?”

  “The final sacrifice will be made.” Jason turned back to the control panel, rewinding the E! News footage on the television. He stopped playing the show when a group of Revenge of the Nerds types walked the red carpet. High-water pants, white, short-sleeved dress shirts buttoned to the collar. Women in long, frumpy skirts, blouses tucked in. Clunky shoes.

  How did this group make the guest list? They definitely weren’t Hollywood’s elite.

  “Why do you think we invited Enterex’s Research Department?” Jeremy leaned back on the counter, smiling.

  “Oh God!” It couldn’t be.

  Confused, Jill looked at Derek. “What is it?”

  “Virgins.” All those high school losers who grew up to have great jobs, but not great love lives.

  “Exactly, my good man,” Jeremy confirmed, patting Derek on the shoulder. “Now, we really must be off.”

  “Why?” Jill asked. “What do you hope to accomplish by all of this?”

  Jeremy rubbed his temples. Clearly, he was annoyed with all of their questions. “I thought we’d made that amply clear. Our god will be reborn from the screen …”

  “… and eat everyone in attendance …” Jason stated matter-of-factly.

  “… trigger an earthquake that will destroy the blight that is Los Angeles …” Jeremy continued in a monotone while he pushed several buttons on the control panel.

  “… and then grant us the power to take on Bill Gates.”

  Jeremy turned, facing Derek and Jill. “It’s all quite simple, really.”

  “And quite insane,” Derek remarked.

  The brothers approached the doorway, but Jill’s words stopped them.

  “Wait! What about us?”

  Jeremy gave a shrill whistle. Two zombies lurched into the room. One zombie was missing an eye, realistic bone peeping through a hole in its cheek. The other zombie gnashed its razor-sharp teeth, dragging its leg behind it. “You get to stay for dinner.”

  “Br … br … brains …” the first zombie moaned.

  “Fantastic,” Derek said as the second zombie lurched toward him.

  CHAPTER 14

  Amanda Temple looked at the sea of hungry faces devouring each minute of Terror. Five hundred seats—not one vacant. Hollywood’s A-list wouldn’t even leave to use the restroom. Once Amanda dodged all of the obstacles, the premiere was flawless.

  The president and first lady sat center stage. The Secret Service detail was scattered around the theater. A group of techno-geeks sat in the box to the left of the screen. They must work for Enterex. There was no other way that that mess would have been allowed through the door. Why the Baxter brothers wanted to waste perfectly good seats on such rabble was beyond Amanda.

  “Five minutes into the film, the audience was shitting in their Armani pantsuits. Fifty minutes into the film, and they looked like they were going to toss up their dinner.” Amanda started writing the press release in her head.

  She gave herself a mental pat on the back. Well done, Ms. Temple. Well done. You want something done right, do it yourself. However, she couldn’t rest on her laurels. She had to look ahead to secure a sequel with the Baxters, and secure the gaming rights. But all of the screaming from the film made it difficult to think.

  Slipping through a door to the left of the screen, Amanda pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from her purse. The musty hallway behind the screen was crammed with boxes and broken theater seats. Avoiding the dust and grime, Amanda was careful not to let her evening gown get soiled.

  Amanda dug in her purse to make sure she had perfume and mints. Wouldn’t do for the public to know that she smoked. It was so un-PC.

  As she lit the cigarette and inhaled, several shrieks came from the screen. Amanda spun toward the movie, exhaling a stream of smoke. A group of teens ran through the darkened forest in front of her.

  “Shut the he
ll up!” Amanda muttered, crossing her arms. “It’s only the woods at night, you freaks! Light a goddamn bonfire, if you’re flippin’ out. Light the whole damn woods, why don’t you? If I were there, that’s what I would do.”

  A gnarled hand shot from the screen, grabbing Amanda by the waist, yanking her into the movie. Her startled scream blended with those in the movie.

  Confused, Amanda looked around her. A forest thick with trees surrounded her. Muffled screams traveled through the chill night air. How the hell did she get in the woods? Amanda rubbed her arms. Her sleeveless evening gown was not meant for the outdoors.

  “Isn’t that the president of Temple Studios?” an audience member asked.

  Amanda directed her gaze toward the voice. She now stood above the audience, their attention focused on her. Their bewildered expressions mirrored Amanda’s.

  “Amanda Temple? I think so,” another audience member said, her head cocked to the side, studying Amanda. “I didn’t know she had a part in this movie.”

  “Man, this movie just gets weirder and weirder,” the first audience member said, shaking his head. “You want some popcorn?” he asked, pushing a bucket in front of the girl next to him.

  “Not until I see what happens to Amanda. I’ve heard she’s a real bitch to work with.”

  What the hell? How did she get up on the stage during the Terror premiere?

  Amanda jumped as a hand gripped her shoulder from behind. A young girl walked around her.

  “What are you doing here?” the girl asked, panting. “Did they get you, too?”

  “What are you talking about?” Amanda swiped the girl’s hand away. “Where the hell am I?” Was this someone’s sick idea of a joke? A way to get even for her heavy-handed leadership?

  An agonized cry sounded in the distance.

  Frantic, the girl tugged on Amanda’s arm, her eyes darting around the woods. “We’ve got to keep running! They let something loose in the woods.”

  The girl dragged Amanda down the path. Amanda stumbled, her four-inch heel snagged on a root. “What are you talking about?” Amanda wrenched her arm out of the girl’s grasp. Does this girl work at Temple? She should know better than to put her hands on Amanda, let alone speak to her directly. All correspondence went through Simon. Speaking of Simon—where was that little twerp?

  “We were supposed to improvise.” The girl glanced behind her, looking like a scared rabbit, ready to bolt at any moment. “They put us in the woods, and we’re supposed to respond to what happens. ‘Act natural’, they told us.” The girl’s voice rose, on the verge of hysteria. “But … but … this is real! Helen’s throat was torn open. I saw it with my own eyes. They lied to us! They’re murderers!”

  “Who?” Amanda searched the darkened woods. The trees seemed suddenly closer than they were a moment ago.

  “The Baxter brothers.”

  A shrill scream rent the air. Terrified, the girl bolted. Running deeper into the woods, she yelled, “We’re in a snuff film!”

  Amanda watched the girl’s retreating figure. Great. Alone, with no idea how to get back to the theater. She glanced down at the cigarette resting between her fingers. “Some asshole must have spiked my cigarette. LSD? PCP? I’ll have the bastard up on charges, and when I get through with him …”

  A sharp crack sounded behind Amanda, interrupting her rant.

  “Who’s there?”

  Silence settled over the woods. The air was so still that not even a leaf rustled. Amanda took a step backward. How are they doing this? Some kind of special effect? If the Baxter brothers were in on this prank, she would sue them for every last dime they had.

  “I’m not playing this stupid game,” Amanda warned, holding up her cigarette. “I’ll burn this whole damn forest down!” She pulled her arm back, ready to toss the cigarette onto the mossy earth. A vine slithered around Amanda’s arm, and spikes shot into her flesh. Blood spurted, and bright red drops dripped on the ground. Another vine snagged her legs, yanking her out of her heels.

  Suspended from a tree, her dress torn at the waist, Amanda shrieked, “You bastards! I’m Amanda Temple!”

  The ground shook. Amanda cried out as each vibration dug the thorns deeper into her skin. An ominous chant grew in intensity. Closer. Closer.

  Amanda’s face contorted in fear. “Oh God! No!”

  Ripped from the vines by her hair, and the thorns tearing her flesh, the pieces softly fell to the ground. Amanda’s body slammed down with a thud. Her arms and legs kicked and flailed, struggling to escape. Amanda’s torn flesh left smears of blood along the path.

  Her screams faded into the night, the forest still.

  * * *

  The stench of rotting flesh choked the room. An eyeball slapped against the zombie’s cheek as he jerked toward Derek. Did they really need to make them so realistic? Derek kicked at the zombie’s knee, hearing the satisfying crack as he broke the joint. The zombie dropped to the floor, struggling to push itself up with its other leg.

  “Derek!” Jill screamed.

  The second zombie had Jill’s hair fisted in what was left of its hand. Her neck was exposed as its razor-sharp teeth descended. Jill pushed her chair, trying to tip it over. The chair creaked as Derek struggled to move closer to Jill. His feet pedaled against the floor.

  “Here, zombie, zombie, zombie.”

  Derek, Jill, and the zombie turned their heads to the voice coming from outside the door. The barrel of a shotgun poked into the room. It fired, blasting the zombie against the wall.

  Mitchell stepped into the room in nothing but boxer briefs, aiming a shotgun at the second zombie as it crawled toward Derek.

  “Mitchell!” Jill cried.

  “God, this place is infested with these things!” Mitchell said, firing the shotgun. The zombie pitched forward. Its head bounced off the floor with a crunch. “Someone really needs to call an exterminator.”

  How did he survive? Derek glanced at the monitor. The dead body was still lying in a river of blood.

  “Please! I’m a horror buff,” Mitchell explained, nudging the zombie with his toe. “You think I can’t stage my own death?”

  Derek had to give the kid credit. He saved himself, and now came to rescue Derek’s and Jill’s asses. Guess it wasn’t such a bad idea to bring Mitchell along.

  Jill’s face lit up with joy. “Thank God you’re okay!”

  Impatient, Derek twisted in his seat. “Get us out of these damn ropes.”

  Mitchell pulled a knife out of the waistband of his briefs, sawing at the ropes binding Derek’s wrists. No longer acting like the frightened kid, he actually looked the hero.

  “I found the main security room and froze all the indoor cameras so that they only showed empty halls. That’s where I found the gun.”

  Now that Mitchell was here, maybe he could help them figure out how to stop the Baxter brothers. “I don’t know how much you know about …”

  “From the security room, I eavesdropped on their little conversation. Druids? Who would have thunk it?”

  The last piece of rope fell away. Derek pushed himself out of the chair. Grabbing the knife out of Mitchell’s hand, he cut through Jill’s rope with one swipe. “Did you see where they went?”

  “The twins? I saw them take off in the Enterex chopper. They’re probably halfway to LA by now,” Mitchell said as he returned Derek’s gun.

  Derek grabbed the phone off the console, putting it to his ear. “Dead.” He slammed it down. “We’ve got to get out of here. Reach a phone. Alert the authorities.”

  “You’ll never make it,” Mitchell said, looking at E! News on the television. “The film should be reaching the ninety-minute mark pretty damn quick.”

  Approaching moans drifted in from the hallway. How many monsters did they have roaming around this house?

  Derek ejected the clip from his gun, checking his ammo. “Did you find a way out?” he asked, snapping the clip back in place.

  “I freed all the locks. We can go
out any entrance.”

  “The front door should do,” Derek said, patting Mitchell on the back. He grabbed Jill’s hand and stepped out of the room, his gun aimed in front of him.

  Mitchell picked up the shotgun, following Derek and Jill. “You know, horror pictures aren’t nearly as much fun when you’re actually in one,” he mumbled.

  CHAPTER 15

  “The sheep await the slaughter.”

  “The time draws near.”

  “The Master comes.”

  “Then, let us greet him.”

  Jill tried to block it out, but the house was filled with the sound of the Baxter brothers’ chanting. Seriously, those two just couldn’t get enough of themselves. How she ever considered promoting them, she really couldn’t understand. Not with Derek aiming his gun at an ant the size of a compact car. Its two-foot-long antennae twitched as it skittered across the floor.

  “Run!” Derek yelled.

  Jill and Mitchell didn’t hesitate. They charged down the marble staircase, skirting the angry, waving antennae. Hitting the door running, they tumbled out into the night. Jill turned back to find the ant right side up and looking pretty pissed off. But Derek just smiled, that smile he got when he knew that things were going his way. The smile that made her fall in love with him in the first place.

  He hiked a leg over the banister and slid past the ant, landing lightly on his feet.

  “Hey! Why didn’t I think of that?” Mitchell said as he fired his shotgun over Derek’s head, knocking a leg off the ant. Still, that ant was fast, right on Derek’s heels as he ran for the door. Once he was through, Jill slammed the door closed. The ant banged its head against the door, the sound muted through the bulletproof glass.

  “Okay, who would’ve thought giant mutated ants would be so difficult to kill?” Mitchell panted.

  Jill pointed across the courtyard. “The limo!”

  She had never seen anything so beautiful in her life. Finally. Freedom. Derek pulled open the driver’s side door and slid into the driver’s seat. The keys were still in the ignition. Guess the brothers really didn’t expect them to make it out alive. Jill scrambled into the front seat next to Derek, while Mitchell practically climbed into her lap. The locks engaged, Mitchell knelt on the seat, cautiously poking his head into the back of the limo.