Horror in the Woods

by Mountford, Lee

  That didn't sit well with Kim, but she knew Craig might be right. It was Tim who had saved them from the faceless man, as much as Ashley might not like the way he did it, and there was a chance they would need to see that side of him again. Separating from Tim wasn't going to help their chances.

  'Yeah, fine,' Kim said, letting out a sigh, 'Let's go. I still don't like it, though.'

  She dug out her own flashlight and clicked it on. Ashley followed and did the same.

  Craig turned to Tim. 'We're coming up,' he yelled. Tim gave them a thumbs-up and rested his body against the jamb of the door.

  'You know, Ashley,' Kim said, 'I can't really weigh up your boyfriend. He can swing from being a hero to an absolute prick in an instant.'

  Ashley didn't respond.

  They made their way up to meet Tim and, as they approached, Kim saw the house in closer detail. The guttering was loose, and in some cases hanging off completely, and the timber slats that horizontally lined the walls were faded, some sections completely overgrown with a dark mould.

  She also noticed the horrible, sour smell.

  The whole place was like something time had forgotten, left behind to fester and ruin.

  Kim shone her beam through one of the large windows, the one farthest to the left-hand side of the house, and saw what appeared to be a dining room inside. It was cluttered with old furniture; a sloping bookshelf lined one of the walls, half-filled with books, and a large dining table sat in the middle of the room, with a filthy tablecloth over it. It looked to be ornate lace, maybe once of good quality, but now ragged and stained. Plates were set around the table, some with food left on them.

  Raw animal meat of some kind.

  And it looked relatively fresh.

  'Hold on,' she said, piecing it together. 'Someone does live here. Look.'

  Ashley peered in beside her.

  'They've been eating,' Kim said.

  Craig looked in next, hobbling up next to them, using the thick branch as support. 'Doesn't seem like it has been sitting out too long. Someone was eating something here fairly recently.'

  'I don't like it,' Kim said.

  'We'll be quick,' Tim replied, sounding impatient, and entered the house.

  Kim sighed, trying to restrain her anger. 'Prick,' she muttered.

  They followed Tim inside and entered into an open hallway area. Running up to the first floor was a set of stairs that at one time could have looked quite grand. Now, they looked as creaky and aged as the rest of the house. The internal doors were all bare timber that was also withered and worn.

  'Now what?' Craig asked.

  'We look around,' Tim said, seeming impatient.

  'So where do we start?'

  Tim shrugged. 'I don't know.'

  Kim shook her head. 'You don't know? You were eager enough to get in here.' Wanting to get this over with, she chose the door on the right-hand side of the hallway and pointed. 'That one,' she said. 'We start in here.'

  Craig led the way this time, hopping forward. Each time he landed, a dull echo from the hollow floor reverberated through the house. If they wanted to keep things quiet, then they were out of luck. Craig pushed open the door, slowly, and it creaked as it opened. They huddled together and entered what appeared to be a library, or study of sorts.

  A large, heavy-looking bookshelf stood against the wall opposite the window, and the remaining walls were lined with shelving. Old looking books, some leather-bound, some little more than clumped together scraps of paper, filled the case and shelves. Clearly, the residents here were voracious readers, or liked to pretend they were.

  There was also an old writing desk and single chair set next to the window. The desk top was littered with piles of paper that seemed filled with sketches and notes, as well as an open book or journal of some kind.

  'No one in here,' Kim said. 'And nothing we can use.'

  She turned to leave, but Craig slowly made his way inside.

  'Hold on,' he said, scanning the room.

  'What?' Kim said. 'It's just junk.'

  'These books aren't like anything I've ever seen before,' he said, sweeping the beam of his torch along their spines.

  'So? They read rubbish, big deal.' Kim just wanted to move onto the next room already, then get the hell out of here.

  'Some are foreign. Not even a language I know.'

  'Again, big deal. There are loads of languages you don't know. Hell, sometimes even English escapes you.'

  'Funny,' he said, still looking over the bookshelves.

  'All right, Craig,' Kim insisted, 'let's go.'

  Thankfully, he seemed to listen to reason and, rather reluctantly, followed them out of the room.

  'Now where?' he asked.

  Kim thought it pointless to look in the dining room; they had viewed that from outside and could see nothing of use or value, other than plates of raw meat. As hungry as she was, Kim didn't see herself eating that. 'Let's go to the back,' she said. 'The kitchen is probably through there. If they do have any first aid or anything, it's likely to be there.'

  She looked to Tim to lead the way, but he simply stood aside and gestured, rather grandly, for her to go first.

  'Not really a gentlemanly move, considering the circumstances,' she told him. He didn't budge, though, so she shook her head and continued on, past the stairs, and to a set of double doors that led to the back of the property. She carefully pushed the doors open to reveal a mess of a kitchen. Units that were perhaps once white, were dingy and yellow, drawers and cupboard doors were missing. Crusty, dirty plates and dishes were piled up on the countertop, and beside them sat a chopping board and large knife, both stained with blood.

  Stepping farther inside brought them into a big, open area that lined the back of the house. The kitchen connected to a second dining area, with another table; this one filled with junk.

  The horrible stench Kim had detected upon entering the house increased in here tenfold, and Kim brought her hands up to cover her mouth.

  'What's that smell?' Ashley asked.

  'Something's rotten,' Craig said.

  'I think I'm gonna throw up,' Kim added, meaning it. Her stomach was churning.

  'Let's just be quick,' Ashley said, prompting them to look around.

  Rifling through the kitchen units, Kim could find nothing of interest, only cutlery and kitchenware -- most of it aged and almost antique. All of it horribly, horribly filthy. How anyone lived like this was beyond her. A window overlooking the back of the house sat above a large steel sink, and she crept towards it, with a horrible feeing someone was out there. She cast her torchlight out, worried she would see someone standing there, but saw only the dark, ominous woods.

  'This is pointless,' she said.

  'Just be patient,' Tim responded, sounding annoyed.

  'This is interesting,' Craig said, drawing their attention. He was standing over the far side of the room, resting on the upturned branch, looking into an open door.

  'What is it?' Kim asked. They all made their way over and looked through the open door.

  Kim gasped.

  The room was a shrine of death; animal bodies hung from the ceiling, cut from throat to genitals, their empty stomachs pulled wide open, revealing where their insides once were. They were deer mostly, but the bones of some smaller animals littered the floor.

  'That's horrible,' Ashley said. 'Those poor animals.'

  'Well,' Craig said, 'people have to eat. But I'm more interested in that.'

  He pointed beyond the animals to the back of the room, to something that Kim had also noticed. There was another door, in effect making this room little more than a squat corridor, but this door was not like any other they had seen in the house. It was made of strong-looking oak, and the fact that it was chained shut was very troubling.

  'Yeah,' Kim said. 'Very weird. It doesn't matter, though. We've looked and can't find anything, so let's leave.'

  'Yeah,' Ashley said. 'I definitely agree with that.'

&
nbsp; Kim pulled at Craig's sleeve, trying to pull him back, but he stared rapt at the door. He cocked his head a little.

  'Come on,' she insisted.

  'Yeah,' he said. 'It's just...'

  'Just what?'

  Then Kim heard it, too, and her body froze.

  It can't have been.

  'What is it?' Ashley asked.

  Kim listened intently, hoping and praying she wouldn't hear it again, but somehow knowing she would.

  And she did.

  This time, they all did.

  'Oh my God,' Ashley said with a soft, shaky voice. 'Jesus Christ.'

  Kim had no words.

  She just wanted to get the hell out of here and run, but she knew instantly that they were going to have to find a way to get that door open, as much as she really didn't want to.

  The sound came through again, muffled by the door, but still clear enough to hear.

  It was the sound of a child.

  Crying for help.

  'Hello?' Craig yelled.

  The cries and sniffles ramped up, triggered by Craig's voice. They then turned to eligible words.

  'Please,' the child's voice said, 'I need help. I'm trapped down here. They have me trapped. Please let me out. Please. I'll be good, I promise.'

  'Fuck,' Craig said, still trying to grasp what was happening.

  'What do we do?' Ashley asked.

  Kim already knew the answer. Whereas before, when they had seen the faceless man, her instinct had been to run and leave him, but this was different. They had to get in there, somehow, and help. This was a child, so there was no way they could leave him here. Her mind raced, thinking of what kind of monster would keep a child prisoner like this. Perhaps the same kind who would rip off a man's face and leave him for dead. Hell, maybe it was that man himself, maybe Tim had been right to bash his head in. Still, she felt panicked. The events of earlier scared her, made her feel like she was in danger, but now it felt like the danger was here, that it was imminent.

  The chains on the door looked thick and strong, even if they had rusted a little. They all wrapped together around a single, large padlock. Without a key, getting access would be tricky, if not impossible.

  'Please help,' the boy pleaded again, and then said something that made Kim's heart rate spike. Words that confirmed to her they were all in terrible, immediate danger.

  'They're going to eat me.'

  12

  Ashley was terrified.

  She couldn't really make sense of what they'd all heard. On the one hand, it was simple, a child was trapped in there and he needed help. But what he'd said, that was what didn't make sense. Not in the real world. Hearing that, coupled with what they'd already experienced today, made her want to give up, drop down, and assume the foetal position.

  'We need to get in there,' Craig said. He dropped the branch and began pulling uselessly at the chains.

  Ashley knew he was right, but she couldn't get past what the boy had said.

  They're going to eat me.

  What was a sane person supposed to do with that? Thoughts jumped back to the faceless man they had found earlier. Considering the state he was in, Ashley had little doubt the residents of this place were the ones responsible. And it was more than one person, Ashley was sure of that now, because the boy had said so. He had used the plural.

  They.

  No wonder the man, without eyes as well as a face, was so eager to fight. For all he knew, he was fighting for his life.

  Which meant they all were now.

  The clanking of the chains drew Ashley back to the moment, but Craig was making no headway.

  'So how do we get in?' he asked, desperately.

  'I think we leave it,' Tim said.

  All three turned to face him.

  'You can't be serious,' Craig said. 'Jesus, Tim, there's a kid in there.'

  'Leave it alone,' Tim said, almost ignoring Craig's comment. 'There's nothing but trouble down there.' He stepped away, back into the kitchen. 'Come on,' he said, waving them toward him. 'Let's keep looking.'

  Ashley couldn't believe what she was hearing. She again thought back to the words she and Tim had shared earlier, and how happy it had made her. But this was not the same man she thought she was in love with.

  It seemed Tim was not that man at all.

  Perhaps he never had been.

  'We aren't leaving a kid in there,' Kim said.

  'You should listen to me,' he said. 'If you'd have listened earlier, we wouldn't be in this mess.'

  'No,' Kim said, 'we are not abandoning him.’

  'There has to be a key,' Craig said, turning back to the task at hand. 'For the padlock. Maybe it's close by.'

  'We should search the kitchen,' Kim said.

  The three of them filtered out the small room and Ashley noted that Tim wouldn't even look at them as they passed. She stopped next to him.

  'Tim,' she said. 'How can you be so careless?'

  'How can you be so stupid?' he answered, coldly.

  The comment stung. 'I... I don't understand. Help me to understand. What's going on?'

  'Like I said. You didn't listen to me before. And you're ignoring me now. So, if you're all so eager to bring more trouble down on you, go right ahead.'

  'But it's a child,' she said. 'And it was you that wanted to come in here in the first place.'

  He just shrugged. 'I don't like it,' he said and walked away, back to the door to the hallway. She thought he was going to walk through, but he simply leaned against the jamb, like he had done outside.

  She couldn't understand him, and her mind was reeling, but she knew she needed to focus on the immediate issue. They needed to find the key, if it was here, and get the hell out of this place.

  She joined Kim and Craig in their search, sifting through drawers and cupboards, searching frantically. Ashley had a feeling they didn't have long before whoever lived here returned.

  Come on, she prayed. Come on, come on, come on.

  Then she pulled open the bottom drawer, one filled with scraps of paper, old photos, and other junk. As she pushed around the rubbish, she saw it slide into view; a large, iron key.

  She snatched it up. 'Is this it?'

  Craig quickly hobbled over. 'Might be,' he said, taking it from her grasp. She and Kim followed him back over to the door, but Tim stayed where he was.

  Craig put the key to the lock and, thankfully, it slid into place easily. He jiggled and turned it, and the loop at the top sprang open.

  'It worked,' he said, pulling away the lock and dropping it to the floor with a heavy thud. 'Just hold on,' he yelled through the door. 'We're coming in to get you. We'll get you out of there, buddy, I promise.'

  The child didn't respond at all, and that didn't sit well with Ashley, but she was too concerned with getting in there to give it too much thought.

  She watched as Craig quickly pulled the chains loose, and they dropped to the floor alongside the padlock. He wasted no time in pulling open the door, and a breeze of cold air hit them. Through the door, in the darkness, Ashley could make out a set of creaky wooden steps running down into the black void below. A wave of sickening stench rose up and hit them.

  'Hello?' Craig yelled down. His voice echoed, but no one responded.

  'Little boy?' Kim added. 'We opened the door, you can come up. We'll get you out of here.'

  Still nothing.

  This seemed wrong to Ashley.

  'I'm going down,' Craig said.

  'Wait,' Ashley replied, instinctively grabbing him.

  'What?'

  'Why isn't he responding?'

  'I don't know,' Craig said, 'but that's why I'm worried. Maybe he's really hurt.'

  'It's just... isn't it strange?'

  'This whole thing is strange, Ashley,' Craig said. 'In fact, it is beyond strange. But that doesn't mean we leave a little kid down there.'

  Ashley nodded and looked to the floor, embarrassed, and felt her cheeks flush. How could she let fear override
her compassion like that, especially towards one so innocent and helpless? They'd all heard the little boy's cries, so there was no doubt he was down there.

  Even so, given the boy's silence, and Tim's reluctance to help, and his warning to leave it all alone, something seemed very wrong to Ashley.

  'I'm going down,' Craig said. Despite the brave gesture, Ashley saw it plastered all over his sweaty face; he was scared as well.

  'No,' Kim said. She bent down and plucked up the heavy branch that Craig had earlier dropped. 'We go together. Ashley, you coming?'

  Ashley closed her eyes, took a breath, then nodded.

  And so, they descended. Craig took the lead, slowly creeping down the steps, with his torch lighting the way. The stairs were simple wooden slats, but because there was no handrail, Ashley felt off balance, like she could easily fall over the side at any moment. The beam eventually found a dirt floor, and as it swept up, she could see that the walls surrounding the basement were stone. Not shaped or carved, but random sections wedged together in wire mesh casing, holding back the ground outside. Streaks of old and new water lined the stone, and it was clear that whoever lived here felt no need to damp-proof the area.

  Craig swept the beam around the room, looking for the child, but instead found something else.

  Something horrible.

  Kim took a sharp intake of breath.

  If Ashley had been scared before, this took things to a whole new level. The sight was reminiscent of the room upstairs, the one where animal carcasses hung from the ceiling.

  Things hung from the ceiling here, too, but they were not animals.

  These dead things were once very much human, all strung up and hanging upside down. Those that still had arms had their hands bound together.

  'What the fuck,' Craig uttered.

  Ashley doubled over and vomited, a reaction to the morbid scene of death and desecration. The bodies were in various stages of decomposition, and some were so stripped of flesh that they were little more than skeletal. Where flesh still remained on others, it had withered and yellowed. The skin on the heads had shrunk, pulling back over the skull, lips twisted up into a grimace. The eyes, where there were eyes, bulged out from sunken eyelids.