Horror in the Woods

by Mountford, Lee

  Some of the bodies were men, some were women, but worse, some were...

  Ashley vomited again.

  'We need to get out of here,' she heard Kim say, her voice now small and quiet, like a scared child.

  Craig didn't reply, but she could hear him start to hyperventilate.

  Ashley got to her feet, legs feeling like they were going to melt away beneath her, and took Kim's hand. ‘Let’s go. Now.'

  'But...' Craig said, casting around the beam of light, 'where's the-'

  He didn't finish the sentence, because the beam stopped on another monstrous sight. This one standing in the corner of the room.

  And this one very much alive.

  Ashley screamed at the hulking monster that stood so tall it had to hunch over to fit beneath the basement ceiling. It must have been over eight feet tall, and was grotesquely fat and bulbous, wearing little more than rags. Where pectorals should have been, swollen, bloated pockets of fat spilled over the rotund gut. Whatever this was, it was disgusting, the repulsion made worse by its face, which looked cherubic.

  The thing was mostly bald, with only small tufts of fair hair, and it had big cheeks and small eyes. Its mouth, however, looked wrong. Too large, too wide, and as it pulled back its lips into a smile, Ashley saw that its yellowed teeth were short and stumpy.

  'Oh look,' it said, in the same childlike voice they'd heard through the door. 'People have come to play.'

  13

  They were in his home now.

  The family home.

  This was good.

  He'd worried things would go wrong, especially after he'd been seen earlier, but everything seemed to have worked out well for him. Though he was confused at the silence. If they were inside, then he should be able to hear them screaming; a symphony of pain and terror. Had the family left the house unattended?

  Regardless, at least they were inside, trapped like flies in a web.

  Helpless.

  Waiting to be devoured.

  They just didn't know it yet.

  Then he heard a faint scream that seemed to come from the basement below.

  A lopsided smile formed over his cracked lips.

  They knew it now.

  He surveyed the area and saw the rest of the family silently making their through the trees towards the house. Father saw him and waved.

  He was excited now, truly excited, almost giddy.

  This was it.

  Now it was time.

  14

  The hulking figure took a heavy step forward. As it did, Ashley saw rolls of fat drop down over his ankles.

  'Goodie, goodie,' it said, still with that childlike voice. 'Come to Henry.'

  Ashley screamed again, and Kim joined her. Craig looked horrified as well, but was making no sound. They all began backing up.

  The monstrous man lifted an inhumanly heavy arm and pointed a fat finger at Craig.

  'You,' he said. 'You get to play first.'

  That was the catalyst for them all to flee as one. Turning on their heels, they rushed for the stairs, bolting up them as fast as they could. Craig, with his injured ankle, was slower, but both Ashley and Kim made sure to each take a hand and drag him along. Kim threw the thick length of wood she had been carrying at the thing, but her throw was weak and it didn't reach its target.

  They clattered up the stairs, feet hitting the timber with loud thuds. The wood creaked ominously beneath them and Ashley prayed the stairs didn't break and send them tumbling down below to be trapped with that thing.

  She could hear it waddle quickly after them, its footsteps a mix of shuffling and heavy slapping as its bare feet hit the dirt.

  She allowed herself a look over her should and saw the thing that called itself Henry was already at the bottom of the stairs, smiling up at them, as if all of this were some kind of game.

  'Can't run,' he said. 'Nope. Can't, can't, can't. Nowhere to go.' He licked his lips, sloppily, and began his ascent. The three of them spilled through the door at the top and Kim slammed it shut. They heard the beast run quickly up the steps with loud thuds, seemingly moving far too quickly for something of that size.

  Craig thrust himself against the door to brace it. 'Help me,' he said.

  Ashley and Kim both pushed against it as well, readying for the force that was about to work against them.

  'Tim,' Ashley yelled, 'we need help.'

  She turned to look back into the kitchen, expecting to see him still leaning against the door frame, but he was gone. 'Tim,' she yelled again, louder this time.

  The booming footsteps reached the top and stopped.

  They all waited.

  The handle slowly turned, and the door pushed against them gently. Craig pushed back, clicking the latch back into place.

  They heard the hulk laugh from the other side of the door. It was a disturbing, high-pitched titter. Like a child enjoying an exciting game.

  'Can't keep me in here,' he said. 'Ma and Pa tried, but you've let me out. They won't be happy, but the chains are off now. That means I'm allowed to come out.’

  All three tensed up and readied themselves.

  But it was useless.

  The door was shoved open with such force they were all thrown to the floor and slid out to the kitchen. When Ashley regained her orientation, she looked up to see that the door was open and Henry was coming through. He almost looked too big to fit through the frame, and her heart raced as she hoped he would be, but those hopes were crushed as he hunched down and squeezed himself through with a grunt. They all backed up as quickly as they could and got to their feet, as Henry began to advance towards them.

  'What do we do?' Kim asked, frantic.

  Henry laughed again, another excitable titter.

  'Run,' Ashley said. 'We have to outrun it.'

  'Oh,' it said, still smiling. 'Are you going to hide? Should I come find you? Sounds like fun.'

  Ashley had experienced many different levels of fear over the course of this day, but what she was seeing now eclipsed all that.

  'Fuck it,' Craig said, 'run.'

  They turned and bolted, but the thing was quick to react. It squealed in delight and bounded forward, moving quickly across the kitchen. Ashley and Kim managed to get through the door to the hallway, but heard a gasp, then a scream.

  They turned to see that Henry had hold of Craig, one arm wrapped around his waist. The brute quickly hoisted the blonde boy up like a rag doll. Or, Ashley thought, like a kid holding a teddy bear.

  Henry began to laugh, excitedly.

  'See,' it said. 'I told you that you would be first, little man.'

  He laughed again and began to bounce up and down, shaking Craig as he did.

  'Help,' Craig screamed, kicking wildly, his feet not even touching the floor. 'Please, help me.'

  His face was pale and his eyes wide in absolute fear. Ashley had never seen a human look so terrified in real life.

  'Craig,' Kim yelled, horrified.

  Ashley didn't know what to do. It was scary enough when the faceless man had hold of Craig earlier, but this? This was something else. There was absolutely no way they could do anything to help him against this giant freak of nature.

  Henry then turned Craig, who was still dangling in mid-air, to face him, and wrapped another bulbous arm around him. 'Want to know what I do when I catch people who try to hide?' Henry asked.

  'Please,' Craig begged. 'Just let me go. I won't tell anyone about this place, I promise. Leave us alone and we will never come back.'

  'But I don't want you to leave me alone,' Henry said. 'That would make me angry.'

  'Just don't hurt me,' Craig said.

  'Hurt you?' Henry asked, feigning confusion. Then a mischievous smile formed over his lips. 'You mean, like this?'

  He then squeezed Craig, suddenly and violently, pulling his arms in tight, like a bear hug, engulfing Craig into his mass. Craig let out a horrible shriek of agony and the monster began to laugh. It slowly relaxed its grip, but, even so, C
raig still screamed and writhed. He began to cough, violently.

  'Please,' he pleaded weakly. 'Let me go.'

  Ashley had no idea what kind of damage had been done, but the thing seemed incomprehensibly strong. He might have cracked Craig's ribs, or worse.

  'No,' it said, its face turning into a frown. 'So stop asking.'

  'Please,' Craig begged. In response, Henry squeezed him again, eliciting more screams.

  'You'll make me angry,' he said, before again easing up. 'Just like my brother did, and you should have seen what I did to him. So, if you don't want the same to happen to you, then you need to shut up. And do what I tell you. Okay?'

  Craig was just a whimpering mess now, and he dangled helplessly from Henry's grasp. Henry squeezed yet again, causing more howls of pain.

  'I said, okay?'

  'Yes,' Craig answered as tears streamed down his face. 'Yes, yes. Okay.'

  'Good,' Henry said, a smile returning to its face. 'If you're good, then I might let you pick out your own place to stay in here. Most of the others in the basement just get put wherever. Won't it nice to choose where you live?'

  Ashley thought of the bodies of the dead that hung from the ceiling in the basement, and Craig must have realised the same thing. He began to weep, drawing more laughter from the enormous hulk.

  'They always cry,' he said, and then looked over to Ashley and Kim. 'You will too. Both of you.'

  They both took a step back.

  'Don't leave me,' Craig begged, seeing their movement.

  'Oh, don't worry,' Henry said. 'They aren't going anywhere. If they try, I'll catch them too. You'll all be together here with me and my family.'

  'And where are the rest of your family?' Kim asked.

  'Out looking for my brother,' he said. Then added, in a conspiratorial whisper: 'They won't find him, though. When they asked where I left him, I lied.'

  He laughed, evidently pleased with himself.

  'What do we do?' Ashley whispered to Kim. A recurring question, she realised, since entering these damn woods.

  Craig was staring at them both, through tear-filled eyes, and he began to sob loudly, pleading with them to help him. Or at the very least, not abandon him. Ashley's stomach knotted up. She knew there was nothing they could do for him, and they'd die if they tried. So, did that mean she had already decided to leave Craig for dead? Was she that selfish and careless?

  And, if the situation was reversed, she wondered if the others leave her as well?

  'Tim?' she called out, yelling out of pure desperation. She didn't know where the hell he was, or what he was doing, but he was the only hope she could think of. If any of them had any chance of saving Craig, it was Tim. They needed the same person who had so sickened her earlier, the person who had smashed the man's head open with a rock.

  She couldn't agree with what he'd done. In fact, it downright scared her, but she needed him now. They all did. Hell, seeing the danger they were all in now, maybe he had been right in his actions.

  But Tim didn't answer. He had seemingly abandoned them.

  Ashley heard Henry's childlike laugh again.

  'Okay,' he said. 'I guess it's time for me to catch you two as well.' He then lifted Craig up before him like a toddler. 'You, stay here.'

  With that, he kept one arm around Craig's back, but put the meaty forearm of his other against Craig's chest. With one motion, the monster tensed, curling one arm in and pushing the other out.

  Ashley jumped at the sound of the sickening crack as Craig was instantly bent backwards. This time, Craig didn't just scream, he wailed. His cries were so loud, so raw, it sounded as if he would continue with ever-rising intensity until his heart gave out. Henry had a big smile on his face, seemingly pleased with his work, and dropped Craig to the floor like a sack of meat. Craig continued to scream and scream and scream, barely taking a breath. His eyes were wide, and Ashley saw veins pop up in his throat and forehead as his face went bright red.

  His arms and legs twitched slightly, but he didn't move.

  'No!' Kim yelled. 'Craig!'

  Craig's only response was to continue screaming, staring at nothing. Ashley couldn't comprehend what kind of pain he was in, but it was enough that he had lost all notion of them even being there, and was only able to focus on the pain. No words, just a long, continuous, guttural screech.

  Ashley grabbed Kim's hand and pulled her back, knowing if they had any chance of survival, they needed to run.

  Now.

  Sobbing at what had just happened, Kim resisted Ashley, taking half a step towards her boyfriend.

  'Baby?' she said. Craig gave no response, just continued with his screams, over and over.

  The thing then took a big stride forward, over Craig, and planted a large foot onto the floor.

  'He won't be going anywhere,' Henry said. 'Now, which one of you wants to come see me first.' He grinned, running a fat, wet tongue over his thin lips.

  With that, Kim gave up any resistance and let herself be pulled away by Ashley. The two girls sprinted through the hallway, to the entrance, and spilled out of the still-open front door.

  Then the girls stopped dead with a shriek.

  They weren't alone.

  15

  The surrounding area, dark before, was now illuminated by flaming torches that were held by a group of people who stood outside of the old house.

  The residents, Ashley guessed.

  There were four, in total, all of them standing still, patiently watching the girls. They didn't look surprised in the least to see them.

  Ashley felt like Goldilocks getting caught red-handed by the returning bears. These bears, though, seemed distinctly more sinister.

  A man and woman, the oldest-looking of the group, stood centrally between two others. The man had a big, bushy grey beard, and his skin was as pale as ash. The hair on his head was scraggly and patchy, in contrast to the thick beard that covered the lower portion of his face. One eye hung considerably lower than the other, and she could just make out through the facial hair that he had a severe cleft lip, one that split up to his bent nose. He wore a faded shirt beneath dirty blue overalls.

  The woman next to him, roughly in her fifties, was short, stout, and sturdy. She wore a petticoat and apron, and she had grey hair fixed up in a bun. Her checks sagged and her face was littered with small, angry-looking growths and lumps.

  The two on either side were younger. Next to the oldest man stood a girl, who looked to be in her thirties, and was painfully skinny, almost skeletal. Her dirty blonde hair was thin, showing scalp, and one eye was completely white, without any pupil.

  Lastly, there was another man, and Ashley realised immediately that it was his face she had seen earlier, peeking out from behind the tree. He was also lithe, though his bare arms were quite defined, and Ashley saw that he only had three fingers on each hand. All but him held a flaming torch above them; thick sticks wrapped in cloth at the head that had been set alight.

  The glow from these torches cast an eerie, flickering yellow hue over the group.

  'What do we have here?' the oldest man asked in a gravelly voice.

  'You been in our home without permission?' the woman, who Ashley presumed was his wife, added with a sneering smile.

  Ashley still heard the booming footsteps of that beast, Henry, as he thudded towards them from behind. Ashley and Kim quickly ran left, towards the far side of the porch, as the giant man squeezed himself through the door.

  'Damn it,' the eldest man said, 'did you let him out?'

  The hulk laughed.

  'Now, Henry,' the older woman said, 'you lied to us. David wasn't where you said he would be, was he?'

  'Ma, David had it coming,' Henry said.

  'We'll deal with this later,' the man said. 'Ted told us where you left your brother, but right now we have other matters at hand. After all, we don't want to be rude to our new guests.'

  'Of course,' the old woman said, 'where are my manners?'

  '
Who are you people?' Kim asked.

  'We live here,' the man said, taking a step forward. He scratched at his beard. 'That's our home you were walking around in, as if you owned it.'

  'We're sorry,' Ashley said. 'We didn't know, we just-'

  He cut her off with a dismissive wave of his hand. 'My name is Benjamin, or Ben. This here is my wife, Adela. That young man is Ted, and the girl is Claudia.' The young woman gave a clumsy curtsey.

  'Very good, Claudia,' the mother said. 'Always good to show manners.'

  'And that,' Benjamin said, pointing to the brute in the doorway, 'is Henry. But I think you may have already met. We're the Webb family.'

  That name sounded horribly family to Ashley, and she recalled the urban legend Tim had told earlier. But that was just a story, it couldn't really be true, could it?

  'Let us go,' Ashley said. 'Please, just let us get our friends and leave. We won't tell anyone about you. Or what happened here.'

  'And what did happen here?' Ben asked.

  Kim jumped in this time, with anger in her voice. 'You killed people. You have them strung up like meat in your basement. Or left in the woods to die, like the man whose face you ripped off.'

  Ben straightened up at this and looked to his wife. She shook her head and looked over to Henry, who laughed.

  'Seems we have a bit of a problem,' the man said. 'Whether you plan to tell anyone about us or not, well, that don't really matter.'

  'Yeah,' the younger man, Ted, said. 'See, been a long time since we had visitors.'

  'Too long,' Adela agreed.

  'And we like to be good hosts,' Ben said. 'Can't let you go just yet. Not without putting on a good, hearty meal.'

  'We aren't hungry,' Kim said.

  'Doesn't matter,' he replied, smiling. 'You won't be eating.'

  They family all erupted into laughter, as if what he had said was the funniest thing in the world. Ashley felt her stomach drop to the floor and she couldn't stop from shaking.

  'Been a long time since we ate,' Ted said.

  'There seems to be plenty for you to go at in the basement,' Kim argued. Ashley heard her friend's voice break, fear now cutting through the anger. She looked over to Kim and saw tears steaming down her face.