In an oversight, the fountain was never restarted.
No sign of either man was ever found.
Act Five: The End.
The spring celebration was held every April at Silver Point. Everyone brought flowers and took turns remembering anyone lost over the winter. Several people threw rose petals in the pond.
Max and Cassidy sat in their private spot, all smiles and happiness.
“You want to get married tomorrow?”
Cassidy kissed him softly. “Can we plan a wedding in less than a day?”
“Now that we’re both eighteen, I don’t care about a wedding. I just want you to be my wife.”
“Marriage license takes three days.”
Max face palmed. “Okay, fine. How about this weekend? We can go get the license today.”
She kissed him again. “It’s a deal.”
Suddenly, the fountain sprang to life.
“Look!” someone shouted.
A beautiful rainbow formed over the pond.
Max let out a whoop. Everyone turned and watched as the young couple walked to the water’s edge to stand in the rainbow, holding hands. They waved, then shared a simple kiss.
No one could hurt them now and they would be together for eternity.
Gwen watched from the other side of the pond, her hands clasped under her chin. Pride in her young apprentice puffed her chest. Cassidy waved at her, and Gwen waved back.
No one wanted a witch to ruin their day, and she didn’t like people enough to set them straight about her.
Gwen stared at the fountain’s spray cascading water in all directions.
She smiled before she headed home.
●
The fountain never went off again. To this day, the story forewarns that if you go to Silver Point on Halloween Eve and look into the colorful mists, you’ll see Bruce and Tom, standing together, reaching out in terror.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lorah Jaiyn’s stories vary from sweet and romantic to whimsical and mischievous, to temperamental and moody. Her fervent imagination makes all of her projects different.
She focused on her writing career after developing a nasty case of empty nest syndrome, followed by the dreaded absent Gramma affliction due to her daughter marrying an Airman and moving around the world. ‘Whisper of an Angel’ is her first full length romance novel, but several more are in the works. Her stories have appeared in several anthologies published by RhetAskew Publishing, Enchanted Anthologies, and Crazy Ink, as well as several charity collections. Her projects primarily dwell in horror or romance, some with a twist of fantasy, each blended with a romantic element.
Lorah spends her days behind a desk and tries to write in the evenings while entertained by her must and greatest distraction, her Jack Russell. She also enjoys creating with polymer clay, hiking and exploring the great outdoors. She spends time volunteering for a local wildlife rescue by rehabbing baby squirrels and is a total Hallmark Channel addict.
LINKS:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/lorahsloft
Facebook: www.facebook.com/WriterLorahJaiyn
Amazon: www.amazon.com/author/Lorah-Jaiyn
WHEN THE DEAD WALK
Cassandra Jones
Will you survive when the dead walk?
Gwen’s Halloween night started out just like any other, extremely boring. She had no plans, nothing to do with her friends, only a quiet evening at home. That’s when everything changed. The strange people seemed to come out of nowhere. Gwen knew something was wrong in her quiet, rural town. Could her new friends help her find a way to stop the nightmare that had become their reality?
She stared out her bedroom window for several minutes. What on Earth was going on now? The people in this town never ceased to surprise her. It was one of the many reasons she wanted out of here.
“Mom?” Sixteen-year-old Gwen went down the stairs to the kitchen.
The room was empty. Her mother had been in here cooking fifteen minutes ago. Where had she gone?
Gwen looked around the room. Why was the place such a mess? The chair was overturned and broken dishes littered the floor. The food was still on the stove, smoke rising out of the pan. Her mother never let her food burn. Something was very wrong here.
Gwen turned the burner off. She should open a window to get the smell out. Then she would look for her mother.
She went to the window above the sink. What were those people doing in their front yard? Even better, why were they acting so funny?
“Mom?” Gwen called walking through the house. “Where are you?”
There was no answer. Gwen was starting to worry. It wasn’t like her mother to just vanish like this. She wouldn’t even go to the basement to do laundry without telling Gwen. So, where was she?
Had she gone upstairs? There was only one way to find out. She would have to search every room in the house until she found her, no matter how long it took.
Gwen went over to the stairs. Her father was still at work. There was no way he had picked her mother up. She had to be here somewhere.
Something hit the front door making her jump. Gwen spun around so quick she nearly fell down the stairs. Was it her mother? Maybe she had gotten locked out of the house?
Taking a deep breath, she started to open the door. It wasn’t locked. Why wouldn’t she just come inside. She slammed the door shut, locking it. She had to see who was there first.
She opened the curtain, peeking out the window. She had no clue who this man standing on her porch was. He had a woman and young boy with him. Why would they be here? Their farmhouse was out in the middle of nowhere.
“Let us in, kid.” The man started pounding on the door. “Hurry up.”
“Who are you?” Gwen swallowed hard. “What do you want?”
“We want in.” He twisted the doorknob. “You have to open the door.”
“Please, open it.” The woman cried. “They’re coming.”
Who was coming? Were these people in some kind of trouble? What about her mother? Had they done something to her?
She looked out the window again. There were more people heading for the house. Those people were acting funny like the other ones from the yard. What was happening here?
“Open up.” The man hit the door again.
Gwen unlocked the door, stepping aside when it opened. All three of the strangers ran inside. The man slammed the door, leaning against it. She watched him lock it back.
The woman stared at her for a long moment. Had something bad happened to them? What did they want with her?
Why were they being chased by those other people? Had she just let criminals into the house? No, if they were criminals they wouldn’t have asked her to let them in. They would have most likely held her at gunpoint.
“What’s your name, kid?” The man asked her. “Are you here alone?”
“My name is Gwen.” She sat on the stairs. “My mom’s here, somewhere.”
“Are the other doors locked?” The boy asked.
Gwen looked at him. He was about her age. Why would he want to know that? She wasn’t so sure she wanted to be locked in here with these people.
“Are they locked?” He snapped.
“I don’t know.” She looked at them. “What’s going on?”
“Are you serious right now?” The woman sat next to her. “You’ve seen those people out there, right?”
She nodded. That didn’t tell her anything. They were just people, weren’t they? Why were they walking so strangely? None of this made any sense to her.
She still didn’t know where her mother was. She had to find her. What if she had been hurt?
“Gwen.” The man came over to her. “My name is Terrance. This is Faith, and smart mouth there is Benny.”
“We don’t have time for you s
it there looking like an idiot.” Benny started into the kitchen. “We need to lock this place up.”
“Why?” Gwen followed him into the kitchen. “Who are those people? Why are they here?”
“We don’t know for sure what’s happening.” Terrance opened drawers, rummaging through them. “Whatever it is, it’s not good. Do you have any guns here?”
“No.” Gwen leaned against the counter. “Why would I need a gun?”
“How else you going to fight them off?” Benny shook his head. “You can’t stand there and let them bite you.”
Bite her? What on earth was he talking about? None of this was making sense. Why would those people bite her? What happened if they did?
Gwen watched her visitors. What were they looking for? They had put all the knives on the table. What did they plan to do with them?
“What do you mean bite?” She asked the boy. “Why would they bite me?”
“That’s what they do.” He looked out the window. “Trust me, you don’t want that to happen.”
“What exactly are you talking about?” She sank onto a chair.
“These people aren’t normal.” Faith took a deep breath. “There’s something wrong with them.”
“We’ve been trying to get away from them for a while now.” Terrance said. “They won’t stop. No matter what you do, they just keep coming. And if they bite you...”
“What?” She chewed her lower lip.
“You start acting like that too.” Benny picked a knife up. “It takes a couple of minutes, but whoever they bite becomes one of them.”
“What are they?” Gwen stood up.
“We don’t know.” Faith said.
“I have to find my mom.” Gwen started out of the room.
“Wait.” Benny called after her.
She turned to face him. What did he want now? They were scaring her. She wanted her mother. She had to know if she was all right.
He kept looking out the window. What was he trying to find? Why was he just standing there? She didn’t have time for this.
“I have to go find her.” Gwen turned to leave again.
“Hold on.” He grabbed her arm. “Come here.”
“What?” Gwen jerked her arm free.
“Is that her?” He pointed out the window.
Gwen followed his gaze. Why was her mother outside? Gwen felt her heart sink. Did this mean one of those things had bitten her? No, she looked normal. Maybe she was trapped out there?
She watched in horror as her mother started toward the house. She was acting just like those other people. How had this happened?
“Mom?” Gwen sank to the floor. “This can’t be happening.”
Where was her father? Had he been hurt too? Would she lose both of them to whatever this was?
She felt the tears running down her cheeks. This had to be a nightmare. She had to wake up.
She jumped when someone touched her arm. She looked up at the woman. Her name was Faith, right? She sat next to Gwen, putting her arm around her.
“I have to go to her.” Gwen stared straight ahead. “She needs me.”
“There’s nothing you can do.” Benny snapped.
“Benny, leave her alone.” Faith shook her head. “Unfortunately, he’s right. Gwen, we have to make sure the house is locked up. Can you help me do that?”
“What about my mom?” Gwen wiped her tears away.
“You can’t save her now.” Terrance helped her up. “You and Faith go upstairs. Make sure all the windows are shut and locked.”
“Come on, sweetie.” Faith grabbed her hand.
Gwen let the woman lead her upstairs. She didn’t want to shut windows. She wanted her mother back. She wanted to find her father.
She stopped in her parents’ doorway. She had been in here this morning watching her mother brush her hair. She had been sitting at her vanity, Gwen had been sitting on the bed. She would never be able to watch her do that again. She would never get to talk to her, or hug her.
She sat on the edge of the bed. Her father had to all be right. She couldn’t do this alone. She had to believe he would be here soon.
Faith was at the window, looking at her. The woman looked to be about her mother’s age. Did she have any children? For all Gwen knew Benny could be her son.
“Are you all right?” Faith sat next to her.
“No.” Gwen buried her face in her hands. “My mother is...”
“She’s gone.” Faith grabbed her hand. “What about your father?”
“I don’t know.” She shook her head. “He was at work. Do you think he could be hurt too?”
“Let’s hope not.” Faith pulled her up off the bed. “Help me with the rest of the windows. We can talk while we do it.”
“Talk about what?” Gwen went across the hall to her room.
“Anything you want.” Faith followed her. “Do you have any other family?”
She shook her head in the negative. No, her parents were her only family here. She had other family in other states. Had anything happened to them?
“What about you?” Gwen shut her window. “Are they your family?”
“Terrance and Benny?” Faith picked up a photo. “No, I never met them until today. I was lucky to have found Terrance when I did. He saved my life”
“Why is this happening?” Gwen sat on her bed.
“I wish I knew.” Faith replaced the photo, sitting next to her. “Sweetie, I’m as clueless as you are.”
“Where’s your family?” Gwen looked at her.
“They’re gone.” Faith started to cry. “We were attacked by those things. That’s when I found Terrance. We found Benny about an hour later.”
“I’m sorry.” Gwen put her hand on the woman’s arm.
“It’s not your fault. We’ve all lost someone today.” Faith wiped at her tears. “So, are there any more rooms to check?”
“The only other room up here is the bathroom, but it has no windows.” Gwen stood up. “Should we go help them?”
“We better.” Faith put her arm around her. “Maybe helping will keep our minds off those things outside.”
“I doubt it.” Gwen started out of her room.
They went back downstairs. Terrance and Benny were at the window by the front door. Had something else happened? They were just staring out the window. Were they looking for a way to get past those things?
Gwen heard something hit he window. Both men jumped back. Were those things trying to get inside? She watched the man outside hit the window. Why didn’t he just open it?
“Why is he hitting the window?” Gwen backed against the wall. “Can’t he try to open it? Or did you lock it?”
“No, they can’t open doors or windows.” Terrance looked around the room. “We have to hope that window holds up. If too many of them start hitting it...”
“We’ll be in big trouble.” Benny finished. “So, help us find something to block the window with.”
“What do you need?” She asked him.
“Do you have any boards?” Terrance went back into the kitchen. “What about a hammer and nails?”
“My dad keeps everything like that in the barn.” Gwen chewed her lip. “Can we get there and back?”
“Not a chance.” Benny punched the wall. “Why would he keep that stuff in such a dumb place?”
“He uses it for stuff like that.” She snapped. “In case you haven’t realized it we don’t have too many animals here. Just a few horses and a dog.”
“Where does he keep the horses?” Benny asked.
“In the barn.” Gwen pulled her hair up into a ponytail. “One side is for them. He uses the other side for other stuff.”
Gwen swallowed hard. She didn’t care what this boy said to her. She wasn’t about to let him talk about her dad that
way.
Her thoughts went to her father again. She wished he was here with her. He would know what to do. He always knew what to do when there was trouble.
Terrance was going through the cabinet. What was he looking for now? She watched him pull food out, sitting it on the counter. He grabbed the basket of laundry from the floor, tipping it upside down. Clothes went all over the floor.
“Hey, those are clean.” Gwen started to pick them up.
“We need the basket to put food in.” Terrance went to the refrigerator. “We have to find a place to hide in case they get in here.”
“Then you better work fast.” Faith took a deep breath. “There are more of them at the window.”
“Do you have a basement?” Benny asked.
“Yes.” Gwen went over to a door. “That’s where we do laundry.”
She started to open the door. Terrance grabbed her wrist. He put his finger to his mouth signaling them to be quiet.
She heard the nightmarish creatures hitting the windows. They would be in here soon if they didn’t do something. They had to move now unless they wanted to die.
Gwen felt someone grab her ankle. She looked down to see a hand sticking out the basement door. She screamed, trying to pull free.
“Help.” Gwen grabbed onto the door frame. “Get it off of me.”
She fell backward against Terrance. He was trying to pull her free. The door came open revealing one of those creatures.
Gwen screamed again. The thing was disgusting. Half its face was missing. The only thing there were bones. It was pulling her toward it, trying to bite her.
“Benny, do something.” Terrance screamed. “Get a knife, stab it in the head.”
Benny grabbed the knife from the table. He ran over to them, jumping to the other side of her. She watched as he brought the knife down into its skull. He slammed the basement door shut.
“Looks like the basement’s out.” He helped her to her feet. “So, now what? Where else can we go?”
Tricks or Treats: An Anthology for Charity Page 14
