Horror

236

Thirteen chilling tales of horror and the macabre. Awarded iUniverse Editor's Choice. From the first story of a little girl locked in a closet to the last tale of a fishing trip gone horrible wrong, this collection of stories will haunt you and thrill you. Read them after dark if you dare!

Excerpt
Sarah wrapped her arms around her scabby knees. She missed Mr. Fuzzy. Even though she tried to be a big girl now, she still wished to hug the old brown teddy bear when she was in the closet. The policeman who had taken Mr. Fuzzy away had said something about it being contaminated by the crime scene. Auntie Marge didn't allow her to have toys. Sarah swiped away tears and felt around with her left hand until she found an old tennis shoe. She hugged the shoe to her chest and imagined it was Mr. Fuzzy. Sobbing, she rocked back and forth in preparation for a long night.

"Sarah."

She froze and listened. Did someone say my name?

"Sarah,” a raspy voice whispered.

Looking down, she focused her tear strained vision on the sliver of dim glow coming from under the closet door. A shadow blocked the light. Someone is standing on the other side! It wasn't her auntie. Sarah could always tell when Auntie Marge came to the closet to let her out. She was a big woman and made a lot of noise when she moved through the house. No, this is someone else.

"Sarah.” The voice came through the keyhole in the closet door.

She didn't make a sound. Who else would be in the house besides her auntie? No one, she decided. Whoever the stranger is, maybe he will let me out. She didn't want to spend another minute in the dark. She had to go pee real bad. Whoever is on the other side of the door can’t be worse than spending another night in the closet.

"Let me out … please," she whispered back.

"Only if you will come and play with me."

"I will … just let me … out. Please."

"Promise you will meet me in the park."

"I will. I promise."

The lock clicked, causing Sarah's heart to jump. Leaning forward, she opened the door to peer out. No one waited in the room beyond. She stood and exited the closet, shutting the door quietly, so Auntie Marge wouldn’t hear her escape. Happy to be out, she wondered who had let her free. Fearful, Sarah searched her bedroom to see if anyone was hiding from sight. No one waited in the shadowed corners or under the bed. Moonlight filtered in through dingy curtains she moved aside to see the window closed tight. She looked out into the backyard, expecting someone to be standing there, staring back at her, but she saw nothing but moonlight and shadows.

“Meet me in the park,” the creepy voice had said to her.

She’d made a promise to do so, but now, faced with leaving the house in the dead of night to meet a stranger, Sarah had second thoughts. Since Auntie Marge didn't allow her to leave the house, she had sneaked out many times. Normally, Sarah would just wait until her aunt had fallen into a drunken stupor before slipping out her bedroom window. It was always during the day, though; she was too scared to go out after dark. Mikey, a boy with a runny nose, once told her a story about the police finding a missing little girl in the woods. Found dead with her panties around her ankles and her throat cut from ear to ear, was what Mikey had said. He’d even made the motion with his finger of the knife cutting a throat while he uttered an ugly, strangling noise. Sarah didn't want to be that little girl. No way. She had been through a lot in her young life, but dying in the dark after some strange man pulled down her panties would be too horrible to imagine. She didn't know why a man would want to take down her panties, but knew it would be a terrible way to die. She was too scared to go into the park after dark.

But you promised, Sarah. Breaking a promise is a bad thing.