A Short Walk

Dead Until Twelve (Short Story)

~ MKW Publishing ~ 2 Comments

From my book of short stories – A Short Walk

Dead Until Twelve

I didn’t know any different at the time, we had been together for so long it felt normal. Yet it wasn’t.

At first I thought it was just an imaginary friend, that’s what they had told me when I was small. They said I had made her up as company. Being an only child can have that affect they said. Yet I didn’t name her, she did.

Her name was Amelie. My name is Sylvia.

We played together, went to school together, walked and talked. She was even there when I slept. Amelie would tell me about herself, about the toys she had, about her parents too and her life. She had a little brother she talked about all the time too, I sometimes wondered if he was her imaginary friend. It never occurred to me to not want her around, it didn’t seem an option. In fact, Amelie made my childhood and life much easier and happier. I always had someone to talk to, and she seemed to know an awful lot.

She would also sometimes talk of a darkness, tell me there were things out there that weren’t safe. I would feel quite panicked when she spoke of the dark, as if a heavy blanket was being thrown over me. The light fading and breathing became difficult. But only for a moment, Amelie would see my distress and stop talking. An odd detached silence the only thing that would bring us both back to normal.

For a while though while very young, most people found this whole thing quite charming. They thought it adorable I had such an imagination, such an active mind they would say. Even when my grandmother would visit she would always say.

“She makes it seem so real”.

I knew they couldn’t see Amelie, because I couldn’t either, she was just a voice. Yet she was so much more, she was a person, just without being a person. There would have been no way to properly describe that to anyone. I wanted to though, just could never find the words.

School was rather easy for me to a point, I didn’t have many friends and preferred to keep myself to myself. This may have been because I had Amelie with me, I didn’t feel the need for the company of others. And to be honest, she didn’t care for many other people. Sometimes being quite mean with the things she would tell me about them, or things that sounded so outrageous, I could only presume she was making it up. She was great at school work, and so by extension so was I. She gave me all the answers for tests or when asked a question by the teacher. Possibly part of the reason I didn’t have many friends as well, I seemed to be a bit of a swot and always had an answer. Usually the right one, and I worked out quickly that annoyed people, but I just couldn’t help myself.  

My spare time away from school was just myself and Amelie. We would walk into the woods and over the surrounding meadows, listening for the robins and sparrows. Hoping to catch sight of seasonal wildlife. I usually had a pocket full of nuts and seeds hoping to see some squirrels. She always knew the best places to find them, taking me through a dense bit of woodland and crossing a small stream. It snaked its way through the fallen branches and dark moss, giving the most wonderful smell of fresh damp earth. I wasn’t sure why this was her favourite smell, mine was the meadow. When the afternoon sun warmed the many flowers, it gave a hazy golden glow that took my breath away. The perfume of the wild flowers catching on the breeze and making me smile and sigh at the beauty of it all. We loved nature.

One day we had been walking through the fields, making our way to the woods, when Amelie suddenly wanted to go the other end of field we never passed by before. We made our way towards it, away from the worn path, tramping through the higher grasses. As we got there Amelie stopped us and began looking wistfully into the small wooded area. It was the edge of the reservoir and was fully fenced, but used to be as open as the rest of the countryside apparently. She had told me she had gone that way once, before the fences were there. But she couldn’t remember why. No-one was allowed up there now and by the look of it hadn’t for decades. PRIVATE LAND, KEEP OFF signs were posted most prominently.

We were just about to head off on our normal route when suddenly the atmosphere changed. Despite the rays of sunshine splashing onto our face, and the warm summer air, an icy chill ran through me. Followed very closely by what could only be described as fear, heart piercing fear I had never experienced. A shadow lurked behind the fence in the thicket before us. I wanted to turn but instead just stared, transfixed by what must be a trick of the light, shadows didn’t move by themselves.

“Are you ok Sylvia?”

I nearly jumped out of my skin. The voice behind me broke my gaze but did nothing for my heart rate. We never bumped into anyone up here, just their presence was out of place to what we were used to. Although my gaze had been broken, the brightness had not returned, a chill remained and so did the shadow.

“I’ve never seen you up here before, I didn’t think anyone came up here anymore. Are you ok?”

I studied his face before speaking. I had never seen this man before, yet he seemed to know my name. Maybe he was friends with my parents? He must be local to the village or how else would he know my name? There was something extremely familiar about his face but I couldn’t quite place it.

“Yes, I’m fine. Thank you. I’m just a bit hungry and my mother is expecting me for lunch. Good day”

And with that, before I even knew what was happening, we were running back towards the village and our house. I wasn’t hungry, this I knew for sure. My stomach was in knots and if anything I felt sick. But on we ran, not stopping until we got home. My mother was most surprised to see me, usually we would be out in the woods for hours, not half an hour.

“Are you ok? You look like you’ve seen a ghost?”

I didn’t know what I looked like, belt I felt pale. If that can even be a thing. I felt like my guts had been wrenched out and my very being drained of blood. Seeing that shadow and meeting that man had left an impression.

“I just felt a little sick when I got up to the reservoir fence, I didn’t want to stay out. I met this weird man as well, he knew me by name but I didn’t recognise him. I think I’m going to stay in today”.

She seemed happy with that explanation, although not too happy I was talking to strangers in the countryside. Maybe I shouldn’t play so far out anymore she suggested.

“Oh, and remember to tell me if you want a birthday party before Saturday, you are going to be Twelve. Almost a grown up!”

She added that last bit with a cheery smile, I think she gets more excited about my birthdays that I do. But I hated the idea of a party, she tried every year to get me to want one. Maybe next year I kept saying. Amelie didn’t like parties either, but she loved when it was our birthday, she told me hers was the same day as mine. We celebrated together. Every year she would say things like, ‘well, when I turned eight, or when I turned nine. It was such fun when I turned 11, my brother and went to the zoo’. But this year she hadn’t really been saying anything like that, and we were going to be twelve.

Amelie didn’t want to talk about what happened in the fields, she stayed quiet about it. Nothing ever upset her, so I was very confused about what had happened.

I had always felt safe and confident with Amelie. To avoid embarrassment for my parents and being sent to a psychiatrist, I stopped speaking of her when I was about eight. She had told me that people wouldn’t understand, and my mother didn’t so it seemed best to keep it a secret. As my birthday approached though, it seemed Amelie became quieter and more afraid.

One night two days before, she very quietly said to me ‘I’m afraid Sylvia, I don’t know what it’s like to be twelve’. I didn’t understand what she meant. I was apprehensive too, we would be going to big school and everything would change. She didn’t say anything more about it and I didn’t want to upset her, I had never felt her like this. On the eve of our birthday I tried to be excited but there a heavy feeling about our house, a gloom had settled.

We didn’t talk much that night. She had lost her usual enthusiasm and I didn’t know how to help. Maybe she would feel better in the morning I thought.

I woke to the sun streaming through my bedroom window and my mother opening my door with a hot chocolate and slice of cake! I swear she gets more excited than I do about my birthday. I got hugs and kisses and told my cards and presents are downstairs. It felt nice. The house had lightened since yesterday, I looked around the room and sensed it was all different. Nothing had moved but everything seemed out of place. No my mother had left the room, I was alone. For the first time in my entire life, I was alone.

I looked behind me, I looked under the bed, out of the window, in my drawers, everywhere. I must have looked like a mad person because it was not clear what I was looking for. I felt empty. She wasn’t there. Amelie wasn’t there. My mind was quiet, when I asked a question, just a void of nothing came back. I asked if she was still there, but I knew she wasn’t, I could feel she had gone. I sat on the edge of my bed and cried. My years after that felt incredibly lonely, and life seemed more difficult than it had ever felt. School was suddenly really hard, I didn’t have someone in my head telling me the answers all the time.

I missed her greatly and never quite got the hang of friendships. No one could quite match up to her anyway. It was a personal loss I had to carry on my own, never quite getting over it until years later, although what I later found gave me more questions than answers.

Years later at the Christening of my first child, who I had decided to call Amelie and was born upon the very same day as my birthday, I met a priest. He noted to me.

“How interesting you have called your daughter Amelie, my sister had that name, and the same birthday too. Unfortunately she disappeared when she was a child, but I am so glad her name is still going strong”.

He had a sadness with his smile. I suddenly remembered something she used to tell me about her brother and what she used to say to him, and I couldn’t help but say it.

“You can always turn that frown, upside down…”

He stared at me.

“But, that was decades ago, must have been at least two before you were born, how could you know that?”

I didn’t know what to say, I was now flushed and trying to think quickly. Amelie would have known what to say I thought. It had been a burden for so long, I needed to share it, even after all this time of burying it and trying to forget. He spoke before I had the chance to find any words.

“She went missing on the eve of her twelfth birthday. Used to go walking in the woods and meadow and that day, didn’t come back. We never found her. They say she may have fallen in the reservoir but no evidence. That’s why the fences went up”.

It was heart-breaking, seeing in his face he had always wondered what happened to her. I felt the same about why she left me and wanted to end his pain as well as my own. Now I knew for sure she had been real and that she hadn’t just been my imaginary friend. She had been my best friend. Over the years, wondering now and again if I had made it all up. The sign of a lonely child and all that. But to now know her true fate was unknown and that I had found her brother, something would have to be done.

I knew the place well even though I hadn’t been back since that day. A few days before my twelfth birthday in fact, when I had encountered the shadow and the creepy man. The dark corner she had led me to, I think I probably knew then, but didn’t want to admit it or think about it.

“I’m so sorry this happened to her and you’ve had to live with this for so long, but I think I know where to look for her”…

(c) K Wicks

The I Scream Man (short story)

~ MKW Publishing ~ 1 Comment

I thought I would share another of my published short stories. Not a cheery tale by any means, so be prepared if you decide to continue…

The I Scream Man

Summers had always been Edward’s favourite. Long hazy days, playing in the fields and park and spending all day with his best friend Doyle. They would be back to school soon so were enjoying the long days of holidays to the fullest.

Early evening time would come and the sound of their regular favourite, the Ice Cream Van would begin from afar. Playing that melodious droning repetitive song, they could never be sure if had always sounded so broken, or it was just dying a slow death. Like an old gramophone wobbling and creaking round and round.

But as soon as the faint music started, it would be a race to see who could make it first. Jostling for first place. The Ice cream man would give an extra flake to whoever was the winner. One morning though near to the end of the holidays, Edward called on Doyle as they had arranged but he wasn’t there. His mother answered the door and looked tired and drawn in the face. She almost looked as though she smiled when she saw him, but that faded from her face quickly.

“Edward, it’s you. I’m sorry, but I haven’t seen Doyle since yesterday. Do you know where he is? Was he with when he went to the shops?”

A policeman appeared behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Please ma’am, we’ll ask the boy the questions”.

And with that Mrs Matherly was manoeuvred into the back of the house by someone he had never seen before.

“Now son, is it ok is we ask you a few questions? Is your mother at home so we can just check with her if that’s ok as well?”

His heart was racing, he didn’t know what they would want to ask about. Had they done something wrong? Why couldn’t anyone find Doyle, why would he be missing? All of these questions started to make Edwards brain race as fast as his heart. Where was his best friend?

The policeman took him back to his house, it was only a few doors down and round the corner but it seemed like a mile. At first his mother’s face was furious.

“You’ve been out of the house for five minutes and already you’ve got up to mischief?”

But as she finished the sentence, she looked at the policeman’s face and could see there was a tired tenseness and this wasn’t to do with her boy at all.

“Sorry ma’am. I didn’t mean to cause alarm but we need to ask Edward some questions. His friend Doyle Matherly hasn’t been seen since yesterday”.

Edward couldn’t imagine what they needed to ask him, had he seen Doyle, no. It was that simple in his head. But it wasn’t that simple, there were so many questions. Did they have a hiding place? Was I keeping any secrets for him? Had he ever talked about running away? He was starting to feel stressed out by the questions, everything he could think of kept drawing up a blank. He didn’t know where he was and the reality of that thought hit him like a ton of bricks. The tears started welling up in his face.

“Am I ever going to see my friend again?”

The words game as garbled noises through his tears. He wanted this to end right now, they were starting school in a couple of weeks and were meant to be out playing. Still trying to cling to the sense of normality that had been there yesterday. How can you say goodbye to your friend yesterday and today they have disappeared he thought, how does that happen?

The town took on a sombre tone that day. Reporters and police, volunteers and family all bustling around trying to find Doyle. Search teams and interviewers all doing their thing in the hope of bringing this nightmare to a happy conclusion, but the longer it went on, the more unlikely it seemed. It was all everyone was talking about but no-one wanted to.

Over the coming days it got worse. Still Doyle hadn’t been found, and the more the news coverage went on it seemed to reveal that a number of other children had also gone missing over the last few years from the surrounding areas. They also had never been found. Edward didn’t read the papers and his mother kept the news to a minimum around him. He tried not to think the worst but it was hard. What if his friend had fallen down and hurt himself or what if he got lost in the woods and couldn’t find his way out? These were the worries that wouldn’t leave him alone. He wanted to go and search himself, but his mum didn’t want to let him out of her sight. The worry was clear on all the adults faces, but they were careful not to discuss it in front of Edward, but he had noticed.

Then the next day, the tone changed again. Suddenly there was lots of commotion around town. A body had been found. Most of the town had gathered around the streets where the boys lived, waiting for more news. People wanted to hear it as it happened, not second hand from the television or newspaper. Edward didn’t want to hear any of it. He hid away in his room as soon as he had heard. In a strange way wishing it wasn’t his friend in the hope that he might still be alive somewhere. Until they found him, there was still a chance.

But this was destined to be somebody’s grief, although Edward got half his wish for now. It was the body of a child, but not Doyle. The mystery deepened with it being one of the children from about 20 miles away, who had been missing for around 3 years. They were found in the search area for Doyle, which at that time hadn’t been searched. But from the whispers going round, it wouldn’t have been found then either if they had.

It was perfectly preserved, hadn’t aged a day they said. All the previous cases were re-opened and the mystery only deepened. Edward found it hard to fathom how it all fit together, wondering where the other child had been all this time. He had never really thought about people going missing before, nothing like this had happened in his short lifetime of nearly nine years. But now it was all he thought about. Where was Doyle? How do children just disappear? It didn’t matter how he thought about it, it didn’t make sense.

As the days went on he slept less and less, dark dreams of evil forests and monsters stealing and swallowing children. When he would fall asleep he would wake up sweating and gasping for air, as if the dark forest had taken him as well. A forest full of time holes, where you fall in from your time and disappear, then reappear dead in another time. Such strange thoughts and dreams, he couldn’t remember what it was like to not think about them. He knew he wouldn’t be going to the forest ever again.

To try and cheer him up, his mum gave him a pound to get an ice-cream next time the truck came round. Next day when the music started in the distance, he almost got excited, remembering for a moment what used to happen. It faded as the music got closer, but still he tried to perk himself up and went outside to the van.

“What can I get for you today young man?”

Edward didn’t actually know what he wanted, he hadn’t really thought about it until asked. In previous years the older boys always jumped up to look through the window and see. He was tall enough this year and suddenly felt brave enough.

“Not sure, I’ll have a look”.

And with that he quickly jumped up with his arms on the counted and glanced into the van to see what he wanted. Just as he did, the ice-cream man grabbed his arms and pushed him down away form the counted rather hurriedly.

“Not allowed to do that no more, heath and safety. Now what do you want, I gotta get on”.

His whole demeanour changed and where he had been friendly before, was no equally unfriendly. Edward apologised and feeling quite downhearted just asked for an orange lolly. He didn’t even think he would eat it. He said thanks without even looking back at the man and slowly walked back to his house with his head down. Once back in the house, he put the lolly in the freezer and gave his mum back the change for it. Without Doyle everything had lost its magic. How could he enjoy anything again he wondered.

That night was a very fitful sleep. The dreams were replaying in his mind over and over. Monstrous trees trying to eat him and Doyle, they were trying to run through the forest. Falling and tripping over tree roots emanating from the ground to grab them. Huge holes opening up ahead of them ready to drop them as a corpse into a different time. Half the time he was looking for Doyle, alone in the forest and scared he wouldn’t find him. The other half was with Doyle, desperate not to lose him and to save him from whatever fate lay ahead for him.  Edward felt so powerless and scared, that by itself was terrifying enough. A new feeling of genuine fear he hadn’t felt before but he was sure would not stay with him forever.

Something was different in this dream though, it felt more real and something else lurked in the darkness. He could feel it getting closer. He turned to grab Doyles hand to make sure he was still with him. He wasn’t. The awful feeling of losing him happened all over again. The turning round in circles seeing where he went, screaming his name and hoping this time you get a response. Nothing.

But there was a noise, really faint at first, just starting to creep through. Edward tried to ignore it as he was shouting and crying into the dark forest. It grew louder though, pushing into his psyche and demanding attention.  It was the ice-cream trucks dying melody starting to approach. It made Edwards blood run cold, in fact his whole body felt cold and he started to shiver. The truck got closer, but this one had no driver, just steering itself through the trees making it’s way towards Edward.

It slowly came to halt in front of him. His heart was beating so fast he could hear it thumping in his head and his chest. He didn’t want to go to the counter or look inside, but he knew he must. It didn’t look anything else in the dream at all. This looked exactly as it did earlier in real life, just without the man. He took a deep breath and stepped up to the counter, realising he was going to have to jump up again. He hesitated. Suddenly thinking something could grab him or pull him in. Another deep breath to get himself together and he pulled himself up and looked. He looked around inside the truck and weirdly it all looked normal and as it had this afternoon, even his pound was on the counter. As his eyes went over it a second time he remembered he was trying to see what there was in the freezer when he was told off. Maybe now he could look and see what it was. The coldness he felt hadn’t gone away and he even thought for a moment maybe he was being turned into an ice-cream in his dream.

But this didn’t feel like a dream anymore, this felt different. As he looked into the freezer he could see cornetto’s, ice-pops, zooms and a hand. A whole hand with fingers and everything just there in with all the ice-creams. In fact, not just a hand, but what looked like a sleeve as well showing just the edge of a jumper. Doyles jumper!

He screamed himself awake and jumped out of bed. What had he just seen? Did he see that earlier? Was his brain imagining things? He wanted to pretend it didn’t happen, he didn’t see it, it was a dream and even at nearly nine years old, you could still go mad. But the more he thought back to earlier, he realised he did see it. He was surprised at being turfed off the counter and his brain didn’t register it at the time, but now it was. And Edward meant to do something about it, his scream had already woken his mother and he told her everything from the beginning, knowing that she would listen and not tell him was being silly. And even if she did, he knew he wasn’t.

She didn’t say he was silly at all. Quite the opposite, she told him it was important and that they should tell the policeman right away. He sat on the edge of his bed while his mother made the call, the nervous excitement of telling her what he knew was now replaced with an empty sadness. Because now he knew what had happened to Doyle. Knew they wouldn’t ever play together again, wouldn’t go to big school together and he wouldn’t get to laugh with his best friend ever again.

After he had given a statement to the police, it only took a couple of days for it to be big news. The killer had been caught. The link between the communities and the previous missing children that had never been found was revealed. No-one talked about it much after, you didn’t need to, it would always be remembered as a local tragedy.

(c) K Wicks

A Short Walk (short story)

~ MKW Publishing ~ 4 Comments

As halloween seaon is now upon us, thought I would share another one of my short stories from my latest release – A short walk and other dark short stories, if you fancy a little creepy read at all.

A Short Walk

Moving day had arrived. It had been coming for what seemed like an age, but now it was here, Sadie felt as though there had been no warning. The alarm clock going off at 6am cutting through her sleep like an air raid siren. Dramatic, confusing and seemingly louder than any other morning, almost terrifying her out of bed. A long day stretched ahead.

It was almost lunchtime before the first van load was ready. Half open boxes and packing wrap strewn everywhere, why hadn’t she hadn’t finished this all before today? It seemed like only a few things left to pack, but once those few drawers, and cupboards, and extra trinkets were out and piled up, it seemed like a whole room full. Luckily it was a move to slightly bigger apartment, and this time it was a ground floor one, so no stairs at the other end!

Soon enough everything was done, only the large furniture and those extra boxes left until tomorrow when help would arrive. Until then, it was just what wasn’t too heavy for her to carry, stack and unload herself. New keys in pocket, old keys in hand, she closed the door on her old apartment and headed for the new one. The basics of a bed and table were already there, so at least she would be able to enjoy her first night after unpacking the essentials. It would be nice to have a bit more space where she was going, it was an old converted red-brick Victorian hospital, had high ceilings and tall windows allowing light to stream into the rooms. Now just called Hillsford Grange. It was hard to see how it was ever a hospital with such a grand feel about it, ornate looking solder or metal work at the tops of the windows. Curling round and back in on itself in a swirly motion, a very small gap between one swirl and the next, but looking continuous. Even though it was a recent refurbishment, the property had been derelict for a few decades before renovations and a number of older features had been retained. It was part of the charm of why she wanted to move there, as well as the sprawling gardens and it being only a short distance from the river.

She pulled up and got out of the van, and was surprised at how different the building looked on a grey day. Even though it was late afternoon in Spring, it was damp and chilly and the colour of the sky dulled the redness of the building somewhat, giving it a darker appearance. It all looked quite bleak in this light, not nearly as bright and inviting as Sadie’s first visit. She shivered and realised the damp was starting to seep into her jumper and down her neck. She would have a proper walk around later she thought, for now it was backwards and forwards with boxes.

It was an hour that felt like four, and by the end it her muscles felt like it had been twelve. The whole day and excitement of moving catching up with her. There was a pile of neatly stacked boxes to unpack tomorrow after the rest of the stuff got here. The bed was made, a few kitchen things out and it would just be a peanut butter sandwich for dinner, even if there had been real food in the house, she couldn’t be bothered to cook anyway. The need for a shower and pyjamas beckoned, but at least she could have a cup of tea and relax after that.

It could only have been about ten to fifteen minutes until she was back in the living room again about to put the kettle on, when she could see something seemed out of place. The boxes that were neatly stacked, weren’t quite so neatly arranged anymore. The corner boxes jutted out slightly and one box had clean moved off the top and was placed next to the stack. She wasn’t quite sure what to make of it, everything else was where it should be. She tried to think back to before the shower, maybe she hadn’t picked up that final box like the thought, and maybe she had nudged a corner on her way past which moved the other boxes out of place? She was tired, so could have easily been that she thought.

Shortly after a cup of tea and a quiet moment enjoying her new place, Sadie was tucked into her new bed in the almost empty room save for that one piece of furniture she was on. The busyness of the day ran through her head as she drifted off to sleep, and of the next day, more moving and unpacking to come. Soon dreams of removals vans and rooms swam through her mind, of jumble sales and bags of clothes, back-alley markets and furniture. It was kind of nice, walking through the tables of goods, thinking what might look nice in her new residence. Suddenly the dream changed location and she was no longer outside looking at stalls, but inside. They were lined up along the wall of a long corridor, very similar to the new apartment building. High ceilings and lots of rooms, but here they didn’t have any doors, and the walls were painted an off yellow colour. It didn’t look very appealing at all, but seemed fitting for a jumble sale location. Like the old churches and community centres that used to have them when she was a child.

As she neared where it looked to be a bigger room ahead, an invisible hand grabbed her arm and started moving her towards one of the rooms. She tried to turn around to see who had interrupted her path, but couldn’t turn around or adjust her position. Her elbow was in a vice like grip, locking her shoulder in place and making it hard to even keep walking properly. She yanked her arm away from whatever it was holding it, and instantly woke up having thumped her arm against the wall. Given the position she found herself in, it seemed that her arm got wedged between the bed and the wall, and now was throbbing where she had been trapped and was now free.

Falling back to sleep wasn’t as easy the second time round, her shoulder ached and each time a dream started it would very quickly end up being in the old hospital. She woke up countless times feeling agitated and trapped, wanting to be anywhere else but within the long halls, or finding herself wandering around the almost dark basement. Only knowing it was the hospital still as the walls were the same ageing yellow and it kept repeating every time she drifted back off into sleep.

Finally, there were no dreams and all was quiet for Sadie for the rest of the night. Soon enough though, the birds started chirping and the first signs of morning began to creep through the curtains. The alarm wasn’t due to go off for another hour, but after such a terrible night’s sleep, she was grateful for it being morning. And the first one in her new place, so quickly the thoughts of last night were cast aside, and the focus moved to getting the kettle on and preparing for another day of moving.

It was another tiring morning, even more so with not having enough sleep, but the hired help were friendly and efficient, doing all the heavy lifting and getting the van ready before midday. It was only short drive to the new place, and after an hour all the furniture was in and she had even talked them into moving it all into place for her. Well, talked them into it with a better tip than they would have got. Closing the door, Sadie turned round to face the mess. It looked so different from yesterday, all clear and airy. Now it seemed heaped and jumbled, like a store room. There was so much to be done to turn it into a home. She felt exhausted and decided a quick nap would be a better idea, just to get a bit of energy to tackle the mammoth task ahead.

It wasn’t a restful slumber at all, images of basements and jumble sales again, long corridors, people and noises. Strange faraway noises in the background of it all, almost like wailing or intermittent screams. Sadie snapped out of her nap on the sofa, sitting up and looking around the room, still sure she could hear the noises, fading away, but not quite gone. Maybe one of the other apartments had a television on that she could hear, you didn’t know how much noise came from other places until you moved in. But generally, so far, the place had been as quiet as a morgue. Sadie shuddered at that thought, suddenly realising that this having had been a hospital, then there would have actually been a morgue here. She hoped it wasn’t where her room was! Most of the layout was the same as the original building, they had just redone all the interior and tidied it up. Creating large apartments from a number of rooms, and making use of the previous large hall to put a gym, not that it appeared to get much use.

The atmosphere of the place seemed to get heavier as the day went on and evening drew close. Maybe a storm was coming, the weather had been funny for days and couldn’t seem to make up its mind if it was Spring, and was clinging onto winter, interchanging from one day to the next. By the time the sun dipped below the treeline, most of the place was sorted, main boxes unpacked and the rooms now looked as though someone lived there. Lamps on, curtains drawn, books on the shelves and rugs on the floors gave it the finishing personal touches it needed to feel like home.

But after bedtime was a different story. Another night of strange dreams, and the next night, and the next after that. Each time a bit more creepy and vivid, wandering the halls of the hospital, trying to get out of the basement with the worry of it being the morgue and she wouldn’t ever get out. Huge pipes were down there and laundry baskets getting her way as she tried to see through the dull light cast from the few grubby bulbs. It was rusty and damp down there, no windows and steam coming from the piped making visibility even worse. It was almost a relief to not find herself down there the following night, instead seemingly confined to the upper areas on the building. There were people around her, but no-one saw her or was aware she was there, or each other it seemed. Each body just randomly going through the motions of their role.

It was tiring. Each morning was like pulling yourself from thick mud, heavy legs and eyes that she just couldn’t shake and spending most the first part of the day yawning and trying to get motivated. It didn’t work and by mid afternoon it felt like it was bedtime again already. How did the days just seem to haze by like that? It was starting to feel that the days were becoming as dreamy as the nights. Another night of dreaming that started same as the last, the same nightly wander around the hospital, surrounded by empty people ignorant of each other aimlessly going about their routine. There was something so sad about them all, shuffling or just standing around, purposeless and lost. A wave of dizziness came over Sadie and she made her way back to her room, or where she thought it was. Because it wasn’t there anymore, the old layout had replaced it and there was a small bedroom now where her kitchen had been, and three more rooms down from it which she figured must be the living room and her actual bedroom. She didn’t know what to do so just sat on the bed, hoping she would just wake up and make this creepy grubby place go away.

She must have drifted off in the small dingy room as the next thing she knew, she was being woken and sat up by two women. Her brain was so foggy she couldn’t properly make out who they were, or why they were in her room.

“Come on Miss, no fighting now, we’re just going for a short walk”.

She tried to turn round to look at who the voice was coming from. Who would be calling her Miss? Why were there people in her room? Where was her room?

“Where are you taking me? Who are you?”.

She finally found her voice, but it sounded so small and weak, the words barely came out.

“Who are we? You are funny. We’re just going for a short walk, you come along now”.

She didn’t know why, but the words ‘A Short Walk’ filled her with dread and she tried to pull her arms away from the women. But she had no strength and could only think about thrashing out and running away from them.

They chuckled between themselves as they stood Sadie up.

“Looks like the milk worked then, don’t know why we didn’t think of that years ago, hurry up, we need to get this done before rounds”.

She didn’t know what they meant, what rounds? What milk? Where were they taking her? All these questions and more continued to swirl through her mind as she was taken on the short walk although it was more like being dragged between the two women as her feet didn’t seem capable of the simple one step two step needed to walk. Soon they had reached the river and Sadie’s throat tightened as she realised what they were going to do. She wished so much she has strength to fight them off, to shout or to scream and save herself. But she couldn’t, instead only being able to be there as an empty shell, like the other inhabitants.

“Come on Margaret, we haven’t got all night. It’s your turn to hold this one down, get in”.

With Margaret in the water, Sadie felt a big shove in her back and forward she fell, seeing the sinister face Margaret waiting for her as she hit the water. She woke up gasping for air, back on her bed and in her new apartment. Her eyes quickly darting around making sure everything was where it should be, she was where she should be. And she was, but she was wet. Her hair, her skin and bedclothes, all completely soaked, but her bed and duvet were dry. She shivered, that dream had been terrifying and so real, she felt like she was going mad. But at the same time, she knew she wasn’t, there was something else going on here.

She started her computer and searched for Hillsford Grange Hospital. But it turned out that isn’t quite what the building had been originally built for. Firstly, it had been Hillsford Grange Lunatic Asylum, right up until the 1950’s when they had rebranded it and changed the name. Sadie continued reading about the history of the place, the residents, the experiments, the ‘treatments’ used. There had been big fire, multiple accidents and incidents over the years, but two things made Sadie stop and her blood run cold. A picture of the Matron and her assistant. She didn’t even need to check the names to know the assistant was called Margaret. The second thing was in the list of incidents, as there was one in particular for a young woman, who apparently drowned accidently. In fact, as she read the list, there were a strangely high number of people young and old, male and female that appeared to meet their end in the river by ‘accidently’ drowning.

It was heart-breaking to think no-one knew what had really happened, that instead of it being a mental asylum, instead it became the murder asylum. She shivered at the thought and memory of her own experience, even though it was just a dream, it felt like more. She felt like this was now her purpose, to do something and make sure people knew what had happened there, and that someone would finally be able to lay these ghosts to rest and they could find peace.

(c) K Wicks

Short Stories

~ MKW Publishing ~ 2 Comments

I have seven various short stories available to read for free, I thought it might be nice to link them all in one post so if you find yourself with a bit of time to fill and fancy a creepy read, see below.

Full book links available as well if you decide you may want to read more, although most of them are now shared here for free 🙂

Doctors Visit

Clocking Off

P113

Smart City Alpha.3

The I Scream Man

A Short Walk

Dead Until Twelve

There is also a newer short story available, which isn’t in a collection yet but you can also read for free here – In the Mountain

(c) K Wicks

Creepy short stories – A Short Walk

~ MKW Publishing ~ Leave a comment

If you like creepy short stories, then you might like to try my recent book (and secocond collection)

– A Short Walk and other dark short stories

Six more creepy tales of murders past, experiments most foul, ghosts that won’t rest and a city that isn’t quite what it seems. Even the dead won’t rest when there is a truth to tell…

And you can read two of those stories here for free if you are looking for a short creepy read for the weekend.

P113

Smart City Alpha.3

And here is the first collection too if you like that sort of thing, also with a couple of stories from it available to read for free if you find yourself in need of a creepy read this weekend.

Clocking Off

Doctors Visit

(c) K Wicks

Smart City Alpha.3 (short story)

~ MKW Publishing ~ 3 Comments

From my new book of short stories – A Short Walk and other dark short stories, I thought I would share this one with you for free in case you fancy a little read today…

‘Dear Ms Malone,

Congratulations, your application has been accepted for an apartment in Smart City Alpha.3’

She couldn’t believe it, and such good timing too. The application had been so easy, so they must have had loads of people to choose from she thought, maybe her luck was changing. It had asked a few family questions and one about what work experience you had. All very easy to answer, newly orphaned and estranged from remaining family. And one previous job as a waitress. Since the recent upheavals had closed all the hospitality outlets and they weren’t a thing anymore, it seemed irrelevant.

But these new cities were to be a safe haven from the madness that had overtaken what used to be society. The new normal was anything but. Selected individuals would be allowed to be separated from ‘the rabble’ as they called it. The daily briefings were enough for you to see how unstable everything had become. Pockets of rioting always breaking out, high unemployment, addictions were rife and it seemed on a downward spiral with only one way out for a shot at a decent future. The smart cities.

The letter went on to give her new apartment number, moving date and even that they would send a vehicle and driver to collect her. Rent payments would be low and work provided to pay for bills and food.

Both her parents had succumbed to the new virus that had crept through the population, causing confusion, economic collapse and varying degrees of illness and mortality throughout the population. She had ended up in a high-rise block of flats in a deprived area of the city, with banging doors, sirens and shouting at all hours. People coming and going all the time, and although the illness had mostly passed, it still loomed in the background of everyday life. Where there were people, there could be a threat. The idea of a nice quiet secure life was appealing. Especially with it only being selected people, maybe they wouldn’t let in any undesirables. It seemed so unfair that they survived and her parents didn’t.

There wasn’t much to pack, having only been a student living in halls when the emergency measures started, and had to stay there for the best part of a year. It was only after the cure had been introduced that the students were released. Her parents passed away shortly after and the family home had to be sold to pay for bills and costs, neither her or her brother could afford the upkeep or to pay for anything. At least the authorities had helped, otherwise she probably would have ended up on the street. Her first two nights had been in a hospital as that was the only emergency accommodation available until they could find somewhere. She still had nightmares about that place, and occasionally flashbacks during the day, remembering how odd it all seemed. Faintly hearing distant screams, screeching and scraping of trolley’s being pushed around in echoing hallways.

Three days later and it was time to move. Luckily the driver app she had been asked to download informed her he’d arrived and would assist with her bags and personal effects. A picture of the driver came through, showing only a facemask, pair of eyes and a hat. It would have to do as an ID she guessed. Hopefully you didn’t have to wear masks in the city, she hadn’t thought to ask and the information didn’t specify. It was such a part of her life now but the idea of not having to wear one was appealing.

She took a last look at the dingey flat that had been her home for the last couple of months and felt relief it was over now and a new phase could begin. A knock at the door and a few bags handed to the pair of green eyes. Door closed and gone. Not even a glance back, just looking forwards trying not to look at anyone or their pitiful lives on a downward spiral. If she had looked back though, she would have seen another lonely person with a few bags in hand, being shown into her old flat. Now to be their temporary home until their application gets approved.

It was about 20 minutes out of the old city they had built the new one. A massive fortified city with huge walls, security checkpoints and scanning technology to get in. It seemed to be the only way to ensure you would be safe, the adverts showed how much easier everything was in there. Friendly happy people, helping each other realise a new safer future. A new normal, where you could minimise risk and live better. She didn’t understand why the people outside wanted to live like the old way. It seemed so far away now. There was no way to tell who was going to be ok, millions had perished. But safety beckoned and knowing the madness of the old world was being left behind was a relaxing one. It was a shame she hadn’t told her brother she was leaving, but he wasn’t himself anymore.

They hadn’t spoken since the funerals. He kept insisting their parents were killed by the cure and wouldn’t accept it was the illness. Maybe he would come round and see that the news and media were right after all. That humanity was going to fall into ruin over the next decade, more people would be lost and the smart cities were the only way to build a new way forward. Technology would keep up safe.

As the car pulled up, vast metal fences surrounding the outer walls. There was a tunnel leading to the entrance so you couldn’t see into the city from outside at all. No guards, just screens and scanners, the driver removed his mask and turned to face the screen by his window. It beeped and turned green, the screen then slid to her window and flashed up the logo for a QR code. She suddenly realised it was on her acceptance letter and fumbled through her bag for it, suddenly flustered at not being prepared. A panic that they might not let her in after all, what if they had made a mistake and she wasn’t wanted in there after all? It beeped and turned green, nothing to worry about, she was fine.

As they started to drive through the tunnel, she looked at the lights lining the walls. Suddenly they flickered, and a long white hallway was in the place of the tunnel. Voices and hurried whispers, yet still the feeling of moving forward. The scene switched back to the car and tunnel, but the voices remained.

“We’ve got to get her out of here before she wakes up fully. They’ll know as soon as she knows, as long as we can get her out, we’re good”.

None of it made any sense. Maybe the radio was on, or maybe she was just tired, it had been a few months of sleepless nights and worry. Finally due to be over and a new life to begin. And with those thoughts drifted off into sleep, no longer worried what the driver might think, he could wake her when they arrived.

She woke with a start, a vague awareness of being someone tapping her info consciousness. But when she opened her eyes, wasn’t where she thought she would be. Her brother sat on the edge of the bed she was in and a couple of people she didn’t know hung back in the corner. She was so confused.

“What’s going on, where am I? How did I get here? Is this the city and you were here all along?”

He shook his head.

“No, this is just normal life now, I’ve been looking for you for two weeks after you went missing”.

Now it was her turn to shake her head.

“Weeks? Missing? What are you talking about! I haven’t seen you for months and was moving to the new smart city Alpha 9”.

She still couldn’t understand what was going on.

“I saw you three weeks ago at our parent’s funeral. I know this is going to be hard to take in, but you’ve been missing for two weeks and I just had to bust you out of a facility”.

She was dumbstruck and could only sit in silence as he unravelled where she had been.

It was called the Alpha Project but went under the name SMART – Serial Monitoring Augmented Reality Trials. People were being taken and drugged to alter their alpha waves to induce a switched state of reality where the REM state seems real and your body and mind react as if it is. But the whole time hooked up to machines keeping you in a comatose state and giving you a new concept of time, safety and reality. Weeks being turned into months and even years for some people.

“So, none of it happened? I wasn’t in a terrible flat for months feeling depressed and lonely? How can they do that, why would they do that to me? How do I know you are telling me the truth?”.

But deep down she knew he didn’t need to lie. It was written all over his face what he had been through, and suddenly the tunnel made sense now and the white corridor. That was her getting out. There was so much to work through and understand.

“I wasn’t going to let them take you as well, we’ve all lost too much to let them keep taking more”.

She felt extremely grateful to have a brother like him at that moment and leaned in to give him a hug, the emotion of it all creeping in and a bit of a tear started to form. She motioned for his two friends to come of the shadows and join them.

“I presume you guys helped? Just as well you three were there to come and save me! I owe you all one”.

They glanced at each other and back to her.

“It wasn’t just us three, there are others and being honest, we could use all the help we can get. Are you in?”

(c) K Wicks