Friday Frights Story One Part Two

                                     Haunted Dares

                                By Robin Renee Ray



                                         Part Two






The threat of another scream balanced at the base of her throat, teetering over the edge as her free hand came up to hold it in. Black shadows danced around the room to the tune of her flashlight. The pulsating, pitch black cloud that sank back into the wood of the ceiling the second her eyes made contact had nothing to do with the glow of light that illuminated from her shaky hand. The beam of the flashlight swept up and over the web and dust coated ceiling but nothing else was there. "Get a grip," she said thinking about the sound she had heard. Animals like raccoons and squirrels came to the front of her mind while the images of ghostly thoughts kept peaking around the corner.


Candles the size of a large glasses sat in a row of four in front of Franny's pallet, giving the living room a warmer feel and easing the fine tremble that just would not subside. She had taken out her History book to study for an exam she had the following week. The chocolate chip granola bars sat on the corner of the blanket by a bottle of water. Franny was up using a stray board to push the debris on the floor away from the area she had made for herself. It was the thought of spiders and scorpions that had a fine sheen of sweat on her upper lip and several shivers going down her spine every time the bits of wallpaper came up off the floor in a dense cloud of dust.


"What the hell?" Franny's mouth dropped to an oval shape when she turned and saw her History book lying open. The sound of her sucking in a sharp breath bounced off of the walls when she saw her bottle of water sitting in the middle of the foyer. Her head began to shake back and forth. The bottle tilted over on its side and rolled back through the living room entrance. "Alright, who's in here?" she yelled, then fell silent waiting to hear one of her friends laughing. What she got was a hissing that flew by her ear on a gust of phantom wind.


Franny leaped forward in an attempt to go to the front door, but rethought and stopped beside her things in the center of the room. Who—or what—had moved her things was somewhere past the opening to the foyer. She cleared her throat while gripping the piece of wood in one hand as she leaned down and picked up one of the candles. "You guys aren't funny." No sooner than the words left her mouth the candle was knocked from her hand. Franny screamed and ran for the door only to be stopped with an unseen grip on her neck.


Her feet came off the floor while she desperately clawed at the hand that wasn't there. The impressions on her flesh said otherwise as the grip grew tighter. Her eyes filled with tears and her mouth hung open while the treat of unconsciousness filled her very core. "Bring them to me," an evil voice hissed, right before she crashed to a heap on the floor. Franny held her throat as she cried, looking around for something that couldn't be seen. On wobbly legs she made her way to the front door, only to find herself trapped. She yanked several times then slid down the door, facing the empty room. The light from her candles gave the only comfort in the frightful situation. Until they, too, began to go out, one by one.


"No," she cried and rushed to get her flashlight that had been placed back in her overnight bag.


She reached for the bag and it flew across the room. A firm mass hit her on the side of the face so hard she went sprawling on the floor right beside it. "I'm sorry…I'm sorry," she yelled, holding her face in one hand and waving the other wildly. "Please Mr. McGregor, I swear I didn't mean any harm." A deep guttural laugh echoed throughout the house from basement to attic, sending a violent rush of chills over Franny's body. She quickly shuffled over on hands and knees and snatched up the flashlight.


"He was absorbed years ago, you stupid human." The voice spoke as the vibration of its laughter died down.


"I don't understand…I just wanna go home."


"Bring them to me."


Its words were the last she heard as another forceful punch knocked her into a world of darkness.






To be continued next Friday….