Friday Frights Story Two Part One

                                    The Haunting of Atoka



                                     By Robin Renee Ray






In memory of the things that really happened with a small twist of fiction to give it that extra haunted feel.



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Driving down the highway a few miles from the town of Artesia, New Mexico and seeing the old school put a desire in me that didn't go away until I found out more about it. Before long, its tales of true horror had me visiting late in the dark of night, finding my way with a few friends and daughter was more of a challenge than most. The whole place was braced with a six foot chain-link fence that had multiple warnings to those who dare trespass. The Government had taken over some twenty year prior and they held a stiff penalty for all who crossed its barrier. But that wasn't about to stop me.


About a quarter mile from the school, many years after it had closed, three men were beat almost to death in 1952 and dragged to the railroad tracks to suffer a horrid, unimaginable fate. They had been working the fields around the school to send money home to their families in Mexico. All three died for mere pennies. It seemed that the old track had taken many lives through the years and all right close to that old Atoka school.



"I think we should go out there tonight," I said, watching Kysha and her friend Meg's eye grow.


"I wanna go," Crystal, my neighbor, chimed in.


"We have to wear all black because if we see any type of vehicle we are gonna have to hide like we never have before," I smiled, more than ready for the night to fall.


"What if we get caught?" Crystal asked, rubbing her hands together showing she was already nervous.


"You may get caught, but I won't," I laughed. "They'll never find me."


"I'm sticking with you, mom," Kysha quickly added.


"Me too," Crystal and Meg concurred at the same time.


"Then you better be ready to run like hell, because I will be out in the woods so fast that you won't see me move." I winked at Kysha.


At nine that night, we were dressed like misfit Ninjas in our head-to-toe black outfits. All were overly excited, until we drove past the old school and parked down a side road beside the railroad track. That's when some started showing signs of wanting to change their minds. It was too late, I wasn't going back the three miles to town just to turn around and come back. We were there and I was going in.


The appearance of the old school showed it had been a long time since any living soul had made their way into its lonely halls. We found a breech in the chain-link fence and made our way to the side of the school where we found a broken window to crawl through. I had been to many a spooky places but this gave me chills before my feet hit the debris covered floor.


"Why can't we use the flashlight?" Crystal asked, sucked up as close to my back as she could get.


"Because, it might be seen by a car on the highway. If you do use your lights, then cup your hand over the top, but when I say turn them off—do it," I explained as my eyes took in all the doors and halls that we would soon venture into.


Walking in a tight group, which drove me crazy, we turned down the first hall. I took the group into a class room to our right, which had six or seven desks spread out from years past. There was another door across the room, which we passed through into another hall that looked just like the one we had come down, also covered in debris. We went a ways, turning down a shorter hall that ended in dark shadows with no way to go but the way we had come. Strange sounds broke out and scared many in the group, so we thought we would go back and try going the other way in hopes of making it to the large gym that stood like a skeletal ghost at the back of the school.



We all stood in shock when we reached the classroom that we had moments before passed through. The desk were no longer spread out, but now stacked in front of the door across the room.


"I'm scared," Crystal said, grabbing the back of my shirt. "Who did this?" I didn't reply because I didn't know. We found another class and crossed with caution since the floor was all but rotted.


"This can't be the same hall we came down," Kysha acknowledged, right as I had taken notice of the very same thing.


"We didn't go that far, it has to be," Meg added, flipping on her flashlight.


"No way, this can't be right," Crystal said with tears in her eyes.


"It just looks different because we didn't come down this far," I tried to explain, knowing for a fact that it wasn't the same hall. That's when we heard what sounded like two little girls laughing.


"I wanna go home, now," Crystal said, stepping in so close that I could feel her breath.


"What was that?" Meg asked, stepping closer to Kysha, who was standing beside me.


"It might be the twins that were killed down the road," I replied. "They were hit by the train walking home from this school." I have to admit, I was trying to give them a good scare by bringing up the tales that were held strong by the old-timers that told them. Something in the hall at our back crashed to the floor and we bolted, looking for our way out. I knew the girls' fear was bringing out the beast of the old school. The rumors were more than just talk and we were finding out first hand.





To be continued next Friday…..