Bad Things Happen

He couldn't move, he couldn't even scream anymore, but he could still hear his mom's warning as his flesh was ripped away, bite by agonizing bite...

Ted was almost sixteen and the haunted house across the street had been empty for as long as he could remember. He knew there were no such things as ghosts and goblins, but sometimes he wished there were. If dark minions dwelt there, like in the stories, his life would be a lot more exciting.

He snuck in a couple times to look around. Once when he was little, he went in to snoop. His mom saw him come out, scolded him and sent him to his room. Later that evening she called him down and asked him what it was like inside. He shrugged his shoulders, “I don't know, just a house with stuff in it all covered with sheets.”

She told him it was wrong to go in houses without being invited; she tried to scare him by saying, “Bad things happen to naughty boys who go snooping, Teddy”

Years later his best friend, Ralph, dared him to go in. The house had deteriorated greatly and the rumors of ghosts and vampires increased. He accepted the dare, knowing there were no such things. The house was the same, only more cobwebs and dust everywhere and now broken glass littered the floors. It sparkled in the sun beams that streamed in through ripped and tattered curtains. Here and there he could see rocks that had been thrown through windows by passing kids. He felt sad by how much damage was done; some by people, most by time. Neglect had taken a heavy toll and he doubted the house would stand much longer.

That was three years ago and not much had changed except, now a basement light was on! It all started on his way home from a school dance when he discovered someone had been inside. He cut across the yard instead of walking up to the corner, like he always did. He was lost in thought that night about a couple of girls from the dance. Becky, the cute brunette, even wrote her number on his hand and asked him to call her.

When he got home, his mom was waiting for him. He talked to her about his night while he ate a snack. She stretched out on the couch to watch a movie and he went to his room to play Fable III, the X-box game he borrowed from Ralph. He put it in his jacket pocket before coming home, but it wasn't there.

He went through his pockets twice, then emptied his backpack out on the bed. “Nothing!” He remembered taking it out to get some gum at Fourth Street, and he remembered shoving it back into his pocket right before he turned down the alley. “So...” He thought out loud, “it must have fallen out someplace between here and Fourth Street.”

He put his jacket on, told his mom he had to go find the game, grabbed a flashlight, then started backtracking from the front door. He watched for it as he crossed the street, then as he left the glow of the street light he turned the flashlight on. Making side to side sweeping motions he crossed the dew covered grass.

He walked all the way back to the alley before he found it. It had landed on the gravel but was still in it's case. “No harm done,” he thought as he picked it up and held it tight in his hand. Ted turned around and started walking back home with the beam from his light illuminating the footprints he'd left in the wet grass. At the back of the old house, to his surprise, another set of footprints crossed over his his and continued on to the sidewalk. Shinning his light on them, he seen they went up to the back porch. Curious, he followed them to the rear step and looked around; no tracks leading in, just leaving. He followed them to the sidewalk and concluded that who ever it was had huge feet. On the sidewalk were clear prints at least two inches longer than his size eleven and a half Nikes. It was obvious they stood there and watched him but the prints faded as the wet wore off, so he couldn't tell which way the went after that.

He was very curious and told his mom as soon as he was in the door. She told him to stay away from that old house. “Don't go in the yard or anywhere close, Ted. Who knows what they are up to in there, maybe even making that dope?” She half asked, half stated, then added, “Maybe I should notify the police tomorrow just in case.”

“It's probably just some kid got dared to go in or something. Don't go calling the cops and having them waste their time. 'Sides, Mom, we'd know if there was something more going on; if not us, one of the neighbors.”

Ted didn't believe it was a kid with feet that big, and he doubted anyone was “Cooking that dope”. He watched and sure enough a huge guy cut across the yard the next night about the same time. It was too dark and too far from his window to make out much but he did see the guy walked down the sidewalk, probably heading up town.

Sunday afternoon Ted went to Ralph's. He told him about his discovery and that night they walked along the sidewalk same time the stranger should appear. They just crossed the street when they seen him coming. Ralph asked, “Is that him? Let's cut across to the other side.”

Ted pleaded, “Come on, Ralph, lets walk by to see better. He don't know we're watching.”

Ralph just shrugged and tilted his head a bit. They passed with Ted the closest. He looked up and said, “Hi. Nice night, huh?”

The stranger didn't look or say anything. Later, when Ralph asked what he looked like, Ted could only answer, “Don't know, I didn't get a good look at his face, guess his hat shaded it too much.” He should have gotten a good look though, they were right by a light, but all Ted could say was the obvious, he was big, wore dark pants, long black coat, a hat like the old gangsters wore, and black boots.

The boys waited till the stranger was out of sight, then went back. Just as they suspected, the strangers had come across the yard from the old house. Removing the flashlight from his jacket pocket Ted led Ralph back to the porch. With light sweeping the rear of the house, Ted stepped up and walked towards a window for a look inside. Just before he reached it the rotted floor gave out sending him sprawling forward. His hands shot out to break his fall, the light went out, rolled over by the window, and dropped through a big gap. Pulling his legs up and out he crawled over to retrieve it, when he looked down he saw a dim sliver of light on the dirt under the porch.

He grabbed the light and shook it. Nothing. Sitting up, he smacked the bottom with his palm, a beam of light shot out across the porch. Aiming the beam at the light under the porch revealed a basement window. Through the grime he could see something shoved against the inside to block the light. It had come lose on one end, letting a small bit of light escape. A board creaked behind him and someone grabbed his arm!

Yelling out, Ted jumped to his feet and practically knocked Ralph over. For a minute they froze in panic, then raced each other across the yard, the street, and through the front door of Ted's house. Once they were safe inside, Ralph told Ted he had grabbed his arm to get his attention because someone, or thing, had moved past the window right above Ted.

“Are you sure?” Ted asked in a hushed tone.

Ralph answered in a whisper, “Yeah, I'm sure! It was lit up some by your light, but I couldn't see 'cause the curtains were shut. I looked down to see what you was doing and when I looked back up they was open. Then something moved and they shut again. I was too scared to talk so I grabbed your arm... Sorry I scared the bejesus out of ya.”

After a lengthy palaver, they decided to keep an eye on the place but not to go snooping for a while. “We'll let them think it was just a couple of kids pranking around, not snooping.” Ralph offered. “They'll think we were dared or something and got spooked off.” Ted finished for him. “We'll watch from here or from the alley when we walk past, so they won't suspect us.”

Ted watched from his room and each night around midnight, someone left the house. He filled Ralph in at school and they agreed it was the same person, ole big and ugly. They came up with, “Bugly” for a nickname. They didn't cut through the yard anymore but they could see the light under the porch from the alley behind the house, now that they new it was there.

He stayed up to see when Bugly returned but nodded off sitting by his window in the dark. He woke stiff and cold, thinking he missed him. Ted looked at his watch, almost five-thirty, out the window the sky was turning gray and Bugly was coming home, with a woman. It was light enough out to see her, but Bugly remained in shadow. She was young, pretty, and had on a short skirt, a tan fur coat, probably fake, and had a bright yellow purse in her hand. “Probably one of the hookers that worked the main drag.” he thought.

She didn't talked or look around as she walked and when Bugly turned onto the grass she followed, like she was in a trance. She was a step behind him now and her high heels sunk in the ground, but she didn't seem to notice. Ted watched as they vanished behind the house, then tip-toed downstairs, donned his jacket, and quietly slipped out the door.

Crouching low, he ran across the street, then slid alongside the house ducking under the windows. His heart was pounding when he came to the back corner. He poked his head around the corner just enough to peek, but there was nothing. Dropping down on his knees, he looked under the porch, sure enough, the basement light was on. Whatever blocked it had shifted and he could see a wider finger of light as well as someone moving around down there.

Crouching low he ran back home. He climbed in bed hoping for a few hours sleep before school. It seemed he had barely dozed off when somebody grabbed and shook him. With a scream he sat up and looked into the wide eyes of his mom, who was trying to wake him for school. “You must have been having a terrible dream,” she explained, “and you scared me half to death.”

When he got to school he filled Ralph in on the latest, leaving out his slipping over there, since they had agreed not to. Ted also left out the hunch he had about another person, a woman, waiting in the house. They decided to go look around again on Saturday. They had a couple of days to rest up and get ready for some serious investigating.

After school, Ted fell asleep watching TV. Not wanting to tell his mom why he was so tired, he lied and said he wasn't feeling very good. That night, he fell asleep and didn't wake up till his mom called him for school. When Ralph asked about Bugly, Ted had to admit he fell asleep on his watch. They talked more about Saturday, agreeing they would learn more about this mystery then. Ted didn't know it, but he would learn much more than he wanted, tonight.

He ate dinner and watched some TV, then went to his room to study for tomorrows math test. It was no use, his mind kept wondering across the street. He lay back on his bed, closed his eyes just for a minute, and fell into a deep, troubled sleep. He woke and wondered if he had slept through his watch again. Yawning, he looked at his watch and was surprised to see it wasn't quite midnight yet. “Good,” he thought, “you didn't miss him.”

Ted went to the window and soon Bugly made his nightly appearance. Tonight, however, there were two others with him! He waited for them to walk under the light to see better. He wasn't certain, but it looked like two women with him. He strained his eyes as they passed under the light but he just couldn't tell for sure. Bugly, the woman he sensed was waiting, and the hooker, he guessed.

Back in his bed he thought perhaps they were homeless. “Sure, that's it.” Ted whispered into the dark room. “There all homeless, the women are hookers and Bugly's their pimp.” He closed his eyes and tried to sleep. After a few minutes he sat up with a great idea! “They all left so the house is empty till morning. With all of them gone...”

Quietly, he dressed, grabbed a flashlight and his coat, then slipped out into the chilly night. The leaves were beginning to fall; every once in a while one would crunch as he walked quickly to the back of the house. He checked the basement light, either it was off or they blocked it better. Next, he worked his way around the house peeking in the windows, but it was too dark. He was reluctant to use the flashlight fearing it would be noticed by someone who would either investigate or call the cops.

In back again and he hadn't accomplished anything. He decided to step up where they walked and try to peek in the door. With his face pressed tight to the glass, he could make out a little bit of the room. It must be the kitchen he guessed, by the open cupboard doors sagging from ancient hinges. There was a doorway to the left and another straight back. He could make out nothing more.

He reached down, grasp the doorknob and turned it. It turned easily enough, but when he pushed the door didn't budge. He put his hand against it, turned the knob and pushed again. There was a slight give, he was certain of it. “One last time.” he thought to himself. With his shoulder against the door he gave a hard shove and almost fell on his face as the door swung open with a loud splintering sound. The lock had been set and his shove busted it through the rotten wood frame. There was no way to shut the door now, they would know someone had been there. If he didn't look inside now he wouldn't get another chance, so with a deep breath he stepped inside.

He waited for his eyes to adjust, then looked around. In his previous visits he hadn't come back this far, this was all new to him. Thinking about it he remembered the front door didn't latch, he could have come in that way instead of breaking the back door. “Too late now.” he whispered.

It was too dark to see much, but he could make out enough to move through the house. He stepped carefully, feeling with his feet for the broken glass and who knows what else on the floors. He also stayed close to the outside walls where the windows gave him a bit of light.

The house was in far worse condition than he remembered. Sheets still covered the furniture, as well as years of dirt, dust, and bits of paint and plaster from the ceiling and walls. He could see patches of rib like lathe showing. The stairs had collapsed, too, but he had no intentions of going up there anyway. Disappointed by not finding anything, he headed for the parlor and front door. The way was blocked, someone had pushed stuff in front of the door!

“Well,” Ted said quietly, “someones been busy here.” He retraced his way back to the kitchen and crossed to the other doorway. Looking down into the darkness, he could see the top few steps leading into the basement, but that was all. No, wait! There was something else, a thin line of dim light at the bottom, not much, just a hair wide line of lighter darkness. He looked at his watch, it was just going on four, plenty of time.

For the first time he risked turning on the flashlight, blinded at first, but his eyes adjusted quickly. The steps were pretty steep, but looked in good shape. A wall on the left with a rail divided the basement in half. He stepped down expecting to hear it creak, but it was quiet. So was the next and the next, all the way down. At the bottom he looked around, to his right was all open. The windows were up high, covered in years of grime. Surprisingly, the rock throwers had over looked them.

He walked a bit further and looked around. Some shelves, old rotten boxes and what looked like some jars. A mammoth furnace took up most of the room, beside it was a pile of coal. He turned around, the wall that divided the basement had no breaks in it, except where the sliver of light seeped out past a closed door with a weird handle, more like a latch for a fence. He tried pulling, pushing, and twisting it, nothing gave. He had just bent down to inspect the latch when he heard a noise above him. Quickly, he turned of his light and looked up.

The sound had come from the back door, they must be back and seen it busted open. He stood in terror for a second or two, but it seemed like an eternity. Then he remembered the huge furnace. Quickly, he took a couple steps in the dark, straining to remember where things were, then with his hand tightly over the lens, he risked turning on the flashlight. He couldn't risk tripping or making any noise. When he came to the coal he turned and slipped behind the furnace, switched the light back off and waited.

In the crushing blackness an eternity past; he heard nothing except the thumping of his heart and the hissing of his breath. He began to think maybe the wind had blown the door. He contemplated running up the steps and home. With his heart about to explode in his chest he felt for the switch on his light. Braced to run as soon he pushed it, he drew a breath and... Footsteps above him!

Someone was moving around up there. Something crashed, things banged and more footsteps, there had to be more than one person up there looking around. It got very quiet, then steps moving to the kitchen and down the stairs. Ted listened and waited, sure lights would come on as they resumed their search for him. Nothing! Then a light did come on. Not the blinding glare he anticipated, but very weak with a sweeping motion. Not like a flashlight... not moving. Shadows moved in it, he could see them in the square patch of light. They were coming and would find him, there was nothing he could do, nowhere he could run.

The patch of light began to narrow, and with a solid thud it was gone. It took a second or two for it to sink in, not a light, the light from the door. They had opened the door and the shadows were from them going through it. Now it was shut and he was safe; well for now.

Longing to run, he forced himself to wait and counted, “one-Mississippi, two-Mississippi, three... How long should I wait? At least five minutes,” he answered to himself. Reaching sixty-Mississippi, he stopped, tried to swallow some spit to ease the dryness in his throat but couldn't get any, then started again. He looked around while he counted, the shelves, some boxes, everything still the same, but... It took a bit to sink in, but if he could look around, it was getting light. He could move quietly to the steps without using his light. The floor here was clear, so no noise, they wouldn't know a thing. The steps might give him away, but he would take them as fast as possible without risking tripping, at the top he would pour it on and fly out the door. At the worst, they would get a look at his backside before he vanished through the door. “Don't run straight home,” he thought, “just in case.” But, where would he run? School! It would be locked up, but he could stop there and make sure no one followed. Then he would go to Ralph's and call home.

Stepping as soft as possible, he ascended the pile of coal. It shifted and rolled as he stepped but the door remained shut. Soon he was back on the dirty basement floor. He moved faster now till he came to the steps. He forced himself to stop there and listen. Nothing, no movement, no voices, silence. He was going to make it! Taking a deep breath, he grabbed the rail and hoisted himself up, took the steps two at a time, launched off the top with his eyes on the door.

Someone was waiting there! As he pushed off the top step they moved from the side, directly in front of him. Ted slammed into him hard enough to knock the wind from himself. Two vice like hands grasp him and stopped him dead, Bugly!

With unbelievable strength, he was lifted off the floor. Holding him like a sack, Bugly carried him down the steps to the now opened door. Straining his neck around, he could make out two shapes inside. He was carried inside and the door shut. The room was dimly lit by candles, and looked empty as far as he could see. Next, a rope was put over his shoulders, pushed down to about his elbows and then jerked tight. At the same time, Bugly slammed him down forcing him to his knees. The rope jerked again, pulling him to his feet and spinning him half around. He found himself looking at three caskets, standing open. Someone was on the floor by them, crumpled in a heap.

The two forms he'd seen stepped in front of him, in horror he looked into lifeless, gray eyes sunk deep into leathery faces. Scraggly hair hung from standing corpses, only they weren't dead! They moved closer and hissed in his face, their gaping mouths filled with long, sharp fangs. Foul breath gagged him and he thought he would puke. Bugly jerked the rope pulling him back before their teeth sunk into his face, then rasped out, “No!”

Ted felt Bugly's strong grip as he was pushed across the floor to a dark circle. Teetering on the edge he realized it wasn't a circle, it was a hole. Bugly gripped his head and turned it to the right, one of the hags grabbed into the heap and pulled the body over beside him. Ted could see two very bruised and beaten legs protruding from a bloody sheet as the hag moved behind the body. Then, with a wet, stomach churning sound, she kicked and it went over the edge. A second later, another sickening thud came from below.

The stench here was horrid, with the sound of breaking bones and tearing flesh, it was too much. Bile ascended and spewed out into the blackness. Had Bugly not been holding the rope, Ted would have fallen when he puked. Not that it mattered, Bugly shoved him over the edge and let him drop. With crushing force the rope yanked tight, breathless, Ted hung in the darkness spinning for a second before he slammed into the side. The rope jerked and he was sliding down the rough side until it widened and he hung spinning from the rope again. Soon his feet touched the bottom and the rope slackened.

Panic set in when he ran into Bugly. After, it was a mix of panic and terror. Now, Ted was able to think again. He was helpless in a pit. He was sure of what he'd seen; dead looking things with fangs, coffins, it had to be... “Vampires! And, they're saving me for their next meal?”

Even as the thought flashed into his mind, he heard something moving. Scurry little sounds coming closer, but too dark to see. “What happened to the flashlight?” As the sounds got closer , they mixed with squishing and tearing sounds. He remembered shoving it in his jacket pocket before he took off up the steps. “Was it still there?”

He tried to move his hand. The rope was snug, but not so tight he couldn't move his arm. He worked it around and soon had it free of the rope. He grabbed the light from his pocket and snapped it on. Rats! The floor was covered in them and more were filing out through holes in the walls. Before he could see more the rope jerked hard, lifting him a few inches off the floor and driving the air from his lungs. He dropped the light.

With his arm out, he hung kittywampus, swaying, spinning. Fighting to breath, he looked around as he spun. It was in an old well. He looked up to see how deep the hole was when he felt something on his feet, then searing pain. He screamed, both in pain and horror as he looked down at his torment. Rats were climbing up him and biting through his shoes. Kicking wildly, they flew off in every direction. His screams sent most of them scurrying back into the shadows except for a few that where tearing and ripping at the hulk on the floor. The spinning slowed and Ted found himself looking down into the lifeless face of Ralph.

“Noooo!” He shrieked and looked away. There he saw another body covered with rats. It looked like a woman, but the rats covered too much of her body to see if it was the hooker. Then, above him came laughter. Wicked, cold, laughter as he was once again jerked mercilessly upward. He rubbed painfully against the wall until he was almost to the edge. Desperately he reached for it with his free arm and felt his fingers grip the edge. Then Bugly grabbed his hair and pulled him up even higher as he screamed in pain, again.

Bugly put his face close to his and laughed again, his fangs flashing in the dim light. “You scream almost like your friend did.” There was a long pause before he continued, “Yes, we knew you were snooping around, and your friend too. You got too close so we went to get you tonight. You weren't home; we found your friend and mom instead.” A big smile spread at the shocked look on Ted's face. “Know what? We had lots of fun with them, Teddy.”

Laughing hysterically, he let go of Ted's hair and loosened his grip on the rope. He dropped rapidly to the floor, then impacted hard and fell down. The noise startled the rats into hiding again. He tried to stand but the pain was too much, his leg was broke. Using his hands, he pulled himself towards the flashlight. He almost reached it before the rats were on him. He felt their teeth. He screamed! The weight of them pushed him flat, they tore at his ears and face. Again, he screamed!

As the rats devoured his eyes, he opened his mouth to scream, teeth pieced his lips. Ted felt his body being shredded by hundreds of rats. As he waited for the comfort of death, Ted heard his mom say... “Bad things happen to naughty boys who go snooping, Teddy!”