The Flaming Ship

Prince Edward Island or P.E.I as it's known to the residents, is an eastern maritime province of Canada that lies off New Brunswick and Nova Scotia in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. It is a rather large island with the population being nearly 157,000 as of 2019, and the area being 5,660 km². Lighthouses and red sand beaches mark the island with the capital being Charlottetown.  

The island has a very pastoral community feel to it, one that produces a great sense of storytelling. The residents would be no stranger to ghost stories or the many urban legends that is talked about. Folklore has been part of the island for generations, often tales having to do with the rocky shorelines and the arbitrary waters that circled the land. 

Perhaps the most famous story was the much talked about flaming ghost ship of Prince Edward Island. This story was known to everyone that lived here, so popular it is believed that some schools even teach the kids about the lore as part of the islands history. Some even believe it to be more than just an island legend, and that the ship did in-fact exist in reality.

The version that is best known would be the story of a group of sailors back in 1900 in Charlottetown.  They saw up ahead on the horizon, a ship with white sails floating towards them. The closer the ship got they could hear screams of panic. Up along the large masts were people climbing frantically, chasing them were large flames that were growing by the second, The sailors jumped into a rowboat and oared out to the burning ship. As they were approaching the ship it had completely vanished, no signs to where it had gone to, it had just disappeared as if it was never there.

Other islanders have similar stories of that nature to share. Sometime in the 1950's, a married couple were settling down for the night when the woman pointed towards the window and asked her husband who's house it was with the light on so bright. The thing was though, that in the direction she pointed at, there were no houses, only the water. The two went out to see what the light was, only to lay eyes on a fully rigged ship sailing down the Northumberland Strait, full speed ahead and covered in roaring flames. It then, yet again had vanished from sight.

This account was what they told an American Folklorist named Edward D. Ives. Ives was visiting the island working on a project of his own when he began to hear whispers about the ship. His interest began to increase as he gained personal encounters with the ship from the locals along the lot7 shore part of the island. A fisherman down said the one night while casting off, that he had seen the ship, but when he started to walk towards it, it wasn't getting and closer nor further away. 

The ships origin was never really talked about with no one knowing where it had come from. Some rumors that it was warning that a storm was coming, but that idea never really took off. The first person to offer some insight about the ships emergence came from a guy named Roland H. Sherwood. In 1948 he wrote about it in a book called Story Parade, in which he states a few possibilities; it was a result of a drunken brawl in which a lamp was knocked over and causing the blaze to start. Another story he wrote about was that it was an immigrant ship that was struck by lightning on the way to Quebec and blown off course. An informant of Ives gave up a theory of his own, that the ship was the result of pirates setting it on fire due to the fact it contained priests and nuns. 

The sightings still are reported, the last being in 2008 being published in the Nova Scotia paper. It was an account of a teenage boy who had said to have spotted a white and gold ship in the area of Tatamagouche, a village in Nova Scotia. Each island on the Northumberland Strait is said to contain its own version of the flaming ship, with the details varying.

Many have disproved the presence of the ship, but no matter what the truth is, no one can deny the interest this has brought to the provinces along the strait. Prince Edward Island being the main beneficiary of profit from this legend, with many folklore enthusiasts travelling from all over the globe to try and catch a glimpse of the flaming ship. Sometimes blind faith can bring about more enjoyment than authentication. 

The Dark Side Of Christmas - Frau Perchta

The Goddess of Christmas and a prominent figure in the lore of the Alpine regions of Austria and South Germany, Frau Perchta is a much feared witch-like lady that is not to be messed with.

Other aliases she has been knows by are "Spinning room lady" or just simply "Bertha". Her appearance is that of a shabby old lady with a beak for a nose as long as Pinocchio himself. She dressed in the cheapest clothes she could find, they were more rags than anything else. Along with this, she also walked with a crooked cane fashioned out of iron. 

Her frail appearance was often deceitful and taken for granted. Her pleasure came from spinning and she was a lover of domestic cleanliness, albeit ironic for one who dressed so vile. From December 25th to January the 6th, otherwise known to us as the twelve days of Christmas, she would do her inspections.

These so called inspections often ended in a gruesome fashion. She would fly over head going from house to house checking for two things; the first being that all your flax was spun, that the time for spinning was finished for now. The second was that your house was as clean as it could possibly be, Christmas was over and so the house should return to its normal state.

For those that didn't follow these rules or have failed the inspections, there are punishments. If you fail one of these then she would set fire to a section of the house and let it burn away before putting it out when valuables got destroyed, this was a warning for those to get their act together for the next inspection.

If a house failed both check-ups then she would pay them a very personal visit. During the visit she would disembowel the house owners and replace their guts with rocks and straw. The only way said to repel her inspections was to leave out a bowl of traditional porridge at 11 p.m on the night of the 6th of January. This act was seen as a sign of respect and an offering to her that was very much appreciated, as long as the porridge was up to her taste of course.

Frau Perchta powers don't stop there, she is said to be a leader in the legend of the Wild Hunt. She would fly through the skies accompanied by her army of lost souls of the damned and the souls of unbaptized children.

Legend claims that if you're in this Alpine region and hear the thunder and wind roaring and rumbling through the mountains, followed by thrashes of lightening, then you are hearing Frau Perchta leading her army in the Wild Hunt.

Riverdale Road

In Thornton, Colorado, there is a stretch of road called Riverdale road. This street has become widely known across the country for its unexplained and mysterious happenings. Over the years the attention this road has gathered has gone from being some wacky local-lore to people actively avoiding driving down it, even if it meant adding substantial time to their journey. This hasn't stopped the ghost and ghoul chasers of the night from coming out of their dark bedrooms to see can they catch a glimpse of the sinister side of Casper. There are eight legends that are synonymous with the road, and below you can read about these.

The first legend talks about people spotting ghosts swinging from trees on the side of the road. It's not swinging as in the playful playground type, it's more the body of someone after being hung, dangling and swirling in the nights breeze. These people are said to be the bodies of one time slaves of the townspeople who were no longer needed and then murdered and buried along the road side.

Many years ago, there was a horrific car accident that resulted in the sad death of a ten year old child. The child himself was a very bright student who excelled at school in many areas, but mainly art. His death was a result of a an angry drink driver who was acquitted by a technicality, but everyone knew the real reason was because he was drinking with the mayor at the time and the mayors mistress. The ghost of the child is said to be seen wandering up and down the stretch of road looking for revenge on anyone he sees. If you see this ghostly figure then your front windshield will show on it hand prints of blood, which is said to mark your untimely demise.

Do not stop to give anyone a lift on this road; not under any circumstances. Many have vanished from this road for months, and in some cases years, with their last memory being that they pulled over and gave a woman a lift to the next town along the way. When they would return they would be in what many described as a "Sense of trance" and "Not able to connect with". All they would ever talk about is  if the lady who needed a lift had got home alright.

Gates of hell are regularly talked about when it comes to the unexplained, and this is no different. A very wealthy man, who bought a plot of land half way up the road, had iron gates built at every entrance to his four houses along the way. These were built for protection purposes but over time his mild mannered nature turned into a more controlling one, and his wife was never left leave their main house. She committed suicide one morning and upon waking to see this, he also took his own life. Now people have speculated that the large rusty gates that provide the entrance to the derelict house are in fact gates to a life of hell.

Running is a great way to maintain health and help you live a longer life, but not when the thing you are running from ends up killing you!!! The ghost of a  jogger who was killed mysteriously here is said to chase after those who decide to go for a midnight run on the 13th of every month. The transparent skinny figure will jog right next to you and if you stop to take a break or to tie your shoelaces, then your heart will also stop. 

Demonic activity is often reported by the residence on Riverdale Road. Reports of wailing women, mysterious graffiti and dead animals turning up in peoples backyards are an often too common call made by the folk of  this part of Thornton. Police were never able to give any explanation as to why these took/ are taking place, other than people passing through on their way out of Denver and having "some fun".

The surrounding land is said to be haunted also, with Native American tribes once inhabiting the area  and using the one time barren land as burial grounds. The spirits of these are said to be very protective of their past home, and anyone that does any wrong in the area; according to their tribal laws, is said to meet a very gruesome demise at the hands of a Native American shapeshifer acting as a loved one. 

The last legend on this lonesome road is one of a Camaro, that of course, is haunted. The Phantom Camaro of Riverdale Road, to give it, it's proper full title. The road itself is full of blind spots, which have caused numerous accidents on corner turns. One man in his 70's fatally crashed into a pregnant woman on a bright sunny evening back in the summer of the early 1940's. He was arrested and sentenced to death by lethal injection six months later. His last words were "demon car" and now that very car is the one that is spoken about as The Phantom Camaro.

The road today is still a very popular route for those behind the wheel. Those in the area remain convinced that something supernatural is going on here; those outside joke about the people along Riverdale Road. 

Snakey

In Eastern Austria lived a woman and her daughter of 7 years of age. They didn't have much so food rations were a big part of their daily routine. The house they lived in was an old cottage in the countryside, surrounded by streams and tall grass, especially in the summer time. The little girl would often spend her days outside in the open fields, while her mother took care of the house. 

In the afternoon they would each drink a glass of milk and eat a bread roll; it was normally hard and tough to tear apart, especially for those who's teeth wouldn't be as strong. On nice sunny days the girl would have this small meal outside in the tall grass just past the rotting front porch of the house. Her mother could see her through the front window so she wasn't all too concerned about her being outside, besides it was miles away from any people, and those who were seen were normally kids on school outings picking berries and being taught some ecological/botanical lessons.

One very warm afternoon, the girl went out to eat her meal on the rock in the middle of the tall grass, when she heard a hissing sound. The sound grew and before she knew it there was in front of her, a large grey-green grass snake. It hissed continuously while wrapped slithering up the girls body, resting on her lap like a household pet. The girl was frightened but was always taught by her mother to not make any sudden movements if she did encounter any snakes by the stream, it was unusual for them to come in this far away from the water.

Up looked the snake's head towards the girl, as if to greet her. She offered it some of her bread roll, to which it stuck its thick forked tongue and retracted the bread into its body. This brought a smile to the girls face and she continued to feed the snake small bits of her food.  After a short while the snake slithered back down the girls body and went back through the grass in the direction of the streams.

The next day the girl again went to the same spot, in hope that the snake would return, and return it did. The same as the previous day happened, it lay up on her lap and ate some of the roll, she offered the snake some of her milk but it wasn't to the snake's taste. Her mother was looking out the window always at her daughter but the snake was not in view, the angle in which the girl sat obstructed her vision of the reptile, along with it's camouflaged look.

Each day she would go out and see what she know called "Snakey" and spend some time listening to it hiss and watch it relax in the daylight sun. She would gently rub its head and body, this made the hissing sound as if it was feeling content, the same way a cat would purr when getting it's belly rubbed. No passing mice or frogs would bother the relaxed reptile, it was happy in the company of the little girl , and the feeling was mutual.

Her mother got a call with some good news a few days later. It was that she was offered a job in the town about 40 minutes away. She was overcome with joy, this meant she could giver her daughter a better life and they could both eat better, no more rations or living day to day. She couldn't wait to break the news to her child.

Out she went to inform her, but she wanted to creep up on her and surprise her. She could see her little girl sitting on the rock with her back facing her, all that was going through her mind was that from now on they could both have a proper warm meal at the table each evening. She out her eyes around her daughter head, covering her eyes; "Guess what news mommy has for you darling" she asked her in a joyful manner.

A second later she heard a loud and aggressive hissing sound coming from her daughters body. Much to her shock, she seen the snake on her little girls lap and immediately grabbed it by its head; pinning it to the ground. The little girl screamed for her to let go but her mother to go inside now, to get as far away as she could. Her daughters words were just noise in the background as she was in fight mode to protect her girl. She took out a knife from her hip belt and cut the snakes head off. The body and head were bagged before she went back inside the house to see if there were any bites on her girl. 

Inside the girl was weeping, she seen her mom standing there with the bloody bag and knew what had happened. Her mother was confused to why she was so upset with her, thinking she just saved her daughter from this animal, maybe she was still in shock she thought to herself, she tried to hug and care for her daughter but she ran into her room and cried for the evening.

The next morning, mom went into the girls room to find her laying in a pool of sweat with an alarmingly high fever. After trying to lower the fever with some home remedies, she called the doctor out from town she got her new job in. Within a half hour the doctor arrived, he was rushed inside to take a look at her but he was totally perplexed by this. He said that she will have to be taken to hospital for further treatment. None of this made sense to the doctor.

He stepped out of her room to ring the hospital to inform them. By the time he went back inside the room the girl was dead, her breathing had stopped completely, she was as pale as someone who had been dead for days. Her mother went into a total meltdown, falling to the ground and screaming with pain over the loss of her little girl. The doctor covered the girl's body and placed her into his car, her mom sat in the back holding her in her arms, sobbing throughout. 

She stayed with her sister for week, she couldn't face going back to her house straight away. Her job was gone, she was in no way or form to attend for work. All she wanted to do was to sit alone in darkness and numb the pain she was feeling, but she knew sooner rather than later she would have to return home.

Her sister went with her and walked her inside, she was shaking uncontrollably and the tears once again flowed down her face. Her daughters room door had still been opened from that day and she decided she wanted to go in to her room, no matter how hard it was, she needed to go in. 

Inside she could smell her daughters scent still lingering, it was exactly as she left it, as if she was still alive. She looked inside her daughters bedside locker drawers to collect all her belongings, this is where she seen a sheet of paper with a drawing on it. It was a drawing of a grey-green grass snake and titled "Snakey" with a heart on it.

Mom quickly remembered the snake she killed the day before her daughter passed away and went out to check on it's dead body in the bag tied on the back door. She opened the bad but there nothing inside, no head, no body, no blood, nothing at all............

Epping Forest

On the border of London and Essex in England, lies a very large and ancient woodland area known as Epping Forest. It is said to be approximately 2.4 hectare big, with the valley of two rivers; Lea and Riding surrounding the woods. It is a former royal forest and managed now by the City of London Corporation, with an area of 1.7 hectare being a site of social specific interest and also used for conservation purposes. From north to south the wooded area is roughly 19 kilometres (12 mile), but from east to west at its widest point it is never any wider than 4 kilometres (2.5).

Numerous different species of wildlife hav been spotted here over time. The Grass Snake, Foxes, Squirrels, Rabbits, Rats and Mice, Shrews, Mink, Deer, Otters, Bats, Hedgehos, a wide rang of Freshwater Fish, Swans and various other types of Birds are all but a few to have been seen living amongst the great woods. Rivers, bogs , ponds and lakes take up a lot of the area, with over 100 lakes and ponds said to be found withing the forest. It is in fact one of these ponds that holds a very sinister and deadly side to it, one that should not be messed with, nor taken lightly.

It all started some 300 years ago when a young couple got together and decided to meet up in secret by the pond which in modern day has become more commonly known as "The Killer/Suicide Pool. Their relationship was forbidden by many but they ignored the orders of those close to them. When they met up they could hear a noise coming from behind them, a noise that turns out to be the girl's father who had followed her all the way to see were his inclinations correct. When he confronted them both he got into a fit of blind rage, punching and throwing the boy to the ground and accidently doing the same to his daughter who was trying to stop him. The thing was though when he had done so, she cracks her head against a rock and was killed instantly. 

The father, realising what he had done, preceeded to pick up her body and dump it in the pond. The boy, groggy and petrified sat sobbing in sadness and fear while watching her father run away back through the forest. A few moments later he decided he couldn't live with what he just seen, nor could he a life without his true love, so he decided to walk into the remarkably deep pond and take his own life.

When he did so, the pond water started to turn really thick and black. The vegetation around the pool died and all the animals that within a short distance of the pool had mysteriously dropped dead, the banks of the river especially filled with carcasses. 

A number of people after that day had committed suicide also by walking into the water. People who were with those when they done this had insisted that none of them had ever shown any signs of wanting to kill themselves. They were all described as happy and full of life people, but then they got to the lake it was like they were in a trance and the pond was calling them. Nothing they could do or say was enough to stop them from walking into the pond that day. 

Perhaps the most tragic incident was of a young servant girl called Emma Morgan who killed herself and her baby in 1887, the pond would reject no one. It is said that the wind would go quiet and then the water would start to turn colour and bubble. 

In 1959 the Essex Countryside magazine had held a competition to find the exact location of the pond, as it wasn't accurately known. One writer claimed she knew where the suicide pool was but refused to share the location. She would claim that the 'dank, evil and malignant' pool was evil beyond measure. She also went on to describe it as having an 'atmosphere unpleasant beyond description' and with the sunshine unable to penetrate the surrounding trees.

With the location never found and with there being over 100 of these ponds in the forest, you better hope that the day you decide to go for your relaxing picnic, might not be your last......

Midnight Bus 375

It was a very wet and dreary night on the 14th of November 1995 in Beijing, China. An older gentleman approached the stop which was the last one on that bus route from the Yuan-ming-huan bus terminus. He sat in the freezing cold bench next to a much younger man and started to make some nice gentle conversation.

They both chatted away for a couple of minutes before the bus arrived and they boarded. A few miles up ahead the bus driver could make out hands waving in the distance. As he got closer h could see that it was three men trying to gain his attention. Two of them were holding up another man by his shoulders, he looked to be either injured or highly intoxicated.

The bus driver decided to stop as their plea for his attention got more and more frantic. The doors of the bus opened. Blinding fog from outside took over the bus as the three men boarded, one of them paying the incapacitated mans fare. They sat half way down the bus, the only other passengers being the older man and the younger one from the bus stop who were sat individually behind the three new passengers.

The older man started to look on edge. He began searching his pockets frantically before standing up and shouting at the younger passenger, claiming that he stole his wallet. They argued back and forth before the bus driver got fed up and ordered that both of them get out. He pulled over at the side of some lonely road and threw them both out.

When they were off the bus the older man was no longer in a state of anger, he was more in shock at what he just seen. He told the younger man that he made the wallet story up as a ruse to get them off the bus, claiming he had saved his life. The younger man looking confused was then told that the two stable passengers who boarded after them had no legs, they were bodies that just floated and that their eyes were all black with no sign of life inside.They proceeded to then walk abruptly to the nearest town to go to the police about this, but they were laughed out the door as quickly as they rushed in. 

The very next day the bus company put out a statement to the police saying that "Last night, the final bus for route 375 had vanished, along with the bus driver and the ticket lady". The police quickly chased down the pair of so called "mentally unstable" people they threw out of the station the night before and asked for every little detail they could remember from that night.

The following day the bus was found. It was plunged deep in water inside a water reservoir, roughly about 100 km away from its destination - Xiang-shan aka fragrant hills. Inside the bus there were three very badly decomposed corpses, but the mysteries didn't stop there.

Inside the petrol tank was filled with human blood, the bus didn't have enough fuel to make it this far, the bodies were like those decomposed from someone dead for a week and not 48 hours and also the security cameras showed no evidence of the bus ever crashing into the reservoir. The police couldn't understand what had happened here and the case was eventually labelled as unsolved and put away somewhere in the back of their records. 

That route was renamed and there was never a bus 375 in that part of Beijing again. 

House Share

I will never share a house again, I now reside on the edge of a discreet town with just my cat Ollie. Over the years I have lived in all types of accomodation but I am a man who likes to move around. I get bored and things become stale after a while so often I seek a new adventure and with that brings a new place to live. 

I had just broke up with a girl I was dating for 8 months and wanted a fresh start so I looked around for properties to rent and found one about 4 hours drive from where I was living which was ideal, it gave me the chance to forget about everything that happened. It was affordable and when I say that I mean it was basically for nothing: about 40 dollars a week - 160 a month, but was a house share. Sharing with five other strangers was not something I normally would want but I went for it.

After all the formalities were over with I arrived at the house and remember it being a really hot day, I was soaked in sweat dragging in all my bags. The person who I had been dealing with over the phone and through email was called Nick. He greeted me at the door, shaking my sweaty hand and offering to help carry up my bags, which I was grateful for before showing me to my room and going over the house rules; washing, cleaning, bills, chores etc.... The first night went as smooth as I could have hoped for, I was in bed by 10 p.m doing a few crosswords from my puzzle book I got from an airport a couple of years back, but still yet to complete it. 

The next morning I awoke to the bright morning sun shining in my window directly on my face and the pen from my nights antics resting on my upper chest. I got dressed and went down to make breakfast to which I met two of the other housemates - Rob and Natalie who seemed nice but a bit odd and definitely both high, which I didn't have a problem with, I just wished I got their stoned inside jokes, but not to worry I thought to myself, so far so good I suppose.

As the day progressed I spent most of it up in my room just sorting and arranging it how I wanted. Next to my bed there was an old not in-use fireplace where I put all my valuables and pictures on. By the window, which was a bit stiff, was a desk where I done a lot of my writing from, amongst other things that single men like to get up to. The floor was wooden and a bit creaky at parts, the walls were plain white with the ceiling following that highly creative decorative trend, well it was mostly white with the exception of a few dark patches by the corners of the ceiling, I put it down to the previous tenant being a smoker.

Later that evening I went down to make some dinner. There was no one around, perfect timing I thought, so I cooked and ate it at the kitchen table and it was delicious. Just as I was cleaning off my plate, I heard the front door open and voices chatting in my direction moving down the hallway. It was the other two housemates who I haven't met yet - Rae and Kyle. It was a short meet and greet but these also seemed to be smoking some of the devil's lettuce.

10 p.m was getting closer, I was always an early sleeper, I could feel last the urge to finiahe last nights crossword creeping up on me, so I got into bed and the before I knew it, it was morning. This was the last night I spent in this house and nearly the last of my life.

As I was flipping my egg over I could hear a girl crying from the room to the side of the kitchen. I knocked on the door, asking if everything was alright but the only response was that of more crying, so I opened the door and there was Natalie sobbing into her hands. She didnt notice me, not even when I went right up to her and put my hand on her right shoulder. I just kept asking what was wro nothing, it was like I didn't exist to her.

I left her to herself, taking my eggs and returning to my room. A little while later I could hear crying again, this time from the room across from mine. Again, I went and knocked before entering, and this time it was Kyle and Rae sitting on their bed facing each other, tears flowing down their faces as they looked directly into each others eyes. No notice of me again so I went rapidly back to my room and locked my door. What the fuck is going on!! Were my thoughts exactly at this point.

It was then where the window blasted open and a strong swirling breeze came through, knocking off all the pictures and cards on the mantle piece. I went over to close it and it was then where I seen Natalie hanging from a piece of rope out in the back yard. Shock took over me as I just stood there, wind blowing through my hair like there was an invisible hair dryer right in front of me. Natalie didn't just hang there though, she opened her eyes and looked right at me, it was then where once again the crying started.

I didn't even have time to think when I felt a finger tap me on my shoulder, but when I turned my head the window slammed shut on my right hand, causing excruciating pain. Of course there was no one behind me. A fire pit from the fireplace, it wasn't just a few small flames, it was a massive roarng fire that felt like it was taking to me. It would road, then stop, then roar again. I tried to escape but the door handle had just vanished and the window was now stuck shut, there was no way out.

I tried to call but of course like you see in the movies, the signal was down. The heat was unimaginable at this point and the air felt like it was getting sucked out of the room. This was now full on panic mode! I kicked and hit every part of the room, desperately hoping that by some sort of magic room would open, a hope that never materialised. The worst part of this longest five minutes of my life was how I could continue to hear Natalie crying throughout it all, but they weren't tears of sadness, they were like tears of happiness. Something words can't describe. 

Breathing was getting harder by the second and the seconds were running out. I accepted it, death was coming for me and there was nothing I could do about it. A control freak without control was for those few seconds a rather liberating and free feeling. The end was here, except it wasn't. 

I somehow survived it, I woke up about a half a mile away from the house, without a scratch or burn on me. I never went near that house after this. The next bus that came I bought a ticket and never looked back since. Some time later I read up on what happened and it said that four bodies were found in the house, all with their eyes gouged out, but that wasn't the weirdest part. That accolade went to the position in which the bodies were found. The four bodies were found together, forming a cross sign, two vertical and one horizontal at each side. 

To this day I have nightmares about it all, I still don't understand how or what happened, all I know is that it did and I'm alive today. I sit at night, stroking Ollie while trying to keep the bad thoughts out, but one thing that keeps coming back to me is what ever happened to Nick? I didn't see him there the day it all happened and he wasn't mentioned in the write up on the paper, no mention of him at all. 

I tried to find any information on him I could, but I soon realised that I didn't know not could I find anything about this guy, not even a surname. All I had were a few emails exchanged to the name NicksNicksNicks@gmail.com. It was a lost cause, I just had to accept this, then my phone notification sound went off.........

The Visitor

As the last glimpse of light fades and nightfall takes over, the town of South Hallow becomes idle with only those in desperation out on the streets. Even the rich who could travel with protection and in luxury, did not want to risk it. The fear of them being the next was far too great to even contemplate. This month, May, was down in history as - The Month of Murder.

The streets of this town were narrow and bumpy. The road blended with the footpath. Cycling bikes, steam cars, horse and traps along with the inhabitants all shared the chaotic streets together, desperate to do what was needed to be done before darkness arrived. Many of the homeless have claimed to have spotted what was responsible for the murders and they all have said that although it was the shape of a human it certainly wasn't one, but who was to believe the downtrodden.

Every night a body would turn up somewhere, there was no consistency in the location of the bodies but there was in how the murders happened; there was a series of small bite holes along the neck, six in total on every victim. Vampires!!!! That quickly became the buzz word of the town. It was plastered on the front page of every daily issue on every street corner. People would gather and talk about the murders of the night before and murmur quietly that word "Vampires" as if it was forbidden. 

How could this be, Vampires were only the creation of ones imagination and not thought to be creatures of existence, but even the most hardened sceptic had to admit that this did truly resemble the ways of the undead blood suckers. 

Every night there were armed officers patrolling the streets, never alone, always with another officer, but yet all they ever found was the dead body of the victims with a stream of blood flowing from the indented holes in their necks. No evidence left behind. This uncertainty lead to great fear, which in-turn lead to chaos in the town. People feared greatly for their lives and even inside the four walls of their own homes they didn't feel safe anymore, with the body count rising as the nights slowly passed by.

The closest town to South Hallow wasnt exactly just over the road and for the majority, transport wasn't either available or an option, so sadly all they would do was wait it, pray and hope that tonight wasn't gonna be the night they became tomorrow's news. 

When the month of May came to an end, suddenly so did the murders. Not one victim after that, as quick as it came, it had left. The streets were once again filled with people and daily routine had taken back over. There was a rememberance engraving on the wall near town hall, listing the people that tragically died during that month. 

The month of murder had ended. People mourned but time soon took that pain over. Fifty years on and the majority of whom had lived through that period had now passed away, with only the young at the time still remaining.  For most they were too young to remember the events but one guy, Andy, remembered it like it was last week.

Andy had lost his whole family that month. He was filled with rage and questions that had no answers when growing up, in fact this never went away, all he wanted was answeres or even better - revenge. Now 59 years old he had practically given up his search, that was until he was walking down the street to get the morning newspaper and on the front pages it read - "The Murders Return !!!".

Mrs. Johnson

Good ol' Mrs. Johnson, as she was known to the people of Morrison, in Jefferson County, Colorado, was your typical sweet grandmother type to the residents of the town. She often gave out candy and coins to the children that purposely passed in her direction. Always had a smile on her face, sitting on her front porch sipping on her lemonade glass that never seemed to empty. As most people of her age did, she enjoyed knitting and reading the morning paper to see what trouble today's youth had caused now. As for who lived with her, well it was just her and her daughter who was in her 30's, but you wouldn't of believed it.

Nancy was the daughters name, named after her grandmother. She lived a very sheltered life, even now as an adult she wasn't allowed do things that most women her age wouldn't even have to ask to do. She worked at the local grocery store and after her shift she would come home and eat Mamma's dinner that she would only just about tolerate, then go for a short walk around the town and back to the house where her and her mother would enjoy some television before bedtime.

Mrs. Johnson didn't like her engaging too much with people outside of their home but reminded her that if contact is made then it's important to pass yourself in a friendly manner so they won't talk, something Nancy obeyed all her life. The hierarchy in this household was clear and never challenged.

When it came to Nancy dating, this was a total no-go subject, as boys, as Mrs. Johnson referred to them as, were bad news and would leave her daughter heartbroken and messed up. For the most part Nancy did stick to this rule of thumb, she had a crush on numerous guys growing up but nothing Mrs. Johnson couldn't quickly squash. 

As Nancy's 34th birthday was coming up, she asked her mom of it was ok to ask a boy around for a couple of hours, someone she worked with. Mrs. Johnson agreed only on the terms that they were just as friends and they had to be around her all the time, Nancy nodded her head smiling "Thanks Mamma". This sudden change of attitude was something Nancy was surprised with but ultimately happy about, her first ever guy was allowed to call over, a big day in the life of Nancy Johnson.

The door bell rang and Nancy came to answer it, she stood there nervous as hell with makeup splashed allover her face like a porcelain doll from the 1920's, with a polkadot dress to match. Behind her stood her mom with a face as happy as a drunks at closing time. "Come in dear, don't be shy" she said in a forged happy manner that only her daughter could pick up on, this was the same way she spoke to the kids on the street. In stepped the skinny, lanky "boy" before being ushered to take a seat.

Mrs.Johnson sat directly in between them both. Nancy tried as much as she could to communicate to the man but her mom would always interrupt and change the subject to something totally different, whatever to keep this dirty bastard away from my girl she was thinking. "I like your dress Nancy" stuttered the nervous man, but before Nancy could say thanks, Mrs. Johnson again chimed in with "I think you look silly and foolish, I mean who are you trying to impress". Nancy bowed her head down but didn't say anything, the hierarchy once again respected.

After a few minutes awkwardly passed Mrs.Johnson suggested that Nancy go out the back yard, pick some lemons from the lemon tree and offer this "Lovely boy" some fresh lemonade. As Nancy obliged and made her way out, Mrs. Johnson asked the boy to wait there a moment as she had to go grab something upstairs.

"Close your eyes" said Mrs. Johnson while walking slowly down the wooden stairs. Nancy's friend went along with it, as hesitant as he was, he put his hands over both his eyes and waited until Mrs. Johnson told him to open them. "5...4.....3…...2........1.....open!!!!" Slowly he took his hands away, left then right one, before jumping back with a large gasp of air inwards. "What are you doing, what is this" he asked while rising to his feet in preparation to run out the door.

"You think you can buy my little girl...do ya??" Mrs. Johnson said while approaching the man with her see through white top pulled over her head as if she was headless and hatchet in her right hand. The man tried to escape the house but every door he tried was locked. Around the back of the house was an opening he saw that he might just fit through, so he raced towards that. He got his head and boulders though but that was all before he felt pain like never before.

Right down on his spine came the hatchet, not only once but over and over again. An abrupt sound of pain came out of him but no one heard, the hatchet coming down on his spine had completely paralysed his speech and facial actions, if he wasn't bent over he would be folded over like a box. His last few seconds alive he could see Nancy skipping in with a basket full of lemons, ready to see her secret date again.

As Nancy got to the back door, her mom let her in but told her to sit down, that something had happened. "I'm sorry baby but he just left, right as you went out to get the lemons he stood up and just walked out the door", Nancy sobbed in Mrs Johnson's arms for some time after this. It was then that Mrs. Johnson told her that " 34 years ago today, your daddy disappeared on us, right as I had you the scoundrel ran away, this is why boys cannot be trusted baby, look what they did to us". Nancy listened and understood as her mom stroked her hair, grinning out of sight.

The following year Nancy had been talking to a new friend at work alot and they really got on. She asked him to call over this Friday to which he agreed to. She pleaded with her mom to allows him to call over. She suggested doing all the household chores for a month with no walks in between if he could come over for an hour, besides they were just good friends. On Thursday morning before Nancy went to work, she gave into Nancy's wish, totally out of the blue.

Friday arrived and it was the same as the last time, awakward and weird, but Nancy didn't notice this, she thought it was going great. Mrs. Johnson quizzed the man a lot, then ridiculed Nancy for the way she looked once more. This brought the awkward feeling to a whole new level, it was then she leaned back and said calmly "Nancy would you mind going to the lemon tree and picking some lemons to make this boy some fresh lemonade". 

The Laughter Box

7.00 a.m every morning Tim woke to the irritating but effective sound of his alarm clock. This was followed by brushing of the teeth, the combing of what little hair he had left and putting on his sportswear for the morning walk. 

In two years since he was left go from work he done the exact same things every morning, and this morning started off no different. He stepped outside, smelling the fresh air, filling his lungs up in doing so, before turning right and heading on down the path in that direction. 

Across the small, narrow road was a cat, a black cat sitting there looking at him. Tim never seen this cat before but noticed it had a collar on her so it must of belonged to someone nearby. As he was walking, the cat was doing the same, not directly behind him but close enough to make him feel like he was being followed by the feline.

Around the third corner he normally waves to Mr.Connors but today he wasn't there to wave back and make a what's meant to be a humerous comment, instead, Tim was greeted by a swarm of mosquitoes. They also, like the cat, started to lurk behind Tim as he was starting to feel a bit uneasy with the situation. 

Over on the next street there had formed a gathering of people. These were all people he recognised as living nearby but none of them recognised Tim, they just stood there staring at him with a blank look in their faces while Tim nervously picked up the pace to walk past them.

At this point he was really starting to freak out. He stopped for a minute and took out his phone to ring his neighbour but his phone was frozen on the generic screensaver. Then he glanced at his stepometer which had also froze. In his right hand he had a bottle of water, which he poured over his sweaty head and then drank what remained, before deciding to take the closest way possible back to his home.

At his door, he put in the key and looked behind him again, as he did all throughout his walk home, but there was nothing following him anymore, the cat or the mosquitoes weren't there. Inside he decided to take a shower, the water was fresh and after drying himself off he got dressed and had a little giggle to himself about what he seen outside. 

While downstairs he tried again to ring his neighbour but the phone still wasn't in use. So on his shoes went and he gave a couple of knocks nextdoor. After the fourth knock and still no answer, he went around to the side of the house and took a look through the window to try catch someones attention, but the only attention he had got for himself was the unwanted kind in the form of dozens of rats and mice. They were all over the furniture, floors and counter tops, the house was took over by a large mischief of the furry rodents.

He quickly dashed back into his own home, slamming the door behind him while anxiously dialling number after number, trying to get through to anyone in the area. In his kitchen he stood by the sink counter top, but he could hear a purring noise coming from the front of the house. When he went to check it out, there was the same cat he saw earlier, again just sitting and looking at him.

Tim walked closer towards the cat and as he did so he noticed that the black fluffy creature wasn't the only thing inside his house. Mosquitoes came flying down the stairs, rats and mice came through every gap in the house, insects of all sorts came through the woodwork and all of his neighbours bloody faces were seen projected onto the walls with the blood dripping like wet paint.

Over by the backdoor, Tim noticed a box laying there while desperately trying to pull the door open. A sudden wave of energy came from the door, flinging Tim to the ground in the process. He now couldn't get up, whatever had thrown him was now invisibly pinning him down. The box next to his face now started to open.

Nothing was seen to come out of the box but a girl laughing could be heard. As the laughing sped up, all the creatures inside the house now hurried over to Tim, biting and gnawing at every once of his body. In total pain, he was powerless to do anything but lay there and endure the slow agonizing death of been eaten alive, inch by inch.

The faces on the wall now turned to faces of happiness, the sound of the laughter grew and grew as Tim was fading, that sound and feel of having your flesh being eaten wasn't something anyone could handle for long, especially as they had just advanced from the legs upwards. 

His last visible memory was of the cat jumping onto his chest, bending down getting ready to pounce at his face, flesh hanging from its mouth, when he could just about see the wording on its tag. It read "Property of Pandora".

Ah Chew!!

In 1744 a man named Samuel Chew had passed away. He was the chief justice of the supreme court in the city of Dover, Delaware. By the title and position he held within the city, you would think he would of been held in high esteem, but this wasn't the case at all. 

The locals like often make silly puns about his surname such as "Ah chew" followed by a fake sneeze sound whenever they would see him outside of his work. He was mentally worn down throughout his life. Someone who should have been highly respected was anything but. Tormented by peoples immaturity and the fact that he was a rather passive character who didn't like conflict or to get into a verbal dispute with anyone,even his own wife at home. The locals claimed it was nothing more than just a bit of harmless fun but eventually it got to Samuel.

He sadly took his own life by overdosing on prescription pills he had managed to get his hands on himself. An hour after swallowing more pills than a room full of depressed junkies, his breathing ceased, his eyes closed and for once in his pitiful life, there was peace. 

Shortly after, his eyes opened again. Samuel sat up and looked around the room but to his surprise, everything was the exact same. He could see the empty pill containers by his feet on the bed, he could hear his wife screaming for him to mow the lawn from downstairs. Confusion had all but took over him, so he got up and went to open the bedroom door but he couldn't grab the doorknob, his hand went through it to the other side.

Before he knew what was happening he was standing on the other side of the door and on the upstairs landing, feet not touching the floor but hovering just slightly above. That confused look on his face was met by amazement as he floated down the stairs and into the kitchen to his wife. He called her name but there wasn't even the slightest response of him being heard, in fact she didn't even notice him standing directly in front of her and poking at her face, he was totally transparent.

As much as he was freaking out, he was curious so decided to wander outside. That night he came across a man called David Hendricks, who was a local farmer on his way out for the night. David was one of those who mocked Samuel, and Samuel didn't forget this. He floated over to him and tried to take a swipe at him but of course his hand would just go right through David, who didn't notice a thing.

Samuel was getting frustrated at this and let out shout of rage that only he could hear. He just wished there was some way he could get back at those people, and much to his astonishment he found out there might just be.

He would curse at David which made him sneeze, and sneeze again, and again, and again, it didn't stop. David continued to sneeze faster and more frequent until his brains flew out of his nose and mouth and onto the pavement in front of him. Again that freaked him out but curious look was on Samuel's face as he wondered what was exactly going on. Before he pondered any further he noticed another old nemesis of his walking in his direction further on up the road.

Peter Droongoggle was his name, a rather arrogant individual who saw nothing wrong with the mockery and torment of others, such as Samuel. The closer Peter got, he began to notice a body covered with blood around it and the head having exploded into slime like remains. He stood in shock, trying to identify who this poor, battered individual was, but Samuel had other ideas as he hovered over to Peter.

His remorseful nature while alive was now non-existent, all he could remember was the truly awful time these people gave him and Peter being one of the leading men in that, certainly wasn't getting away with it tonight. Again, he cursed him, and stood watching as Peters sneezing got out of control and started to really suffer. This brought delight to Samuel. Peter ended up the same way as David before him and as many would after him; brains and blood everywhere. 

After that night time killing spree he returned home, watching over his wife as she sat on the bed chain smoking, wondering where her husband had gone too. She found the empty pill containers, that were now on the ground just slightly underneath the bed, and started to get really overwhelmed with worry. Samuel tried to make contact and tell his sobbing wife that he is ok now, that he had found peace but nothing he done could garnered her attention.

After spending day after day watching his wife and trying to comfort her, he knew there was nothing he could do, so he went to where he was buried and returned to his deceased body. In doing so, he had vanished, neither man or ghost was out there, his time in any form on this earth was over.

His wife had heard about the brutal killings that took place on that one night and found it rather strange that they all died the same way; a very rare overactive irritation of the nasal mucous membrane. Even more strange was that she found in Samuels locker by his bed, a list of people he disliked, as he was told that writing about his frustration could help him relieve the issue. On that list were each one of the victims.......

Showman's Rest

In forest park, Illinois, there is a rather large cemetery known as Woodlawn cemetery. By looking at the place you would think it's just like any other cemetery, but it's far more than that. Tragedy, adversity and sorrow are only some of the words used to describe the events that happened here on June 22nd 1918.

The Illinois town or village as it's know as, is in fact rather strange in itself, seeing as the ratio of people who are dead outranks those who are alive by a staggering ratio of 30-to-1. The village actually at one point had the name of "Village of Cemeteries" because of the amount of Cemeteries that forest park has in it.

So on June 22nd, a train containing the circus know as the Hagenback-Wallace circus was on its way to Indiana for one of their many performances while on tour, when an issue occured. The train started to have some mechanical problems and the conductor Karena decision to stop near Hessville, Indiana to take a look and see what exactly the issue was.

This was where tragedy struck, as another train that ignored the warning lights of the stopped train, came crashing head first into it, causing a massive amount of damage and a fire them erupted from the collision.

The sounds of the crash could be heard from a distance. People who remember hearing it said that the most terrifying part of it all wasn't the deafening sound of the collision, but it was the sound of the animals screeching in pain as the fire burnt through and left nothing more than just rubble. 85  circus performers in total had lost their lives that day.

Luckily or perhaps more coincidentally, the showman's league of America had in 1913, purchased 750 acres in the Woodlawn Cemetery so that the women and men of the circus could have a place to be buried when they passed away, but no one thought those graves would be filled so soon.

Another sad part of this unfortunate story was that 54 out of the 85 casualties were unable to be identified. They have markers on their gravesite that are just marked "Unknown Male" or "Unknown Female". Those that could be identified were buried and marked by their stage name only as many within the circus didn't know the real names of the other performers. One was labelled "Baldy" for example.

It was mainly elephants that were on board the train with the rest of the animals being mostly made-up of farm birds. The animals were said to be not given a burial at all, instead just disposed of in the easiest and quickest way possible. For this reason it is said the the birth of the haunting of the cemetery exists.

Late at night when there is a stillness about the place, there is said to be the sound of the cries of the burning Elephants, along with people even reporting to spot the ghostly figures roaming the land. To this day remain the reports but no one can ever capture the cries or visual on camera. 

If you ever go to the resting place of the showmen, then you will see a statue of an elephant next to the burial places. This statue is thought to hold the spirits of the large mammals that are waiting to be seen given a proper burial to be set free.

Whatever you believe, no one can underestimate the tragedy that occured on June 22nd that year, but as time went on it has become etched more into the back of people's minds. The problem here is that although this happened many years ago, the real tragedy is said to continue to this day.......

Little Angie

She arrived one evening on a rainy October night, brought by two social care workers from out of town. On the outside she was so innocent and beautiful, on the inside she was darker and more sinister than anyone could have imagined.

Her original parents were Polish, she barely remembers them as they gave her up when she was four, prisoners of their own individual addictions. Now 10, she spent the last six years in and out of different homes. She stayed for two years with her granduncle before he passed away from his battle with a terminal illness and after him there were no family of hers left, well there might be some distant long lost cousin back in Poland but no one that could be traced, and besides it's a long way from Central America. 

From ages six to ten she moved about but things never worked out for one reason or another, she had actually spent more time under the guidance of social workers than families. Long blonde hair with large adorable green eyes, she went by the name of Angie. Little Angie was her preferred name of choice as this was the name of her favorite character in a book her mother used to read to her at night, her only real lasting memory of her. 

Her latest family were warm, loving and stable, something Little Angie was never used to. As the weeks went by she started to get enrolled in school, make new friends and felt at ease here, again something she was never used to. She finally had a place that not only could she call home but also felt like home. 

Her birthday was coming up, January 3rd she was told, although they could have told her any date and she wouldn't of cared. Her last birthday came when the sun was at its hottest she remembered and the one before that she could see the leaves on the trees starting to grow again but this didn't matter too much to her, she was happy and for once truly excited for her first real birthday party.

In they arrived one by one, each as snotty nosed and loud as the child in front. It was like a colony of ants carrying leaves to their nests, but rather than leaves it was presents, and none like what Angie was used to. The house and garden was decrorated the way any little girl would want it. They had served up all sorts of sweets and cakes, there was a bouncy castle out in the garden and a jukebox with all her favourite songs on it (even if she never confessed to liking any song). It was all part of the perfect birthday experience.

In arrived the birthday cake; the biggest and tastiest looking cake little Angie had ever set her eyes on. She was asked to blow out the candles and close her eyes and make a wish to which she reluctantly stepped up to the cake and was about to do. Just as she inhaled in she started to feel dizzy and foggy brained, her eyes started to roll into the back of her head and now all she could hear was the laughing of the other kids as they sang on the karaoke and the constant noise of laughter. 

The sensation continued but no on seemed to notice anything wrong. Her new foster parents stood there pointing their cameras at her while asking her to blow out the candles and put on the gleefully wide smile. Angie's head was bowed down facing the candles, as she raised her head to the demands of the party she changed. The sweet little girl was no more, she now looked different, her skin falling from her young face, yellow rashes broke out all over her body and perhaps most haunting of all, she spoke with a deep echoing accent.

Shock filled her foster parents face, the kids continued laughing, finding humor in what they thought to be a joke or some sort. Angie, or what was Angie, thanked the parents for setting her free by making Angie truly happy, revealing that she was waiting in her host for eleven years now, bound by her misery. "There were four of us created, Endo, Oxyto, Dopa and me, Sero, all four of us are demons of happiness. Before you think us demons are on your side, we are not! We serve true evil, we were bound to innocence by powerful magic, pure innocence that was never supposed to feel real joy and they call us the evil ones. So this is where I thank you for showing this girl that happy feeling but this is where my thanks and your time ends".

Sero leaned back, made a frightening growl then leaped forward on to the foster parents, clawing and ripping through them both in a matter of seconds. The seemingly never ending laughter of the playful children had now stopped. Smiles turned to frowns and laughter to tears as Sero finished up devouring the bodies of the adults. Her attention now turning to the children.

It approached each child one by one, patting each on top of the head and telling them not to worry in that deep, echoing and eery voice before once again bowing its head down and when it rose up a few seconds later all the transformaty and demonic look had gone, it was Angie once again. 

Angie walked to the front door, opened it, looked back at the kids and said to herself "Innocence huh" before walking out and was never seen again.

Night Night

Ed and his cousin Aaron were as close as cousins could be. Both of them had no siblings so they grew up very close, as close as brothers as they would put it themselves. Now in their 40's they got news that an uncle of theirs had sadly passed away and decided to go together to the funeral which was about a three hour drive out of town. 

Ed being the older one decided to drive as he knew funerals, as much as they aren't really anyones thing, certainly weren't Aaron''s thing, as he always had an intense fear of death and all that surrounded it. Ever since they were kids together watching cartoons every Saturday and Sunday morning it was always Ed who was the more outgoing and in control of the two. Aaron had a more nervous disposition of which he had for the most part grew out of while going through college, but still had that nagging fear etching away at the back of his mind surrounding his and everyone he cared abouts mortality.    

They decided to head on up the night before the funeral as it was taking place very early in the morning and they wanted to make sure to have a good rest beforehand. This was mainly Ed's thinking, he knew a tired and nervous Aaron would be an extra stress he and everyone else didn't need. The drive went surprisingly smooth as far as Ed was concerned, Aaron mainly was calm and read his book throughout, only asking a small few questions regarding death such as "When you die would you like to be buried or cremated?" and " What would your last thought on this earth be?". Not ideal car journey conversation but situation considered it wasn't as bad as Ed had thought and they actually shared a laugh or two about it.

Accomodation was proving a problem in the days leading up to the funeral. Their uncles house was a small country family home that had no room to accommodate them,  even the couches were took up by the children of the family. Ed and Aaron''s parents weren't arriving until the morning of the funeral since their journey was a little shorter and they didn't have a nervous wreck to entertain, something Aaron''s parents were both worried and relieved about. Online Ed came across a motel just a half hour away from their uncles home called " Night Night", a rather stupid name he thought but as long as it had two beds and some snacks it was good enough for them.

On arrival the one thing they both noticed was the fluorescent look about the place, especially the sign with name of the motel, which happened to be missing the N of the second word. They checked in and entered their room. The door was very stiff to open but as far as complaints would go, that was it, the room was immaculate inside and everything they could hope for in a last minute motel booking. The decor was funky in a good way, it was spotless all over and they even had their own mini bar filled with drinks and snacks. 

As the night was passing it was pretty much uneventful with Ed laying on his bed, shoes off relaxing just watching some TV to pass some time away. Aaron, on his bed was still reading his book but the morbid talk had stopped and looked calm in himself. They had something in common though, and that was that their beds were full of chocolate bar wrappers and empty cans of soda, "When in Rome" Said a smirking childish like looking Ed. 

A couple of hours later and they both had nodded off, Aaron's face planted in his book and Ed snoring over the left turned on TV. It stayed that was until Aaron grumpily rose from his slumber to take a much needed bathroom break. Still half asleep wobbling side to side while peeing more on the ground than in the toilet itself, he noticed something, there was a bright large light that kept shining through the room every couple of seconds or so. He zipped up his jeans and went over to the stylish curtains, pulling them back to see a car driving slowly in circles around the empty small car park.

He closed the curtains again but left enough of a gap so he could peek out but not be seen. The more he watched the car the stranger things got as he noticed that not only was it odd to see a car going around in circles in the middle of the night with the headlights on full but that there was seemingly no one driving the car!. ...

He struggled but managed to open the front door and continued to look at the car while making the short few metres walk over to reception. Just as he was about to reach reception the lights on the car had gone out and the car also had stopped, but it didn't just stop in its tracks, it stopped, turned towards Aaron and faced him directly as if addressing him. Aaron looking a mixture of confused and worried ran to the reception door while saying to himself "I really hope this is a bad dream". He tried turning the door knob but it wouldn't move so he knocked on the door which transitioned to banging on the door but the reception guy was nowhere to be seen.

He turned around slowly, facing the car which was still facing him and he could of swore that the left front light of the black Alfa Romeo classic had winked at him. His room door wide open he decided to make a dash for it but as he picked up pace so did the car. The lights shone and engine roared on, causing Aaron to panic. The room seemed so far away as every lunge brought a sense of intense fear. The car right on his trail and gaining momentum, Aaron got to the room but struggled with closing the door. Just when the car was about to crash right into the room, it stopped again and just parked there again as if it was staring at him.

The commotion brought Ed to wake, he jumped straight out of his bed, wrappers falling off his bed like leaves blowing in the wind and was asked intensely "What the hell is going on". All Aaron could say was "The car" in a nervous stuttering manner while pointing out the open door. Ed looked out but was blinded immediately by the headlights which again turned on. Before he could ask who's that in the car, the front door slowly opened. 

There was no person visible but they could hear the steps of someone walking towards them. Together they managed to shut the room door closed but the sound of someone walking didn't stop, they infact got louder and louder which only meant one thing, it was right next to them! 

The cousins tried to move away but couldn't, they tried talking but again couldn't. Everything they tried wouldn't work, they were stuck in a paralysed state. The thud of walking now was circling them along with the sound of a gentle whisper but it wasn't anything they could understand. Ed moving his eyeballs looked over at Aaron and knew the fear that was going through his younger cousins mind and that he was helpless to do anything. As that thought started to linger, the two started to move out of their control. They were placed on their individual beds, both facing each other as the whispers continued.

Slowly their eyes started to get heavier and heavier, everything felt drowsy and started to darken. Just as they were about to fade away they could finally understand one of the whispers, it said "Night Night" then they both faded away. The car started up again, drove around to reception and the door opened again. This time out stepped the reception guy who opened his office, sat there for a minute before ringing the police.

Aaron's last thoughts were filled with terror and panic. Ed's last thought was of Aaron.

Together Forever

Their eyes made contact and that's all it took, it was instant. Time stood still as they gazed at one another from across the cafe. All that needed to be said was told in that couple of seconds and before they knew it they were in his house, on his bed. 

He was a quiet, reserved and very meticulous man. Routine controlled his day along with a touch of OCD he had since a kid. Never one to approach a lady, not that he wasn't a handsome man, he just didn't have that self-esteem to do so. This all changed that moment in the cafe. Looking at her he felt alive for the first time, he felt awake, bold, all the things his life lacked. Adrenaline was pumping through his body as he stared at her naked body on his bed, this was a day of many firsts.

She begged him to take control, asking to reveal that inner wild side she knew he had. Everything she asked him to so was totally alien to him but in that moment he was under her spell and her wish was his command. His hands around her neck, he was feeling an intense amount of pleasure he never felt before. Harder she asked, don't hold back, make me bruise. His eyes rolling back into his head, this was like an outer body experience and one he never wanted to stop but he could feel the climax about to happen.

One hand around her neck while the other covering her mouth, both as a result of her placing them there. The euphoric feeling of the orgasm made him totally lose control of his bodily sensations and everything went numb. Once finished he rolled over totally exhausted and he had a sense of fulfillment, this had been 37 years in the making. He reached out and held her hand before looking over at her with a huge smile on his face, but what he seen soon got rid of that smile. 

She was dead. Her body lay there lifeless, he tried shaking her but to no use. Now he was in a state of total panic and didn't know what to do, he knew if he told anyone then he would go to prison so he decided to lift her upstairs to the spare room and place her in the bed and lock the door. 

As the weeks passed he started to decorate the room her body was in a lot more such as placing flowers around her bed. He also dressed her by buying an outfit each week and changing her every Sunday. This was all very creepy but the most creepy part was that he kept getting very intense sexual urges that he tried to suppress but the severity of them started to drive him crazy and finally he gave in. He would climb upon her, carefully lifting up her dress and relive the events of that night all over again. After this he would kiss her forehead, sit there and cry into his hands.

This would start to happen more often, and he even started to buy her gifts every Thursday as this was the day they met. He was aware of what he was doing but didn't care, he had developed such love for her he was unable to stop. 

A couple of months later he bought her a ring and placed it on her finger, even throwing a fake wedding for them both and of course consummating their marriage that night in her wedding dress. The weirdest thing was that everything that day they met happened so fast he never actually got her name so he would just refer to her as general names as "My love", "Lady" and now "Wife". 

As he grew old he knew that his time was running out, especially after he was diagnosed with lung cancer. Her body was now so decayed so bad she was just a skeleton corpse lying there. She was a long way from the beautiful girl in the cafe many years ago. He was heartbroken at the thought that she would be left here alone when he passed away so he spent every second of the day at her bedside, talking and reading to her before his urges would once again take over.  

His condition deteriorated dramatically and now it was a matter of days. He decided to make one last choice "For her", he cut her finger with the wedding ring on it off and placed it in his pocket. Many years ago after she first passed away he made a decision to take herr organs out and keep them stored in a cooler, this was to keep parts of her alive. One of these body parts was of course her heart and on his final day he went down to the cooler, took out her heart and shockingly started to eat away slowly at it. He then went up to the spare room, lay down next to her and closed his eyes one last time. 

She was the only woman he ever had, she took his heart and now he took hers. Together they lay forever.

Well Well Well........

We all have a best friend who we can rely on and just be ourselves with, and for Derek and Harry this was no different. Two men in their mid - late 20's; 26 and 27 respectively, grew up on the same middle class street and shared all of their childhood, adolescence and young adulthood with each other. Their houses were close, their bond even closer. They laughed together, drank together, got into trouble together and sometimes even fought together but ultimately they would die together.

Derek was the driver, Harry the passenger, as they went smoothly along the open road, their destination was a small fishing village just fifteen minutes outside their town. They pulled up, parking at the top of the slip that led down to a small harbor where they would go to sit, chat and unwind for a while. It was a spot for fisher and trawler men at day time but at night it turned into a hookup and recreational spot for teens. Luckily for the two friends it was midday and all that was down there were docked boats and pesky seagulls. 

Just as they were walking down they stopped into a small shop to get something to drink, the norm went would go like this -  Derek would go for a hot drink, mainly coffee and Harry something cold, preferably with alcohol, but today Harry decided to get something hot, tea was his drink of choice, he never got the whole coffee fascination with the modern world and Derek even changed his drink, opting for a bottle of overpriced water. Creatures of habit no more they said to each other in their own unique humorous way that only they could understand.

Walking down the long harbor slip (they even walked in a way that only they again could understand) they noticed a sort of sign that was never there before, the two would frequently come out here. They both went over to take a look as it read; "Welcome to the haunted well where once a year on July 6th spirits take over the harbor slip". Harry looked at Derek asking "What date is today", Derek replied with "Hold on......6th of July......some timing". Under a picture of the well on the sign was more writing - "Besides the hand that lived in the well, the ghost of Mary Houlahan and the spirits of two teenage school girls haunt these parts, when you hear the cry you know its your time to die"

"What well!!" asked Derek. "Erm see that small well that was never here before but looks like it was here for hundreds of years behind you" Harry pointed in the direction of Derek's shoulder. They looked at each other in confusion for a moment before bursting out laughing at the idea that they both knew the other one was believing the story but  none would admit it, again it was almost like they could read each others thoughts and feelings. They walked on down another few yards, almost at the bottom of the slip now.

Out of nowhere the laughter of young girls could be heard ringing around, as if it was somehow trapped in the shallow breeze. "Do you hear that Harry or am I totally after losing it" Derek said very meekly,  "Unfortunately I do" replied Harry. They again both looked at each other smiling but this time their smiles weren't as wide or pronounced. The laughing got louder and closer but there was no sign of where and who was doing this until at the slip's end two projections of school girls flickered in and out very briefly. As they seen this the sky quickly changed from bright and blue to dark and grey. 

Rain started falling heavily, the shallow breeze turned into stormy wind and the young men now looked at each other with fear in their faces. They both turned around trying to run up the slip to the car but right in front of them kept appearing the teenage girls and now even their laughter turned to crying which rang so loud into Derek and Harry's ears that they could do no more than fall to their knees, holding their ears in pain. Up at the top of the slip they could now see an older woman looking as old as time itself standing there, mouth opening wider and wider.

She levitated towards Harry, as Derek tried to stand up a hand came out from the well grabbing at his ankles. He couldn't move, no matter how much he struggled he could not get away. They could both see their friend in danger but were as equally as helpless to do anything as each other. The ghostly old lady pinned Harry to the ground, directing his attention towards his friend who was now also lying on the ground with his legs tied by the wrinkly hand of the well and body held by the teenage spirits. Harry could hear movement coming down the slip, it was Derek's car sliding backwards down it, gaining momentum on the way.

"Nooooo....don't" Shouted Harry but all this done was make the school girls giggle. Derek's head now perfectly in line with the oncoming car, he gave Harry one last look, said nothing and smiled at him in a way that only they would understand before the car rolled over his head, crushing it completely. Death by his own car, which was what they once joked about a few years back after a near crash together and indeed this what what the smile told.

Harry closed his eyes upon impact, he could not watch his friend of over 20 years die like that. When he opened them things didn't get any better for him, the old lady was still over him, so close that he could smell the sickening stench off her breath. Her mouth still wide open she looked into his eyes and said "Your turn young man" before biting into his stomach, causing it to rip completely open. As she was feeding on his insides the worst thing was that Harry was still alive for most of it., feeling her grazing through his intestines and organs like it was spaghetti.

After this the three spirits stood by the well and watched as the sea eerily came up and dragged what was left of the two bodies into the water along with the car. As soon as this happened the sky turned back from grey to blue, the rain became sunshine and the stormy wind became that pleasant gentle breeze once again. The sign and well had also vanished and nobody ever knew what happened to such quirky but beloved best friends.

Bound

Hunting hares was a very much enjoyed sport for the locals of this time. Farmers, hunters and anyone who enjoyed the "Sport of real men" as it was called, could join in as they pleased. Big Dale Easton was the man who traditionally led the monthly hunt across the open forestry of Cleveland in the North-East of England. Dale always stood with his chest puffed and lower lip out stiff as he inhaled the smoke from his pipe. He had no time for the weak minded no more than he had for people's nonsense. No one would question what he said, even though often he would be wrong they would never correct him for fear of retaliation of his caused embarrassment. 

On the face of things he had no enemies, well maybe just one and that was the Nanny of the Woodlands. Her and Dale never got on, they were similar in age and knew each other nearly as long as they knew themselves but pride from their opposite social hierarchy prevented them from talking to one another. She hated everything he stood for, especially his love for hunting innocent wild animals. He hated her dirty, hermit, reclusive ways he just could not understand why someone would choose that life.

About twenty five years ago was when things got really bad between the two. They were both approaching thirty when one of the Nanny's beloved Red Squirrels was found dead outside her small residual cottage, stomach blown open from a gun shot. She furiously approached Dale that day in the village, spitting and scowling while trying to claw at his face. Dale's men held her back, pushing her to the ground and laughing. Dale too was laughing and wondering why she cared so much for these feral furry creatures so much. This was when she was christened her name. 

Over the next few years she would never show her face in the village again. When the monthly hunt was on she hid inside, gathering up all the surrounding animals she could and keeping them in there until the hunt was over. Dale knew she was doing this but although he wanted nothing more to kick her fragile wooden door down even Dale wouldn't be that brave as he knew if he done so then he would have to kill her,  she would then be similar to that of a cornered rat she would fight till her death and have no problem doing so. Dale had the village people on his side and killing an innocent woman might be a bit too far and turn them against him. They eventually made a pact that any animal on her land would be safe from the hunt, a pact they both reluctantly agreed on.

On Dale's fifty fifth birthday he organised a special hunt to commemorate the occasion. Him and the village men all sat around drinking and shooting at propped targets mainly consisting of the empty beer bottles they had just guzzled. Dale stood up and ordered that someone bring him the largest hare in the woodland and he who does so will be rewarded in turn, this led to a cheer followed by some drink fueled singing.

They waited for dusk time as this was the best time to hunt. They marched out into forest area in double file as if they were in a marching band. The drunk singing had well stopped by now and each one of them focused on the nights task. Gunshots rang out and Dale was brought three dead hare's. He examined each carcass but threw they all away grabbing three of the men in a close huddle. Taking turns he looked them all directly into their eyes while boisterously demanding bigger over and over again before letting go of the grip he had on their back necks.

Only a few moments after this pep-talk one of them men spotted something up ahead. The closer he sneaked up the more he realised his luck, it was the largest looking hare he had ever laid eyes on, it was as if the Easter bunny was actually real. The hare sat there feeding on the green grass, one of the hunters tried approaching as close as he could to get a clear shot, he knew he couldn't mess this up. As this was going through his head he stood on and snapped a twig only about fifty feet away alerting the hare who ran off deeper into the forest.

The hunter dashed after the fleet footed mammal who now had crossed over on to the forbidden land of the Nanny, but once there it stopped running and sat there looking directly at the hunter. He cocked his gun, aimed directly at the hare knowing well that this was against the pact but didn't care, when was he ever gonna come across one as big as this. He pulled the trigger and the bullet struck the hare right in the center of its body, killing it upon impact. The dead body was thrown over his shoulder and he marched back to Dale beaming with delight.

Back at the base camp where they had set up Dale was now lying on the ground, badly wounded from a bullet in his stomach. The hunter carrying the hare dropped it on the ground in confusion and ran over to Dale who was getting worse by the second and asked him what happened, he responded with his last breaths; "The Nanny......the nanny done this", before departing this life.

The hunters angrily marched towards the grounds of the Nanny, barging into her home but what they seen took even the most irate of person by surprise. She lay on her bed with the same wound as Dale had and indeed the hare. She laughed uncontrollably pointing at to the right hand side of her cottage before she also passed away. The hunters edged over in trepidation. They came across a stack of voodoo drawings and writing, most of which they could not decipher but the part they could brought great fear among them all. "Should a killing happen on forbidden territory then whom are bound in this pact shall die also, and should revenge be sought then impending doom shall come to those who seek it"

The spell was signed with the blood of the Nanny and a long brown hair she had managed to get from Dale some twenty five years back.

Tunnel of Death

In the sewers of the River Thames, London, was said to be a murderous and twisted man. He doesn't discriminate against who he kills. No matter if you are male or female, tall or short, skinny or fat, he was said to not care for your type but only for your blood. Eleven bodies found down along the sewer lines in the past six months has provided the need for a red alert, with a luxurious reward put on anyone who has information. The manhunt for this killer had truly begun.

Sixteen tons of sewerage flow into the water each year from this system but now for the first time body parts are included in this. Each victim has had some part of them missing; fingers, toes, ears eyes and even the tongue. No murder is the same, there is no M.O. linking the bodies together, other than the fact that they are found in the sewers and most likely have been killed down there.

The latest missing person was a 21 year old girl who was last seen heading out the door down to collect her laptop from the repair shop. Her sister Jennifer reported her missing after repeatedly trying to contact her but to no avail. She tried the laptop repair shop to which they confirmed that she did indeed collect the laptop and the camera outside showed her walking down the street that would of been in the direction of back home..

After three days the police had no links to where she would of disappeared to and assumed the worst. They checked the sewers but unlike the rest of the victims there was no body laying there, nor was there any floating limbs on the bed of the sewerage. Jennifer tried everything she could before deciding one night to head down to the sewers herself. She had to go by night as it was a sectioned off area and under darkness she could sneak inside, and do that she done.

The drop down was about five feet to a splash of dirty water hitting her under her nose. Not a greeting Jennifer would be used to. Walking through the murky tunnels she was determined but frightened, her sister is the only family she has left since her brother passed away a few years ago and her parents when she was young. Death seemed to be something she would be familiar with and the sewer tunnels reeked of it. Nonetheless she continued on.

There is an eeriness about the place, which is to be expected since bodies have been found mutilated but still there is something else in the aura that words just can't explain. Jennifer armed with just a flashlight and a Swiss army knife which as it happens was her missing sisters. Up ahead she could hear someone walking. That distinct sound of footprints in water reminded her of when she was a kid hiding in the cold streets on London from her teachers at school when she was in trouble which was often after her parents passed.

The steps got closer and closer, there was a bend in the tunnels up ahead where she hid behind, it was a blind spot for anyone coming up the way towards her. Sweat was dripping from her body, out through every tiny pore there was. She knew this could and was possibly the man who took her sister. The shadow of the person passed by, she was ready, knife in hand,   3.....2.....1............

Stealthily creeping up she was right behind him now, she could smell his scent but her hands started to shake , she couldn't go through with it. The man was well past her now as she sat crying into her arms thinking of how she was such a coward. Her self-esteem issues from when she was a kid all came back now, she cussed herself endlessly until she heard a scream coming from the direction the man went down. A scream of utter terror and pain rang through the tunnels. She got herself together, thinking who done this if that was the killer?

Just a few feet away she could see a body up ahead. In the water which now had a hint of that blood red colour there was an ear and finger floating down towards her. Stuck between seeing who this person that lay there was and running back the other way because whoever done this would be close she decided she had to take a look at the body. Another self-esteem breakdown wasn't something she could go through right now.

On the body she could barely look at the man's face but on his shirt she noticed a badge, it was a City of London Police Force badge. The relief over not stabbing him moments ago quickly vanished, this was a death no person deserved. As her thoughts were starting to get darker there was a sound of movement coming from the walls. That infested sound that would often intrude on houses around the London estates in Winter time.

Out through a passageway in the walls came what must of been hundreds of sewer rats just as big as a house cat. These rats weren't just ordinary rats, their eyes were red, saliva drooled from their mouths and they made a very hostile screeching sound that sent the fear down Jennifer's spine like a shock of electricity.  Time was not much longer, one rat pounced at her but she was able to kick it away like an out of place balloon.Another tried but the same fate was in store. A third and fourth one hurdled at her together but Jennifer swiped at them with the knife, slicing open their stomachs. The rats then circled her, inching closer by the second.

Before Jennifer knew it they were all over her. From her waist down they covered every inch of her body, nibbling at her flesh. The rats now had her in their grasp and on to her knees she fell as they now completely had her at their will. She could fight no longer.  Just as she was fading away she looked to her right into the passageway which the rodents came from and she could see the dismembered corpse of her sister laying there. This was the last image of her death stricken life.