I hated campfire stories growing up.
My parents made me go to summer camps where people who couldn't
stand their kids Stitch to them, why bother having kids?
If you couldn't stand to be around them during the summer,
my parents told me it was for enrichment, whatever that meant
make friends get to know people have a good time.
Well nothing is good about being forced to sit by wood smoke
while getting poked by mosquitoes.
All while some idiot named counselor.
Todd told a Cheesy Campfire Story worse was when cool
counselor Chadley accompanied on his guitar.
Anyway, as I said, I hated these stories growing up.
I always had really vivid dreams along with an overactive
imagination. Those stories that blurred the
lines between reality and Fiction made both go haywire and
my mind became trapped in a spiral of what if scenarios
always watching the Shadows of the cabin walls as the Moonlight
made the branches, stretch like fingers, feeling breath on my
ear when it was just the AC, the grown of my bunkmates bed.
Springs was some horrible criminal dragging his sickle
along the floor. I think the worst story that
taught ever told was about the dear woman.
It was nothing like the Native American Tales of shape-shifting
women where men are lured away to be stomped by their Hooves or
stories of transformation know Todd's.
Dear woman was something much more scary.
It was something like this woman was driving down a road close to
camp and hit a deer upon impact. She went through the windshield
and collided with the deer, when the police and ambulance
arrived, they found the deer, the Crush Car and a set of red
Footprints leading off into the woods.
They never found the woman Legend says she still haunts the
forest around the camp to this day.
Todd said this to his terrified masses, the Shadows playing over
his face, made him. Look demonic after enduring
three weeks of Todd's Dramatics, I was over the spooky firelight
trick, but the story freaked me out.
I already tested the idea of driving the very thought of
driving alone. Some dark Winding Road only to
slam into a deer was terrifying. Then mix that in with having my
broken remains smashed with the deer.
F that noise. The other stuff about the woman
walking away to haunt. The forest was obviously BS
though. My fear of anything servine in
nature, wasn't so sure. Don't judge me.
Dear are freaky. Looking and have you ever heard
an elk bugle? Haunting.
So the story itself was playing on my imagination, a little
anything. Vaguely horn-like had my skin
crawling which my fellow campers thought was super hilarious.
Then the night only got worse. It was already late being in the
middle of June. The sun was still lighting up
the sky around 9:00 p.m. So the scary stories hadn't
commenced until about 10:00. Now the horrible hour of
midnight Was slowly approaching and tonight was supposed to be a
camp-wide hide-and-seek Spotlight, tag event the whole
thing, sounded horrible. Why allow campers armed with
only a flashlight and wits to hide anywhere on the
campgrounds. There were restrictions like no
one was allowed to hide in the woods still, the situation
sounded dubious at best. Nevertheless, campers who saw
the flawed logic of such Game. We're not permitted to stay on
the bench, so I played against my will at first, I tried to
hide somewhere obvious, so I would be found and made to sit
out early. That plan was foiled when
counselor Chad came up and looked at me with that
expression, you would give to an obnoxious toddler.
Come on dude, he said in his chat list tone, I know you don't
like these games, but you got to at least try man, I'm going to
turn around and count. Again, and this time you better
find a good place to hide. Okay.
One, two, three. He was really going to make me
do this, fine. If I had to play, I'd play to
win and give them a scare for once.
I ran from my spot under the picnic tables, down the road
toward the best hiding place. I knew about half a mile from
the actual campgrounds, sat a collection of abandoned
buildings. That Been part of the camp at
one point. All of the buildings had fallen
into despair. Some had boarded windows and
doors. The areas were littered with
broken glass. Many of them stuffed with old
furniture and Hardware, like ovens fridges and those serving
tables. You'd see at buffets plenty of
broken bunk, beds mattresses dressers in other words things
to hide under was I afraid of the potential spider or tetanus
hazard? Sure, but the drive to stick it
to those annoying Camp, jockeys, spurred me.
I'm still not sure about what happened after that.
After I found a place to hide tucked away under a collection
of discarded, bunk beds. I watched the windows for signs
of the flashlights. I felt pretty proud of myself.
Not going to lie, they would probably be searching for me for
hours. What I get in trouble for this
later. Probably, what?
I get sent home. Oh God, I hope.
So, I remember being in that abandoned cabin for a long time.
Far longer than I thought I would be.
I didn't have a watch or phone with me, so I couldn't tell what
time it was boredom. Started to take its toll after a
while the longer time went, without any of the counselors
coming to find me. The more I considered crawling
out of my Hiding Place and walking back to my cabin a
horrible, stench reached my nose.
Just as I did, Decided that enough was enough.
It was probably the worst thing I had ever smelled.
And someone exploded, a can of fart spray in my high school
Woodshop class last year. So that was saying something,
whatever it was, it was clear that something was rotting
nearby. I hoped it wasn't anywhere close
to my Hiding Place. You think I would have noticed
sooner? But then I heard a sound of
something. Walking, I say something and not
someone. Because the Rhythm was off,
there was this kind of lopping dragging noise, there were too
many lakes for a person, but it wasn't enough for an animal step
step, step drag, step, step, step drag the hairs, on the back
of my neck, and arms, stood up, and not formed in my gut, and a
little voice of self-preservation screamed.
That something wasn't right. The sound Drew closer?
Sir, the scent of rot growing more intense with each step.
Then my ears caught the inhale and exhale of ragged breaths, as
if whatever it was, was attempting to breathe through a
wet towel. Something fell in heavy drops
onto the ground like someone was carrying a bucket of water and
some of it was sloshing out then there was the buzzing of flies.
As I stared out the window nearest my Hiding Place.
I could see a black cloud swirling in the Moonlight.
Not long after a shadowy figure stumbled into view my mind world
to place the jumble of shapes and forms into some kind of
order. The thing appear to be humanoid
in the way it moved. But I saw a set of massive dear
like antlers and a slender animal face sitting on top along
twisted neck. S'more flavored bile Rose in my
throat as my eyes picked out strips of hanging meat through
the dirt covered windows as the thing.
To the cabin door, I forced myself to be still forced my
breathing to be silent forced my bladder, to not go in Terror,
the creature, pushed the door open.
It's Dreadful Dole Creek, filled the air, like the last grown of
a wounded. Animal step step, step drag
step, step, step, drag, it lurched and lumbered, across the
floor, carried by two broken humanoid.
Legs and one deer leg trailing behind the stench from earlier.
Hit my nose with a forest that nearly made, my stomach Revolt.
Read bile dripping from the dislocated jaw onto the floor
Shadows enveloped the creatures face, but I knew it was looking
for me, this couldn't be real monsters and things that
searched for kids in the woods didn't exist in real life.
This had to be some kind of a sick prank, Todd in the others
were playing someone. One of them had to see me
running off The abandoned camp area.
They got all dressed up and covered themselves in whatever.
Foul-smelling spray, this was to scare me.
They knew how over-reactive my imagination was and were messing
with me. The thing grew closer.
If this was a prank, it wasn't funny.
I wanted to scream for whatever it was to stop it.
Go back to camp and tell the others that they had found me.
However, something in the back of my mind, clamp down on my
voice, A primal sense, that screamed that this thing was not
a person. Step step, step drag the
creature stopped in front of my Hiding Place.
My stomach rolled with the stench of Decay, what little
light shine through the grimy, Windows illuminated, pale
misshapen purple, blue legs bones.
Crackle, does it bent in half to peer into my Den?
Read and Maggie by old ripped from its broken dear jaw and one
of the empty sockets, Warm putrid breath, hit my face.
And I could feel myself fill with nausea on the edge of
release, we stared at each other, for a mind-numbing amount
of time. Silence stretched on and weighed
heavy and cold. Not knowing what else to do?
I pointed one, trembling finger toward the door with a voice
filled with tears and Terror. I said, the the hospital the
hospital is that way. The deer woman continued.
Her silence staring. Are for a few more minutes.
I thought my racing heart would get to me before she decided to,
as I stared into her one Dole black eye, then like a rubber
toy her body slumped in half before rolling back up.
Each of her vertebrae popped and cracked.
As she stood finally, she turned and made her slow shambling way,
out of the building and Away in the direction.
I pointed step, step step drag. I'm sure.
Passed out after she disappeared or maybe I went into some kind
of blackened out state of panic. I can't really remember.
I know I had returned to the camp at some point with everyone
in a frenzy looking for me, even the police.
And an ambulance had been called, everyone was ready to
give me a Stern, talking-to until one of the EMTs, notice
the shock on my face in a way, I got my wish because I was taken
to the hospital and later picked up by my parents to go Go home
and before you ask no no one believed me.
Why would they the story sounded impossible?
I wanted to believe it was impossible because things like
that aren't real. They only exist in stories told
around dumb campfires to susceptible imaginations like
mine. So now that you've heard my
story who wants to play hide and seek.
Bobby leaned his head against the cool glass counter, the gas
station was empty. No one ever came down this way
and he doubted tonight would be any different.
He often wondered. Why the hell he was here.
If only one customer showed up every third week, he did not
Wonder tonight. It was too damn hot.
I should have called out sick, he muttered rotating his head.
Making sure the skin never left the cold safety of the glass,
the room spun around. Town.
It was a dramatic and frankly goofy way of moving, but Bobby
prided himself and finding little things to keep himself
entertained, the thought of exposing himself to anything,
other than the cold counter was not entertaining.
The security camera TV flashed by in one corner, the rows of
cigarettes on the wall, behind him until finally the back wall
of refrigerator doors. Even it's cramped I see Corridor
would offer little relief in that hot muggy air.
Bobby slid off the counter and scan the room.
The shelves, all sat with their products, neatly organized, the
coffee maker, across the room, blinked plainly Ready to Brew
for any would-be customer there probably wouldn't be any.
He stood and stretched leaned over the counter to scan the
parking lot. The gas station sat in the
middle of Acres of unplanted fields with a single Winding,
Road separating the fields from a thick forest of pine Bobby
thought the field. We're dried up and had never
been told otherwise he hadn't seen any farmers and all the
years that he had worked here, it didn't bother him any, most
of the people who stopped in the gas station were locals, who
just happened to be at this end of town.
Rarely do they ever come here by choice?
Bobby side and checked his watch?
He needed to pass the time and the only thing that would help
was to work. He wandered to the tiny storage
closet to the left of the fridge doors and fished out a mop and a
bucket cleaning. The bathroom was rarely
something he would ever volunteer for, but it would pass
the time and more importantly, it was cold in there.
Bobby hooked his fingers around the out on break sign under the
front counter and sauntered over to the front doors with it.
Allowed ringing echoed through the empty store.
When he pressed his foot on the door mat, the same Bell would
ring of someone stepped on the rug on the other side of the
door to Bobby. Rarely heard that Bell.
Should have called out today. He sighed to himself, Bobby,
hung up the sign and stared out into the quiet night.
He wondered, if there were any animals out there, looking back
at him from the woods, he pressed his forehead to the door
and thought about all the things that he would rather be doing
it. Did nothing to help his current
situation but it was refreshing to think about all the things he
could be doing when he eventually did have off Heroes
wiping the sweat from his forehead and peered at The door
glass a wet blurry smudge Mark, where he had leaned another job
to make the time pass by Bobby, nodded to himself, grab the mop
and began willing. The bucket towards the bathroom,
as he sauntered towards the bathroom door.
He missed the loan. Car speeding past into the dark
distance like a bat, out of hell as Bobby prop, the door open, he
could not see the car wildly swerving across the center lane,
over the trees lights, had suddenly began to dot in the
night. Bigger than Stars, no closer
than Stars. They descended ever so gently
large groups of them. Converging toward the retreating
vehicle. They were like paper lanterns
lanterns dotting at the night sky lights began appearing in
the forest and klum's more lanterns.
The car banked hard into the open field to avoid a cluster of
lanterns that had exited the dense Tree Line.
The car kicked up dirt and rocks and Chuck something incredibly
hard. The front end bucked, bounced
into the air and dipped sending the car flipping end over end,
its tail lights world and dance through the night.
It came to a complete. Stop tilted forward in the dirt
as if it had been sent from a cannon, some miles away because
Bobby was wiping down the bathroom mirror, he did not see
the man crawl from the wreckage screaming, waving frantically at
the gas station the lanterns begin to convene above him
slowly. Sending from every direction.
The man noticed them and began sprinting yelling, louder.
Bobby could not hear him over the mob going back and forth
across the cool bathroom tile, the lanterns froze in place.
They surrounded the man, now, then one by one, they broke the
Huddle in a mad dive one. Got the man in the back, sending
him rolling through the dirt. He flailed the lanterns.
Converged one, do for his head. Attaching itself.
The light inside. Pulsing the pole slowed dimmed
then gently warm to its original brightness, gently at Rose into
the air and the man with it. His weight seemed to make it
difficult for the lantern but his feet were no longer touching
the ground, he jerked and spasmed his arms Rose then fell
weekly his feet, kicked then dangled levitating from it.
Fully now the man and the lantern began floating towards
the gas station as Bobby White Off the sink and discarded.
The crumpled paper towels. The floor was still wet and
would need an hour or so to dry. He pumped, the paper towel
dispenser for a final wipe down. It was empty more work.
He muttered. He found the key dangling from
his belt and fished out the one for the supply cabinet in the
bathroom. He fished out a roll of paper
towels and put them in the dispenser.
He pumped out one piece of paper for himself and left the other
dangling for the next. Time someone used the bathroom,
it would probably be himself as he walked out of the bathroom.
A loud thud echoed on the ceiling above him.
He jumped something was on the roof.
A group of Something's by the sound of it, they were moving
over the freezer section at the back of the store raccoons.
It happened last year to a group of raccoons and come out from
the forest and tried climbing in through the vents to get away
from the heat one had succeeded And needed to be fished out with
a net, by the local PD, Bobby lean them up against the wall,
between the closet in the refrigerator doors inside the
closet. He retrieved a broom and walked
over to where he had heard the thud, he scraped the handle
across the ceiling and bang, the vent a few times he had done
this ever since the raccoon had gotten stuck whenever he heard
rustling above the freezers, it must have worked too because no
raccoon had ever gotten stuck again after a few bangs.
He had stopped and listened the wrestling continued.
I really should have called out today.
Bobby side a raccoon had probably made its way into the
vent, and he would have to go up onto the roof to confirm.
He didn't so much mind, the roof.
Oftentimes he would go up there when he knew for sure.
No one would be coming in to gaze at the stars, which was
always the latter was in the outdoor storage, Closet near the
ice machine, he turned and let out a startling yell.
In front of him was the magazine stand.
The gaudy colorful covers all plastered with faces looking in
different directions. It's at against the front
windows and they're behind him was the man staring off into the
sky. The man, stood there,
slack-jawed wearing the most ridiculous hat Bobby had ever
seen, his sudden materialization had surprised him.
There was something clearly wrong with the man, other than
the fact that he was staring off into space outside.
Gas station. People rarely visited Bobby had
a run-in with a junkie, two years prior.
The guy had wandered up to the gas station, probably after
hitchhiking, and just stood around the pumps.
Bobby asked him if he needed anything and the junkie just
laughed hysterically before falling into a Fugue State.
Beneath the lights, Pete. The local PD officer working.
Whenever Bobby did was usually asleep in the station or
watching TV. Turned up way too loud.
Bobby had to call for Hymns to get ahold of him.
Bobby took two steps forward and froze.
There was definitely something wrong with the man.
Now that he was closer, Bobby could see his jaw twitching up
and down, as if he was trying to make words.
He was twitching. And his eyes were almost rolled
back into his head. Not to mention.
He had a nosebleed, the ear facing the window and a small
trickle from the corner of his mouth before darting for the
phone. Something in the distance,
caught Bobby's, I The smoldering, wreckage of a car.
Wonderful Bobby thought and dash for the phone behind the
counter. As he rounded it, he scowled the
scratching had gotten louder above the refrigerator's.
The raccoons would have to. Wait, he ducked under the front
counter to retrieve his phone from its charger, and dialed the
station. This is Pete.
Bobby's phone. Hey Pete, it's Bobby down at the
gas station. Hey Bobby.
What can I do for you? Pete, mused Bob.
You could hear the TV on in the background Pete, I'm going to
need some help over here. Looks like a real bad car
accident off, England. Way in front of the station
driver is here. Wandering around looks pretty
beat up. He might be on something too.
Ah, really Pete muttered. Bobby could hear the seat.
He was in Creek as he sat up. Yeah, you may want to get on the
phone with the Myers in case anything in the field catches
and definitely Zack for the tow plus.
I think there's Is a raccoon in the vent again.
So, bring a net and the kitchen sink.
Pete asked and hung up without another word.
Bobby plugged his phone, back into the charger.
He grabbed the first aid kit nestled in the corner, near his
Chargers outlet and shuffled over to the front door.
The man was where Bobby had left him.
Still staring absently at the sky, he was facing the opposite
direction and Bobby couldn't help.
But stare at his hat, it was more like a plastic bag, really.
It had the most fantastic light display coming from inside like
a warm glow. Come to think of it.
It looked an awful like a lantern.
You'd release over a lake with a candle inside, Bobby had done
that once, as a class project in grade school, Bobby wanted to
help the man but didn't want to get any closer if he was on
something. So, he wrapped his knuckles on
the doors glass pane. Hey, he shouted.
Hey, do you need help? The man turned towards him but
Bobby shut. Uttered there was something off
about the way he turned. Not like a person turning
around, but more of a rotation, like a cake on display down at
the bakery. It reminded him of his Aunt
Carol's Lazy, Susan that letter, turn the TV to face, wherever
she was in her living room. Do you need help?
The man didn't move. He had clearly heard Bobby's
since he had turned, so strangely, but he was making no
real indication of responding to or even understanding.
Bobby was asking, come on, man. Bobby whispered, then it caught
his eye. The car was still tilted
forward, like a weird fence, post in the distance but there
were lights dancing around it, not like the ones you saw if you
rubbed your eyes too hard but more like those lanterns he
squinted there was at least a dozen around the car, floating
aimlessly, he spotted one in the corner of the parking lot, then
two more at the pumps, he tilted his head and could make another
Floating past the corner of the building.
He turned to see if there were any on the other side and
screamed dropping the first aid box and scattering its contents,
all over the welcome mat and making the Bell chime in the
store, the man was nose-to-nose with Bobby.
On the other side of the door, something was definitely wrong
with him, even though they were nose-to-nose, the Man's eyes
were still looking upwards. His mouth hanging slack.
Damn, man. You on something.
Bobby shouted, through the glass, The man gave no reply,
Bobby, knelt down to collect the first aid kit.
It was one thing to deal with the car accident, another to
deal with a bunch of trash floating around the station, but
a junkie to maybe he had been driving a car filled with
Chinese lanterns. I am definitely calling out
tomorrow Bobby muttered. He put the last band aid in the
box and closed it with a snap. Look man, the local PD will be
here any minute so if you could just wait by your car, that
would be here. Stopped himself, mid-sentence.
He ran cold and shock. Bobby was still kneeling but had
raised his hand and saw that the man wore only one shoe.
The other maybe having flown off in the rack, he wondered in that
instant how the man had been able to sneak up on him in the
front of the door. The welcome mat Bell.
Never rang. The man was floating floating
was the wrong word. His feet had barely lift off the
ground and were dangling. Twitching every so often.
Bobby forced himself to look up. He could see now that the man
was floating midair his arms turned slightly red, he wasn't
floating, he was being lifted the Hat.
It looked exactly like the lanterns he had seen floating
around the property but this one was on the guy's head and it was
pulsing not too much but this close Bobby could see a triple
and waiver every so often what he originally had thought
streamers hanging from a goofy hat.
That seemed to grip the man's skin and Pull It upwards some
reaching nonchalantly in random directions.
The man was being lifted by the lantern, Bobby noticed the man's
neck muscles, stretch from the weight of himself.
Bobby took a careful step backwards away from the door.
The man's hand went upwards, slamming into the glass, it
stayed in place for a moment. Then streak downwards, creating
a long vertical. Smudge, the man began
whimpering, his face muscles Began to Twitch.
Each his nose dance. Like he had a sneeze on the way
and his eyelids danced up and down the corners of his mouth
lifted and snagged his jaw. The flipping open and closed
like a fish. Oh, Ben, he croaked, Bobby took
another step backwards. The man's hands slapped against
the glass again, dragging down to his side.
His face twitched again, softer this time the words came easier
open Bob He wondered when Pete would get here.
Pete had a weapon, but so did Bobby.
In case of emergencies it was in a holster bolted under the front
counter. He had never needed it and had
been explicitly told to never use it on anything, he
questioned, whether he would need it.
Now, I crashed behind him, snapped his attention away from
the floating man. The raccoon had come through the
vent into the freezer but the hair on Bobby's arm stood up and
his heart jumped into his throat.
There were no raccoons in the vents.
It was the lantern. It drifted aimlessly behind the
rows of drinks, Bobby, followed the floating light, the vent
crash had knocked over one of the freezer shelves.
Scattering milk and butter across the floor.
The door was still shut, but there was nothing between the
Lantern and him other than glass.
Now he walked away from the floating man.
Oh been, there was a plastic hard case above a sunglass
display to his right filled with several knives of It color and
size, it had never needed a lock.
And Bobby was thankful for that. Now, still staring at the
lantern Bobby fished, a knife out of the display box and held
it between him and The Empty Glass freezer door.
It was a comical hot pink with flames.
Bobby didn't care. Whatever these lanterns had done
to the man. Seemed painful Bobby wasn't
going to let it happen to himself Bobby, stepped closer,
to the glass and watched the lanterns Grace the floor, its
tendrils. If that's what they were gently
swept around in every direction, some of them would rise in the
air and gently come to rest, some touch the spilled milk and
recoiled the lantern bobbed and glided over to the door between
Bobby and it. It was filled with light like a
shopping bag that they gave you at a local five-and-dime.
Covering a lone light bulb Bobby's hands began to shake,
but he held the knife in front of himself, bending at the
elbow, he got close enough to the glass it happen.
Very fast so fast that Bobby fell backwards.
After the fact without warning, the lanterns, reared backwards,
and lunged at the glass, The Feelers splayed out in every
direction. It had lunged at Bobby, but the
glass held he could see the underside of the lantern now and
it began shivering. It was filled with teeth and
tendrils, the tendrils pulled at the glass.
The teeth were all facing a nondescript directions.
There were mouths in there. They had no lips and were With
more of those horrible, Jagged teeth, they bobbed open and
close independently of each other, Bobby needed the weapon
now. The lantern pulled away from the
freezer door. Bobby, shakily Drew himself up
to a Crouch, the lantern slam forward and Bobby nearly fell
backwards again, shutting the weapon forward in front of him,
the lantern repeated, the motion, the freezer door, popped
open, and then closed the mob still leaned against the wall to
refrigerator doors away as the Intern, reared back, Bobby lunge
towards it. He grabbed it with one hand and
rammed it towards the refrigerator door handle the
lantern was faster smashing forward in opening the door
again. Bobby swung his hand out hard
and caught it. The lantern was strong.
Strong enough to open the door from inside, at least, but it
had used momentum. There was no strength keeping it
open now, and Bobby was able to close it quickly with relative
ease. He fumbled for a moment and then
Jap the broom handle between Three door handles bearing the
lantern inside Bobby was lucky three.
More had just come through the broken ceiling.
Damn, Bobby gasped weekly. He spun on his heels as he heard
more banging from behind him. It had joined.
The floating man, slapping hand at a horrible korres.
The floating man had now started punching the window.
The lanterns didn't seem to have much control over his bodily
functions yet. As he couldn't truly form a
fist, it had mastered The Slap. The motion.
However, and now the man's half-formed fist smashed
repeatedly into the glass. It left small patches of red,
which spattered more and more with each hit.
Bobby could see the man's hand to becoming bent in his fingers
in the wrong ways. The floating man kept going,
there was however a bigger problem multiple lanterns had
now latch themselves onto the front windows of the store and
were attempting to open them. In the same way the lantern in,
the refrigerator had opened the door, Their teeth filled Maas
Baird at the store opening and closing in a maddening Rhythm.
Bobby wanted to look away, they drew themselves backwards and
thrust it forwards. Each at different times thudding
into the windows, the glass would not hold for long, Bobby
dash for the front counter. Just as the floating man's fist,
broke through the front doors glass and a spray of shards, he
attempted to move through the opening, bumping into the rest
of the door. Several times, Bobby fumbled.
To unholster the weapon afraid to take his eyes off.
The floating man. He had started to wildly swing
both arms at the glass in an attempt to wipe away.
The obstruction ruining the welcome mat on the floor.
He was making progress, so were the other lanterns the front
window. Panes.
Now bulged, horribly in words. In numerous places Bobby, risked
it, he bent his head down under the counter.
Found the weapon and retrieved it from its holster.
He heard what sounded like an explosion of glass.
One of the windows had finally broken in, he ducked,
instinctively ran out the side of the other Corner aimed as
weapon. Nothing happened.
Damn it, Bobby screamed. His hands were shaking terribly
now, he eyed the weapon frantically searching for the
safety. He remembered all the cop shows
that always had the stupid criminals, forget to take the
safety off. Right now, he wished.
It was the latter, the lanterns which had shattered the window,
where thankfully still stuck on It but three more were slowly
floating through the wide Gap. The floating man had
successfully cleared the way of the glass of the front door to
and was now gliding through Bobby found the safety flipped,
it re aimed and fired. The first one went wide and
threw a bag of chips. Near the front door it exploded
sending snacks into the error. It kicked harder than Bobby at
imagined. It would Eerie planted his feet
took game again and fired off three more.
First got the floating man. He stopped rocking back and
forth, softly from it, then began to slowly Advance forward
again, his feet grazing, the shattered glass shards on the
floor with a sound like twinkling stars.
The second one at also missed, its Mark sending magazines
tumbling off the shelf. The third got one of the
lanterns. Still stuck to the Glass Center
Mass. It popped like a bubble sending
neon blue liquid across the overturned window.
Bobby's Hair. I stood on end taking out the
lantern at caused a strange electricity to fill the room
like a soft, buzzing more lanterns had grouped outside and
we're moving towards the store the three lanterns nearest.
The window had now began wafting inside, Bobby started moving
towards the bathroom. He could use the back door but
there was no telling how many were out there.
A quick glance toward the refrigerator's showed a total of
six lanterns. That had come through the front
roof, they were having trouble, reaching the glass And still had
product in them but their tendrils were reaching between
the bottles and attempting to find.
Purchase Bobby moved faster. He turned back towards the
front, windows and duck just in time to see the lantern.
Whizzed over his head, he aimed quickly and fired.
Several more blind shots toward the lanterns while reaching for
the bathroom door. He heard two of the lanterns
explode in a sickening pop the buzzing filled the air again.
Bobby thrust his hand out, gripping the bathroom door
handle threw it open in. Emotion.
He spun into the bathroom aimed and fired.
One more shot. The floating man was making his
way down the row of the bathroom supplies directly toward him.
The shot was missed striking a small travel pillow sending
feathers through the air. The floating man went through
them. A few sticking to his shirt, and
some to the Lantern on his head. Bobby's eyes went wild.
The store was filled with lanterns.
Now, and more were filling, the front windows front door and
refrigerator he was surrounded. It out of the corner of his eye.
He could see several lanterns, rearing back for a charge.
He dropped the weapon sending it across the floor and slam the
door shut. He reached out to hammer in the
sliding lock, when the door pushed him backwards, he slid to
his feet. The lanterns had charged hitting
the door before he could close, slamming it inwards and nearly
off its hinges. Bobby leaned, back and rammed
his shoulder forward slamming into the door.
He was thankful the lanterns didn't seem to have strength
length outside of their initial lunge.
The lanterns on the other side of the heavy door reach their
tentacles around, Bobby was too quick, he jabbed the door into
its frame, the tentacles flailed wildly then came to rest, it
looked as though streamers had, gotten caught in the door.
Bobby turned, both the deadbolt and sliding lock and took a step
backwards. He took in a ragged slow breath.
Three more lanterns. Slammed into the door.
Bobby stumbled backwards slipping on This still wet tile
and hit his head on the sink with a wet.
Thunk. He fell to the floor landing on
his back, the door had shattered but the locks held the door,
slammed two more times. For How long Bobby's head hurt.
He reached his hand back, running it through his hair, his
hand was hard to focus on, when he put it in front of his face.
Three more lanterns, hit the door.
A screw from the top lock, flew out bouncing next to Bobby.
Bobby looked down at the weapon in his hand took some time and
he found the eject button for the magazine and checked it only
two left the door shuttered. Again, another screw popped
loose, Bobby rested his head against the cool.
Think something was wrong, but he wasn't quite sure what he
heard sirens. They were getting closer.
Bobby tried to stand but still slick.
He was unable to find the footing, a steady pounding, had
jolted the chorus of Against the bathroom door.
The floating man was out there. Bobby slid further under the
desk the door was starting to bend inwards first.
One then two tendrils began sneaking into the crack between
the door and its frame, three more slams.
The steady pounding was getting louder, both on the door and in
Bobby's head, the sirens were blaring where they outside.
Bobby. Thought he could hear voices.
He heard a shot a scream. He Here officer Pete yelling out
someone else's name. Was it sacks.
There was shots now steady and controlled another Scream the
fire continued but somehow it seemed less.
Now Bobby kept his eye locked on the bathroom door, it was still
hard for him to focus. He could see the floating man
the door had started to bend inwards on the top right corner.
The floating man seemed to be staring towards him.
His arm shot forward through the Gap slap Wildly at the door.
Was he looking for the lock open?
He rasped Bobby raise the weapon.
His arm was Heavy. He closed one eye and tried to
aim at the Lantern on the floating man's head, Bobby
smiled. Weakly, it really did look like
a ridiculous hat. He pulled the trigger for a
moment Bobby thought. Nothing happened.
It had missed its Mark, but not entirely.
The floating man's hand had been hit, but too.
Bobby, it made no sound the arm hung there now, dangling bent
over the opening. Had he stopped the door.
Continue to shut her as other lanterns.
Pounded against it. Bobby heard Pete, enter the
store, the door had chimed, he had heard him scream.
Something, was it at something? Or because of something?
Bobby couldn't tell. Was that his name, he heard more
shots. One of them dented the bathroom
door. Bobby could see the protrusion.
Like a small pimple three, more than a muffled scream silence.
Bobby looked down at his weapon and back towards the door.
The floating man's arm. Had began to move again.
His forearms wiped helplessly at the doors.
Locks it left. Streaks of crimson, Bobby,
squinted, something was moving behind the floating, man.
Another floating man didn't look like, Zach.
Bobby couldn't tell. He looked down at the weapon.
Again, the door continued shaking on its frame, the steady
pounding had doubled. Now the thunderous slams of
individual lanterns peppered, the are in the chaotic chorus of
noise. The top lock shot out with the
last. Screw the dead bolt was holding
but the door had began to bend inwards at a faster rate, both
above and below the bolts. Now he had no way out the
lanterns outside a doubled before he had gotten into the
bathroom. How many were there now?
Help at come. It had gone.
Bobby did not want to be a lanterns puppet.
Like the floating man. Probably like Zach.
Now, also Pete, he could see the additional floating Men Behind
the one missing his hand. It was like they were in line
waiting for the bathroom they were in line, waiting for him.
I should have called out of work.
Bobby chuckled.