Almost Dead

ALMOST DEAD

1 It was a smoldering hot Saturday in the middle of July. Me, and my fifteen year old brother Robbie, were about to take a camping trip to the North Carolina Mountains with our parents. What you are about to read is the entire story of our horrible vacation. I am Robbie's younger brother Cody, and I had to stand back helplessly as every terrible event of this vacation took place. Now you will read it in the safety of your own home. Don't let this happen to you. Please. *** "Are you packed YET Robbie?" "Yes Momma, Just a sec!" Robbie was trying to fit everything he had into his tiny suitcase. "C'mon Rob, If we don't hurry, it will be WINTER by the time we get there!" I grumbled. He always takes forever to pack. "Ok, ok. Carry my suitcase for me." Robbie threw me his suitcase and I almost fell down the stairs. "AHH!" I caught myself on the rail before I took the tumble. "Carry your own suitcase." I frowned and ran down the staircase. After driving for two hours in the morning fog, we finally saw a human. You'd think we would be happy... but this man was NOT friendly. We were coming around a curve on a one way road up the mountain and some homeless looking guy ran out in front of us! We stopped in time to avoid hitting him, but he gave us and evil stare. That was all we could see of his face... his eyes. He was wrapped up in clothing and scarfs that covered his face and head. So, after looking at us he stepped to the side of the road slowly. Dad pulled up beside him. "Are you alright sir?" Dad asked him. The man didn't look up. Dad then began to roll away slowly, but as soon as the man was in line with my window he looked up again, and he opened his mouth in a hideous, toothless smile. As I stared into his throat, I watched as a huge, slimy, black cockroach crawled down his tongue...

2 I was the only one that saw him smile. My brother had looked back down at his magazine when we began to drive away. I knew that something was definitely wrong with that man, but I was afraid to mention it to my Mom and Dad. About Thirty minutes later we reached our cabin. We had found it on the Internet and rented it. When we got out of the car to look around, we saw that this place was deserted. Our cabin looked like it was the only one on the mountain, plus we had no view because the trees shaded everything. Even though it was only Two-O'clock, on the mountain it was pitch dark. "WOW! Isn't this great?" My dad exclaimed sadly. I could tell it wasn't what he had expected when he paid the Realtor the $500 for a Five night stay here. But, what could we do? After seeing what little sights there were in the woods, we walked to the front door and Dad unlocked it. A rocking chair sat in the corner of the porch and was rocking in the wind. I noticed a red stain on the deck that looked odd... but I figured it must be just that - wood stain. It was a wood cabin after all. Robbie pushed past me and into the house. "Cool, bunk beds!" My brother said, after seeing the bunk beds through the open bedroom door. "Hmm... you and Cody will sleep in there, and I guess me and your Father will sleep in this next room right here..." My mom thought aloud. "Good. Robbie, come help me get the stuff out of the car." Dad instructed. "'K." Robbie walked back out and I turned my attention to the stairs leading to the second floor. Mom noticed me looking curiously at the stairway. "Why don't you go up and investigate the rest of the house?" She questioned. "O.K., I will." I answered nervously. "Wait, you'll have to take this flashlight, there aren't any lights in here." "Oh great!" I said sarcastically. I then started up the creaky staircase. When I reached the top, I noticed one door at the end of a hallway. The door was open partially, and some light was peaking through. I headed toward it with my flashlight bouncing across the bare walls. When I pushed the door open, I couldn't help but scream.

3 Laying on the carpeted floor in the otherwise empty room, was a black garbage bag. It was tied with thick rope and definitely had something big in it. Out of the open end of the bag, I saw the unmistakable sight of DRIED BLOOD on the white carpet. As I continued to look, I heard my Dad come running up the stairs yelling to me. "Cody, what's the matter??" He ran in and immediately turned his attention to the bag on the carpet. "Oh god..." He said, turning away. "Dad, is that what I think it is?" Robbie asked when he walked in behind us. "I - I don't know... But We're going to have to open the bag to see what it is." My dad determined. Robbie loved horror books and movies, so he automatically jumped with excitement when Dad said this. "CAN I HELP??? Please, please, please, I'm not scared of dead people! I've seen 'Sixth Sense' SIX TIMES!" "This isn't funny Robbie. We'll have to call the police right now." Dad told Robbie sternly. Well, we thought everything was going to be alright after the police came and took the thing away. But they never came. In fact, we never called 911. Our phone line was dead. We then looked behind the phone and saw that no wires were connected to the wall. We had no cell phone and there were no people around for 100 miles from the cabin. So we decided that we would actually have to open the bag ourselves. We were in for a horrible surprise. Dad got out a pocket knife and some gloves, and began carefully slicing the bag open. Robbie was practically jumping up and down with excitement. We all leaned forward to see what it was as our candlelight finally poured into the trash bag. We all gasped when we saw the hideous thing that was inside. Someone, or something for that matter, had killed a brown fox. But the worst thing of all was, despite the rest of the body being mostly intact, something had pulled it's eyeballs entirely out. All that was left were two black indentions in it's head. Mom turned her head away and told Dad that we couldn't stay at this cabin. "Aw c'mon Mom, it's just a dead animal... maybe somebody accidentally ran over it with their car, and – and it's eyes popped out, so then the person took the eyeballs and had them for supper, and then decided that it would be safe if they hid the body in a trash bag... in a cabin!!!" Robbie exclaimed, trying feebly to get us to laugh. But Dad was right, this wasn't funny at all. Some weirdo lived in these woods, and I was determined to find out who it was.

4 The next morning, after a night of hardly no sleep, Dad buried the dead fox. After eating breakfast, we decided to do some hiking on some trails we saw in the woods. Robbie carried a box of trail mix and dropped some of it every few feet of walking, because the trail kept going in and out. After about 20 minutes, we found an open area on top of a cliff to sit and rest. But I wasn't tired, and neither was Robbie. I was kneeling down looking at a rock that was shaped like an arrowhead when I noticed a wet feeling on the back of my neck. I stood up and touched it, then looked at my hand. On my head was more red liquid, but it wasn't blood... I could tell. I then felt another drip on my hair that made me look up. Hanging from a low tree limb was a sign that was freshly painted. I read it aloud: "I'M COMING FOR ALL OF YOU..." I didn't understand it, and I didn't want to scare Mom or Dad anymore, so I decided to just not tell them. But as I looked ahead into the woods, I noticed another cabin! I thought to myself that maybe that cabin is where the weirdo lives... the one that killed the fox, took it's eyeballs, and painted the sign. I glanced back and saw that everyone was sitting looking around, so I decided to go investigate the new cabin. There was no trail left to it, but I could still easily walk there. As I approached the cabin, I started to notice the large amount of junk lying everywhere in the yard. Tires, empty cans, cages. But around the corner, I noticed a row of tombstones, or at least they looked like tombstones. I decided to search the house first before reading them. I walked up the front steps and took one last glance back at my family before going in. I turned back and pushed open the dirty screen door. As it creaked open, I immediately jumped when I saw a shadow run by me. When it walked into the light I could tell that it was just a cat. It hissed at me and walked away. I looked straight ahead down a hall. All the doors were closed from what I could see. Before I had a chance to explore the rooms, a hoarse, loud voice yelled out "GET OUT NOW!!!"

5 Afraid to look back, knowing what I would see, I ran full speed out of the screen door, slamming it against the wall. I barely got two feet from the house before tripping on a gravestone. I slowly raised my head to see a row of four of these protruding from the ground in front of me. I began to slowly scan the names on the stones. 'R.I.P. Cody Edward Larson 2/9/1989 - 7/23/2003' 'R.I.P. Robbie Jacob Larson 4/10/1987 - 7/23/2003' 'R.I.P. David Marlow Lar...' Before I could read the last two gravestones a hand grabbed my shoulder. I timidly turned my head to see the rest of the person who planned on ending my life today. "Sorry kid, I didn't mean to scare you. I'm Larry, the Forest Ranger here, and I was just taking a look at this here shack. It is in very unsafe condition, and I was planning to have it demolished. I just got a little carried away when I told you to leave." A large, chubby man said to me. "Oh... OK." I said, as I stood to face this man. "What were you doing in there anyway?" Before I could answer a large shadow began to fall over Larry's head. What brought about this shadow was a very old, rusted, aluminum baseball bat. "Look out!" I screamed to Larry, but sadly, I wasn't fast enough. The club came down on his head with a horrible 'clack'. As Larry fell to his knees, what stood behind him was the worst thing I could have ever seen. Dressed in an orange jumpsuit with huge tears covering it was the man that my father nearly ran over just days ago. Again as he looked at me, this time getting a very good look - this monster of a person opened his mouth and spit something wetly out and onto the ground. I looked down cautiously to see... a bloody human finger.

6 As I then began to back up, still facing this hideous man, he - or it - began to speak. "You know too much now Keziah. You had no business messing around where you didn't belong. But now, you know the secret I tried to keep. You did see the last gravestone there - did you not? Yes. Have a look child." This ugly man uttered to me. I, now confused in so many ways, started to squat down to read the stone. I did not know why this man called me Keziah, and I also did not know about any secret this man was trying to keep. But, I followed his directions anyway. I cautiously crouched low to the ground, knowing that at any point I could be attacked by this man too. I read the gravestone aloud. 'R.I.P. Ernest Chadwicke Larson 10/9/1938 - 7/23/1993' Who...Who is Ernest Larson?" I asked nervously. "Oh, but it's me of course child. You see, I was your grandfather a long, long time ago. Your father's father to be exact. I was close to Robbie, but I never got to see you after you became old enough to walk. This is because your father was jealous of me. Your brother loved me, and your father did not want you to love me, your own grandfather, more than him." "So, your father forced Robbie to help him end my life. Do you know that wood-chipper in the basement Keziah? The one that your parent's never use, and won't let you see? That is what put me to rest. I tried to climb back out, and managed to save a few body parts, but in the end, all of my limbs were sewn back together so my body could be buried. No one found out that your father and brother did this to me. I returned from the dead simply to tell you this Keziah - and to avenge my death." "I only wanted to kill your parents and Robbie, but you my friend, you snooped too much. You have seen me, and I cannot let you tell the world that people can return from the dead. People are beginning to learn too much, and I cannot let you tell them this. Bring your family over here now Keziah. I will blindfold all of you, and I'm sure you won't feel a thing."

7 Well the truth is people, I really didn't feel a thing, unless you count the saw slowly piercing my leg. Back and forth - back and forth. Oh yes, and then there was the other quick piercing feeling, somewhat like a machete entering one's body. And who could forget the...

THE END OF FEAR: “ALMOST DEAD” VISIT THE OFFICIAL "FEAR" BOOKS WEBSITE @ http://www.fearbooks.com/ WRITTEN AND ILLUSTRATED BY: MATTHEW WATTS