THEM: A Night of Hell

A high school host's a hunted house on Halloween night, not knowing that an evil spirit will have it's way and create it's own lair throughout the night. Can the kids survive?

 Walking down the hall, turning right, I ensure all the lights are dim and everything is in working order. The high school has never hosted a Lock-In before, and as it’s one of the most controversial moves for a fund raiser yet, I wanted to make sure everything is in order. Why did so many parents object of this, I don’t know. What I do know, however, is that we only have thirty kids joining us for the night. The low amount of people coming is because the only way we could do this, is by keeping it with the high school kids, over eighteen. And it seems only thirty of that age group wanted to come tonight. I guess the rest are parting like nothing else. But thats fine, we have plenty to do and the entire drama team is ready with a full load of tricks to scare these thirty kids senseless.

I go unlock the doors, allowing the customers in. When I get there I see a group of kids, maybe twenty or thirty in all, ready to come in. I open the doors, do a quick count and then explain how things will work tonight.

“You will have to pay thirty dollars to get in for the night. That will pay for your snacks and drinks throughout the night. You are free to leave, whenever you wish, however if you leave you will not get back fifteen dollars as a reward for staying all night. We hope to see you all until morning, but we shall see...”

Then I get some laughs, and I take their money and stamp their hands. The stamp ensures they paid to be in. Once everyone is inside, I wait for a minute until security gets there. The guard comes and nod’s, saying “We have people walking around and the city is going to make sure the police out on patrol are always at least five minutes away, just incase.”

“Thats good, but I doubt we will need the security.” I wink, “But if you hear some screams, don’t call the cops. I’m sure it’ll just be the kids running for their life.”

The guard and I share a laugh. I walk inside, locking the door. The guards at each exit and I are the only ones who can unlock the door, so no one gets in or out. 

And the fun begins.

12

I look at my best friend, Samuel, and wonder whats going through his mind. He has a smile on his face, and he looks at me and laughs.

“You know our friends are betting on how long we last? Chelsea is here, too, and is suppose to keep an eye out on us.” He looks behind us, and Chelsea was right there, hiding and looking at us. When I turn my head she laughs and runs away. Truly a playful spirit, that one is.

I laugh. “Yea, I know. I doubt we’ll run out of here, though.”

Samuel nods in agreement. “I concur, Emery.”

As if some haunted soul was mocking us, or something far more sinister, a green light emits from a class room in front of us, to the left. It glows brightly and we hear a voice of a child. She is singing something, although we can’t hear what. 

We give each other a glance, and walk forward slowly. The child, we begin to hear, is singing “London Bridge is Falling Down”, over and over, with an eerie music that doesn’t usually go with it. Then it all stops and the light turns red...and we hear a scream. A deathly scream that will haunt me from now till I die.

We run in the other direction, not caring what’s in that room. Whatever it is, it’s not something we want to see. As we run towards the cafeteria, Chelsea see’s and and giggles like a little girl.

“You boys ready to go home all ready? Drew will be please.” She smiles and winks.

Samuel gives me a look, he obviously being speechless. “Sam and I were just racing, seeing who can get here fastest. Obviously he won.”

Chelsea’s face turns to surprise, almost sarcastic, and asks, “What did he win!?” She laughs.

“My fifteen dollars...” I pause, thinking I think he owes me his fifteen for making this cover,”... when we walk out this door, in the morning. Sadly you wont be here.” Now that makes Samuel laugh. I think he has a thing for Chelsea.

We walk away, and sit at a table far away from Chelsea. Samuel looks at me, and I look around. Both of us have one thing on our minds now...what was that?

“Was that some sort of illusion, or sound recording, you think?” I whisper.

“I have no idea. It was so eerie. The little kid’s song gave me chill’s alone. And her voice...it was like someone ran their finger up my spine, just hearing it.”

I glance at Chelsea. “I wonder if anyone else heard that scream.”

Samuel looks at Chelsea, and looks at the other kids. There seems to only be ten kids here, talking and drinking soda. The rest walking around the school, trying to find horror. Just not the horror we found.

“I don’t think so. If anyone did, Chelsea would have too, she being closest to us. She would have said something.” Samuel noted.

I ponder on that as a scream fill’s the air. Samuel jerks his head to me and I sit still, awaiting everyone else’s reaction.

Everyone else is laughing.

12

Five minutes earlier.

“The school is dark,” I say to myself. I wonder why I came to this thing alone. I kept asking my friend, Samantha, if she wanted to come. I like her, and wanted to spin the night with her. But her parents said she couldn’t come, nor could she do anything on Halloween night. I sigh, wonder what everyone else is doing. Down the hall, I hear a kid giggling. I thought everyone had to be eighteen? I think to myself this time, instead of speaking out loud.

I walk down the dark hall. Weird, I think, All the lights have been set to dim in every other hall way...beside this one. It’s completely dark.

I continue walking towards the giggle and see a room glowing with a green light. Of course, this is some sort of trick. Suppose to scare me, no? I laugh, and I walk right to the room. The light turns red and I see something ungodly, so ghastly I can’t even think to scream. I just give it a blank stare and let the kid, who is looking at me with an eerie stare, do the screaming for me. But she doesn’t...she just stares.

The beast comes after me and I scream, legs frozen. As the creature bites into my flesh I see the kid, smiling. She walks towards my body, which is oozing blood from both of my legs from the bite and the clawing, and the kid touches my face...and reaches for her pocket. Pulls out a knife.

Now I scream. Probably for the last time, I think, as the kid slits my throat.

12

Now what do we do? I ask myself. I look at Samuel, and he has a blank stare. He is looking in the direction of the scream, probably wondering if we should go and walk towards the scream.

“You think we should see what that scream was? Make sure everything is OK?”

Samuel nods in agreement. 

I get up first, then he follows. Slowly, as if he is unsure. We walk, unnoticed, towards the scream.

“This is stupid, we can’t possibly think there is something going on here.” Samuel admits.

“That is preciously what we are going to figure out, if there is something going on or not.” I reassure. 

“It’s still a silly idea.” Samuel notes.

We walk in silence now, noticing we are not alone. Chelsea and her friend Charlie are behind us, with Chelsea giggling. We act like we don’t notice them for now. We come to a split in the hallway, and we wonder which way we should go. Then we hear a giggle...from a little girl. We follow the giggle, hearts pounding. Walking faster, almost running. Deja vu. Only this time, we have a witnesses, with Chelsea and Charlie not far behind, running with us.

We come to a class room with a small child, clothed in blood. We stop, unbelieving of what we see. A child. With a knife. Chad’s body, on the ground, stabbed to death. Chad’s body?! The small, little girl smiles, asking, “Would you like Chad soup? It’s our specialty.” She walks into the room and a loud clap sound echoes through the halls. We are in complete and utter shock.

Chelsea and Charlie stopped dead in their tracks when they heard what the girl said, seeing a dead body. What do we do? We look at them, starring into their unbelieving eyes. They stare only at the body, not noticing our glare.

I break the silence. “Now, is this some sort of trick, or is that a real dead body?”

Charlie moves, walking towards the dead body. He bends down and feels for a pulse. Shakes his head. “My mother is a nurse, and taught me to feel her pulse. The first thing she taught me. Chad is dead, and I don’t think this is a...” Then he stops, pale face. I don’t think he has ever felt a cold, dead body before.

“What do we do then...” Chelsea asks, crying.

“We have to tell Elaine. She needs to tell the authorities that something is going on.” Samuel said plainly. He’s trying to hide his fear.

We walk, slowly and shock fading, fear stabbing into our hearts. What are we dealing with? Thats what is going through my heart. I don’t believe in God or the devil, but this can’t be real. A kid, glowing green and red lights...I mean, what kind of psychopath does this? Could a child, as innocent looking as she, actually kill someone? I don’t know, nor do I need to.

We find Elaine, and she looks distant. Her eye’s have a white gaze over them. I notice it but when no one else mentions it, I turn a blind eye to it. “Mrs. Shield, we need to speak to you.” We tell her of Chad and the small child, and urges us to show her. We walk back, and point to Chad’s body -- as if she couldn’t see it.

But thats the thing, her face turning from worry to anger, “Guy’s, I don’t know what your pulling, but there is no body here. Not even any evidence of blood. Now stop playing games before I send you all home.” She walks off, in a hurry. Was she kidding? How could she not see Chad’s lifeless body on the ground, dead.

We, being so utterly stunned at her response, could not move.

12

We decided to go back to the lunch room, where virtually everyone was gone now. Jill was by the doors, quite like always. We sat down, near her, so we could look outside. Where safety lays, I think.

“So what is going on, are we crazy or what?” I plainly ask.

“I don’t think so, did you notice the white gaze over her eyes?” Samuel asks.

So they did notice, I think to myself, then say, “Yes I did, you think something has...taken her over?”

“Makes sense, I mean come on, she is the only one with a key. Whatever is happening, it’s real, and they want us to feel afraid.”

“I think it’s one person, not...” Chelsea put her two cents in.

“Nah, didn’t you hear her? The kid? She said ‘You want some Chad soup? It’s our specialty.’ As in, more than one person/thing. And I don’t think we are dealing with something natural...”

“Then what! A demon? Come on...” I yell, then regret it.

Samuel just looks at me, which is response enough. Sam, always the spiritual person. Thing is, I know he is correct. There has to be something going on beyond our understanding. 

“Beyond the shadow, where the Light begins is where you will find me. Come, my children, come if you dare.”

We look in the direction of Jill, and see her eye’s are glowing white. Her voice is manly, filled with confidence. Which is odd -- Jill, when she speaks, is very timid and soft, not rough and loud like the voice we hear now. Another trick? I ask myself.

“Beyond the shadow, where the Light begins is where you will find me. Come, my children, come if you dare.” The spirit says through Jill again, louder echoing throughout the room. The lights flicker and Chelsea screams and runs out of the room. Samuel chases after her, and that leaves Charlie in the room with me. We look at each other, scared and don’t know what to do.

“What are you talking about?” Charlie asks, but Jill’s eyes turn normal and she gives us a puzzled look.

“What?” She asks, curious what has everyone flustered.

“Nothing.” I blurt out, and walk away. Charlie follows.

12

“Wait up Chelsea...” I yell. I catch up with her, grab her hand and we both stop dead in our tracks.

The little girl is standing in front of us. Chelsea is shaking, and I try to pull her. I don’t know what to do, I’m crying now. “Chelsea, run!” But she doesn’t, the little girl seems to be staring her down. Whats going on! I ask myself.

“Run little boy. My masters tell me I can’t touch you, being of the light. But her...she is all mine. I will have her, and you will cry, I know. But the rules doesn’t say I can’t make the children of the light cry, right?”

And as if in response, the hull echoes, “Yeeessss....little one, that is riiiiight...have your way with our children....leave the children of the light aloooonee....”

“As you command...” the little girl says.

“Who are you!!” I command, yelling. Behind me I can hear Emery and Charlie screaming something, but I don’t care. My eyes are filled with tears and my heart is pounding, I have no clue whats going on and I don’t want to loose the one I love. What is this little demon saying, anyway?! Chelsea goes to my church, she is a Christian! 

“I am a slave to THEM, and they are many. More then Legion, and older...more powerful. I only answer to THEM, and they only answer to Him. They were even before Lucifer. Some say they are responsible for that fall, but these are things that you and I don’t know anything about. Now do as your friends say, and RUN!” the girl says, with wind blowing from her mouth. Chelsea is unmoving but the evil of that little child hits my heart and I run, run run run and I don’t stop. Emery slows, looks at my teared scared face, and begins to ask something. I don’t answer, just run, crying.

Emery, dazed, not knowing what to do runs. I don’t know what he is running after, because it’s not in the direction of Chelsea...and the little girl doesn’t seem to like it.

“NO!” she screams, and I stop...and see Chelsea runs after me. The little girl is gone now. And so is Emery and Charlie.

12

I don’t believe in God, wait fuck that, I do now. There is nothing else that makes sense. There is a thing called evil, and evil is here. This place feels different...it’s empty. Empty of anything good, and that can’t be a good thing. My heart fills heavy here, too, and I think Charlie believes the same, running behind me. I don’t know if that was God speaking through Jill or not, but one thing I know is I just met evil. Her name, or there name, is THEM apparently...and it freaks me out. Scares me to my bones. I don’t know if salvation is ahead, where I see dim lights flickering. Its the only thing that makes sense, really. “Beyond the shadow, where the Light begins is where you will find me. Come, my children, come if you dare.” That is what the spirit through Jill said, and since in this darkness that now covers the entire school fills....empty...evil...is the light ahead a good thing?

In front of the Light, in between me and my salvation, is the girl. Her hair dripping in blood, her teeth snarling. “You don’t dare walk into the Light, young one. Oh, we have plans for you. A vile, dark and frighting plans. You and I were suppose to rule the world, young one...why, why do you follow Him now?” As she says that she throws something that goes through me and cuts into Charlie’s arm. Then a scream echoes through the hall, “You caaaannnn nooottt touch theeeeemmm....BACK OFF before you ruin oooouuuurrr pppplllaaaaannnnnnsss...” My ears are screaming in pain the voice echpoing throughout the hall. I get on my knees in pain, joining Charlie apparently, as I see he is curled up holding his wound.

“Fine!” the gilr yells, “I will leave them alone...everyone else is dead anyway.” And like that, the girl is gone. Samuel and Chelsea are here, and they are looking back and forth between the Light and Charlie, with a quick glance at me. I get up and walk into the Light, and they follow. What we see next is beyond me, but it pleases me greatly.

It’s God in the flesh.