The Devil’s Revenge
The Devil’s Revenge
Three Halloweens had come and gone. The Devil was ready it was time for revenge. He had been sifting through the ashes of Devil’s Manor and had been able to renew enough of the house to give him the will power to go on. However he was hungry and he needed to feed on blood before his big debut on Halloween. Oh, yes you betcha he was ready and chomping at the bit.
Feelings of Uneasiness
It was in early September when Bill first felt those uneasy stirrings he had felt that Halloween when Tommy was eight. Now the hill was empty and then there had been Devil’s Manor but still something wasn’t right. This year everything was to be the same as that year. He and Judy were hosting the local Halloween party on October 29th the 31st being a Monday. There was the promise of a bright moonlit night. Except for the fact that Tommy was now 11 Bill could swear he had stepped back in time. Shaking his head he went back into his hardware store. At home Judy felt a shiver go down her spine and suddenly she had such an overwhelming feeling that she just had to go down the road a piece down to the bend from where she could look up that hill. Judy shaded her eyes from the sun and stared upwards. Nothing there and then she saw mists of swirling smoke drifting up from the remains of the house. Surely that wasn’t possible because it had been 3 years since the fire. Shaking she turned and went back home. Tonight she and Bill would have to discuss this.
The Devil Waits
Finally school was over for the day and Tommy and his best friends Linda and Brad had decided to go exploring around the hill. Another Halloween was coming and this year they were planning to build a large bonfire up on that hill. Afterall no one ever went there and it was a great spooky place for some Halloween fun. The three of them left their bicycles and bookbags at the foot of the hill and clambered up the steep flight of stairs. When they reached the top they too saw the strange swirls of smoke. Tommy decided to have a closer look and as he moved forward he tripped and fell forward. Lisa and Brad ran over to help him and to their surprise they saw that hidden by the tall grasses there was a portion of wall that came up to their knees. The only problem was that after the fire the house had burned completely to the ground. They decided to get out of there and until they could think about it more logically weren’t going to tell anyone. By the end of September more than half of the house had risen up but for now that wasn’t visible to the naked eye. The Devil waited.
Signs of Trouble
The first sign of trouble came on October 15th. That night five old timers – Matt, Ned, Fred, Greg and Tim gathered together at Ned’s Car Graveyard. They were planning to light up a good old bonfire and help Ned burn up some of the useless trash which had accumulated, gossip and most importantly do some drinking. At 7 o’clock just as it got dark they lit the bonfire and pulled up old wooden boxes and sat down in a circle. The topic for the night was why there was such a feeling of unease in the town, of why people suddenly appeared so wary and for gosh sakes why was what appeared to be smoke drifting down from the hill. While they sat and drank the Devil watched them with glee. This was just what he had been looking for blood lots of it and all in one place best of all away from the town center beyond all the houses. So much potential and so much power for him. The old timers were having a great time and had just finished their first bottle of whisky.
The Devil Makes His Move
Matt was opening up the second when there came a loud noise. Bam-bam-bam. It sounded like someone banging on a heavy metal door. Bam-bam-bam. They all jumped up and looked about. It was Fred who saw it first there up on top of the hill great swirls of smoke or perhaps heavy fog were twirling about. Just in one place in the place where the house had once stood. They looked at each other when Matt shakily said they should all calm down and have another drink and discuss what to do next. They sat down once more, took up their glasses and that was when this horned and hoofed creature jumped into their midst. It appeared to delight in the large bonfire and he snorted from his horrible looking muzzle. Surely it was the Devil himself and as they were getting ready to flee the Devil was upon them all at once. It took no longer than a few minutes and all the old timers lay flung about like rag dolls their throats slit and in the quiet night the only sound was the sound of awful slurping.
The Discovery
Early the next morning Joe stopped by the graveyard on his way to high school to see if Ned needed any help in cleaning up anything that remained from last night. He knew the old timers were burning stuff out there the night before. He walked through the gate and went on up straight toward Ned’s trailer. Joe banged on the door but got no answer. He opened that door and shouted for Ned. No answer and two bottles of whiskey on the table. That was odd indeed the old timers never left any booze untouched. He walked on back behind the trailer and nearly fainted. The bonfire was still smoldering and they were all laying there their glazed eyes looking upward, their throats’ torn open. Then Joe saw that Ned had been propped up on a box his right arm oddly positioned pointing upward toward the hill. That did it Joe ran he ran all the way into town and collapsed by the sheriff’s office.
Coming out of the office Chuck Brown the sheriff almost tripped over Joe. He helped the boy up and took him inside. When Chuck and his men heard what Joe had to say they grew pale. Surely they had destroyed whatever it was upon that hill three years ago. Chuck ordered Joe to go home and get some rest but Joe had recovered enough to be curious now and wanted to show them what he had discovered. Before heading out to the graveyard Chuck called for the coroner who was in neighboring Mount Oak. He explained the situation and asked for investigators to come right away. Then the sheriff, his men and Joe drove to the graveyard. With Joe in the lead they headed out back behind Ned’s trailer. The sight was like something out of a horror movie. Chuck dismally noted the position Ned was in and when he turned about he saw that the hill was completely covered in a very thick fog.
The Investigation
On October 18th they were trying to decide if Halloween shouldn’t be cancelled this year and if everyone shouldn’t lay low, In fact the situation was thus that Chuck didn’t know what to do. The investigators from Mount Oak knew what had happened three years ago but even they weren’t prepared for what had just occurred and they certainly had no words to say when they had accompanied Chuck and his men up the hill and had ventured into the thick fog and had seen that the house had almost completely renewed itself. They had panicked none of the townsfolk because they could only see the fog and kids had been warned to stay away from there. It seemed that no one dared ask what was happening and no one really wanted to know they just wanted to get on with their lives. Bill and Judy were the only two people in town who worried and worried big time. Tommy well Tommy was just darn excited that another Halloween would soon be here and he and his friends still wanted to light up that bonfire figuring it would disperse the fog.
The House Is Ready
On October 28th the house was complete. The same as before but this time spanking brand new. That night at precisely midnight the Devil brayed once again loudly upon the hill. The town’s people who were asleep didn’t hear a thing and those who were awake started praying. October 29th everyone was preparing for Halloween celebrations and the kids were excited about trick or treating. That afternoon the thick fog on the hill burned off and there stood Devil’s Manor proudly on the hill. At this moment there were quite a few people who began making plans to leave town just as soon as they could. Bill and Judy proceeded with their Halloween plans as if in a trance. Even to Tommy they seemed odd. He and his friends were disappointed that they couldn’t go up the hill to light a bonfire. Everything was unusually still that day. It was as if the people waited and the house waited for something to happen. Darkness came and pumpkins glowed. Bill and Judy’s house was full of party goers. The smallest kids had finished trick-or-treating and the older kids were still out and about. Tommy, Lisa and Brad were undecided about what to do. They longed to go up the hill to see the house to see what was happening up there and most of all to frighten each other.
The Devil Makes Himself Known
Just about 9 o’clock a loud braying was heard upon the hill and screams echoed through the town. Everyone dashed outside and one by one groups of the older kids came running from all sides. They were disheveled, pale as ghosts, the girls were crying and everyone’s costume was torn and they were bloodied with scratches. It seemed that they had been attacked by an army of Devils not just one. There was such commotion and confusion. Bill and Judy gathered everyone into their house. The sheriff and his men arrived just in time to hear at least half of the people there swearing that they were leaving town. That night at midnight the Devil made his rounds and the following morning October 30th families found their beloved pet dogs torn apart and kid’s cries could be heard all around. All that day you could see people in Oakdale packing they were even willing to leave their homes and businesses behind at least for awhile until things settled down until things returned to normal.
The Town Burns
They were all planning on heading to relatives or as far as they could possibly get. That night there was no one on the streets and kids stayed close to their parents. Devil’s Manor upon the hill glowed from top to bottom lights shining all about. The Devil brayed and the people huddled together and prayed. Came midnight and while the people slept restlessly a huge fireball went rolling through Main Street burning everything in sight. By 1 o’clock the emergency siren was blowing in town and the town’s firefighters, Mount Oaks’s firefighters and both towns’ volunteer firefighters were battling the blazes side by side. Not one person slept, while mothers watched their children, fathers grimly watched to see what would remain of their businesses. Amazingly enough Bill and Judy calmly sat at home waiting to see what would happen when the night was done. Tommy didn’t know what to think. This was a bad time for his folks to get weird. Bill didn’t even go to see about his store. As the fires were put out one by one the Devil stood upon the hill and brayed from time to time. By 6 o’clock it was all over and everyone was weary.
Halloween
It was Halloween October 31. There would be no trick or treating that day or ever again. The only business which remained untouched on Main Street was Bill’s Hardware Store. The sheriff’s office which stood at the far end of Main Street and the shopping center at the edge of town were still standing too. However Chuck didn’t care there was no longer a town in which to enforce the law and he was taking his family away as well. All through that day people left the town in their cars one family after another. By the time darkness came the town was empty. The only family left was Bill, Judy and Tommy. Tommy was worried he didn’t understand what it all meant but Bill knew and that was enough. Bill left his house and went on into town. He walked the length of Main Street, stopped by his store, then on till the end and to the sign which now read Welcome to Oakdale. Enter at your own risk.
Then Bill looked upwards where far in the distance stood Devil’s Manor. He saw the Devil outlined by the moon beckoning him to come home after all it was Halloween. Bill headed on back and straight toward the hill where he knew that Judy and Tommy would be waiting. They were now the chosen, they had a new house and Bill didn’t even have to wonder how he knew but he did know that all of their belongings were already there and as he got up on the porch of Devil’s Manor and saw Judy and Tommy there he knew he was home. At midnight the Devil brayed and danced upon the hill in glee.
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Wow, scary and awesome – loved this Rasma.
Thank you Kurt.
Yes, great writing, Rasma, filled with chills and Halloween splendor. Cheers!
Thank you Tony.
Oh my gosh, such a surprise and eerie conclusion. Well done, Rasma.
Thank you Phyllis.
I loved it. The layout, the photos, the story, and the ending was great. Well done Rasma.
Thank you Paul.