"SPOOKY!"
Written by

Roger B. Domian

&

Debby Jones

"SPOOKY!" was written around Halloween last year by myself and a co worker, Debby Jones. Each one of us took turns. I started the first paragraph and than she continued on to the first sentence of the next paragraph. Neither one of us knew where the story was going to. It was an interesting challenge and the story turned out pretty good, even with a simple premise.

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CHAPTER I

One day the wind was harsh. The leaves roamed the ground like scavengers searching for something to eat. The sky was an eerie shade of purple and blue. Alex Smithy was on his way home from a long hard day at the museum. It was a stranger day than usual because there was an odd aroma of mildew in the air, the stench of mold? Maybe not. His mind was preoccupied with the new cargo which was waiting for him at his office. A crate containing numerous, unknown skeletons that arrived mysteriously with no return address.
He had received skeletons frequently in the past, also with no return address, but for some reason this delivery disturbed him. Maybe it was because these specimens were oddly misshapen. Long elated arms and oblong skulls. Only three digits on each hand, if you could call them hands. They too were long and strangely shaped.
These new arrivals were definitely not of this world. The other thing that bothered him was the way in which they had arrived. Nowhere in the Receiving Dept. was there any record of receiving or delivering the crate to his office.
He was anxious to get home and call Lisa to tell her about it. She was always the more rational one. There's probably a very simple explanation for the whole thing.
Halloween, always on Halloween do things like this happen to him. Last year it was that green gem, the year before that it was that mummy. His hand ached and he clenched his fist thinking about that incident, loosing his left index finger still bothered him. Cops said a freak accident, he knew better, he lives it every year.
Alex noticed the streetlights were out on his block, shrugged it off, and headed towards home. Lights always go out, right? Suddenly someone in the darkness moved behind him. He scented liquor, heard mumbling, turned. Out of the bushes stepped old man Mike. Mike had never been the same after the accident. A once outgoing, friendly individual was now just a mere shadow of his former self. Alex never quite understood why Mike distanced himself from everyone at the Museum. He still remembers the last day Mike spent at the office and can still see the dark, cold, deep stare as Mike left Alex' office. He had come in to give him a small, hand carved box. Inside was a gold ring. But this was no ordinary ring, on the top was an insignia unlike anything he had ever seen before.
Something suddenly sent chills through Alex as he now stood in front of Mike. Something he hadn't noticed when he first stepped out from the bushes. There was something odd about Mike's face. He tried to shake it off as it just being the way the moon lit up Mike's features, but he could swear that Mike's face was now somehow longer. It was. Mike's head looked as if it had been stretched somehow. He looked up to Alex. His jaw was long and pointed. Eyes were narrowed upward like some strangely painted clown face. In fact, Mike's features did resembled some sort of clown but without the makeup.
"Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you." Old Mike muttered as he waved his hand. He quietly turned and waddled off in the other direction as Alex stood frozen unable to move.
It was just the moonlight thought Alex Smithy as he turned away from the apparition and quietly headed home.

CHAPTER II

"The museum is closing." The announcement rang out through the building as the students and visitors began to collect their belongings and wander towards the exit, through the halls that were soon darkened as the lights began to fade. The exhibits watched the procession as they seemed to come alive under the closing darkness.
Alex Smithy sipped from his mug the coffee which had been cool now for quite some time. His eyes moved frantically from page to page as he thumbed through the receiving records in the archive room. "My God!, I have to get a hold of myself" he exclaimed out loud. He wasn't even sure what he was looking for. Something, there has to be something that can explain all of the mysterious events that have been taking over his once, uneventful, run of the mill, job. What could he be overlooking? Why can't he get his mind off of the way that old man Mike looked to him? What does he know, and why won't he talk to anyone from the museum anymore?
Suddenly the lights went out and Alex was engulfed in darkness. The museum computer system had automatically shut down the electricity as it has in the past. Only one problem now, Alex was locked in. He had never made this mistake before, but the current events had preoccupied his thoughts. That is why he forgot to tell security to notify him when the place was shutting down. It was too late for that now. He knew that once the power goes out the museum would be vacant, the phones would be dead, and the doors electronically locked until the morning.
Alex sat quietly in the darkness. His mind raced on with thoughts of what he should do. A thin layer of sweat coated his back. The silence was defining. The scent of lilacs suddenly invaded his senses. Alex shook. From the corner of his eye he saw movement. He heard rustling…. From the crate.
It rose up slowly, but steadily. There was an aura surrounding her. She was beautiful, like nothing he had ever seen, not quite real, yet strangely gentle. She was holding something shiny, he couldn't quite make it out. She motioned for him to come closer. He was amazed of his sudden calmness. Something was drawing him to her. As he moved closer he saw it. The ring. The same one that old man Mike had given to him.
She reached out her hand to him and nodded, she was speaking to him, but he couldn't hear her voice. He willingly reached toward her and as she took his hand the room suddenly started to spin. He tried to pull away with no success. He watched as she turned her face away from him. Then, in the next moment she turned back and what he saw was an eerie, distorted, and grotesque being. The creature now spoke, "You have avoided us long enough, it is now time. Come."
Alex grimaced in pain as he looked down to see her gentle hand now had formed into a hideous claw. It's grip like a vise Alex was unable to pull away. He was horrified as he watched the apparition slowly transform into a large scaled animal. The thing brought it's other claw to Alex's neck and lifted him off the ground.
"The boundaries are about to collide." It growled. "Without your promise we can go no further".Alex struggled for air. The creatures talons dug into his neck. "Promise? I know of no promise." Alex answered. The creature howled as bile dripped from it's fangs. It's claws dug deeper into Alex's flesh and then he was suddenly flying across the room. He slammed against the wall and landed in a slump on the floor. "It must be done!" the creature snarled. "There is no other way."
Alex quickly regained his footing and rubbed his bleeding neck. Only scratches but deep enough to draw blood. Alex felt the ground shake. And then again. The creature was moving towards him. It's red glowing eyes approaching as Alex quickly started for the door. The creature followed. "There is no other way!"

CHAPTER III

Footsteps echoed throughout the halls as Alex ran for some safe place to hide. He had never been as frightened as he was right now. He ducked around a corner, stopped and caught his breath.
Alex heard the loud thumping footsteps of the monster approaching and glanced around the corner. The monstrosity had changed now. It was now nine feet tall. Large Satan like horns protruded it's skull and pointed towards the ceiling. A long alligator like tail dragged behind it.
The thing stopped moving and howled causing Alex to wince in pain as the sound pierced his ears. He watched as the thing smashed through a display case and grab a Neanderthal man from a prehistoric exhibit. The figure was ripped to shreds. It's arms, legs, and head were thrown in all directions.
Alex watched in horror as the head of the man landed a few feet away from him. He stepped back and started to run again. The creature continued after him, but in an unhurried fashion. It was as if it knew that it would win and was just waiting for Alex to tire.
As he ran down the corridor he saw a light behind a half opened door. Why was that room lit? Maybe he would be safe there. He got to the door and pushed it open. Nothing could have prepared him for what he saw next. There was a huge round table and seated at it were Old Man Mike, Numerous other employees from the museum, and Lisa???
My god, are they all a part of this? They all just sat there and stared at him. Finally he looked over to Lisa as to question what was happening, but all he got was a blank stare. It was as if she didn't even know him. Have they all been in on this? He leaned back against the wall behind him and collapsed of pure exhaustion.
All of a sudden the door slammed as the beast entered. They all stood up as he approached the table. As he turned around to Alex, he saw that his face was becoming more human like, It then dawned on him that it was looking much like Old Man Mikes' distorted features. Actually, everyone at the table had somewhat distorted features, had he just never noticed before, he was known for keeping his head buried in his work.
"Come to the table." the beast bellowed. As Alex stumbled over he couldn't help but look at Lisa in disbelief. His eyes, or maybe just his heart had to know that what they had was real. She couldn't have been in on this. Whatever this all was. She was the only thing that had been keeping him sane through this whole ordeal.
As he approached the table he couldn't help but stare at all of the familiar faces. Then his attention was drawn to the center of the table. Carved in the center of the table was the now too familiar insignia. He sat down slowly, unsure of what was going to happen next.

Alex Smithy sat quietly as he looked from one strangely distorted face to the other. Faces that stared blankly at the symbol carved at center of the table. The symbol of a pentagram, the symbol on the ring he wore on his finger. He knew that a pentagram, a reversed five cornered star was the symbol of evil, the one used all too often by witches and the like. Alex wished that it was witches he was dealing with now, but the incidents occurring at the museum on this Halloween night were just too far from the common spell casting.
"It is now time," the beast growled, "for it has been much too long." The scaled creature looked to Alex and pointed it's claw towards him.
"The charade is at it's end. For it is now your time to join us."
Everyone at the table began to rise. They all turned to Alex and pointed. Alex rose up trembling and started to back away.
"Join us." They spoke in unison. "Join us."
Alex backed into the door. He tried it. Locked.
"Join us."
The beast sat itself in the chair at the end of the table, leaned back, and started to laugh. "Join us." They continued. Then they began to change.
Each one of them surrounding the table started to transform into a beast, all resembling the one which sat at his new throne. Claws, scales, fangs which dripped bile.
Alex was in a room of Hell. Alone surrounded by demons who beckoned him.
"Join us."
Alex looked among the Hellspawn for his beloved Lisa. His eyes went from one ghastly creature to the other.
"I'm here Alex." Lisa's beautiful voice was hope in his ears. But what Alex saw was not very hopeful.
"Lisa noooo!" Alex screamed as the Lisa beast lumbered towards him.
"Come now my Alex," it snarled, "there is nothing to fear."
Alex screamed as the Lisa beast grabbed him by the shoulders, drawing him closer.
"Kiss me my darling."

Alex always hated the way his phone rang at such a loud shrill tone. For once he was pleased at the way it awoke him from his nightmare. He shook the visions from his mind as he picked up the receiver.
"Yes?"
"No, no your not disturbing me."
"Yes, fine, bring it right in."
As Alex hung up the phone he was pleased to see the vision of Lisa as she pushed the large trash bin by his office. He sat quietly and smiled to her as she emptied his garbage and then went on her way. He wondered again why such a pretty girl was doing that kind of job.
The thought quickly faded as two workers carried in a large crate, sat it down, and quickly left.
Alex approached the crate and tore off the bill. He quickly looked it over. Then Alex froze. The crate had no return address.
Alex stood for a moment and thought.
He took the marker out of his breast pocket.
He drew a thick line across his name and address on the bill blocking it out.
At the bottom of the bill in large black letters he wrote, 'RETURN TO SENDER'.
He then phoned the shipping dock and requested that the crate be taken away.
Alex Smithy felt he had enough excitement on this day.
Maybe he would take the chance next Halloween.

THE END

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Copyright ©1998 Roger B. Domian & Debbie A. Jones