The Nightmare

     Ricky was your usual nine-year-old boy who loved to build things and watch horror movies. His favorite horror movies were the slasher films where he would call out who was going to die next. His parents thought that he shouldn't watch those movies but they could not stop him because he would wait until they go to sleep at night and get up quietly just to watch them.
     His favorite time to watch horror movies was during the month of October when every one of his favorite movies was aired. Ricky has a younger sister of five years old who he loves to scare. Every time he scares her you can find her running through the house screaming. His parents have told him several times to stop scaring his sister but that does no good because it seems to be his favorite pastime.
     One night Ricky fell asleep watching a slasher movie on the couch in the living room. He had only slept for a short time before waking up and heading to his bed. He climbed in and snuggled up in his blanket and drifted back off to sleep. This night was a normal night of sleep but it would be the last one for a while.
     The next morning when Ricky woke up in his bed he had no recollection of the last movie he watched last night. It was a new day for fun and scaring his sister some more. His parents thought that it was torture to his sister but it would bite him later in life.
     The parents had to work and the kids stayed with a babysitter who pretty much allowed them to do whatever. She stayed on her phone while his little sister ran through the house screaming while Ricky chased her scaring her. It seemed to last all day until he heard his parents pull into the driveway then he would stop and act like he was an angel all day, but they knew differently.
     When they came inside, they found the babysitter watching television while the kids were in their rooms playing. They asked her how things went and she replied that they were good all day which was a lie but she wanted to get paid. After they paid her Ricky's father escorted her to the door and closed it behind her.
     Once the parents settled in, they went to the kids' rooms to check on them and found Ricky reading one of his horror comic books. They could not understand his addiction to horror and gruesome acts. It was his thing, so they accepted it and hoped that he would grow out of it eventually. So, they left him alone and did not try to stop him anymore.
     That night when Ricky went to bed that night he thought everything was fine. He fell into a deep sleep before it happened. About a few hours later, he was awakened by a cold feeling in the room. He reached down and grabbed his blanket which came off of him as he slept. When he laid back down he went back to sleep.
     During the night while everyone slept soundly, Ricky began dreaming. It was no ordinary dream. He felt like he was right there in the dream. It became a virtual reality sort of dream. He was in a garage with others who were hiding from a maniac with a meat cleaver that was wanting to cut them up and cook them for his dinner. The people who were hiding asked him if he was alright? He shook his head yes.
     Ricky asked them what was going on and they told him about the maniac and what he was wanting to do. That frightened Ricky and he ducked down hiding. He could not understand what was going on and how he got there. All of a sudden, he heard the maniac grunting around as he looked for everyone to butcher up.
     He could hear the high pitch of the meat cleaver scraping against the metal laying around. It frightened him even more. Being ten years old he began to tear up and wondered how he could get out this dream. It was terrifying and he wanted out.
     The others began running and scattering and leaving Ricky there in his hiding place. After a few minutes, he looked around the dresser he was hiding behind and saw the maniac with his meat cleaver in hand. The maniac turned to look his direction and Ricky quickly stepped back behind the dresser. He was unaware that the maniac spotted him.
     As he sat tremoring in fear, he heard the steps of the maniac walking closer to his location. The fear in him rose and that is when he bolted out from his hiding place. Just as he ran out, he felt the swipe of the meat cleaver behind him which almost got him but it tore the back of his shirt. The cleaver waving maniac began to follow him yelling out loudly because he missed him.
     After ducking and dodging things around what looked like a junkyard he still heard the man behind him. He kept running until he couldn't hear him following behind. He stopped and looked back wondering where the maniac went?
     Then he heard someone screaming and wondered what was going on? He was afraid to go check, so instead, he just kept running looking for places to hide until he could figure out how to get out of this nightmare. As he was running, he found himself stumbling around everything worried that the maniac will hear him.
     Ricky finally found a car trunk to get into. He climbed inside and pulled the trunk lid down over him with just a little space to breathe and see where everything was. He did everything he could to hide from the monster that wanted to eat him. It seemed like a lifetime, but a few minutes later he looked out the trunk through his little crack and watched in horror as he saw the maniac kill one of the others by decapitation.
     He began to tear up as he watched this person being cut up into pieces and thrown into a potato sack and hauled off. Ricky waited until he thought the coast was clear before he opened the car trunk and climbed out. As he turned around to close the lid, he looked down into the trunk and saw the remains of a human and realized he was laying on it.
     He closed the lid gently and started walking away when he heard a chainsaw in the distance and someone screaming. He was afraid but also curious about what was happening and began following the screams and noise. It led him through the junkyard to what seemed to be a clearing up ahead. He crouched down behind some junk and observed what was going on.
     It looked like a small camp where the maniac might live. It was dirty and smelled of smoke as he noticed a huge black pot sitting over a fire. Ricky looked around for the maniac and then he saw him come out of a little shed looking building with his chainsaw in his hand. When he looked at his other hand, he saw him dragging someone who was screaming for help. Their hands and feet were bound by rope as they were drug over to the fire.
     Ricky watched in horror as the maniac lifted the person hooking his feet to a hook high up on a pole near the fire. He watched as the maniac cut off the rope that bound their hands and then the maniac grabbed his chainsaw starting it up. As the maniac revved up the chainsaw the person screamed even louder.
     The maniac took the chainsaw and cut off one of his arms and threw it into the pot. Blood poured from that person's body where their arm used to reside. Ricky quickly covered his mouth to not make a sound. He sat there watching as piece after piece of the person was being cut up and thrown into the pot.
     Once the whole body was inside the pot, the maniac sat by it for several minutes waiting for everything to cook. About fifteen minutes later, Ricky watched as the maniac stirred the pot before reaching in and grabbing a piece of the person and lifting it to his mouth. He watched as the cold-blooded killer began eating the person.
     Ricky thought that this was worse than the horror movies he watches on television. He began to sniffle as a tear fell from his eye and rolled down his cheek. After the maniac finished his last bite of the piece he was eating, he smelled another human nearby and began to get up walking around following the smell.
     Ricky began panicking as he felt something walk up behind him. He turned and there standing in front of him was the maniac with some rope in one hand and a machete in the other. He froze and couldn't even scream from fear. The maniac reached down and grabbed Ricky by his arm and drug him back to his camp.
     He brought him over by the same pole Ricky watched him dismember and cook someone. That's when Ricky began screaming. The maniac knocked Ricky down and began to tie his feet together to place him on the hook. Ricky screamed as loud as he could but no one could help him.
     After hanging him by his feet, the maniac went to sharpen his machete to take care of his meal. Ricky watched in horror as he saw the sparks from the machete as it was being sharpened. Ricky was in trouble and about to be a cannibal's meal. As the maniac began walking near Ricky, all he could do was scream. Just when the maniac raised his machete to take off Ricky's arm, he was back in his bed with his mom standing over him.
     Ricky sat up quickly wrapping his arms around his mom's neck and holding her tight. She asked him what was wrong and he replied that he was having a bad nightmare and was so glad that she woke him up. After that night, Ricky never watched another horror movie or scared his sister ever again.

The Evil Eyes That Follow

     It was a cool breezy day in November when four college students decided to take a camping trip to get away from all the stress of everyday life. There was Kendra, Steven, Allison, and of course Darryl, the geek from school. Everyone kept in touch and met at the local coffee shop to make the plans and preparations. Everyone was on board and contributed to a part of the planning and who was going to bring what.
     They decided that they would use Steven's four wheel drive Chevy truck as transportation and that he would make the arrangements to pick everyone up that morning to leave. It was a difficult decision as to where they wanted to camp with the choices being at a California beach or stay within their state of Oregon and camp in the woods.
     It came down to a vote and with three choosing to camp in the woods, Kendra was the only one who wanted the beach scene. So, it was now time to figure out what part of the state they wanted to go. As they discussed it, Darryl came up with a location that had a folklore behind it. There was supposedly this location where people have gone missing to never be found again, and that people were afraid to go around.
     This did peak everyone's interest and it was set in stone that this would be the place of adventure and fun that they chose. It was also made known that because of the folklore behind this location that everyone made a note to bring and carry a compass so that no one would get lost. It was sure to be the camping experience of a lifetime.
     Once everyone knew what they were doing, they dispersed to their own homes to prepare for the next morning. Steven made sure that he filled the gas tank and took another five-gallon gas can full with them. Everyone packed their sleeping bags and tents, snacks and drinks, and the girls even made sure that food for cooking was taken.
     Everyone went to bed early that night to wake up to a full day of adventure and fun. The sun was shining and it was not that humid so that everyone could enjoy the day. Early that morning, Steven was packing his things into the back of the truck before locking up his house and heading out to pick up everyone else.
     His first stop was to pick up Kendra. She was sitting outside with her stuff waiting on him and they quickly got her things into the truck. Once they were back on the road again, they were headed to Allison's house, who was still dragging and carrying her stuff outside. By the time they got her stuff packed into the truck there wasn't much room left and hoped that Darryl wasn't bringing a whole lot of his stuff being how geeky he was.
     When they pulled up to Darryl's house, he was sitting on what looked to be a suitcase. They were only going camping, what would he need a suitcase for? When Steven got out to help him put his stuff in the truck, he asked Darryl why a suitcase? Darryl told him that he knew there was limited space in the truck so he packed all his gadgets and stuff in a suitcase which wouldn't take up so much room. Steven laughed and told him "good thinking".
     They were finally off to their camping location which would be about a four-hour drive. The girls admired the landscape while the guys were cutting up telling jokes. The conversation came up about the location they were headed for and Darryl had done some research on the folklore attached to it.
     He pulled out newspaper clippings of all the people who went missing in these woods. He read out loud how everyone who went into the woods never returned. Law enforcement stated how they only found their camping equipment and back packs but never any remains of bodies and such. It boggled their mind and even posted signs telling campers to beware.
     After reading the clippings, the girls showed some concern about where they were going but Darryl informed them that he was prepared for almost anything like having a compass, a map of the area, and anything else they might need. He was very well prepared and that made the girls a little more at ease.
     Along the way, they spotted a small store and decided to stop for a restroom break and some snacks. While the girls visited the restroom, Steven asked the clerk about the area they were headed to and the clerk had a weird look on his face before telling them that he wouldn't advise them to go camping there that many people have gone missing.
     Darryl informed him that they were prepared for anything and should be okay. The girls finally came out of the restroom and grabbed some snacks which they took to the counter to pay for. The guys headed outside to the truck while the clerk warned the girls about the woods they were going to. They just shrugged it off, paid for their stuff, and headed back outside.
     They all piled back into the truck and began their trip back on the road. It seemed like it took forever before they reached their destination and found a spot off the side of the road to park. As they got out of the truck, they took a good look around at their surroundings. The woods were dense but beautiful. There were tall green trees and the faint sounds of birds chirping from inside.
     They gathered their things and put their backpacks on and headed for the path that led into the woods. As they entered the woods, they began hearing strange noises of all different animals and critters. They walked for about an hour into the woods before finding a space to make camp.
     As they got their tents up, the girls began gathering wood for the fire and for cooking. The sun was beginning to set so they got a roaring fire started and then sat around it eating snacks that they brought along. Darryl also brought along some of his devices like something that would keep animals and critters away.
     As it got darker, they sat around telling stories of legends they had heard before. The forest began to come alive around them with different noises and it made the girls a little uncomfortable. Both guys tried to reassure them that nothing was going to get them.
     As the night wore on, it was getting late and everyone agreed it was time to get some sleep. So, the girls climbed into their tent while the guys put things away and then headed into their own tents. As the girls laid in their tent, they started hearing more noises which made them tenser but they remembered what the guys said and they both laid down to sleep.
     Later on into the night, Darryl was awakened by a loud noise and decided to take a look. It sounded really close and he figured while he was out looking around that he would relieve himself also. He walked outside and off into the forest to locate a spot to relieve himself.
     While he was standing there, he heard a noise that caught his attention. When he looked up, there was a pair of eyes off in the distance that was indescribable. They were staring at him and it startled him at first and the noise seems to come from where the eyes were at. Darryl thought that it was just a forest animal and paid it no mind.
     After he finished relieving himself, he zipped up and began walking back towards camp. As he walked he noticed the eyes were following him. They almost seemed like they were glowing and had an evil appearance to them but he could not see any body to go with them. It was a little frightening to Darryl so he hurried to return to camp.
     There was just one thing that Darryl forgot and that was he forgot to bring a compass or anything that would direct him back to camp and it is so dark and dense he couldn't find his way back. He was out in the middle of a dark forest with a pair of evil eyes following him. He was so fixed on them that he forgot to watch where he was going.
     It was about thirty minutes later when Steven woke up to find that Darryl was missing and became concerned. He woke up the girls and they all became concerned but were afraid to leave the camp site. They began hollering for Darryl but had gotten no response. They started to worry at this point.
     That's when they heard Darryl yelling out in fear. They yelled back for him and all of them started running out into the woods in the direction of Darryl's yelling. They went a good distance out into the woods and lost track of where the camp was for them to return. They ran out there looking for their friend in case he needed help but found nothing.
     They stood together realizing that they were now lost and still did not find Darryl. It wasn't until Kendra felt a drop on her shoulder and when she looked at it there was a blood drop on her arm and then another. They all looked up and in the tree hanging directly above was the remains of Darryl.
     Well, only half of him was there, it was as if he had been chewed in two pieces except the other half was nowhere to be found. The girls both let out a blood-curdling scream while Steven turned to vomit. Their friend was hanging in a tree with half of his body gone and his intestines hanging out. They tried to get their thoughts together to figure out who or what could have done this.
     Then, nearby they heard a noise like they have never heard before and when they looked in the direction of the noise, there were those evil eyes glaring back at them. They could not see a body with them but that was enough to frighten everyone where they all took off running. They tried to stay together but each one looking back to see if they were being followed they lost each other.
     Kendra noticed she was alone and tried calling out for the others and got no response. She kept looking around for those evil looking eyes to see if they were following her. When she turned around she felt something as cold as ice and very sharp go through her and thought it was just a cold chill until she fell to the ground and noticed she had been sliced in half mid waist. She laid there with blood gurgling out of her mouth as she was aspirating it and looked down to see to see her bloody organs falling from her body and oozing out onto the ground. It didn't take long before she had taken her last breath and was gone.
     Steven stopped and began calling out for the girls and then in the distance he heard Allison screaming. He tried running in her direction and finally found her scared and not having her mind about her. They were together and safe and began walking through the woods hoping to find his truck or their campsite where they thought they would be safe.
     They walked for about twenty minutes and stopped to rest and did not see those eyes around them. Steven asked Allison if she was alright and she couldn't stop looking around for those evil eyes and panicking. She started to babble about how they weren't going to make it out of those woods and Steven did everything he could to try and calm her down but it was no use she was in full panic mode.
     Then they heard a noise close by and there were those eyes again and Allison in full panic mode began running and Steven took off to follow her. As they were running, the woods were becoming denser and Allison has tripped on a branch laying on the ground falling on her face. When Steven stopped to help her all of a sudden out of nowhere Allison was beheaded right in front of him. Her head flying right into Steven's arms to which he yelled out dropping it very quickly and then running for his life.
     The eyes followed him and tormented him as if playing with him like a toy. As he ran, he too tripped over something and when he noticed what it was, there lay Kendra's dead, cut in half body. He again yelled out and backed away from it. Then those eyes came closer and before he knew it, his abdomen was sliced open and all of his entrails came gushing out and he took his hands and tried to stuff them back inside but it was doing no good. His hands covered in blood and his yelling was doing nothing for his situation.
     He looked up and those eyes were staring at him and that was the last thing he saw before falling over and taking his last breath of life. The next day, the sun shined brightly through the trees as if nothing ever happened and all of the bodies have disappeared without a trace.
     After several days, law enforcement made a sweep of the woods and all that was found was the campsite with a burned out campfire and all their belongings. No one ever survived to tell the tale of the evil eyes that follow.