Two middle-aged men stumbled out
of the local bar, stumbling and slipping on the newly formed ice underfoot. The
brisk wind coming in from the Atlantic whipped around the two, slapping and
chafing them.
“Those goddamned Frenchies stole
my job in Coniston,” slurred one of them. “Now I got no money to put food on
the table.”
“Hah! That’s ‘cause you spent the
last cent on that shit of an ale in there,” the other said, jerking a thumb
back to the bar. “Tasted like cat’s piss!”
“Fuck that. Better to spend a night
in drunken revelry than to worry about my oncoming poverty. Now to find a woman
for the night, and I’m all good to go.” He grinned widely. “What do you think,
mate?”
“You got a daughter at home, but
if you won’t say anything to my wife and sons, I won’t say anything to your
family. We got a deal?”
“Got it.” Breaking out into a
little ditty, they started making their way to the bar in Coniston where they knew
they could find what they looked for. All of a sudden, a blood-curdling scream
echoed through the air, originating from the pub they had just left. It stopped
as suddenly as it started.
“What in fuck’s sake was that?”
asked the second man.
“Dunno. Probably hysterics. You
know what women are like. Probably found a dead mouse or something.” They both
chuckled. They started walking again when wails were heard all around them,
coming from houses and restaurants alike.
They were like the first one, all
starting and stopping suddenly, and horrible enough to send shivers up your
spine. A baby cried for a moment, and then stopped, as if something had clapped
a hand over its mouth. Or as if something else had stopped it. There was low
moaning sounds as well, as if someone was in deep pain. It stopped suddenly as
well. More voices came together into an eerie, unearthly choir that peaked in
intensity, and then just abruptly stopped.
The two men were starting to get
uneasy. “I don’t know if I want to stay out tonight…it’s too fucking creepy
right now, with all the screaming and shit,” said the first one. “I better
check up on Lara…”
“She’ll be fine. She’s 15 for
god’s sake, she can take care of herself,” replied the second one. “She needs
her independence. Doesn’t she have her friends over?”
“I dunno man, I have a bad feeling
about this…”
“Come on, are ya going to chicken
out on me?” The second man poked the first one playfully. “It was your idea in
the first place. I’m pretty sure it’s just a TV show they’re watching or
something. They get all hysterical and shrill when it comes to those brawny
popular actors.”
“Call me chicken, but I’m going
back. I don’t like leaving Lara at home when this freaky stuff is happening. We
can go on conquests on the weekend.” He turned to leave for home when the other
man suddenly doubled over and started retching.
“Hey man, are you ok?” asked the
first man. The second one doesn’t respond. The retching becomes more urgent,
and blood spatters the frosted ground.
“If you’re trying to fake me out,
Baker, I will fucking kill you later.”
The second man stopped, and then
started moaning. He stood up, blood trickling down from his mouth and onto his
coat. He stared at his friend with blank eyes, and then collapsed. Before the
man could catch him, he felt a wave of nausea wash over him, and it felt like
someone was choking him. He collapsed onto his knees, and then onto his back.
The last thought he had was of his daughter Lara, who was at home, and who he’d
never see again.
By morning, almost everybody in
the community and the neighboring towns was dead. Babies were fast asleep in
their cradles, never to wake up again. Men and women alike were sprawled upon
the ground and furniture. And the two friends were frozen solid to the ground,
the blood spatters turning black.
The only ones who were spared were
the adolescents, a very small percentage of the population. And when Lara Vanderhoof
found the body of her father that morning, it was only those select few that
heard her scream.
So that was the prologue. I did manage to finish it before my silly co-author introduced himself. I don't think most of the chapters will contain this much swearing and vulgar language, but they were drunk as hell.
I hope you enjoyed it, and keep on reading it!
