The Trapped

Halloween was the biggest holiday celebrated in Willowsburg. Mainly because of the eerie feel the town brought tourists and guests that often visited. But that didn't bother Jaxon, Halloween was his favourite holiday. He loved the creepy ghost stories told, the decorations, and especially all the candy.

Though as Jaxon got older, he realized that the town of Willowsburg wasn't quite what it seemed. Most tourists who visited Willowsburg around Halloween never seemed to leave, they would join the townsfolk for the holiday activities and ended up staying forever.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You have four seconds......

Come on, all you have to do is run up to the porch and touch the house, that's it. Seriously man it won't be that bad. Nothing will happen to you... I promise."

Now normally you can never really trust any of Garrett's promises because he usually lies about everything. But he was right, what's the worst thing that could happen, I get a splinter from the old wood?

Garrett and I have been best friend since his parents moved into town. His parents were one of those tourists that just decided to stay, they're known around town as "the trapped." But Garrett hates it whenever I bring it up, I try to ask him what made them want to stay but he just shuts down. Seriously, his eyes glaze over, and he immediately sits down.

"Okay man, but if I do this... you have to... um, you have to----"

"NO. Just do it. Come on it's getting dark, and I want to go eat."

And with that, I took off running to the creepy house. I was shaking and out of breath by the time I got to the porch stairs. I looked back and saw Garrett giving me a smug look so, I worked up all the courage inside of me and calmly walked to the door. I strutted confidently across the old wood and eagerly touched the front door. I let my hand stay there and looked back to give Garrett an even more smug smile.

"Dude whatever. Just hurry up, I want to go eat."

And as I let my hand just dangle there, I looked up at the old decaying wood, the graffiti and I started to remember all the urban legends and folklore stories told to scary kids away. But I never truly believed any of ---CREAK. BAM!... BAM!BAM!BAM!BAM!

I took off running, I don't think I stopped until I reached the diner. Those booths never felt more comforting than they did now. I was disorientated, shaking out of my mind, and on-edge. Every little noise: the dishes clanking, people talking, all made me jump out of my skin.

"Dude, what was that? You took off running like a headless chicken."

"I heard something."

"What?"

"I heard something."

"What? From the house?"

"Yes, yes from the house."

"Can we talk about this after we order something, because the only thing I can hear is my stomach growling."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That house on the top of the hill, on the very edge of town scared Jaxon, though he'd never admit it. It scared a lot of people in Willowsburg, but it almost never seemed to brother any of "the trapped." The Whitlock house, the counties "haunted house," the witches house, all meant the same thing to Jaxon: the creepy old house up on the hill.