Dare to enter the chilling world of Glenn Riley's "Creepy Crawlies", a spine-tingling collection where the smallest creatures cast the longest shadows. In this gripping anthology, Riley masterfully weaves tales of horror that skitter and scuttle fro...
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Here is a 1,974 word horror story about a group hired to clear out an isolated old house, only to discover something sinister inside:
The tires crunched over the gravel driveway as the van slowly approached the decrepit old house. Ivy crawled up the weathered siding like long, spindly fingers, choking the life out of the building. Four weary employees of Quick Cleanup Crew piled out, grabbing their gear to start their unusual new job.
“Man, when they said it was isolated, they weren’t kidding,” Diego said, scanning the dense forest surrounding them.
“No cell signal either,” added Amy. “We’re completely cut off.”
“Hey, as long as that check clears, I don’t care where we are,” said Troy, the crew supervisor. He consulted the paperwork. “Says here we’ve gotta clear out the entire estate over three days. Shouldn’t be a problem with four of us.”
The team hauled out their supplies and got to work, entering the musty old house. Their footsteps echoed across dusty floors and bare walls. Cobwebs clung to forgotten furniture and door frames like delicate lace.
“Eugh, when’s the last time someone lived here?” Amy whispered.
Creaking floorboards were their only reply.
They split up to cover more ground, Diego heading upstairs while Amy and Troy started on the main floor. As Amy sorted through stacks of mildewed books in the library, she thought she heard a odd clicking sound followed by a faint skittering. She paused, listening closely. Nothing. Shivering, she went back to work, the room’s cold silence hanging heavy.
Meanwhile, Troy hauled out bags of garbage from the kitchen. As he passed by a window, he spotted the dense forest beyond. Not one bird sang. No deer grazed. The wildlife around the house was non-existent, like the land itself was dead. The sight gave Troy chills.
As the day wore on, the work felt more and more draining. Shadows grew long outside when Diego called the team to the basement. They stared in bewildered horror at what he had found.
Animal bones were scattered across the concrete floor. Picked completely clean. Not a scrap of flesh remained. Alongside the animal bones lay human remains - fingers, toes, ribs. Diego pointed a shaking flashlight beam towards the back wall where words were scrawled in a rust-colored stain:
WE HUNGER
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“What the hell happened down here?” Troy said, breaking the silence.
No one had an answer. They retreated from the basement, securing the door and deciding to finish up quickly before leaving just after sunset. As they wrapped up their gear in the entry hall, Amy held up her hand. “Do you guys hear that?” Soft clicks echoed in the walls around them, increasing in frequency and volume. She stumbled back with a gasp as roaches began pouring out from cracks in the floorboards, swarming towards the crew. They were soon up to their ankles, a seething tide of insects rapidly rising.
Troy spotted movement in the shadows behind the roaches. Two glowing eyes watched hungrily. Something not human.
“Run!” he ordered. Grabbing Amy’s arm, they fought through the bugs towards the front door. Halfway across the room, Amy’s screams turned to nauseating gurgles as the swarm overwhelmed her. Arms flailing, she disappeared under the carpet of roaches.
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Troy burst out the front door, chest heaving in panicked breaths. He scanned wildly for Diego who came bolting around the side of the house.
"Go go go!” Troy shouted, beckoning frantically. He turned back towards the door, expecting to see the roach swarm following. Instead, he faced the hollow stare of a horrific creature nearly seven feet tall. It’s spine protruded from emaciated flesh. Shredded suit pants clung to legs which bent back at an impossible angle. Faded ribbons of skin hung from unfurled wings. In a rasping breath, it uttered a single demand:
“Feed us.”
Troy released a strangled cry of terror as the humanoid insect lunged, slamming him to the porch floor. He met Diego’s eyes one final time before the creature’s claws tore into his abdomen, releasing the hot stench of blood and gore.
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Diego ran like he’d never run before, fleeing from the nightmarish estate into the empty forest beyond. Still running as the sun dipped below the horizon. Still running as the monstrous clicking echoed behind him. Still running as the shadows grew longer and evening darkened into ceaseless night.
