(A collection of short horror stories)
(Horror story one)
{1} ~ Halloween candy.
Jack and Tom straightened their tight paper hats on their heads and prepared for another duel. Tom stuck out his foam sword and pointed it at Jack's heart.
"On-guard, Captin'!" He shouted, in his best sea-worthy voice. The two eight year old's staggered backwards, clashing swords and occasionally falling over the bold carpet of their mothers choice. The new house had proven quite worthy of the twins approval. The empty halls were their jungle. The deserted rooms were their caves and the unused kitchen cupboards were their prisons. All the better for their young minds.
"You shan't kill me, I say, not as long as Captin' Root is my name." Shouted Jack, as Tom pushed his knife against his belly. Jack ducked and missed the knife to the head. He shoved his own sword into his jeans belt and rushed around the large, practically deserted room. He dipped his hand into the candy bowl in the middle of the floor and pulled out a Funny-Due suck. He peeled back the wrapper to his golden ticket of surprise and shoved the four day old Halloween lolly-pop into his mouth.
There was a loud bang! from behind Jack. He sighed in defeat and shoved his hands in the air. Something hard poked him in the back and he turned around, hands still up in surrender. There stood Tom, his foam sword pressed against the tight cotton of Jack's ripped shirt and his pretend gun in the other hand. He pushed the barrel of the gun to his lips and, eyes and sward still set on Jack, pretended to blow the smoke off of the gun. He smiled and walked forward, his new shoes tapping on the floor.
"I say, looks like we have ourselves a little trouble." And he walked towards him and viciously yanked the lolly from his jaws. Jack's eyes filled with tears as the golden goodness was pulled from his clutches. He dropped his hands and fell to the floor, searching in the bowl of candy.
"That was mine! There's none let." He wept. He still searched the bowl, but could find nothing but scrappy remains and copper-tasting jelly sweets.
"Mine now."
"Give it back, Tom!" He shouted, and shoved Tom hard in the chest. Tom pushed him back, harder this time, and so it continued. Suddenly, Tom lost his tripping over the frayed edges of the bold carpet and went flying backwards into an old, dusty bookshelf. He screamed out in pain as the edge of an old book stabbed him in the back. Jack rushed to his side, his blonde hair flying in the moonlight.
"Gosh Tom, I'm sorry! Don't tell mom, please!" He begged. Tom just started to cry louder. Jack began to cry too, as the realization of ten minutes on the naughty step started to sink in. "Ple-" He was cut short by a loud moaning sound. He wiped his eyes and runny nose with the back of his white jacket and looked up, as did Tom.
A big gust of dust blew into their faces. They both spluttered and coughed, but continued to look in the direction of the old bookcase. A glow started to show and soon, it moved aside, showing a bright hall of white light. The lolly dropped from Tom's mouth as they stood up and, without much hesitation, moved towards to hidden passageway.
"Should we tell mom?" Asked the sensible one out of the two, Tom. Jack considered his options for a minute, then shook his head. He straightened his paper hat and took a big long look into the white glow.
"No, us pirates never tell! We go exploring!" And he stepped forward into the glow. Tom gulped, but followed in sync.
After the white glow of trapped light disappeared, both boys took a big, long gulp of empty air and looked around. There wasn't much for their eyes to settle on, but the twirling silver staircase took all the attention needed. It was small and looked frail, but the thing that kept the boys questioning was why it was there. Another gulp was swallowed and, taking out his blue foam sword from its safe place in his jeans, Jack stepped onto the metal steps and awaited the arrival of his twin.
As the twins made their way down the first spirals of the steps, they listened to their loud footsteps echo around the small claustrophobic room. No one talked. No one had to. Instead, Tom found the cold fingers belonging to Jack and wound his own around them. They walked in sync down the stairs, their footsteps against the cold, rusty metal being the only distinction from them and silence.
Before long, they found themselves unable to walk any more. They both looked down the middle of the steps, but was only faced with the deep, dark, black hole of unending steps. They both sighed and sat down, their heads in their hands.
"I don't want to go down there." Puffed Tom. Jack agreed. They sat in silence for a minute or so, before Tom piped up. "Is that a door?" Jack looked around and, just as Tom had asked, there was an almost invisible line belonging to a door. They rushed down the steps until they reached it. Wallpaper was pasted it, but there was three faint lines to the entrance. Someone must've cut it in, they thought. Jack shoved his finger into the top of the door and with an all might push, the door creaked open.
Unlike the first time they had opened the secret door, this one didn't contain light or dust, just a stale smell of dried urine. Jack coughed into his hand, but grabbed Tom's soon afterwards. They both raised their swords and stepped in.
They both looked around the small room. There was nothing there except for an old matres, a shelf and dolls. Staggering forwards, they both went and sat crossed legged on the mattress. Tom picked up one of the dolls and studied it very carefully. This one was a girl, that was for certain, but he wasn't sure on anything else. It had blonde hair and brown eyes, but the rest of the face was scratched off. Its dress was dull brown and torn, and it was missing a hand and foot.
Jack laid out the rest of the dolls on the bed. The two of them were alike; Male, short, blonde hair and brown eyes, with sailor boy blue suits on and missing body parts. Tom put the female one next to them and looked.
These weren't like normal dolls that children would play with. They were like olden day hand-sized pot dolls. Tom stroked the dress of the girl and something hard caught his attention. He lifted up the top layer and something dropped to the floor. Jack bent down, picked it up and turned it over in his hands. It was a key. An old rusty one, but a key. He pressed his thumb against it and it began to crumble.
He sighed and put that down too. Tom's eyes widened in horror as something occurred to him, but Jack spoke first.
"Don't these dolls look like us and mother?"
"Y-Y-Yes," Agreed Tom. He rushed to his feet and ran to the door. He stopped by the entrance and looked at Jack, his eyes wide.
"What is it?" Jack asked. Tom started to cry.
"Jack, that's our Halloween candy." He pointed to a shelf on the wall where a tray of candy sat. They both screamed. Jack rushed to Tom's side, but something was thrown from the door. They both peered at it and yelled, for there was Jack and Tom's Funny-Due suck that they had recently had in their mouths.
"You're his prisoner now." A dark, hallow voice whispered, and the door slammed shut.
