Taxidermy Shoppe (a horror story)

Taxidermy Shoppe

When I was a kid, there was a popular clothes store called TotallyT. It looked like a big flashy rip off of Target and Old Navy, but it actually had a lot more to offer.

All the clothes were ether bright, colorful or looked liked it was something taken off of a model magazine. Nothing was there for to long before it was off a hanger or shelf and at the checkout.

Seriously, almost every family in town either had a large puffy sweater or a pair of shiny red sneakers that came from TotallyT.

My mom was by far, the biggest TotallyT fan out there, whenever me or my sisters have out grown a shirt a little, we would be trying out over one million shirt at the store in a heartbeat. My dad however, was a different story.

I don't understand at the time, but he always told me that the store creeped him out, all the employees almost looked the same, the air conditioning smelled like bacteria and the store was completely filled with white dressed mannequins.

My dad has warned us that he was driving home from work one day and saw a small group of people at the back of TotallyT. He stopped at a red light so he had a good view of the scene. He saw the group of three walk into a small door that was against the wall. Then a bright light shined from the door, so bright dad had to cover his eyes until the light died down.

It wasn't long until the door opened again. Only two came out. They were both wearing black suits.

The third man wore a yellow cardigan and jeans. He never came out.

My mom always brushed it off and constantly feeling him he was just sensitive and a little bit paranoid. She was right about that, for a grown man, my dad was a dead on scaredy-cat. So I had never thought much of it.

Oh, if only we had listened...

I was about 13 when we came back from our summer vacation and of course, it was time for Black Friday in August. My mom insisted we needed new clothes and she knew where to take us.

Go ahead. Guess.

My dad has no interests of going to TotallyT, and volunteered to watch the house while we were gone. Unfortunately for dear old dad, my mom was having none off it, so we found ourselves at TotallyT twenty minutes later.

It was storming so off course we had to get inside fast. Inside we were greeted by bright hot pink lights,  shopping carts and four mannequins wearing blue leather jackets and red skirts.

Our mom allowed me and my sisters to roam the store freely to pick out what we wanted, she wanted to go grab a few stuff for herself and dad. With out a second, my younger sisters took off into the girl's section while I made my way to the boy's section.

I slowly and carefully looked over the T-shirts on one off the shelves, pondering with on I wanted. I also had to cover my eyes at some points, the roof of the was covered in wall lamps, each one was a different color. I could hear some smaller children going "ooh" and "ahh" at them.

Then I heard a scratch, not loud, not quite, but enough for me to hear. I turned around my head to see one of the white suites employees grabbing one of the smaller mannequins and leaving with it.

I don't know what came over me, but I suddenly had the urge to follow him. I carefully crept behind as he walked down various halls. He stopped at the Staff Only door that was by the bathrooms.

He quickly went through the door with the mannequin in his arm and slammed the door behind him. I heard a small sound come from the handle so I knew it was locked. Without any second thoughts, I tip toed open to the door and pressed my ear against it.

I could hear to make voice, which sound deep, mature and completely emotionless.

"He called you?"

"Yes, he demanded where his wife is."

"Did you say anything?"

"I told him that we saw her leave after we finished modeling."

"I see."

"He didn't believe me of course. So I told him where she could have gone. He'll be out off our hair for a good while."

"Ah, nicely done Nigel. Now, about the rest of the experiment..."

I never heard the rest because I bolted away from the door as fast as I could. Something inside me just told me to get out of there. To run away before they'd see me. I was still curious to hear more, but looking back, I'm glad I listened to my instincts for a change.

I met up with my family and my sisters showed off what they had got. It was thundering outside, so they talked a bit louder. I said nothing. They began talking louder cause the storm was getting even worse as the lightning outside began to thunder more and more loudly. It was like the weather itself and my bratty little sisters were having a shot off.

The weather obviously won as there was a big crackle outside.

And then the lights went out.

Multiple voice began shrieking and wailing as my dad yelped in shock. My sister clung to my mother as she comforted them in her arms. I grabbed onto my dad's hand and squeezed it tight, I don't want him to feel even more scared in this store.

But it didn't matter. When the bright techno colored lights came back on, I think it's safe to say we were all pretty much scarred for life.

All of the dresses white mannequins, the heads, the legs, the torsos and the full bodies, they were real.

The bodies and hacked off legs fell from their positions, their skin was pale and bare. Each and every one of the corpses an expression of agony and terror printed on their lifeless white faces. The legs dropped to the floor instantly and just laid there, twitching slightly as if they were alive.

The torsos and heads sat there, bearing ghostly pale wrinkles and cuts. They almost looked like they were trying to move, but they only succeeded in flinching, leaving along hideous gushing sounds.

Shear terror was frozen solid on every head. They were all bald, infected cuts and scars were on their flaking scalps. Wrinkles and dead skin hung from their cheeks, every head, every corpse, ether of an infant, a child, teen, adult or even elder, who already had old features, had long flaking cheeks on their mutilated heads or rotting bodies.

Dark red blood gushed out of them. All the corpses laid and stood there, pain painted on every detail. So much blood...

We didn't care if the lighting hid us, we all just ran out of there, screaming until our vocal chords became sore. Everyone in the store ran out holding their sobbing children or hiding other belongings. Some pulled their hoods over their faces to hide the gruesome scene for their eyes. It was to much, we just wanted to get out off there...

When the police arrived, the entire place was deserted, all of the employees and clothes were gone. The blood coated corpses and the decapitated torsos and heads were no where to be seen. The blood stains on the carpet were the only things left.

This year, I'm glad I'm able to shop online, cause after an experience like that, I didn't think I'll every go on a shopping spree again.

My neighbors in my apartment say I'm just a lazy couch potato, but I have my reasons. Especially now, at least.

Some of my neighbors are staying inside of their homes to, their scared to come out into the open where they can be seen. They knew what happened that year.

All of my friends are just as nervous as I am. My sisters are keeping a sharp eye on their families and are keeping them inside. Why, you ask? Just two weeks ago, the TotallyT commercial had just aired at 11:39.

"So come on down to TotallyT! Where future and fashion are the next big thing!"

I saw a couple of men in suits in the black ground as the employees waved to the crowd at the end of the commercial. They just stared. As if they were staring right at the viewer. And then, the two men calmly walked back inside...