Clack...Clack

Drew Reynolds was a strict lawyer with no time for silly games or petty stories. He sought comfort in the nearest Wall Street Journal and swore by CNN. He thought a world where kids existed was a world already gone to Hell itself. Therefore, he’d gotten a pretty rough reputation in town already and he hadn’t been in it for more than two months. He sighed agitated as some asshole blocked the road that led to his home for now. “COME ON! GET OUT OF THE WAY!” He yelled, tires screeching as he sped past the older couple who, as fast as he was going, didn’t know what had went by them at such an incredible amount of speed.1

His ire growing angrier and angrier and more and more perturbed, he finally pulled into his driveway after seeing many little goblins and ghouls and he growled. This was his least favorite time of the year. “Halloween, when little hellions get the chance to do whatever the hell they please and the parents don’t stop them.” He growled. “This is why I NEVER had kids.” He hissed to himself as he slammed the door of his car and headed inside, leaving the festivities and glamour of the magical night outside for his clean and respectable home.2

Drew did not come onto the mansion he was living in by chance alone. And since he did not believe in luck, he figured that he had just been such a good lawyer and deserved so much from the world that this was to be expected for a man of his stature. And considering the bumbling idiots he worked with day to day, he would have been increasingly shocked if he hadn’t gotten the promotion that had landed him this house and the great new job he now had in the little town.3

Once inside of his mansion, Drew let out a sigh of contentment. “I know I can always count on you.” he whispered to his house, feeling very much at ease as he started cleaning up and placing his things in the appropriate places and positions that were familiar to him. He then went into the kitchen and got his dinner started. A simple meal really, a glass of red wine and a tray of microwavable shit that wouldn’t be fit for a dog…but it kept him alive.4

Drew heard the ding of the microwave and pulled out his dinner burning his hand on the tray. “SHIT!” He yelled as he grabbed the tray and slung it across the room, a stream of curses lifting from his mouth. The doorbell rang and he shook his head and crossed to the big oak door and pulled it open. “WHAT?” He growled out as the kids looked up at him with wide eyes, their smiles frozen in place.5

“Trick..trick…or treat?” The little boy standing in front of the group replied, nervousness making his voice shake as they all cowered back in fear.6

“Trick or treat huh? Trick or treat?! Go ask your mommies trick or treat maybe they’ll tell you what an idiot they were for even letting the lot of you be born!” He growled out.7

A little girl, in the middle of the group pushed her way up front to comfort the little boy who was crying now and she gave Drew a big kick in the shin. “You’re a mean mean man!“ She yelled at him.8

“Yeah that’s what they all say but at least I’m sane enough not to have children.“ He hissed as he slammed the door in their faces, their crying following him into the living room as he grabbed the bottle of wine and sat down in his big comfortable chair and turned on the television to drown them out.9

Hours later, a half a bottle of wine gone, and millions of channels flipped through later, Drew finally found something decent to watch. It was on ghostly houses, haunting and strange figures that visited in the night and what he liked about it was the fact that he could disprove everything by simply saying that the announcer was a full of shit or it was a load of milarky. He shook his head at the many tales of apparitions and fear and laughed at others. By the time the show was halfway over ghosts wasn’t real, demons and poltergeists didn’t exist and possessions were things of legend and stupid story books.10

Drew laughed at the thought of demons and ghosts and even made fun of them as he headed for his bathroom eager to take a shower and then go back and watch the now two hour long program. He quickly headed for his bathroom and showered quickly, put on a pair of boxers and headed back out, grabbing his bottle of wine on the way. 11

However as he passed the window, he realized something awful. “Oh no…not a storm.” He rolled his eyes as he watched roll after roll of dark clouds come pouring in over the already darkening sky and he sighed. “Well at least it stops the greedy begging of little children for stuff that will rot their teeth out.” He muttered as he took a swig more of his wine and watched as the storm started coming in more quickly, wind swaying the trees left and right and he shook his head and headed back for the living room and sat in complete darkness watching the near end of the show. However, bright red eyes stared at him from the screen and his eyes widened slightly as the program began telling of one such demon that was both ghost, possessor and demon alike and he visibly shivered at the mere sight of it and the description of it and to make himself feel better he laughed aloud. “That doesn’t scare me. In fact I don’t see how that could scare anyone!” He yelled. “GHOSTS, DEMONS, come out and play!” He yelled out and busted into laughter, the wine finally taking its full effect as he sat there, guffawing at the show.12

As he watched, he heard the storm beginning to get louder and louder outside and he shook his head and sighed hoping it passed. However along behind the storm was the slight scratching outside of the door and his eyes widened slightly. “Dumb kids playing out in this rain.” He growled as he heard the scratching again and finally got up and went over to the door and opened it quickly, an angry look on his face. “DAMN KIDS!” He yelled and then realized quite quickly that there was no one there, only the wind whistling and the haunting sound of a lone dog howling coming up from the end of his driveway and he shook his head. “TAKE YOUR DOG AND GO HOME!” He yelled into the night, sure it was some prankster of a brat playing some practical joke. 13

He slammed the door and headed back to his chair and flopped down. “Damn Halloween.” He said to himself as he turned his television on a bit louder and started to drown his sorrows in a glass of scotch since the wine was nearly gone.14

Just as a picture of the demon was shown once more on the television, the scratching began again. Though this time it wasn’t at his door…it sounded as if it was coming from under the kitchen window. He muted the television and listened quietly to see if it was moving, but he only heard it twice more before it disappeared completely and he shook his head. “I must be hearing things.” He whispered as he turned the television up more than usual and went back to watching the stupid shit on t.v.15

However after a little while longer, the scratching began again, this time coming from the wall right behind him and his eyes widened slightly. “Okay…I am not hearing this.” He said to himself. “Don’t let yourself get sucked in by this stupid shit.” He whispered. But no matter what, he changed the channel anyway to a more comedic program and he turned the volume a bit louder trying to get the scratching to go away.16

It didn’t.17

The scratching continued. More and more constant it got until finally Drew decided enough was enough and he got up to check outside once more but this time, he looked out through the blinds carefully…nothing. He shook his head and shrugged and headed back to the chair just as the lights blinked for a few moments. “Oh don’t do this!” He said angrily as he watched the storm beginning to pour rain and violent bouts of rain began hitting his windows and door angrily is if trying to be let into a house that would not have them.18

Just as he’d done with the scratching, he turned the t.v. up louder than before so that it was so loud it was deafening and that’s when he heard it again. A slight shuffling and then someone walking upstairs in his attic. It was so soft at first that he almost didn’t catch it and then it began gradually getting louder…and louder. He shivered involuntarily as he heard, clack…clack…clack, with each shuffled footstep. He shook his head and gulped slightly as he began to think about the old stories that his coworkers had been telling him for the past month or so. The stories of ghosts and murder and fantastic terror in the house that had run its descendants out for even before he was born. 19

In fact, it was said that the house was a gateway to Hell.20

Drew shivered violently as he thought of that one line…that one phrase that had begun to make his blood run cold and he caught himself listening for more of the footsteps. The steps that were echoing around in the walls of his mind just as he heard them pounding on the floor above him and he got up slowly and went to get his gun, which was right beside of the stairs leading up to the attic. Luckily for him, the door was shut and he would not see anything and so thinking, he went over towards the door and just as he grabbed his gun, the lights went out and a violent crash of lightning and thunder vibrated the house right to its very core and he let out a silent scream and began walking fast away from the door that led to the attic and towards the desk where he kept his flashlight. 21

He stumbled and stubbed his toe on more than just one occasion and he had to grip the wall and stumble around furniture to get to his destination. With the power out now, the house was dead silent. Not even the footsteps above him were going anymore. He took in a deep breath of relief and was getting ready to scold himself for being so stupid and believing the crackpots at his job when suddenly he heard them again. Clack…Clack…..CLACK! Coming down the stairs, one at a time, each step seeming to reverberate in his mind and in the very soul of him, making his bones shake and his knees quake and he quickly grabbed his gun and began making his way to his desk. 22

As he got to the desk and fumbled inside of the drawers, shuffling through papers and ink pens that rarely got used, he became acutely aware that he was not going to find the flashlight there. In fact he was not going to find the flashlight anywhere near here…he would have to go back by the stairs to get to the new place he’d put his flashlight the last time he’d had to use it. He shuddered at the thought but knew that he must do it and as the footsteps began getting closer and closer to the door he started running to get by and just as he did and got to his flashlight, he heard the door open and the slight creak of the hinges and he froze in place, eyes wide, scared out of his mind. 23

He became acutely aware then of his religion…the religion he never seemed to have and he began praying to anything and everything he could if only it would spare him. He heard the footsteps come down the remainder of stairs and then all he heard was silence. He shut his eyes hard and then opened them once more and as he looked into the growing darkness, towards the open attic door he realized that nothing was standing there. He realized that the door was just open, and nothing was standing there waiting to eat him. He sighed softly, took in a deep breath of relief and began to think he’d just imagined it. 24

He stood there in the dark like that for quite some time, letting his body relax and his heart rate die down a bit. 25

Then…he heard it again.26

His eyes widened and his breath hitched. Clack…clack…CLACK! His breathing started getting faster, and faster and his heart pulled itself up to his throat. He could hear it beating, faster and faster, blood pounding into his ears. He turned on his flashlight with shaking, nervous hands, the light beam bouncing crazily around the room with the shake of fear he had about him. 27

Huff….huff….28

Warm breath on the back of his neck. The smell of rotten, bloodied breath hit his nose and he fought to hold in his stomach as he slowly began to turn around, his light blinking out. He had his eyes shut tight and his mouth closed tightly as he faced whatever it was that was tormenting him. 29

He didn’t see anything for a moment. And then his light blinked back on and flashed into the face of Hell. The demon…the creature he’d been hearing…the clack, clack. It all associated with this…thing….this rotten skinned, bloodied, sharp teethed, thing standing before him. “Trick or treat?” The demon hissed.30

Drew screamed and screamed, but no one, whether they heard him or not, would come to his rescue.31

Outside, the dog continued to howl and howl and then simply disappeared.32

****33

“Police say that on the night of October 31st, 2006 , 22 year old Drew Reynolds of Southern California, moved recently to our small town here in Colorado, was found dead in his home at 10:24 AM after police got a call from a neighbor saying he’d heard a disturbance coming from Mr. Reynolds’ property earlier the previous night. Police say that the body was found to be in perfect condition but that Mr. Reynolds may have died from a severe heart attack. Medical examiner on the scene, Mr. Scott Bartholomew states that after close recognition on the body he has determined that, quite oddly, Mr. Reynolds was simply scared to death. His eyes were wide open, frozen in shock and fear, and his mouth was thrown wide in a scream that neighbors only later the next day called to report. He will not be missed.”34

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