"The Lost Empire X: The Ole Grady Farm"

“The Ole Grady Farm: A Lost Empire Story”

By Cody Williams

 

1.

            Lenora quickly led James, Walter, and Cain down the red dirt road. Walter ran after her, grabbed her by the arm, and turned her around.

            “Lenora, just a wait a minute!” Walter said. Lenora rolled her eyes and jerked her arm away from him.

            “Walter, we can’t wait! You heard the man. She’s not alone. What if the Lowlanders kill her? Or worse, the man in black!” Lenora told him. She turned his back to him again and continued to walk.

            “Lenora, you don’t know Bachman like I do! He’s a con man! You can’t trust him!” Walter shouted at her. She ignored him and continued to walk. Walter stopped and James and Cain stood beside him.

            “Don’t worry man. I’m sure you’re right! She’s just distressed about her sister!” Cain said. Walter looked at both of them and exchanged looks and continued to walk. As they grew deeper into the forest, Cain rose up and stopped. He began to growl. Walter and James noticed and stopped as well.

            “What is it Cain? What do you hear?” Walter asked him. James reached into his sheath and pulled out his sword. It’s not what Cain saw; it’s what Cain smelt. The smell of something rotting. Something dead that had been dead for far too long. Cain slowly walked towards a bush to the side and stuck his head into them. Cain leaped back with fear at what he saw.

            “What is it Cain? What did you see? What’s in that bush?” Walter asked. James slowly began to make his way towards it and he separated the leaves to the side. Lying on the ground was a man who had whose and been skinned and gutted. Lenora put an arm around her and turned away trying not to throw up. James looked at it with disbelief and Cain slowly began to back away with a disgusted look on his face.

            “A damn skinner!” Walter said with disgust.

            “Skinner? What’s a skinner?” James asked as he looked over to Walter.
            “Skinner’s are nasty little beats. They often live in forests like this. They prey on innocent bystanders. They are typically very thin with a hunchback. Their skin is usually very white. They have baldheads and ingrown foreheads. Their fingernails are two inches long and are like razor blades. That’s how they cut the skin off of their prey.” Walter explained. “After they eat the skin of their prey they sop up the excess blood and drink it as a beverage and they gut their prey for the pure joy of it. Then they leave it to rot.” Walter concluded. Lenora turned away again and walked to the other side of the path to get away from the smell. James walked away from the bush and the leaves closed and hid the body again. Walter looked back at the rest of the gang and could tell that they had seen and heard enough.

            “Come on guys! Let’s go!” Walter said and the quartet continued to walk along he red dirt road. Cain stopped once more and looked around. He could hear something move behind the bushes. James heard it too and pulled his sword back out and parted the bush to see what was behind it. It was the skinner. But something was different about him. The skinner was cut in half perfectly.

            “I’ve never seen anyone do that to a skinner before! What could have done that?” Walter wondered. THE MAN IN BLACK was written on the tree beside of the dead skinner in the skinner’s slimily green blood.

            “The Man in Black did this?” Lenora asked. Walter looked at her and nodded.

            “Yeah. It looks like it!” Walter said. Lenora’s heart rate increased.

            “We got to go to the Ole Grady Farm! We can’t let this happen to my sister!” Lenora said. They all agreed and quickly continued traveling the red dirt road.

 

2.

            The quartet reached a sign that read OLE GRADY FARM.

            “Come on! We are here!” Lenora shouted as she ran past the sign into the farmland. The farm was quiet. Too quiet. There wasn’t an animal in sight. There were no cows behind the barbed wire fence and no chickens, roosters, sheep, or horses in sight. Lenora looked around for any sign of her sister. There was none. In front of her was a bright red barn that had looked Mr. Grady had freshly painted it. Walter knew of Grady. He was wizard. But not like the man in black. He didn’t care too much for the dark magic.

            “Wilma?” Lenora shouted hoping for an answer. There was none. She began to make her way towards the barn.

            “Lenora wait! I know Mr. Grady. He’s good man! A decent man! Maybe he saw something! Let’s go ask him!” Walter said. She ignored him and walked into the barn. James and Cain looked at him and they all followed Lenora into the barn. When they got inside they noticed that Lenora was cowering in the corner. They looked around to notice several animals had been cut in half. All of the horses in the stables were dead and several Lowlanders were lying on the hay-covered ground with their eyes poked out of their skull and a black gooey liquid oozing from their eye sockets. Mr. Grady and his wife were lying in the center of the barn with axes buried in their guts.

            “Mr. Grady!” Walter shouted out as he ran over to check on him. Grady was having trouble breathing but was able to utter his last few words.

            “The shadow man! The shadow man!” He uttered.

            “Did the man in black do this?” Walter asked. Grady nodded and pointed to the wall of the barn. DEVIL’S PEA! Was written in blood.

            “Did he go to Devil’s Peak?” Walter asked him. He nodded and breathed his last breath. Walter, James, and Cain looked over at Lenora.

            “Devil’s Peak!” She whispered. The quest for the Lost Empire continues.

Copyright 2014 by Cody Williams
Courtesy of The Enchanted Press
A division of TTP Entertainment

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Author's Note

The Lost Empire continues!

Other Lost Empire stories:
1. The Lost Empire I: The Twister
2. The Lost Empire II: The Man In Black
3. The Lost Empire III: The Road To Avon
4. The Lost Empire IV: The Flea Market
5. The Lost Empire V: The Shapeshifter
6. The Lost Empire VI: Prophecy
7. The Lost Empire VII: Lenora
8. The Lost Empire VIII: The Eye of the Tiger
9. The Lost Empire IX: The Cave

Stories with connections to The Lost Empire:
-"The Rest Stop"
-"The Happy Place"
-"The Rabbit's Foot" (written with Joe Price)
-"Wilma"

The Lost Empire Series Reading Guide:
http://www.writerscafe.org/writing/Cody_Williams/1374137/

-CW

Reviews

[Jack Wolfe]

Lowlanders = low-men

Man in black

Bachman

Walter

I see a lot of reference t King, I take it you're an avid reader of his, I as well. Reading current 'Mr Mercedes'.

a man who had (whose and) been skinned

that had looked (like) Mr. Grady had freshly painted it

You have attention, I wouldn't mind seeing where this one goes, who's the shadow man? What's at devils peak? I'm curious to know how the skinners play a role. Thanks for the entertaining read.

[Cody Williams]

I am an avid reader of King and loved his latest Mr. Mercedes. The Lowlands believe it or not did not come from his work however. Where I currently attend college there is a place that they call Lowland. The name was too good not to use it in my writing. I've even considered do a few stories about Lowland alone that will play as a prequel to this. It would focus on how Lowland got its start and how the man in black/the shadow man (same person) was cast out of it.

It would explain the relationship between the shadow man and Bloody Mary (the fearless queen of Lowland). I don't know though. Just a thought. I'm glad you enjoyed it! The next piece will be called "James Meets The Man in Black". Thanks for reading!

-CW

[Jack Wolfe]

I look forward to reading.