THE DEAD RED HEAD

SHORT STORY OF SUSPENSE

     "Just go in and see if she is still alive."

     "No Billy. I don't want to go." Samantha pleaded.

     Billy and his two friends giggled. "Aw, come on, Sammy, it'll be fun." Billy said, "Just pretend it's an adventure. You know, like those guys in the movies who quest for treasure." He nodded slowly as he revealed his great idea.

     "You know she must have some really pretty jewelry just waiting for someone to put them to good use." Justin added to the tempting dare.

     "I'm not wearing a dead person's jewelry. No way!" Samantha said.

     "Just because she hasn't been seen in eleven years doesn't mean she is dead." Mike jested as he struggled to keep a straight face.

     "Are you sure it isn't more like twenty years?" Justin asked, scratching his head.

     "Yea, maybe she ate so much she couldn't get out the doorway like on those shows." Mike added on, "where you have to cut out a gigantic hole in the wall and then use a crane just to get them into an ambulance."

     "More like a dumptruck so they can dump her into the hospital room," Justine sneered.

     "I don't care!" Samantha said as she placed her hands to her hips and stomped her foot. "I'm not going in."

     "Your just chicken Sammy," Billy stated as a matter of fact.

     "I am not!" Samantha said, stomping her foot again.

     "Oh yes you are." Billy replied.

     "Boorraaack, cluck cluck cluck, boorraaack." The three boys all started saying as they folded their arms into thier armpits and flapped, scratching their feet on the ground.

     "Stop it!" Samantha demanded. "I'm not a chicken."

     "Whatcha gonna do about then, little girl." Billy egged on, "Are you gonna prove to us humans that you're one of us, or are you gonna stay a chicken?"

     "Hmph! You boys are going to pay for this when mom finds out."

     "Oh come on, sis," Billy said while ruffling her blond hair, "You know mom don't wanna listen to all this nonsense. She works nows, and doesn't have time to listen to every little tattle you have for her, ya know."

     "Stop that." She said swatting his hand away. "I'm not a chicken. You boys are all chickens." 

     "Oh, now Sammy, you know we aren't chickens 'cause we do this stuff all the time." The boys snickered as Billy winked at them. "Why, we have been in that there house many times."

     "You have?" Samantha's eyes widened.

     "Oh yeah. Why last summer we went in there at least a dozen times, isn't that right guys?"

     "Oh yeah, dozens of times" Justin and Mike replied.

     "Well?" She asked, "what's in there?"

     "Um, well you know," Billy said sliding his foot back and forth behind him, "stuff."

     "Stuff? What kind of stuff?"

     Billy smiled, "Well why don't you go in and find out what kind of stuff for yourself. Unless your chicken."

     Samantha glared at Billy, and then took a long look at the shabby house with it's dry, overgrown lawn, and untrimmed bushes. Dirty windows masked the inside as broken wooden shutters banged against the paint chipped house. "I am not chicken," she said under her breath as she took three steps forward. Looking back at the boys trying to keep a straight face, she muttered, "Hmph," before marching up to the house. She glanced back one last time to see the boys watching her intensly with jaws opened wide, and then stepped up the eight creaking stairs to the porch.  

     Swallowing hard, she reached for the rusty metal door knob with a trembling hand. Nothing happened when she grabbed it, so she pushed it open to reveal a pair of old fashioned boots that buttoned on the side tucked under a small desk. "I am not chicken," she told herself as she looked around the dust covered house. Stepping inside, her heart pounded in her ears, but nothing happened. Nothing jumped out, nothing shouted boo. Everything was as still as it must have been for years. She stopped to ponder her conquest. Light shone from a dirty window up the stairs while shadows loomed over the dark hallway in front of her. She decided on the lighted staircase. Slowly she made her way up the creaking staircase, one step at a time, with only the rhythm of her pounding heart to keep her company.

     Making it to the top of the stairs she let out a heavy sigh. She found three rooms with wooden doors, and a large mirror setting against the wall. She looked back expecting Billy and his ttwo best friends to be climbing the stairs waiting to scare her, but found only the open door. taking two steps toward the closest door, she angled her head so she peer through the small opening  of the propped door. Two small steps forward and she could make out a small dresser with framed pictures set upon it. two steps closer and she was at the door.

     "Hello?" She said in a soft voice. No one replied except the howling of the breeze gusting against the glass paned windows. She used one finger to push open the door, as a velvet covered bed came into view. "This is a girls room," she whispered to herself. Upon a second look she found lace decorated pillows and flowery drapes filtering the in sunlight. Her attention was caught by a mirrored vanity next to the window, with colored perfume bottles set upon it.

     She slid out the tiny stool and sat down examining the fancy stuff. A big puff ball with a silver handle created a lid for a jar of pale powder. There was a squeeze ball hanging from the side of a pink perfume bottle. Samantha squeezed it and it squirted out a misty spray that smelled like roses. Lipstick contained in an ornate metal tube sat on its side. She twisted it up to find it the shade of a deep pink. A small picture inside a carved wood frame was facing down. she picked it up and looked at the woman with a ruffled high collar. She looked so sad to Samantha, staring into the camera as if she wanted to tell a story, but was unable to. 

     Samantha opened a drawer, keeping her eye on the picture as if the woman would jump out and scald her for getting into her personal things. her eyes widened as she found a carved wooden box. The lid had a small painting on it of an old fashioned woman holding her hair up with a big white flower behind her ear. Setting the fancy box on top of the dresser, she wondered what treasures such a box might hold. Unlatching the gold clasp, she slowly opened the box. green sating lined the inside, with a small round mirror attached to the lid. She reached in to find a strand of white ivory beads, carved into small round flowers. She held them up to her neck and looked in the mirror. "Billy was right, there is treasure in here," she said to herself. Then the ends of the necklace slowly pulled tight to loop behind her neck ever so gently, as Samantha's eyes widened in fear. The clasp was secured, and the unseen visitor let go, letting the necklace hang loosly around her neck. 

     The sun had dipped behind the clouds as the shadows grew long. Samantha sat shaking, waiting for something to make her jump, so she could run out of the haunted house. the door burst open, slamming against the wall, "Sammy, Sammy!" Billy cried. "There's something out there, we need to hide!" he grabbed her arm and tugged her along to the velvet covered bed where the slid under to hide, watching the door for the something to come through.    

     "Where's Justin and Mike?" Samantha asked in a whisper.

     "They came in to sneak up and scare you, but then they started screaming as if they were scared." Billy whispered back, "That's when I saw it."

     "Saw what?" Samantha asked in a scared voice.

     "The dead red head." He answered keeping his eyes glued to the door.

     "The dead red head?"

     "Yeah. The dead red head everyone talks about but no one has seen, until now." He swallowed hard, "She came slinking toward me through the grass like a tiger on the prowl." he looked over to Samantha who was starting to tear up as she stared at the door. "The worst part about it was her hair."

     "What about her hair, Billy?"

     "Her hair was alive, like wild red snakes!" He shuddered, "I thought they were gonna bite me and poison me, or worse, turn me stone like Medusa's hair."

     "What did you do, Billy?

     "I ran in here is what I did. I wouldn't leave you behind, Sammy."

     "Thanks Billy." Samantha said, "Can we go home now Billy?"

     Billy looked at his little sister, and then toward the door. "As soon as we find Mike and Justin," he smiled to give her confidence, "then we can devise a plan to get out of here without the dead red head getting us."

     "What if they are hurt?" she swallowed hard, "What if they are dead?" She looked frantic, "What if the dead red head got them Billy?" Shaking her head with her hands in her hair, "I just want to go home!"

     "Calm down Sammy, we can't this if you are freaking out."

     "I'm sorry Billy. I'm just scared."

     "It's okay. We just have to be brave right now."

     The door flung open and slammed against the wall. Nothing came through; nothing revealed itself; nothing except a strong aroma of fresh baked chocolate chip cookies. "Maybe she's still alive."

     "I thought you said you have been here dozen of times, Billy!" Samantha whipsered loudly.

     "I, well, I... lied." He rolled his eyes, "We just wanted you to go in here so we could sneak up behind you and scare you." He sighed, "It wasn't suppose to go like this. It was just suppose to be fun."

     "So why did you stay outside? Why didn't you come in with your friends?"

     "I didn't want to get in trouble with mom."

     "That wasn't very nice, you know."

     "I know, Sammy. Believe me, I know."

     "So how are we going to find Mike and Justin?"

     "Well, I don't know, but waiting here probably isn't going to find them anytime soon. I just wanted to get away to someplace safe. I was scared, Sammy."

     "That's okay, Billy, I'm scared too."

     They slowly crawled out from under the bed and crept to the open door, hand in hand. Billy said, "If anything happens, run home as fast as you can. Stay on the dirt paths, and no matter what..." looking into her frightened eyes he told her, "stay away from the tall grass." 

     "Okay, I will," was all she could say.

     Billy glanced both ways, "All clear. Are you ready?" She nodded her head as they stepped out into the shadowy hallway. "We need to check the other rooms first."

     "Do we have to, Billy?" Samantha pleaded.

     "Yeah, we have to. But don't worry, I'm right here, and I have your hand."

     Slowly they made their way to the door across the hall. Billy looked inside as Samantha kept a close eye on the shadows dancing in the hallway. "They aren't here." Billy whispered.

     "Are you sure?" she asked, gripping his hand tight.

     "Well, I guess we should go in and take a closer look, just to make sure." Samanatha pushed Billy into the room in a panic. The room was blue with white curtains, yellowed from the sun. A small picture set on top of a small dresser by the bed of a young boy holding flowers up to the camera.

     "This was that boys room wasn't it?" Samantha asked.

     "Probably," he replied. "Mike! Justin! You in here?" He called out in loud whisper. No one replied. There was just stifling silence mixed with the smell of cookies in the air. The closet door creeked open just a crack, and a boys hand reached out and gripped the wall. Billy and Samantha started stepping backwards, when the door opened wider to reveal the boy in the picture, but he looked different. He was transparent, like a ghost! He turned to stare directly at them as they turned from the boy in the closet, and ran to the third door down the hall. They ran into the room and slammed the door behind them, panting with fright. The room was full of hat boxes and clothes scattered over the floor, with books stacked in piles like tiny pillars throughout the bedless room.

     Billy gasped as he started trembling.

     "What is it?" Samantha asked.

     He pointed toward the window sill with tiny beams of light shining through, "Those wigs!" He cried, "They look just like the dead red heads hair!"

     "I don't like this Billy."

     "Let's get out of here."

     They opened the door just as the wigs came to life snaking their way toward them fast. They slammed the door shut before the hair tressles could get to them, the split ends slithering back into the room like a wounded animal. With their hearts pounding, they raced for the stairs, jumping every other stair until they reached the closed front door. Wrenching the handle back and forth, the door would not budge, it was locked.

     "Why won't it open?" Samantha cried frantically. "Where's the lock? Unlock it Billy!"

     "I can't Sammy, there's no lock on it!" He said as he tugged and pulled on the handle. Pans clamouring in the kitchen caused both to jump with their backs to the door. "What... what was that Sammy?"

     "I don't know, Billy," she replied. "It came from somewhere down the hall."

     "Maybe it was Mike and Justin."

     "Then why didn't they say something?"

     "Maybe they are trying to scare both of us."

     "Then I think it worked." She took in a deep breath, smelling the cookie filled air, "Do you think they are the ones who made the cookies?"

     "I certainly hope so." Billy said as he attempted to peer down the dark shadowed filled hall. "Come on, we have to find another way out."

     "but I don't want to, Billy! I told you I didn't want to come in here, but you made me! You made me come into this horrible house!"

     "I didn't make you. You went in all on your little lonesome self."

     "Yes you did! You and your so called friends made those aweful chicken sounds so I had to go in here!" Tears welled up in her eyes as she started to sob.

     "I'm sorry Sammy. Your right, we shouldn't have made those chicken sounds." Laying a soft hand on her shoulder and looking into her eyes, "I didn't mean for any of this crazy stuff to happen. I just... I just was trying to have fun with my friends, but it shouldn't have been at your expense. Can you forgive me?"

     "You really mean it?" Sammy asked as she wiped her tears with her sleeve.

     "Yeah, I really mean it."

     Sniffling, she said in a soft voice, "All right." Looking down the dark hallway, "Billy?"

     "Yea Sammy?"

     "Will you hold my hand through the dark parts?" Sniffling again, "I'm afraid of the dark."

     Mustering up a smile, "Of course, Sammy. Of course."

     Samantha grabbed hold of Billy's extended hands as they started down the shadowy hallway, both breathing deeply, to smell the aroma of the fresh baked cookies. "Look Sammy, there's light from under the door."

     "Can we go in there?"

     "Yeah. I think it's where the cookie smell is coming from." Billy said, "It must be the kitchen... and where there is a kitchen, there is a back door."

     Billy slowly pushed opened the door. The counters were full of cookies on cookie trays and platters, but no one was in the kitchen.

     "Do you think Justin and Mike made it out?"

     "I hope so, Sammy. I hope so."

     "Do you think Justin and mike made these cookies for us to make up for scaring us?"

     Billy looked around at over one hundred cookies on the counters, "I don't think they can make this many cookies."

     "Then who made all the cookies?"

     "I don't know."

     "Do you think they would care if we had one?" she asked as she reached out to grab one of a green platter next to her, "there are so many, I don't think they would miss one, or even two."

     She grabbed a cookie when a loud banging pounded on a cupboard next to them. Sammy dropped the cookie before she could take a bite, and they ran for the front door. They tugged and pulled on the handle, but it wouldn't open. It was still mysteriously locked. The kitchen door slammed shut, and the pounding from the cupboard stopped.

     "Billy, I want out of here! I want out of here now!"

     "I do too, Sammy, but I don't know how." In frustration, he started kicking at the door to bust it down, but it held fast.

     "Billy!" Samantha screamed as she ducked behind him, pointing to the stairs.

     Tressils of red hair was slithering down the steps attached to someone or something that was crouched like a pouncing tiger. It suddenly looked up with glowing white eyes, and started making a shrilling, ear piercing laughter. Billy grabbed Samantha by the wrist and ran down the hall toward the kitchen. he hesitated and opened the door next to the kitchen. there were stairs leading down into what appeared to be a basement, complete with gloomy blackness and a damp musty smell. "No way!" Billy said as he slammed the door shut.

     He tugged at Samantha to go into the kitchen, "I don't want to, Billy!"

     "We don't have a choice, Sammy!"

     The red split ends creeped around the corner, "Ok, let's go."

     They quickly ducked into the kitchen once more, the scent of cookies filling their senses, as they shut the door behind them. "Look, Sammy." Billy said as he pointed across the room, "A window."

     "Can we get through it? It looks small."

     "We're gonna try. Now let's go."

     They moved toward the window, keeping an eye on the cupboard where the banging came from and the kitchen door. Billy climbed onto the counter, and then helped Samantha up. Unlatching the lock he opened the window with a tug. "I'll climb out and then help you down, ok?"

     "Ok. Just hurry!" She said as she frantically kept watch on the door and cupboard.

     Billy squeezed through the tiny opening, feet first, and then hung by his arms until he dropped down to the porch, landing on his rear. He got up and brushed away his pain, "Ok Sammy, now climb out like I did and I'll catch ya."

     The kitchen door flung open as the dead red head creature stepped inside. Samantha's heart started pounding as her breath became shallow. Then the pounding on the inside of the cupboard started banging out loud. Samantha froze as Billy cried out to her. Something caught her attention as she slowly turned her head to find a boy sitting next to her with a cookie in his hand, gesturing her to take it. She slowly shook her head. The boy shrugged and threw the cookie at the red tressils. The strand of hair jumped back as if it was was injured. Puzzled Samantha looked back at the boy and recongnized him from the photo in the bedroom upstairs. He then waved at her and disappeared.

     The creature at the door roared in a loud heckle that pierced Samantha's ears. She covered her ears when the curly locks of red hair sprang forth to wrap around her ankle and start pulling her off the counter. She screamed as she frantically reached for anything that would keep her from falling off. She knocked down a platter of cookies onto the tressils. The hair strands pulled back, letting go of Samantha. She looked over to find burns on the hair where the cookies had fallen. She threw a few more cookies at the dead red head making it crouch back into a corner. 

     Samantha was about to dash for the window when she heard two familiar voices from within the cupbard. she turned to the window, "Billy! I found Mike and Justin!" The red hair was back with a vengence as it grabbed Samantha tight, twisting around her ankles and up half her legs, pulling her swiftly as she flung into the air and crashed down onto the hard floor below with a thunderous smack. She kicked and screamed, scratching the floor as the creature drew her close to the bright white eyes. She held fast to the corner of a cabinet door, the creature opening it's wide void with snaggled teeth all around, smacking it's hair cover lips, as it tugged harder and harder.

     "BIILLLYYYY" She screamed out. Suddenly the boy appeared in front of her holding a cookie for her to take. Samantha grabbed the cookie faster than she could think, and flung the cookie into the void of the creature, that could only be it's deadly mouth. The creature jumped back releasing Samantha once more as it desperately attempted to fetch the cookie out with it's hair strands.

     Samantha wasted no time as she flung open the cupboard. Billy's friends, Mike and Justin, fell onto the floor covered in flour. Coughing and gasping they they struggled to regain their senses, "Quick! through the window!" Samantha yelled. "Before she gets us again!"

     "Who gets us?" Mike asked.

     "The dead red head!" She replied, pointing her finger to the creature stuffing it's mouth full of hair in a fit of fury, trying to get the cookie out.

     "Let's get out of here!" Justin said as he scrambled up the counter, with Mike tailing right behind him. Samantha waited for the boys to turn and help her up, but instead they jumped through the window, as fast as they could shake a leg.

     Samantha turned her head to the door just in time to see the creature spit the cookie out with it's burnt split ends. She jumped up, trying to climb the counter, but the dead red head was too fast as it twisted around her ankles once again. Yanking her down to the ground the tressils did, but not before she grabbed a platter with cookies, and her patience coming to an end. She let the crackling laughter ring out as she was pulled in, and two clanging bops later, the creature's face was crushed in. It roared in a high pitch squeal, reeling back on it heels, but Samantha wasn't done. She smacked it back and forth, up and down, over and over, until it made no movements, and no sounds.

      Holding the dented and broken platter in hand, she stood over the beast, catching up with her breathing, watching the dark red blood of the dead red head spill over the floor, onto her shoes, and then past her. Throwing the platter down, she grabbed the cookies and showered them over the creature, every cookie except one, which she promptly ate. The cookies made a sizzling sound as the fell upon the tressils of red. Burnt hair filled the air, overpowering the chocolet chip aroma. "Now your dead." Samantha said to the creature. "Now you stay the dead red head."

     Billy was waiting by the window, his jaw dropped in awe, standing on Justin's shoulders. Samantha crawled out of the window, with one glance back to see the lady in the picture of the first bedroom, placing a sheet of cookies in the oven.

     No one ever spoke of that day. They all ran home, and pretended nothing had happened. But Samantha knew, as she would run her finger over the rose carved beads of her necklace, she was the one who made sure the dead red head... stayed dead.

    

 

 

    

Author's Note

Ignor grammer, and tell me what you think!

Reviews

[Shep]

I was at the edge of my seat as you spun this tale that I nearly dropped my popcorn. Love the detail on how well you told the story as if I was living it my self and I loved the long chapters, such are the great novels I frequently read. Awesome write.

I look forward to reading more and fully agree with the comments below. If you would like to trade book RR’s please let me know and I will read your entire book and give a review and send it through out my Group Inked Pages.

[M Garcia]

Okay, this was worth the wait. I was on the edge of my seat the entire read! There are a couple places that need capitals, so read back through slowly. Call me.

[Thomas Fitzgerald]

A perky of you will subject, and the suspense had me gripped, I can't give anything away, but well worth the read, well done, good read.