Blood as Dark as Night

04/13/2016 Original Post

10/09/2024 Minor edits since it's no longer a class assignment: 

This post will feature a short story I wrote my freshman year of high school, as a senior I have changed my writing a bit. I recently went back through the story and noticed I had a very bad habit of putting "?!?!?!?!?!" after a sentence where I was showing an excited, or rather shocked question. I went back through and edited those out for the most part and fixed a couple weird sentences but other than that it is the same as when I wrote it three (11 now in 2024) years ago. My inspiration for this story came from a lot of things, I was suffering with depression at the time after losing a friend of mine to suicide. Unlike my poem in my previous post I also got some inspiration from Edgar Allen Poe, he was pretty good about mixing love and death together, seeing is how my friend was like family to me it was very hard to hear of his passing, I also based the main male character on the boy I had a crush on at the time who was also one of my best friends when I was at my old school. Hope you enjoy my story!

Blood as Dark as Night

            I let out a terrifying scream, while I stand there unable to move as the killer slowly walks towards me. My life flashing before my eyes. Just a week ago I never ever know about this place let alone would have come to a godforsaken place like this. “It’s Tuesday, May 17, 2016 around 5p.m. If you’re reading this hopefully you have also found my body.” I wrote that in notebook I was given by my grandma just three days ago. I threw the notebook at the man walking towards me and that one second is all I needed, so I took off running. He chased after me but tripped over a tree root and I never looked back. After running through the woods for about 5 minutes I found a large evergreen and climbed about half way up, until I was covered by branches so unless he looked very close he couldn’t see me, and sat on a large branch, “How did I get into this,” I mumbled. Sitting there, in the tree, I started thinking about where it all started………….

            “Class, this is Annabella, she’s new here and I would like all of you to make her feel welcome and give her a warm Fallen Angels welcome.” Said my science teacher, Ms. Star, she was a tall women with long, blonde hair and green eyes as bright as emeralds. “There is an open desk next to John you can sit at.”

            That’s when I first saw him, John Patrick; he was the cutest boy I had ever seen in my life! His voice sounded like a thousand Angels.

            “Hi, Annabella was it? I’m John. Where are you from?” He said ever so softly.

            “Nice to meet you John, and yes it’s Annabella.” I said while staring into his beautiful blue eyes, “I’m from Harrisburg, Harry high school! Home of the Harry goats.” I said and we both started laughing.

            “John I would appreciate if you do not distract Annabella from class.” Ms. Star said, “Annabella dear, the front of the room is this way.” That’s when I realized I was still staring at John! I started to blush so I quickly turned away and hid behind my notebook.

            The rest of the day went well. John is in ALL of my classes so he helped me around and I met some really nice people, or so I thought…..

            4 days had gone by, and then finally it was Friday.

            "Hey Annie wait up!" John said running after me as I walked to school. "Me and my friends are going to camp out in the woods tomorrow up on Dead Man’s Peak, wanna come with?"

            If anyone else had asked me I would have said no, but something about the tone of his voice and the look in his eyes got me to blurt out, "YES! Errmm…. I would love to."

            Then with the most adorable smile he said, "Thanks and we will come to your house around 3 on Saturday, can’t wait to see you there."

            I started blushing again and said, “OK! Can’t wait!”

            Time seemed to take forever on Saturday! Then finally 3 o’clock came around and John showed up with four of his friends I hadn’t met yet. I grabbed my backpack and, after giving my little brother a hug, left.

            It was about an hour walk before we got to Dead Man’s Peak, then about 15 more minutes before we got to the opening. By then I had gotten to know the others better. There were the twins, Mark and Macey, John’s best friend Connor and Connor’s girlfriend Sophie. We were all having a blast, laughing and singing!

            “Hey guys check this out! There’s a house over there!” Mark said pointing.

            “Well yea dude we can all see that,” Connor exclaimed, “Why do you think it’s called Dead Man’s Peak?”

            “What do you mean?” I asked, “Did something happen here?” Of course everyone is now staring at me in disbelief.

            “Cut Annie some slack you guys, she is new round here after all,” John stated then turned to me and smiled. He continued, “That’s Old Man Silvertooth’s place, legend has it he was murdered in that house! But his body was never found...... People claim to see his ghost but before they can tell anyone………”

            “THEY DISSAPPEAR!!” Connor screamed, making a lot of us jump “AHAHAHAHAHA you guys were so scared!!” We all started laughing again.

            Later that night, “Why does John call you Annie?” Macey asked me, “no one else does.”

            “Maybe he likes her!” Sophie shouted, “Oh how cute! By the looks of her face she likes him too!” She had noticed me blushing.

            “Sophie shush!!” Macey said, “We don’t want the boys to hear us!”

              Macey had a good point, what if John didn’t really like me and found out I like him. Well I didn’t think about it much because I was so tired and I fell asleep shortly after that conversation.

            I was woken up the next morning by a shrieking sound out the side of the tent, which I later found to be Macey after the boys saw her with bed head. She freaked out and ran into the tent while we were all laughing.

            “Mace come out, we were just kidding,” Connor said trying to hold in his laughter, “you look fine!”  

            Macey finally came out of our tent with a big smile on her face and we all decided to go for a hike in the woods. It was a long hike and we lost track of time, next thing we know it’s dark and we tried finding our way back but it was hopeless.

            “Here we can split up,” Mark said pulling 3 of his walkie talkies out of his bag, “I’ll take Macey, Connor and Sophie and then John and Annabella.”

            We were all kind of nervous, but decided to go. I was so scared I didn’t even notice John grab my hand… How were we supposed to know we were entering what may be our last few days alive?

            “Annie are you ok?” John asked trying to hide his own fear.

            “Not really, I’m really scared and want to go home.” I said shaking.

            “Guys Macey, Sophie and me all made it back, where are you?” Mark asked his voice crackling through the walkie. John got a puzzled look on his face.

            “We are still lost,” John said, “Where’s Connor?! He was with Sophie.” He sounded shocked and puzzled at the same time.

            Just then Connor came running out of some bushes with blood streaming down his face. I screamed at the sight and John turned me away. Of course I turn back around just as Connor collapsed, we ran to him trying to stop the bleeding. That’s when we realized Mark hadn’t answered us.  

            “Sophie,” Connor said faintly, “they know! They…..” Connor didn’t say another word. The hand John was holding went limp and he stopped breathing. Connor……was dead.

            John and I couldn’t believe this! I started crying and John was too, he was also shaking Connor hoping he would wake up, but he didn’t.

            Still crying I yelled, “John stop it! He’s gone! You can’t bring him back!” By then I was crying so much I couldn’t see.

            “NO!” John screamed, “I won’t leave him! He’s my best friend! I can’t go without him!”

            Then I thought about what Connor had said, “Sophie. They knew.” Those words were running through my mind like angry bees. Did Sophie do this? Why would she? What about Mark and Macey, did they know?

            “Annie look!” John said wiping the tears from his face and pointing, “It’s Old Man Silvertooth’s house!” Just then I noticed the eerie silhouette of the old abandoned house.

            “Camp must be close!” I screamed. But then we heard another scream from the direction of our campsite. It was Macey! John took off running and I followed right behind him. The screaming was getting louder and louder until we got to the opening where we set up camp and found Macey tied to a tree.         

            “Mark and Sophie are CRAZY!!” She screamed, “wait where’s Connor?!” she looked sincere and then John started to cry again and that’s all it took, “no,” she said faintly, “he isn’t..” now she was crying too, “They took all our stuff and Connor and Sophie were the ones who showed us here, I don’t know my way back.”

            “Maybe we should go to the house up there,” I suggested, “we might be able to see town from higher ground.”

            “Are you insane?!” Macey said, “I don’t want to go anywhere near that house!”

            “Mace stop being a coward,” John said while we walked towards the abandoned house, or what we thought was abandoned.

            “John this place gives me the creeps,” I said when we got to the front door, “maybe we should go back.”

            “It’s getting dark and cold, I think we should stay here the night just in case Mark and Sophie come back. They would never check here.” John said trying to keep us calm, “plus it’s supposed to rain.” John tried the door but it wouldn’t budge.

            “Too bad the door’s locked,” Macey said with a sigh of relief, “looks like we have to sleep outside.”

            Macey and I turned and started walking away until we started hearing a weird noise, we turned back to the house and sure enough, it was John. He had found a large stone and was smashing it on the hinges of the door trying to break them loose, and of course it worked. We walked into the house as it started pouring outside.

            “John I thought this house was abandoned,” I said in terror at what was before me, “what is this?”

            “I-I thought it was!” John said looking completely shocked, “no one has lived here since Old man Silvertooth or at least I thought so…..”

            We had walked into the house we believed to be abandoned, but to our surprise, there were lights on!

            “O.K. I am out of here!” Macey said, I’m not going stay here! This just isn’t right!”

            “Macey please stay!” I pleaded, “I’m scared too, but look what happened to Connor. It’s safer if we all stay together.”

            “Fine, I’ll stay, but I still hate this place,” Macey said looking around, “I’m going to go this way and try to find somewhere to sleep.” She finished and walked away.

            Around a half hour had pasted and Macey hadn’t said anything or come back yet.

            “Maybe she got lost,” John said, “That is so like Mace, or maybe she fell asleep somewhere. Let’s go look for her.”

            We walked around for a while before, while in the basement, I felt something dripping on me from the ceiling. We went back upstairs to find out what it was.

            “Annie don’t come in here!” John said, after pushing me away from the doorway to the next room, “You don’t want to see this.”

            I didn’t listen and walked into the room and screamed, louder than I had ever screamed before. I had walked in to find Macey dead hung from the ceiling fan by a rusty chain, her poor body covered in cuts with a huge gash across her throat. I fell, in tears, to the ground. All of my new friends were dying and I had no clue who was doing this. Now only John and I remained and we vowed to stay together the rest of the night until we can go for help. Too bad we didn’t know it may be our last.

            It was dark and still storming outside. We went to explore the house and John had brought a metal pipe he had found by poor Macey. This house was giving me the creeps, but I wouldn’t leave John’s side.

            “Once I find who is doing this I am going to make them pay!” John said holding the pipe even tighter and still in tears, “even if it’s the last thing I do!”

            By then I my tears had stopped and my heart became heavy, for at that moment I was filled with rage, anger and I wanted revenge.

            “John, you can’t expect me to just sit by and let you teach whoever is doing this a lesson by yourself do you?” I said while picking up a pipe from the ground as well.

            “Annie no,” John said he was starting to tear up again, “I have lost some of my best friends, I can’t lose you as well.”

            I hugged him and I didn’t want to let go. I didn’t feel scared anymore, I am a different person when I’m with him, I just can’t explain it.

            “John I have to try,” I said trying to avoid crying, “I know you care but so do I. Besides if I die today I’m glad I got to spend my last day with you.”

            That’s when a man dressed in all black showed up; he came into the room with a bloody knife in his hand.

            “Oh my god!” John screamed, “Its Aaron! Mark and Macey’s older brother!”

            “Look who’s the smarty pants now,” Aaron said with an evil smirk on his face, “too bad no one else will find out how smart you can be.”

            “Guys are you there?!” It was Sophie, “Mark is insane!! He killed Connor and took me to make sure you couldn’t find your way back!!” She sounded scared and was talking so fast we could barely understand her.

            “Sophie why should we believe you?” I said trying to hide the fear in my voice, “you could have said something earlier and tried to get away.”

            While I was talking to Sophie John was talking to Aaron trying to stall, while he was toying with the two of us knowing we were doomed.

            “I thought you were dead!” John yelled, “three years ago when you ran away, they found your body! You were burned alive!!”

            “That was the whole point John,” Aaron said with a chuckle, “Then if anyone found my victims I would never get caught. The boy that was found and believed to be me was my first kill and had they not thought it was me I would have gone back and claimed self-defense and gotten away with it.”

            “So all those people that mysteriously disappeared….” John started.

            “Yes, it was me,” Aaron said with a hint of happiness, “but sadly you know way too much so I have to kill both of you. The question is how to do it, oh and who dies first.” He started to smile and laughed again.

            “What? I thought you were going to kill us anyways,” John said being a smartalic.

            During that conversation they had I learned Sophie was telling the truth and that Mark was going to kill her because, like John and I, she knew too much.

            “You should have listened to Sophie,” he had said, “She is very sorry about all of this. It’s so sad that you got mixed up in this Annabella, I was just getting to know you.” I heard Sophie scream while Mark laughed in the background, Sophie got quite and Mark stopped laughing. “good bye Annabella, enjoy spending time with my brother.”

            “Annie get out of here,” John yelled, “try to find your way back to town!”

            “No Annie why not stay,” Aaron said, “the fun is about to start.” He started laughing and John came and stood by me.

            “John, I’m not leaving without you!” I said grasping the pipe in my hands tighter, “No way. We will do this together.”

            “Awe how cute the lovers are gonna try and stop me.” Aaron laughed again, then like a cat he sprang into action running right at us full speed. I screamed and John grabbed my hand and we started running as fast as we could.

            “JOHN NO!!!” I yelled as he fell after tripping over a piece of wood, “GET UP! PLEASE!!”

            “Annie go!! Aaron is coming!” John said, “Annie you’re a great person and I’m glad I got to spend my last days here with you. NOW GO HURRY!”

            I took one last look at John, he smiled at me, both of us were crying now, and I nodded and took off running again. I heard a scream and the sound of Aaron laughing again, I knew he was gone. All I could think about when I was running was, “Did they suffer? Will I die tonight?” And most importantly, “If I live what will I do?” All of those thoughts running through my head like crazy.

            I had been running for what seemed like an eternity. I had to find a way out, but I was so tired and didn’t see Aaron so I decided to stop and rest. I sat down and felt something in my small backpack, it was my notebook!

            “Look who I found,” said Aaron walking into the room, “its little Annie, the only one left of these brats that came here.”

            I screamed…… Now, hiding in a tree, I started to cry once again. I started to hear rustling in the bushes by the tree and sure enough Aaron walked into view right underneath me. He is looking around, but finally he walks away. I tried adjusting how I was sitting on the branch but it broke!

            I fell to the ground and got up and waited until I saw Aaron to run. Yes it’s not my smartest plan but I didn’t want to run right into him. I took off running, faster than I ever have. I have been running for what feels like forever and I couldn’t lose him!

            “Annabella just give up!” Aaron said, “You can’t run forever, you won’t get away! I promise you will die quick.”

            “So was this whole trip just a part of your and Mark’s devilish plan to get all of us here?” I blurted out.

            “Annie, my dear little child, you weren’t supposed to be here,” Aaron said, “I was to annihilate the others. But yes, this was a rouse to get them all here. You, Annabella, are just a bonus kill for me. That first kill was the start of a wonderful life for me. I always have something to keep me active.”

            “So you have no remorse for what you have done?” I said knowing I can’t keep running for much longer.

            “None, none at all,” He said laughing, what’s wrong? Getting tired?” He must have noticed I was starting to run weird.

Aaron tripped and hit his head; I thought it was finally over. So I stopped running and watched him lay there, motionless, until suddenly he got up!

I tried to run but slipped and fell, I started getting up but it was too late. Aaron stood over me laughing, he knew he had won. He pulled out his knife and after he stopped laughing he stared at me. “Any last words Annabella?” He asked.

            “Yes, I LOVE JOHN PATRICK!” I screamed as loud as I could and started crying.

            “Annabella that’s so cute,” he said, “and if John hadn’t told you my name I may have let you live.”

            He laughed again, and came at me with the knife; I let out a final scream.