Read Online Dark Corners - Twelve Tales of Terror by Michael Bray - Free Book Online Page B

Snoddy might’ve called it off,
given the chance, but not Denton. The look in his eyes said he was
going ahead with it, no matter what. So with our pride on the line,
and none of us prepared to state our concerns, we went on.
    We
saw Steve as we neared the dilapidated porch. He was sitting
cross-legged in the sun, writing feverishly on an old notepad. Denton
never liked Steve. There was a history between them, and Denton had
made it his personal mission to make Steve’s life hell for the
last couple years of school. Steve was brush thin, with long gangly
arms and a thick greasy mop of hair. He wore thick, horn-rimmed
glasses that fit him poorly, and he was always pushing them back up
his face when they slid down his nose. He was one of those kids who
wore the cheap brands of clothes, the ones who always turned up for
school with dirty shirts. You could almost smell the poverty on him,
but he always did well in class.
    “ What are you doing out here?” Denton asked aggressively, flashing a
crocodile grin.
    Steve
looked up, but didn’t answer, his Adam’s apple bobbing
nervously. You could see how scared he was.
    “ Nothing,
just researching the house for my website.”
    “ What
website?” Snoddy asked as he absently pulled the grass out in
huge clumps.
    “ Urban
exploring. I write about abandoned places like this and review them.”
    He
flashed a hopeful grin, only to realize no one else was smiling.
    “ Geek.
Lemmie see,” Denton said as he snatched the notebook. I could
see that Steve wanted to object, but experience had taught him not to
fight the bullying, but to go along with it. He looked at me then,
and I gave the briefest of nods. I never had a problem with him, see.
We were never friends, we never moved within the same circles, but I
never had anything against him. My eyes flicked to Denton, who was
leafing through the notebook.
    “ This
is garbage. No mention of the good stuff like the murders, or the
dude who ate all those kids. Maybe I should tear this up and you can
start again, eh geek?”
    Panic
flashed over Steve’s eyes, and I saw that Denton meant to do
it.
    “ Hey,
Denton, leave him be. He’s not bothering anyone,” I said,
giving him my best stern look. I knew he could probably take me in a
fight, if it came to it, but I was good at bluffing. Denton did back
down, tossing the notepad to the porch where it raised a puff of
dust.
    “ I
was just fuckin’ with him. Relax.”
    There
was an awkward silence as we stood there, nobody quite sure what to
do next. It was Snoddy who made the first move. He hopped up the
three porch steps to the door and tried the handle.
    “ Fucker’s
locked,” he said, pulling his cigarettes out of his pocket and
offering one to Denton, who took the offering wordlessly. The pair
lit up, then Denton regarded the door.
    “ Course
it’s locked. It’s hardly going to be open, is it? Too
many crack heads and winos around. Let me try.”
    Denton
puffed his chest out and brushed past Steve, who flinched
involuntarily. Denton rattled the door, and even tried breaking it
open with his shoulder, but as old and tired as the door looked, it
wouldn’t budge.
    “ What
about the windows,” I said, half hoping there would be no way
in and we could give up on the entire thing. I had a horrible feeling
in my gut, not quite déjà vu, but that light, giddy
feeling that sometimes comes with knowing something isn’t quite
right. Snoddy gave the windows a quick once over, and tugged at the
boards.
    “ No
chance, those fuckers are solid,” he said as he joined Denton
in sitting on the porch.
    “ That’s
that then,” I said, hoping I sounded casual.
    “ Suppose
so,” said Denton, glaring at Steve as if it was somehow his
fault.
    We
would have left then, and none of what came later would have
happened, if Steve hadn’t spoken up. I think maybe he was
trying to win us over, maybe make some friends. Whatever the reason,
he pushed his glasses up his sweaty face and said he