Read Online Four Corners Dark: Horror Stories by William McNally - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: William McNally
Ads: Link
burning flesh. The creature grabbed his injured foot and twisted it backwards, the bone snapped and shattered through the skin. It then swung him through a glass window, where he landed face down in the dirt.
He fought for breath as his windpipe began to close. Struggling to breathe, he crawled across the ground until he reached the edge of a lake. The creature glided towards him with the poker dangling from its neck. Desperate, Terry plunged into the frigid water of the lake and was suddenly able to breathe again. He followed the shoreline out of site of the creature and found his canoe caught in a bramble of waterlogged tree roots. The canoe was half filled with water but he managed to right the canoe and escape into the safety of the lake.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
J oseph turned the ATV onto an abandoned dirt road, and drove to the shore of a lake.
“Abby, unfasten your seat belt,” Joseph said. “This thing floats pretty well, but you don’t want to be attached to it if something goes wrong. The water is deeper than you can imagine.”
Abby complied, undoing her seat belt, and grabbed on to the roll bar for good measure. She nodded for Joseph to proceed and he drove into the water creating a wake that shimmered away from the vehicle.
“Abby you will see some disturbing things out here,” Joseph said. “You must remain calm. I had hoped we would not need to cross these waters, but the woods will not allow us to pass.”
“What if the water will not allow us to pass?” Abby asked.
“The water is different, neutral ground, a conduit for travel where powers are diluted.”
Unseen things moved in the shadows as they drifted further into the lake. The vague outlines of submerged buildings hovered below them. Joseph turned the vehicle abruptly, avoiding a brick chimney jutting out of the water. A series of small islands came into view. On the first was a huddled mass of starving figures standing along the shoreline clutching tin pans. Elaborate tables filled with food lined the shore, but their sunken faces told Abby and Joseph the food was too late. Abby gasped and grabbed Joseph’s arm.
“Easy Abby,” he said. “We have a long way to go and it is best not to look.”
The shadow of the next island fell over them as they passed and Abby stared into clenched hands.
“Abby,” a mournful voice called out.
Her body stiffened.
“Ignore it,” Joseph said.
“Abby,” she heard again.
The voice coming from the island was sad and weak, but hauntingly familiar.
“Abby, help me,” it said again.
Abby listened in shock to the voice of her sister Addie.
Ignoring Joseph’s instructions, she looked at the island. Her sister stood in a white dress next to an overturned car. She recognized the dress; it was the one Addie was buried in.
“Stop,” Abby yelled at Joseph. “That’s my sister.”
“Ignore it,” Joseph replied staring straight ahead.
“We have to help her,” she shrieked.
“She is beyond help.”
Abby reached out and grabbed one of the control sticks causing the vehicle to pitch sideways. He pushed her back and steadied the craft.
“Abby,” he yelled.
“Stop,” she screamed.
Joseph brought the vehicle to a stop and it rolled from side to side in the water. The voice from the island continued to repeat its plea. Joseph reached into the back seat of the vehicle and pulled out a flashlight.
“Watch this,” he said as he aimed the light at the figure on the island.
The figure moved in a repeating pattern, first with hands over its head, then hands outstretched, then arms wrapped around its torso.
“See the way the movements repeat?” Joseph asked.
Abby was sobbing with her knees pulled to her chest and didn’t answer. Joseph continued sweeping the light across the figure whose pallid face was a black-and-white copy of Abby’s. Each sweep of the light passed through the figure and the overturned vehicle near it.
“It’s not real,” he said softly. “It’s not your
He fought for breath as his windpipe began to close. Struggling to breathe, he crawled across the ground until he reached the edge of a lake. The creature glided towards him with the poker dangling from its neck. Desperate, Terry plunged into the frigid water of the lake and was suddenly able to breathe again. He followed the shoreline out of site of the creature and found his canoe caught in a bramble of waterlogged tree roots. The canoe was half filled with water but he managed to right the canoe and escape into the safety of the lake.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
J oseph turned the ATV onto an abandoned dirt road, and drove to the shore of a lake.
“Abby, unfasten your seat belt,” Joseph said. “This thing floats pretty well, but you don’t want to be attached to it if something goes wrong. The water is deeper than you can imagine.”
Abby complied, undoing her seat belt, and grabbed on to the roll bar for good measure. She nodded for Joseph to proceed and he drove into the water creating a wake that shimmered away from the vehicle.
“Abby you will see some disturbing things out here,” Joseph said. “You must remain calm. I had hoped we would not need to cross these waters, but the woods will not allow us to pass.”
“What if the water will not allow us to pass?” Abby asked.
“The water is different, neutral ground, a conduit for travel where powers are diluted.”
Unseen things moved in the shadows as they drifted further into the lake. The vague outlines of submerged buildings hovered below them. Joseph turned the vehicle abruptly, avoiding a brick chimney jutting out of the water. A series of small islands came into view. On the first was a huddled mass of starving figures standing along the shoreline clutching tin pans. Elaborate tables filled with food lined the shore, but their sunken faces told Abby and Joseph the food was too late. Abby gasped and grabbed Joseph’s arm.
“Easy Abby,” he said. “We have a long way to go and it is best not to look.”
The shadow of the next island fell over them as they passed and Abby stared into clenched hands.
“Abby,” a mournful voice called out.
Her body stiffened.
“Ignore it,” Joseph said.
“Abby,” she heard again.
The voice coming from the island was sad and weak, but hauntingly familiar.
“Abby, help me,” it said again.
Abby listened in shock to the voice of her sister Addie.
Ignoring Joseph’s instructions, she looked at the island. Her sister stood in a white dress next to an overturned car. She recognized the dress; it was the one Addie was buried in.
“Stop,” Abby yelled at Joseph. “That’s my sister.”
“Ignore it,” Joseph replied staring straight ahead.
“We have to help her,” she shrieked.
“She is beyond help.”
Abby reached out and grabbed one of the control sticks causing the vehicle to pitch sideways. He pushed her back and steadied the craft.
“Abby,” he yelled.
“Stop,” she screamed.
Joseph brought the vehicle to a stop and it rolled from side to side in the water. The voice from the island continued to repeat its plea. Joseph reached into the back seat of the vehicle and pulled out a flashlight.
“Watch this,” he said as he aimed the light at the figure on the island.
The figure moved in a repeating pattern, first with hands over its head, then hands outstretched, then arms wrapped around its torso.
“See the way the movements repeat?” Joseph asked.
Abby was sobbing with her knees pulled to her chest and didn’t answer. Joseph continued sweeping the light across the figure whose pallid face was a black-and-white copy of Abby’s. Each sweep of the light passed through the figure and the overturned vehicle near it.
“It’s not real,” he said softly. “It’s not your
Similar Books
