Its been 2 weeks since I graduated from High School. I've been doing pretty much of nothing since then but hanging out with my friends and trying to enjoy my last summer before I start college. The weather has been super warm, every day has been around 90. There is pretty much nothing to do in this dead end small town we live in. We have to make our own fun. We go swimming at the local swimming hole on Dunkard creek. We go up to the playground and play basketball. At night we prowl around making mischief. We are not criminals, just kids with time on our hands trying to have our last bits of fun before our journey to adulthood, remember when you were 18?
There is a local abandoned house we hangout at on many of our late evenings and nights. Rumor has it, the prior owner murdered his wife and daughter down in the basement like 30 years ago. Its been empty ever since. My parents said to stay out of there but I try not to listen to them. The Old house sits a piece off the road, so no one knows we are even there.
My best friends are Travis and Randy. They call us "The Three Amigos". We have known each other since we started first grade. We are practically inseparable, more like brothers than best friends. Travis is real athletic, a hell of a baseball player and has a joke or funny line for every situation. Randy is very quiet and reserved but is the type that would do anything for you. My name's Billy, I'm not too good of an athlete but I guess I'm kind of smart. I got an academic scholarship to Indiana University so maybe I can get out of this nowhere'sville.
If we don't have any plans for the evening, we generally hangout at the old house, the Cuthbert place.
Sometimes we get some beer and just B.S. all night about girls, what we are going to do in the future and getting out of this town. Sometimes we bring girls over to party and make out. Its like our little secluded clubhouse. One thing we never do is go into the basement since Mr Cuthbert supposedly committed the murders down there. There are rumors that is is haunted down there. We just figure its best to stay away.
Its Saturday evening about 8 and I'm walking over to the Cuthbert place to meet Travis and Randy. As I am walking, I noticed the old fool who lives up on the hill walking directly towards me.
I think to myself "Dammit! I wish I could avoid him or walk the other way". He is a creepy old man named Jiggerz. He has one eye that points one way and one pointing the other way. He is unkempt, unshaven, his clothes are filthy and has an aroma so foul it could make you puke. As I pass by him, I avert my eyes and keep walking, hoping he doesn't say anything. I think I'm safe but then he cries out "You and your friends go into the Cuthbert place. You better stay out of the basement. There have been people who have gone in there and never come out and disappeared forever." I turned around and laughed and said "Jiggerz you're nothing but a smelly old fool, go take a bath you pig". And I walked hurriedly away. He yelled back "You better remember what I said." I just ignored him and kept walking.
I got over to the old house and went inside but neither Randy or Travis were there. I sat down on one of the old rickety chairs and waited. I hoped Randy could get some beers off of his old man cause I was thirsty from cutting our grass. After about 10 minutes of impatiently waiting I called them both on my cell. They were both running late. Randy was helping his Dad with some chores and Trav's baseball game went into extra innings. They would both be here in a few minutes so I was content to wait. My mind started to wander to Old Jiggerz and his warning about the basement.
Hey I'm 18 and pretty smart, I'm not afraid of some vague rumor some old man told me about. I'm young and strong and hell nothing really scares me and there is some curiosity too. Why not take a look, what can it hurt? To get to the basement in this house you must access it from the outside. So I walked around to the back and slowly pulled on the door and peered in. There was all kind of junk in there, dirt, dust and cobwebs everywhere. Should I go in? Why not, there is nothing to be afraid of. I walked down the steps, each one creaking and groaning like they would give way. I got down to the bottom and I thought maybe I better go back and just leave this alone, there is nothing really to be accomplished here. My curiosity kept me going, wiping away the disgusting cobwebs and looking around. Well there's really nothing here, so I'm going to head back up top. Wait there is a small room over on the left side. I wonder what is in there, slowly approach, open the door and carefully walk inside but its pitch black and I can't see anything.
Suddenly out of nowhere the door slams shut on its own. A chill goes up my spine and the hair on the back of my neck stands up. I smell the most disgusting smell, a combination of feces and rotting flesh, the bile rises in my throat. And all of the sudden its freezing cold, I'm shivering like is 10 below zero. What the hell is happening here. I cry loudly "HELP, HELP, HELP". I frantically search for the door but it feels like I'm moving in slow motion. I'm totally disoriented and lost. A voice calls out, sounding like some old lady who was dying, "You were told never to come in here. You didn't let the spirits of the dead rest in peace. You will now face the consequences of your actions."
I closed my eyes for a second, reopened them and all of the sudden it was sunny, warm and I was standing on a street of what looked like an old western town. There were some cowboys standing next to me, one of them looked at me and said "Ok Billy here come the Earp's and Doc Holliday be ready." I said to the man "What in the hell are you talking about". He said "Billy Clanton you're gonna be famous" My mind was racing. I reached down for my cell phone and instead I had an old 6 shooter pistol in a holster.
I looked up and 4 evil looking men were just across the street walking my way. I saw a sign that said OK Corral. This couldn't be happening, this was not real, its a dream. I'm gonna wake up soon. The men were close now, my heart felt like it was going to leap out of my chest. The man standing beside me drew his gun, the men across from me drew theirs. The man next to me said "Shoot Billy shoot before they kill us." The men began firing, I drew my gun........
In the first floor of the Old Cuthbert place Travis said to Randy "Where the hell is Billy". Randy responded "I don't know, maybe his mom grounded him or something. He's gonna be real disappointed, I got all this beer off of my old man."
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