Horror Town 2

Cat's Out of the Bag

       Riley walked through his front door, shivering from the cold breeze. Chandler hadn't attended school with him, claiming he was sick to his stomach and dizzy. Riley tried to keep tabs on him throughout the day, but only received one or two words as a response.
        He decided to go up and check on Chandler. Retreating to the kitchen to bring him a soda. Grabbing two Colas, the teen casually ascended the stairs. He stopped on the landing when he heard Chandler's voice drifting from behind the closed bedroom door, sounding scared and wobbly. It sounded like he was having a tense conversation with another person.
      Riley crept the rest of the way up the stairs and and pressed his ear to the door. He could clearly hear his best friend's voice from behind the wooden structure and, to his shock, there was another voice that would answer Chandler. However, it was hushed and slightly distorted.
"I don't even know who those people were! And now your telling me you didn't either?! Why the hell would you make me do that"?!
     Riley strained to hear what the second voice was saying, but he still couldn't quite make it out. All he could make out was Chandler's panicked breathing and soon recoiled a bit when the other teen started yelling.
"Your fucking insane! When you said you needed my help, I didn't think you were gonna get in my head and force me to kill random people! You want to get the kid who had enough sense to push you to your death, you can do it alone! I'm not helping you with your fucked up games anymore"!
      The door flew open and the two friends practically came nose to nose. Chandler's eyes were wide as dinner plates and his face flushed white. Riley took a quick look into the room. There was no one else in there.
"Chan, what the..", Chandler slapped a hand over his mouth and held I finger to his own lips. Riley stood stock still and watched Chandler peer behind him before being dragged to the bathroom.
"Chandler, your scaring me. Who the hell were you just yelling at"?
      Chandler leaned on the door and looked at his friend tiredly.
"You wouldn't believe me", he responded quietly.
"Try me".
Chandler hesitated, searching for the correct way to spit out his explanation.
"It was Asher Carlton".
"...... Your kidding right"?
"No, I'm not! Why would I make that up"?
"Look, buddy, do you really expect me to believe you were talking to the ghost of a serial killer that died not far from here"?
"I expect you to hear me out"!
      Riley crossed his arms and leaned on the sink. "Go on".
"A couple of nights ago, I was walking home and I thought I saw him in the park for a quick second. I thought I was just seeing things, but I turned around and he lunged at me. Then he was just gone. I didn't know what else to do, so I just went home. That's when my headaches started".
     Riley straightened up and unfolded his arms. He'd known Chandler his whole life and never once had he ever went out of his way to spin a tall tale in place of a lie. He also took notice of the serious look in his friend's eyes. He was scared to the point that he could barely continue talking.
"And my parents didn't kick me out. They're dead".
"WHAT"?!
"When I got home, they were arguing with each other. Then dad slapped me and ran back in the house. I was mad, of course, but..... I just got a strong enraged feeling. Like nothing I ever felt towards them. After that I just...... blacked out. When I came to, I was standing over them, holding a knife, and covered in blood. Then he just appeared in front of me and actually helped me hide them. I didn't want to, Ri. And I definitely didn't want to bring him here! I made him swear to me that he wouldn't hurt you or your mom, and he won't if I help him 'run some errands'. I didn't want to do it".
      The other boy just gawked in shock at his crumbling friend as he recanted his horrific ordeal.
"So, those two people last night..... your parents...... you...he", Riley trailed off as he struggled to digest everything he had been told. He watched as Chandler sunk to the floor and hugged his knees; apologizing profusely.
"I'm sorry, Ri. I'm sorry. I'm sorry".
      Riley ran over and hugged his best friend, who quickly hugged him back. The boy sobbed into his shoulder as he slowly rubbed circles on his back.
"I just want all of this to be a dream! I wanna wake up"!
"I know, buddy. I know".
"He'll make me hurt someone else, I know it"!
"No he won't"! Riley backed away and gripped Chandler's shoulders, looking him in the eyes. "I'll get someone to help us, ok? I'll get someone to get rid of that evil freak"!
      At that, the small room started to rumble and bathroom supplies began to fly out of the cabinets and shelves. Chandler exclaimed in pain and gripped his hair. Riley jumped and gripped his friend's arms.
"Chan! Chandler! What's going on"?! Before the sobbing boy could answer, an invisible force ripped them part. Riley slammed against the door and Chandler went sliding across the floor clear to the other side of the bathroom. "Run", he choked.
     The door flew open, nearly clipping Riley as he staggered to his feet.
"Run"!
      Riley stumbled backwards and stared as Chandler began to writhe in pain. The door slammed back shut before Riley could help in any way. The teen flew towards the steps, motivated by Chandler's muffled yells and cries. He stampeded down the steps and slammed into the front door. To his horror, the door wouldn't open. It felt as if it were nailed shut. He yanked on the knob until his hands slipped off, sending him crashing to the floor.
      He shot back up and tried every door and window. None of them would open. He cursed and ran back into the living room, nearly colliding with Chandler—or Chandler's possessed body.
"Why don't you sit down, buddy. You look a little out of sorts". His voice was a mix of his own and a deeper voice Riley didn't recognize. Chandler/Asher raised his arms and pushed Riley onto the couch. The frazzled teen grunted and stared up at the now grinning boy. Any fear that invaded his head before melted away and anger replaced it.
"Get out of him! Just leave him alone, he didn't do anything to you"!
"Look, kid. It's nothing personal. Your friend just so happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Well, the right place at the perfect time for me. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to do things as a lonesome spirit? I've got some pretty important things to do and not so much time to do it. What do you expect me to do in such a time of dire"?
"I expect you to got to HELL"!
      The boy yelped in surprise as the killer's spirit forced Chandler to slap him in the face. Riley glared back up as a single tear trailed down Chandler's own cheek. The boy was trying to fight for control but was quickly taken back over as a wide smirk replaced a grimace. The spirit wiped the tear away and snorted at Riley's defiant glare.
"Such a temper on this one. I didn't really want to do that. I promised Channy here that I wouldn't hurt you or your momma while I'm here. I'll try to refrain from doing anything further cause I like to think I'm a man of my word, but I will make exceptions if you continue to vex me".
     He kneeled down with every word until he was mere inches away from Riley's face. Riley continued to stare into the possessed boy's eyes. As much as he wanted to choke the sadistic asshole out, he'd be hurting Chandler in place of Asher. So, he swallowed his anger and sat stock still.
"Now, I'll make you a little deal. The same one I made with Channy, in fact. If you help me and your friend with my little outings; your mom stays out of the mix and I'll go a little easier on Chandler. I may even make this the last one, depending on how things pan out afterwards. Then, when that's all settled, we can go after who I've been itching to since last year. Say 'yes' and it'll be smooth sailing, so to speak. If not, well.....", Chandler/Asher trailed off. Lightly shrugging.
      Riley's body shook. He wanted to scream, to yell NO in the psycho's face. If he did, he ran the risk of putting his mom in the line of fire and making things a thousand times worse for Chandler. Riley looked away and tightened his jaw and despaired frustration. He only looked back up when his chin was lightly gripped and directed back at his friend's now cold stare.
"Understood"?
"Understood".