Bones for the Magpie

Part One : Chapter Four

  Tommy and Lindsey heard the commotion downstairs but were too scared to move. They were hiding in his bedroom closet, both of them were sobbing and covering their mouths as to not make a sound. They heard someone run up the stairs and go into a different room.

Laurie cursed herself, she wasn't sure where the children ran to hide, what if Michael found them? It was too dark in the house to go back, he blended in well with the shadows—too well. If she bumped into him, it would be immediate death.

Tommy's sobbing grew as he heard a heavier set of boots walking into his room. He couldn't see what they looked like, but the person turned to the closet and walked towards it. They ripped the closet door open causing the children to scream in terror. Tommy locked his eyes on the person before him—he wasn't even sure they were a person. They were the shape of a human but nothing more. A flash of lightning lit the room and Tommy could see their appearance, if only for a moment. Their dreadful face looked tormented and solemn, a tragic expression that Tommy believed to be caused by the bones that shot out from their neck. In Tommy's eyes, the story was cursed and the Boogeyman came to his house. The Magpie Child was the Boogeyman. From the hall, Laurie threw herself into the room and grabbed Michael's waist, knocking him to the side. She let go so he couldn't grab her—it became apparent to Laurie that Michael could see a bit better in the dark than her. Michael collected himself and turned to Laurie. He had a knife in his hand that he'd taken from the kitchen and held it with a burning hatred that rested in his hands. He lunged at Laurie, slicing her arm, causing blood to stain her sleeve. Laurie let out a screech before shoving him away and running to a different side of the room.

"Tommy, Lindsey, run downstairs! Go!" Laurie ordered.

The children retreated downstairs and she heard them leave the house. She took multiple steps back into the hallway, trying to find out where The Shape was. With every lightning strike that lit the sky, the shape grew more and more terrifying. He reeked of decay—the bones that draped over his chests had to be more than ten years old, especially if the teeth belonged to his sister. She could see the orange shimmer of fresh blood around some of the bones, he'd killed more than just her friends tonight. He didn't move fast, but was deadly enough that Laurie knew not to make a sudden move to get away from him. She could see his dark figure leave the room and stand in the hallway. Laurie was in the parents' bedroom and looked around. She couldn't jump off their balcony or she'd die, but perhaps the closet might give her time to prepare—that or it could be the end of her in an instant. She ran to the closet, regretting her choice but having no other option, and tied the doorknobs with a robe's sleeves. Michael knew where she was and worked his way to getting it open, using his hands to smash the wood barricade. She scrambled around, trying to find any possible weapon she could use, but nothing was nearby, not even a coat hanger. He rammed his fist through the door, breaking the thin wood slits that blocked her from him. He retracted his arm and stuck his head inside, staring at her. She watched as he struggled to get his head out—he was hung. Something had been caught on the wood. With force, he pulled his head out of the closet and she heard something hit the floor.

Laurie picked up the item but was disgusted to find out it was a bone. She knew it was sharp enough to deal damage to the man outside of the closet. He broke more wood down and managed to fit half of his body into the closet. He stuck his arm in and began to swing it. She could tell he had the knife with him and was trying to cut her, but Laurie shot herself towards him anyway, shoving the bone through his face. He didn't make a sound but reeled back out of the closet. She wasn't sure what she'd hit, but hoped it had killed him. She peeked out of the closet, and just as she did, the lights flickered on for a moment. Her heart leaped as she saw his black body still standing at the door, his face pierced by the bone, goring his eye and ripping the mask. She stared in horror as the bone stuck out of his eye like a paperclip, taking in the blood before the lights went out again. A fitting attack for a monster like him. Blood shot out of his face and splattered the wall. He stood, taking heavy breaths to try and soothe the pain. Laurie ran by him, attempting to get out of the house, but Michael grabbed her throat. She could feel his cold hands beginning to crush her neck bone, and in retaliation, she used her hands and tried to grab his throat too. As she did, her hands were cut and nicked by all of the bones and discovered that something thick lay underneath his neck that seemed to protect it from being choked. She grabbed one of the bones and pulled it up, trying to rip it out of its socket. As she did, she realized his whole face was moving with the bone—he was wearing a mask. Through gasps of air, she worked her way to the base of the mask and lifted it, but it only went so far. She was able to see what was protecting his neck this whole time—he was wearing an old dog's collar, the bones were punctured through the leather and kept the mask in place. As a last attempt to save herself, she slammed her hand into the bone that was through his eye, sending it deeper into his flesh. He dropped her at once and shielded the damage.