Mountain of Death: Chapter 1

Chapter 1: End of School?

'Please you don't have to do this!', she moaned. 'We warned you not to step foot on sacred grounds. Now you have awoken the spirits of the elders and they require a sacrifice to be sedated. They lit up the fire and chanted ritualistic hymns as they carried the now helpless Sharon to her grim demise. She had lost all hope whatsoever. She shed tears of pure agony and distress. Little did she know it was all going to take an unexpected turn.

CHAPTER ONE

'Ryan! For the last time, get your ass down here. Your breakfast is getting cold'. 'Geez Mom, pushy much. I heard you the first time, l'm coming'. Ryan Beckinsaw ran down the flight of steps for breakfast with his family. Mrs Sarah Beckinsaw was grumpy as always, Mr Dave Beckinsaw was enjoying the sports section of his morning newspaper. Their daughter Sharon Beckinsaw, who was the twin of Ryan and a senior in high school was busy texting her girlfriends. 'Now that all of you are here, we want to discuss about the family vacation. I know you hate this as much as l do but it is crucial we do this so that we strengthen our family bond blah blah', Mrs Beckinsaw said. 'Mom we are too old for this besides I had prior plans with my girls pals. We want to leave this boring town of Kempshire and head over to Hillbrow City to have some fun. I know you are going to say no but keep in mind that I'm 18 years old now and l am allowed to make my own decisions. I know my ri..' Mrs Beckinsaw interrupted midway. 'Shut the fuck up Sharon! As long as you are under my roof and using my money, you will go on this trip and hell you will enjoy it too damn it! Now your dad and l are going to the travel agency to choose a suitable travel destination. Whatever place we choose is final', Mrs Beckinsaw furiously annunciated. ' Ah Honey l have a meeting later on and l cant go with you to the agency. I'm sorry but you going to have to sort this out on your own. I trust whatever decision you make honey', Mr Beckinsaw softly spoke. Ryan remained quiet all this while. He was a shy kid but was a top A student. He had received a full scholarship to Harvard to study Medicine. Sharon on the other hand was a party girl. She was the most popular girl at school and was sought after by every guy at her school. Mrs Beckinsaw was a housewife. She has dropped out of law school to raise her children and to be frank, she had regretted that very decision. Her kids were ungrateful bastards and her husband was well, dumb. Anyway she carried her burdens like a real suburban housewife and showed fake smiles wherever she went. Mr Beckinsaw was beloved by everyone in town. He was known as the 'Gentle Guy'. He was kind to all and held no grudges no matter who or what was done to him. It truly was a crazy combination of family members and their neighbours could also testify to that. The Ketchs were the perfect family next door. Not the same could be said for their hyperbolas next door neighbours. The Ketch family could write an award winning book on the trials and tribulation they faced in the 20 years whilst being neighbours to the Beckinsaws. However both families never dug deep into their feelings and were completely non hostile towards each other. The town of Kempshire was small and simple. Everybody knew each other by name and it was perfect. Some, however, did not share in this perfection. They considered it boring and so old fashioned.
'Have a great last day at school kids!. Remember to eat your lunches', said Mrs Beckinsaw. The twins learnt at Kempshire High School and were now in their senior year so they wanted to leave a lasting impression at the school. 'Yooo Sharon where you headed this vacation?', asked Brody, Sharon's friend. 'My mom is obviously going to take us someplace boring as always. She always ceases to amaze me you know. Where you goin' Brody?'. 'My mom allowed to go over to Hillbrow baby. Gonna be lit!'. Ryan as always was stuck in the shadow. He was a quiet boy as always. The bell rang and all the students ran to their respective classrooms. Sharon went to the English lecture first. It was taught by Mrs Kampfire. Sharon was completely bored and was slowly falling asleep when something unimaginable happened. As she closed her eyes and tilted her head towards the classroom window she saw a man standing completely still by the garbage bin. He wore rags and was wearing a haunting mask. Sharon was puzzled and a little bit frightened. She frantically scanned the whole classroom to see if anyone else was seeing this phenomenon. She soon realized that everyone was completely still and their faces were frozen. She faced the front and saw Mrs Kampfire looking directly at her. Her face was kinda pale and her eyes crimson red. She stood there motionless without blinking an eye. Sharon turned around and saw that everyone was looking at her hauntingly. Their mouths began oozing blood. She then heard a grim, raspy voice whisper in her ear 'DONT COME TO THE MOUNTAIN!'. Her body shuddered in response to utter fear. She faced front and saw the man with a haunting mask looking directly at her. He grabbed her head, opened wide his disgusting mouth and screamed into her face, 'DONT COME TO THE MOUNTAIN!'. She let out a piercing scream which shook the whole classroom. She then woke up from her trans state. The teacher looked worried and asked Sharon if she was okay. She packed her bags and left the classroom running like a madman. Meanwhile, Sharon's mom made her way to the local travel agency to pick out a vacation destination. The agencies premises were pretty well pampered. The building itself was a marvel but simple. 'Mrs Beckinsaw! Glad to see you again', louded a young tall man as he ran towards her. 'Freddy! I hope you got something good for me', replied Mrs Beckinsaw. 'I wouldnt let you down would l. Step into my office l have a few brochures you can take a look at. Sophie get Mrs Beckinsaw a hot cup of coffee please'. 'No dont bother Sophie l'm good, how are you?'. 'I'm great Mrs Beckinsaw', replied Sophie, Fred Biggs secretary. 'Mrs Beckinsaw you are in luck. I have a few great places that will really interest you and your family'. 'My family dont give a rats ass where we go Fred. They dont even care where we go at all'. 'Now Sarah, how else can you bond with your family other than going on a nice vacation. Take a look at this brochure. The name of the Island is Tipi Tapa. Famous for its cascading rivers and breathtaking scenery. Has great family activities that will really make the vacation fun!'. 'I aint really looking for something extravagant Fred. I want something simple and inexpensive at the least'. 'Ok l hear you. Take a look at some of these other brochures while l step out for a moment, okay?'. 'Okay Fred'. Mrs Beckinsaw remained seated inside Freds office. She flipped through all the brochures she was given. She then started to glance around the office and saw Sophie looking directly at her. She had a sickening smile on her face, one that would make you wet yourself. She was oozing blood from the mouth and her whole body started seizuring in that instant. Mrs Beckinsaw sat their frozen and let out a dry whisper, 'So…Sophie are u okay?'. Soon after her attention turned when a paper fell on the floor with a loud thud. She picked it up and saw it was a brochure of another holiday resort area. She was puzzled since she hadnt seen it anywhere before. She turned back to where Sophie was seated and saw that she was perfectly fine. Her eyes then sank deep and she let out a sigh of both fright and relief. 'WELCOME TO THE MOUNTAIN OF DEATH! A PLACE WHERE YOU ARE SURE TO DIE OF EXCITEMENT', the brochure read. Suddenly she was intrigued. Just then Freddy walked back in. 'Reached a decision yet, Mrs Becks?'. 'Yes l have Fred. I want to got to this Mountain of Death. It seems interesting. Book it Fred. Fred looked suddenly tense and worried. 'Where did you get that Sarah? Forget about this. That mountain it is bad news!.Where did you get that brochure by the way? I thought i got rid of all of those a while back.. 'Why Fred, it seems like a fun place to be. Its like l hear it calling to me in a sweet seranading voice'. 'I am telling you Sarah its bad news over there'. Sarah was mesmerised by the brochure to an extent that she could not hear the warnings of Fred. 'Why are you so ignorant! I have warned you people not to go to this place but you wont listen. Its out of my hands now!'. Sarah burst out of her chair and shouted, 'Fred book it! And call me with the details'. She stormed out of the office and slammed the door behind her. Fred saw the shadow of Sarah go out of focus. He sank deep into his chair and said, 'Sarah o Sarah what have you got yourself into'.
The bell rang signalling the end of school. Sharon bolted out of the school headfront, mind still boggled pertaining to what had happened earlier. 'Sharon wait!', shouted Ryan. 'Why are you walking so fast? Whats wrong tell me?'. 'You wouldnt believe me even if l tried. Just stay away from me asshead, dont you know the way home', said Sharon as she picked up her pace. Meanwhile Mr Beckinsaw was pulling into the drive way where he parked his car. Coincidentally his kids were also just arriving. 'Evening sweetheart. Evening Ryan', said Mr Beckinsaw as he greeted his kids. 'How was work Dad?', asked Ryan. 'Tiresome but joyful as always', responded his father. They made their way to the house entrance, entered and found their mother sitted in the living room, with a weird smile painted all over her face. She slowly turned her head to her family who were getting inside. 'You are home!. Quickly get here and sit down. I have got great news for us concerning the vacation!', she said in a high pitched tone. 'Mom cant this waii..(interrruption) I said get your asses over here, now!!!', said Sharons mother interrupting her. She was now riddled with anger but her face quickly changed from angry to happy. 'Now, l went over to the agency today and l have found us a great vacation destination'. 'Okay Honey, what is this place that has got you all fired up?', asked her husband. She then pulled out the brochure and placed it on the coffee table in the middle of the living room. Everyones attention quickly shifted to the piece of paper. 'Mountain of Death, wow!', said Ryan who was astonished. 'This looks good honey and quite cheap too. And the fact that you are happy makes me happy too', said Dave. Sharon was surprisingly silent and kept her eyes fixated on the paper laying on the table. She didnt blink and suddenly fell into a trans like state. She remembered what had happened at school earlier, how she was warned not to go to any mountain. She then bursted out, 'We cant go to this mountain Mom, its too dangerous! Bad things will happen if we go there for sure!'. Everyone paused for a minute and then her mother spoke out. She switched back to the weird smile she had earlier on and spoke in a soft voice. 'Sharon dear, nobody likes a party pooper. We are going to this mountain and that is final. Now prepare for the last day of school and look forward to this exciting trip, got it?!'. Sharon ran up the staircase and slammed the door shut as she entered her room. Her mother looked up as Sharon went and said in a scary tone, 'This is going to be fun!', and let out an unusual laugh that creeped all who heard it.