Disclaimer: I do not own Phantom of the Opera, When a Stranger Calls, Beauty and the Beast, or Keturah and Lord Death; they all belong to their rightful owners.
Author's Note: Hello again. Ya'll are probably wonderin' why in world's name would I be writin' another story not posted up on my profile, right? Well this idea came to mind when I was watching the spooky film, "When a Stranger Calls," and then it was like 'ka-whoosh!' So here I am, just to get my mind off of some of my other works. But, good news my inspiration is still with me! Yayness so that is wonderful; means I'll be writin' more. And also, if anyone was curious, this fic is based off the movie made in 2006.
This is obviously a chapter fic. Which I really didn't intend for it to be; It was suppose to be a one-shot, but then I realized there is too much stuff involved in the movie, and so much I wish to put in the fic, it just turned out as it is. But that's okay; it will be finished just like my other works will be.
Along with this, or afterwards I mean, there will be a few more updates. "A New Beginning," is almost finished with my own edit, along with "Barnfire," which will be turned to my real beta to do another glance over and, then post it! Finally! But unfortunately both stories are on my laptop, which at the moment is broken…so that sucks. And to add on that, I am slowly starting the beginning of the fifth chapter to "Warrior's Angel" and the second chapter of "Fears", also chapter two of this fic will be out by this week hopefully. So, I'm gonna be quite a busy girl. But, just to say, my other updates probably won't happen for months, at the moment I am going to focus writing a few more chapters for this fanfic, because otherwise, it'll take me forever to update. I tend to get writer's block quite often...
Well anyways, here it is, new piece, loosely based on the movie "When a Stranger Calls." This is my first time writing in the horror section, so there will be awkward moments, since it's not my kind of genre I normally do…but we'll all live. Anyways, have a great read, and please review, thank you. Oh and, it hasn't been beta-ed yet, but hopefully sometime next week or soon, my beta will be able to do a good job with the corrections. Just wanted to get this out, cuz it took me hours to do. A bit backwards I'd say, but I have an awesome beta. Please go read his fanfics. Brent-Ka has some really nice talents, that I can assure you.
Summary: An original scare tale of the babysitter and the anonymous prank phone calls. Loosely based off of the film set "When a Stranger Calls." In a small town, secrets come back to life, and Christine finds herself in situations she never thought could happen to her. She gets in trouble for staying out too late, and has to earn her way out of her punishment by working. Her first job, babysitting the children of the town's richest business owner, Ms. Noelle Matthews. Little does she know, the old town's long lost murderer comes back to have his revenge. And sets his mind on none other then, Christine Daae. But not even a murderer can hold a black heart forever...everybody gets at least one chance at love.
Warnings: Language, graphic scenes (a.k.a. blood, death, and so on.). Also there is no Raoul here. I'm not a Raoul-basher, and I don't hate him either, but he normally never makes an appearance in any of my works. And with Christine, I'm doing an experiment with her. In this fic she will be a fiery witch in the beginning, but as the story goes on, she'll slowly turn into the vulnerable kind.
I want to give a special thanks to Shadow Stalkr, for pointing out a few errors.
The scowling brunette quickly snatched her purse, and with as much strength that she had within her, wrenched the van door wide open, hearing the satisfying sound of the cracking glass from behind. The occupants in the van didn't move a muscle, only one dared to do such. To them a broken window didn't even make a dent in their wallets, but an enraged woman at their heels with the look of murder in her eyes, did. The still statue of the other figures in the car didn't need to turn to look at the scene before them, their ears heard it all. The only one in the vehicle that dared to stand up against the enraged female was probably risking his own front, but none the less, he continued to argue with the wild banshee, who at the moment was on the grass facing her opponent.
"I knew I should never have trusted you." The burning hatred in her eyes never softened. Christine took another breath before continuing on. "My father had been right all along. You're such a bastard. Was this all a game to you? Perhaps it was..." The angry remark was answered equally in return.
"Trusted me?" Kevin threw his head back and laughed bitterly," No, no princess, it is you who can't be trusted. You're just like the rest of them. All pretty and sweet, yet too goody-two shoes for my liking," Kevin bit his tongue to keep from brutally attacking the girl in front of him. Though he kept the harsh response to himself, Kevin refused to let this woman win the victory of the battle. "Now you listen here. My full intention was to bring you back here safely…but you never gave me a time or a limit line for that matter. After all, I believe I have the right-
"You have the right? My ass! You have no rights over me…And as far as I'm concerned, this is over! You promised my father to bring me home before eleven, and look here, my watch says it's one in the morning! And on top of that you tried to take my virtue, just so you could win some damn bet! Just for what? To get your filthy hands on some money and go see that sorry excuse for a female, Savannah Summers, no? Isn't that right? You fancy the Whore of Manhattan! Who ever knew?"
"Now, you just wait a min-
"No! This is done. Over! My decision is final. You can go screw that whore, while I get my life back together, without you. Now goodbye, and have a great day." And with that Christine angrily whipped around, storming towards the direction of her home, which was just a few blocks away. After a few minutes of silence, she finally heard the sound of the van door jerk forward and slam shut, then the screeching tires from behind her, pulling around to go in the other direction. She didn't care. She was a strong independent woman; she could handle herself out here in the dark.
The sound of her high heels clicking against the asphalt, echoed loudly in the dimly-lit street. To her ears, it almost seemed too loud; of course she was the only person out and about. Not to mention who in their right minds would be out at this time of night? But still the echoes from her clicking heels, made her think that the sound could carry for miles, almost making herself blush. But even though, that still didn't calm the resolve in her system.
Suddenly a deafening clap of thunder sounded throughout the town, lightening turning the entire sky a fearsome electric white. The approaching storm jolted her back into reality. Shivering from the chilly air, she tugged her light jacket closer around her lithe form. The way the trees were swaying in the wind, surrounded by the darkness, sparked a bit of uneasiness in her, along with the thunderstorm closing in, made her speed her pace up another notch. She just hoped she'd make it to the house before the rain hit.
It felt like she had been walking forever. Where was her house? Surely, she hadn't passed it? She was on the right street, wasn't she? Or perhaps the jackass had purposely dumped her far enough away from her destination. But Kevin wouldn't dare do such a thing, especially around this time of night, would he? Of course him and his friends had been drinking…it wouldn't be a surprise if she was on some other street. She just hoped that wasn't the case. But she knew she had walked over a few blocks more then what she should have. The surroundings around her didn't look familiar.
She never did like the dark…especially on stormy nights. All those scary movies she watched the weekend before were coming back to memory, making her shiver from both the cold and apprehension. Shaking her head, things like that never happened during the present day lives of a small community in an equally small town, like hers. Wellpools was probably one of smallest towns in the hilly region of South Dakota. Not many people lived up in their part of the state; the vast majority were Native Americans. Most were like family to the neighboring towns, including theirs.
Wellpools, if anything was an old one-horse kinda town. Less then a hundred people resided here. All residents knew each other one way or another, so it was like one big, old, happy, family living together. To the townspeople, a fence was a welcoming invitation to come on over and have a nice chit-chat with the friendly individuals next door or on the street taking a walk. After all, half the town was filled with the elderly, who still had a bit of livin' left in them.
The town had its main street, along with a few stores and buildings. Such as their main shopping place, the general store. They also had a bank, a gas station, a small country diner or cafe, a church, an old broken down school house, and an old rundown motel that was still in business, surprisingly. It also had a few houses scattered around the edges of the town, with homes entwined along the sides of the streets as well.
On the other side of the main way, the houses were in a straight line, matching its neighbors' length. The town itself only had six streets altogether. Which seemed small with a hundred residents, but no, it fit perfectly. It was a good humble place to live at, even though with the shortage of jobs, and most of the children had to go to the neighboring towns or cities for school. But, every town has its secrets, or so she'd been told.
Apparently, Wellpools had a history of what the townsfolk liked to call tall tales and other various stories from the past. But this was the 21st century, and it was hard to believe anything terrible had once happened here. Or the myths of some sort and legends, it was just unheard of. But the folks here believed the story tellers from the locals. And they were mighty fine story tellers. Even had her believin' in the murders and ghosts from the past comin' up to haunt their victims and future generations. Or the witches that once resided on the west side of the town, or the graveyard that held all of the evil spirits that were once known as the dreadful murderers of all times.
But if it had all been true or false for that matter, it was the old world, and should have been put to rest long ago. But every year the locals and other residents would gather round the main hall and bring the stories back to the living, even as the new world came to life. She never did understand why they couldn't just leave the past alone, if what they said was true. Talkin' bout the strange happenings and the bloody deaths, just gave her the creeps. As crazy as the old town was, she was proud to be part of Wellpools. A smile crept up on her features, as past memories of when she was a little girl swam around in her mind. Then another flash of lightening followed by the thunderous clouds caving in, brought her back to her current position.
She tried to focus her attention on the road ahead of her, but couldn't see anything, but the shadows of the trees on the side, swaying around in the darkness. Which put her mind on a blank surface, and then it dawned on her. She was still walking. The fact that she was still walking, just struck her on the spot. Apparently some time in the hour her feet had gone numb, along with the blinding darkness all around her, had put her in another world, and now she could feel the cold seeping into her clothes. Oh, how it stung her delicate skin. She bet her bottom dollar her face was all frozen red from the biting cold. But the prick of fear didn't end there.
She knew she couldn't stop right at the side of the street, otherwise she'd become the victim of hypothermia. Just as she took another step, her sandal-strapped foot touched gravel. She sucked in her breath. That wasn't good. That meant she was well passed her street, even worse she was on the back roads of the town. But that's not what frightened her out of her wits. She was in the dark part of the town's limits; the place where all the stories came to life. And the little patch of land, where the graveyard was located at; behind the monstrous looking trees.
Biting her lip, she glanced behind her and spotted the old house to her side. It was the only house that hadn't had any residents in it for decades. It gave off an eerie feeling just by standing so close to the property. The house itself was nothing but a wooden mess. Its roof was caved in, the windows were broken, except for one that still had the glass pane with a big crack that went diagonal to the other side. There was only the molding dark wood, where years of rain had done its damage along with the weeds that grew up to the top.
The paint had slowly chipped off from the lack of any caring soul, therefore leaving it bare and ugly as the dirt it was perched on. But she was told it was once one of the most beautiful Victorian homes near the town. Perhaps at one time it was a huge three story place, but now it just looked like a pile of dead wood, with a bunch of dead weeds attached to all the sides. The porch was nothing but a few logs lying on the ground in ashes, as if a fire had finally ended its beauty.
As the story goes, a young girl had died at the hands of a monstrous murderer, a blood-lusting nutcase about 20 some years ago when the girl had been dared from a round house of kids, to go to the haunted house at night, where the eccentric madman use to live, and stay in the house to see if she heard any call from the past victims who he had tortured years before. Unfortunately for the girl, the madman was still there in the rundown place, and had only faked his death so the locals would leave him be. The girl was left to die, while the others ran, never once turning back.
The next morning the girl's body was found, torn to pieces hanging from the cross at the front of the church. Words written upon the church walls in blood, a final warning to those who dare disturb his peace, would surely find themselves in the same fate as the girls. From that point on, nobody dared cross the path that lead in front of that house, it was left alone, and years later, the murderer had finally left, or so they thought.
Taking a deep breath, she stepped onto the withered, wet property, and then stopped, frozen to her spot. Two yellow specks were staring at her from behind the one cracked window. When she blinked…they were gone. Stumbling back, she turned and ran the direction she had come from. The feeling of being watched came intensely upon her. She could feel the burning eyes on the back of her head, causing fear to rise up and try to cease her very being. Adrenaline rushed through her veins, making her run as fast as her legs would take her. The wind was whipping wildly against her face, almost to the point where her flesh could crack open, for blood to seep out, but she didn't dare stop, for fear of whatever it had been, could be following her. She didn't want to die, she was only eighteen.
After she was sure she had gotten off the road and onto another, she collasped down on the wet concrete, breathing heavily from the force of the run she had put herself up to. How glad she was to see concrete. She couldn't believe how stupid she had been. What was she thinking of even continuing on down that wretched road? It was nothing but danger, and she wanted to steer clear away from it. Stringing her fingers through her matted, damp hair, she looked up and saw a pair of headlights coming her way. Frantically, she waved her arms about, signaling to the driver to stop. The truck came to a halt just a foot away from her. At the moment, she really didn't care who it was, she needed a ride, and hopefully it was one of the town folks coming in from the factory works from down below.
She ran to the driver's window, and was surprised to see the old farmer who owned a few acres out back. Oddly enough, he was one of the local towns' crazy story-tellers. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she managed to smile, and then it was then she noticed that is had been raining, and she was completely soaked. The fear had numbed her, letting the rain go unnoticed.
"Well miz, wha' on ear'h ar' ya doin' ou' 'ere in dis typ' o' weathe' n' especia'ly s'late in t' nigh'?" The thick accent greeted her ears, and to her it was the sweetest sound she had heard all day. "I was dumped off not too far from here, and have been walking ever since. It's me Christine Daae, the girl living on Oak Street in the green house. Mr. Reynolds, could you please drive me home? I don't know where I'm at and I saw eyes over yonder there." She pointed in the direction she had come from. The look in Mr. Reynolds eyes held concern for the poor girl, but also a hint of fear.
"Hol' it Miz Daae, I think th' col' 'as got'en ya int' a lil' fit o' 'n illness. And o' course I'd be mor' n' welcom'd t' giv' ya a lift. Aft'r a'l dis place ain't no place fer a lady t' be. Hop righ' on in, I'll ge'cha 'ome." Smiling, he unlocked the doors for Christine. After climbing in, she wrapped her arms around herself, trying to warm up. Mr. Reynolds turned the heat on, and then glanced at her with a worried look etched on his face. He wondered why such a young girl would be wandering down in these part of the woods. Clearing his throat, he got her attention.
"Miz Daae, ya do kno' tha' aft'r midnigh' he com's ou' t' haun' those oo' dar' walk in 'is ter'itory?" She looked at him baffled. "Why, Mr. Reynolds, I don't believe in those old ridden tales and such. And anyways what man are you talkin' 'bout? Old man Roberts? But he long died some time ago…" Christine trailed off, casting her eyes down at the floor. Those yellow orbs came to her mind again.
"No, m'dear…'im. The dark on'." Christine shivered again, but kept quiet. She didn't believe any nonsense about the tale of the dark one, the stranger of the shadows. A sadistic murderer, taunting his victims before killing them, and then after their slow deaths, he promised to haunt them in the afterlife, never to let their souls rest in peace.
"Ya' should 'ave been mor' car'ful. 'ank yer lucky starz I chose t' c'me int' town dis hour, 'en ea'lier. Or els' ya would 'ave been nex'…" Christine just nodded her head. Great to know she was getting a ride from one of the towns' loonies. Not that she didn't like Mr. Reynolds, but she kind of forgot he was quite passionate about his tales and beliefs.
"So, I s'pose those golden specks I saw were the dark one's eyes?" Just as the words slipped from her lips, did he slam on the brakes. "Wha'! M'goodness chil', ar' ya fer cer'ian?" He whispered hoarsely, his eyes practically bulging out of their sockets, and his skin turning a sickening shade of pale. Fear purely coming off of him in waves.
She turned to look out the window and to her surprise she saw her house in front of her. Turning to face the fear-clad man, she gave him a nod that told him she was going to depart. "No, maybe not. Perhaps, it was a cat? But anyways, I really must be going. Thank you for the ride, sir, it means much." And with that she quickly jumped out from the truck. From behind, she heard the old man go on. "Chil', ya mus' keep insi' o' yer 'ouse at a'l times 'an keep th' do'rs loc'ed. Now tha' he 'as seen ya, yer boun' t' be 'is nex' vic'im! Bewar' o' th' darkness!" She slammed the door, and ran to the front porch, lightening lighting up the sky. She opened the door and then glanced back and once again seen those wretched glowing orbs. Fear rising, and her heart pounding, she flew into the house and shut the door, locking it. Hand on her heart; she tried to calm her raging mind.
It wasn't true, Mr. Reynolds had been lying…there was no murderer in Wellpools…there couldn't be…it was just a small town. But as she thought back to the rundown house, she realized…cats couldn't look from the top of the window…and those eyes had been directly at the very top of the glass pane. And if it were possible it had seemed darker in the window, then it had been before when she looked again…almost as if some figure had stood in front of the window clad in black…
Shaking her head, she though it probably might have been a kid playing tricks on her. Yes, that was it! It had to be. She cast another glance out the window, just to make sure she wasn't losing her mind. Golden orbs met hers from across the other side of the street, directly staring into Christine's terrified eyes. And then, just as she blinked…they disappeared once again, leaving her in a great state of shock. Trembling, she felt the tingling pricks of the cold gnaw at her skin, forming little beads of perspiration to trickle down her pale face. Christine never noticed how her body crumbled to the floor, as her world went black.
Chapter one done! Oh, those creepy eyes stalking her, even I was a bit paranoid when writing this. But I'm so happy, six pages! Man, that took a long time to type, but I'm going to try and make the next chapter a bit longer. Already have in mind what I might do for the next chap. And it should be out by the end of this week or sooner. I'll still be workin' on the others, but since my creative juices are flowing nicely with this one, I'll try and update this fic as much as possible. Well anyways, as always, please review, it means much. Thanks for reading.
Best Wishes,
Sapphire Lupe