WITHIN THE WOODS
By Sam Raimi
It was in the afternoon, a small farmhouse sat on a lonely hill in northern Michigan. Four college students, two couples, had decided to vacation there in the woods.
Inside of the house, in the kitchen, a young girl about 20 years old was preparing food. Her name was Ellen Hunter. She was a lovely girl with long brown hair. "Now let's see if we've got everything…" She said as she looked at the food on the table. There were two Twinkies on the dining table next to the picnic basket. "Twinkie's‚ yuck‚ I hate
Twinkie's‚ salt and pepper‚ hot dogs‚ egg salad‚ milk and napkins. That's everything you need for a picnic all right."
Her hand moved over to some pointed stones.
"..But what's this?" Ellen said as she held one up to her face, "They look like skipping stones."
"They're arrowheads‚" said her boyfriend, Bruce. Bruce Williams was an intelligent young man of 21 years of age. He had thick dark hair and wore glasses, "I found them right outside the door. You know this whole area used to be Indian land."
"Hey Shelly‚ Come on along for the picnic" Ellen called out to someone else in the other room. "We're going live like Indians as long as we're up here."
In the dining room, Scott Perkins and his girlfriend Shelly Daniels are playing Monopoly. "Ah, Indians don't go on picnics" said Shelly. Shelly was a 19 year old woman with long dark brown hair. She loved to play Monopoly.
"C'mon‚" begged Ellen, "please?"
"Oh shaddap will ya‚" snapped Scott as he rolled the dice with a large pile of 500's in front of him. "Don't bother us‚ I've got her right where I want her; seven spaces in front of boardwalk." Scott rolls the dice and laughs. Scott was a young man of 20 years of age with short dark hair. He was a little shorter than Bruce.
"Okay for you‚" said Ellen, "but you're going to miss a good time."
"C'mon‚" yells Bruce as he walks out the front door, "Let's go."
"I'm coming," said Ellen, "well we come here to have fun and all she wants to do is play Monopoly."
"Don't worry about," says Bruce as he puts his arm around Ellen, "Let's go."
As Bruce and Ellen leave the cabin, the porch bench was swinging back and forth, but there is no wind.
As Bruce and Ellen approach the woods‚ Bruce pulls out the arrowheads for his pocket. "Hey," he said to Ellen, "I'm gonna teach you something interesting."
Bruce holds up a small arrowhead, "See this one? It used to fit on a hunting arrow." He makes an arrow sound
Effect and demonstrates the motion with his hand. The he holds up a bigger arrowhead. "This one's part of a larger spear for hunting big game‚ like deer."
Ellen turned to him and giggles, "How do you know so much about Indians?" She asked.
"Well, I'm an old boy scout‚ it's my duty to know." Bruce answers as he holds up two fingers in the Boy Scout salute. "Besides‚ I grew up around here. It's all I ever heard about. Indian stories‚ Indian legends... Wanna hear
Something else interesting?"
Ellen smirks at Bruce, "For a change you mean?" and she laughs.
"The place we're gonna camp is an old burial ground." Says Bruce as he stops and pretends to look around to see if anyone is looking‚ and then he whispers "Very sacred and holy."
"Oh‚ scary!" says Ellen as they continue to walk through the woods "Is it cursed or something?"
"Yes," says Bruce, "As a matter of fact it is."
Ellen stopped, "Are you serious?"
"Yeah‚ but don't worry. Supposedly‚ you're only cursed by evil spirits if you violate the Indian grave‚ and we're just gonna be eating hot dogs. Besides‚ I'm here to protect you."
"You?"
"Yeah."
"You're gonna protect me?"
"Yeah!" Bruce answered a little angry.
"Okay." Ellen says as she walks off laughing. Bruce chases after her. "Hey!"
. . .
At the campsite‚ Ellen unfolds the blanket and sets the picnic basket on top of it.
"I'm gonna build a fire for the hot dogs‚" says Bruce, "why don't you find some wood."
Bruce grabs some large stones and places them in a ring. He then begins to dig out the center. A few inches down he comes across a wooden cross‚ made of two pointed sticks bound together by a leather strap. He pulls it out of the ground‚ and a cold wind begins to blow from a distant
Section of the woods.
Bruce puts it aside as he sees something beneath it. He pulls it out of the ground. It's a half−rotted burlap−type bag covering an object. He finds it to be a dagger with an 'X' on it and a jewel on the handle.
"Hey Ellen!" Bruce yelled, "Come look at this!"
Ellen came running over to Bruce. "What is it?" She asked.
"It's an old Indian dagger: it's in perfect shape."
"What's it doing there?"
Ellen moves to the blanket and lies down upon it.
"Well‚" says Bruce as he approached Ellen, "when the 'medicine man' or 'Shaman' of a tribe died‚ they used to bury one of his possessions with him‚ so he could have it in his next life."
Bruce moves to the blanket and sits next to her.
"You mean we're having a picnic over someone's dead body?" asked Ellen giving Bruce a funny look.
"Yeah‚ but all that's left now is Tinga." Then Bruce began to repeat the legend he's heard a thousand times.
"The Indian spirit of the woods who watches over and protects the medicine man's grave for all eternity."
Ellen looks at Bruce a little frightened. Bruce reacts and smiles at her. Reassured‚ she closes her eyes and rests her head on Bruce's shoulder.
Back at the cabin‚ Scott and Shelly are still playing Monopoly. Scott now has only a small pile of money‚ while Shelly's is quite large.
"Dammit!" said Scott in frustration, "I hate this game!"
Shelly smiled at him "Oh you just said that 'cause you're losing now." She giggled.
"Oh I'm sure. I said it," snapped Scott, "because it's a dumb game. Only fat spastic people‚ who can't do anything ever‚ should play this game. Lousy game!"
"Oh really?" laughed Shelly, "Well you liked it twenty minutes ago when you were winning."
Scott gave her a mean look, "I didn't like it then either... Well that was different."
"Why was that different?"
"I was winning." Mumbled Scott.
Shelly laughed again.
. . .
Back in the woods‚ Ellen is asleep on the blanket. She opens her eyes and reaches for Bruce‚ but he is gone. It is almost twilight and the wind has become colder. Ellen raps a shirt around herself as the wind whistles in her ears.
"Bruce?"
No answer. She gathers up the blanket‚ basket and uneaten food‚ then heads back toward the cabin.
"Bruce‚ where are you?"
It's getting darker so she moves quickly through the woods. She stumbles over a log and begins to rise when she sees drops of blood dripping into a pool. She looks up and sees that the blood is dripping from Bruce's mutilated body.
Suspended from a tree‚ the corpse is a grisly display of twisted limbs and torn flesh. One eye dangles from its socket by an adhering strip of muscle. It was disgusting!
Ellen screams and turns to run when she is halted by the sound of a snapping branch. She stands and listens. There is no more sound or movement. She waits.
Then‚ in a flurry of chaotic noise‚ something moves powerfully toward her. She turns running back to the cabin, stumbling over branches‚ through a swamp‚ with this thing rapidly closing in on her. She emerges from the woods into a clearing.
Finally she makes her way back to the front door of the cabin. It's locked!
"Oh no! OH PLEASE GOD NO!"
She pounds desperately while the thing gets closer.
"Open up!" Ellen screamed "Oh please open up!"
"All right‚ all right!" yelled Scott getting up from the Monopoly game. "I'm coming!"
The force emerges from the woods and rushes from behind.
Ellen pulls out a ring of keys and tries one‚ then another. The thing is coming closer and is almost upon her. She drops the keys and reaches for them when a hand grabs her arm. She screams but it is only Scott.
She hugs him tightly and they move inside to the main room. The force retreats to the woods.
"He's dead‚ he's dead‚ he's dead..." Ellen yelled sobbing hysterically.
"Who's dead?" asked Scott as he tried to comfort Ellen, "Do you mean Bruce?"
"He was..." Ellen sobbed, "he was all cut up... in a tree... I saw him‚ I saw..."
"Did you see his face?" asked Scott, "Are you sure it was Bruce?"
"I... I... don't know. I feel asleep‚ and then I couldn't find him... And then I started running and I saw him..."
Shelly moved in and put an arm around Ellen, "Ellen‚ you were sleeping. It could have been a nightmare."
"I don't know‚ it seemed so real... maybe it was just a dream‚ I don't know." Ellen said, beginning to calm down a little.
"Maybe Bruce is hurt‚" Scott says to Shelly "I'll go back and look for him. Take care of her‚ I'll be back in a little while." Shelly nods.
Scott leaves the cabin and disappears into the darkness.
"Now just sit still‚ I'll get you something to eat." Says Shelly as she walks into the kitchen. "I'll bet you twenty dollars that Bruce and Scott will come walking through that door in about thirty seconds laughing their heads off."
Outside the cabin, Scott moves from the clearing into the woods as the sunsets. A creature was once Bruce watches him go‚ then it turns its attention to the cabin.
Back at the cabin inside of the main room, "They should be back by now." Said Ellen a little worried "Where are they?"
"They're probably rounding up the picnic basket and blanket..." Shelly said‚ but she did not believe it herself.
The picnic basket and blanket lie on the on the ground. Scott finds them‚ and picks up the basket. It is soaked in blood. "What in the hell…" He drops it in horror "My god! What the hell happened here?!" Then Scott looks back to the cabin.
In the cabin the girls are restless.
"Look‚ I put some food on the stove for you." Said Shelly "Now you wait here‚ I'm going out for a look."
Ellen looked up at Shelly in horror; "No!" she sobbed "Please don't go out there."
"Its okay" Shelly told Ellen, "I'm just gonna step outside and shine the light into the woods. I won't go far."
She opens the door and shines the flashlight outside, nothing was there; no signs of life. "Where in the hell are they?!"
Suddenly Bruce leaps out in front of Shelly. Before she can react he steps in and takes her by the hair with a loud roar. Screaming‚ Shelly is lifted from the ground by her hair‚ and with his free hand Bruce spears her throat with the dagger. Blood pours from her mouth‚ nose and ears.
Ellen screamed as Bruce threw Shelly's body outside‚ over the railing and lands on the wooden cross through her abdomen‚ impaling her on the ground.
Bruce turns back to Ellen‚ she slams the door and put the bolt lock in place. She leaned against the door, panting heavily. "Oh no!" Ellen yelled, "The back door!"
Ellen ran through the main room as fast as she could. She slammed the back door shut, bolted the door and collapsed on the door. Ellen desperately tried to catch her breath for a minute.
"I've got to defend myself," Ellen said to herself, "I need a weapon!"
Ellen enters the kitchen where she finds two large Butchers
Knives. Sliding one into her belt‚ and gripping the other; she waits.
The house is deathly silent. Ellen can't even hear crickets chirping. Then a small noise is heard‚ a clicking of metal. It is the back door knob slowly turning. Someone was trying to get in!
Ellen moves to the door and unlocks it. It opens and slowly a figure enters. Ellen holds her breath and swings her knife‚ plunging it into the body.
He screams once and falls. She has stabbed Scott who has returned from the woods.
"No! No... My God‚ No!" screamed Ellen.
She backs away from the body against a window.
Bruce appears outside the glass.
In horror‚ Ellen turns and sees him.
"Oh my God‚ the door!"
She runs back to Scott‚ as Bruce rounds the corner of the cabin. Ellen attempts to slam the door‚ but Scott's legs are in the way.
Bruce is now twenty feet from the door. Ellen tries to pull Scott from the doorway‚ but he is too heavy and she can hardly move him. He moans in pain as she drags him.
Bruce is now only ten feet from the door. Ellen still can't close the door. Scott's foot blocks the way. Bruce reaches for the door. Ellen frees Scott's foot‚ and slams the door in Bruce's face. She bolts the door once again; Bruce pounces on the door for a little while and then stops.
"I... I... saw it." Scoot whispered, "Get my gun... the cellar..."
Ellen runs to the cellar door and throws it open. All is dark and silent. As Ellen slowly walks down the stairs, the cellar door closes behind her.
She reaches the last step which is rotten; the step collapses under her weight and she falls to the dirt floor face first.
Ellen came out of her daze and looked up; the door leading to the next room creaked open."Come on, GET UP!"
Ellen climbed back up to her feet and continued on. She entered the next room and approached a table cover with books and other junk.
"This must be it." Ellen said to herself, "The gun must be here someplace." She searches to table, knocking the books on to the floor.
Finally, Ellen finds Scott's gun. It was a 45 caliber Colt automatic pistol. Ellen hears a crash upstairs, it was the window.
Ellen searches the table a little more until she find a small box of 45 caliber bullets. "Alright!" She thought to herself, "Now I'm ready!"
Ellen finishes loading the gun‚ and heads back up the stairs slowly, aiming the gun straight ahead.
Ellen pushed the door open and looked around the main room, all was quiet.
Ellen could hear her heart pounding as she passed by the broken window. She saw the opening where the curtains flutter in the wind. The wind howled as Ellen began to sweat more and more.
She looks over to Scott. He's dead and the wooden cross has been driven through his torso.
"Nooo! Nooo..." Ellen sobbed.
Reacting‚ she backs into the front door. "Come on! Don't lose it! Just calm down! You're going to be okay." Ellen told herself, "Yeah sure, easy for you to say! You know you're gonna die!" said another part of Ellen brain. "Oh shut up! I'm not dead yet! I can do it!" she screamed.
Next Ellen hear footsteps all round the house, as if something was looking for a way inside. Ellen was ready for an attack, but it never came.
The footsteps stopped and all was silent. Ellen looked around the room, tilting her head for the slightest sound.
Finally two rotten hands burst through the door from behind and grab Ellen. Ellen screamed as she tears away from Bruce's grip.
Bruce's hands pull away and he looks through one of the holes that he made through the door.
Ellen aimed the gun at Bruce's face and squeezes the trigger; firing four shot into Bruce's face. Bruce pulls away.
Ellen looks through the holes in the door, she sees nothing.
Suddenly Bruce reaches in through the window next to the door and grabs Ellen again. He knocks the gun from her hand and grabs her arm.
As Ellen falls away from Bruce, Bruce quickly climbs in through the broken window. The dagger is firmly clenched in his other hand as he faces her.
"You have violated the ancient ways‚" said Bruce in a strange, demon-like voice "and so you must die to join us."
Ellen screams as she removes the butcher knife from her belt and she slashes at Bruce just as he grabs her around her neck. Ellen managed to cut through Bruce's hand; almost cutting it off.
Bruce screamed in a deep, bone-chilling voice. His hands was still hanging off on his wrist.
Still clutching Ellen by the throat, Bruce brought his damaged wrist up to his mouth and began to bite into his own wrist. Chewing and chewing until the hand fell from the bloody wrist.
Still clutching the dagger‚ the hand lands on the Monopoly board as the bloody stump spewed blood all over Ellen's face.
Ellen cried out as Bruce screamed in agony.
Ellen reaches for the gun‚ but Bruce slaps her into the kitchen with a backhand blow and continues after her.
Desperately‚ Ellen throws a can of popcorn at him‚ then a full skillet of hot grease into his face.
Bruce screams again and falls backward over a chair. He is only dazed and lurches back to grab her by the throat.
Throttling Ellen‚ he bends her back upon the table. She reaches frantically behind Bruce for the severed hand that holds the Indian dagger‚ and Bruce tightens his grip.
"Join us!" yells Bruce.
With her last gasp‚ Ellen reaches the hand.
"Join us!"
With all her effort‚ she rams the dagger held by the hand into Bruce's spine.
Bruce screeches‚ releases his grip and falls dead. Black ooze Pours from his wounds.
Ellen regains her breath and begins crying over
Bruce.
As she does this he jerks up and she watches in horror as he moves about like a marionette.
Bruce is suddenly hoisted up to his feet and forced toward her again.
"No‚ this isn't happening..." yelled Ellen "No more..."
Ellen notices a small axe by the fireplace.
"Yes! Why didn't I see that before?!"
Now in a wild frenzy Ellen grabs the nearby axe.
"Die! Die! Die!"
Chopping furiously‚ Ellen proceeds to dismember him with it.
"JUST DIE! DIE!"
When finished‚ she drops the axe‚ and lumps over the body of her one time lover‚ sobbing heavily.
It was over now; she had chopped her boyfriend up into several pieces.
The body parts twitched in the pool of blood for a while and then stopped.
Ellen is alone now! She had to hack her boyfriend to piece to save her own life!
However; behind her‚ Scott begins to jerk about in the same marionette−like movements.
Scott's body sits up‚ he is now possessed‚ and he slowly turns slowly toward Ellen.
THE END