Understanding

The sound of IT's voice sent shivers up and down Willies spine. He was standing on the steps that lead down to the secret room, his blue eyes open wide and glassy as he stared at the coffin; he began to tremble and could feel the sweat dripping down his neck and in the small of his back, the sour knot returned to his stomach.

Come Willie… come closer…

It was standing there, black cloak on with a cane in ITS hand, dignified almost. IT was looking at him with those dark dead eyes, emotionless. My God…IT was waiting for me… Turn around…run..run while there is still time! He began to take another step down into the crypt when his skin started to feel hot, it was as if he could feel his blood heating up pushing hot waves through his body and flushing into his head. He was lightheaded and just as he went to take a step down towards the thing all the events of the previous night raced through his head; he snapped back into focus and was fully aware of where he was. No! Nooo! He turned to escape the room when the Thing flashed past him and was now standing in front of him blocking his only way out.

Do you have somewhere to be Willie ? The presence of the Thing directly in front of him took him off guard and he stumbled backward, losing his footing on the stairs and fell to the floor of the crypt. Frantically Willie began pushing himself backwards across the floor. When he hit the coffin with his head he turned quickly and saw that it was open My God No…Not Again… Willie got to his feet only to have the Thing rush forward and stop only an inch from his face.

Willie, you tried to leave today didn't you? And how did that go? Were you in great discomfort? Pain even? ANSWER ME WILLIE! ITS voice erupted in the small room and Willie was sure he felt the ground shake. ANSWER ME!

I…I don't understand...? I won't stay… can't stay…I WONT..I WONT!. Willie spoke loudly, assertively even, his jaw shaking and his eyes focused. The Thing took another step closer to him, ITS face menacing and Willie immediately regretted the anger he displayed in his response.

The choice is no longer yours Willie. IT took another step and again Willie backed away, clutching his wrist up tight to his chest.

You no longer get to determine your own fate; you lost that privilege when you broke into this mausoleum.

Willie continued to back away until his heels hit the wall. The Thing was still only an inch from his face and Willie grabbed the wall with his hands and started to slither along the cold brick surface trying to move away and get some distance between himself and the creature. IT planted one arm firmly down along the left side of Willie's body; Willie stopped in his tracks and tried to slide to his right when another arm came down on his right. Standing there now, the Thing had him boxed in against the wall.

Willie threw his hands out and pushed against ITS chest to try and get away. Please.. please let me go..I said I was sorry..I…I

QUIET! IT pulled Willies shirt, peeled him from the wall and tossed him into the corner of the room where he fell to the ground. Willie threw his arms up over his head, his feet and knees beneath him trying to get deeper and deeper into the corner wishing he could just disappear into the cement and out the other side.

I must feed Willie, I have been away from the living for a long time, and you will help me. Willie lowered his arms and turned to look at IT. He looked down at his wrist and back up at the beast. No…. He covered his wrist and began to stand up. No..please don't…

No Willie, I need something else. I require something more and you will get it for me. If you refuse to do this I promise I will use you as an alternative and this time I won't stop before it is too late. Do you understand?

Y-yeah…I understand… Willie was choking back the tears as the sour knot seemed to make its way back into his stomach, the horror of the task before him sank in. He knew that the thing would keep its promise and he didn't think he would survive another night locked up in the coffin. He knew what the thing wanted, it wanted blood, and his survival depended on it.

You are free to go Willie, you have a task to do. When you have what I need bring it to a private place, I will find you. I will always find you Willie.

Willie felt sick as he watched IT move out of his way. He rushed to get out of the small room, away from the coffin, away from the mausoleum and most importantly away from IT. He walked back to his truck thinking how completely exhausted he was and wondering how he would possibly fulfill the request. He climbed behind the driver's seat and rested his head on the steering wheel. Maybe I'll just hide somewhere until mornin' Somewhere he can't find me... but Willie knew this would not be true. It would find him and the consequences would be fatal.

Sitting there in the silence his mind was searching through options. He couldn't possibly bring another person to the Thing. He might as well kill the person himself, and Willie was not a murderer. He got in more fights than he could count, and some of them pretty bad during his exploits with Jason, but never had he killed someone. It just wasn't in him, even Burke wasn't a person he would want dead by his own hands, and whoever he would bring to IT would be at his own hand and he wouldn't wish that on another living soul.

Turning on the truck he began to drive away from the cemetery, still not knowing how to go about his present task. He drove around for an hour or so, his mind filled with confusion and terror and he found it difficult to concentrate on a single thought. He drove up and down the winding roads that surrounded town until he passed a familiar dirt road that he had taken several times during his short stay in Collinwood. Willie tossed the truck in reverse and then turned down the small pathway.

It was an early Sunday morning when Willie first discovered this place, he was feeling the after effects of a drunken night and was licking the wounds after fighting with several of the bar patrons for getting too friendly with a pretty girl that quite honestly didn't turn down his advances. He remembered driving around and not wanting to deal with Jason's lectures about keeping out of trouble, and tipping off the cops, and good reputations. When he spotted the secluded road he turned down it in hopes of parking and sleeping it off before dragging himself back. He knew he would be better prepared for Jason's rants if he were a bit more sober. As he drove further down the road it was apparent that this was a road that was long since abandoned and the forest grew around it. When Willie went as far as he could he parked and decided to walk a bit to get some fresh air, hoping that his head would clear a bit. He walked into the woods only to find a clearing on the other side.

It was peaceful yet somewhat sad place, the sun shining down on a small little meadow. From that place he could hear the waves lick the shore in the distance and smell the sea air. A giant tree grew in the middle of the clearing, it was old and tangled and the swing that still hung from its branches was abandoned. He thought of it as being lonely and forgotten, not much different than he felt with Jason since he arrived. Willie came to this place often after that first time, sometimes to think and remember his past, and other times to get drunk in hopes of forgetting it. The place was quiet and secluded; only the sound of the sea and the occasional livestock that had made their way to the edge of the pastures penetrated the quiet breezes.

Willie parked the truck, searched the back for a flashlight and a rope, and made his way to the clearing. When he saw the tree and his lonely swing he spoke quietly I'm sorry. He felt as if he were somehow betraying this place with the evilness he was about to introduce there. He walked through the clearing into the pasture, must have been a mile or two out until he found a small group of cattle resting. He put the rope around one of the smaller calves and began to walk it back to the clearing; he didn't' realize that tears were rolling down his face.

When he reached the clearing IT was there. He let out a small cry surprised to see IT there waiting for him. IT looked evil, like the devil himself and IT was just standing there with an expression on his face that was not human.

Bring it to me Willie

Willie walked the small calf to him, it wasn't until he handed the rope over that he felt the tears streaming down his face. He backed away from the Thing, not saying a word, and then stood there not knowing what would happen next.

IT launched itself onto the calf, knocking it over, and sank Its teeth into its neck with no effort whatsoever. The calf made a low moaning noise and its legs and body quivered. Willie dropped the flashlight and threw his hands over his ears; he couldn't bear its woeful moans and he couldn't stand there and witness the calf being drained of its life. He began to back up slowly, backing away from the horrific view in front of him. Panic and fear took over and Willie turned and began to run.

He didn't get very far when he felt something claw at the back of his jacket. IT pulled him back and Willie fell backwards to the ground. He quickly pulled his arms from the sleeves, wiggling free. He sprung to his feet and continued to run. But then he felt IT upon him again, he could feel the cold metallic fingers brush against his neck, just missing the first grasp, but IT did not miss the second. IT snatched his collar and began to drag Willie back into the clearing. Willie reached his arms up behind his head and clawed at the hand that had hold of him as his shirt choked his neck. IT was moving so fast that Willie was being dragged backwards, unable to get his footing under him.

You should not have run from me Willie! YOU SHOULD NEVER RUN FROM ME!

Willie was wildly attempting to get himself loose when the Thing grabbed his wrist in a grip that was inescapable. Then IT severed the wooden swing from its rope. Everything was happening so fast, Willie twisted his body trying to find a way loose. IT pulled Willies arms up above his head and began to weave the severed rope between his wrists. Willie could feel the rope getting tighter and tighter and he let out a cry of despair when he understood what was happening. Still fighting against the rope he began pleading and sobbing as IT continued to weave, tighter and tighter.

Oh God….No… no! please… please d-don't do this…. I'm sorry… I won't run… I'll stay…. Please p-please don't. I- I…. didn't mean ta. Oh please don't do this…..I just couldn't watch anymore… I'll stay…. p-please…don't do this!

The thing stepped back, not saying a word, and finished what IT had started with the calf. Willie stood there looking up at his arms, desperately twisting his wrists back in forth in an effort to get free. He was in full panic again, strung up to a tree watching the devil himself feed off of the blood from a live animal. This was no man. This was a Vampire and there was no escape.

Willie turned his head as far as he could and buried it into his shoulder, waiting for the Thing to finish, and when IT did IT just stood in front of Willie, not saying a word. Willie stared back, his eyes wide and sparkling with fear, as he watched the Thing reach for his waist. Willie flinched backwards as far as he could when the thing grabbed his belt buckle, unfastened it and ripped it from his waist in one swift downward movement.

Willies eyes followed ITS hand at first, and then looked up at his wrists and again tried pulling, twisting, anything to get himself free. He started talking to himself No…no…no… this isn't happening… it's not happening…please Willie… wake up! WAKE UP WILLIE! It's just a dream…a bad dream…please wake up…WILLIE WAKE UP! The next sounds heard were Willie's broken screams through the darkness as the vampire brought the belt down across Willie's hips and thighs with the force of the devil. Willie tried to stay on his feet, but with each blow he was lifted from the ground and a fire erupted where the belt had just been. His cries grew weaker as pain and exhaustion began to take over. He could no longer stay on his feet; his arms pulled tight holding the weight of his trembling body.

And then it stopped.

Willie lifted his head and looked his captor now and sobbed I don't understand…Why?

Perhaps now Willie you will better understand your present situation. You are beholden to me now Willie. I will leave you to think about it.

Oh n-no… please don't leave… don't leave me….you can't…you can't leave me here …PLEASE!

Willie begged and pleaded, leaning towards the Vampire as IT slowly turned and walked away, but before IT left IT picked up the flashlight and turned it off and then dropped the belt on the ground.

Oh no please…please don't' leave me in the dark…..

IT disappeared into the forest, leaving Willie once again alone and unable to escape the darkness.

Willie struggled against the ropes bound around his wrists, thoughts of terror filling his head once again. He hung there in the darkness and quietly cried until he passed out from the pain.

When he awoke he was cold, freezing in fact. The night air began to get damp and he now wished he would have left his jacket on. His clothes felt wet and he was shivering. He tried to adjust his wrists and as he moved pain seared through each blow that was given to him. His arms were going numb and in a way he was thankful, hoping the pain would dull. It was still pitch black and he hated himself for picking this spot.

A sound then broke the silence of the night Dogs…. Howling dogs, they sounded as if they were afraid, howling in the night warning each other of a terrible danger, and they were getting closer. The sound threw Willie into a frenzy; he began to pull, tug and twist against the ropes and then in his ear a whisper…

Wwwwillllliiiieeeeeeee

He spun to his left and looked out through the darkness, arms stretched above him. He felt something brush against his face.

Wwwwillllliiiieeeeeeee

A whisper in the other ear, louder this time. Willie began to spin around in fright trying to see everything around him. Pulling at his wrists and struggling to get free with no success. The whispers continued in one ear and then another, all the while the dogs getting closer and closer.

Stop it! Stop! Please…. I- I understand!

Just then his arms dropped down and he fell to his knees. When he hit the ground his breath was shaken out of him and his stomach began to spasm, forcing him to empty anything that may have been left in his system. As he lay on the ground he began to tear at the knots around his wrists with his teeth, trying to free his hands… and then he heard ITS voice

I will see you tonight Willie….