BookMast3r: I've actually watched a few fake ghost videos, which kind of gave me ideas. As for LotR, yeah, hope you find more connections, I guess.

A-Plus Cassiopeia: In a way, they kind of are. I'm not sure what you want Joshua to do, though.

NatalieHawk: Yeah, I guess so. Hope it keeps your interest.


(Joshua's POV)

The next morning, Saul's two cronies came over.

The first one, Judas, was a lanky man with a pointed mustache and beard and piercing green eyes. I don't know why, but he seemed like the sort of guy parents advise their children to stay away from, which was ironic since the only reason he was here was to guard my door.

The second man, Absalom, was rather heavyset and a lumbering sort of man. He was big, but shorter than Saul. He had bright blonde hair and a long mustache to boot. He looked younger than Judas, but towered over him. Both of them carried crossbows.

"Your son will be safe with my men," Saul reassured my parents, but for some reason, I didn't feel like I was very protected. Judas was stationed outside of my room at my door while Absalom was stationed outside the house, guarding the door. What, did they expect the Bogeyman to just go over and come knocking at the door, waiting for an answer?

While I was confined to my room, I took hold of the knife that had been given to me by that unseen force last night. I stared at it and studied how sharp it was. It didn't look like a normal knife. It was rather twisted and bended, and very dark.

Gripping the knife in my hand, I walked towards the window and stared off at the forest, trying to see I she was there. The Bogeyman had told me to come into the forest, but when she found out I'd disobeyed her, she'd be coming for me.

Giving a thorough inspection of the forest far off, I stared at several different areas, trying to see if she was there. For several moments, I couldn't see a thing. I was about to move away from the window, but that was when I saw her.

It was The Bogeyman.

There she was, sitting on a rather bulky tree branch, motionless. Her hands were in her lap, her expressionless face staring straight ahead, right at me. Our eyes met.

Instantly, I dove away from the window and began to walk towards the door to tell Judas that I'd seen the Bogeyman. Before I could reach the door, I felt something grab my foot. With a yank, I dropped onto the floor.

Twisting my head around, I saw the Bogeyman, the lower-portion of her body under my bed. I gave out a silent scream, horrified at how quickly she'd gotten into my room. She dragged my towards her and clasped a clawed hand around my mouth, silencing me. Then, she dragged my under the bed with her.


For a moment, it was pitch black. I felt like I had been blinded. I couldn't tell if my eyes were open or closed. For a few seconds, I wondered if I was dead.

Then, immediately, I felt the Bogeyman dragging me upwards, and I could see a dim light. Soon, I felt myself getting ripped up from the giant roots of a tree.

Both of us landed on the marshy ground, now in the forest. The moment she let go of me, I sprang to my feet, and I could feel the knife still in my hand. Quickly, I hid it in my pocket. Now I stared at the tree that she had just pulled me from.

"How...how did you do that?" I mumbled out, petrified, pointing a shaky arm in her direction. The Bogeyman ignored me for a moment, taking the time to get to her feet. Then, she faced me.

"I told you to come into the forest, didn't I?" She snapped at me, pointing a claw in my direction. "I didn't think I'd have to come and get you."

Her voice sounded different than since I last saw her. It was more humanlike and...feminine?

It seemed she'd noticed my confused a she immediately said, in her original voice, "Don't ever disobey me again."

I should've been more scared. After all, I was staring down a monster. But, the longer I looked at her, the more humanlike she seemed. She had the same facial cues as a human, with the glaring eyes and frown.

As I stared at her, something seemed to catch her attention. Her angered glare was replaced with one of eagerness, and she got down on all fours, slowly stalking past me. Now I was a little creeped out. What was she up to?

She got into a pouncing position, then lunged into a nearby bush. I heard what sounded like a struggle, and an animal's scream of terror, and I saw a little rabbit come running out of the bush. It didn't get far, though, as the Bogeyman tackled it to the ground once more, holding it in place with her claws. The rabbit struggled, but it was no use.

As I watched, her mouth opened to reveal vampire-likes. She brought her mouth down towards the rabbits throat. Realizing what was about to happen, I looked away, unable to watch. In spit of that, I still heard the ensuing crunch, followed by silence, which sickened me almost as much as if I had seen it.

I finally mustered up the courage to look at what was happening. The Bogeyman was now gnawing on the rabbit's corpse, not seeming to care for me now. I could see some blood begin to dribble out, and I began to feel lightheaded.

I stumbled a few feet away, wondering if this was my chance to flee. But then I remembered the unseen force of last night, and recalled what it had told me.

"You see her...kill her..."

I could feel my hand reaching for the knife in my pocket, and took it out. With a quivering hand, I raised the knife over the Bogeyman's head while she was distracted. This was my chance.

But then I hesitated. I don't know why. I had my chance to end it all, but I just didn't feel the urge to land the killing blow, even on a creature that had killed an innocent animal moments before.

I closed my eyes in defeat and lowered my arm. However, I began to feel like I was being looked at, and opened my eyes to see the Bogeyman staring at me. Or, more specifically, my knife.

A feeling of dread filled me as she slowly took the knife from my hand, rubbing a claw on it in curiosity. It was then that I noticed the similarities. The twisted angles, the similar shading...I suddenly realized I had been holding the dismembered claw of a Bogeyman the whole time. I began to feel sick again.

"Where...did you get this?" The Bogeyman asked me, holding the claw up at me. As I looked at the claw closer, I saw that it was quite large. It was almost three time as long as the Bogeyman's index claw. It must've belonged to an adult Bogeyman.

The Bogeyman clearly didn't approve of my silence. "Where did you get this?" She repeated, more forceful this time. She dangled the claw in my face, and I backed up.

"Someone...gave it to me," I explained awkwardly.

"You were going to stab me with it, weren't you," The Bogeyman accused, and her eyes narrowed at me angrily, and I felt like I was staring into the eyes of the Devil himself.

I thought she was going to kill me right then and there, but instead, she simply tucked the claw into her shirt and walked past me.

"Oh well, I'd had hoped it wouldn't come to this," She said in a mocking tone as she headed towards my house. It was only then that I'd realized how close the two of us had been to my house the whole time.

"Wait, no," I begged, grabbing her arm to pull her away, but she ignored me. As she neared my house, both of us froze.

There, we both saw Saul and Absalom, the two of them standing outside the house, talking to each other. For a second, I thought I noted a hint of fear on the Bogeyman's face. Then, she turned and stalked away from the house, dragging me behind her.

The moment we were out of Saul's line of sight, The Bogeyman pushed me into a tree.

"You told them?" She asked, in a surprisingly calm tone.

At this point, I knew there was no way out of it. "Well, what was I supposed to do?" I asked her frantically. "You threatened to kill me and my family. You think I wouldn't tell Saul about this."

The Bogeyman stared at me silently, then she reeled her arm back as if to punch me. I braced myself for impact, but instead felt her fist collide with the tree. Then, she climbed up the tree and vanished in the branches above.

For a moment, I stared up at her, silently. Then, I heard her voice from above.

"Are you coming or not?"


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