(29)-Escape.

Tommy awoke and sat up and realized her was still in the Boogyman's lair, not at school, having lunch with Logan and chatting with him about the Boogyman.

Totally insane.

Was it only earlier today when he and Logan had that talk?

Poor kids.

If Tommy could go back in time to that moment and talk to his past self, he would say "Don't do it. Don't try to find a way to try to beat the Boogyman, because it can't be done". Then he thought of school.

School.

It seemed so far away now.

While it had only been several hours since he had gotten out of school, it felt like a lifetime ago. And even though he was only 8 years old, he had aged several years within the last several hours. Emotionally, that is. He was a now little boy with a grown man's mind...and a grown man in a little boy's body.

Tommy wrapped his arms around his legs and became fearful. "I'm sorry, Dad. I didn't mean to be scared tonight. I tried to be brave, just like you wanted me to be, i honestly did. And i thought i was 'til tonight. Except for in my nightmares. I even tried to be brave in them, but i couldn't." He thought as tears filled his eyes. "TOMMY, WAKE UP! TOMMY, WAKE UP, PLEASE! TOMMY, WAKE UP!" He screamed at himself. "Tommy, please wake up, please!" He begged himself. The 8-year old closed his eyes tight, making the tears run down his face. "Please, please, please, please, please, please wake up. Please."

The sound of the old door opening got Tommy's attention, making him open up his eyes and see the Boogyman entering inside, followed by closing the door back and focusing on him. The monster had shrunk back down to it's normal size and so had the clothes and shoes it was wearing.

"Where am i? Why did you bring me here?" Tommy asked.

The Boogyman then started making his way toward Tommy, wielding his knife in his right hand. Oh, goodness! The monster was going to kill him! He captured him, now he was gonna murder him! It seemed very much so.

A fearful Tommy placed his hands on the ground, preparing for the worst...then he remembered what his Dad had said to him that night when he was 4 years old about how he stood up to the Boogyman in his closet when he was a kid.

"I realized that the Boogyman is just a big bully like all other monsters. And bullies are afraid when stand up to them."

"I'm not not afraid of you!" Tommy said. This, however, did not stop the Boogyman from coming towards him. "I said i'm not afraid of you!" Still coming. "Why don't you hurry up and get it over with?!" Still coming. "I said i'm not afraid of you!" Still coming. "Come and get me! I'm not afraid of you! Come on! I'm ready!"

The Boogyman then stopped in his tracks a few feet away from Tommy, followed by dropping his knife on the dirt-ground beside him. Then the creature got down on his knees and bowed his head.

Tommy couldn't believe it.

It worked.

It actually worked.

His Dad's advice really worked for a change.

But for how long was the question.

Surely this monster didn't plane on staying on his knees forever. No. Eventually, the creature would get up and resume what it had stopped itself from doing. And Tommy knew he had to think of a way to get out of here before that happened. But what could he do? It was one thing to tell the monster he wasn't afraid of it...but fighting it was a whole 'nother story. Then he remembered something his Dad had said to him last year when he had come home school crying and battered after getting beat up by Lonnie, Richie and Keith again. His Mom was very sympathetic and understanding and hugged and comforted him, but his Dad simply told him that someday he was gonna have to stand up for himself. He was right. And if his Dad were here with him now, he would say "Someday if today, Tommy".

"I wanna help you..." Tommy began as he slowly crawled on his hands and knees towards the Boogyman. "but i don't understand." He said as he crawled up to the creature. "I wanna help you...but i don't know how." He said. "I wanna help you..." He said. "but i don't under-" He scooped up a handful of dirt in his right hand. "STAND!" He said as he threw the dirt in the Boogyman's face, making him cry out in pain, as well as blinding him. Tommy quickly got to his feet and rushed over to the old door where he attempted to open it, only to find that it was locked. "HEEEEEEEELP!" He screamed as he banged on the door with his fists. "HELP, SOMEBODY PLEASE! LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT!" He screamed, still pounding on the door. Then he remembered that the door was old, as well as noticed how old the door was, and began kicking the bottom of it really hard until he kicked a hole into it. He then got down on his hands and knees and quickly crawled out of the room.

Tommy got up off the dirt-ground, looked at his surroundings, and saw that he was now in a dark tunnel.

The Boogyman then broke through the door like it was nothing, now holding his knife in his right hand again, and Tommy took off running down the tunnel, with the monster walking after him. As he ran down the tunnel, he saw doors on both sides of it, realizing that they must've had rooms behind them where the Boogyman could keep all the kids he abducted. Were there any kids in any of the rooms now? He didn't know. And he wasn't about to stop to find out. The only thing on his mind was getting out of here. Wherever here was.

Tommy soon saw a ladder up ahead and sped towards it. He quickly made his way up to the ladder and began climbing it. The kid had no idea where the ladder would lead him, but anywhere was better than here with the monster that had terrorized him in his dreams since he was 4. The 8-year old continued climbing until he reached the top where the ceiling was, and he saw a square-shaped spot. He placed his right hand on the square top and pushed it, opening it, revealing it to be a trap door.

A way out!

A way out of this living nightmare!

Wasting no time, Tommy crawled out of the trap-door, entering into a walk-in closet. And when he saw the human skeleton-clothed remains with messy white hair and an ax in it's chest, he knew right away where he was. The skeleton remains were that of Frank. N. Stiner and he was in the basement closet of the old abandoned Myers house. The kid quickly got to his feet, ran up to the closet-door, opened it, and rushed out, followed by running up the stairs and exiting the basement, entering into the foyer hallway. He closed the basement door, ran down the foyer hall, rushed up to the front door, opened it, exited the house, closed the door, rushed off the porch, down the steps, and off the property...making his way down the street in the middle of the night.

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See you in Chapter 30.

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