Whew! What a hard week it's been! It's always nice to just sit down and mindlessly type something up with a cat on your lap at the end of the day… Well, I'd like to shout out to the ONLY person who reviewed chapter 2. C'mon people! I know you're out there reading this and not even bothering to review! Hello! Yeah you! The one who's reading this! Yeah, you better just review at the end, it only takes a minute. And, let me tell you, there is nothing more that brightens my lonely existence! Oop! And it's a full moon tonight! So guess who's hittin' the sack early? ME! Oh, I was going to do a shout out…ok, thanks for the review "Hammermaster." My grammar is crap and I know it. I will give you a golden hammer for being so nice. gives golden hammer (they really are stupid weapons, but good tools)
Well! On with the story!
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Chapter 3 –The Gray Sky
Carter opened his eyes. Leafy branches and a dark gray sky moved above him. He bolted upright, confused about his surroundings. The air was hot and sticky, almost choking like a heavy blanket. A soft breeze was blowing and the long grass of Mother's Hill undulated around the priest. Something was wrong, very wrong. The black she-cat trotted up to him. She was a welcome sight, and he reached out to pet her silky black fur. Carter pulled away quickly in shock, looking down at his upturned hand. It had come away covered in blood. It made Carter sick, his stomach turning over. He shakily stood up, leaning against the cold bark of the tree. The air was so stifling, and he was sweating profusely. Carter undid his shirt, trying to cool off. He found himself panting heavily as he took off the cloak. His arms were covered in blood. The priest gasped, horrified, it was everywhere! The grass, the tree, the sky stained a bloody red! He began to scream, and voices around him chanted, "Carter! Carter? Carter?" Everything was spinning and the world felt like tipping over.
CARTER!
He was being shaken back and forth. Carter grabbed his head and moaned as the all too familiar throbbing came back.
Elli let loose a relieved sigh. "Oh good, you're awake. I nearly fell out of my chair when I heard you screaming." She gave a perky smile. "Bad dream?"
Carter looked up at her, bewildered as to how she could be so happy. He tried to say "yes" but all that came out was a hoarse grunt. He must have been screaming hard.
"Can I get you anything?"
"Water." He rasped in reply.
Elli smile and ran out of the room. She stopped and popped her head back in the doorframe. "By the way, Pastor, the Doctor is away in the city to pick up your blood tests, so it's just you and me."
This wasn't exactly what Carter wanted to hear, but he smiled back to her anyway.
She ran off to some other part of the building. When her footsteps were no longer there, he inspected his hands. No blood. Carter gave a relieved sigh and tried to recall what happened. He was in church, playing the organ…nothing. The priest sat up, running his hands through his hair in frustration. He was actually feeling a lot better than his previous experience in the clinic. No as tweaked out as before.
Elli came back with a cup of water. "Oh good!" She muttered happily as she saw him sitting up. The nurse handed him the water, smiling.
Carter smiled half-heartedly back and mouthed a "thank you."
Elli pulled up a chair and sat down next to the bed, as he took a refreshing sip of water. When he was done he handed to cup back to Elli and cleared his throat. The two sat there, staring aimlessly in uncomfortable silence at little specks on the floor and walls. The office clock ticked on and on painfully loud, it's very mechanics echoing through the entire building. Elli rocked back and forth on her chair, swinging her legs in mock bliss. Carter couldn't stand it any longer.
"Elli, what do you want?" He asked as politely as he could muster.
"Just sitting here." She replied cheerily.
"Don't you have something to do?" Carter was starting to get a bit irritated. He was too worried to play games with the nurse.
"Nope."
Just then a ding-a-ling announced the entrance of some sort of townsperson. Ellie sprang into action and was soon chatting with what sounded like Jeff, the owner of the supermarket. He sounded worried, as always. Carter sighed and rolled onto his side, trying to fall asleep, or at least look like it so no one would talk to him. There were some more footsteps and then an exit bell as Jeff left. Elli walked back to the curtained room and then went back to the front desk when she saw Carter asleep. The priest lay there wide awake, wondering if he should make a break for it. That probably wouldn't go over too well with Elli…He gave a heaving sigh and actually did fall asleep, eventually.
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Author's Note: Whenever there is a large period of just blank time in the main story is when I start to write a side story to fill in that space. The space of time where Carter is waking up and falling asleep and being pestered is rather boring because nothing really happens. But, to give the element of the passage of time, I write a side story that takes place at the exact same time as when we left off, and ends at the same time the main story starts back up. Usually the transition is a lot smoother than this, but I still had to write an author's note in fear of being stoned for going off track.
Note of Author's Note: My side stories may or may not have anything to do with the main story, but they are like a short story of their own within the whole.
…..SO ON WITH THE FILLER STORY….
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Episode 1.
Ralph drove his car up the steep and winding hills near Mt. Sagablooch. The radio blasted out tunes of metal and rock and other things that were soothing to listen to. He passed farms and run-down trailer parks. But most of all trees. He was on his way to a logging town where his yearly supply of cow was sitting, waiting for someone to pick it up and stick it in their freezer. Ralph drummed his hands on the steering wheel of his Audi Quattro to the music as he sped up and passed a run down old truck in front. The smiling old man driving it glanced at the businessman and continued at his hearse-like pace. The road wound on and dark clouds, heavy with rain began to snag and tear on the towering foothills, sending a shower down upon the slopes below. Ralph passed the last bend and drove down into Englewood Town. Like any other logging boom town, it had an old west feel. But unlike the towns of days of old there were teenagers from the only school hanging out in the streets, skateboarding and causing a general riot. Their clothing copying those of the city children. "Humph." Ralph mused. "They actually get cable out here?" His slick black car moved through the rain damp streets. Old ladies in rain bonnets stopped to stare at the newcomer. "Englewood Butchery." A large sign read, with big red letters. Ralph parked out front and hopped out. A pack of the teenagers stopped to stare at his car. The boys pushing each other and grinning, this was unexpected, they used to seeing beaten up Fords. The successful man stretched his legs from the long trip. "How far do you have to go to get a decent cut of meat these days?" He wondered while straitening his tie and brushing off his clean black suit. Ralph looked at the old shop. It had pictures of cows and pigs on the windows, saying things like "howdy" on a field of grass. It was kind of funny because it was a place where pigs and cows were chopped up into little pieces for people to eat. Would the cow and the pig say "howdy" if they knew that the place on which they adorned was for that purpose? Ralph walked into the shop; a bell clumsily attached to the door gave a generic jingle. He wrinkled his nose. The whole place smelt like freezer burned bread. He walked over to the meat counter by the display case, his expensive and very shiny black shoes clicking on the worn linoleum. Row upon row of meat sat in neat trays behind the plastic screen. Each row had a little sign that stated the cut and the price. $9.99 a pound for a T bone? These people were running a racket, the meat better be good. A fat man in overalls and a greasy beard stared lazily at him from behind the counter.
"Kin' I help you?" He said in an annoyed voice.
"Yeah, I'm Ralph Lukan, and I have a cow to pick up."
The man disappeared into the back. Ralph went ahead and looked around while he was waiting. Some sort of country music drawled in the background as he surveyed the room. Spices and meat. A large elk bust stuck out from a wall over a soda stand, its glass eyes gazing absently into nothing. There were antlers everywhere. Mostly six pointers, but some were less. They sat on tables and next to a huge set of bull horns on top of a freezer. As far as he could see into the back of the shop, a bored teen mopped blood into a drain lazily. Chunks of meat were littered in what Ralph assumed was the slaughter room. The clerk came back with a cart stacked with brown bags.
"Here's yer' meat." He said while shoving the cart forward.
Ralph went over to the counter and paid for the meat. He glanced at his Rolex: 5:00 p.m. already. He thanked the clerk and strolled out, towing the cart behind him while mumbling "Damn rednecks" under his breath. The bell went ding and Ralph dropped his arms. Where was his car?
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Ooh, such drama up in the inbred country. You'll find out more about Ralph when it's convenient. Now back to Carter.
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Carter lay in bed, next to him sat a meal half-eaten. But he wasn't in much of a mood to eat right now. Elli had gone home, thank the Goddess, an hour ago and all of the lights in the Clinic were dim. Something was bothering him. He couldn't sleep because his body wouldn't let him. He didn't want to move either. So in stubborn battle with himself, Carter sat there and did nothing. But there was something odd. Weird and unexplainable that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. The only noise he could hear was the steady, noisy, clicking of the clock. But Carter couldn't help feel that there was something else in the Clinic with him this evening. Something dark and sinister. Like a shadow that fallows you on a dark night. Maybe he was imagining it? But the back of his mind said that he wasn't. Carter clenched the sheets with his fists, trying to fight down panic. It had to be his imagination. There was nothing there. Memories of the boogeyman when he was little played out in his mind. This was stupid. He was acting like a child. This wasn't a horror movie. He tried to tell himself these things, but Carter's heart was racing. Every sound was amplified, as if he could hear the slightest bit of dust fall on the floor. The clock ticked on and it was driving him crazy as he sat there sweating in bed. He had no idea why he was so afraid, and he fought the panic welling inside. Carter sucked in his breath sharply. What was that! He thought he heard footsteps on the other side of the curtain. No, it couldn't be, it was just a breeze. His heart pounded as his hands trembled. There it was again! This time he knew it was something. Carter was on the verge of tears. Someone was playing games with him. Who was doing this to him? Why couldn't they leave him alone! "GO AWAY!" He bawled in panic, throwing the food tray at the curtain. "WHAT HAVE I DONE TO YOU!" He stumbled out of bed, grabbing a chair and lunged into the curtain. "YOU'RE RUINING EVERYTHING!" Carter's foot caught in the curtain and he fell down, slamming into the linoleum, bring the curtain and rods with him. He lay there sobbing and tasting the fresh blood that trickled into his mouth from a new wound. Why him? What had he ever done? But Carter had an idea of what it was, deep down, he knew what was nagging him.
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That's all folks! And so I leave you this wonderful night with another cliff hanger! Actually two cliff hangers in a desperate attempt to get more readers! I'm so miserably pathetic! Anyway, that really is all for this chapter, next is chapter4 and I may get it up in a week, maybe not. It really all depends on how busy I am. I'd like to thank everyone who has been reading it up to this point. Remember, please, it is a horror story, but unlike some people, I do take time to develop my characters, so when things start to get really intense (the part above was nothing compared to what's in store) it's three times scarier! Ooh! I think everyone would relate to the: you're-being-watched feeling that we all imagine in bed anyway.
So peace out and don't talk to strange butchers! (I actually re-wrote the beginning of the mini story with Ralph because I had to have a good reason for him to go to the middle of nowhere. So today, I actually went to a butcher's shop in the middle of nowhere to pick up a cow I owned part of and the description I had of the shop is really what it looked and smelt like. isn't that a fun fact! )
Well, goodnight and good luck with your writing. And REVIEW.
K. W. Lycan