I hope you like it :D and from the next chapter forward everything will be gorier. I warn you now because I will forget to warn you later. I had fun writing this and I hope you have fun reading it. Also, leave me an honest review.
Chapter 1: The Monster that Feeds on the Fools
October 1988
Jane opens her eyes when her clock alarm ringed at her ear. She turns it off and keeps sleeping for at least another five minutes, but the clock's alarm turns itself on again. Jane hit the machine and throw it away from her desk. She wasn't in the mood to get up or even go to school that day. The events from Yesterday are still very fresh in her mind and by only thinking about it make her sick. She had a lot of questions in her head, anyone would have them too, but her questions go beyond that... The most prominent question is "Why no one believe me?" A question she asks herself before when she was ten years old when she told her father that there was a Shadow looking at her while she was sleeping. As she grew up she discovers that the Shadow was actually coming from the window and it looked like a man by mere coincidence because of the tree branches. But this is different, she saw the thing in the middle of the day... It drags that kid to the sewer and eats it... That Thing EAT a child. The mere thought of that makes her even more scared. She keeps telling herself that she was old enough to not be afraid, but this proves her wrong. She felt like a child again... And she hates it. She hates to feel that way again. A knock on the door was enough to make her sit in her bed. A familiar voice call for her.
"Jane, breakfast's ready" Said her father. "Get up, it's getting late for high school"
"... I'm already up" She said and get up. A quick look at her room shows how organized she actually is. Everything in her room has an order and will remain that way. She was surrounded by a lot of books put in shelves, there was no tv in the room, but there was a desk where she does her homework and read. Jane looks outside and there wasn't a single cloud in the sky. It was sunny outside. Jane sigh and go to change her clothes to start the day, even if she didn't want to go out, she needs to go. She has a life to live. Jane takes out her sleepwear and put on a white shirt, black jacket and blue jeans. She tied her shoes and go down the stairs to meet her father having breakfast on the table with her grandmother. She sits down next to her grandmother. "Good Morning" She said.
"Good Morning, my dear" Said her grandmother. "Are you feeling... fine, today?"
"... Yes" Jane lied. "I'm better today" She looks at her father. They talked yesterday before she goes to sleep. He wanted her to promise to not say a single word of what she saw yesterday, mostly because people will call her crazy. He didn't believe her either and he didn't want her to yell nonsense in school or the street. As he sees it, she hallucinates the whole thing, even the kid being dragged to the sewer.
"I'm glad you are feeling good today" Said her father and drink his coffee. "Remember what we talk about yesterday"
"... I know..."
Jane arrives at her high school in time and spends most of the class staring at the window. All she could care about was of the events of yesterday. She can't let that go so easily. She couldn't think of something else. She felt like she will go insane at this point if she didn't stop thinking about it.
"Jane, are you paying attention?" The teacher asks and Jane looks at the blackboard. She saw an equation and the teacher was waiting for her to answer. "You know the answer? Or are you simply sleeping with your eyes open?"
"... I don't know the answer" She said.
"You don't know, or you don't want to think?" The teacher crosses his arms. "We are not leaving until you solve this equation," He said and the whole class stares at her, expecting her to answer. Jane felt the pressure coming from her classmate and was almost unbearable.
"... Fine..." Jane look at the equation and took her a minute to solve it. "The answer is 42"
"Correct. See? It wasn't that hard" The teacher keeps talking and Jane look at the window. She saw a red balloon floating at the other side. It was still, it didn't move, not even by the wind. The ballon turns around and shows a message. "Look up, Janie" That was enough to make Jane nervous. She looks up and saw thousands, if not millions, of spiders, crawling in the ceiling. Jane starts shaking uncontrollably. She looked at everyone in the classroom and to her surprise, no one notices a thing. It was like those spiders didn't even exist for them. Some spiders jump at the students and crawl over them and they didn't seem bothered at all. Jane looks down and closes her eyes. She didn't want to call any unwanted attention to herself. She didn't want to look like she just lost her mind because she starts to think that way.
"Why no one is seeing that?!" She asks to herself. "Did I just go crazy?!" Jane opens her eyes and saw a big tarantula crawling on her face... And that's when she lost it. She screams and falls from her chair. She tries to get the spider off her face, but it was useless. The spider disappears, just like the rest when everyone looks at Jane. The majority looked worried and some others were simply laughing at her.
"Jane Waterhouse! What was that just now?!" The teacher asks with an angry face. He didn't notice that Jane was shaking and pale as a ghost.
"T-Teacher. I think Jane should go to the infirmary" Said a student that was really worried about her condition. Jane stares at the window and saw the ballon full of spiders. Each spider explodes like a balloon and the balloon itself turn into a spider and start crawling through the window and disappearing from her view.
"... S-S-Sorry. I'm just... Not feeling we-well... I-I-I need to go to the bathroom" Jane stand up, still shaking and leave the classroom. She runs to the bathroom and cleans her face. She could still feel that spider crawling on her face. By only thinking about it make her want to throw up. Her fear of spiders was her bigger issue. Ever since she could remember, she was always afraid of those things. "... What was that just now...?" She asks herself and saw a strange figure behind her. She turns around and saw nothing. She then looks herself in the mirror and saw that clown from yesterday. He grabs her by the throat from inside the mirror.
"GUESS WHO, JANIE!" The clown yells and grabs Jane closer to the mirror. "Time to Float!" The clown opens his mouth revealing at least three rows of sharp teeth. Jane closes her eyes and waits for the inevitable, but the clown lets go of her and disappear in the mirror. Jane opened her eyes an saw a student entering the bathroom. She was one of her classmates.
"Jane, are you alright?" She asks. "You shouldn't be running away like that. The teacher is angry at you... Huh? What's wrong? It's something in the mirror or something?" Jane keeps staring at the mirror and grabs her chest. She felt her heart beating so fast it hurt. Jane finally passed out because of the stress.
Jane opens her eyes and saw a white ceiling in front of her. She feels the sheets over her body and slowly gets up. Her chest still hurt and she feels her skin really cold. She found herself in the school's infirmary. No one else was there and that makes her really uncomfortable. She snorts and gets out of the bed, slowly. She walks to the door and opens it, only to find the nurse.
"Oh, are you feeling better, Jane?" She asks with a smile on her face.
"Y-Yeah?" Jane wasn't so sure about that. She barely remembers what happened. "S-Sorry, but what happen?" The nurse takes Jane's hands and drags her back to the bed.
"A student found you in the bathroom. You passed out shortly after. You were really pale when they brought you here and we almost send you to a hospital" The nurse explain and take her time by doing so.
"In the bathroom?" Jane thought. "What was I doing in the-GUESS WHO, JANIE! Time to Float!" That memory came back only to hit her right in the face. Jane covers her face and sigh. She felt her heart beating fast again and she was trying to calm herself down, but fail.
"I was going to say that you look better, but now... You don't look okay. I'll take your blood pressure before you go. I suggest you go and see a doctor right after school. I think you might have a heart disease or something" The nurse of the school was kinda useless, everyone knew that but no one says it to her face. She was hired because she used to work in the pharmacy. She could act like a doctor all she wants, but she didn't even have a medicine degree. Jane remains in the Infirmary until school end and it was time to go back home. She gets out of school and walks away from the door, but a student stumbles with her and grabs her by the arm. It was one of the students that were laughing at her in the classroom.
"Well, well, well, but it is Waterhouse," He said. His name was Edgar Donleavy, a boy with black long hair and he was wearing a black leather jacket, black shirt, and even black pants. Everything in him was black, except his shoes. Those were white. "How's it going, Redhead?"
"Leave, Donleavy. I'm not in the mood now"
"Of course, not after you start yelling in the middle of the class. Tell you what, that was so funny we talk about it during lunch with the group. Of course, Samanta didn't find it funny. Typical of her" Edgar push Jane by the side. "Hey, come with me, everyone's waiting at my house already. We get out early without the teachers notice it"
"Waiting? For what?" Jane was confused.
"What do you mean? You know... The "Weekly Reunion", don't tell me you forgot about it. We do it every Monday after school"
"Oh, right... That time of the weak where I have to watch over your asses while you get high... Why don't you make yourself a favor and throw that thing away? It's no good for you"
"Marijuana is not a bad thing"
"... Whatever you say, Ed. After what happened in the classroom... I better get back home for today"
"Oh, come on. Don't be such a Killjoy. You freak out about something that no one gives a shit and you don't even talk about it. What was it? Don't tell me it was a spider" When Edgar mention the word spider, Jane suddenly remember the whole thing again. The memories are still fresh and no matter how much she tries to forget, there's always something that makes her remember. Jane grabs her head like something was crushing it. She then looks pass Edgar and saw It again. That clown appears behind a tree and disappears when she blinked. "Woah, you're okay? You're pale again, Redhead"
"... You know what... I'll go" Jane accept his invitation, mostly because she doesn't want to be alone. She knows that Mondays she's always alone at home, her father is working and her grandmother is in the hospital for her regular examination. If, by any chance, she was alone today then she'll either die or go crazy. She was seriously considering that she might be going insane at this point.
"Seriously?! That's what I wanted to hear, Janie! Come on!" Edgar grabs Jane's hand and drags her to his car.
"Wait! I'll go, but only if Samantha is there"
"She's already there, Silly. We had to drag her with us. The group is not complete without you two"
"So you kidnap her. Good job, Psychopath"
"That's a nasty word. We just take her by force and against her will. That wasn't a kidnapping at all"
"... That thing you are smoking is killing your brain, Ed. I want you to know that"
Edgar took Jane to his house. They got there pretty quickly because Edgar goes as fast as he could. He wanted to be already at home so he can smoke and lay on his couch. His house was always empty because his parents were workaholics and barely show up. It was almost like they abandon Edgar to his luck, but at least they pay the bills of the house and, surprisingly enough, Edgar has a part-time job in the Arcade. Edgar drive to the garage of his house and music could be heard from inside. They both get out of the car and walk inside. The song "Sweet Emotions" by Aerosmith was echoing in the house as they enter. Jane saw a girl of her same age laying on the couch, already smoking, and a man, a year younger than her, drinking a beer can in one hand and a cigarette made of Marijuana. The girl was blonde and was wearing a pink shirt and long white skirt. The boy, also blonde, was wearing a red plaid shirt and blue jeans.
"Alan, Jessica. How's it going? Don't tell me you just finish the goods" Said, Edgar, while he sits down next to Jessica Baker. "Give me space, Jess. Let Redhead sit down too"
"N-No, I'm okay this way" Said Jane, not wanting to sit with any of them.
"Hey, Jaine" Said Alan Moreno. "A little bird told me you freak out in the middle of the class. What happen? Did you have a nightmare or something? Or was a ghost?"
"I wish it was a ghost" Jane mutter.
"You know you can tell us" Said Jessica while laughing a little. "We are friends, aren't we?" That word made Jane doubt.
"Did she consider me a friend or was the drug talking?" She thought. "It's nothing you should be worrying about" She said and Jessica laugh.
"Hahaha, thank God... Hey, Ed. I'm hungry, can you bring any food?" Jessica was experiencing the effects of the drug, Alan took him at least 15 minutes to feel the effects because he wasn't smoking it but inhaling what Jessica was throwing at him.
"Anyway... I'll stay away from you guys before I become one of you. I'll go to the backyard if any of you need me... Just say my name" Jane walk away from them, but Jessica stops her.
"Hey, Janie. Can you bring me more weed?"
"Go for it yourself, Jess... Where's Samantha?"
"She's outside" Said Alan and Jane walk outside, she didn't stay to hear the conversation. "Hey... The other day I found a really weird looking guy on Neibolt Street. He says he sells drug and everything we ever wanted, almost for free"
"No shit, really?" Edgar ask.
"He told me to go anytime I want and the more people I bring the better. He will make us a discount the more people we bring"
"Dude, that's awesome! Let's go now!" Said Jessica. "What does this guy looked like?"
"Almost like a clown" Said Alan. Meanwhile, Jane goes to the backyard and found a girl reading a book near the door. Her name is Samantha Robinson. She had brown hair and, just like Alan, she was wearing a red plaid shirt and blue jeans. She was using glasses while reading her book, Jane catches a glimpse of the book's cover and she wasn't surprised at all. She was reading "The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring", again.
"How are things going on in Middle-earth? Good, I hope" Jane says sarcastically.
"Good... For now" Samantha close the book and look at Jane. "I didn't expect you to even show up after what happened in the classroom. It took me by surprise and I got worried when I hear you collapse on the bathroom. Don't scare me like that, Jane"
"I know... Sorry" Jane apologies to make her friend worried.
"... Anyway... What happen?" Samantha asks out of nowhere and Jane didn't know what to say to her. She simple shrug and lie, sort of.
"I-I thought I saw a giant spider on the ceiling" It wasn't really a lie, but it wasn't true either. She saw an army of spiders in the ceiling and she was pretty sure it wasn't a hallucination. "I didn't sleep too well last night"
"I see... Well, I'll suggest you go to sleep earlier from now on and do us all a favor... go see a psychologist, your arachnophobia is an issue that needs to be resolved"
"I know... Just like your fear of sharks"
"Hey, don't get me started because we both know that those are a different thing! A shark is way worse than a spider and anyone can tell you that" Samantha was a little defensive now and Jane smile. She loves to make fun of her, just like Samanta love to make fun of her too. They grow up in the same street, they are practically neighbors, and they are best friends... Of course, they can't say the same for those three who are inside the house smoking and drinking until they lose consciousness.
"Putting our phobias aside... Sometimes I ask myself why are we even doing this every Monday?" Jane asks and Samantha gives her the answer.
"We don't have anything better to do with our time and we start working on Wednesday so Edgar drags us here against our will" Samantha explain while putting the book inside her backpack. "I don't care actually. Sometimes it worries me that he'll do something stupid so he needs someone that check on him"
"Considering his parents barely care about him... It's kinda sad when you think about it" In that moment, Edgar enter the backyard.
"Do you need something, Edgar?" Samantha asks and Edgar takes out the keys of his car.
"We are going somewhere that Alan claims to be cool. What do you say?" Edgar asks and throws the keys at Samantha. "You wanna go?"
"... I don't know. We always stay here for the rest of the day and besides... What if the police caught us and find us you, and the rest, been smoking that shit?"
"Relax, everything's gonna be okay. That's why I'm giving you the keys" Besides Edgar, Samantha was the only one that knows how to drive, but she didn't have a license yet.
"I'm not driving, Ed"
"Come on! Everything is gonna be okay. It's not far away. It's in the Neibolt Street"
"The Neibolt Street?" Jane asks. "Why would you gonna go there? The whole street is a ghost town"
"Alan says there's a dude that lives in an abandoned house and he sells the best Marijuana we have ever seen at the best price. So, what do you say? You want to take us?" Edgar asks and Samanta decline again.
"Sorry, but the deal has always been "Go to your house and make sure you don't do anything stupid". And now you are about to do something stupid, so I'll make sure that that doesn't happen" Samanta put the keys in her pocket. "I'll keep the keys until tomorrow morning"
"Seriously?!"
"Seriously, Edgar"
"Fine! We'll walk then" Edgar go back inside. "See you two later"
"Did he say we?" Jane asks. "Don't tell those three idiots are walking there" Samantha sigh.
"... It'll be a pain if the police catch them. Let's go with them, but the car stays here. This is a small town, I don't see the need for a car here."
Alan leads the way toward that house he was talking about early. Edgar and Jessica go closer to him while Jane and Samantha were a little far from them. "This better be worth it, Alan" Said Jessica.
"Believe me, it will. That man seems pretty honest to me" Alan was excited. Jane was a little worried about this and Samantha was also worried, but for a different reason. Jane was worried that this will lead to troubles and Samantha that she will act as the voice of the reason again and that will lead to a fight. It wasn't the first time something like this happens and didn't seem to learn from their mistakes.
"What are we going to do with them?" Jane asks. "Remember last time that a stranger offer drugs, right? It turns out to be a police officer and I don't feel like going to the police station today"
"Yeah, me neither. On top of that, they are high as fuck now. I should've stopped them, but I went along... What's wrong with me? I'm too permissive"
"I have half of the blame, Sam. I think we should grab them, turn around now and leave before is too late... What if this person isn't even a cop now? What if it's a kidnapper?"
"Yeah... We should stop now" Samantha was about to stop the group, but Alan has already arrived at the house he was talking about. It was truly an abandoned house. Not only that, every single thing on that house yell "Creepy" all over the place.
"Here we are, 29 Neibolt Street" Said Alan with a triumphant pose. "Isn't it is beautiful? Let's go inside"
"Hey! Not so fast cowboy!" Samantha grabs Alan's arm. "Think about it for a minute. Who in their right mind would live here and offer some random kid drug? That thing is messing with your brain. No wonder why your grades have gone down in the past year"
"And it's all about grades for you, huh?" Alan asks. "Why don't you go away and let us enjoy life a little? Go back to Middle-earth or whatever is called. Or better yet, go and find yourself a guy so you can fuck it" Alan yell at Samantha and push her away, making her fall on her back on the grass.
"Hey, dude. Alan, that's harsh" Said Edgar. "She's only worried about us"
"No, she's such a killjoy" Said Jessica. "She deserves that. I don't know why you keep inviting them, Edgar. Let's go inside already" Alan and Jessica go inside the house. Edgar helps Samantha to stand up and didn't say a thing. He just goes with them inside the house.
"... I think their brains are already rotten" Said Jane.
"Yes... Fine, if they want to get into troubles, fine by me. I won't get in their way. Let's go, Jane. I want to go home already" Samantha walk away and Jane follow her, but stopped when she heard a voice. A familiar voice that she didn't want to hear. She, slowly turn around, only to see that clown again, smiling at her. His eyes were not centered and they were looking away from her. He had a lot of red balloons in his right hand.
"Where are you going, Janie?" He asks with excitement in his voice. "I want you to see them... I want you to see them float... They'll float, Janie... They'll float because of you" Every time he says the word "float", she felt a shiver all over her body. The clown smile at her. "I'll show them how to float, Janie... They all float down here... They all float... And you'll do too... Just like Georgie did... Because you let go of him, hahahahaha" The clown explode like a balloon and Jane, without a second thought she runs toward the house as fast as she could.
"Jane?" Samantha saw Jane running away. "Jane! Where are you going?! Leave them be!" Samantha runs after she and Jane enter the house only to find her three "friends" checking out the place. Samantha enters with her.
"Hey!" She yells and everyone looks at her. "I know this might sound crazy, but... You all have to leave this house now!"
"That doesn't sound too crazy" Said Edgar.
"Give me a break, Jane. Did Samantha convince you to do this?!" Alan yell.
"No! Listen to me! There's something here! Something that... that... It will kill you! Come on, believe when I tell you that none of you are safe here!"
"Something will kill us?" Jessica laughs at Jane's face. "Are you sure you are not as fucked up as we are?"
"NO, I'M NOT!" Jane yell. "And no, I'm not insane. That thing is real. Believe, you are going to die if you stay here and-" The door close behind them. "Fuck!" She runs to the door and tries to open it, but it was locked. "Shit, shit, shit!" She kicks the door, but it did move. "Happy?! We are going to die here because of you and your stupid drug!" Jane point at Alan and yell.
"Why are you blaming me?! The wind closes the door, why the fuck are you freaking out?" Alan yells back at her and pushes her against the door.
"Why I'm freaking out?! You want to know why the fuck I'm freaking out?! I'll show you why-"
"Hey! Shut up!" Edgar screams at them and they shut up. "Did you hear that?"
"What?" Samantha asks and hears a little sound. It was faint. They all walk to the living room of the house and found a little pink music box on top of the rotten table. It was playing a little melody and it suddenly stops. Everyone present was confusing of why something like that was in this wrecked place. Jessica grabs the box with her trembling hands.
"... Jess?" Edgar asks. "What's wrong?"
"Th-This was my mother's music box" She said, scared. "I smash it before she dies... This can't be possible"
"We have to get out, now!" Said Jane and turn around, only to find the kid that she saw dying yesterday at the hands of that monster. She went hard as a stone when she saw the little kid, without his right arm and a boat on the left hand. She wasn't the only one that saw it. Everyone saw it.
"Wh-Why" Ask the kid. "Why did you let go of my hand?" He asks with tears in his eyes. "You just had to pull me out..." The kid let go of the boat. "But it's okay now... I float... And if you come with me... You'll float too" His eyes turn yellow and Jane kicks the kid away.
"Jane?! What do fuck-" "That's what I was talking about!" Jane interrupts Edgar. "Let's run before!"
"Oh, Jane... That was rude of you" They saw the kid turning into black goo and a clown was forming from it. "Why don't you give up?..." The clown moves his head backward and reveals thousands of spider eyes on his nape. "Pick-a-boo, Janie" That was enough to make everyone scream and run away from him and try to find a way to escape the house and the monster that was in it. They all run to the kitchen and try to escape from the back door, but it was also locked up.
"It's locked!" Edgar scream.
"What the fuck is that thing?!" Jessica screams at Jane.
"A fucking monster, what else?!" Jane answer.
"Open the goddamn door!" Alan yells and starts kicking the door with Edgar. Alan turns around and saw the clown with the head of a giant spider roaring at them. "Holy Shit! He's a fucking spider!"
"..." Jane was petrified when she saw the clown taking the form of a giant Tarantula. She falls to her knees and was the only one that was near the monster. The monster stops in front of her and grabs her by the throat. The spider's head split in half and reveal a giant mouth full of teeth. She could see a strange light down his throat but didn't look right at it. She closes her eyes. Edgar kick down the door and saw Jane about to being devoured by the monster. Samantha and Jessica were in shock and couldn't even move at all. Edgar saw an axe on the floor, grab it and stab the monster with it. Making it let go of Jane and grabbing the axe that gets stocked at the left side of its head. Edgar grabs Jane and runs away, Alan takes both Jessica and Samantha and follows Edgar outside. They run away to the backyard and go straight to the street. There, Edgar stumbles and hit his face on the ground.
"Shit, that hurt!" He yells and Alan keeps running. Samantha stops to help both Edgar and Jane to stand up and they all keep running until they no longer feel their legs...