Shades and Shadows - Part Three

Scene inspired by The Silence of the Lambs:

~Part Three~
When Will the Lambs Stop Screaming?

Dr. Bernard Zslawomir's Office - Psychologist
San Luis Valley, Colorado
8:53 pm
Day One of the Event

A tape was acquired by authorities, which contained the strange and bizarre sessions between psychologist Dr. Zslawomir and twenty seven year old Penny Ford. After loud screams were heard by the recieptionist coming from the doctors office, both Dr. Bernard and Penny Ford went missing on the very day of the last recording. The events of that day still remain a mystery.

Police officer Eric Petty loaded a tape that read "Penny Ford - 4:03 pm" into the recorder, rewinded it a bit, and pressed "Play".

*Tape plays*

Dr. Bernard Zslawomir: Then something woke you, didn't it? Was it a dream? What was it?

Penny: I heard a strange noise.

Dr. Bernard Zslawomir: What was it?

Penny: It was screaming. Some kind of screaming. Like a child's voice.

Dr. Bernard Zslawomir: What did you do?

Penny: I went downstairs... outside, and crept up into the barn. I was so scared to look inside but I had to.

Dr. Bernard Zslawomir: What did you see penny? What did you see?

Penny: Lambs. They were screaming.

Dr. Bernard Zslawomir: They were slaughtering the spring lambs.

Penny: And they were screaming.

Dr. Bernard Zslawomir: And you ran away?

Penny: No, I couldn't.

Dr. Bernard Zslawomir: Why not?

Penny: I.. I can't. It.. it won't.

Dr. Bernard Zslawomir: Tell me, Penny. Tell me!

Penny: They were killing them.

Dr. Bernard Zslawomir: You mean the lambs? Who was killing them?

Penny: Not just the lambs.

Dr. Bernard Zslawomir: What do you mean, Penny? What do you mean?!

Penny: I.. I can't. [sobbing]

Dr. Bernard Zslawomir: You have to tell me, Penny! Tell me!

Penny: Doctor Zslawomir.. When will the lambs stop screaming? [crying]

Penny Ford never believed that seeing her therapist, Dr. Bernard Zslawomir, would be fruitful. She had never been able to get over what had happened when she was thirteen years old; when she watched both her parents and her two older brothers brutally murdered in the family's barn in Southern California.

Outside Penny Ford's Apartment Complex
San Luis Valley, Colorado
3:37 pm
Day One of the Event

Earlier that morning, Penny had received a strange text message from a strange number, and chose to ignore it. The message said:

Why aren't you answering your cell??
Meet us at the barn.
Call me back. M-

Penny never wanted to go back there. She couldn't . Not after what had happened. She looked for an answer in the back of her mind. Could it be Marlena, her sister? No, it couldn't! Marlena knew better than to bring up such a sore subject, let alone ask to meet at the place where only painful memories remain. What could be so important to Marlena that made her call and text her in such a way. Marlena never calls, nor texts Penny. Except on her birthday and at Christmas.

After getting a dozen other calls and messages, and feeling curious about how persistent Marlena was, and quite frankly a little worried, Penny decides to call back, only to be answered by screaming and crying from the other end. A few seconds later, the crying stops.

Penny: Hello?! Is this Marlena? Hello!! Marlena are you ok? Marlena! Answer me!

Eerie Voice: Hello Penny. Have the lambs stopped screaming?

Penny ended the call and turned off her phone, cursing and cussing at the voice. The expression of sheer fear and terror was clearly evident on her face. It was as if she had seen a ghost, and was drained of all the blood in her body.

She hailed a cab, and asked the driver to take her to Dr. Bernard Zslawomir's office on Lexington Street. The call she had just gotten wasn't the first, and knew that it wouldn't be the last. The only person she could talk to was Dr. Bernard, for after what happened, Penny began to distance herself from the world. She hadn't allowed herself to become too attached to anything.. or anyone. The thought of losing somewhen else was unbearable.

On the way to Dr. Bernard's office, Penny began to see things. Things that shouldn't be there. Things that she shouldn't see. Things only nightmares are made of. She took out the pills that Dr. Bernard had perscribed for her two months ealrier, and took two. They certainly did help, though they made her drowsy most of the time. But the truth of the matter is, anything is better than seeing those things. Anything is better than living in a nightmare of a world.

...to be continued.

Shades and Shadows - Part Two

Shades and Shadows - Part Two

Marc
36 year old
Single father of three

Ralph's Supermarket - Parking Lot
San Luis Valley, Colorado
3:13 pm

I tried to help her, but she wouldn't stop bleeding. There was blood everywhere. She kept jumping, scratching, and clawing at our car. I didn't know what to do. Darrian, my 18 year old daughter, was sitting next to me in the passenger seat. The terrified look on her face made my heart sink deep into my stomach. Johnathan and Marie were sitting in the back seat. Marie, my 4 year old, was screaming. She didn't understand what was happening, and the bizarre thing is, neither did I.

Johnathan was 16. He seemed to have bottled up the fear, as he hugged Marie and tried to calm her down. But you can still see it in his eyes; the sense of fear and dread had clearly taken over.

I held the steering wheel as tight as I could, and thought to myself... "How can I get my kids out of here?" And then it clicked. I knew what I had to do. This crazed woman was putting my kids in danger. She needed to be stopped; in any way possible. I told my children to cover their ears and keep their eyes closed. I reach over to the glove compartment and open the secret latch which housed my 9mm.

I never thought the day would where I had to even use it, but it did. I waited until the women was on the left side of the car, so I'd have time to get out, do what I had to do, and get back in.

I opened the door, aimed at her head, and pulled the trigger. I must have shot at her three or four times. The woman collapsed on the ground. She was shaking for what seemed like hours, and then she was suddenly still. I stared at her pale face for a while, trying to piece together what had just happened. But I couldn't risk my kids getting hurt, so I left her there. She was a stranger after all. I didn't know what else to do.

I sped of into the street and up the highway. I couldn't risk going back home. People where dead. They were everywhere. All over the pasture, in the yards, hundreds of lifeless corpses decorated the streets like an apocalyptic nightmare.

It's been 13 days, but I can still hear the screaming and the banging; I can still smell the blood. What had happened that day still and might always remain a mystery.

Shades and Shadows - Part One

A catastrophe, is one way of describing it. People just kept dropping like flies one day. Everyone just collapsed dead on the ground. And now, two strangers in San Luis Valley, Colorado are forced into a climatic battle over the fate of their family.

~Part One~

Marlena Ford woke to the screams of her five year old daughter, and rushed to her side. Rebecca had been having night terrors for the past couple of weeks, and Marlena had no idea what was triggering them. She had taken her to the doctors several times before, but without avail.

Rebecca would describe horrible creatures that come to her at night clawing at her legs, arms, and face. The signs of these supposed "attacks" did leave visible marks on Rebecca's body. The doctors dismissed them as being self-inflected injuries, and that they were common with night terrors. Some doctors would perscribe mild tranquelizers, but Marlena didn't like the fact of medicating her daughter.

"Mommy, they're back!" cried Rebecca,

"It's alright honey, I'm here. No one can hurt you now." replied Marlena,

"No mommy, they're outside. The monsters are outside."

"There are no monsters outside honey. It's only a dream."

"But mommy, you're not listening. Look outside."

Marlene was puzzled at how calm and collected her daughter was that night. It was as if she was sure she saw something. She decided to check outside Rebecca's bedroom window, just to reassure her that there was nothing to fear. And just as she reached the window, she saw them. They were scatted all around the yards and streets. Hundreds and hundreds of dark figures laying still on the ground. The sheer shock of the scene sent Marlene darting to the front door.

"Stay in bed honey. I'll be right back." said Marlene,

As she reached the door he hesitated a bit. She kept telling herself that she must be seeing things, but the truth of the matter is that she wasn't. She opened the door and there they were. They were everywhere. Marlene walked out into the yard with her hand covering he mouth, as the figures began to come into focus. Branded like cattle, the "monsters" Rebecca was talking about to were people. People with bloodshot eyes, pale skin, and white hair. There was Amanda, her 72 year old neighbor, Marcus, her daughters schoolmate, and Jeanine, Marlene's best friend since high-school. What had happened to them is a mystery that, Marlene decided, she doesn't want to uncover.

She ran upstairs, grabbed a few clothes from her and her daughters cupboard and tossed them in an old bag. She carried her daughter and headed to her 1992 Jeep Cherokee. She started the engine and just sat there for a while, trying to process what was happening. There was no warning, nothing on the news, the radio's dead, her phone didn't work. What was happening to her was the stuff nightmares are made of. She kept telling her daughter to cover her eyes. She put the car into gear, clasped her hand on the steering wheel, pushed her foot down on the accelerator, and dove off into the night.


As she drove off into the distance, two words echoed in her mind. Two words that would give her hope for a better future. Two words that would keep her going. One of them is faith, and the other is love.

Nightmares and Dreamscapes

I'm an avid Stephen King reader. I've read quite a few of his novels and short stories, but sadley, I haven't been able finish his most recent work - Duma Key. I was surfing the net just know and came accross a short miniseries titled Nightmares and Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King, which is an adaptation of Nightmares and Dreamscapes, Stephen King's collection of short horror stories.

Unfortunately, all the torrents I've found on this show have no seeders.. so, meh. Luckily, it's on Amazon.com so yay!
Ironically, the title of this post seems to fit perfectly with my current status. I can't really sleep, cos every time I close my eyes, a creepy guy pops up who freaks the hell out of me. I don't really know who he is, but I do know that I DO NOT want to see him ever again. *yawn*

Quote of the day:
"Neither men live nor die in vain." - Morgan Freeman [Narrator - War of the Worlds]

Take care & stay safe
The Archer '08