Terrifying Tales of Terror!

It had been a long time since Troy stepped foot inside a church. He thought he may never forgive God for taking his son away from him. But he had no where else to turn. No one else could help him. He sighed deeply, got out of his truck and went inside. A familiar face greeted him.

"Hello, Troy."

"Father."

Troy shook his hand and they sat in a pew. Troy told his story.

The house was beautiful. The landscape was like something out of a Robert Frost poem, and after a long day of unpacking, Troy Thomas stepped outside for a cigarette. The sun was setting behind the trees, the golden leaves singing him a lullaby. The first stars of the evening were winking at him and good fortune finally wore a smile.

He had done it. Troy Thomas had finally bought his wife the old Witherspoon farmhouse she had had her eye on for years. It was a fixer upper, but Ellen was happy. Even the dog seemed happy. Ginger was a ninety pound Labrador. As reddish gold as the Fall leaves and as gentle a dog a man could hope for. She made herself comfortable on the porch and watched Troy admire his new property.

Troy watched his wife put dishes away through the kitchen window for a moment and then dropped the cigarette in his ash can. He glanced over at the run down barn. He had his work cut out for him, but his wife was worth it.

"Troy?", Ellen called from inside. Troy knew what time it was. Amy and Ashley had probably finished brushing their teeth. "Can you tuck the girls in, baby?".

Troy turned his attention away from the barn and headed back into the house. Ellen hugged the kids and Troy led them to their new room. Old man Witherspoon was a good carpenter, but had only built two bedrooms. Troy wasn't a bad carpenter himself and figured he would eventually add on another room.

Troy tucked the girls into bed and kissed each one goodnight. Then he headed back to the kitchen to admire his wife some more. Yes, things were looking up for the Thomas family. Troy and Ellen could be very happy here.

The next morning, Troy was up and off to work before the girls got up. He kissed his wife and headed out at half past five. He was a welder for a company that fabricated structural steel. Something his father and his grandfather had done before him. Ellen was up at six thirty making breakfast. The girls were getting ready for school.

"Come eat! We're gonna be late."

Ashley came out in a huff. She gave her mother a sour look, folded her arms and tapped a foot. At seven years old, and as cute as a button, Ellen couldn't help but smile.

"Amy is hogging the bathroom."

"Eat your breakfast. I'll go get her out."

Ashley was hungry, and the smell of bacon was hard to resist. She complied as Ellen made her way off to the bathroom to round up Amy. Amy liked being three years older than Ashley and demonstrated this in various ways.

Ashley was almost done eating by the time her older sister joined her at the table.

"Where's mom?"

"She's getting ready."

"Amy, did you hear weird noises last night?"

"No. Why, were you scared?"

"No."

"Liar."

"I heard someone crying, Amy."

Amy gave it some thought, but honestly couldn't remember hearing anything. Instead she concentrated on her eggs.

At dusk, Troy came up the long drive, happy to be home. Ellen was in the drive waiting to greet him.

She said, "Honey, I haven't seen Ginger all day. She was here when I left to take the kids to school."

"I'll walk around the property after dinner. She's probably off chasing rabbits."

Troy didn't have any luck after dinner, and had trouble sleeping that night. He heard sounds as if an animal was screaming in the woods behind their house. He tried to think of what animal would make such a high pitched squeal, but the answer eluded him. He got up and headed for the kitchen to get a drink, but noticed something strange. The refrigerator door was wide open. He looked around, but nothing else seemed unusual.

Troy made himself a stiff whiskey and soda and headed down the hall. He pushed the bathroom door open and investigated. Nothing out of place there.

He checked in on the girls. They seemed okay. He took his drink and headed back to his own room, but stopped dead in his tracks. The bathroom door was closed. He was sure he had left it open.

Was he just tired?

He sat on the edge of his bed and finished his drink. Then he fell asleep.

"Mom, something was scratching at my window last night." Amy said at breakfast the following Saturday. Troy studied her for a moment, but last Mondays midnight drink episode wouldn't allow him to dismiss it easily. That and his dog was still missing. Ellen didn't even look at her. Troy noticed that. He also noticed, Ellen had bags under her eyes as if she wasn't sleeping. He quietly finished his breakfast and went out to the barn.

He spent the day cleaning out the barn and preparing to tear it down. He kept thinking of how nice his new garage was going to be. This seemed to keep him motivated. It also took his mind off of Ginger. All in all, it wasn't a bad day. He just missed his dog.

He could hear the squealing again that night, but it didn't bother him much. Lots of animals make weird noises. If he found out that thing had anything to do with Ginger disappearing, he had a bullet for it. He was sure of that much.

Ashley lay awake too, but in her room, sounds were different. She could hear a child crying. It sounded like a little boy just outside her window. She was scared to look. She tried to convince herself it was the wind and sank lower and lower until her head was covered by the blankets. Amy seemed sound asleep. Ashley wanted to wake her up. She lay there unsure of what to do. She had to use the bathroom, so she got up and left the room.

Ashley turned on the light in the bathroom and shut the door. She turned to lift the lid on the toilet when the light flickered. She eyed it suspiciously. It flickered again. She lifted the lid. The light began to strobe. She tried the switch, but it had no effect.

"Stop it!"

The shower curtain began dancing violently. Sliding back and forth on the rod. The shower head blasted, full power, steaming hot water. Ashley tried the door, but it was stuck. She kicked it, screamed at it, pulled on it, but it wouldn't open. The lights flashed on and off. She cried for help, but no one came.

Amy was awakened by a loud rattle. She sat bolt upright and scanned the room. No Ashley. The rattle again, seemingly louder than before. It was the window. She watched it, unblinking. In the dark quiet room, nothing seemed to make a sound for over a minute. She sat staring at the window, waiting for something to rattle it again.

But in the dead calm she heard something.

A rising sound, as if it was approaching her. In and out, she could hear breathing, and it was coming closer. She looked for the source, but saw nothing. It was right on top of her now. She could feel the cold breath on her face. It gently brushed her bangs away from her eyes. She couldn't hold her breath any longer.

She exhaled and in the ice cold room her breath rolled out in front of her, outlining the sillhouette of a person, staring right at her, face to face. Amy screamed!

Troy kicked open the bathroom door and Ashley darted into his arms. Amy bounded out of her room at full speed, crying hysterically.

"What the hell happened?"

"There was a face..." Amy tried to explain. "The light was flashing and the water came on..."

Both girls were terrified. Troy didn't know what to do. He and Ellen could only hold them in a vain effort to console them. It was a long time before everyone was back to sleep.

The next day, Ellen had taken the girls to her mothers house. She and Troy felt it was the best thing. Clearly something had scared them pretty bad. Maybe they just needed a break.

Troy decided to continue working on his garage. He was going to tear down the old barn today and start hauling off the debris in his truck. He finished his breakfast and rinsed his dish.

As he set the plate in the dishrack, he heard a sound coming from the family room. It sounded like shuffling feet. He slowly made his way towards the kitchen door and peeked into the room. He couldn't see anything, but watched for a moment.

He stood there eyes fixed, sure he had heard it, but what was it?

Suddenly the backdoor flew open and slammed into the wall, breaking the glass. Troy couldn't immediately see an intruder and backed into the livingroom. Through the small opening between the door and jam, Troy could see a chair in the kitchen slide from it's place ever so slightly as though someone or something had bumped it.

And whatever that something was it was moving towards Troy. He backed down the hallway towards his bedroom. The door from the kitchen to the livingroom opened and closed as though the thing had come through it.

Troy stepped into his bedroom quickly. He shut the door and locked it. Then stepped back and studied the latch. It shook.

He drew a deep breath. Something was trying to open the door.

"Ellen?"

The door latch shook harder. He stepped farther away, back to the wall. The latch was now shaking violently, the door was rattling against the frame. Troy looked to his right.

The window!

He opened it and slipped out into the yard. As he made his way to his truck he stopped for just a moment, turned and studied his home. Then he got in his truck and drove to the only place he could think of.

Father Thomas stood in the moonlight, a thoughtful look on his face and a bible in his hand. He eyed the house for just a moment before stepping up onto the porch of Troy's home.

He bowed his head slightly and made the sign of the cross. As he raised his eyes to the door, it opened. Father Thomas stepped inside.

Troy watched from outside as the door closed behind the priest as if the house had swallowed him up.

Father Thomas stood calmly in the center of the livingroom and opened his bible. He scanned the text for a moment and then began reading.

"Lord, we believe in the Word of Scripture which says:

'If we live our lives in the light,
as He is in the light,
we are in union with one another,
and the Blood of Jesus, His son,
purifies us from all sin.'

Therefore, we ask You, O Eternal Father,
in the Name of Your Son Jesus,
that any type of sin committed in this house,
violating the peace and sanctity of a truly Christian home,
be washed and cleansed
through the Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus
who takes away all the sin of the world,
dishonesty, hatred, and evil."

At those words, the lights flickered. Troy's bookshelf shook slightly. Father Thomas gave the room a curious look and continued.

"O Heavenly Father,
we believe that the night is ending and daylight is getting close.
Therefore, we want to abandon the works of darkness
and put on the armor of the Light"

The lights in the house began flashing more rapidly. The room grew colder.

"Heavenly Father, we want to stand up,
to gird ourselves with the truth
and to be protected by the breastplate of justice,
with the shoes of the Gospel of peace on our feet,
always firmly gripping the shield of that faith
with which we are able to ward off
and extinguish the burning arrows of the evil one.
And we want to wear the helmet of the salvation of Jesus Christ
and the sword of the Holy Spirit
which is the Word of God."

The bookshelf began to vibrate, dancing in place. A hardback novel flew through the air just missing Father Thomas' head. He gave the shelf a slight grin and began again.

"Holy Father, in the Name of Our Lord Jesus,
we thank You from the bottom of our heart
because You drove away forever all darkness
and evil from this house."

The lights flickered, the shelves trembled, and objects began moving around the room. Father Thomas began to read louder.

"Lord Jesus, our Beloved Saviour,
bless this house and each one of those who live here,
so that the light of Your protective presence,
full of love and peace,
may enter and always remain here as a sign of Your infinite mercy!"

Doors opened and closed, slamming themselves shut, the television turned on and off. The fish tank began to boil. Father Thomas relentlessly read on.

"Holy Spirit of the Father and Son,
increase in us more and more faith
and trust in the power of the Resurrected Lord!

Amen."

The house was quiet. Father Thomas made the sign of the cross and closed his bible. He paced the room for a moment and looking for signs of trouble. All seemed peaceful.

Troy watched through the window.

As he motioned towards the front door to retrieve Troy, his bible was pulled from his grip and thrown across the room. A heavy wooden jewelry box slammed into the side of his head knocking him to the floor.

Troy rushed to his aid, but the door was locked. He broke out the front window and made his way through the accumulated debris. Father Thomas wasn't injured too badly, but could have done without the gash.

"You bastard!" Troy shouted at the presence. His emotion getting the better of him. Father Thomas made his way to his bible and picked it up. He calmly opened it.

The walls tremored violently and the book was thrown a second time.

"Get out of my house!" Troy was ready for a fight now.

The windows exploded inward sending glass shards at both men. The house was shaking heavily. Troy stumbled towards the priest. The television exploded right next to him knocking him off his feet. The sparks set fire to the rug. Random objects were flying all over the room.

As Troy tried to make his way back to his feet a ceramic statue collided with his head. Father Thomas watched as Troy fell to the ground unconscious. He had finally lost his own temper at the sight of the young man laying there helpless. He raised his fist in the air and began shouting.

"Our father who art in heaven
Hallowed be thy name
Thy kingdom come soon
Thy will be done here on earth
As it is in heaven"

The fish tank was boiling over. Every light in the room was flashing and the whole house was shaking.

"Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our sins
As we have forgiven those who have sinned against us
And lead us not into temptation
But deliver us from evil!"

The walls rumbled angrily.

"For thine is the kingdom!"

Another violent tremor. The fish tank exploded. Father Thomas covered up like a boxer and came right back swinging.

"For thine is the glory!"

The flames leaped higher and the whole house quaked.

"For thine is the power for ever and ever!"

The house got quiet, but the fire had grown beyond control. The priest needed to get Troy out of there, but was having trouble carrying him. He was dragging him across the room when objects began again to fly. The couch danced across the room and landed in front of the exit. The priest would have to get him out through the window.

He struggled to get Troy close, the fire was gaining on him. He hoisted Troy up and leaned him against the opening. Troy slid back down into the inferno. Father Thomas was losing heart. He didn't have the strength to get Troy out. He tried one more time.

Just as he leaned Troy against the window, he heard a dog bark.

Ginger jumped up on the window sill and began pulling at Troys coat. Together, the Priest and Ginger were able to free Troy from the blaze.

They drug him out into the drive and watched as the Witherspoon Farmhouse burned to the ground. The sillhouette of a man standing in the window staring out at them. As Troy came to and realized what had happened he looked up at Father Thomas and said, "Thank you, Father."

The priest replied, "I have asked you repeatedly to call me, Dad."

Written by: Dreadmoc