Tales To Make You Jump In The Dark

The guys all stood in the hallway, looking around and watching as the small male ghost tried to push his way past the salt barrier. It was no use and Andy had to give it to Jake-his late night television watching had finally paid off. The only question that still remained was where were CC and Ashley? Andy listened carefully for any kind of sound and finally he heard a low moaning coming from around the corner where the living room and downstairs bathroom sat. Quickly Andy ran around the corner, Jake hot on his trail with Jinxx and the ghost girl following behind. The moaning was growing louder until finally Andy stopped in front of the bathroom door and tried the handle.

It wasn't budging and so with everything he had Andy tugged and pulled until finally he was able to get the door open. Jake quickly tossed a handful of salt into the room and there was a low hissing noise as a black cloud of smoke came rushing out of the tiny space and they could finally see Ashley. The bassist was laying on the floor, his knees up to his chest and Andy could tell he had been crying. Ashley rarely cried and so Andy knew that his best friend had had the shit scared out of him, but by what? Everything about the guy looked okay-he didn't look hurt or anything...just scared shitless. Slowly Andy crouched down to the floor, holding out a hand and placing it on Ashley's shoulder.


"Ash...Ash are you okay?" Andy asked and he could feel his best friend shaking underneath his touch. What had happened in here? Ashley was muttering something about his face and he was covering his eyes with his hands. One look in the toilet and Andy could see that the guy had been scared enough to puke up any and all alcohol that he had consumed in the past four hours.

"Dude...what's going on?" Jinxx asked from his spot outside in the hallway and Andy didn't know what to say. Slowly he was able to move Ashley's hands away from his face and the bassist just looked up at him, his brown eyes wide and filled with tears.

"H-how bad is it man?" Ashley sobbed and Andy only cocked an eyebrow and looked over his shoulder at Jake. He could see the ghost girl floating behind them all, a concerned look on her face as she observed the situation with the rest of them.

"How bad is what Ash? I mean we're staying in a seriously haunted house...I don't think it could get much worse..." Andy chuckled and then he realized that that was the wrong move on his part. Ashley let out a guttural scream, grabbed Andy by the collar of his shirt and growled at the singer.

"My face! It's gone!" Ashley sobbed as his head landed against Andy's shoulder and the bassist just cried and cried. Andy was at a loss for words-what was happening right now?

"Dude...your face looks fine. You look fine." Jake said calmly and Andy just sat there on the floor and waited for Ashley to calm down. The bassist finally seemed to process what was being said to him and he just looked at Andy, who only smiled reassuringly and nodded.


Ashley got up from his spot on the floor and stood before the bathroom mirror with his eyes shut tightly. Did he dare open them and see the ghastly vision before him? Ashley took in a deep breath as he held on to either side of the sink and then slowly opened his eyes. His face was normal and at first Ashley wondered if this was some sort of trick. He had felt his skin melting off of his face, had seen it laying in the sink like a puddle of melted candle wax and yet here he was...normal looking as ever. Ashley smirked at himself but then stopped-his vanity was what had given him a weak spot in the first place and he knew that it would probably always be his weakness.

Slowly he turned to face the other guys and saw that Andy was now standing in the doorway, looking at him like he was crazy. Jake was slightly to Andy's left, a container of salt in one hand and his other was rubbing the back of his neck. Jinxx was out in the hall and Ashley felt his heart stop as he noticed a young girl standing in the very back and it seemed like she was floating in the air. Another fucking ghost?! Really?! Ashley backed up until his back was against the far wall of the bathroom and Andy only looked at him and then nodded. Were they hanging with the enemy now or something? Slowly the girl began to float closer to Ashley, passing through both Jake and Andy before she stopped to stand right in front of the bassist.


"My name is Alexa..." The girl said softly and Ashley watched as she smiled at him and he suddenly didn't feel so scared. She was just a girl-a girl who could have been one of their fans at some point.

"Ar-are you going to hurt me?" He stammered and she only smiled and shook her head, her brown hair falling in her face as she turned to look at Andy.

"She's been keeping us safe man...she's been trying to help me get out of the basement for over two hours. There's a demon in this house and Alexa thinks he's the one who is keeping us here..." Andy explained and Ashley only nodded. The Demon had told him it was out for new souls and it had found five that would probably be the perfect addition to its collection.

"Why us?" Jinxx asked as they all left the bathroom and hallway and walked towards the front door. CC was still missing and Andy was now suddenly worried that their drummer had joined the army of the spirit world.

"I don't know, but we need to get you guys out of here before one of you gets trapped here..." Alexa said and Andy felt his lips curve into a smile. This girl, he had learned, had been a fan of theirs and she had died over two years ago. She had been dared to sneak in to this house one night and after crossing over the threshold, she had fallen to her death down the basement steps and her spirit was now trapped here.

"Where's CC?" Ashley asked, finally able to compose himself and the guys all looked around. None of them had seen the drummer since they had gotten stuck in the house and now they finally noticed that he wasn't by the front door where they had left him.


A shout sounded out from above their heads just then and Jinxx was the first one to hit the bottom of the stairs as they all tried to rush up. Andy could feel his heart beating out of his chest as he ran up the stairs, Alexa floating beside him silently. The girl had scared the crap out of him at first, but now that he had spoken to her and seen that she was just a fan and wanted to be noticed by him, Andy could tell that she was nice. Finally Andy reached the top of the stairs, his heart stopping completely as he looked into CC's room and took everything in. Why was this happening to them? He wondered to himself as Andy rushed forward and tried to give Ashley and Jake a hand.

CC was hanging out of the window, his fingers and knuckles white from trying to hold himself up and Andy could see his arms shaking from hanging on for so long. Jinxx was hovering in the corner, the salt in his hands as a female ghost floated above their heads and hissed at them all. She was pissed and Andy could only take a guess as to why, but Alexa soon floated up and helped Jinxx keep the other spirit in place. Andy grabbed on to one of CC's arms and with Jake and Ashley tugging on the other one, they were thankfully able to get CC back through the window and on to the floor. The drummer was sobbing, his arms wrapping around Ashley's legs and Andy could only stand by and watch as everyone calmed down. They had all survived-now if only they could figure out how to get out of this Hell house.


"He's mine!" The female spirit screamed at them all and Andy felt a great wind begin to pick up. It stopped once Jinxx tossed a handful of salt towards the ghost and Andy noticed Alexa was standing close by, rolling her eyes with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Not every mortal man that comes through the door is yours Violet!" Alexa yelled at the other spirit and the older girl only scoffed and floated away. CC was still sitting on the floor, his chest heaving as he tried to calm himself down.

"I-I don't know what happened man. Last thing I remember was kicking at the door and then this chick appeared out of nowhere. Then I'm hanging by my fingertips out of a window and calling you guys for help..." CC said as he wiped at his eyes and Andy just looked on. They needed to leave before anyone else almost died.

"Alexa-we need to get out of here." Andy said hurriedly and the ghost girl only nodded and began to float off towards the stairs.

"What about the equipment man?" Ashley asked as he followed behind Andy as they all hit the stairs.

"Fuck the equipment. I'm not chancing us sticking around just for one of us to become a permanent resident." Andy said as he hit the bottom floor and noticed that all three ghosts were blocking his way through the front door. Fuck-he had forgotten about them.

"Going somewhere boys?" The thick smoke cloud spoke out to them and Andy only scowled as he tried to push through the collected group.

"We're leaving!" Andy shouted as he quickly reached behind him and yanked the salt out of Jinxx's hands.


The room seemed to explode as a few things happened all at once-Andy tossed the salt towards the spirits and at the same time Alexa swooped down and used everything she had to get the front door open. The Demon screamed as Andy watched his four bandmates rush forward, leaving the house and being met with the sunshine and fresh air. Andy was the last out the door and as he stomped down the front steps and looked over his shoulder, all he could see was Alexa being swarmed by the other spirits and then the door slammed in his face.

Thankfully Jake had left the keys in their SUV and as he jumped into the passengers seat and closed the door, Andy couldn't help but be thankful.

It had been an experience trying to record in this fashion and it wasn't really something that Andy wanted to repeat. Jinxx had managed to grab his phone and Jake's and so with a quick call to their manager, the guys were on their way to a hotel until other plans could be made. It was just as they got over the first hill that Andy realized all they had left behind. Their instruments, clothes, possessions and his green notebook. The car stopped right at the top of the hill and Jake pulled over to the side while the guys decided what they needed to do next. It felt stuffy in the car and so Andy quickly pushed his door open and swung his legs out to hang over the side. As he looked behind them, his jaw dropped open once he caught site of the house they had just departed.

There was nothing there.

Nothing-just an empty lot with their equipment and suitcases sitting in the middle of it. Andy quickly got back in the car and told Jake they had to go back. There was some protesting-Andy wanting to go back had been their downfall in the first place, but after ten minutes of arguing, Jake turned the car around and they were headed back down the hill. Once the car had reached the bottom and Ashley and CC both refusing to get out, Andy, Jake and Jinxx made their way towards the pile of equipment. The guitars had been placed in their cases, CC's drum set was dismantled and neatly tucked away and their suitcases were all piled on top of one another.

What was going on?

"This is some freaky shit..." Jake said as he began to lug things towards the trailer that was still, thankfully, attached to the back of their SUV.

"Next time you pick the place..." Jinxx said as he clapped Andy on the back and followed Jake's lead.


Andy just stood there in the empty clearing and he finally noticed that his green notebook was sitting on top of one of CC's drums. He picked it up, flipping through the pages but there was nothing there. As he stood in the spot that once held a magnificent house and looked around, Andy could have sworn that he heard a faint giggle, drifting towards him on the wind.

Something wicked had happened here, something that none of them would ever forget.

Notes

Thus ends the first installment of My Scary Tales Series. Some of you claim that these aren't scary enough-well I never said I was Stephen King. This is meant to be scary, maybe make a chill run down your spine, but if you're looking for something make your hair stand on end-then these stories probably aren't for you.

Either way I've enjoyed writing these stories and next up is one that I think a lot of people will like. Stay tuned for a teaser pic and a release date...