The amazing Jersey Tickler and I recently collaborated on a story called Freak Show. He provided a lot of the ideas and I wrote the story. It had it all really: chicks from the 80s, gross sideshow freaks, a totally insane serial killer/tickler with a thing for pillowcases, and a kickin' Bob Marley soundtrack. And now, here's a preview of the next installment titled Freak Show: 20 Years Later (my little homage to Halloween H20, which was a crappy movie but was part of a cool series). So crack open that beer or pour that Count Chocula and enjoy.
“For cryin’ out loud Jeff, do you ever do anything around this house?”
Mallory stood in front of her husband, her hands on her hips, blocking the television set. Jeff craned his neck, trying to see around her.
“Jeff, are you listening to me?” She turned around and shut the TV off.
“Hey, what the hell did you do that for?” Jeff asked, tossing the remote onto the cushion next to him.
Mallory looked incredulous. “Hello, I’m trying to tawk to you here! Jesus Christ Jeff, you’re such a dick sometimes.”
Jeff rolled his eyes and turned the TV back on. “Okay, I’m listening, what?”
“This house is a mess! I work hard to support us every day, while you sit on your ass in front of the TV and drink my beer. When are you going to get a job Jeff? Huh? When are you going to get off your ass and start helping me out around here, huh? Hello?”
Jeff shrugged weakly. “Look, honey, I have been looking for a job. I just had an interview at the new plant downtown; they said they’d call me back.”
Mallory looked flustered. “Well do you think you could at least help out around the house while I’m gone? This place is filthy!”
Jeff ignored her and started flipping through the channels, belching loudly and scratching his rear as he did so. Mallory spit out the piece of Double-Mint she’d be chewing on. “You’re disgusting, you know that? Huh, did I ever tell you that?” She shook her head. “I’m going out for a smoke.” She stalked out of the room and headed for the door.
“Hey, I thought you quit?” Jeff yelled after her.
Mallory took a long drag and held it. She was so stressed she could hardly see straight. She was a highly successful clothing designer, true, but her home life was less than stellar. She loved Jeff, she wouldn’t have married him otherwise, but he was just so lazy sometimes…
Mallory leaned against the door and began fidgeting with her lighter. She thought about calling Lisa, she had such a way of calming Mallory down when she was upset. No sooner had the thought passed through her mind than she heard her cell phone’s ring-tone:
“One love, one heart,
Let’s get together and feel all right,
Hear the children crying (one love)
Hear the children crying (one heart)
Give thanks and praise to the Lord and I will feel all right”
“Hello?” she asked.
No reply. She could hear faint breathing in the background.
“Who is this?” she asked.
A low, chilling laugh came from the other end, and then a voice that sent shivers down Mallory’s spine: “I’m coming for you.”
She nearly dropped the phone. That voice…no, it couldn’t be. But is sounded so familiar.
Working up her bravest tone, Mallory responded: “Hey, you better stop messing around buddy. I don’t know how you got this number but you better not call again.”
She terminated the call. She tried lighting another cigarette but her hands were trembling. The phone rang again.
“One love, one heart,
Let’s get together and feel all right…”
Mallory held the phone in front of her for a moment. Dare she answer it? She slowly flipped the phone open and held it to her ear.
“Hello?”
“I’m outside of your house. You should probably go in now.”
She heard the receiver click on the other end. This time she did drop the phone. She looked around frantically, trying to catch a glimpse of whoever had called. Was this just some sick prank? If this was one of Jeff’s practical jokes, she was going to kill him. Nevertheless, she thought it would be safest to go inside. She quickly jumped into the house and slammed the door shut behind her. It was eerily quiet inside. Mallory listened intently for a few seconds, straining to hear the sound of the television in the living room. Nothing. Her heart pounding, she began walking to the living room.
“Jeff?” she called. No reply. As she turned the corner the television came into view. Static flickered across the screen, but no sound was coming from it. She could see Jeff’s head poking up from the couch. She relaxed a bit.
“Stupid, he fell asleep in front of the TV again.”
She moved forward and shook him. “Jeff. JEFF! Wake up will ya, you left the TV on again.”
Jeff’s head lolled back, its eyes staring blankly up at Mallory. Her scream was deafening.
Jeff’s face was horribly grotesque, it looked as though the flesh had been eaten way.
“Oh…my…GOD!!!” She screamed and staggered back, trying to think straight. Her husband was dead…oh God, what had happened.
“I’m in your house,” a voice came, the same voice Mallory had heard over the phone. She screamed again, and began running frantically through the dining room. This wasn’t happening…
She ran up the stairs, a sinister laugh ringing through the house. She ran into her room and shut the door behind her. It was cold; all of the windows were open. The wind blew through the trees outside, making eerie whistling noises. She could hear footsteps slowly making their way up the stairs.
“You cannot hide.”
Sobbing, Mallory looked around the room hysterically, trying to find a way out. She couldn’t jump out the window; the fall would surely kill her. Finally, she crawled under the bed, unable to think of anything else. The door slowly creaked open.
The footsteps stopped.
It grew suddenly quiet. Mallory didn’t even dare to breathe. And then…the footsteps began moving away from the room. Seizing the moment, Mallory shot out from under the bed and ran down the stairs. For a brief moment, out of the corner of her eye, she could see a shadowy figure at the far end of the hall. She sprinted to the door and began to tug on the doorknob. It was locked! Mallory looked around and noticed that all the lights were out. What was she going to do? Sobbing hysterically, she ran to the back door, only to find it locked as well.
“NOOO!” she screamed. She had nowhere to run.
It grew deathly quiet. Mallory stood there, rooted on the spot.
CRASH! A figure burst through the window, rolling and coming to a halt right in front of Mallory. She screamed and backed up, but collided with something. Whirling around, she saw a man, over six feet tall and wearing a black leather jacket and…a pillowcase over his head. She turned again and saw, rising from the shattered glass, another man. This one was bald and missing an eye, and, to Mallory’s horror, had not one but two torsos. She knew this man; his image had haunted her for twenty years.
“No,” she sobbed, “No…”
Baldy moved to stand next to the man in the pillowcase. “Well hello love, it’s been a long time hasn’t it?”
“For cryin’ out loud Jeff, do you ever do anything around this house?”
Mallory stood in front of her husband, her hands on her hips, blocking the television set. Jeff craned his neck, trying to see around her.
“Jeff, are you listening to me?” She turned around and shut the TV off.
“Hey, what the hell did you do that for?” Jeff asked, tossing the remote onto the cushion next to him.
Mallory looked incredulous. “Hello, I’m trying to tawk to you here! Jesus Christ Jeff, you’re such a dick sometimes.”
Jeff rolled his eyes and turned the TV back on. “Okay, I’m listening, what?”
“This house is a mess! I work hard to support us every day, while you sit on your ass in front of the TV and drink my beer. When are you going to get a job Jeff? Huh? When are you going to get off your ass and start helping me out around here, huh? Hello?”
Jeff shrugged weakly. “Look, honey, I have been looking for a job. I just had an interview at the new plant downtown; they said they’d call me back.”
Mallory looked flustered. “Well do you think you could at least help out around the house while I’m gone? This place is filthy!”
Jeff ignored her and started flipping through the channels, belching loudly and scratching his rear as he did so. Mallory spit out the piece of Double-Mint she’d be chewing on. “You’re disgusting, you know that? Huh, did I ever tell you that?” She shook her head. “I’m going out for a smoke.” She stalked out of the room and headed for the door.
“Hey, I thought you quit?” Jeff yelled after her.
Mallory took a long drag and held it. She was so stressed she could hardly see straight. She was a highly successful clothing designer, true, but her home life was less than stellar. She loved Jeff, she wouldn’t have married him otherwise, but he was just so lazy sometimes…
Mallory leaned against the door and began fidgeting with her lighter. She thought about calling Lisa, she had such a way of calming Mallory down when she was upset. No sooner had the thought passed through her mind than she heard her cell phone’s ring-tone:
“One love, one heart,
Let’s get together and feel all right,
Hear the children crying (one love)
Hear the children crying (one heart)
Give thanks and praise to the Lord and I will feel all right”
“Hello?” she asked.
No reply. She could hear faint breathing in the background.
“Who is this?” she asked.
A low, chilling laugh came from the other end, and then a voice that sent shivers down Mallory’s spine: “I’m coming for you.”
She nearly dropped the phone. That voice…no, it couldn’t be. But is sounded so familiar.
Working up her bravest tone, Mallory responded: “Hey, you better stop messing around buddy. I don’t know how you got this number but you better not call again.”
She terminated the call. She tried lighting another cigarette but her hands were trembling. The phone rang again.
“One love, one heart,
Let’s get together and feel all right…”
Mallory held the phone in front of her for a moment. Dare she answer it? She slowly flipped the phone open and held it to her ear.
“Hello?”
“I’m outside of your house. You should probably go in now.”
She heard the receiver click on the other end. This time she did drop the phone. She looked around frantically, trying to catch a glimpse of whoever had called. Was this just some sick prank? If this was one of Jeff’s practical jokes, she was going to kill him. Nevertheless, she thought it would be safest to go inside. She quickly jumped into the house and slammed the door shut behind her. It was eerily quiet inside. Mallory listened intently for a few seconds, straining to hear the sound of the television in the living room. Nothing. Her heart pounding, she began walking to the living room.
“Jeff?” she called. No reply. As she turned the corner the television came into view. Static flickered across the screen, but no sound was coming from it. She could see Jeff’s head poking up from the couch. She relaxed a bit.
“Stupid, he fell asleep in front of the TV again.”
She moved forward and shook him. “Jeff. JEFF! Wake up will ya, you left the TV on again.”
Jeff’s head lolled back, its eyes staring blankly up at Mallory. Her scream was deafening.
Jeff’s face was horribly grotesque, it looked as though the flesh had been eaten way.
“Oh…my…GOD!!!” She screamed and staggered back, trying to think straight. Her husband was dead…oh God, what had happened.
“I’m in your house,” a voice came, the same voice Mallory had heard over the phone. She screamed again, and began running frantically through the dining room. This wasn’t happening…
She ran up the stairs, a sinister laugh ringing through the house. She ran into her room and shut the door behind her. It was cold; all of the windows were open. The wind blew through the trees outside, making eerie whistling noises. She could hear footsteps slowly making their way up the stairs.
“You cannot hide.”
Sobbing, Mallory looked around the room hysterically, trying to find a way out. She couldn’t jump out the window; the fall would surely kill her. Finally, she crawled under the bed, unable to think of anything else. The door slowly creaked open.
The footsteps stopped.
It grew suddenly quiet. Mallory didn’t even dare to breathe. And then…the footsteps began moving away from the room. Seizing the moment, Mallory shot out from under the bed and ran down the stairs. For a brief moment, out of the corner of her eye, she could see a shadowy figure at the far end of the hall. She sprinted to the door and began to tug on the doorknob. It was locked! Mallory looked around and noticed that all the lights were out. What was she going to do? Sobbing hysterically, she ran to the back door, only to find it locked as well.
“NOOO!” she screamed. She had nowhere to run.
It grew deathly quiet. Mallory stood there, rooted on the spot.
CRASH! A figure burst through the window, rolling and coming to a halt right in front of Mallory. She screamed and backed up, but collided with something. Whirling around, she saw a man, over six feet tall and wearing a black leather jacket and…a pillowcase over his head. She turned again and saw, rising from the shattered glass, another man. This one was bald and missing an eye, and, to Mallory’s horror, had not one but two torsos. She knew this man; his image had haunted her for twenty years.
“No,” she sobbed, “No…”
Baldy moved to stand next to the man in the pillowcase. “Well hello love, it’s been a long time hasn’t it?”
M&Ms, hm? I'll keep that in mind, lol. Anyway, glad you liked it!
