Part 2: The Dare conclusion – by Kevin Ross

As the grandfather clock grew silent after chiming for the 13^th time, the kids’ whimpering filled the void…crying due to being scared shitless or from the injuries of their tumbles down the stairs. Panicked, Harry jumped up and ran to the front door jiggling the handle feverously but without success. “It’s stuck! Where is Roger; I want to get out of here…now. Did you hear noises coming from the basement? Fighting? Is Roger with the others downstairs having scared them with another ‘Jump Scare’?”

And that’s when Harry and Charles notice Joey calmly stroking a purring slate-grey cat he was holding. “Is that what rushed in front of you at the top of the stairs causing us to tumble?” Charles had to blink twice and shake his head still groggy from the tumble…for he could almost swear the cat’s lips were moving as if talking to Joey. “Poor thing. I think we scared it. I think it lives in the basement and needs us to go down to fill its water dish and food tray.” As if Joey had lost all thoughts and concerns for his fellow friends…the poor cat now his primary concern. And thus he began walking toward the basement stairs in the back corner of the kitchen. At least Harry remembered his friends, “Are you guys downstairs? Is Roger with you? Come up now…I want to leave.”

By now silence had descended on the basement. Except for the hard breathing of Darren and Rich standing over the unconscious Roger in the pantry room. Spiders and bugs crawling out of cuts on Roger’s broken arm and cracked skull. Blood dripping from Darren’s baseball bat still held at the ready. Then Rich kneeling to search Roger’s pockets and extract the house key. By now the calls from their cohorts upstairs, “It’s nothing but spiders down here. We’ll be right up. And we convinced Roger to give us the key.” Then whispers amongst themselves, “What are we going to do with Roger? We can’t let the others see this.” Rich remembered the grated shaft in the main room, “We can lower Roger to get him out of sight.” But even the two of them couldn’t lift the heavy grate.

Upstairs, Joey (with cat in his arms) was already at the stairs and descending. Harry protesting in a whimpering tone, “They said spiders. We don’t know what kind. They could be Latrodectus…the deadly black widow.” Charles added, “There’s no need to go down. They said they were coming up.” But to be safe, Charles searched for a candle, “I’ve got a bad feeling even with the key, we won’t be able to get out of here.” His feelings heightened at the realization the texture of the candle was more fat than wax…knowledge the Hand of Glory is made from human fat!  Meanwhile, as Darren and Rich struggled with the grate, Joey arrived, put the cat down and joined in lifting the grate while asking, “What are we opening this for? Oh this looks cool. Someone dug this out. It’ll be neat to explore.”

The metal grate clanged loudly as it fell to the stone floor. Everyone talking at once. Charles asking about the noise, “I thought you said you were coming up!” Harry getting more spooked as he mustered courage to enter the basement, “I want out of here but there’s safety in numbers.” Joey insisting they explore the tunnel below as he squatted and began climbing down. Rich using the excuse of being tired and since they had the key, why not leave as he headed for the stairs. Darren struggling with control… wanting to leave but now feeling responsible for the group. Not wanting to leave a friend behind, he reluctantly squatted over the tunnel in indecision. Hand over his nose to stem the overpowering mixed smell of rat urine, bat guano, and open-moldy earth.

Thus Harry was halfway down the stairs when he met Rich coming up. Where Harry was able to glimpse into the basement, “Why is Darren perched over that hole? Where is he going?!” Everyone talking at once. Rich trying to calm and appease Harry. Darren explaining how he’s going after Joey. Charles calling for Rich to bring the key up, “I need you to try to unlock the front door with the key. I’ve got a bad feeling it’s not going to work.” Which is confirmed when Richie exits the basement and escorts Charles to the front door. The lock clicking open at the turn of the key but the door refusing to budge. Not even a jiggle. As if the door was part of the solid wall. Charles now panicked, “We need to get back to the others. That stuck door confirms bad news I need to tell everyone.”

Meanwhile, in the basement, a thump draws Harry toward a side-room. Even without lighting, he can recognize a study complete with couch and floor to ceiling bookcases. And an old oil lamp that he lights revealing the spine of the books and their weird and cultist titles. And there, atop one bookcase, sits a large rat wearing wire-glasses and a suit. That hisses. A momentary pause (paper/rock/scissors) as Darren wants to exchange his candle for the lamp, “It’ll be easier to hold and keep lit in the windy tunnels below.” Richie and Charles arriving just as Darren descends with the lamp handle gripped in his teeth, “I thought we were ALL getting out of here!?”

Which gives Richie the opportunity to wander over to the pantry to faint a stumble as he ‘accidently’ discovers Roger’s body. Except it’s gone! “Oh Jesus Christ! What the hell?” Only Richie and Darren know Roger was not Roger and was now missing. And that’s when Charles tries to explain, “There’s spooky stuff I know connected to that body we found upstairs.” Which invites the chorus of questions, “BODY?! What body?” Charles goes on, “It was missing it’s left hand. Which is the basis for a witches’ creation of something called a Hand of Glory used to control a house. Can lock all windows and doors. We’re not getting out of here until we find and extinguish that light!” Which invites Richie’s reply, “Oh Jesus Christ! What the hell? How do you know this stuff?! Where the hell is Roger? He totally disappeared on us. I think he set us up.” And with that, Richie goes on a rampage knocking things over.

Meanwhile Harry spots (and wants) a large black leather-bound book the rat sits atop. “Sho, sho. Be gone.” Harry throws trash at the rat to scare it away. Instead, the rat hisses more as it retaliates throwing a book. Then jumps down with claws outstretched. Harry dodges out of the way, kicking at the thing, before scrambling over furniture, “Sho, sho I said. HELP!”

Meanwhile, Darren has reached the tunnel attempting to catchup with Joey. Down a short passage, then left into a large room (carved out of the earth beneath the house) with a stack of bones piled high in the center. Mostly earthen walls except the one with a semi-circular stone shaft (the outside wall of the stone well in the back yard) floor to ceiling…water pooling at its base. One earthen wall is dug with nooks for shelves lined with books, jars, and a candle centered on an open human palm mounted on a stand.

And before the wall is a throne made of stone and bone where a bloated naked woman sits. Failed Sanity has Darren believing she his grandmother. And even more hideous [Sanity loss], a rat bursts from her chest and scurries off with other rats within the room. And that’s when grandma stands, ambling toward Darren, “Come to granny dearie and let me give you a big hug.” Darren drops the lantern and grips his bat with both hands.

By now Richie has entered the study and attacks the rat assaulting Harry. Good-ole DnD backstab skill flays the rat as it lets out a final squeal and human-sounding cry. Relieved, Harry points at the top of the case, “I want that book.” Harry starts to climb [failed Gym Class] only managing to bring the entire bookcase crashing down spilling book everywhere. But there on prone Harry’s chest lay the large black leather-bound book. Harry groggily scans the room spotting a large portrait propped up on the wall. An elderly woman, sitting in a rocking chair, stroking a grey cat in her lap, within this same study, stares back with a broad smile on her face.

Charles scans the books strewn about the room, “This is the evidence I was telling you. Witchcraft books. Go ahead, look it up. Probably alphabetical. Flip to the Hand of Glory spell.” Harry disbelieving but stands to then plop the black book on a table. The book popping open to a page that eerily describes a witch’s pack with the devil: eat the innocent children to gain strength and power.

As for Darren…his first thoughts to attack grandma turn to flight instead. But the discarded lantern no longer provides light…Darren stumbles over the pile of bones. A fortunate move as grandma is faster than expected…she grasping at the empty air where Darren once stood. Darren scrambles out of the pile and runs for a side tunnel where he comes face-to-face with Joey, who he asks, “Where have you been?!” But instead of the friend he once knew, Darren sees the chilling smile cross Joey’s face with those crazed eyes. The same crazed eyes Roger revealed before his pantry attack.

Thus Darren was ready to duck as Joey lunged at him. And there in the background Darren can hear, “Where did you go sonny? Come back to grannie so I can give you a hug.” Desperate, Darren tries to trip Joey by yanking at his jacket in a downward motion (failed 92). But it’s Joey who’s able to knock Darren down. And that’s when Roger appears, “Ah, one more for the party feast.”

Meanwhile, Harry finally starts to believe Charles’ story, “We at least have to get Darren and Joey before we leave. How do we dispel that Hand of Glory you mentioned?” Richie flips through another book and finds a page describing witch weaknesses. “Iron. Wasn’t the fireplace poker upstairs made of iron?” So upstairs they go to retrieve the poker, the iron-handled broom, and the fireplace tongs.

Poor prone Darren with Joey and now Roger standing over him. Close enough for Darren to swing his bat crushing Roger’s ankle. Roger collapsing in screaming pain. But Joey free to attack [Hard success], grabbing Darren by the arms with a strength Darren had never expected, and lifting him from the floor, “It’s time to pay respects to grandma.” Fighting for his life, Darren kicks with all his might (03) into Joey’s chest cracking ribs while propelling himself free, backwards into the pool of water. Closer to grandma whose hands are outstretched and claws visible. This time Darren unable to dodge grannie who wraps her arms around him, lifting him effortlessly toward her now distending mouth. The visage of grandma now replaced by a bloated naked woman, her eyes rotting away.

“Did you hear that? It sounds like Darren or someone screaming in pain.” Richie leading the rush back down into the basement and down the shaft into the tunnel. Faint light ahead draws them charging forward to the screams of someone in trouble.

Rounding the corner just in time to see Darren held high above grandma’s ever extending open mouth…like a snake able to distend its mouth to swallow its meals whole.

Harry rushes forward to attack grandma with his tongs, joined by Richie and his readied poker. Charles spots the Hand of Glory off to the side and moves toward it. Harry lunging with his tongs only to be surprised by a bat swooping low to scratch his face. Richie’s attack foiled by Harry stumbling backwards into his charge. Charles tripping over the pile of bones at the center of the room.

All shocked and Failed Sanity as they hear the crunch of bones as Darren disappears into the cavernous mouth. Harry hellbent to avenge his friend, attacks with the open tongs (07) impaling the witch who tried to grab the little snot with her outstretched claws. Her skin starts to boil and fester. Richie misses. Charles forgetting about the torch to charge with his brush, hitting for a crunch of bones and sizzle of skin.

Her screams replaced by the chant of some incomprehensible words. It’s now Harry screaming as he reaches toward his face that erupts in blisters. Richie even more enraged as he attacks, impaling with his poker. Which causes her to back up towards the side tunnel. Charles takes the brush-head off to attack once more, “You bitch. These are my new friend; my only friends.” With another hit, she stumbles away into the tunnel, replaced by Joey holding a knife. A glare in his eyes. “Don’t just stand there. Attack her. She’s a witch and just ate Darren.” Thus Richie unknowingly closes toward the witch only to be surprised by Joey swinging the blade at him. “What the hell?!” Realization the look in Joey’s eyes are the same as Rogers he’d seen before.

Alone but with the key and magical torch extinguished, it’s time to leave. Richie and Charles guide Harry to the ladder to climb up into the basement, then into the kitchen and finally out of the house into the street. All dazed as they hobble home in the rain and thunder of the storm slowly passing. All soaked to the bone as they knock on Harry’s door to alert his parents to take him to the hospital. Soon all parents and police are alerted and all the kids taken to the hospital. Harry in and out of consciousness, Richie with a knife wound, Charles’ cracked rib from his fall off the bannister. Darren and Joey’s parents crying at the disappearance of their sons. The story of a witch disbelieved. But the police do search the Barniker house at the mention of a dead-man upstairs. Nothing found. Psychologists conclude the boys must have been using drugs and caused their own injuries. LSD and its hallucinogenic effects of nightmares and dreams.

EPILOGUE: Harry awakens in the middle of the night. His mother sleeping in the hospital chair as Harry slips out of the room to check up on his friends in other hospital rooms. A touch of Richie’s hand trying to give comfort. But the memories oh so fresh cause him to stop in the bathroom to wipe his tears. Then looking up into the mirror for one last glimpse of Richie before returning to his own bed.

Except it’s not Richie; no, it’s his grandmother in the bed rolling over to face him. Then turning into the hideous witch who cackles, “You belong to me now little boy.” The hospital silence shattered by the wailing of Harry.

Darren slowly opens his eyes finding himself in a dark room. But everything is wrong. The furniture on the ceiling; a familiar grandfather clock just above him. But comfort as light penetrates boarded windows revealing Joey at his side. Then slow realization it is they hanging upside down from the ceiling. And Joey’s wings unfold at the sound of crunching snow as a trio of kids approach the outside porch. And the oh so familiar challenge offered by that unmistakable voice, “I double-dog dare you to spend the night.”