Scary Story Contest

[Jjs Goodman]

Happy Octerror, ghouls and any other creatures of the night. This topic is a good chance for you to share your own hauntingly creative talents with others. Our annual Scary Story contest is back for another round!

Rules:

1.) The story does not have to be SpongeBob related, but it can be if you want. It doesn't matter to us.

2.) It must at least be 300 words, but can go over.

3.) It must at least have a Halloween/spooky/creepy theme.

Just post your story here, and a panel of supernatural judges (Jjs Skellington, Patty and OWM) will judge who has the best one. The winner will receive...

• 1,000 cursed doubloons
• Haunted trophy to display in your signature, profile or wherever.
• A point for their team on the scoreboard 
• 200 SBC Experience Points

Now get writing! You have until October 30th to submit.

[Minty Car]

Sunday Fright Football

 

It’s Sunday night and it’s everyone’s favorite time of the week ---- Sunday Night Football! The game was advertised to be a classic between two championship contenders in the Tigers and the Red Bears. Of course because the game was being played on Halloween, there were many “frightening” and “spooky” gimmicks going on for the broadcast. One really kooky one involved an ARG filter viewers could pull up on their phone that would make the players look like ghouls and goblins on the screen!

 

 On the field it was strictly business though, just another game in an exceptionally long season. The team captains met in the center of the field, shaking hands. 

 

“Good night for football, don’t you think Phil?”

 

“Yeah,I guess so…” Phil said anxiously.

 

“What’s wrong? Afraid of losin?”

 

“Nah, I know we’ll hang in there with ya” Phil said. “There’s just something about playing on Halloween that just feels unsettling. It feels like something nasty is coming.”

 

“Oh c’mon. Ghouls and werewolves don’t really exist, they're just legends. It’s all for the kids at this point.”

 

The referee then motions for the coin flip and the game begins. The ball is kicked off and then suddenly… the lights go out on the TV screen. Most of the audience at home thinks it’s just the station going out briefly as cable is oft to do. On the field, however, the changes were not just the cable. Everyone on the Tigers morphed into some variation of a ghoul or a zombie-like figure, while everyone on the Red Bears became a feral beast of some variety. No one batted an eye as it fit in perfectly with the promoted ARG experience. The resulting game was a vicious, bloody nightmare that ended in the worst way possible: In a scoreless tie.

[Steel Sponge]

Trial and Error

 

“Audrey Chambers, prisoner 14, you have been pardoned,” spoke the voice of a clergyman. “We have vetoed your execution on the grounds of the incidences happening within Salem Village. There have been reports of disappearances and manslaughter, and since you’ve been imprisoned during these unfortunate events, we’ve come to the agreement that you aren’t responsible.”

Audrey, the woman in question sitting still in her iron cell, was hesitant to trust the clergy member. She replied in a cold tone, “Why should I believe anything you’re saying? Your people took everything away from me – my job, my home, my family…I’d rather continue rotting away in here.”

“Aye, it must feel hard on you for us to remove your husband and kids from you,” the man continued. “I ensure that they’re alive and well, but you are forbidden from seeing them. Alas, a witch is a witch, so it wouldn’t be right grant you complete freedom. It is the job for us Puritans to eradicate any form of witchcraft here in Salem Village.”

The prisoner grabbed the clergyman by the collar and exclaimed to him, “How do I know that this government that you associate yourself with isn’t keeping them in confinement!? They put us all on trial! Now tell me why I’m being freed, Minister Adams.”

Audrey still held on the minister, waiting for his answer. Adams waited until she let him go so that he could give out a formal response. “I wouldn’t say freed…I would say that you’ve been placed under supervision by the Puritans for a special job. We turned to you based on claims of you having a sixth sense. With a strong presence of evil being spread around Salem, we could use your spiritual connection for our investigation.”

“I will not accept an offer to be exploited by the likes of you.”

“Just let me finish. Should you succeed in apprehending the suspect and exposing them for their acts of witchcraft, your innocence will be proven and thus, you’ll be granted permission to reunite with your family. If you commit devil worship by any means while on the job, then an execution will be made in order for you.”

Audrey went silent, thinking hard on the offer being made to her. She finally said to the minister, “In behalf of the government, I’d refuse. However, if you speak the truth, then I shall assist in finding this culprit.”

“I understand if you don’t see this as means of me having a change of heart. Us Puritans must abide to God’s will and properly punish the heathens that practice such sinful acts. To ensure that you will be restrained from the use of black magic…” Adams then showed in front of Audrey two pairs of shackles. He enclosed them around her wrists and ankles and linked each ends together to lock them. “…You are to be kept in restraints.”

Audrey continued to hang her head down as the minister showed her out of her cell. At that point, she refused to utter another word to him.

“Why don’t you step outside now?” Adams suggested. “I’m sure you begin to feel better being able to see the outside since your arrest.”

Audrey obliged and left the containment area, allowing for herself to view the outside of Salem Village once again. However, she expected nothing more than the worst. From what she had observed, the weather appeared to be hazy. The atmosphere was bleak and filled with panic. More dauntingly so, there was an overriding smell of death in the air. Despite this unsettling mood, Audrey saw a fair amount of the townspeople strolling by either on foot or in wagons for their essential needs. Some of the Salem residents that took notice of Audrey’s release from her confinement exchanged disparaging looks towards her.

The date is October 5^th, 1692, Audrey narrates. At this time, Salem’s witch hunts are still in full-swing, as is the mass hysteria surrounding its supernatural occurrences by the Puritans, the religious reform that maintains law and order of this town. I am Audrey Chambers, a 31-year old wife, mother, and former miller who has been wrongly accused of witchcraft alongside my husband and kids by association. I am the 78^th civilian to ever be put on trial for perceived witchcraft, the 9^th to be declared guilty…and the first to be released. In the past several months, I would experience these peculiar dreams at night that were like visions of my own future, and they mostly involved bloodshed. I expressed these recollections as a form of fortunetelling, and the Puritans later took notice and saw it as a form of witchcraft, which was how and why I got tried.

One of the female residents of the colonial village who recognized the woman in shackles uttered, “It’s that witch!” before then coming nearer to threaten her with a cross by then saying, “Burn in hell, you

“An execution for this wench won’t be necessary for the time being,” Adams reassured, although still angering Audrey with his choice of words. “There’s a much more important cause that’s been happening that needs to be cleansed, if you understand.”

“I saw it with my own eyes…” the resident continued. “I saw it outside the millhouse. It had to be her.”

“I see...” Adams mused.

“Could I still at least prove my innocence?” Audrey asked the minister before turning to face the local. “What did you see at the scene of the crime?”

“A dead, impaled body in a wheat field,” the resident responded. “It hanged there like a scarecrow. I just can’t stop thinking about it. I’m going to have nightmares for a while.”

“I can assure that the witch, Ms. Chambers, wouldn’t have been able to commit such a horrific crime as she was still imprisoned during the event.” said Adams. “Although, since she’s been declared as a witch, we can’t rule her out as a probable suspect. In other words, she’s guilty until she manages to prove herself innocent. Don’t worry about her now. The law is taking good care of her.”

“This was not the only causality that’s been reported since this morning,” the resident added. “Someone’s wife was murdered as well.”

The Puritans have been evaluating the town for any activity in witchcraft, but now we have a case in our hands epitomizing a string of murders. Before we explore the scenes where the crimes took place, we’d like for you to refer to us to this other witness.”

In a passing moment, Audrey and the accompanying minister were inside the house of a man bearing two children, a son and a daughter. They were identified as the Masons. The Masons were seated on a coach while Adams and Audrey looked at them straight while seated on a pair of wooden chairs.

“Minister Adams, it’s a surprise and as well as a pleasure to have you here,” said the widow. “Do you have to keep that witch company here? I don’t approve of having her in my home. She’s bad luck you know…”

“It’s for temporary business, Lawrence,” Adams reassured. “Describe to us what happened when your wife, Dinah, was murdered.”

“I work the millhouse fifty hours a week and when I’m not on the job, I spend the rest of my time as a devote Puritan or as a husband, so I have an alibi,” Lawrence explained. “I was in the altar when I heard a devilish scream. “No God will help” – that’s what I heard before I left the scene to see my wife dismembered and dead on the dirty ground. So I do believe witchcraft is involved in these affairs.”

“I’m sorry about your loss, Lawrence,” Audrey spoke in an empathetic tone.

“I guess some witches do have some sense of morality and humanity in them,” Lawrence remarked.

“We’ve worked at the millhouse together,” Audrey replied. “We were in really good terms, so you should give us permission to examine the millhouse for leads on where one other crime took place.”

“Yes, I’ve heard from the townsfolk about that incident. The victim was an innocent miller. Because of the trauma I’ve been dealing with, I’m better off leaving that place alone. I would give Minister Adams permission to look. For you, Audrey, I would forbid.”

“No need to be so boorish,” Adams remarked. “To solve this mystery that’s rooted in supernatural activity, we need someone with connections to witchcraft to find out the true culprit.”

“We miss mommy, daddy,” Lawrence’s son spoke.

“Where is mommy? Is she coming back?” The daughter asked.

“I have a couple of kids who are too young to understand what’s been happening and every so often they ask me about Dinah,” said Lawrence. “Giles and Nancy are also too young to handle the answer, so you must understand that I have to stay here awhile for their sake. Whoever is responsible deserves the fucking worst.”

“Yes, that is understood,” Adams replied. “It was nice having this talk with you, Lawrence Mason. We will be visiting the millhouse and its field shortly with executioner Frank to inspect and remove the body. I’ll be sure to report back to you any information concerning your wife’s murder. If any more criminal activity pops up, you know who to call on.”

“Thanks, I appreciate your company, Minister Adams,” Lawrence finished.

Upon leaving the Masons residence, Audrey, Adams, and Frank made their way towards the area of interest. As described, they saw a corpse positioned like a cross on the wheat field. Its rotting flesh was being devoured by crows and insects. The sight of the dead body especially filled Audrey’s mind with dread.

“Ms. Chambers, you’ve worked as a miller, so I suppose you recognize this victim,” said Adams.

“I can’t…it just makes me feel so sick to my stomach just looking at it,” Audrey spoke in a horrified tone.

“I can understand that feeling,” Frank uttered, “Men, women, children, elderly, I’ve seen corpses of all kinds and it’s all so hard for me to bear as well.”

“Yet you don’t feel remorse for executing the lives of innocent people in the name of God,” Audrey chided.

“Now let me explain something, you wench…” Frank provoked before the minister raised a hand to stop him due to the presence of a couple passing by, a man and a woman respectively in their typical miller attire.

“Are you two here for the millhouse?” Adams inquired towards the couple. “This is a murder scene, so it’s still off-limits.”

“We just came here to make sure if it’s still unsafe to work the mill,” said the male onlooker. “It’s been plagued by strange occurrences since the past week. Because of that, we’ve been out of work for a while and we’re barely getting by right now, so I hope this crisis is over soon enough.”

“What is she doing here?” The woman asked, referring to Audrey. “A witch has no business being here.”

“Actually, she does, Charlotte,” Adams responded. “We’ll have this place cleared of all evil activity as soon as possible, so as you can see, we got this situation under control.”

“If that’s the case, then why would a Puritan such as yourself have a witch on your side?” Charlotte questioned.

“She’s a part of our investigation and as well as to prove her innocence for witchcraft,” Adams replied. “As long as she’s been supervised, I guarantee there won’t be any funny business going about.”

“George!” Charlotte called out to her partner. “Say something about this travesty!”

“Well…” George spoke, “If the Puritans say it is necessary, it’s fine by me then that they have the premises lodged up, even if they have a convicted witch in their custody. If you’d please Minister Adams, we could use some financial assistance. Perhaps some compensation for the closure of the mill could be made in order.”

“Yes…a meeting can be arranged for that,” said Adams, “I’ll inform the clergy and Judge Pascoe about the situation between you and Charlotte, and I’ll see if we can come to an agreement. If not, the both of you may have to find another area of work.”

“We’ll hope for a miracle, then. Let’s go, Charlotte.”

The pair returns no more words as they left Audrey, Adams, and Frank to investigate the millhouse and the wheat field. Frank started by examining the corpse.

“Judging by this man’s clothes, this body appears to belong to a man named Charles Sawyer,” Hank declared.

“Are you sure of that?” Adams asked as he came over to look.

“I am an expert in body examination, and I’ve used that experience to learn and remember the names and backgrounds of all those who live in Salem Village.” Frank responded. “You know why I’ve been hired as executioner. I can guarantee that it’s him. If it’s not him, then it could be a foreigner who had an unlucky encounter.”

“The corpse smells of rotting blood and flesh and yet these clothes don’t seem to show serious damage, dear heavens.” Adams remarked. “This could be the work of witchcraft, or this has to do with the murderer’s motives.” He turned his head towards Audrey in the distance and asked her “What do you think, witch?”

“Minister Adams…” Audrey spoke in a grave tone. “Do you ever think that your society, the Puritans, have gone too far in making this town paranoid?”

“That has nothing to do with the question that I’ve asked you, witch,” Adams jeered.

“I am Audrey Chambers, remember that name!” She snapped.

The minister crept closer to the woman in shackles and pressed his right hand on her neck to put her in a chokehold, “I am Chauncey Adams. You’ll remember that name until the day you die. You live your life as a witch and you’ll die as one, do you fucking understand?” Before Audrey could retaliate, Adams let go of his grip on her and then said, “Just so you’d know, the main objective of the Puritans is to rid Salem Village of the source of paranoia that’s going against God’s wishes. It is by the grace of God that we denounce and remove all that we view as evil to ensure safety of this town, and as you may realize now, we’re dealing with activity that is unknown to the normal human being. You are still valuable for this case, so I require for you to take a look at the corpse.”

“I can’t, and I won’t!” Audrey protested.

“Look at the goddamn body or I’ll resort to brutal force, right here, right now!” Adams demanded.

“There’s one thing that I’ll tell you…” Audrey yielded. “That body could be a deception made by the culprit.”

Adams paused for a moment. He then responded, “Why do you say that?”

“You said there were also reports of people disappearance from Salem, right?” Audrey questioned. “This isn’t like any normal serial murder case that we’re dealing with.”

“Oh yeah, that’s another thing that needs to be addressed,” said Frank. “Children have been disappearing from town since the past week. It started with two missing cases and then it added up to twelve as of yesterday. Some of the residents believe that they’ve been disappearing to the haunted forest.”

“What does that tell us about the miller who got murdered, or the murder of Dinah Mason?” Adams asked. “We have some evidence, but now we need some leads.”

It was then that Audrey walked over to the wheat field while trying her best to avert her eyes from the corpse.

“So, you tell it to my face that you refuse to cooperate with us and now you’re helping,” Adams remarked. “What do you got to share with us?”

“I know these wheat and grain fields like if they were part of my home,” Audrey spoke. “It should be evident that the soil here has been tampered with. Apart from the corpse, there’s something peculiar about the dirt around it. There are some scrapings laid here that came from a different source.”

“And what is this source that you’re thinking that this oddity came from?” Adams asked.

“If there’s a report of children disappearing into the haunted forest…”Audrey was saying, “…It must mean that there is activity coming from that area by the suspect. Perhaps we should investigate it.”

Frank was quick to react to and reject the idea. “No, no, no, no, there’s not a chance we’re going there!” He objected. “You’ve heard the rumors about that place. Any unsuspecting Salem villager who sets foot there never comes back, dead or alive.”

“I was about to be sentenced to death before the Puritans decided to have myself attached to this case,” Audrey responded while holding the markings on her neck caused by the minister. “I may feel sick inside by seeing death of others, I don’t fear it nor do I fear the likes of you both. If this isn’t a job you or Minister Adams can’t handle, then I suggest I go and investigate without supervision.”

“How should we know that you won’t practice witchcraft behind our backs?” Frank asked.

“I’ve agreed to engage in this case to prove my innocence,” Audrey replied. “I’m determined to figure out the perpetrator even if it means facing death.”

“I say let her go, Frank,” Adams uttered. “Since there’s a high probability that she will end up dead in the forest even though she’s willing to take such a risk, then it’s her funeral. If she comes back alive, perhaps it means she is a witch, but that might also mean she is a born survivor.”

“Say what you will,” Audrey said to the minister, “I’ll wait for the day that I get to see you burn in hell.”

“I have God on my side.” Adams retorted.

“I may be chained, but I have my confidence to keep me alive,” Audrey asserted. “Now show me where the supposedly haunted forest lies.”

The day turned to dusk by the time that Audrey began trudging through the dreaded forest by herself. She searched for hours walking through the woodland with nothing but the tall surrounding trees that met her glance. Despite the lack of peculiar activity, she kept a close eye on herself, looking in all directions every so often. It wasn’t until she stumbled into an open area surrounded by the forest without vegetation within approximately 3,000 square feet from her distance. The area in question was in the shape of an isolated circle. What caught Audrey’s attention, however, was the sight of a stone slab in the center.

Audrey inched closer to the strange object. What was even stranger was the green glow it was emitting. It wasn’t like anything she had ever witnessed in Salem. After staring at the hunk of stone for two minutes, she heard footsteps and made for a quiet retreat from the spot. Observing from behind the husk of one of the adjoining trees, her surprise grew as she witness a group of twelve children, as described by Frank the executioner, walking over to the stone tablet. Each of them also had a green-colored glow emanating from their bodies. It was indicative to Audrey that the children were enchanted as their movements didn’t appear to be humanlike. She then saw the group of children speaking a chant that she couldn’t comprehend. The gleam from the stone tablet grew stronger and released a bright discharge before the mystical energy was now reduced to its original state. Before Audrey could try and approach the mysterious children, they began to leave the forest.

All alone now in the encircled area of the haunted forest, Audrey stepped closer to the stone tablet so she could touch it and see for herself what exactly this strange object is. Before she could place her hand on the stone, her eyes caught the ambush of an appearance so unfamiliar and yet so alarming. She was stalled by what appeared to be a sentient corpse with most of its skin and flesh removed from its body and revealing its skeleton layer. Most of the corpse’s remaining skin was hanging down from the face and jaws. Below, Audrey saw a noose tied around the neck.

“Hang…man….” The living corpse muttered. “Hangman….hangman….”

Audrey was in a complete state of shock. By instinct, she kicked her feet and made a bolt to the forest. She struggled to keep a quick pace due to the restraints tied to her arms and legs. Regardless, she kept her stamina high in order to keep herself further away from the undead entity. She breathed heavily and cursed as she ran from the danger ahead of her, which was now creeping closer and closer while looking from behind.

“Hangman, hangman, hangman, hangman!” The corpse’s movements became faster and its intonation grew louder the closer it got to Audrey.

Audrey continued to run for her life until she was stopped by another presence. More living corpses of different forms showed up to surround her, with the undead hunter grabbing a hold of her. Seeing herself in a dead end, Audrey couldn’t move no more. The corpse behind her removed the bundle of rope around its neck, loosened it, and prepared to tie it around Audrey’s neck, giving off a shriek, “HANGMAN!”  

With enough force in her, Audrey swung and kicked the corpse from behind before the snare could tighten her neck. She removed the rope and wrapped it back onto the neck of the corpse that pursued her. She tightened the noose to decapitate the sentient corpse, and disintegrated into dust as a result. With an army of living skeletons with rotting skin and flesh still having her cornered, she resorted to using her restrains in self-defense, aiming for the sweet spot that was indeed the neck of each respective body. She turned the rest of the living corpses into dust with her method. To keep herself safe from any more imminent harm, she hid behind a tree and breathed heavily to calm herself from

“What…was…all that…that I just saw?” Audrey groaned. “Where did those corpses come from? What is that stone, and for what reason where those missing children coming there for? Is this…what witchcraft really is?” Her body slid down from the bark of the tree, her legs spread across on the ground. She laid there motionless, unable to process everything that had transpired in front of her. “With so many unanswered questions, this is a mystery that demands to be solved. If the forest is the source of all these inhuman occurrences, I must continue looking here.”

Audrey rested behind the same tree for half an hour until she continued on her trail. She strolled around for about nine minutes until she was approached by another unknown presence, but one that was more humanlike in appearance. This startled her and she began to run once more until her path was blocked by another one of the living corpses. She turned around and saw as the other mysterious individual got closer to her and knocked her out.

When she awoke, she saw as she herself resting on a tree branch, facing the mysterious individual that had reproached her. She backed away from the unknown person with panic in her eyes and in her voice. The onlooker didn’t move, letting Audrey ease her own mind. The person in question had the physical appearance of a man. He wore nothing but loincloth, draped and covered around his private area. His hair was black and unkempt. He was underweight, with his abdomen being so thin that his skin exposed the bones of his ribs and as well as the bones in his backside.

“You should be safe right now,” the man spoke. “We’re in the tree tops where nothing harmful could reach us.”

“Do you know what’s going on over here?” Audrey asked.

“I’ve been wondering the same thing and I think I have some answers to share.” The unknown man continued. “You may not believe me when I say this but…the village of Salem is in serious danger.”

“I can tell,” Audrey replied with her cuffed arms and legs huddled together. “I was pardoned from my execution after being declared guilty for witchcraft when the Puritans sought me out for these visions that I’ve been having of the future, to solve a string of murders that have been happening recently.”

“That’s why I’ve been trying to survive out here in this forest. In other words, I’ve escaped from Salem Village to here so I found solve this mystery on my own terms, and I did that by faking my own death.”

He faked his own murder? Audrey thought. Then that means… “Tell me more, please…”

“I smell a conspiracy going on between the Puritans. How else could they be spreading panic across the town and keep the truth about witchcraft to themselves?”

“If black magic does exist, then that means…” Audrey was saying.

“It means that there is indeed a witch somewhere in Salem hiding their true actions,” the man finished. “You’re on the hunt for the suspect, so I already know that it can’t be you. I don’t have an idea on the identity of the murderer, do you?”

“No...” Audrey said in a sorrowful tone. “Although…from my encounter with those living corpses, I saw a lead. They kept repeating the word ‘Hangman.’”

“From what I could gather, they are dead, but they were reanimated through means of witchcraft. All that jabber about a hangman could only mean that this was how they met their demise.”

“That means they were connected to those witch trials in Salem...”

“Those are my thoughts exactly. The murders may also be connected to that millhouse so we need to get a closer look at what’s going on there. It may be a risk now for us to return to Salem Village alive. Nonetheless, we can survive out here for a while and form an alliance in solving this crime once and for all. Once we do return to the town, we’ll need to have a plan set in motion. Although, the first thing I could do is replenish my strength. Unfortunately, it’s not easy finding food or drink in this forest, but we can always try.”

“Well, since we trust each other, let’s say our names. I’m Audrey Chambers.”

“…My name is Charles Sawyer.”

As the night dawned on the two outsiders, the perspective changed to show the inside of the millhouse in Salem Village during those same late hours. There stood two figures in black robes to signify themselves as Puritans. However, their faces were obscured by the darkness. The room itself was dusk except for a bright green light, exposing the naked body of the deceased Dinah, tied to a rusted metal chair with irons concealing her hands, feet, and abdomen.

“It’s a shame what we have to do with her.” The voice of a man spoke. “This body will be put to good use, however. Even if it rots away, I’ll store the energy for my own. When the time comes, all of Salem will have a new, tangible God that they’ll be forced to look up to.”

Suddenly, the door to the millhouse creaked open to unveil a pair of three individuals.

“Mommy, are you here?” The voice of a child spoke.

“What’s going on here?” The voice of a man also spoke. “Who’s working the mill?”

“Forgive me God, for I’m afraid I have to dispose of these intruders,” the cloaked man lamented in a remorseless tone. “You saw nothing.”

With a wave of his arms, the man in the black Puritan robe jerked his hands around. In that instant, the three victims screeched and grunted in pain as their bones were cracking and rearranging against their will and their bloodflows connecting to their throats collapsed and obstructed their breathing. The dismemberment of the three would end with each of them being disemboweled, their skins flaying and showing part of their skeletons, their eyes gouging out, and their blood splattering all across the room.

“At the very least, I have more dead life that I can use within my arsenal.” He turned away from the bloody, mangled corpses and turned to his cooperate. “Remove all traces of evidence, immediately.”

“Yes, my master.” The other Puritan spoke in an obedient tone.

Before the two unknown men closed the door, the glow of the moon radiating from the outside revealed the victims to be George and Lawrence’s two kids: Giles and Nancy. Later, the corpses were gone from the spot and the two crooked individuals resumed their work.

 “With this immense power, Salem shall perish…”

[Jjs Goodman]

The judges have decided, and @Black Arachnid Meowth's entry is the winner! Congrats Steel!