The Blizzard<\/p>\n
By Sam Thurman<\/p>\n
The bell above the door of the Lucky Dog Convenience store tingled as Pete came back from outside. Pete fought with the door because of the rush of wind coming from the blizzard that had now blanketed the ground outside with over a foot of snow.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s no use; we are not going anywhere. The snow is just too deep,\u201d Pete said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are we supposed to do?\u201d Kate replied.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have heat, food, and cover. We can just stay here until this blows over. The plow should be coming soon.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
A faint voice from the TV could be heard in the background, \u201cThe weather guy says this is the storm of the century. It\u2019s going to be a couple of days before we could get out of here.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Pete could tell that Kate was getting nervous. \u201cBaby, it\u2019s ok.\u201d What better place to ride out the storm than the Lucky Dog. We have magazines to keep us entertained. We have all the food we can eat. Granted it’s not good for us,\u201d he said with a chuckle. \u201cWe have a bathroom. We have a TV. We are sitting pretty. Relax, we will be okay. Plus you wanted us to spend some quality time together. So here you go my love.\u201d Pete outstretched his arms. Kate looked at him and smiled as she walked into his embrace. \u201cI love you, Kate Munson. You are my sunshine.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cI love you too. You\u2019re right, it’s better to be here and safe than to be out in the blizzard stuck in the ditch with no heat.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cI know, I\u2019m going to relish the day that you relent that I am pretty freaking smart.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Kate gently hit him the chest. \u201cYou are pretty smart,\u201d she said with a sly grin and her green eyes rolling to the back of her head.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cHey, go sit down, and I will make us some dinner.\u201d Pete kissed her on the forehead and smacked her on the bottom as she walked away.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Kate sat at the counter and turned up the TV, as the weatherman continued the live coverage of the storm. \u201cAlong the Glendale basin, all the way up to near Rutledge is the heaviest band of snow. Listen close, anyone in this area needs to stay put. Do not go out in this weather. There is near zero visibility as white out conditions are in full effect. I repeat, do not think that you can make it in this storm. Do the smart thing and stay home. We are getting word that I-562 is shut down by the highway patrol as we speak\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Pete startled her as he came up behind her with a meal of Vienna Sausages and a bag of Fritos.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh my, now this is a five-star dinner,\u201d Kate said looking at Pete.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, this is nothing, wait until you see what I have planned for breakfast. You will want to give me a Michelin star after that feast.\u201d Pete said trying not to laugh.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cI can not wait.\u201d Kate puckered her lips inviting Pete to kiss her.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Pete smiled and lowered his head to hers and kissed her lips. They both jumped up as the front door to the store flew open. Snow and magazines flew into the store with hurricane force. Pete dropped his plate and ran to the door. Kate scrambled to start picking up the debris flying in. She knelt over to get one of the flying magazines when she noticed Pete standing still in front of the door. \u201cPete shut the door.\u201d Pete did not budge. \u201cPETE close the damn door.\u201d Still, Pete did not move a muscle. She moved forward and grabbed his shoulder. He jumped with fright and stared down at her. She could see the shock in his eyes. He looked back at the door. She matched his gaze and saw her.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
In the doorway stood a little girl. Bright red blood covered the girl’s face and clothes. A knife shimmered in her right hand. A teddy bear in the other. The most frightening thing is that the girl wore a smile. The wind and the snow made her hair dance around her sweet little chubby face. Pete and Kate stood there, not knowing what to do. Kate finally snapped out of it and started toward the girl. Pete put his hand out and stopped Kate in her tracks.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cLook at the knife,\u201d Pete said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to do something. We cannot just leave the girl out there, what if she is hurt?\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat if she hurt someone else?\u201d Pete looked at Kate.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Kate screamed over the wind, \u201cSweetie are you hurt?\u201d The little girl said nothing but shook her head. \u201cIs someone else hurt?\u201d<\/p>\n
The girl again shook her head to the negative.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Kate said, \u201cSweetie come in here out of the cold so we can warm you up.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The girl looked through them at the rest of the store and said, \u201cAre you guys alone?\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Kate gasped at the question,\u201dYes\u2026 We are the only ones here.\u201d The girl’s smile came back on her face and walked into the store. The smile made Pete uneasy. She stepped within a couple of feet of Pete and held the knife out for Pete to take. Pete went to grab the knife but hesitated. Then reached down and took the knife from the girl. She leaned in close and said. \u201cDon\u2019t lose that; we may need it if he comes here.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cWho is coming?\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cThe bad man. He follows me. I think I lost him this time, but better to be safe than sorry. Do you have anything to eat, I\u2019m hungry.\u201d Pete and Kate both snapped out of their trance and jumped toward the girl.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Pete had forgotten that the door was wide open until a shiver overcame his body. Kate took the girl to the back and started to warm her up.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cPete you need to call Dwight ASAP,\u201d Kate said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cAlready on it.\u201d Pete locked the front door and proceeded behind the register to make the call. He dialed the direct number; the town wasn\u2019t big enough for a 911 system. The receiver started to ring. Pete let out a small sigh and waited for an answer. He looked back to the girls and gave a smile. Kate still had a worried looked attached to her smile back. A voice finally picked up, \u201cThis is the sheriff’s office.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHey Wanda, this is Pete over at the Lucky Dog. A little girl\u2026\u201d He paused to look back to make sure that the girls couldn’t hear his conversation. He started to whisper. \u201cA little girl covered in blood just showed up here, with a knife in her hand. We brought her inside. She doesn’t look to be injured. But we need some help out here as soon as you can.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The static on the line increased, and Wanda’s voice was breaking up. \u201cYou have a what\u2026; I can barely hear you.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need help up here, now.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2026 I cannot\u2026 stay there.\u201d And the phone call ended. Pete tried again, but the line was dead. He placed the phone down and turned to Kate and the girl who was smiling again. \u201cThe phone is out.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you tell them about our situation?\u201d Kate said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cI did, but I don’t think that she could understand me.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe she did, and help is on the way.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Looking out the window at the snow blowing sideways across the front of the store, \u201cIt may be awhile because I haven’t seen one car go by in awhile.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Kate focused her attention on the girl. \u201cWhat\u2019s your name sweetie.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cMy name is\u2026 I can\u2019t remember. The bad man calls me Lilly Bug. But, I know that’s not my name.\u201d The girl held up the bear for Kate to inspect. \u201cThis is Charle; he is my best friend. I do not go anywhere without him\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, he is a sweet looking teddy bear.\u201d Kate\u2019s stomach turned as blood covered the bear just like the girl. She took the bear from the girl and placed it on the girl’s side so she could finish cleaning the girl. \u201cOkay, sweetie let\u2019s go to the bathroom to get you cleaned up.\u201d She took the girl by the hand and herded<\/u> her toward the back of the store. Kate looked back at Pete, \u201cCan you get her some clothes?\u2019<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cSure thing.\u201d He headed off the clothes aisle. \u201cSweetie, who is the bad man?\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s the man who kept me in the bad place for a long time. I finally got to go outside tonight. It\u2019s been awhile since I got to go outside. The snow was beautiful. I decided to take a walk, and I found your place. I was getting cold, so I wanted to come in.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cThe quiet room?\u201d Kate said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the place where bad girls go when they cannot behave. It’s okay; I have music and books. And he even lets me color every once in awhile.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cIs this bad man your dad?\u201d Pete said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cNo\u2026 well I don\u2019t know. He is the only adult I have ever known. He brings me\u2026 other girls. Sometimes I get to play with them. Some are old; some are young like me. But they don’t stay long. He usually takes them to the barn so they can be free.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cThe \u00a0barn?\u201d Kate asked.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, it’s an old barn on the property. The bad man says that whoever he takes there is worthy of being free. I don’t know what this means. But he has let a lot of people go free. Can I have some food.\u201d The girl said as her stomach made a hungry noise.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cSure.\u201d Pete blinked as he almost forgot the girl’s request earlier.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Kate said, \u201cLet’s get you out of these clothes. And wash you up. Does that sound alright?\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, I am a little wet.\u201d the girl said as she looked down at her blood stained clothes.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere did all this blood come from?\u201d Kate asked.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, it\u2019s not mine.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cWho\u2019s is it?\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cHer name was Maddie. She was the girl who left the door to the quiet room open. She got some on me when she was trying to make me leave the quiet room. \u00a0She told me that I needed to run away. I told her that I couldn’t because the bad man always found me.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cOh you poor dear, what happened to Maddie? \u201d Kate said shooting a glance toward Pete.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cThe bad man hurt her. She probably didn’t follow the rules.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat rules?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe rules of the quiet room. The bad man said there were three simple rules. Don’t scream. Don’t try to run away. And most important of all always do what the bad man says.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cSweetie, Where is this quiet room?\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s up to the road at the old Sherman Place. The bad man made sure I knew where it was in case I ever got lost.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cPete, can you try to call the sheriff again?\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The girl shot a glance toward Pete in a panic, \u201cNo don’t, the bad man does not like the police. He said they don’t understand. He would hurt them. Do not call the cops.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Kate placed her hands on the girl’s shoulders. \u201cSweetie, we have to. If he is holding you captive, and hurting girls. We have to try to stop him.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The girl looked down at her toes, \u201cYou can not stop the bad man. He won’t let you stop him.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to try.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The girl lifted her eyes to meet Kate’s and leaned in close. In a whisper, \u201cThen you\u2019ll all die.\u201d Kates blood went ice cold. She looked at Pete.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Pete turned and ran to the front behind the register and disappeared under the counter. He came back up with a 12 gauge shotgun and pumped a shell into the chamber. \u201cQuick, let’s get into the back and get warm.\u201d Kate didn’t hesitate, and snatched up the girl and headed toward the back. Pete tried the telephone one more time, but still no use.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
He slammed his palm onto the counter. He had never been so scared in his life. He had to protect the girls. He slipped the phone into his pocket and went to the front door. He looked out into the winter wonderland peering into the darkness looking for any movement. Nothing caught his eye as he locked the door. He turned the open sign to closed. He quickly made his way to the breaker box and turned all of the outside lights off. He turned the inside store lights off, only leaving the cooler lights on, putting the rest of the store into a somber pale blue darkness. Satisfied that the shopping area looked uninhabited. He went to join the girls in the back, only stopping to grab a couple of bottles of apple juice and a six pack of beer. Might as well try to take the edge off, he thought to himself.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The girl held up the bear for Kate to inspect.Pete rounded the corner and opened the door to the back. \u201cI got us some refreshments.\u201d He stopped short as his mind wrapped around what he saw in front of him. The girl was standing holding hands with a tall man in a dark suit. Kate was lying in a pool of blood. The girl was holding a knife at her side. Blood was dripping off the tip of the blade. \u201cI told you he would find me, he always does.\u201d The girl’s face lit up with a cruel smile.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Pete screamed and lifted the rifle. The girl and the tall man didn’t move. Pete started to stagger. He lost his grip on the shotgun, and it fell to the floor. He grabbed his chest. His face filled with pain, as his cheeks flushed as if his skin was on fire. He fell to his knees, and his eyes went wide. He reached out toward the little girl as if he wanted her to help him. She looked up at the bad man, who looked down at her and smiled. Pete fell to the floor and stopped breathing.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Lilly Bug shifted her gaze from the bad man to Pete\u2019s body on the floor and said, \u201cIt\u2019s ok, they weren\u2019t worthy anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Blizzard By Sam Thurman The bell above the door of the Lucky Dog Convenience store tingled as Pete came back from outside. Pete fought with the door because of the rush of wind coming from the blizzard that had now blanketed the ground outside with over a foot of snow. \u201cIt\u2019s no use; […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[130],"class_list":{"0":"post-265","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-urban-legends","7":"tag-mindscrew-paranormal","8":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.horrorpalace.com\/creepypasta\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.horrorpalace.com\/creepypasta\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.horrorpalace.com\/creepypasta\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.horrorpalace.com\/creepypasta\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/45"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.horrorpalace.com\/creepypasta\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=265"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.horrorpalace.com\/creepypasta\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.horrorpalace.com\/creepypasta\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=265"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.horrorpalace.com\/creepypasta\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=265"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.horrorpalace.com\/creepypasta\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=265"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}