I love horror stories! Tim Burton is my biggest inspiration ever! I was stoked when Mrs. K assigned us a horror story to write. I've always had a fascination with sacrifice and bargaining with the devil. So naturally I would write my story on that very topic. People don't look to the inside of things; they just judge by what they see on the outside. Underneath the surface, everything is different. People, especially, have depth. What looks perfect on the outside is mostly likely a train wreck behind the make-up. So my advice to you is to read into things... you never know what secrets they might hold.
Milly’s life was near perfect. She had a nice home at the end of the street, a wonderful husband that loved her very much, and a bun in the oven almost ready to pop. She couldn’t have been happier. She went to church every Sunday; never cursed or committed a crime in her life. Her neighbors were friendly, always bringing casseroles and ambrosia salad to their year round block parties. Her in-laws adored her and wouldn’t quit fussing over the baby about to be brought into this world. Nothing was out of place in Milly’s life.
On September 23, Milly awoke in a panic, jumping straight out of bed. “Don,” she said, shaking her snoring husband. “Don, wake up!”
“What?” He came to, scratching his head. His voice was raspy, heavy with sleep.
“Dooooon,” Milly whined, throwing a pillow at her drowsy husband as his head dropped back to his pillow. The clock read 12:30 am. “Don, please!”
He sat up abruptly. “What, Mills? It’s twelve-thirty in the morning! What could you possibly want right now? Ice cream, pickles, peanut butter and bologna sandwich!” Don was talking out of frustration, not really realizing how rudely he was speaking to his wife.
Milly placed her hands on her hips and said in a sassy attitude, “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe I’d like to go to the hospital, considering my water just broke and all.”
Don jolted out bed. “What?” he gasped; eyes nearly popping out of their sockets. He leaped from his position and headed for the closet. Milly stood, watching as her husband frantically threw item after item of clothing around, only a few actually making it into the open suitcase on the floor. “Come on, Mills!” He grabbed the suitcase, which he hadn’t yet closed, and rushed out of their bedroom, down the stairs, and to the front, leaving a trail of t shirts and socks along the way.
Two and a half hours of excruciating pain later, Milly gave birth to a little baby boy. His name, Alexander. For the next few years everything was normal. No, perfect. Don was moved to partner at his firm, Milly landed a huge gig with her catering service, and Alex, now ten, was doing well with his studies and was the best student in all of his classes. Life seemed great for the Grangers.
Milly awake with a fright. “Don!” She shook her husband. “Don, wake up. Something’s not right.” She had no idea why, but she was terrified not just for her life, but for her husband’s, too.
Slowly, Don came to, scratching his head with a drowsy gaze. “What, Milly?”
“I don-” Milly stopped abruptly. Don stared at her in amazement.
“Great,” he mumbled aloud, “my wife’s gone nuts!” He huffed, laying back down, eyes shut. “Try to get some sleep, babe,” Don said as he rubbed his wife’s arm, drifting off to sleep.
Milly, however, did not sleep that night. Not a wink. Instead, she sat in bed, looking through old photo books. Pictures of the Granger’s Annual August Barbeque, pictures of Alex riding their husky Rex like a pony, pictures of their first Christmas together. Milly laughed and smiled and was even saddened a little while looking at these memories. “Poor Alex,” she thought. “He doesn’t get to see his parents as much, now that Don is partner and my business finally hit off.” She pondered in silence for a moment, then came to the conclusion that they needed to take a vacation together. “Maybe we’ll go see-” Milly's thought was cut short by a loud thump downstairs.
“Don!” she whispered. “Don! Wake up!” The fear she had felt only hours earlier was back with intensity.
Don rolled over, shoving his bottom against his fear-crazed wife, moving his pillow over his head. “Ugh, Miiiiillyyyy!” he groaned.
Ignoring his frustration from being woken up once again, Milly calmed herself then went back to the photos. As she flipped back and forth album after album. she noticed that in every picture of Alex something had changed. A misty, black mass behind the bushes in one. Glowing crimson eyes in the mirror in another. An extra foot under the table at thanksgiving dinner. Milly threw the photo books down in horror. “No!” she screamed. “Noooo! It’s impossible!” Holding back tears, she noted another thud downstairs.
“What? Mills, what’s wrong?” Don, awoken by Milly’s cries, asked, comfortingly rubbing his wife’s back. Milly was speechless; Don was confused. “what? I don’t understand. What’s going on?”
“How could they? It’s too early. We haven’t even had that much time with him,” Milly said with staggered breathing.
Don’s confusion grew into panic. “What? What are you talking about, Mills?”
The whole house grew silent then. There was no movement, no squeak of a door opening or floorboard being stepped on, no howls from the neighbor’s dog, no groan of the wind beating against the trees.
“Milly.”
“He’s gone,” she said emotionlessly as her body sank back against her puzzled husband. Milly was completely empty; she knew what she did would come back to bite her in the ass eventually.
“What the hell are talking about Milly?” Don was becoming furious.
“I had to, Don!” she cried into his chest. “I just wanted a baby so bad. I just-” Milly’s heart felt twenty pounds heavier. Her sobs making it near impossible to speak.
“Milly, what did you do?”
“I just thought that having him for a little while would be better than not having him at all. Don, I prayed every night for him. Over and over. Every night! And finally, finally, he came. I didn’t think ten years would go by so fast.”
Don stood in horror. “You-” He could even stomach the thought. “You did this!”
Milly laid in bed, crying, as she watched her husband pack a bag. “Don,” she pleaded, “don’t do this to me. I can’t lose you, too.” But Don couldn’t even look at his wife. Without another word he left that house.
The clock read 3:00 am.
On September 23, Milly awoke in a panic, jumping straight out of bed. “Don,” she said, shaking her snoring husband. “Don, wake up!”
“What?” He came to, scratching his head. His voice was raspy, heavy with sleep.
“Dooooon,” Milly whined, throwing a pillow at her drowsy husband as his head dropped back to his pillow. The clock read 12:30 am. “Don, please!”
He sat up abruptly. “What, Mills? It’s twelve-thirty in the morning! What could you possibly want right now? Ice cream, pickles, peanut butter and bologna sandwich!” Don was talking out of frustration, not really realizing how rudely he was speaking to his wife.
Milly placed her hands on her hips and said in a sassy attitude, “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe I’d like to go to the hospital, considering my water just broke and all.”
Don jolted out bed. “What?” he gasped; eyes nearly popping out of their sockets. He leaped from his position and headed for the closet. Milly stood, watching as her husband frantically threw item after item of clothing around, only a few actually making it into the open suitcase on the floor. “Come on, Mills!” He grabbed the suitcase, which he hadn’t yet closed, and rushed out of their bedroom, down the stairs, and to the front, leaving a trail of t shirts and socks along the way.
Two and a half hours of excruciating pain later, Milly gave birth to a little baby boy. His name, Alexander. For the next few years everything was normal. No, perfect. Don was moved to partner at his firm, Milly landed a huge gig with her catering service, and Alex, now ten, was doing well with his studies and was the best student in all of his classes. Life seemed great for the Grangers.
Milly awake with a fright. “Don!” She shook her husband. “Don, wake up. Something’s not right.” She had no idea why, but she was terrified not just for her life, but for her husband’s, too.
Slowly, Don came to, scratching his head with a drowsy gaze. “What, Milly?”
“I don-” Milly stopped abruptly. Don stared at her in amazement.
“Great,” he mumbled aloud, “my wife’s gone nuts!” He huffed, laying back down, eyes shut. “Try to get some sleep, babe,” Don said as he rubbed his wife’s arm, drifting off to sleep.
Milly, however, did not sleep that night. Not a wink. Instead, she sat in bed, looking through old photo books. Pictures of the Granger’s Annual August Barbeque, pictures of Alex riding their husky Rex like a pony, pictures of their first Christmas together. Milly laughed and smiled and was even saddened a little while looking at these memories. “Poor Alex,” she thought. “He doesn’t get to see his parents as much, now that Don is partner and my business finally hit off.” She pondered in silence for a moment, then came to the conclusion that they needed to take a vacation together. “Maybe we’ll go see-” Milly's thought was cut short by a loud thump downstairs.
“Don!” she whispered. “Don! Wake up!” The fear she had felt only hours earlier was back with intensity.
Don rolled over, shoving his bottom against his fear-crazed wife, moving his pillow over his head. “Ugh, Miiiiillyyyy!” he groaned.
Ignoring his frustration from being woken up once again, Milly calmed herself then went back to the photos. As she flipped back and forth album after album. she noticed that in every picture of Alex something had changed. A misty, black mass behind the bushes in one. Glowing crimson eyes in the mirror in another. An extra foot under the table at thanksgiving dinner. Milly threw the photo books down in horror. “No!” she screamed. “Noooo! It’s impossible!” Holding back tears, she noted another thud downstairs.
“What? Mills, what’s wrong?” Don, awoken by Milly’s cries, asked, comfortingly rubbing his wife’s back. Milly was speechless; Don was confused. “what? I don’t understand. What’s going on?”
“How could they? It’s too early. We haven’t even had that much time with him,” Milly said with staggered breathing.
Don’s confusion grew into panic. “What? What are you talking about, Mills?”
The whole house grew silent then. There was no movement, no squeak of a door opening or floorboard being stepped on, no howls from the neighbor’s dog, no groan of the wind beating against the trees.
“Milly.”
“He’s gone,” she said emotionlessly as her body sank back against her puzzled husband. Milly was completely empty; she knew what she did would come back to bite her in the ass eventually.
“What the hell are talking about Milly?” Don was becoming furious.
“I had to, Don!” she cried into his chest. “I just wanted a baby so bad. I just-” Milly’s heart felt twenty pounds heavier. Her sobs making it near impossible to speak.
“Milly, what did you do?”
“I just thought that having him for a little while would be better than not having him at all. Don, I prayed every night for him. Over and over. Every night! And finally, finally, he came. I didn’t think ten years would go by so fast.”
Don stood in horror. “You-” He could even stomach the thought. “You did this!”
Milly laid in bed, crying, as she watched her husband pack a bag. “Don,” she pleaded, “don’t do this to me. I can’t lose you, too.” But Don couldn’t even look at his wife. Without another word he left that house.
The clock read 3:00 am.