Welcome to Scary Story Time by Spooky Boo. Tonight’s story about the evil town of Sandcastle introduces you to a couple of boys who were best friends and grew up into men of different cloths. The horrors that lie before these friends will change their friendship forever and perhaps make them mortal enemies.
Before we begin, please remember to take a peek at the website at www.scarystorytime.com. If you enjoy the tales of Sandcastle, feel free to subscribe to my Patreon page to support the website and podcast at www.spookyboo.club.
You’ll also find my friends and I watching Creature Features Saturday nights at 10:00 PM on YouTube chatting about the old movies and the hosts. Come and chat with the fans. You’ll find more info at www.creaturefeatures.tv.
It has also come to my attention that our local comic books store was a victim of an armed robbery. The owner is a wonderful person and really didn’t deserve the lowlife criminals to come into his place and take all of his cash. I do hope they find the criminals and arrest them, but while we wait, could you please check out the selection and see if there might be something for you at Fantasy Books and Games in Livermore.
Now let’s begin:
~~ 1 ~~
I didn’t know my parents well only that I was sent out to be adopted the day I was born. I really have no reason to complain about my adopted family other than when I found out I felt deceived. They were pretty good to me as far as family goes. I never questioned where I came from because they loved me as their own.
I found out because on the day of my 18th birthday they were required to tell me who I was. I think mom and dad tried to avoid the subject but bad things started happening that day I went to visit my friend at the hospital. It was all in the contract, I know that now. It all just doesn’t make sense. They were so good to me that it pisses me off quite a bit it was even an issue at all.
I’m getting ahead of myself here. I was born in the town of Sandcastle, California on July 4, 1976–a bicentennial kid. The only child born that day so there was a big celebration. Back then it was still a pretty small town, but during the tourist and money explosion in the 80s, it grew more. I hear a lot of people talk about the good old days when the town was smaller and there wasn’t any petty crime. That’s a funny way to put it because aside from what would be a petty crime, Sandcastle was always filled with a lot of heinous crime. Of course, most of it was either related to natural causes or nothing could be proven, but the cases are always really strange. I know because I’m the police chief.
I might be the force of the law now, but when I was a bratty kid at the ripe age of 18 I knew nothing about the law. In fact, during my adolescent years, you could say I was quite the troublemaker. I can remember the first time I had a run-in with the county sheriff the first time I stole my parent’s car and went on a joyride with a good friend when I was 12. I remember it well.
“Casey, slow down!” Roy screamed from the passenger side.
I couldn’t slow down. It was too exciting zipping around the corners on the highway between Santa Rosa and Sandcastle. The hairpin turns and muddy road shoulders were too much fun to avoid.
“Look out!” Roy screamed.
The tires screeched as I slammed on the brakes right after passing the “Welcome to Sandcastle” sign. Standing before us was The Lady of the Lake. The rumors of her glowing dress didn’t give it justice. The whole road was lit up, we could even see into the redwoods. I looked right into her eyes and she glared back at me, challenging me to a duel of the minds.
I revved the engine of the GTO until she laughed at me with her rows of sharp, pointed teeth. I let go of the brake sending the goat wheels into a screaming spin. We soared right through her, feeling the shock of her existence through our bodies until the front of the muscle car slammed right into a redwood tree. Pieces of glass and metal from the windshield and bumper flew in all directions, but what I remember most was that horrible crunching noise of car against nature. The tree moaned. Yes, it moaned! I can’t describe it, like something awakening from a 25 year nap and stretching for the first time in decades. Whatever it was, it wasn’t happy.
I looked over at Roy. Blood oozed down from the gash at the crown of his forehead. His eyes were open, although I’m not sure how he was still alive. I studied the cut and it took a moment for me to realize a branch of the redwood tree we hit was buried in his skull
“Don’t move, man. I’ll go get help.”
“Just stay and talk for a moment, dude.,” his eyes moved in my direction. I could see the eye on the right near the tree branch was bleeding and protruding from his skull. “I can’t move. Why can’t I move?”
“Roy, I’m so sorry. it was that bitch of the lake. She’s real and she tricked us. Tell me you saw her?”
Tears were streaming down his cheeks as he looked around and at me then laughed, “You look like shit.”
I pulled down the visor where dad kept all of the car’s paperwork behind a mirror that mom used constantly when she drove the car. Roy was right, I did look pretty banged up. My nose was bloody, possibly broken, and the beginnings of a black eye were showing. I could think of nothing in return to describe the hell he was going through though.
“Show me the mirror, dude.” Roy looked up at the visor through the corner of his eye. Even if he wanted to move, he couldn’t. The branch of the evil tree held him there like a nail in a hard piece of wood.
I reluctantly put the mirror in front of his face then like a fool I started blubbering. Spit, snot, and tears all coming at once making it hard to speak. I noticed the blank look on Roy’s face right away. He knew he didn’t have a chance.
“No man, don’t let me die. I’m too young.”
“I’ll go for help. There has to be a house around here somewhere.”
I pulled my leg out from under the crumpled steering wheel and dash. By the grace of God, I had no broken limbs or bad lacerations. I knew I had hit my nose, but even it seemed to be healing easily. I thought about that for a moment. Why? All my life I have never been ill. Not one cold, not one broken bone. I’ve fallen off horses, been in accidents while playing hockey, even crashed a dirtbike or two but not one broken bone. And now this? My best friend is stabbed in the head with a tree branch and I get off scotfree? It made no sense at all.
I think I walked about a mile before I found the old cabin. I didn’t even know it was here. With all the rumors about the witch of the lake and people disappearing, I never even bothered visiting this side of the forest and my parents would kill me if I ever did! They said if I ever went to this part of town I would be on restriction forever so I just never bothered. I had no choice now. I thought I would just take the car out of a joy ride and get it back in one piece before they got home. Boy, was I wrong!
I knocked on the door wondering if the place even had a phone. The door slowly creaked open to the shambled appearance of an unkempt cabin. There was dust everywhere and only lit by some old kerosene lamps. At first, I didn’t see him stepping into the doorway, but as my eyes grew accustomed to the light, an old man appeared before me. He was wearing a black robe that reminded me of a monk. He grabbed my hands with both of his wrinkled, arthritic hands and shook vigorously.
“My…my friend and I crashed up the…”
“I know, crashed up the road,” he finished for me. “I saw it with my own two eyes I did. Come with me, I will help you,” he grabbed an old staff that he used as a cane and led me out the door.
“Who are you? If you saw it, why didn’t you come to help me?”
“I am the keeper of the woods. I used to be the sheriff many moons ago like you will be one day.”
I laughed, enjoying the thought for a moment. Who in their right mind would elect me as sheriff? I was a troublemaker and basically had no scruples, especially at the ripe age of puberty. I’ve never touched anyone else, but I have stolen my dad’s dirty magazines before. I’ve started fires. I’ve gotten into fights. This guy was clearly nuts, but if he could help my friend I’m all the willing to believe anything.
“You’ll see, young man. I was once like you and then my prophecy came. I will die here in the woods protecting those from the lake witch, but only those who are worthy as you. We’ll see if your friend is worthy, too.
“What do you know of the lake witch?” I asked as we started walking up the road. The dim glow from the kerosene lamp he grabbed offered very little light, but I suppose it was easier than walking in the dark as I did before.
“She’s the kind of evil you don’t want to ever come across, boy. I’m thankful I’ve never had to deal with her, but one day someone will. Maybe it will even be you. I suppose that is why you wanted to ram her with your car. It’s bred into you.”
“What?” I stopped and stared at him, mouth gaping open. “Bred into me? What does that even mean”
“I know a lot about you and the things you do. I feel them. I can feel your pain for your friend, too, which is why we must walk faster.” We stepped up the pace and he continued, “Every 100 years they choose someone to watch over the lake. In about 20 years, my time will be done. There is an oath of secrecy you must take. If you do not, I cannot save you or your friend, but if you promise to fulfill the prophecy then both of you will live, provided he is worthy.”
“Obviously, I’m fine. It’s my friend, Roy, who needs help. He got a tree branch stuck in his head when we crashed. I don’t know how you’ll save him, no one can. I was hoping you had a telephone to call an ambulance.”
“No ambulance can help him or you. You’re both dying right now. Only I can help you.”
“You’re crazy, man, but I’ll take it. You don’t have a phone I can use to call my parents? You know, just in case?”
“No, I don’t have a telephone.”
We walked the rest of the way in silence. There was really nothing else to say. I was too confused to even think of a question and I figured he was in deep thought due to the furrow in his brow. Honestly, I didn’t care what kind of a deal I had to make, I just wanted Roy to live and this whole night to be forgotten.
We approached the car and something was different. There was another body in the driver’s seat. crushed under the weight of the dashboard and steering wheel. As we stepped closer, I could see in the rays of the moonlight the other person was me. Suddenly feeling a searing pain in my side, I felt something warm trickle down my leg. I put my hand on my thigh and realized it was blood–a lot of blood. I felt so dizzy that I fell backward into blackness.
I awoke in a deep sweat. My sheets were drenched and my comforter kicked off during the night. My window was wide open, but it was cold and foggy outside. It must have been a horrible dream! All of it, a wicked nightmare. I didn’t go out joyriding with Roy last night after all. I was still alive and that old goat near the lake was just part of the dream. I remembered seeing Roy’s bulging, bloody eye and that tree branch stuck in his brain. Most of all, I remember seeing me as dead as roadkill under the dashboard. It all seemed so real.
I tried to move, but the stabbing pain in my leg was too great. I put my hand down to my thigh and realized there was a bandage wrapped around. If this was real, what in the hell happened to Roy?
“Mom!” I screamed from my room.
A few moments later, my mother came in. She checked the wound then gave me a kiss on the forehead. “Hello, sleepyhead.”
“Mom, what happened?”
“You and Roy smashed up the goat. You’re lucky to be alive right now. You and Roy. I’m not so sure how alive you’ll be once your father gets home from his trip to Los Angeles though.”
“Roy’s alive?” The pain in my broken nose didn’t stop me from smiling.
“Yes, but,” she grabbed my hand and squeezed, “he’s in a coma. They had to put him under to get him out of the car.”
Once again I found myself blubbering with tears falling down my cheeks. I didn’t know how anyone would ever forgive me. Not Roy. Not Roy’s parents. Not even my own parents. I thought about his last words to me before I passed out then remembered the old man who said he would help us.
“There was an old guy who helped us out. I went to his house to find a phone. He came back with me and…and…”
“Honey, there was no old man and there was no way you could have walked to his house. When Conor Marshal found you and Roy, you were stuck under the dashboard passed out and Roy, well, it’s too horrifying to even explain.”
“Roy had a tree branch stuck in his head. I know, mom. I spoke to him. I walked over and grabbed the old man in the cabin by the lake who said we’d be okay.”
The shock on mom’s face made me want to pull up the covers and hide. Tears pooled in her eyes as she bit her lip and started in with a very serious tone. “Casey, no more stories, ok? You should never have taken the car out joyriding. You’re not licensed. Hell, you’re not even old enough to drive. That accident wouldn’t have happened had you not lost control on the road. That’s what the deputy says what happened anyway. Thank God you weren’t drinking or you would never get your license!”
“Mom, I didn’t lose control. I saw her. I saw the lady of the lake. The white witch. Whatever people call her. She was there, beckoning for us to come after her. She wanted me to try and hit her and slam into the tree. She’s evil mom. Evil!”
My mom looked around the room for a moment almost seeming to look for people listening. She wiped the hair from my forehead then planted a kiss in the same spot. With a deep sigh she started telling me about the witch of the lake.
“A long time ago there was a woman who lived at the lake. She was very beautiful and was given the land by the Indians because she had helped so many of them during the bad times. This was before the Gold Rush. A few settlers traveled out west and aren’t talked about much today because many of them simply disappeared. Only rumors and stories of their travels are told. None are in the history books because no one knows what happened. Only relatives of these people keep the stories going.”
“Are we related to any of these people, mom?”
She was now very careful with his words, “Your dad and I are not related to any of them that I know of. The stories I know are only passed around by locals who have been here for generations. There really is no official record of when people settled here, but supposedly an Englishman and a Spaniard fought to the death. Both lost and died during the battle and left their crews to fend for themselves. Sandcastle is rumored to be founded by pirates and thieves yet they won’t tell you this in the history books. The latest known families like the Millers and the Hawthornes came here during the Gold Rush. By then the Indians had migrated to other parts of California and no one knows why.”
Somehow I knew I was related to these people. I could feel it in my bones. At the time I didn’t know I was adopted yet, but something inside of me right then screamed that I wasn’t related to my parents. Of course, I didn’t say anything at the time because I knew it couldn’t be the truth and I didn’t want to hurt their feelings with such absurd questions, but something gnawed at me about the subject like I was an old dog bone.
She smiled and continued, “They say a few of the people who lived here were angry that she helped the Natives and took her firstborn son away from her immediately after she gave birth. No one knew who the father of the child was. The rumor is that he was an Indian chief and another rumor claims he was one of the pirates. Either way, no one claimed the child of their own and he simply disappeared the night as she was hung from a makeshift boat over the lake. That’s the rumor anyway. Stories about her have gone on for decades, centuries even.”
“Have you seen her, mom?”
“No,” she let out a small chuckle. I knew she was lying.
“Get some sleep son, your leg needs to heal. All of this was probably a really bad dream after you crashed. I am so thankful you are alive. I love you.”
“I love you, too, mom.”
I waited for her to leave the room before I tore off the blankets to look at my leg. It looked like a slab of roast beef with a huge red bruise covering my whole thigh and stitches around my hip bone. That was really close! I thought to myself and thanked God for keeping everything intact down there. The bruise was painful to the touch, but I thought I’d try to walk on my leg anyway. I just don’t know what I’d do if I could no longer walk.
I put the washrag mom left next to my bed in my mouth before I even attempted to stand–a trick I learned in my jr. league football training. She was using it to wipe the sweat from my brow every so often, and I know how gross that sounds, but I needed it as I stepped down on my right foot. It caused so much pain that I screamed into the washcloth and bit down as hard as I could. With tears in my eyes, I slowly breathed as much air as possible in through my broken nose and then slowly let out a sigh after taking the washcloth from the grip of my teeth. Part of me didn’t want to let go and held on a bit longer until I gave in to the pain.
I managed to remove all of my pajamas and examine the bruises and cuts up and down my body. The right side was worse than the left. This is also where the steering wheel was pressed into me. I remember what I looked like when then the old man walked me back to the car. I was lucky to be alive. Hell, Roy was lucky to be alive! I needed to see Roy to know if he really did talk to me that night. Maybe he saw the old man, too. I was sure he would wake up out of his coma if I went there. Maybe we could go find the old geezer and set things straight.
Due to the swelling of my leg, I couldn’t put on a pair of jeans so I changed into some football workout sweats. I grabbed the pain pills off the counter just in case I needed them. With the old crutches I used from when I twisted my ankle during football season last year, I headed out of my bedroom door with a small sports backpack.
“Oh look, he’s out of bed!” My mother smiled and put her arm around me. Even with the smile she still looked a little dismayed that I was out of my room.
I hobbled behind her until I sat down in the rocking chair. “There honey, that is probably the easiest chair for you to get out of when needed.” She laughed and then patted the old lumpy couch pillow beside her as she sat down next to someone I recognized immediately.
“Mom! That’s him! That’s the old man by the lake!” I tried to stand up quickly, but the pain shooting through the right side of my body kept me down.
“Oh nonsense, Casey. This is the priest at the church we go to every Sunday. Don’t you recognize him?”
“Yeah mom, I do. Tell her. You told me that you used to be the police chief and that you were living in a cabin in the woods to protect us from the lady of the lake. Tell her!”
“Son, yes I used to be chief of police, everyone knows that. I do live near the woods, but not in a cabin. I don’t know what or who you saw that night, but it must have been part of a dream or maybe you were hallucinating during the accident.”
“No! You were there. It was that old dusty cabin right up the road from the accident. I saw you. You walked back with me to rescue my friend.”
“I’m sorry, Father, he has been a bit sleepy and also, well, I’m sure the pain killers aren’t helping things.” Mom handed the priest a cup of coffee as she sat back down and grabbed the codeine that was falling out of my pocket.
The priest shot me a look that I”ll never forget. He knew what I was talking about, but denied everything. “My dad, who was once the chief of police, used to live in that old cabin before my parents got married, but that was way before your time, son. He’s been dead for decades. Maybe you read about him in one of the town’s history books. Some say we look almost identical.”
The priest shot me a wink. Then I knew something was going on.
“Yeah, yeah okay.” I gave in. I’d have to visit him later on and see what was going on, but there was no way I’d let my mother in on the secret.
~~ 2 ~~
Years later Roy never really recovered. I still visit him, but he has these really strange visions. On my 18th birthday, I went to see him and he seemed more awake than normal. We actually had a decent conversation going for a while.
“Hey, happy 18th my man!” he smiled so big I was in a little bit of a shock. I hadn’t seen Roy smile in a very long time. The convalescent home was so drab that I’m sure no one wanted to smile. They never did anything for these people except let them wallow in their sorrows. Most of them didn’t seem to get guests, but Roy did. His parents and I were frequent visitors. I don’t know if it was because of this or Roy’s strange ramblings that the people in the home began some sort of weird cultish following of him. Almost like a politician or preacher.
I walked in, ignoring the inquisitive scowls on the faces of his followers. They didn’t seem to like me, or in fact, anyone, speaking with their prophet. He laughed and shooed them away like flies in the deli section of a bad grocery store.
He hugged me harder than normal, at least as hard as he could. The tree branch had removed some of his motor skills and at first, this bugged him deeply but now he told me he knew why we crashed that fateful day.
“You look great for a guy who almost lost his legs!” he laughed and motioned for me to sit down.
“Aww come on, that was so many years ago. We’re 18 now. You know, buddy, I’m so sorry I did this to you. We were stupid kids going for a joy ride and I don’t know what I saw that night, maybe a flash of light in the distance or a reflection of the light in the fog, but it was my fault. I’m deeply sorry.”
His face scrunched up at first and I half expected him to start crying, but then he let out a laugh. “I saw her too, dude! it wasn’t a random light in the fog. We both saw her. I saw you with that old dude, too, but you were also still sitting in the driver’s side passed out. I think you were dead and I had prayed that you came back. I prayed to her, man. I know that sounds bad, but I prayed she would spare us. And you know what she said?”
I shook my head. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. This is the first time he really opened up to me about the accident and now I wasn’t so sure I wanted to hear it He sounded insane!
“No, don’t be like that! Considering the situation, she saved us. We were dead, man! Dead. I had a tree in my head,” he said as he pointed his finger toward the scar. Roy laughed so loud everyone looked over at us. Many of them looked like they wanted to kill me. “It’s ok people, carry on,” he said as he waved his hands over the others. And they did. They went back to whatever they were doing, the hateful stares gone.
“You remember the walk? Me walking to the car with the old guy?” I felt like the room was spinning. All of these years I had forgotten and thought it was all a weird dream.
“Yeah, dude. As clear as day. I couldn’t see you until you appeared in my vision because I couldn’t move, but that old guy saved us. Did you ever thank him?”
“No, he doesn’t exist. He’s dead. Our preacher told me it must have been a dream about his father who lived in the woods many years ago. I tried to go back and find that old shack I went to, but it wasn’t there. I thought it was all a dream.
“She doesn’t like him, that lady. She comes to me in my dreams sometimes and tells me about things that are going to happen. She told me he wanted to stop her from her plans. She saved us though. He walked you back to the car, but she’s the one who kept the light on so the cops could find us.”
His eyes were now shifting back and forth. He leaned back and closed his lids almost all the way. I could see his pupils darting from the left to right and right to left just like in the dream state of sleep. The other patients in the hospital ward started gathering around. Some of them stared at me with hate and vengeance while others clapped their hands and smiled. In unison, they began rocking back and forth and humming.
“I gotta go, man. I’m going to be late. I wish you could come to my birthday dinner,” I said, standing up.
“She is the light, Casey!” he said without opening his eyes. “You will know! She will come to you and you will not be able to refuse her. My friends here have accepted her, look at them. They understand prophecy and the time is almost near!”
I pushed my way through the crowd of hospital gowns and sweats. Some were kneeling in worship and others were still swaying back and forth. As I passed through, many of them turned to follow me, their faces were frozen in blank stares or odd smiles. One man, around 75, picked up a paper cup and tossed it at me. Cold coffee stained the back of my shirt and pants as I started to run out the door. When the sliding glass doors automatically closed behind me, I watched as they turned back toward Roy and knelt in front of him again. What he was saying as he was daydreaming in a REM cycle I didn’t want to know–until today.
That was all 13 years ago. I left town after that and joined the Marines. I fought terrorists in Afghanistan and Iraq for 3 years and then joined the special forces doing jobs that I can’t really ever talk about nor do I want to. I admit, protecting my country was the best job I’ve ever had and one I’m most proud of, but it wasn’t a walk in the park. I’ve seen many morbid atrocities during my 10 years in special ops, but nothing prepared me for what happened today.
As I stood over the body of the dismembered girl, I remembered what they had found at the hospital after the day I left my friend. One of his minions had offered him a sacrifice that same night with an apology written across her forearm. Yeah, across her forearm that was sitting on top of the pile of limbs. I read in the report they didn’t see the whole horror of it all until they picked up each limb and place them in a bag. With each piece came a new picture of the nightmare, and as each horrific image was placed aside, a new limb or body part would appear until the torso of the poor girl and her severed head lay next to where her shoulder should have been. Oddly, her face was frozen in a sweet smile despite what happened.
The same pile of limbs from a different innocent victim sat before me. I gulped hard as I moved piece by piece and the crime scene photographer took pictures of the body parts. The wounds were clean-cut, just like the ones in the picture from the hospital years before. The same writing was cut into her arm. Was it an ax maybe? I didn’t know. the cuts were too clean for a saw or a knife. Just one swift motion of an ax would make sense. There was no blood at all except what had pooled in the body which meant that she probably had been moved from another location and after the blood that was still left had settled.
“Shit. Shit shit.” I said as each photo was taken. Wrapping up the body in the multiple body bags was bad enough. I knew this little girl and her parents. The last thing I wanted was to stare them straight in the eyes and tell them whoever did this was still around from years and years ago. The poor thing had that same sweet smile the other girl did before her death.
“Bring her to the coroner and don’t let anyone touch her until I get back,” I patted my deputy on the shoulder after taking off the forensics gloves.
“Where are you going, Boss?” Reggie asked, looking a bit confused.
“I need to visit someone who might know a bit more about this case.”
~~ 3 ~~
When I arrived at the hospital I could see everything was still as it was before. Nothing had really changed in 13 years. The decor was still the same drab grey and the grounds outside were still the only pleasant place these poor souls had to go to see any life and color at all. I saw him right away, sitting in his wheelchair, still mostly paralyzed yet surrounded by people sitting on the grass and listening to his rambling about the future. While I didn’t visit, I kept tabs on his crazy talk to the people. I felt bad for my friend, really really bad, but a part of me just couldn’t visit and listen to the insanity. Unfortunately, today was unavoidable.
Roy looked aged. His hair was now almost white and his skin full of soft wrinkles. He was going on about some event that was avoided because of a selfless sacrifice. This piqued my interest greatly as the recent murder seemed exactly like a sacrifice.
He stopped and looked straight at me with dull, lifeless eyes. He looked blind but knew I was there. “Come, sit my friend. It’s been so long!”
“This isn’t a normal friendship visit, Roy. Something has happened just like many years ago. I need to ask you some questions.”
“Ah, I remember now. You took the job as a detective. You have a bright future in front of you, Casey. Hold on to that.”
“Not so bright when I have to ask a friend about a murder.”
“A murder? Who was murdered? Are you asking if I murdered someone? How could I?”
“No, Roy. I know you couldn’t possibly get out of here and kill anyone, but remember many years ago when that little girl was killed and they asked you questions about your so-called sermons and sacrifice?”
Roy shifted in his wheelchair for a moment and then sighed. He looked disappointed I had even asked. The lines around his mouth became obvious as he lips drew into a small o. His skin was so white I don’t even know how he could stand sitting out in the sun for too long. “Oh, another little girl? That is disappointing.”
“Was it supposed to be someone else, Roy?”
“What?” he laughed. “Are you insinuating that I had something to do with this?”
“You were just talking about sacrifices,” I motioned to his followers who were standing about 50 feet away looking at me like I was to be another sacrifice.
“I would never kill a little girl nor allow any of my friends to do so. How dare you!”
“I’m not saying you did, Roy. I’m asking if you know someone who did. The same thing happened years ago when you first came here and all you did was scream about the lady of the lake and how bountiful she was. Remember that?”
“I was delusional, Casey. They had me on so many drugs at that time and when I found out who was killed, I was very disappointed. Devastated, in fact.”
“So you admit that one of your followers had done this?”
“They caught the guy, Casey. Remember? He’s in prison with no possibility for parole.”
“Yeah, I know but this is the same murder so there’s either a copycat or he’s innocent.” I hated the idea of either happening.
“This has nothing to do with me, officer.” he motioned for his crowd to come back to the circle. As they did, they stared at me and scoffed. A few spit on my feet.
“Is that the way to treat my guest?” he bellowed at the people surrounding him now. Some hid their faces in their arms as if shunned from a parent.
“No, Jumal!” they chanted.
“Jumal?” I mumbled.
“It’s a name they have given me. It means god of the sky. I don’t know. One said he had a dream of the lady of the lake and she told him to call me Jumal. It has stuck ever since.”
“Lick the spit off of his shoe, now.” Roy motioned to the last person who spat on my shoe. How he could see who did it, I have no idea.
The man crawled over to my feet and began to lick my boots. I backed away, feeling creepier than ever. “That’s really not necessary.”
“Jumal has ordered me to so I do what He asks.” the man finished and crawled back into the group.
“Does anyone here know of the little girl who has been murdered?”
The shrieks in the crowd were obvious. “No, it can’t be!” One woman screamed. Another began to hit her head into the concrete from her position of worship until blood began spilling onto the sidewalk. I pulled her up to her feet and motioned for the doctors to help.
A man raised his fist and yelled directly at me, “how dare you accuse our leader of such a crime!”
The crowd began to walk toward me, some pulling at their hair and ripping it out into pieces and others scratching at their own faces. I started to back away, but the group had circled around and knocked me down. One gleefully grabbed my holstered gun with a hideous laugh while the others pinned me down. I noticed her torn hospital gown as she began shooting into the crowd as screams erupted from other parts of the hospital.
For a moment I could see Roy smiling and then the guards stepped into the way while pulling the bodies of the patients off and away from me. I heard my gun go off again, twice as I stood and looked to find where the shots were coming from. Two more patients in the distance fell to the ground and I followed the line of sight and pointed to the guards where the woman who stole my Glock was standing.
She smiled at me, her teeth rotting away and her eyes sunken into her skull. She had to be over 100 years old, but she moved like a gazelle. As they approached her, I closed in from the side she fired shots at one and then the other. As they fell, she cackled and pointed the gun at me.
“STOP!” Roy yelled from behind me.
At once, the woman dropped the gun and she fell to her knees. Ambulances screamed in the distance and woke me from the shock of what had just happened. I wasted no time putting handcuffs on her and dragging her to the fallen men she had killed. I had no choice, there was no one else helping me to see if they were alive.
“Are they dead?” she hissed.
I felt for a pulse of the first guard and there was none. The second was barely breathing. “Hang on, the ambulance is coming,” I whispered to the guard, more to reassure myself than anything else.
She cackled in laughter as the medical doctors ran out of the building to help the guard. “He’s alive!” I yelled. As they began to work on the wounded, I pulled the woman to her feet and then over to Roy.
“Is this what you wanted, Roy?”
“Jumal!” she hissed.
“Casey, no. I don’t want death. The Lady doesn’t want death either.”
“Bullshit,” I said as I walked the woman to the lobby of the hospital.
“Jumal lies because he’s your friend. I killed the girl. We all did.”
I glanced over at her fragile bones and lack of muscles and knew that she couldn’t possibly be telling the truth, but the bloodstains on the tips of her fingers and in her nails told another story. And yet, I wasn’t sure how to proceed. I needed to find out where this girl was killed and mutilated in order to solve the case.
I asked the nurse to give me samples of her fingernails and the dirt underneath. The woman didn’t care. Not at all. She only laughed.
~~ 4 ~~
They put Abagail Weirden into a high-security area of the hospital while I went to investigate the horrendous details of the crime. From the footprints around the body, my team was able to collect leaves and dirt not found immediately in the area. Reginald, the only member of my team who passed every single forensics test I gave knew immediately where samples came from.
“Ah yeah, this is pretty creepy Boss.” For some reason, Reginald always called me Boss. At first, I didn’t like it as it made me feel old but it grew on me. Now, years later, I know something is up when he doesn’t continue the ritual. “These tree leaves that were stuck in the mud around the crevices in the soles of the shoe are only found in one place in Sandcastle.”
I could see by the way he gulped that he believed all of the crazy stories that came out of the so-called haunted woods by the lake. He shifted his gaze from the shoe print to the map on my wall and grimaced.
“Ready, Reggie? You out of all people believe these tales? You’re a scientist and a damn good one. It’s all hearsay and old wives tales.”
“Seriously, Boss,” these came from the white alder tree which is all over the northern coast, but not specifically anywhere around Sandcastle except near the lake, particularly around the old tree stump.”
“Shit,” I mumbled.
“Yeah, that sounds about right. That’s where the blood-stained tree stump is. Where all of the rumors start about that lady of the lake and all of the spooky tales! It’s August, Boss. Halloween is coming up and that place gets really freaky before then.”
“You know most of it are pranks, right? You’ve worked here long enough to know they’re pranks.” For a moment I didn’t think I was trying to convince him, but only myself.
“I dunno. I’ve seen that stump on a dare when I was a kid and it was real. There was creepy whispering in the forest and it got really cold. I saw the stains, but it also looked like it was bleeding in the moonlight. I’ll be happy to never see that place again after today,” Reginald grabbed his gear and CSI kit the headed for the car. “Come on, let’s go. I want to get this over with before dark.”
We drove out to the site together as it was ten minutes away at the most. Nothing was really too far in Sandcastle. Everything has its perfect place. The perfect area to beckon to tourists I suppose. Reginald’s mind seemed to be off in the distance. I figured a little bit of music might bring him back to the present so I turned on the local radio.
“I love this station, Boss.” he smiled as he turned up a song by Boston.
“I think we’re the last place on Earth who listens to AM radio for music anymore, kid.”
“That Kelly Brunswick sure does have a hot voice!” he absently laughed as I drove. Kelly wouldn’t be on for at least another 6 hours. How she managed a station during the day and still found the energy to be the night time DJ, I’ll never know. Kelly and I dated for a short time, but she couldn’t let go of her strange past with this funky town. It was almost like listening to my deputy talk about the mysteries here which goes on non-stop. But I didn’t need Kelly, I needed my best deputy.
“Didn’t you date her, Boss?” he let out a little chuckle.
“Where did you hear that nonsense?”
“Eh, the guys joke about it sometimes. The age difference, you know? Technically, she still could be your auntie or even your mother.”
“Not even close! Get out,” I tossed the evidence kit in his lap and ignored his response.
We walked around the whole perimeter of the meadow, looking at the ground and up in the trees surrounding the grass. Even though the fog had burned off for the afternoon, it was still a little chili at 66 degrees which wasn’t unusual for this time of year but there was an icy feel to the air that wasn’t normal for anywhere near the Northern California coastline except maybe up near Oregon.
I zipped up my jacket and motioned for Reggie to get closer to the camping area near the lake. So far there was no sign of any kind of murder, but I had a bad feeling about that stump. As we stepped closer, I could already see the mess, but it wasn’t from a girl, it was a man.
“Oh God the smell! Got any Vicks?” Reggie covered his nose with his jacket.
“I don’t have any. You’ll get used to it.” I spoke firmly, although you could tell I was closing off my own nostrils.
There were body parts everywhere. Most looked like they were gnawed on by a wild animal and had been sitting there in the sun for days. Pieces of arms and legs were showing bone and rotting muscle. His torso sat alone in the corner near the stump, riddled with bite marks from what looked like a very large dog. There were flies everywhere, especially around the decaying fish he must have caught right before whatever attacked him.
“Nasty.” Reggie began putting down evidence markers and snapping pictures of the scene.
Call the crew,” I nodded at Reggie. “This scene is just too big for us two. They’ll need lots of bags and whatever else. You know the drill.”
“Right, Boss.” Reggie said as he had already started for the car.
I didn’t want him around while I searched the stump. I wanted to see it for myself. As I drew closer, I could hear the whispering of a young girl and so many other voices. “It’s just the wind. It plays tricks on the mind.” I whispered, trying to convince myself, but it wasn’t working.
There it was, the stump was stained with fresh blood all over the top and around the edges. I took pictures of it and called Reggie to remind them to shave a sample off the stump for a DNA test. It would at least tell us if it was the dead girl. Next to the stump stuck on a branch sticking out of the water was a piece of cloth, similar to the cloth on Abagail’s torn hospital gown. After snapping some pictures of the material, I picked it up and placed it in a plastic baggie. Thinking back to when she attacked me, I remembered the corner of her gown was torn.
***
Thank you for listening. If you enjoyed this chapter of Sandcastle, tune for next week’s story. Remember, anything is possible and everything is related!
For more information about the stories, visit my website at www.scarystorytime.com.
That’s all for tonight.
I’ll see you in your nightmares. 🙂
