Short Story: Condemned Orphan by James Paradie

Oh, boy. Now it's time to show off my "skills", if you'd call it that. Don't mind me, I'm just my own worst critic. Wrote this shorty a few years back and just recently started to pick up on it again. Let me know what you think and if its good enough for a few people I may just keep going with it.

If you have a short story of your own, please email me it in an attachment at scaredsheetlessncn@hotmail.com  This site has been getting 200 views a day and Roger's story, Unknown Zone, has already reached 50 views in just the past day. Annette's story, Missing Husband, has reached 30 and both are growing! So, don't be shy!

Scared rated this story M for Mature

*Sorry about the format. Naturally when you're writing a manuscript the paragraphs should be double spaced, but Blogspot likes to screw formatting up and make things look miles apart. I fixed what I could, but some of it may still look a little odd.

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Condemned Orphan

By James Paradie

1.

Lights Out is When the Creatures Come Out

 

            Sisters of the Holy Cross are three institutions in one: Lincoln Orphanage for the Neglect; a juvenile facility that also has a mental institution for those orphans or juveniles who are incapable of being with the general public. It’s all ran by the Sisters, with influence by the state for their protection.

The pre-adult orphans are getting ready for lights out. Some are coming out of the bathroom facilities down the wall to the furthest right; some are lying in bed just about dozing and others are just talking. One group is looking at a porn magazine and commenting on some lady’s big breasts in a typical teenage manner. There are about two dozen teens crammed into a large high ceiling room.

Aidan is lying in bed, looking very tired, but staying awake due to Tim talking his ear off.

“Man that was one terrifying dream.”

“What? Is this the one about Mother Suzanne polishing your knob?” Aidan smirks as Tim throws a pillow at him, but Aidan grabs it in a snap motion, but is still smiling.

“No man! I was awaken by a spirit, this is like the tenth time I’ve had this dream, and his name is Dexter-“

“Dexter?”

“Yeah. He is a ghost that says he was a former orphan here, but is now the guardian of Lincoln. He was telling me about how this place is getting some occupants that are … not welcomed by the other ghosts and that we should be prepared.”

“Prepared for what?”

Tim looks at the others who are in their own little world anyways and then back at Aidan. “Damnation.”

Aidan, now not looking so tired, looks at Tim like, you got to be kidding me? Tim rolls his eyes and goes from sitting on the bed to lying on the bed. “Whatever, man.”

“Dude, you’ve been on this whole ghost kick since you supposedly saw that cross melt. You know who did that? Darius. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was a satin worshipper anyways.”

“’Supposedly’?” Tim says while turning around to face him. “I saw that happen right before my very eyes. It went bright red and melted. You saw it.”

“Yes, I did see it and I know who did it. That’s why Darius is in the nut bin now.”

“Maybe I’m just crazy.”

“Yeah and maybe if you keep talking about spooks, you may just join him.” Aidan laughs a bit.

Tim just snickers angrily and turns his back to him.

Aidan hears the door open and can hear the Sisters coming in. He can visualize Sister Mary checking on the orphans and Sister Helen going down the other aisle, his and Tim’s aisle, doing the same as Mary.

Then there is Sister Suzanne standing by the light switch. She is the Head Nun of Lincoln. Even though she is a nun, she has looks that are almost devilish.

The Sisters go back down the aisle, almost turning in unison and keeping the same pace as they walk back towards the door. Sister Suzanne looking at both of them in the cold stare she has. They reach her as she gives one final glance at the pre-adults. She hears a few snickers, but they stop as soon as they begin. She shuts the lights off and their footsteps can be heard walking out and the door closing.

Aidan falls asleep quickly, hearing Tim’s words echo in a void of blackness. “They are coming”.

“Damnation.”

Aidan realizes he’s still awake as he opens his eyes and sudden bursts of lightning lights up the wall, a shadow of the tree outside the window illuminating on the wall like a monster. Aidan shakes his head a bit and drifts off to sleep.

         

“I told you so! Damnation is here! Your judgment day has arrived!” Tim screams as he tries to get Aidan awake, but he is dead asleep. Tim is looking all around, blood splattered on walls, limbs of his roommates on the floor.  

“Let’s get the fuck out of here!” Tom Cummings can be heard screaming from the darkness outside of the door.

Tim still tries to get Aidan out of bed, pulling him with all his might. Aidan finally falls to the floor, but he is still asleep.

“C’mon Tim! Get your ass moving!” Tim looks at Tom, back at Aidan, and then runs out the door with Tom as they go running down the hall.

A force slams the big door shut as Aidan belts up in a sitting position on his bed.

What’s the odd thing though? It looks like everything he just saw happen didn’t actually happen. He looks and see’s all of his fellow orphans sleeping in their beds. A smut magazine hanging from one of their hands and … nothing’s happened.

Was this a warning of things to come? Or was it just Tim’s words influencing his nightmare?

He moves his body so his legs are pointing down towards the floor, he gets up, and starts looking at everything. Another bursts of lightning outside the window as it lightens up the whole room, the shadow of the tree shows up on the wall as Aidan looks towards the windows in fear.

          He looks at the door and sees that it’s open a little bit. He walks towards the door as another bolt of lightning shines through the windows with the tree looking like it has fingers reaching out for Aidan, but he keeps on stepping towards that door to close it, but didn’t the Sisters close it in the first place?

Aidan gets up to the door, he grabs the door knob and opens the door a little more as it makes a small creaking noise, but to Aidan it’s loud. He looks out to the hallway, no lights are on, but he can see well enough due to the lightning coming through the window just at the end of the hallway. He turns around and see’s the rain dropping onto the window and making tons of little tap noises. Another bolt lightning shines through the window as Aidan looks down the hall and sees a blue figure down the hall.

“What the hell is that?” Aidan questions. He doesn’t remember anything blue being at the end of the hallway.

Another shine of lightning and the figure is closer. Aidan’s eyes get a little wide as he tries to decide whether to go back into bed or stay and see what this thing could be. Another shine of lightning and the figure is gone.

“I’m just tired” Aidan thinks out loud as he begins to creep his body back into the room, but something pulls him out as he falls to the ground. He looks everywhere and see’s something hovering over his head.

“Well hello there, Aidan Austin. We finally meet,” the figure says.

          “Who? What?” is the only thing that Aidan can say.

The figure gets face to face with him. It is sure enough blue and translucent. It’s wearing a sweater and pants that seems to be from the 1950’s era.

          “You know me. You know me very well actually.”

          “I don’t know you. I don’t believe in you … things.”

          “’Things?’” it looks offended and hovers back into the air. “I am not a thing, Mr. Austin. I was once like you a very long time ago, but now, I am of the dead kind.”

          “Ghost?”

          “Why, yes. I guess that’s what you call them; it’s what we called them back then. But you see the difference between some of my other ghost friends is I actually know I’m dead.”

          “This is … weird.”

          “Of course it is. Seeing a ghost is odd enough, yes, but actually having a human see you at all times is even stranger. Not even your big friend can’t see me for this long.”

          “Tim?”

          “Yes.”

          “Tim Miles?”

          “That’d be him.”

          “You must be Dexter.”

          “Ah! So you do know me. I knew it. I’ve been talking to Tim for quite a while now actually. Good old, big boy he is, kind of in the crazy category though.”

          “Yeah, you know Tim then.”

          “But see the thing is, is even though he’s crazy, he is still telling the truth.”

          “The truth?”

          “Something dark is going to happen here, Mr. Austin, and this orphanage is in great disaster.”

          “Oh, c’mon! Don’t give me this shit! I must be going crazy like Tim.”

          “Okay then. See for yourself, but this time, this is not a dream.”

          Dexter snaps his fingers.

 

Tim’s eyes open.

          He looks at the room, but nothing seems out of the ordinary. He hears thunder echoing outside. He tries to move, but ends up just straining himself a little bit. He feels something on top of him.

"Tim?" He whispers, but hears no response.

He pushes the dead weight off of him, but whoever it might be is not as big as Tim. He gets to his feet as the only light coming in is from the storm happening outside the tall and wide glass windows. He finds the carpet and starts walking on it, he steps on something wet and thick. He lets a groan before continuing to walk. He gets to the door that is slightly open and peers through the crack. He see's nothing at first, but then sees a nun walking past him. He gets back inside a little more, so he blends in with the darkness a little better. She walks down the hall a little more before something behind her makes her stop.

"Mother Ann." It's an orphan.

Jimmy, Johnny, Jason? Something like that. Aiden doesn’t know him well enough to care about his name, but what he saw next made his eyes want to bleed.

Mother Ann turns around, but it is not Mother Ann, it is something else. Her skin is a glowing red color, her cheeks are sharp and pointed, and her eyes are a silver color as if blind. Her robe is also exposed in the front, showing her breasts mutilated; blood coming out of the nipples and forming a "V" right down to her vaginal area.

"Jesus!” Aidan says, backing his head away.

Mother Ann put's up her arm as the boy is dragged on his feet to her, before his face goes into her hand as she digs her claws into his face.

She speaks, "Jackson? What are you doing out of bed? That's very naughty of you."

Aidan thinks he should go out there and try to stop this madness, but she speaks again.

"Now, go back to bed like a good boy, and I may tuck you in.” But as she pulls back the long fingernails that leave gashes in his face; she sniffs, and then says, "On second thought. I'll tuck you in and the devil can read you a lullaby."

Before Jackson can scream, she uses her other arm and digs the claws right into his chest and rips a chunk out. She looks at the poor, helpless, and dead Jackson as she shakes her head and takes the claws out of his face as he falls.

Aidan falls down and backs up a little, not believing what he just saw. Lightning flashes inside the room and he sees blood all over the door. He turns around, as another flash illuminates the room and he’s stricken with horror again. Blood, limbs, and the remains of his fellow roommates are all over the room.

He belts over and begins to vomit on the ground. When he’s done, he looks up and Dexter is standing before him.

“You bastard,” Aidan says. “Why didn’t you warn us sooner?”

“As a spirit there is only so much I can do. Power is not on my command as it is for you. Tonight though, Hell is breaking loose, and the energy, though dark, is far sufficient enough to keep me in place.”

“What the hell is going on?”

“That I don’t even know. I only know few details.” He stops talking and looks at the door. “Someone is coming. There’s a broken vent that an orphan escaped through. Use that. It will lead you to the stalls.”

“What if I don’t want to do this?”

“You’re the only one who’s strong of will and mind who can, Aidan.”

“Damn it.”

“The Damned is outside the door. Move quickly.” Dexter disappears.

What will Aidan do?