Peace and Quiet

Peace and Quiet by CreepyPastaJr.

'''Well you've heard plenty of ghost stories and myths in the past haven't you?...Of course you have. But have you survived an urban legend?''

'' Or. . .worse. .''

'' Known someone that people now fear? whose name dare not be spoken? This is the story about Matt and his one golden rule. . .'''

Back when I was younger, barely a teenager, my friends and I thrived off of horror stories, ghost stories, legends, pretty much anything really to get a true scare.

We would “Ghost Hunt” heheh. . .childish I know, but I was a child. My friends and I would research horrible. . gruesome. . disturbing stories. Stories of insane psychopaths with the taste for blood. No really! Some drank blood. Stories of humble families, in the wrong place at the wrong time. Stories of darkness that could swallow the brightest light. . .and stories of evil. . raw. .unrefined. . evil.

One dark night. ."I know how typical" but in my defense it was 1:30 in the morning. The bleak and sorrow filled clouds that loomed over head, seemed different tonight somehow as if the joy from the world was drained and the ominous clouds that loomed above were the shattered remains of happiness and warmth. I remember feeling a bit of remorse until that was washed out by a sharp intense pain on the back of my head. I turned in a rush to face whatever that was causing me pain.

"Snap out of it, weirdo." a familiar trustworthy voice was heard. "Oh sorry man, didn't know it was you." I replied.

Leo one of my long time friends standing with a grin that seemed almost too wide for his face. "We found a killer place, man. Totally morbid." he said. "The guys are waiting on us." He motioned to me to follow as he began to walk down the dark road.

As I followed I began to notice certain 'things' happening. I could hear the rustle of the leaves that barely gripped the limbs of the trees. My hands felt cold, clammy, as if I had been holding onto a ledge for dear life. My heart thudded with each step I took almost. . in unison.

Sound of my heartbeat grew louder and louder so loud in fact I wasn't sure if this sound could just be coming from my chest.

"Can you hear that?" I asked to Leo. He didn't respond to my question, he just kept walking.

But the most peculiar thing that I had noticed, was the clouds, they seemed. .to follow me. My heart started to beat faster as I increased my pace.

When my gaze fell from the sky and down to my surroundings I stopped, and to my horror I couldn't hear Leo's footsteps. Slightly shaken I spoke out. "Leo! Leo which way did you go?" I shut my mouth tightly in order to hear a response. . .I closed my eyes, I figured the loss of ones sense could increase the others right?

I couldn't hear anything.

Not even the wind.

A strange yet welcomed calmness fell around me, nothing I had ever felt before. I don't remember how it made me feel exactly but I grinned for some reason, almost as if I had finally had what others described as "Peace and Quiet".

My rational thinking quickly over came the sudden stillness. I opened my eyes and peered around once more, through the darkness of the night I could make out the streets, lined with some abandoned houses and random debris. Though the yards were not a strange sight to me, I've seen wreckage my whole life, nothing new here. . that was until. .I. . .until I saw them.. the clouds. . .as if they never left my side. As if they were to comfort me.

As if. .as if they were protecting me from something. . . I then felt a stinging pain on the back of my head. Turning around almost as a reflex I saw Leo. He looked at me with a smile and told me to "Snap out of it, weirdo."

"Leo? Where did you go?" I asked in a concern of why he left me alone. He paused and gave me a bewildered expression with a slight shrug. "We found a killer place, man. Totally morbid." Before he could finish I took a step back. "The guys are waiting on us." I said under my own breath. "Come on the guys are waiting on us" Leo said before motioning me to follow him. I took a small step after him then I realized where I was, I was back in the same spot as before. .nothing has changed. . .not even the clouds. .

I moved quickly and kept along side him to make sure he wouldn't trick me again, I began to wonder 'Déjà vu? Possibly. .Oh whatever.' I thought to myself.

I walked with him and we came to what appeared to be a factory of sorts, smoke stacks rose off of the building as if to pierce the night sky, but to my fear when I saw the top of the smoke stacks. . those clouds. . those damn clouds!

I smirked and slightly chuckled at the spiteful thought I had. 'Why am I pissed at clouds?'

We made our way into a fenced off area, where Adam stood, leaning against the entrance. "Bout time!" He said aloud as we approached him. "Sorry this guy was daydreaming again." Leo said with a rather large Ha. His laugh echoed in my ears, causing a ringing sound that almost crippled me. I fell to my knees and held my ears. "Hey man, are you alright?" Leo asked, as he offered his hand to me. I stood up and looked at my hands that once protected my ears. "Blood?" I said to myself. "…my ears are bleeding?" I quickly wiped off the red liquid that stained my hands and I looked over to Adam.

Adam leaned forward and took a few steps towards me before turning and facing the factory. "Do you know, the story? Of the shadow?" He whispered to us. "You mean the one, about the kid who was brutally tortured here?" Leo replied. Adam then nodded and continued speaking. . as his lips moved I could barely make out what he was saying. "….Red. . . .dark. .blood . .ears?. . ." He then looked to me with a slight grin upon his face, although his grin looked twisted as if he had a spooky trick up his sleeve. I ignored it. I was far more concerned with my condition I mean my ears were bleeding, shaking my head slightly my hearing slowly recovered.

"He's in there. . . exploring. . ." Adam said before walking into the blackness, I remembered how dark it was to walk through those doors. It looked as if a wall painted black was directly in my path, but I managed to walk through it. I heard footsteps in front of and behind me. A sigh of relief was truly called for, knowing I could trust my friends by my side.

We began to 'Explore' oh what a difficult word… 'explore'…. meaning to seek the unknown with out fear. . at least until the fear presents itself. Anyway we began to search, though nothing was truly visible, it seemed just random rubble and debris littered the floor of this dank and dreary location.

I can't explain it. . even to this day. But one word randomly popped into my head almost as if someone whispered. 'Why?'. . . . Not 'why?' as in 'Why is this place here?', or 'Why this factory is, abandoned?'

The why as in, why hasn't anyone torn this place down? My mind began to wonder.

'There has to be a reason, why no one comes here. Why it still stands as a old factory rather then one of those fancy modern shopping malls. The questions raced as if they were injected into my brain. The thoughts were overwhelming, enough so that I eventually collapsed to my knees and my breath grew short. Thankfully a noise struck me back to consciousness. It sounded like a gasp, but not a normal shock and awe type of gasp.

This one felt dark as if it was the last gasp of a dying animal.

I looked up and I see Leo still searching around with his flashlight, I was assured I couldn't have been the only one to have heard that noise. "Hey Leo!" I said in a hushed tone. "Did you hear that sound?" I said.

Without turning around to face me while he searched. "What sound?" He responded.

"I. . uh. . um. .never mind." I said before turning back towards the noise. Taking a short step my foot snagged on something heavy. As I knelt down the image came into focus. 'Fabric?. . ' It was far too dark to make out any of the features of the heavy object, that was placed on the floor.

My curious nature began to take over my body, I began tapping on the object I snagged my foot on. A light pat to help me to see what was clearly in front of me. As my hands further explored this shrouded 'thing' it felt. . warm, as I rested my hand on the center mass of the object.

My hands began to feel clammy once more, I was simply freaking myself out as I rose to my feet and walked back to Leo. Turning he looked at me in a concerned and confused manor. Almost as if he had just seen a ghost.

"Get back. ." He said in a very angered tone. A tone of a desperate man, ready and willing to fight for his life.

"L..Leo? It's me. ." I said in an attempt to plead with him. I shook my head as my hand rested upon my cheek. 'None of this makes any sense.' Leo dropped his flashlight and took off into the darkness, he looked to be fleeing, his footsteps grew fainter and fainter until all sound was drowned out by the scream. . . . .then nothing.

No movement.

No sound. . just an obscure stillness.

Terrified I hesitantly picked up the flashlight and looked down at my hand, it looked like blood or something was all over me. After my hand left my attention the only thing that was left in my view. . .vomit left my mouth, as I stumbled back a few steps but keeping the light fixed on the object I was previously tapping. . "Adam?" Left my lips almost as a hopeless whisper.

His lower jaw had been removed by something almost like something just grabbed and ripped his lower jaw clear off. . with their bare hands. Dizzy and now nauseous I held my stomach and I tried to find an exit in this factory

It was difficult but I could make out a door frame in the distance.

Just before I left the door. I heard a repeating whisper over and over.

"I'll keep quiet. .I promise." almost as if a person was chanting. .

I should have left, I knew in my very gut things here are bad. But if one person is still here I have to try and help them. Venturing back into the darkness with the flashlight in hand, I saw a small figure moving back and fourth, almost swaying.

I focused my light on it. "Leo?" I said to the dark swaying figure. 'Hehehe' a slightly muffled laugh was heard. "Leo is dead. . all dead. . he wasn't quiet. ." Taking a step towards the shadow ignoring what he said I replied "Come on we have to get out of here." He shook his head and replied "No. . .I have to stay here. . .stay quiet. .I'll keep quiet I promise. ." He said in a confident. . . yet nervous tone.

"Who told you to keep quiet?" I asked trying to reason with the guy. He stopped swaying, back and fourth and rose to his feet and didn't answer.

"I'm just saying I could hear you from across the room. . " I said in a shaky voice.

"Please let me help you. ." Trying to reason with the guy to come with. . .But he just stood there. . motionless. . soundless. .then I remembered feeling that silence. . . the silence from before the 'Peace and Quiet'.

A voice brought me back "Are you really going to help me? I stayed quiet for you."

Once the voice broke the silence I looked around for the boy who was right in front of me, but I couldn't seem him, nor a shadow of him for that matter, I turned around and felt a tug on my right foot.

I looked down and something was grasping on to me. . .Kneeling down I noticed something that made me turn pale, I coughed and saw the face of the boy I was talking with seconds ago. I shined the flashlight on his face and noticed something that almost caused me to vomit once more.

His throat. . was crushed, almost if he never had a neck to connect his head to his body. It was just flattened skin.

Jumping back I began to run frantically, I've never ran faster in my life.

Just before I jumped through the door I heard a very faint. . very distinct whisper.

"Be. . Quiet."

I was frozen with fear. . I wanted to think about anything else, anything but the voice. .

Then. . I thought about the clouds.

I was suddenly brought back to the factory by a coughing, gurgling noise. It sounded horrific. .like a person being choked to death.

I rushed towards the sound. . through the darkness my flashlight flailing about until I ran into a large object in front of me, knocking me to the ground.

Immediately I shined my light on the object. .

It was. . a mirror. ..

Ok now I was really scared. . "Hello?" I asked checking to my left and to my right with the flashlight.

Nothing replied.

I stood back up and began to back up slowly. . away from the mirror. . then I felt something bump into me.

I instantly screamed then covered my mouth. I turned around and was peering into the lifeless eyes of Leo. . oh God. .his body was suspended from the ceiling. . by his neck.

A tear streamed down my face. . for I feared I would be next. I noticed Leo's mouth was sewn together and bleeding.

I couldn't look away. . these were my best friends. . I just didn't know what to do. . I began to notice my heart beating again. . it was quiet and weak. . .but I could hear it.

The voice returned "Be . . . .Quiet!"

I kept my mouth shut. . fearful of making the slightest noise.

The voice started to grow louder over my right shoulder.

"Be. . .Quiet!"

I knew I wasn't making any sound, then I began to think. . could this thing. .hear my heart beat?

I stood paralyzed. . too scared to run for the door. . for fear I would make noise then what ever had killed my friends would find me. A moment of silence passed by. . . it felt like an eternity. I felt breathing on my neck.

A voice that sounded inches away from my ear whispered "Be. . . . .QUIET!"

Just then I took off running. . not caring where I was going. . just away from that voice. . that’s all I knew.

The wind seemed to be sliced in half by my desire to escape. I shut my eyes as I ran through the main factory door. . and when I opened my eyes. .

I was in the middle of the street panting heavily, and trying to gather myself. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, my heartbeat slowed, and the whistle of the wind stopped, almost as if nature itself was asked to please. . .be quiet.

The calm relaxing feeling overcame me and I began to smile. All the carnage and gore I had just experienced melted away.

Suddenly I felt a very sharp pain on the back of my head, snapping out of my sudden calmness I turned.

"Hey Matt! Snap out of it weirdo. We found a killer place, man. Totally morbid, the guys are waiting on us."

With a sharp grin. "Lets not keep them waiting."

I replied to Leo as we walked towards the factory.