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UNHOLY GROUND, A HORROR SHORT STORY, CHAPTER VIII

August 6, 2025 at 1:59 pm Leave a comment

                                                  UNHOLY GROUND

Old-man Alexander

 “Get the hell out of here,” came a shout.

“Shit,” said Junior.  “It’s old-man Alexander.”

“What the hell is he doing here?  I thought this place was sooo scary.”

“I don’t know,” said Junior.  “Let’s get out of here.”

Chris replied, “This is turning into a regular convention.  I want to know what he’s doing out here.”

The old man stumbled toward the boys dressed in his standard uniform.  Years ago, the sweatshirt he wore had been gray; now it was a mottled camouflage of grime.  His worn stained bib overalls completed the outfit.  As he approached, he took sips from a large bottle.  The boys could see that his eyes were glazed, and they could smell the alcohol on his breath as he weaved toward them.

“I said what the hell are you doing here?”

“What the hell are you doing here?” asked Chris.

This stopped the old man; his withered face formed a grizzled smile.  Swaying, he said, “I like places where no one else is.  I likes my privacy, my drinking privacy.”

              * * *

As a teenager, Kermit Alexander had few friends.  He was a loner, kept to himself and was already making his way down the road to alcoholism.  He was sometimes teased, “Go out to that old barn in the woods.  No one will bother you there.”

That’s what he decided to do.  He had heard strange stories about the barn.  None of which he believed.  Kermit decided to trek out there and check things out for himself.

He had trouble finding the structure.  He eventually stumbled into a clearing and there it stood, looking like it had just been built.  As soon as he entered the clearing, he felt strange, frightened.  He couldn’t figure out why.  Kermit’s fear became so intense he ran back into the trees.  “Shit,” he said to himself, “What the hell is wrong with me?”

Kermit had recently developed a taste for wine.  “Next time, I’ll fortify myself on the way through the woods.”

From then on, during his journeys to the barn, his fear was replaced by numbness, a numbness he would maintain for the rest of his life.

             * * *

Aren’t you afraid to be out here alone?” asked Junior.  “Doesn’t this place give you the creeps?”

“Nope,” said Alexander.  He held up his bottle and said, “I bring along my courage.”  The old man mellowed as he began to talk about his past to the boys.

“Started coming out here when I was about you boys’ age.  Matter of fact started drinking about that time too.  First couple of times I come out here I was sort of scared; don’t honestly know why.  Then I started priming the pump as I walked through the woods.  By the time I reached the clearing, I wasn’t scared of nothin’.  ‘Cept one time had a little too much courage.  Fell asleep.  Voices woke me up.”

“What voices?” asked the boys in unison.

“Don’t rightly know.  It was near dusk.  The voices were coming from the barn, strange voices.  They were calling me.  Got my ass out of there fast.  Never stayed late again.”

Chris asked, “Sure you weren’t hearing things, old man?”

“Don’t shit with me, punk.  I know the stories about this place.  Damn barn sits on unholy ground, Injun ground.  No one comes out here at night no matter how much courage they had.”

“Let’s go home,” said Junior.  “I’ve still got chores to do.”

The boys turned and left.  Behind them, they could hear old-man Alexander laughing.

Once they were deep into the forest, Junior remarked, “I told you that was a scary place.”

“Right,” Chris said sarcastically.  He was pissed that the old man was laughing as they left.  It only made him more determined to revisit the barn.  Chris could not get those pristine white walls out of his mind.  Those walls were just screaming to him to be decorated.  And now that he knew they were protected during the day, so daytime visits were out.  He also knew that no one would be there at night.

“What do you say we visit the barn at night?” Chris asked Junior.

“Are you crazy?  I’m not going there at night!”

“You’re going to let the stories of an old drunk scare you?  Didn’t you hear how he was laughing?  He was laughing because he thinks he frightened us away.  Let’s check out the barn at night and see what’s really going on inside.”

Junior replied, “I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”

“I do,” said Chris.  “I’ll meet you on the dirt road tonight.  Bring a flashlight.”

Junior shook his head and turned for home knowing he could not let his friend down.

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