Maniacs Read online

  MANIACS

  BY LEE WISE

  Text copyright © 2019 Lee Wise

  All Rights Reserved

  To my husband and daughters for their love and support

  Table of Contents

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  CHAPTER 17

  CHAPTER 18

  CHAPTER 19

  CHAPTER 20

  CHAPTER 21

  CHAPTER 22

  CHAPTER 23

  CHAPTER 24

  CHAPTER 1

  As I stood in the stall waiting for my daughter, Megan to finish using the bathroom, I closed my eyes. It had been such a long week and this store was the last place that I wanted to be. I could hear Megan rattle on about a sequined skirt that she had seen in the clothing section while walking by and how much she would love it, while my other daughter Sarah complained about how Megan always talked when she wanted to talk, from the stall beside us. I was ready to get out of there!

  I sighed and began to lean against the wall but stopped myself, because although the stall was fairly clean, there were still some nasty areas. The smell in the bathroom was of disinfectant and the lighting was really bright, a typical big store bathroom. Megan was zipping up her pants and I was about to unlatch the door when the lights went out. Startled, I quickly grabbed for Megan’s hand. Sarah screamed in terror from her stall. She hates the dark. “Hold on honey, I’m coming!” Megan was gripping my hand tightly, so I told her that everything would be alright. “It's okay. The emergency lights will come on any time.” I assured both girls. “Megan, hold my purse. I need to use the light on my phone.” It was pitch black in there and I still needed to unlatch the door. Megan grabbed onto my purse as I fumbled my phone out of my pocket. I quickly found the flashlight app and pointed it at the latch. The bright white light was a welcome to the darkness that we stood in. Finally, Megan and I were free from the stall. I shined the light on Sarah’s door. “Can you seethe latch now honey?”

  “Yes mama.” Sarah replied with a cry. She unlatched the door and quickly joined us outside the stall. I noticed that Megan was still holding my purse, so I shined the light inside. Always worried about germs, I took out the hand sanitizer and squirted a dab in each of our hands. Then I took my purse back and held Megan’s hand while I had Sarah hook her arm through my purse which was now on my shoulder, so I could use the phone to find our way out. We then proceeded to the door so we could exit and to find the last piece of our family, John, my husband and the girls’ loving daddy. We opened the door and John was right outside of it.

  “Finally!” John exclaimed. “I was about to go check on you guys!”

  “Daddy, it was so dark and scary in there! I thought I would never find my way out!” Sarah expressed.

  “What’s going on?” I asked John.

  “Not sure. Probably a squirrel on a transformer.” He replied.

  The emergency lights finally came back on. There was a collective cheer of relief from all of those around us and myself. “It’s about time.” I commented.

  That’s when we heard screaming from the front of the store. The screams were piercing through all the other sounds and you could suddenly hear gasps and people speaking frantically as others began dashing towards us from the front of the store. The girls immediately clutched my arms, almost making me drop my phone which I hadn’t realized was still in my hand, the flashlight app still on. John grabbed Megan’s hand as I quickly turned the app off and stuffed the phone into my pocket. “The exit!” John shouted pointing at the orange emergency exit sign right near us. We both ran for the door gripping our daughters’ little hands. Others followed us out the door. When we exited, the sun was shining so brightthat it was a shock to our eyes. The birds were singing and you could almost believe that what was happening inside wasn’t really happening. But, I quickly snapped out of that.

  We got ready to follow others to the front of the store, but John put out his hand and stopped me. “Wait!” He demanded. I immediately heard startled screams of terror from the front of the store where the parking lot was.

  An older lady, probably in her late 50s and younger lady around my age, in her 30s, came dashing from the side of the store. “The woods! Hurry!” They shouted. “Run to the woods!”

  We didn’t think twice. There were walking trails behind the store. We ran to those. When we were safely hidden amongst the trees on the trails, I asked one of the ladies who had told us to run, “What’s going on?"

  “I don’t know!” She cried.

  “We were walking to our car when suddenly there were all kinds of people that just started attacking other people.” The lady exclaimed.

  “How many people? Did they all have guns?” My husband asked. Meanwhile, Megan and Sarah were still crying. I had them collect some pinecones to keep them busy since I figured that the cops should be there at any minute.

  “We didn’t see any guns, except for the one guy who ran in the store trying to protect himself from them. There were at least twelve of them outside. I don’t know how many were inside. The strange thing is that they were all…different.” The lady remarked.

  “What do you mean different?” I asked.

  “There were old men, teenagers, ladies with kids. People like that.” She explained.

  “Maybe a cult?” I said.

  Maniacal laughter came from the store area. “Let’s move further into the woods.” I suggested.

  “We definitely should.” One of the ladies agreed. My phone rang. I took it out of my pocket and looked at the screen to see who was calling. It was my sister Cathy.

  I answered. “Oh Thank God!” She responded hysterically. “Are you guys okay?”

  “We are. Wow! This got on the news quickly.” I stated. “Do you know wha tthe heck’s going on? We were guessing that it’s a cult.”

  “Aleisha, this is going on everywhere. The world’s gone crazy. It’s all over the news. It’s like a bunch of people all of a sudden snapped and started killing everyone around them.” Cathy explained.

  “Is it terrorists?” I asked.

  “I don’t know. It’s just everyday people: Cops, doctors, cashiers, mothers, fathers, grandparents, people that don’t seem to know each other. It’s all over the news. “Oh my God!” She gasped.

  “What?” I asked, afraid to know the answer, but knowing I needed to.

  “It’s showing pictures, there are so many deaths!”

  “Wow!” I remarked. I was at a loss for words.

  “Hurry home, but be careful. I think that others with weapons may be working with them.”

  “We definitely will be careful.” I promised. “Love you.”

  “Love you too.” I hung up and gathered my thoughts quickly then turned to face everyone. They were all staring at me waiting for the news. I relayed the information. I told the girls also, because I wanted them to know what we were up against. I really needed them to know how serious this was since they had been fighting while I was on the phone and we couldn’t have any of that. Megan began to cry. I was about to comfort her when we heard a branch snap near the beginning of the trail. We all got really quiet, including Megan.

  “We should keep going.” The older lady said to (I’m assuming) her daughter. I never did ask them that or their names.

  “I think we should hide. They’re coming too quickly.” John replied. I agreed. There was just no way the girls could outrun whoever
was coming down that hill at that speed. The four of us quickly hid, ducking behind an oak tree with a wide base. To my relief, the girls stayed completely quiet.

  Meanwhile, the mother and daughter started running down the trail. We could hear the branches and leaves snapping under their feet. Suddenly, a sound I will never forget came barreling down the trail, feet away from where we hid. It was a sound of maniacal laughter and yelps. The soundof animals excited over chasing their prey. A balding man in a business suit and a girl who looked around 16 rushed by us, hurrying towards the ladies who were not too far ahead. Soon after, we heard screaming and more excited laughter, then silence. My daughters had their hands over their ears and they were crying. I was also crying.

  “Put your phone on silent.” I whispered to John quickly as we both silenced our phones.

  We nervously waited around two hours in that spot. That was the longest two hours ever! We wanted to get the girls calmed down and give the place time to clear out. We discussed going to get the car, but decided that it would be too dangerous. Finally, my husband said that he would go have a peek down the trail just a little ways. I really didn’t want him to have to go alone, but we had to make sure it was safe for the girls and someone had to stay with them and keep them safe and quiet.

  Soon he returned. I had barely heard him walking. “I think it’s safe to go.” He whispered. “We have to be completely quiet. Watch every step. No talking at all . If we hear ANY sound, we need to hide again. Everyone understand the plan?” We all agreed, with the girls emphatically nodding their heads.

  Getting down the trail seemed to take us forever, with our careful footsteps and our hearts pounding. Having done that trail before though, it was probably just a 20 minute walk. The worst part was walking by the bodies of the two ladies. John had quietly prepared me for the sight and we hadboth covered the girls eyes as we approached their bodies. My plan had been to look away, but I saw the grisly scene. The ladies laid in 2 pools of blood, eyes wide open. The fear was still written upon theirfaces. Their flowery blouses were torn open and their bodies were twisted in grotesque ways. Their necks were at weird angles. This was an image that I would not get out of my mind for the longest time and I don’t know if it has fully left me. I had never seen a dead body before.

  We reached the end of the trail which came out into a parking lot. Once again, my husband had us hide while he took a look around. I noticed my phone light up in my pocket, indicating that I was getting a phone call. I answered quietly while the girls did a game of ‘Rock, Paper, Scissors’. It was my sister once again checking on us. I told her that we were at the parking lot of the Ridge Road trails behind the grocery store and may take a car home. We lived 30 minutes away from the spot that we were stranded.

  “No!” She shouted into the phone. It was so loud and unexpected that even the girls reacted. They stopped their game, hands paused in mid air and stared at me. It actually startled me also and I jumped in the air. “They’re attracted to sounds. Remember I told you that people with guns are working with them? They will shoot at you! It’s too loud of a sound.”

  “Then, how are we supposed to get home?” I asked.

  “Sneak out of the city.” She said. “Call me when you get to Plumington.” Plumington was the next town over. It was a small country town just like the one we lived in. “It’s the only way.” Just then I heard the sound of leaves crunching.

  “I’ll call you back.” I hung up the phone and laid down with my girls. John came into sight. “Who were you talking to?” He asked quietly when he got next to me. “I could hear you as soon as I came back into the woods.”

  I hadn’t realized that I was talking so loudly to my sister. I vowed to myself that I would be quieter and told my husband what Cathy had said. His face turned pale. “What do you think?” He asked.

  I told him that she knew more than either of us about what was going on so maybe we should listen to her. So, of course, we both consulted the internet. The internet confirmed what she had said, along with thousands of conspiracy theories. I looked up what some others were doing to stay safe and the main thing people were saying was to stay inside. That was some great advice if you were already at home!

  John sighed and handed a water bottle to the girls. “Drink this.” Megan drank first and handed the bottle to me. I handed it to Sarah before taking a drink myself. “Eww, I don’t want Megan’s germs!”

  “Seriously?” I said wiping the bottle opening off with my shirt. “That’s what you’re worried about right now?” She took a drink with a disgusted face, then I did and finally John.

  “That was actually the only water I could find that was unopened. I didn’t take any of the open ones just in case what’s happening around us is contagious.”

  “What is happening daddy?” Megan asked.

  “I don’t know honey. I do know we need to start moving so we can get home before nighttime. Let’s start walking.”

  Of course, this was followed by: “I have to go to the bathroom!” Megan said.

  Also, “You always have to go to the bathroom!” Said by Sarah.

  “I’m hungry!” My oldest daughter stated. My husband and I looked at each other. “One thing at a time.” I said. First, we took care of the bathroom problem. I made both of them go to the bathroom and I did as well. Sarah protested saying that she didn’t have to go to the bathroom, but she did.

  “Okay,” John began. “I’ll check in the cars quickly for a snack, but I have to be quick. I don’t want to be out in the open that long.”

  While John checked the cars, the girls and I darted to the front of the parking lot where there was a tiny area of woods near the street. The trees just blocked those from the street to see into the parking lot, making the tiny area seem a bit more secluded. This was a popular parking spot for teenagers. I listened carefully for any sounds to ensure that no one was lying in wait in this area. Assured that I didn’t hear anything but a few birds, the girls and I ducked into the woods to wait for John.

  John came back with his bounty, a bag of chips, French fries and donut holes. He had also found two more unopened waters. “I don’t know how I missed this the first time around.” He said about the waters. We shared everything. We finished our little picnic and I made the girls go to the bathroom one more time, over the protests of Sarah who stated that she had already gone to the bathroom. Megan, however, gladly went to the bathroom again!

  “Ready?” My husband asked us. We were as ready as we could be. I was so nervous. However, I wasn’t nervous for myself. I just wanted to protect my daughters and this felt like the scariest thing that I could ever put them through.

  “Wait here until I check the street out to make sure it’s clear.” John insisted. Shortly after, he returned. “It’s quiet over there, only…” His eyebrows furrowed showing something was bothering him.

  “What?” I asked.

  “I felt like someone else was watching the street, I…” He stopped speaking abruptly.

  Something was coming down the road. We moved to the edge of the woods near the street and quickly hid, but watched what unfolded in front of us. “Cover your eyes.” I whispered to the girls as John and I quickly put our hands over their eyes.

  An elderly couple in a tiny blue car was hurrying to get to a small, tidy yellow house not too far from us. They quickly pulled into their driveway and stepped out of their car and were immediately shot. They weren’t shot in the heads however. They were shot in the legs to keep them from moving. From the side of the garage came a man who looked to be in his 20s. He was wearing jeans and a t-shirt. He had tattoo sleeves and a baseball cap. Accompanying him was the businessman and teenage girl.

  “See!” The man in his 20s said. “I told you they would be home! Now let’s have some fun!” The teenage girl squealed and the business man made some animal-like sounds. The 20 something man started dragging the helpless lady inside. “We’ll come back for him!”

  “Please, no!” The lady fro
m the car begged as her blue leggings darkened with blood.

  “Leave her alone you punks!” The elderly man ordered from the ground helplessly. The man in the suit let out a maniacal laugh and shoved the 20 something punk down. “Wait! I was helping you. Why…” He was interrupted when the girl snapped his neck. I gasped, but managed to hold back my scream.

  My husband looked at me. “We have to sneak out the other way.” He said. I hated to leave those people, but my daughters’ safety was the most important thing right now. We managed to sneak back to the parking lot. We could hear the woman’s desperate screams and pleas, but there was nothing we could do. We hurried to the other side of the parking lot and inched through the wooded area to the street. Luckily, we were familiar with this whole area since John had childhood friends that lived nearby and we had visited them frequently. However, we had heard not to trust anyone, and that was our plan, so we wouldn’t be going there today!

  We walked a little ways, the girls were already dragging their feet from exhaustion after all the "excitement” and hiking we had done. Suddenly, we heard a noise of feet shuffling on the tar. It was too late to hide. A man and lady around the same age as John and I and a pretty little girl, with the same dazed look our girls had, saw us. John and I got in front of the girls. The man looked at us. “You’re not one of them.” He stated.

  “Are you?” John asked.

  The guy and lady let out a relieved sigh. “Quickly!” She exclaimed. “I hear something.” We all dove into the woods. A car zoomed by. Whooping and laughter came from the car.

  “More of them!” I gasped.

  “No.” The lady responded. “They can’t speak or drive cars. Those are avengers.”

  “Like the comics?” Megan asked.

  We all laughed. “No, they are the ones going after the maniacs.” The man explained, pushing his glasses up off his nose. He stood up and we all followed cautiously climbing out of the woods and walking along the shoulder of the road. All our senses were now heightened, and we were ready to leap in to the woods at any threatening noise.