Sawyerville: Horror Short Stories From Another Earth Vol.3 Read Free Page A

mouth. She followed suit. There was a rustling of wheat stalks, then several voices that were not too far from where they were hiding.
    "Darn it, where d'you think they ran off to?" Gail heard a deep voice saying. It happened to be Mr. Stanner.
    "I believe they're just somewhere around here." It was Mrs. Travis.
    "Why'd you let us meet your blasted son anyhow, Stanner?" Clearly, Mr. McLaw was not the friendly town tailor anymore.
    "Didn't think Pip is immune to it," Mr. Stanner said glumly. "Didn't think he'd have the courage to be a snitch!"
    "We're just gonna have to punish him, then."
    "I've got no problem with that. You can even kill him, if you want," Mr. Stammer said nonchalantly. "Him ruinin' the plan, and all..."
    "Shh... Both of you!" Miss Travis hissed. "They could be hidin' around here and we can't hear 'em if you two keep yappin'."
    Gail could hear them searching around the field again, so she turned to face Pip, but the boy signaled for her to follow him. They both crawled farther into the fields. Without saying anything, they both managed to understand each other that they should time their movements with that of the group of adults.
    The moonlight was bright, which helped them to see a bit of where they were heading. Gail hoped that Pip knew exactly where he was going as they continued to crawl as silently as they could through the field.
    Pip was a little ahead of her when he suddenly froze. She heard a faint whimper from him, but she saw that he clamped his mouth to keep himself from screaming. Gail did the same before she knew what caused Pip to panic. It was a close call, because they had just came across Mrs. Stammer.
    Or what used to be Mrs. Stammer.
    Mrs. Stammer's body was lying on the ground, her limbs pointing at odd angles, her neck twisted too far back that indicates that she is already dead. Her face was expressionless and bloody and her mouth partially open, revealing missing teeth. Her faded pink dress was soaked in crimson red. She looked like she had been stabbed several times and had struggled with her captors. The smell of dried blood wafted in the air.
    Pip's eyes were brimming with tears, but the poor boy was brave enough to know that he should not become hysterical. It almost seemed as if he knew this was going to happen.
    Pip stifled his sobs as Gail ran her hand down his back as a gesture of comfort, but they both knew there was no time to mourn. Even though the rustling of the wheat stalks was faint, it was still a sign that Mrs. Travis, Mr. McLaw, and Mr. Stammer were not too far behind.
    They picked themselves up to a crouching position. Instead of crawling, they began to squat walk. They moved to the side to avoid the body before they continued on a straight path. They began to move faster, until finally they reached a fence made out of barbed wire.
    As Pip signaled for them to start digging a trench underneath the wire for them to crawl through, a horrifying image crossed her mind and made her feel faint.
    Mrs. Stammer had no eyes.

Chapter 5 – Sheriff Farce
     
    Gail held the barbed wire up so that Pip could crawl underneath through the trench to the other side. When he finally got through, he held the barbed wire for her as well.
    Finally, they were both on the other side of the fence. They were on an empty field. Across it, there was a trail far up ahead.
    "We need to stay low," Pip whispered to her. "Let's follow that trail. It's a shortcut that'll bring us closer to the sheriff's office."
    They both ran for the trail. They were now out in the open, and Gail feared that at any moment, their three hunters would catch sight of them.
    As soon as she got to the trail, she glanced back. To her horror, she could see Mr. McLaw's head poking out of the wheat field, his head facing their direction. She could almost see his mouth stretched out into a malicious grin.
    "Run fast!" Pip whispered to her hoarsely. They both broke into a sprint, following the trail as fast as their legs could