The Getaway

“Did you really have to wear that tatty old thing?” Abby asked while tugging at Cameron’s faded salmon pink shirt.

“Of course I did, you know it wouldn’t be a real getaway without it,” retorted Cameron with a wry smile and a wink. He enjoyed these exchanges just as much today, as he did 5 years ago when he first met Abby & had to explain why he was wearing Camo hiking shorts in a sports bar.

They drove along the motorway, maxing at 70 mph, windows down with the wind refreshing them from the heavy summer sunshine which oppressed the air in their tiny Smart car. As they cruised past bushes which restricted their view, they passed a gap which allowed them to see vast open fields. The grass was vibrant and a healthy green on most of the neatly squared sections, yet Abby couldn’t force her gaze away from the hills, as she quietly longed for adventure. That was why she and Cameron were going for a stay in the barn she had come across while perusing weekend staycation websites. She wanted to do something fun and regain that sense of freedom she felt they had lost of late. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes to see herself walking up the hills & along the ridges at the top. She envisioned the views of the countryside from the top of the hill as well as the feeling of warm sunshine on her skin.

Cameron glanced over to see the smile resting on Abby’s face, and turned back to the road as a huge grin began to spread across his face. For Cameron, this trip was his opportunity to show Abby that he would do anything and everything to make her feel happy. In the past year both he and Abby had been working relentlessly to save up for their wedding, for their own house and the family they’d always wanted, but both of their energy reserves had begun to wane. He had stopped having the motivation to go to the gym, and he had seen Abby losing some of the usual spirit within her. It was whilst feeling this pressure that Cameron had spoken to his father who told him that a “good ol’ fashioned getaway fixes everything when you start to tire during the rat race of life”. Cameron couldn’t find something that he knew would make Abby smile as much as himself, so instead of surprising her, he decided to get her opinion and within a few hours she excitedly told him that she had found the perfect option; a long weekend in this huge Barn conversion out in the middle of the Yorkshire Dales.

The smell of freshly cut grass wafted gently through the air, summer having not long since arrived. Wild flowers were in bloom and the sun had begun to shine with more purpose and the kind of warmth that brings people out of their houses in droves.

Abby was first to spot the barn as their car made its way further down the gravel lane. It stood alone in a wide empty patch within a long-overgrown wheat-field. Cameron and Abby both regarded the barn as they got closer. The striking red of the website images had faded into a darker, almost brown colour. Several panels hung off the south facing side, yet even as Cameron’s eyes narrowed whilst observing their home for the next few evenings, Abby smiled happily to herself. “We’re going to have so much fun here!” she beamed, itching to get out of the car quicker than a Labrador when it arrives at the local park.

The second the car stopped Abby burst out of the vehicle and rushed to the large reddish-brown door marked with a white outlining, and pushed it. It didn’t move. “What the“, Abby began as she leaned against the door and had another try at getting it open. As though the weight that had been behind the door had suddenly vanished, it swung open under her pressure, and she fell face first inside.

“Whoa, are you alright babe?” Cameron called out with a little laugh at what he’d just seen.

“Oh my god!” replied Abby.

“What is it?” Cameron asked, but as he passed through the doorway he dropped the bags to the floor and stood open jawed letting out a small gasp. What looked like an old and somewhat decrepit barn had been extensively refurbished on the inside. Intricate stone flooring covered the ground, blending masterfully with the rusted paneling of the barn’s structure, except for one crack in the ceiling which allowed the glorious summer light to shine throughout the building.

That night, the couple laid in bed snuggled up to one another. Abby’s face was nestled into Cameron’s chest, with a grin on her face as her head rose up and down with his breathing.

‘Craaaaaaaaaaaccccccccccckkkk!’

“WHAT WAS THAT?” Cameron cried out as he was jolted awake. Abby’s head fell away from him but the noise didn’t seem to have woken her from her slumber. “Are you ok gorgeous? Did you really not hear that? Typical!”

Cameron climbed out of bed, quickly put on his shirt and took a look through one of the wall panels, seeing nothing but the wheat gently swaying in the wind. His eyes ran from side to side but he couldn’t see anything that would have caused the noise. As he turned his head, there was another crashing sound, this time clearly from inside the barn. “Babe..?” Abby moaned, stirring now. “Where are you going?”

“Something is causing a racket downstairs. I’m just looking, better not be a damn wolf or something!” Cameron chuckled (maybe just a little nervously) as Abby rested her head back on the pillow.

Cameron leaned his head through the bedroom door and listened to what was now quite a commotion downstairs. There were sounds of furniture being moved, and something heavy being bashed against the wooden paneling. Cameron stiffened with nerves. He took a step out of the room and with a deep breath headed downstairs to confront whatever was creating the disturbance.

As Cameron placed the weight of his foot on the landing it caused the floor to creak. That woke Abby up again and as she gained full consciousness she then heard the increasing commotion, causing her to sit bolt upright. She wiped her eyes to clear them and did a big yawn as her brain tried to wake her properly. A loud and feral screech rang out through the barn, battering Abby’s eardrums and made her look around in utter anguish.

“Cam?” She called out with panic in her voice now. “Cam, are you OK? What’s going on? What was that noise?” Abby began sobbing, but this was quickly drowned out by the sound of thick liquids gurgling, as if a blocked sink downstairs was releasing its contents, or like a blocked toilet being flushed and the contents overflowing and flooding down the bowl. Abby breathed rapidly, in a panic at first, but then more measured as she reasoned that she had to go and see what lay in wait downstairs….

Cameron had always told Abby that he would be willing and proud to die defending her. He would regale her with tales of angry ex boyfriends he would happily punch the lights out of, or on a walk home in the middle of the night, he would stand between her and any mugger or thieves, proudly proving his love for her that ‘keeps him strong’ and would enable him to fend off any foe. This had always made Abby laugh as Cameron was a lover, not a fighter and she knew that he would never abandon her, which was all she needed from him. She didn’t want a man who brought danger into her life but instead she was content in the knowledge that whatever happened, with Cameron by her side she would never be alone and would never lose faith.

Those joyful memories crept into her mind as she slowly made her way along the landing and she squatted atop the stairs, peering through the banisters for any sight or sound of Cameron. She could hardly distinguish anything at all. The only light source was that of the full moon which glistened through the crack in the center of the ceiling, and cast a large ray of pure white light which flashed its way across the stairway. It didn’t reveal anything to her as she looked around apprehensively.

She began to press on down the stairs and then paused. Almost sightless from the contrasting white light & darkness, she heard a rapid springing noise from directly in front of her. She ducked and let out a startled whelp. She paused for a few moments, taking deep breaths and started telling herself that Cameron was just playing a joke on her, and there was no need to panic. As she took another step down, she felt warmth on her neck, a thick almost moist wave of air brushed her upper back. She began to turn, and was hit with a force strong enough to send her flying across the barn and into the stable doors. She landed with a thud and yelled out in pain.

Abby lifted her head and looked into Cameron’s eyes. She realized she was looking at his now lifeless body. She began to shake with fear & despair. Cameron’s head was disconnected from his body; his eyes were looking at her… but unseeing. Blood was still flowing from his neck onto the floor, and as Abby gasped to regain her breath she saw the stream of his entrails strewn around the barn. The ray of light suddenly cast a revealing glow, uncovering the abhorrent scene of carnage that had taken place. Large blood splatters dripped off the wall, causing a pool that rippled with each droplet of her once loving partner. The pink shirt Cameron wore with such pleasure was now a deep, dark red as his torso, missing a huge chunk of midriff, lay in the middle of the barn.

Abby stood up. She rolled her sleeves, and rubbed her neck as she looked around to see what had hit her. Mustering her strength she cried out: “Come on then?” She thrust her arms out, challenging the unknown adversary.

From behind her there was a loud bang. She turned and saw the cause of the noise.

With black hairs bristling and stood on end, reaching out toward the roof of the barn on the back of a hulking, snarling ghastly figure. Thick red liquid dripped from its hideous grinning teeth. Abby looked the monster up and down, and as her senses took note of the moonlit scene the dreadful realization dawned on her what she was looking at. The giant, black-haired monstrous figure stood tall, watching her with a malicious, taunting gaze. Abby sighed & visibly slumped. The beast pounced on her and with wild slashing waves of its terrible claws, the beast tore Abby to pieces and she joined Cameron on the blood-soaked floor of the once wholesome old barn.