The Headless Horseman Of Halton Village

(This is a fictional horror story)

Monday – 9/5/22:

Throughout the years, many have speculated the existence of ghosts and spirits. Is there an afterlife? Is death really the end, or do we still linger on as lost spirits. These questions can never truly be answered. You either believe in the occult, find it non-sense or you are somewhere in-between, entirely unsure whether or not the supernatural exists. Well, an old friend of mine, Andrew Bates, would tell you it's all real! He first encountered his greetings with the dead, all the way back in 2001, a good 21 years ago when he was just a young boy in school. This was during that infamous murder case known as: The Skinners Incident, where a killer was going around town, skinning people alive! It was sick, but many (including Andrew) dared say that the killer had a paranormal origin. However whenever I mention this to him, he proclaims that this was all real and that the demon tormented him first, appearing as a black skeletal creature, with multiple wings and limbs like a Spider crossed with a Bat. It all sounded so ridiculous, even I doubted his sanity. There is one case however that is still fresh on all of our minds. The case which involved several mysterious be-headings near the areas of Halton Castle. This first began in 2011 a good 10 years after the bizarre murders in Runcorn and again; police were completely dumbfounded by the series of killings. No evidence to point fingers, they seemed to happen at random and I even met a woman who said she saw her boyfriend's head tear off by itself and fall to the ground in front of her, like some phantom ghost had chopped the man's head off with an invisible sword. Many who dared walk by the castle around 1-3am would sometimes be found be-headed and others have claimed to see a skeletal horse and headless knight in black, chase them around the castle grounds. These killings stopped by 2012 and nobody has mentioned the headless horseman since. Yet I've often heard echoes of a horse clattering across the castle grounds at night and some have even heard a man speak in old English screaming things like; "I strike you!", "You're all dead!" and "Have at it, fools!". Many find these bizarre occurrences to be humorous, but there is certainly a dark undertone to all of this. On some quiet mornings when nobody is around, I've heard many say that you can almost hear the faint war cries of ancient warriors battling over the castle and many say this ends with a horrifying scream that only lasts ten seconds, the same time a headless man is still conscious, before dying. Very creepy stuff, but it's hard to say if it's all just our imaginations playing tricks on us, being fully aware of the horrifying myth that surrounds the place. I'm fairly new to this town, only moving here in 2020 after the pandemic, I had to move somewhere cheap and settled into the Runcorn old town. I'll have to ask Andrew more about this when I next see him, for he's lived here all his life and he claims to be a psychic. As you probably guessed.

Sunday - 15/5/22:

So I spoke to Andrew. I think he may be nuts! He said; "I helped hide the headless horseman away from harming anyone again". He was drinking with me in the Kings Bar of Runcorn old town and at first he was vague about the whole mystery.

"Yes, the headless horseman exists, and he still haunts the castle and sometimes it's surrounding areas..." He began.

"Really, the legends ring true?" I asked.

"Uh huh..." He sighed and sat in silence, drinking his pint. Listening to the music. I needed to buy him a few drinks to loosen his tongue. He knew what I was doing, but welcomed the free shots and drinks regardless. He lay back in his booth, sighing with relief, he was happily drunk and looked at me with a slight smile. "11 years ago; the ghost manifested. For whatever reason, the monster could do harm. Reach people, grab them, hurt them, he killed some! Much like the demon from 2001, we had another supernatural killer on our hands. How do I know all this? I'm a psychic, you see?" Andrew winked, tapping his forehead.

"I know. You told me that already, Andrew." I said.

"I did?" He chuckled, "I tell everyone. Some think I'm a creep, but whatever... I'm an un-sung hero, Jessica. Nobody knows it, but I've saved a lot of lives from these un-dead scum!" He groaned, going off topic. I felt sorry for this bloke, in his thirties and a bit of a loner, luckily I found the rumors surrounding Runcorn's hauntings to be intriguing and not disturbing. So I pressed him further and he gathered his thoughts. "You want to know how we stopped him, huh?" He cut straight to the point.

"Yes!" I smiled, finally relieved to get some answers.

"I've met a lot of other psychics too, you see? There are more of us than just me, in this town alone. There are also some, much like yourself, who may not have connections to the underworld, but believe in it all none the less. The connections linked, the multiple paranormal homicides were all related, invisible be-headings around the same parts of Halton village, spreading further and further away from the castle. The ghost was growing in strength, slowly becoming an unstoppable serial killer of occult origin. We tracked him down to his death place, inside the castle. We summoned him with a biblical ritual and all of us fought with weapons and fists to stop the headless knight and his skeletal horse! A few of us died..." Andrew cried. I sat in silence and in awe, even some of the other bar guests moved seats or stared in disgust at us both for his bizarre tales. "Nobody believes me." He said, his face still full of tears. "Do you?"

"I don't know..." I was honest. He chuckled, sarcastically.

"I can show you..." He grinned creepily.

"...H-how?" I dared to ask.

"Show you a vision." He said, "Prove it to you. That what I say is true. I warn you though, Jessica... what you will see, you can't un-see! The horrors I see on a daily basis would drive you mad. To me, it's normal now to see the undead walk among us, like lost zombies. However you may be traumatized by the horrors of the second sight..." He spoke much quieter now, that of a whisper. I listened intently. "Are you busy tomorrow?" He asked me.

"No... I'm free." I hesitated. My curiosity was getting the better of me, but I was far too invested now to walk away. Deep down, I felt like Andrew was really a good guy, just deeply misunderstood. Maybe I was wrong, thoughts of him being the true serial killer crept into my mind. Was it him that "be-headed" all those people?! I wanted to doubt it, so I bit the bullet.

"At 11:30pm tomorrow, we must meet at Runcorn's castle. For this vision to work, it must be midnight!" He said with a smile.

"Why midnight?" I asked.

"Because... nobody is around." He chuckled, "Well, truth is, these things always work better before dawn on a silent night like Sunday..."

"But why?" I asked.

"Who am I, god?!" Andrew laughed sharply, "I don't know why, it just is... So, Jessica, are you in?"

"I'm in!" With that, our conversation ended. We went our separate ways. Now I'm home alone, writing this blog about my investigation into the mystery of the headless horseman. Andrew is my final lead, digging deeper into this rabbit hole of death and horror. I only hope I'm right about Andrew and that he's not some psycho. Wish me look I guess. It's almost midnight.

Monday - 16/5/22:

I'm lucky to be alive. Seriously. Not that I had a near death experience, but I've seen the other side and it's not pretty! I met Andrew last night outside the castle, he had a black leather bound book with him and a rather large salt shaker, I was as much amused as I was terrified. Why did he have such strange items with him? I approached him with caution, those serial killer vibes becoming more and more alarming. Andrew smiled and beckoned me to come over, his friendly persona over powered me and I immediately felt at ease. He laughed when I got near.

"It's not me, that you should be afraid of..." He whispered under his breath, which instantly unsettled me again, before he led me up the creepy castle's staircase, into the yard, where nobody was around, but me, him and the unholy ghost! I remember trembling with sweat, as the rumors and myths began to ring true. I could subtly hear ancient warriors scream and fight around me, it was hard to listen under the wind of rustled trees and grass, but evidently there, like the legends had said. It ended with a scream that echoed across half of Runcorn, for only 10 seconds before an abrupt stop. Silence. Andrew grinned, looking me in the eyes.

"Now do you believe me?" He asked. I did. "I can show you more..." Andrew continued, holding open his hand. I bit my lip, stared at him, contemplating whether or not this was a good idea. Again, I jumped down the rabbit hole, falling deeper into an abyss, my world grew dark around me.

I was blinded by the bright red sky. My eyes readjusted with the environment and it seemed like I was in a different realm. I charged for a warrior, while riding my trusty steed! The Safrons were invading Castle Riverfall, and it was up to me, and a band of knights to protect our home.

"I strike you!" I roared at the warrior, destroying our barricade, piercing him with my lance, straight through the chest. Blood shot out everywhere.

"Ye all dead!" Another Safron warrior screamed, hatchet in hand, charging for me!

"Have at it, fools!" I mocked and readied myself for another assault, but the hatchet warrior whacked my horse, she yelped in terror and threw me off her back. I rolled to a halt, the strong beast of a man, ran to my side and before I could equip my sword, he slashed for my neck. I felt the tenants in my jugular snap, crack and tear apart before I screamed in complete agony, my head spinning in the air, my motionless body beheaded in front me! I rolled to a stop, this time without my body. A trail of blood and gore lay across the battle ground, where I had been beheaded.

"What the hell!" I screamed, waking up from that nightmare!

"Quite the thrill, huh?!" Andrew laughed, tensed and shaken, just like me.

"Wha-what was that?!" I stuttered, waking up from that night terror, of be-headings, battles and blades slicing away at tender flesh, feeling the agony of my neck stripping away from it's body!

"That's how the headless horseman of Halton village died..." Andrew winked. I snatched away my hand from his. "I told you things would never be the same." He said.

"Don-don't you touch me!" I cried, backing away from him frantically, stumbling over my feet, crashing onto the once blood soiled ground.

"Ah no!" Andrew trembled. "No, no, no!" He screamed and I ran. Then I hit invisible metal, head first into nothing, but a pain I still remember bounced back into my mind and I almost fell down, but Andrew caught me, saving my fall.

"Wha-What happened?" I asked, dazed and confused.

"He's back!" Andrew gasped, pointing ahead of me.

"What, where, who... Oh my god!" I couldn't believe it, Headless Horseman was appearing before us. I was soon to learn why Andrew brought his book and salt shaker.

"Stand back!" He ordered, pulling me up to his side, before pushing himself in front to protect me. The headless horseman approached, slowly but with menace!

"You awake me, now fear my might!" A rotten head screamed at me, I spun, crying in fear! It smiled, worms coming out of the mouth. Andrew kicked it away like a football, hitting the armored monster. I heard another laugh, but it wasn't the headless horseman, it was his skeletal horse, marching towards us from seemingly nowhere. Mist stalked in around us, trapping us in-between these two beasts. Two mortals; a man and a woman, versus two monsters from beyond the grave.

"This can't be real, this is just a dream, a nightmare!" I laughed hysterically, losing my mind.

"This isn't a dream, Jessica, this is really happening!" Andrew roared, holding me back, stopping me from escaping. I tried to fight him, but looking back on it; he was only trying to protect me. "I'm not your enemy, Jessica. They are!" He pointed at the monsters. I held my chest and breathed heavily, in a fit of panic. Andrew picked up his salt shaker, that was laying beside his feet. He drew a circle around us, which only made me feel even more trapped, but I had to trust him, I had no choice. The fiery eyed skeleton horse charged for us, then reared away from the salt that burned it's skull into dark ash. It kicked and screamed madly, as it's body turned to ember, burning away in a horrifying blaze of green and blue fire, leaving behind a trail of black ash that was once a horrifying demon. Now only the headless knight stood, inches away from us, never daring to enter our circle of safety. Andrew took the book from his pocket and ruthlessly flipped through the pages, looking for the right passage.

"Not again, thou shalt not defile me, Andrew Bates of Runcorn!" The screaming head boomeranged back, zooming through the air towards us. Headless Horseman cried as his head burned into a ball of fire, entering our circle, knocking me to the ground and out of the barrier. The burning head now lay face to face with mine.

"You're going to die!" It laughed hysterically, as it's already rotten flesh boiled away until it was nothing but a blackened skull that turned to ash. I looked up for help, but the headless knight slammed his sword down, aiming for my neck!

"Jessica!" Andrew cried, pulling me back into the circle, mere seconds before I too was be-headed.

"I've got the passage!" He cheered, before reciting it: "With the power of God and the holy ghost; lords give me strength against this foul demon!" With this, the knight retorted, pacing around the circle with desperation, trying to scare us out.

"No use, fool!" A surrounding voice echoed, it was as if the mist itself was alive and barking at us.

"Back to hell, you unholy fiend, the power of God compels you!" Andrew roared, confidently.

"A place in hell awaits thee!" The mist laughed, fearfully as the ground began to shake; we struggled to stay inside the circle! The headless knight hit the ground with his sword, trying to dig under the salt and be-head us!

"Lord give me strength, send this foul beast back!" Andrew groaned, not even looking in the book, I was sure he was making that bit up out of desperation and frustration. Obviously it didn't work, as the mist's laughter became deafening, closing in around us, until our vision was unclear, only the shadows and silhouette of the headless knight remained, his sword stabbing through the white blanket of mist every now and again. Black clouds appeared within this mist, taking on the shapes of contorted faces, all moaning out in agony.

"More lost souls for my collection. You mortal fools shall soon suffer eternal torment!" The mist roared again, as the knight's sword dashed in and out of the circle, always close enough to hit us.

"The power of God compels you!" Andrew stood fiercely, raging against the dark. "Go back to where you once came! I take this holy stance, the powers of God and the holy ghost compels you!" He roared loudly, deafening even me. The mist began to clear and the headless knight was thrown back by an invisible rugby tackle, but the ghost still lingered no matter how much he screamed, chanted and raged! Soon the knight and mist crowded in on us again, as Andrew grew tired losing this fight. He looked at me, trying to figure out what was wrong.

"You're scared!" He roared, angrily.

"I ca-can't hel-help it!" I stuttered in fear, crying my eyes out.

"That's what's keeping him here! You mustn't fear the reaper!"

"I'm afraid he'll kill us, lock us in hell, forever in torment!" I screamed hysterically and the sword dashed back into the circle again as our vision became nothing but white smoke.

"It's fear that's keeping him here, stand with me!" He ordered, holding out his hand, which was warm to the touch. I held on and his strength launched through me, warming my heart and filling me with courage! I stood with him and faced the demon, with this, the mist feared away, but the headless knight still stood.

"Chant with me, Jessica. It's the only way we can both defeat this evil!" Andrew smiled, looking into my eyes, before pointing me towards the book. We sung together, a choir of victory, diminishing the mist before the knight was sent running. He ran away, fearfully, vanishing into nothingness. The headless horseman was defeated.

Sunday - 22/5/22:

It has been a whole week since we sent the headless horseman back to hell. I didn't want to know Andrew at all after that night, but there were too many questions left unanswered, so I got back in touch. We met again last night in the Kings Bar. Andrew wasn't drunk this time, our friendship and trust had gone far passed drunken confessions. We met in the day when it was quiet, so there weren't too many drunks or idiots around to over hear.

"You want to know where the headless horseman came from?" He asked me, sitting back, comfortably into his cushioned seat.

"What was with the red sky during his battle with the Safrons?" I asked and Andrew paused, taking a long, deep gulp of his pint of lager.

"We don't believe the headless horseman was from our realm."

"Who is we and what realm?" I asked.

"That's just the question, isn't it?" He chuckled, "A place where the sky bleeds red and knights become demons upon death. It certainly isn't from our earthling history... and we are an underground club of psychics and paranormal investigators. I told you that bit already, how it was us that originally sent him back. I didn't think he'd return so easily last week, I am sorry for that, Jess..." He apologized and I nodded, accepting his apology.

"So you have no idea where that place was?"

"We've got ideas. Some of us think it was hell, because of the red sky, but I think that's too obvious and I doubt hell has the freedom to fight for your kingdom. Others believe it's a supernatural realm named Solaride or a glimpse into the underworld; where the spirits of the undead roam free. Perhaps it was actually Runcorn, only hundreds of centuries ago in a time so far back we don't even know. I mean, seriously; all we know about the past is from history books, old buildings and artifacts. Nobody today is alive to say for certain whether or not everything we see, hear or know about our past is for certain. Maybe the sky was once a permanent red in the early 1000's, it may sound ridiculous, but nobody is around to say any different. I believe maybe these myths and legends of orcs and goblins, ghosts and spirits, giants and dragons actually stem from fact. However in this day and age, to believe in such madness would be seen as lunacy. I don't know what it is with our modern age, but these supernatural occurrences have become less common. Yet we do hear odd little tales here or there of hauntings and ghost sightings, I believe these paranormal events are echoes from the past, when monsters did roam the land. Perhaps one day, hell will rise once again and monsters will roam the lands." Andrew finished with a snicker. "... Or maybe I am just crazy..." he sighed.

"I don't think you're crazy, Andrew..." I smiled, holding his hand. He looked into my eyes, before reaching for his pint and taking another gulp.

"I'm glad you don't think I'm crazy, Jessica." He smiled back and snuggled in closer to me, I held him, lovingly. The people of Runcorn can say he's nuts all they want, but he sure did make a believer out of me.