Mr. Goodnight by Kealan Patrick Burke

Author:Kealan Patrick Burke
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Horror, Short Stories, +READ, +UNCHECKED
Publisher: Kealan Patrick Burke
Published: 2011-06-28T07:00:00+00:00

* * *

They put him to bed though he knew he'd never sleep.

Beneath his pillow was a hammer he'd taken from the garage. It pressed against his head, a constant reminder of both its presence and the reason for it. He wondered if he would even have a chance to reach for it when the time came.

The sounds of garbled voices on police radios, car doors slamming and dogs barking drifted up through the open window as he stared at the cracks in his ceiling. Red and blue flashes of light sailed across his wall, turning innocent shadows into twitching malevolent things.

Joey's gone. Grief settled like a stone in his belly. It couldn't be true, shouldn't be true, but it was and he knew it. He knew no matter how much he tried to pretend he was dreaming the reality was that the glorious summer had, without warning, coughed its darkness out to swallow them all.

And that darkness, that seething evil thing they'd uncovered in the field was still there, a real live bogeyman stalking the night.

Of course, they hadn't released him into the world, he realized. It wasn't their fault that Mr. Goodnight was out there now. After all, children had been disappearing long before today.

No. Mr. Goodnight hadn't been trapped under the dirt.

He'd been sleeping.

They had uncovered his hiding place.

And he would be back, Kevin knew. The security his parents provided, that safety he had always taken for granted was gone now, torn to shreds by a simple day's digging.

No one could save him now.

And as if the thought had summoned him, the bedroom door creaked open and his father, hands stained with dirt, eyes dull and frightened, entered the room and stood looking helpless down at him.

He moved around so that he was standing next to Kevin. Red light flashed across his features, ageing them.

"I'm sorry," he said.

Kevin wanted to tell him so very badly that he knew, that he didn't blame his father. Grownups had no idea bogeymen were real and slept in the dirt. The only ones who knew were the victims, and those who'd escaped to live another hour or another day before the bogeyman returned to quiet them.

But he said nothing, only nodded slightly.

His father sat on the bed and put a hand on Kevin's chest. The light showed a glimmer of tears in his eyes.

"I don't know what happened to you today, Kevin, but I'm so sorry I wasn't there to stop it."

It's okay, Dad.

"And the police are doing everything they can to find Joey."

There's nothing they can do.

"It would really help if you could tell them what happened. Where he went or...or...who took him."

I wish I could tell them too, but I'm afraid and I don't think they'd believe me.

A sudden strange scent filled the room. Kevin's eyes widened. His throat went dry. Panic fluttered like a trapped bird in his chest. He touched his father's hand.

Hands stained with dirt...

No!

His father's face turned slowly, slowly toward him.

The shadows were thick and danced in the scarlet light.

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