Grueberfest 2006: Some Doors Should Not Be Opened (1872 hits)
Category: GeneralRating: 1.63 on 17 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by JMG114 (View user info) at 2006-10-03 08:33:46 EDT
An old, wet, black rope hung down next to the ancient, white, wooden front door on the porch of number 612 Belmar Road. The autumn wind blew it lightly about and its frayed end jiggled like the legs of a lanky spider. A telephone pole and the wires it carried had fallen against the side of the porch, cracking several boards of rotting wood siding and bending the metal gutter beyond any hope of repair.
The house had been deserted for as long as high school juniors Tim, Greg, and Paul could remember. The thunder rumbled low through the clouds on that overcast day, and the three friends enjoyed some fast-food cheeseburgers on the stone wall in front of the house.
Tim swallowed a mouthful and grinned, inhaling the moist air. "Surprise three day weekends rock."
Greg, who always agreed with Tim, said, "Oh yeah. Today was a really nice surprise."
Tim nodded and took another bite of his meal, enjoying the way the paper wrapper crinkled. "Damn right. Was last night's thunderstorm really that bad? Is it like a snow day or something?"
Greg chuckled and Paul looked away, disinterested. He hadn't yet touched his cheeseburger.
Tim lolled his head back and gazed at the house's front door, about thirty feet away. "You know what I want to do?"
"What?" Greg asked.
Tim pointed to the hanging black rope. "I want to ring the doorbell."
Greg's eyes widened. "The doorbell rope? Seriously? It's cursed."
Paul snorted, but maintained his composure. Greg continued, "They hung a guy from there like a hundred years ago or something."
Paul wiggled his fingers and made the sound of a ghost at Greg. "Woooooo!"
Greg wrinkled his nose and frowned. Tim smiled as Paul said, "It's just a rumor. They didn't hang anybody."
Greg protested, "They did! My grandpa told me they did!"
Paul asked, "How old is your grandpa?"
Greg wiped his nose with his sweater sleeve. "I don't know. Eighty or something."
"Then how would he know?" Paul asked, "If they hanged a guy a hundred years ago?"
Greg bit his lip, then answered, "His dad probably told him." Greg looked at Tim, hoping to win the argument.
Paul continued, "And why would they hang a guy on someone's front porch? That's stupid."
Tim rolled his eyes and gulped down the last of his burger. "Does it matter? I want to go yank on it. You guys dare me to?"
Paul shrugged. "Sure. Why not?"
Greg said, "No! Don't touch it! We can go play in the woods! There's an old graveyard really close—"
Paul interrupted, "We'll check it out after Tim pulls the rope. Go, Tim."
As Tim jogged over to where the black rope hung down from the roof of the dilapidated porch, it began drizzling. He jogged faster along the old stone walkway, finally reaching the porch's bottom step. The steps were red and white and peppered in black graffiti from others who had ventured close.
Tim turned around. Greg and Paul were watching from the wall, and Tim smiled at them. He turned around and faced the house once more. The old lead paint was peeling all over, giving Tim a curious desire to pull it all off and make the façade smoother. He stepped up to the front porch and stood before the black rope. It disappeared into a large crack overhead and glistened invitingly.
Greg and Paul continued to watch. Paul mused, "I should've dared him to go inside the house."
Greg shuddered and said, "It's haunted inside! The ghosts would—"
"What?" Paul asked, smiling, "The ghosts would what? Eat him?"
"Y-yeah," Greg stammered, "Or something. My grandpa said—"
Tim reached out and grabbed the rope. A momentary tingling sensation fluttered through his hand. Then, every cell in his body seemed to burst into white-hot pain.
"Oh my God!" Paul shrieked, pointing at Tim.
Tim's body convulsed violently and his hair caught fire. His synapses screamed and he tasted thick, hot cheeseburger bile in his throat. Smoke poured out of his chest and a moment later he was engulfed in flames.
Greg screamed and ran away. Paul felt his knees buckle beneath him. The blood rushed from his head and he fainted onto the asphalt. The last thing he heard before his face hit the pavement was his mother's warning.
"Be careful if you're playing outside. They had to close school because the wind knocked some live power lines into some buildings. . ."
User Reviews
Submitted by ghola (user info) at 2006-10-04 22:50:48 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
pretty good
Submitted by forensicgirl3 (user info) at 2006-10-04 17:10:37 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Not what I expected you to do, so bravo!
Submitted by Orgasmatron (user info) at 2006-10-04 15:57:07 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
Submitted by redskieslookfake (user info) at 2006-10-03 08:37:26 (#)
Ranking: 1
Pretty good - and the end was quite shocking.
*glowers*
---
*rim shot*
Submitted by Bigmike (user info) at 2006-10-04 00:08:48 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Jesus.
This is just...........
ugh.
Submitted by Sacrilicious (user info) at 2006-10-03 23:36:25 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
1.5
Submitted by Sacrilicious (user info) at 2006-10-03 23:36:06 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
Electric.
Submitted by Anansie (user info) at 2006-10-03 21:08:51 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
ahahahaha. That was a great ending.
Submitted by sicosemen (user info) at 2006-10-03 14:47:01 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Seriously, this was suckingly awesome.
Submitted by rillins (user info) at 2006-10-03 14:10:22 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Deeeelightful
Submitted by Amontillado (user info) at 2006-10-03 13:12:56 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
completely suprised me.
Submitted by kaos-king (user info) at 2006-10-03 11:17:43 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by TigerLilly (user info) at 2006-10-03 09:35:19 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by LT (user info) at 2006-10-03 08:46:15 (#)
Ranking: 2
Good S to the H to the I to the T
Submitted by shandythedog (user info) at 2006-10-03 09:27:25 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
i wish i had a cheeseburger
if the turtle cd is still available i will spring into action soon re. payments etc.
i am currently still weighed down by variuos chores.
Submitted by CaptainThorns (user info) at 2006-10-03 09:01:32 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Different, and I like that about this story.
Submitted by LT (user info) at 2006-10-03 08:46:15 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Good shit.
Submitted by redskieslookfake (user info) at 2006-10-03 08:37:26 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
Rare use of 'ç'
Pretty good - and the end was quite shocking.
*glowers*
Submitted by Axolotl (user info) at 2006-10-03 08:37:17 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Nice.