"Stop being stupid Jeremy." Bobby sneered as Jeremy held a bullfrog in his face as it kicked about, wanting to be free of the thirteen year olds grasp. "Cut it out!" Bobby yelled, getting more annoyed. He swatted at Jeremy and the bullfrog flew out of his hand and back into the pond with a small splash.
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"You're no fun at all Bobby Townley." Jeremy teased. "How would you feel if you were the frog and he was you, huh? How would you feel then?" Bobby shot back at him. Jeremy just shrugged his shoulders and grunted.
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The two boys had been best friends since birth. Today was like any other day. Sneaking off from home to 'play outside' when they were really sneaking off to the abandoned Blaine Quarry. It was one of the only places where the two boys could enjoy their secrets together away from the other kids, a place they would hang out and get away from the boring town of Blaine.
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Once they'd stopped arguing about the now safe bullfrog they began to walk back in the direction of home, not wanting the day to come to an end. The road was made of dusty old gravel and all around them rose Georgia pine trees, thickening the surrounding woods with deep shadows in the fading evening sun. Even if night fell the boys knew how to get home but they still didn't want to risk angering their parents and incurring the wrath of a hickory switch.
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"Bobby.. do you ever wonder what would happen if we just stayed out here?" Jeremy asked his friend slowly. "What if we just never went home and stayed out here forever?" Bobby just looked at him blankly not because he detested the thought but because he understood. Jeremy had an abusive dad and his mother had died early on. His closest family was in Mississippi somewhere so he really had nowhere to go. "I don't know Jeremy, I really don't know. What would we do? Live off the land?" Bobby asked with a giggle as he continued to walk forward, smacking the weeds on the side of the gravel road with a stick.
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Jeremy looked down and Bobby felt bad for laughing. As bad as it was, Bobby really didn't know what to say. They couldn't actually live out here, that was just a dream to big to make reality. He hated knowing that. When he saw the bruises on Jeremy that nobody else saw, he felt even worse. He felt helpless. All he wanted to do was help his friend.
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Both of the boys stopped at the sound of a branch snapping off in the woods to their left. They both looked into the forest but nothing was there. No movement, no animals, no birds, nothing. Bobby stood still and just watched while Jeremy stepped towards the woods a little ways. "Hello?" Jeremy called out. "Is someone there?"
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It was silent for a moment. Eerily silent. "Jeremy listen." Bobby told him. "Do you hear that?" He asked the boy. Jeremy waited for a moment and stood still, focusing to hear whatever his friend was taking interest in. "The birds. They've gone quiet." He told Jeremy. The boys looked at each other realizing how quiet the surrounding woods had become. No matter the time of day or night there were always birds chirping and singing but now silence filled the air. Deafening silence.
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Another branch snapped. Goosebumps crawled across the young skin of the boys as they realized something was off. "C'mon we have to go." Bobby said shakily, grabbing Jeremy by the hand. They both quickened pace as the two boys turned away from the woods and continued towards home. Then there was a sound. They stopped again but both refused to turn towards the forest. The feeling of being watched was intense, as if something was right behind them. Watching. Waiting.
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A scream echoed through the tall pine trees. It was distant but just near enough to be heard vividly and enough to send cold rattling chills through their spines. "HELP ME! PLEASE!..." The voice called out in the distance. It was bloodcurdling and shrill, like the person was dying. It sounded like a little girl.
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"Bobby someone's out there, we gotta do something." Jeremy told his friend. "No, no, no, we can go home and call the police. Jeremy we don't need to be out here." Bobby said, trying to pull Jeremy away from his fixation on the voice. "PLEASE! IS SOMEONE OUT THERE?.." The voice yelled again. Jeremy yanked his wrist away from Bobby in rebellion. "Somethings wrong, we gotta help." He said to Bobby as he ran toward the forest.
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The two boys stayed close to each other as Jeremy ran into the shadowed woods. For a while the screaming continued in the distance as the two pressed on, hoping to find the source of the distress. As they slowed and eventually stopped they realized the screaming had stopped. All around them the tall pine trees rose in every direction. The sunset shone through the needled limbs of the trees with just enough light for them to see where they were going.
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In the absence of the screams the forest grew silent again. There wasn't even any wind or breeze to make the trees sway. Everything was completely quiet and frozen again. The intensity of fear shone in each of the boys eyes. "Over here..." The voice called out faintly as if it's owner was hurt. "C'mon." Jeremy whispered. Bobby tried again to pull Jeremy away but it was no use.
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They moved toward the voice again and a few moments later they stumbled through the trees and into a small clearing, revealing a rocky hillside. In the middle of the stony rise was a huge hole, large enough to fit a truck into it. It was dark, darker than it should've been. "In here..." The voice said again, even quieter this time. As the boys got closer they could make out a sign above the hole. It read 'Shaft No. 4'.
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"Stay here." Jeremy told Bobby. "No, no, don't go inside. Please." Bobby begged his friend but it once again failed. Jeremy walked towards the abandoned mine shaft. Bobby could see Jeremy trembling with fear, sweat beaded from his hands and dripped from his head and fingertips. Bobby stood there and watched as his friend was enveloped by the darkness of the mine shaft. "Hello?" Jeremy called out quietly. No answer.
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Bobby knew something was wrong, he could feel it. He could feel himself being watched but this time it was different. This time it was coming from the dark hole in front of him. Like eyes piercing through his very essence. It was completely silent again. Jeremy wasn't making a noise anymore. The voice had faded long ago. The feeling of being alone was almost permeated inside Bobby now. He watched the mine shaft intensely, looking for his friend as if his life depended on it.
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Bobby decided fearfully that it was time to go inside and find Jeremy but then he stopped. Jeremy appeared and stumbled out of the darkness. Holding something. Not a person. Not the source of the voice. He stopped just outside the mouth of the cave and stared at Bobby. Deeply. So deep that Bobby could feel something different, something cold and raw. He stepped toward his friend to get a better view of what he was holding. To his bewilderment it was some kind of tail, bloodied and severed from something.
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"Jeremy. What is that?" Bobby asked, his voice trembling. Jeremy did not speak. Bobby looked up at his friend to see that his eyes were now glazed over and twitching. He was mumbling something that Bobby couldn't discern. His voice was rattling fast but ever so quietly. The pink and fleshy tail twitched in Jeremy's hands. Bobby was nearly frozen in fear but he tried to hear what his friend was saying. "Jeremy what are you saying?" He asked. Still no response. "Jeremy. Jeremy!" He yelled as he shook his friend by the shoulders.
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Jeremy slowly lowered his head until his chin touched his chest. The rapid mumbling stopped. Bobby leaned in closer, trying to see if his friend was alright. The boy started to cry from the fear. He didn't know what was going on or what this tail thing was. He wanted to leave with his friend. "J-Jeremy?" He asked as he sobbed, tears streaming down his cheeks.
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Everything grew silent again and then suddenly, Jeremy snapped his head up. The whites of his eyes were now red as if replaced with blood. He stared right at Bobby. "The Tail." He whispered. The words from Jeremy seemed to echo through the woods and the darkness of the cave. Bobby stepped away from his friend as he saw how he had changed. The tail was now twitching violently as if it were still alive.
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"Where is my tail..." A new voice hissed from the cave. The voice made Bobby want to crawl under a rock and never come back out. It was like a knife against a rock. It scraped against his soul. "Where... is my tail..." The voice asked again. On the edges of the cave two clawed hands appeared, made of the same pink flesh as the tail still in Jeremy's hands. "WHERE IS MY TAIL..." The voice screamed with a hellish raspiness. The voice alone was enough to make Bobby scream in terror.
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From the cave the two clawed hands moved and sank into the darkness as a larger and more terrifying form took shape. It was tall and skinny, taking the similarities of a man but much taller. It was made of pink flesh with long and visceral black claws on its long and narrow arms and legs. It's face.. there was no face. It was blank. Just pink flesh.
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Bobby stood frozen in horror in front of the monster. It seemed to look down at Jeremy and it began to shake in rage. Bobby watched as the creature raised its arm and flared its claws, ready to tear Jeremy apart. He knew it was going to kill his friend. "GIVE ME BACK.. MY TAIL..." It screamed hauntingly just as it's hand streaked through the nighttime shadows.
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