Underground Tunnels

Author's Note: *NOT RELATED TO THE PROMPT*

Hey everyone, this is a story that I have been working on for a while, and I have been developing these characters for years. I am very proud of how it's coming along, I hope you enjoy it! :)

*Feedback would be appreciated if anyone would leave some.*

Underground Tunnels 

A Ghost Story

Prologue

Once a pocket watch was built, but, alas, this was no ordinary pocket watch. From the outside, it may seem ordinary, but in reality, it's the farthest thing from it. Whoever finds the watch and decides against all the sense in the world to open it, will no longer be themselves. They are now possessed by a ghost, The Deceiver. 

Chapter One

The Boy

Josh and Katie were in the back of the family's run-down caravan, riding down to their new home in Seattle. While they were driving, Josh was watching the trees whiz past him. He looks up from the trees to see a boy in the middle of the road smirking. Without hesitation, he screams, “Dad! Stop the car!” His dad races to slam the brakes, once the car rumbles to a halt, he whips his head around to face Josh. “What the hell, Josh?! Are you trying to kill us?!!” The words slowly tumble from Josh's mouth, “N-n-o. I could have sworn I saw a boy in the middle of the road.” His dad sighed and began driving again. A few hours passed and they were at their new house. Katie glanced up at one of the many windows to the house and saw a boy. She rushed to tell her parents that a boy was standing in the window. Her mother followed Katie's finger to where she saw the boy, only to find he had vanished. That's when the bad things began.

Chapter Two 

Bad things

Later in the day as the family began settling in, they heard a knock on the front door. They all strolled over to answer, when they opened the door they found a family of three. A mother, with her two kids, a teenage boy and a young girl. “Hi! We live just down the road, I noticed you just moved in. I’m Diane, this is Brandon and Lizzie.” The family presented them with a variety of gifts. A porcelain vase for the parents, a doll for Katie, and for Josh, well Josh got the pocket watch. Josh, unaware of the watch's abilities, brought it up to his room. Later that night the watch began making its way into Josh's head. He headed down to the family computer and researched the watch, he scrolled until he came across this one article titled The Deceiver Watch. The article went on to explain how the watch was possessed by a ghost called The Deceiver. As Josh continued reading he came across an eerie section in the article, which showed a picture of the house he had just moved into, with the caption explaining how the watch was created in an underground tunnel underneath this house. As Josh continues down the article he discovers something so shocking that makes his heart jump to his throat. “The current possessor of the watch is a young boy with the name of Brandon, he lives in the suburbs of Seattle.” Holy shit. Brandon gave me a demon watch. After his heart rate slowed, he shut the computer and silently crept back to his half-deflated air mattress. As he tried to quiet his mind the question of how old Brandon was kept popping into his head. The watch was given to Brandon in 1312. The year was 2016. Brandon was at least 704 years old. 

Chapter Three

Basement

As the night came to a close and the morning sun peeked through, Josh anxiously raced out of bed to grab some breakfast and see his family off. Once Katie and his parents had left, he began his search for the tunnel. He runs the basics, looking for loose bricks, a tear in the wallpaper, and anything else he can think of. Sighing, he retires the search and heads to the living room. As he's half watching the movie, the characters explore their basement and end up in an alternate timeline. Josh, knowing it's a longshot, heads to the basement door. Right as he approaches, the doorbell rings, leaving the house in a ringing echo. Confused, as he's not expecting anyone, yanks open the door, to find the last person he wanted to see. Brandon. “Hey, Brandon,” Josh said with a fake smile. “So, did you figure it out yet?” Josh unsure of his intentions decides to play dumb. 

“Figure out what?” 

“You know.” 

“No, I don’t and I must be going. I need to finish cleaning unless you would like to come in?”

“Nah, I told my mom I wouldn’t be long.”

“Alright then, bye.” The second the door was closed, Josh let out a relieved sigh. He wanders back to the door, as he attempts to open it, he notices a rusted keyhole. 

Chapter Four

The Worst of Things

Since Katie had arrived back home, Josh paused on his search for the tunnel. Once night had crept around, and the house grew silent, Josh sneaked out of his room to where he thought the door was, only to find it gone. His thoughts grew so loud as they raced around in his mind. What the fuck, where did it go. Still dazed by his confusion, he turns around running right into Brandon. As the alarm clock blared its awful noise, Josh sprang out of bed. He tried to slide out of bed, but last night's events made him feel uneasy and unsafe. Sighing he stretches out of bed and begins changing out of his pajamas when he feels a burning sensation in his jean pocket. As he howled in pain, he slumped to the floor, groaning, he tried to pull himself up, but that's when everything went black. That night Josh died. At least the Josh Katie knew and loved. When he awoke that fateful day, he was a stranger. He is awoken by a phone ringing and ringing, continuously panging his head. He lifted his head just enough to snatch the phone off the side table, only to hear a dead phone line. When he puts the phone down, realization washed over him, these surroundings are not familiar. Panting and out of breath, Katie slides past his room and tumbles to the floor. She laughs as she pulls herself up off the floor, she walks to Josh’s room, flowers and balloons in hand. 

Chapter Five

The Stranger that Feared Sundown

Walking down the hall, Josh tries to find where the hell he is. It feels like he's been walking for hours. Everything looks the same. He feels someone grab his waist and embrace him in a hug. Katie. His head hurt and began to spin, as all the memories flooded his brain. He held Katie tighter than ever as tears pooled his eyes. Back in his room, his parents walked in with a doctor, who did the routine check-up, how he's feeling, checked his vitals, and ran some last-minute tests. Soon after he was free to go. Once he got home, his family noticed his behavior had changed. He was acting very differently, doing things unusual for him to do. He refused his favorite dinner (chicken pot pie) and his dessert, he cleaned the entire house without being asked and went to bed without saying goodnight to anyone. As he drifted into dreamland, he dreamed of a life, his old life, before Brandon and the Deceiver and all the other shit. Oh how badly, he wished to be back there, and he knew the only way to get what he wanted was to get to Brandon. 

Chapter Six

The Hunt

At the crack of dawn, Josh crept out of the house and spirited to where Brandon's house once stood. He arrived at a pile of ashes, blacker and fresher than ever. Screaming at everything he just let it all out, he was pissed at Brandon, he hated himself, and everything that was happening. He started to stumble and his head spun. He glanced up from the ground and caught the slightest glimpse of someone walking towards him. He awoke to Katie shaking him awake, and saying “Josh, Josh! Wake uppppppp!” As he swung his legs over the edge of his bed, he realized what he thought was a nightmare, was a flash into the future. And that was just the beginning. 

Chapter Seven

Sacrifice

A couple of days pass, with Josh doing the same things, like clockwork. 9:00 am. Wake up, brush teeth, eat breakfast. 10:00 am. Go for his morning run. 11:00 am. Study for school. 12:00 pm. Lunch and cartoons. 1:00 pm. Read. 2:00 pm. Outside time. 3:00-6:00 pm were always a blur, he would come in from being outside, and then he would just sit. He would think, but at the same time, his head was always empty. The days were coming to a close before he was even aware they had begun. 

He had just come inside from his outside time and decided to break the cycle and do something bold. He grabs the pocket watch and marches up to Brandon's house, his heart pumping with adrenaline. As he was about to knock on the door, it swung open. Brandon is standing there like he was expecting him. “Boo. Did you miss me?” Hell, no. Josh thought, but before he could stop himself he was saying “Yes, master. I did miss you.” With a devilish grin, Brandon makes his way out of the house, Josh following close behind without a single word. After five minutes of walking in silence, Josh knew exactly where they were headed. Josh broke the silence with one simple question, one with an answer that would implode Josh’s world. “Am I your sacrifice?” I asked. I eyed Brandon as I felt the tears pool in my eyes. Brandon looked so stupid just standing in silence. I wanted to scream at him ‘Answer me, you bastard!’ But, I contained myself. He just looked up at me with the same devilish grin, he gave me when he and I first met. “Yes, Josh. Yes, you are my sacrifice.” I ran. I ran as fast as my legs could go, I needed a way from this monster. Now. 

It was around three in the morning when I awoke. I noticed the same eerie glow emerging from the watch as I had before. I felt compelled to touch it. Before I could stop myself my hand had snatched the watch from the floor. The same burning raced from his arm and filled his body. This time it was real, and now it was too late.

Chapter Eight

Choices

I immediately regretted my choice of not following Brandon and running off on my own. But who knows where I would be now- dead? Or alive? I don't know, maybe no one does. Maybe the only way to escape is to accept what he is and move on. Or I could still try and fix it. I picked myself up off the ground and made my way to Brandon’s house. 

But, little did he know, all the dreams, flashbacks, and nightmares were about to come true. And no one could save him. 

As he walked to Brandon’s house it hit him. If Brandon could live as he had, why couldn’t he? His heart began to race and another thought popped into his head. He sprinted home. He was going to try and kill Brandon. 

Chapter Nine

The Failed Attempt

Josh was astounded that he could even think such a thought. After careful consideration and planning, he had developed his plan. 

Katie had made plans with her school friends, so she shouldn’t interfere with the plan. Mom and Dad would never suspect anything because as far as they know I’m still asleep in my room right now. Still indecisive, he wondered if he should go through with it. If he is successful then there will be no one able to answer his questions, and he would be a murderer. “Josh, Josh! You have therapy, come on!” Mom screamed at me. Therapy was new. 

Her name was Dr. Hyden. Her room looked more like a room in a mental institution than an office. It was as white as a marshmallow, but it was windowless and had only three things. A desk and two chairs. It looked more threatening than comforting. But, as I saw her, I got more and more uncomfortable, I realized I have a problem. I am trying to kill someone. My head spun and my emotions raced through me. Sadness, anger, confusion, disgust, then darkness. Soon after I awoke, but it was more like I was lucid dreaming. I was struggling to say what I was thinking. I was still inside my body, but it was as if I was watching the scene from afar. Dr. Hyden continuously asked me questions. “Josh, do you want to be good for your mom, dad, and Katie?” And the only thing I could say was, “Yes sir.” It was like I was under a trance, everything I wanted to say I couldn’t. It was like the universe was cursing me. I wanted to confess to everything, the watch, the Deceiver, my plan to kill Brandon. But I didn’t. I knew what hell laid ahead if I did. I was stuck. After the strangest day ever, we arrived home. I was broken from the trance when mom asked if I was good with a strawberry milkshake and pizza for dinner. I was released to being me again, free to speak my mind. But the next morning, breakfast had rolled around and I was stuck again. And it felt like I had never gotten out.