The Inspirations of Stephen King

ONE

The nightmare, which would continue to haunt the town for another twelve years, began on the eve of Christmas when two young children were neglected by their parents and forced to walk home in the chilling winter of 1978. During this year-round of snow and blizzards, laughter had been absent and instead replaced with a harrowing fear that pulsed throughout the small, rural town of Bellmare. There was something different about this chilling winter, a whisper of something dangerous as the townsfolk hid in the comforts of their own home- too afraid to venture outside after dark.

After Dark was the exact time that the Hastings’ children got caught wandering through Orchard Street, their bodies trembling from the cold as they attempted to find warmth in each other’s embrace. The street was eerily silent as the children bravely submerged themselves in total darkness, the overhanging lights flickering in and out of control as it mirrored the poor governed town. Since fear took route in the township and law enforcement failed to uphold their duty, the homes and abandoned roads that had once seen life were now reduced to a crumpled heap. Snow had been pouring down from the skies for almost twelve months now, smothering the ground and burying all life along with it. The powdered substance was so thick that when a foot was submerged, it felt as if you were being held down. Restrained. Taken hostage. Even the ice that was born with the snow, left a chill as it coated the banks of rivers and climbed the length of trees. It was odd, very odd indeed. Bellmare had never experienced a year in winter yet alone known what snow felt like.

Saraya and Alyce Hastings took tentative steps forward, their teeth chattering as cool winds brushed against their uncovered skin. Despite the cool weather that had nipped intolerably for the past year, their parents had still refused to provide them with the essentials to keep warm. They would rather spend their last dollar on a bottle of whiskey than ensure their children’s wellbeing. This was evident by the girls’ lack of clothing as their summer dresses clung to their pale skin, almost frozen in place by the sheer drop in temperature. For many, the sight of these young girls navigating their way through knee length snow would have broken their heart. However, this was Bellmare, and the carelessness of the community was more than outstanding. Bellmare Primary School, from which the girls had left but three hours ago, did not stop to ensure that parents were there to collect their children. Teachers disembarked and bolted at the last chime of the bell and of course, the Hastings children were left waiting for their drunk guardians to arrive. They did not. Even at the tender ages of six and seven, the siblings realized the extent to their parents neglect and could only hope that one day they would both be miles away from the blood that had created them. If only the Hastings’ children knew how close their dream was to coming true, just not in the way they were expecting. If they were older and cared to listen to the hearsays of the adults, from their teachers, their neighbors and even their parents, maybe they would have heeded their warnings and steered clear of Orchard Street. But, alas, they were there and ready for the picking. Time would only tell how these young souls would meet their end, through the legend that haunted the town or the elements they were unjustly exposed to. Maybe, if they were unlucky enough, both predictions would be the cause to their downfall.

As the children shuffled their way through the thickness and buried their hands in the depths of their side pockets, a shadow fell across the street and silenced nature in its path. The raging winds, which had howled only moments before, ceased in its turmoil as snowflakes drooped from the sky with great reluctance. If the children noticed the shift in the air, they had not shown it as they continued their winding path down the old road- their eyes squinting in concentration as they tried to see past the thick layer of snow covering their eye lashes. Their innocence made them oblivious and for that, their deaths would be most cruel. The darkness that had fallen across Orchard Street took on the form of a man, the silhouette mimicking the body language of a human with a face of emptiness. With no eyes nor any other features on this departed form, staring at this shadow would have felt like staring into a sea of darkness that never ended. The shadow had no name, only a purpose to destroy those naïve enough to wander the earth at night. Unfortunately for the two young souls deprived of parental love, it was them that the shadow had targeted. It moved with stealthy speed and left no marks on the snow as it chased down its prey.

Now, here they were. The Hastings’ children had successfully ventured past the abandoned homes on Orchard Street and were now facing a predicament that gave a new meaning to the term, ‘odd’. Before them, only several meters ahead, was the infamous river of Bellmare that was known for only one undeniable fact. It was no longer a river. Supposedly, according to many of the people in Bellmare, the river had dried up ten years prior to this exact date. As stories would say, the waters that had once provided life to an abundant of sea critters had vanished and been replaced with the dying leaves from the overhanging trees. However, that was not the case this time around. As Saraya and Alyce stood on the banks of this landmark, it was clear that the stories and the whispering had been incorrect. Despite the freezing temperatures that should have frozen anything in sight, the river lay before them as alive as any body of water. Not frozen and far from it. The girls’ paused in shock, their young minds in awe and slightly wary of this odd occurrence. Alyce tugs at the end of her sisters sleeve.

‘Raya’, her young voice echoing across the way and through the branches of the sycamore trees. ‘Why is the water not frozen?’

Saraya’s brow crinkles in confusion as she listens to her sister’s query, she could understand little Alyce’s question, but her mind was more concerned with the fact that there was water. Where did it come from? Hesitantly dragging her eyes away from the pools of water, Saraya turned to her sister and responded to her question through chattering teeth, ‘I.I. don’t K-know. I-I thought there w-was no r-river here a-anymore’.

The silence that followed was deafening and the Hastings’ children were so distracted with their own thoughts that they failed to realize how close to death they were. The shadow was upon them now as it hovered over their unknowing forms, reaching out and placing its slender hand on both the girl’s shoulder. They grimaced involuntarily as they felt the hairs on the back of their neck stand on end, fear and anxiety building in the pits of their stomach as the shadow unleashed a whirlwind of emotion. The girls trembled in their school shoes as they slowly clasped their hands together, too afraid to turn around and face the darkness they now knew stood directly behind them. They could feel its hot breath nipping at the side of their face and, not being able to suppress the feeling of dread, they both released fear-felt whimpers. The fear only fed its growing hunger and the shadow shivered in delight.

Children, it crooned with false sweetness, Look at me.

Tears welled in Alyce's eyes as she turned to her older sister for reassurance, ‘Raya?’

‘Don’t, don’t look at it’

The shadow was amused by Saraya’s convictions but could smell just how easy it would be to break her young soul, it tutted.

Now, don't be so rude. Please, look at me when I talk to you.

‘No.’ Saraya spat aggressively. ‘Leave us alone!’

A growl resonated from deep within the shadow as it made a sound like that of snapping teeth. All of which was especially odd due to its lack of facial features. How could this being, or entity as one may call it, be talking and expressing itself if it had no mouth to communicate with? It was odd, very odd indeed. In the pause that followed, a grumble sounded throughout as the shadows stomach gurgled with suppressed hunger. Fury brewed within the monster. The hands that held onto the girls’ shoulders tightened as the children denied it the one thing it desired most, food. The shadow was no longer interested in playing nice.

You wouldn’t want me to tell mummy and daddy how rude you’re being. They will be very angry, it croaked

A gasp escaped the mouth of young Alyce as she imagined her mother staring down at her with her infamous icy gaze. That one look, accompanied by the snarl that often graced her lips, sent Alyce into a frenzy. Despite the fear that she had for this unknown entity, the thought of her mother laying another hand on her was even more terrifying than anything else she would ever experience. Or so she thought. She did not want to risk her mother’s wrath and so, she made the decision that would lead to her untimely death. Alyce turned around to face the entity and Saraya, in fear for her sister’s life, quickly followed suite.

Yesss, the shadow moaned in pleasure, drawing the children closer to its changing form.

Their eyes locked onto the darkness and even if they wanted to, they could not tear their gaze away. The darkness had their soul locked in place and, as if the two were connected, the waters in the river began to swirl and twist. The shadow sucked and slurped, a bright light emitting from the children and transferring into the darkness itself. As a whirlpool formed in the river, the children grew pale until the life was drained from out of their eyes. The shadow ate until it was full and when it could not take anymore, it retracted its hold on the children and tossed them aside like garbage. Throwing them into the raging waters where they were to never be found again. The next morning when the town was awake and Miranda and Bruce Hastings had realized their children had not returned home, they persuaded the people of Bellmare to search for their missing youth. They were never found, and neither were the children who were taken after. The shadow would continue to haunt the town for years to come.