What happens when fiction begins to blur the line between escaping reality and creating it? We always hear the expression when the words just jump off the pages, but what if that is not always a good thing. This is what I found out one day when that package entered the Catshire Bookstore.
Owning a Bookstore had always been a dream of mine so when the Catshire Bookshop went up for sale I was quick to buy it. My wife Patricia honestly couldn’t have been happier because it ultimately gave us a place to put my mounds of books scattered across our home. It had been 6 months since the purchase and the place was a God send, bookcases lining the walls with various more creating rows for book lovers to peruse and tables with all our greatest hits. We stocked both new and used novels so it was always interesting what came into the shop.
The day began just like any other day, people coming in, perusing through the shelves trying to find their next read, or books to be placed on their ever-growing ‘to be read’ pile, as is always my case. As it began to wind down for the evening the telltale ‘Ding’ of the door sensor chimed announcing someone had entered. Looking up I saw Fred, our residential UPS driver. His brown hair almost blended into his uniform and he greeted me with a warm smile.
“Hey Dan, I have a big one for you today” Fred called out.
“Oh hey, awesome, I have been waiting for this one,” I responded, “Our Booktok table is beginning to run out so it is right on time”.
He walked up dragging a dolly behind him with a large Pristine box sitting on top. He dropped it beside me with a thud. Leaving the paperwork to be forgotten once again. I carefully opened the box, and the wafting smell of new books greeted me and made me smile. There is nothing like fresh crisp books to make my heart melt. Inside was an assortment of different books to replenish the busy week’s sales. Fred and I chatted as I went through the order checking everything off my list. As I reached the bottom of the box as everything on my list seemed accounted for there was one I had not ordered. Sitting there looking lonely was a cover I had never seen before. It was deep jet black with a screaming face etched in red with raised gold letters of the title ‘Agronoch’. No author’s name was anywhere to be found.
“Hey Fred, there seems to be an extra book here,” I said to him.
“Well don’t complain, free is free” He chuckled to himself.
Dropping it back in the box to look at later I turned to Fred to say my goodbyes and began to put the rest of the books in their new temporary homes.
When I finished my tasks I went over to look at the extra book. I picked it up knowing I didn’t order it, the smell of stale cigarettes and Brute body spray subtly hit my nose, bringing flooding memories of my father’s scent. He had died from a drug overdose or so they say, I am still not sure about that as I have never seen him do any drugs other than smoking weed. I looked around to see if maybe that smell had come from someone that had entered without me knowing, but no one was there. I lifted this mysterious novel to my nose and it did indeed smell like him. Amazed, I began looking over the book, it was all black besides the cover, and not even a barcode sat on the back. Being a pretty hefty book, I’d say about 900 pages, I opened it up to see if there was any indication of who the author was or why I had received it but only the story lay inside. I knew then that I needed to read it as the mystery alone would eat me alive if not. Opening up to the forward an ominous paragraph was displayed;
DO NOT READ! This book is to trap what is in my head releasing me. Please, put the book down and enjoy your life.
Loving that eerie horror aesthetics, I had a feeling this was going to be a fantastic read.
With 2 hours to close, I sat down at my counter and began reading. The story did seem to be horror which was perfect as it was always my favourite. Enthralled in a sequence of terror a few chapters in I did not notice the woman standing beside me until she placed a hand on my shoulder. I practically jumped out of my skin backing up and hitting the table beside me. I could feel that that would definitely bruise but pain and fright washed away from me when I smiled up at my beautiful wife with shock on her face.
“Oh my God, are you ok?” She asked brushing her wavy blond hair away from her concerned green eyes.
“Shit, sorry Patricia, I guess I got really caught up with this book and didn’t notice you came down,” I told her.
“It really must have drawn you in because you should have been upstairs an hour ago, I came down figuring you might have had a rush at close or something”.
I looked down at my watch, “Wow, it’s 7, I should really lock up”.
I went to the door, locked it, drew the curtains, and turned off the lights before heading upstairs. Another joy of owning this place is that my home isn’t too far because the stairs to the apartment are in the back of the store. I grabbed Patricia’s hand walking with her up.
“So, what is this book that got you not even realizing the time?” She asked.
“Just some random horror book that I think got accidentally put into the order, Agronoch I think,” I told her.
“Hmm well if it’s that good I am going to have to read it after” she looked at me with her perfect smile and that gleam in her eyes that I fell in love with.
We made our way to the kitchen where she had a nice roast chicken and mashed potatoes ready and waiting for us to devour. Sitting down we talked about our day and I pushed the book out of my mind. After peacefully cuddling up and watching a movie we decided it was time to close out our day and go to sleep, which seemed to have found me quickly.
The nightmares began that night, and the smell of rotten meat lingered in the still air. Heavy Silence weighed down on the small dark room. The tiny light on the desk in the centre was the only light, used to cast shadows on all the walls from the mounds of books laid throughout. The lap suddenly begins to smoke, but I am not able to fix it as I am frozen in place. The bulb starts shining brighter as more smoke billows out, suddenly it is fully engulfed.
The fire spread quickly from the desk towards the books, it was as if gas had been spread over all. As the books begin to burn the smell mixed with that rotten flesh makes me retch and throw up all over myself. Heat begins to warm my skin and the fire starts rolling toward me.
I am free and able to run. No doors line the walls so I was out of options. I dodge the flames as if in an intricate dance with the fire making my way towards the table. Searching the drawers yielded nothing to help me out of the situation. Feeling the heat start to boil my skin as it came closer I grabbed the only other thing there, the mystery novel. Power erupted through me as if the novel was giving off some sort of electric charge. Instinctively I open it up, reading the first thing that caught my eyes;
‘Agronoch, master of demise, condemner of souls, save me from the wickedest of the pit’.
I suddenly wake up drenched in a cold sweat. My eyes needed to focus but it was as if I hadn’t slept for a week and they wouldn’t stay open. I was out again, thankful for not chasing the nightmare once more that night.
This same nightmare ripped my sleep from me, making me exhausted and moody. Patricia tried her hardest to help and cheer me up but it was no use, these dreams were tearing my psyche apart. I even gave up reading the novel so it wouldn’t make it worse.
We decided if they didn’t go away within the next day or so we would contact a doctor to help. That night though things took a turn for the worse.
I was dragged out of another nightmare to the gripping silence of the night. My heart raced fast and sweat clung to my forehead. I turned to where my phone was propped up displaying the time, 2 am. As grateful as I was to have been released from what my brain had manifested I sat up wondering what had caused me to wake. The feeling of unease washed over me when I heard a bang downstairs in the shop.
I woke up Patricia telling her, “If I am not back in 20 minutes call the cops”.
She grasped my arm with a worried look. We live in a small town, not that crime never happens but it is on the rare side. I got up grabbed the aluminum bat by the door and made my way downstairs.
I crept along the stacks looking silently listening for any sound that the intruder could be making. My head on a swivel I made my way around checking every crevice. By the time I made it to check the door, I pulled on it, locked. Walking up to the counter I scanned the area making sure I didn’t miss anything. While walking to check to make sure the money was still in the register I tripped yelling, “fuck”, catching myself on the wall before I tumbled to the ground. Thick used hardcover textbooks lay strewn on the ground. Realizing an unsteady pile is what had made the bang I proceeded to pick it up, arranging them once again. I also needed to tell my wife not to phone the police and that it was ok so I called up; “Patricia, everything is fine down here some books just fell”.
“OK, do you need any help?”
“I should be fine, I’ll be up in a few, try to go back to sleep”.
I continued picking up the pile letting out a sigh as unease drifted from me. To my surprise, under the books lay the mystery novel. I picked it up wondering how it had gotten over here and checking for damage. Relief flooded through me knowing it was ok, it was strange having such a reaction to a novel I’m only a few chapters into but I felt this need to protect it. I placed it on the counter back into its spot on my counter and finished with the rest of its falling comrades. Once done I began to make my way upstairs. As I was a few feet from a thud came a foot from me. I swung around expecting to see someone standing there that I had missed but there was no one. Upon looking at the ground to see if maybe I kicked something I noticed my new friend. Confusion entered my mind not knowing how this could be true, but as human skepticism dictates I chalked it up to having put it too close to the edge. Picking it up I decided to bring it with me.
I checked in on Patricia noticing she was asleep so I decided to sit on the couch and read a bit until the adrenaline from this midnight excursion left me. Opening the pages I picked up where I had left off a few hours before. The chilling nature of the story had me transfixed as I traversed through its pages. The absolute mastery of the writing flowed out overshadowed only by the sheer terror within those words. By far this was the scariest novel I had read to date but I could not put it down.
My alarm rang on my phone, I had been reading for almost 4 hours even though it felt like 30 minutes. Peeling myself away I hopped in the shower to get ready for the day. Between the shower and a nice big warm cup of coffee, I was ready to wake my sleeping wife so she could get ready to go to the office and I could begin to get the store ready.
It was mid-day when things started going wrong. A storm had moved in just after 10 making the patrons not want to venture into the store. Thunder shook the building with each violent blow as rain pelted the window creating a constant hum. A bright flash filled the room casting eerie shadows until it dissipated along with the power it seems. Encased in the darkness I began searching for my phone to shine a light.
‘Ding’ the front door sensor chimed interrupted me signalling someone entering the shop.
“Sorry, powers out I can’t ring anything up at the moment” I called out.
Silence greeted me as I looked around. A flash of lightning illuminated the space once again as I tried my hardest to find this person.
“Hello?” I asked once more.
No one answered so I began searching for my phone once again. ‘Ding’ the alarm chirped again. Figuring they left because they couldn’t see I intensified my search. I swear I had left my phone on the counter but it was nowhere to be found. ‘Ding’ ‘Ding’ ‘Ding’ it chimed consecutively. Forgetting the phone I began to walk towards the door.
“Hey, not sure what you’re playing here but you have to leave, I have no power” I called out again.
Making my way forward with only the occasional flash of lightning I made it a few feet from the door. The sensor kept dinging as I noticed a large shape in front of me.
“Hey, are you ok?” I reached out towards whoever this was as a rancid scent reached me.
“Dude, can you hear me?” I asked between gags.
Realizing it was a hood covering the person’s head, I grabbed at their shoulder to get their attention. A flash of lightning lit up their face as they looked at me. I fell back screaming, knocking over a bookcase as I took everything in. The things’ eyes were black and sunken in, dry pasty skin hung off exposing the white skull underneath, and blood stained its sharp pointy teeth. It reached out its long slender boney fingers as if to try to stop me from falling. I landed down hard but was back up, backing away within seconds. This thing was starting to move towards me with a look of hunger in its eyes. The store plunged into darkness as I tried to hide. Hard heavy breathing came from the creature as it slowly progressed towards me. I ducked under a table hoping the creature could not see. A shuffling sound moved towards me as another bright light flashed around us. The bones dangly fingers rested above me as the creature began to reach for me. Darkness once more but I knew this thing had me.
I crouched there, anticipation for my demise clutched my insides as I had nothing left. Another bright light so I closed my eyes tight so as not to see whatever this thing was, tearing me apart. It grabbed me as I screamed. I screamed until my voice was raw and did not open my eyes. When I couldn’t scream any longer I decided to open them, my beautiful wife was crouching there with a look of worry.
“Watch out there is something in here” I yelled out at her.
She stood up looking around, “honey, there is no one here, what is going on”.
Shaking, I got up slowly scanning our surroundings. The lights were on and it seemed the storm had stopped and the sun was shining. I ran around the store looking everywhere and seeing if I could find wherever this thing was, but the store was empty. I went up to Patricia and explained what I had just witnessed.
She said something that shook me to my core, “Dan what storm? It’s been completely sunny today, are you feeling alright?”
She explained how she had walked in, seen the mess and noticed my hiding shivering under the table. When she came over to try to calm me down I began to scream. I didn’t know what to say to this, I was speechless. We decided to close up early and take the afternoon to relax.
After the frightful event of the day, I knew I shouldn’t read the story as it would most likely cause my anxiety to rise but the sight of it beckoned me over like a siren calling a sailor to the rocky shore. Snuggling up to my wife I read once more. A few pages in, Patricia asked if I was ok because my breathing had seemed to become hollow. I assured her I was fine and I was just at an exciting part in the story. We both read our respective books until about 9 when she wanted to go to sleep, and as reluctant as I was to just finish the last few chapters she convinced me to join her.
I laid there for two hours tossing and turning, unable to join Patricia in the wonderful world of slumber. Finishing the novel is all that was on my mind so I made sure she was fully asleep before creeping into the living room. Reading the last few chapters was relatively quick. The conclusion came and went with a very satisfying ending. Ultimately the greatest novel that was ever written in my opinion but as I went to put it down I noticed there was writing on the next page.
I pray that if you have so stupidly heeded my warning that you will be smart enough to fix it. The demons that haunt me today are not to be trifled with. Write and write fast so hopefully, they will not break through. -William Charles Bachman III
I dropped the book and gasped, William Charles Bachman III, that was my father. How could this be? I knew he did some ghostwriting in the years before his death but I never knew he had written a novel. What were the odds that it found its way to me, I did not know. I didn’t have a lot of time to come to terms with this when I began to hear what sounded like a child giggling coming from downstairs and then a loud crash.
I ran for my bat to teach whoever was down in my shop a lesson. I tore downstairs and reached for the light switch. Flicking it a few times was futile and it would not turn on. Quickly running over to my counter I thanked God knowing that I had completely forgotten my phone down here. Checking the counter I found it sitting right where I had left it before. Picking it up I turned on the flashlight scanning around. The laughter came from behind the bookshelf and I jumped there screaming, “Haha I got you”. Empty greeted me and the laughter called out again from across the room. I chased it once more trying to intercept the intruders, again emptiness was all that remained. The laughing was now coming from my desk, I ran over and lept over it knocking some books off it sending them tumbling to the ground with a thud. Again nothing was there but to my surprise, as the next laugh rang out, a shadow accompanied the noise.
I slowly made my way over trying to not let them know I was there. As I got close I shut off the flashlight to not clue them into my presence. When I was within a few feet I illuminated what I thought was a person. I screamed in terror as in front of me was the creature from earlier. Rancid flesh assaulted my nose making my vision cloud over in tears. It looked at me with a sadistic grin as it lunged. Usually, my fight or flight response was the latter but I had had enough. I gripped the bat in both hands and wound back. As its disgusting fingers were nearly inches away from me I swung. Connecting with its head. The creature stumbled back falling. I jumped on top of the creature dropping my phone and plunging us into the darkness. I did not need to see as the squish of the bat hitting flesh was enough validation that I was hitting my mark. I hit two more times as the lights turned on blinding me. When my dazed eyes adjusted I looked down at my work.
“Holy fuck, no no no” I sobbed.
I crouched down and cradled the corpse of my now-dead wife, her face bloody and broken. Tears streamed from my eyes as sobs escaped my lips echoing off the shelves. I knew I needed to get out of here, no one is going to believe my story if I tell them and they will lock me up where the creature can easily get me.
That is why I am now writing this from a motel half a country away. I know I need to get this all written down so that thing can never get me again. I knew I needed to take my father’s advice, especially when I came into this room and the novel was laying there waiting for me on the bed.