Balloon Doom
By Liam Johnston
(prologue)
It’s a late Friday evening and Josh, a man in his late twenties with short brown hair and a lean build, is finishing up his shift. He has diabetes, but he doesn’t let that slow him down. He’s kind, helpful and always willing to go the extra mile to make things easier for everyone. As the evening wears on, he finishes his shift at the Party Place for the night. He had just finished filling up 40 large balloons of various colors with helium for a last minute birthday party order. When he was done, the many colors of the balloons swayed in the dim light and Josh turned to head out when he heard a faint rattling sound. Josh quickly turns around but doesn’t see anything out of the ordinary, the halloween masks give off an eerie ambience in the night and the hanging decorations swayed in the air conditioning, and the many colors of the balloons sway in the balloon corral. He turns back around to leave when he hears it again, a faint rattling sound, this time with a soft squeaking noise.
When Josh turns to once again see what is making the strange noise, he is immediately met with the balloons that he had previously filled rushing towards him, the mass and size of the balloons knocking him to the ground. Josh struggles to free himself from the balloons but becomes ever more entangled in them as he tries to pop the balloons in an attempt to free himself. Suddenly Josh starts to feel a searing pain around his neck, arms and legs, the balloon’s strings have become lancinating whips while the balloons themselves close in from all sides, their rubbery forms bobbing and jiggling to Josh’s struggles and cries.
As Josh writhed in agony, trying desperately to free himself from the balloons’ restricting hold, he grabbed his diabetic lancet and began to frantically pop the balloons. As Josh’s fingers began to fly over the balloons, trying to pop each one as quickly as possible, his mind raced trying to figure out what was happening. Were there people behind this attack, or was it just a freak coincidence? He struggled even harder against the balloons, but their tightened grip on him seemed to grow stronger with each passing moment. The next morning, another coworker walks into the party store to find the chilling scene, lying on the ground and covered in lacerations was Josh, his diabetic lancet still clutched in his hand “H-help me” Josh says with a shaky voice as he reaches out a bloodied hand.
My name is Adam, and as I sit here writing this, my hands shake and tears roll down my face as I recall the traumatic events that change my life
It started innocently enough, it was the middle of summer and as the sounds of birds chirping, people laughing, and the sizzle of a grill filled my ears my closest friends Gabe, the adventurous and outgoing friend who always pushes me out of my comfort zone, was manning the grill with mouth-watering burgers. Lisa, my fiercely independent and hardworking friend, was chatting and laughing with her mischievous younger siblings Sarah and Jake. Gabe’s charismatic older cousin Mark, and his girlfriend Emily, were also there, adding to the lively atmosphere.
“So Adam, I heard you had a fear of balloons” Emily said as Gabe was passing out burgers.
I shifted uncomfortably in my seat “Yeah, I’ve had it ever since I was 13” I admitted before taking a bite of my burger.
“I actually have a cousin that has a phobia of balloons because of an accident at the party place he worked at,” Lisa said as everyone sat down to eat.
Jake chimed in with a snicker “You’re afraid of balloons? That’s hilarious!” they said, teasing Adam.
My mind went back to that fateful day when I was 13. I was at a birthday party, and there were lots of colorful balloons everywhere. I watched in horror as one of the balloons popped, sending tiny shards of latex flying everywhere. I was hit by one of the pieces, and it left a tiny cut on my face. Since then, the mere sight of balloons made me feel anxious and scared.
“Remind me again who has a fear of peanut butter sticking to their mouth” Gabe said raising an eyebrow
Sarah and Lisa burst out laughing, “Oh yeah, Jake, you’re afraid of that!” they exclaimed.
Now it was Jake’s turn to shift nervously in his seat, his face as pink as a medium rare steak. “It’s not a fear, it’s just a quirk.”
Sarah and Lisa both looked at each other and rolled their eyes
“(cough) anyways who’s hogging the burger patties, I’m hungry” Jake said as everyone else sat down at a red plaid picnic table
As the day wore on we ate dinner and cracked open cold beers, played games, and shared stories, enjoying each other’s company, i let my guard loosen as i have a rare moment of bliss and even played balloon tag, letting a balloon bounce off me without flinching, but little did we know that this barbeque would be one of our last times together.
It was late that evening and we said our goodbyes and headed our separate ways. As Gabe and I went to our apartment, we talked about the events of the day and what tomorrow would bring. As soon as we entered the elevator something felt off, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. We got ready to hit the sack, but as I was in my room getting ready for bed, something caught my eye from the apartment window. I looked to see a cluster of balloons tied to a post just outside the apartment, their many colors and swollen forms gleaming menacingly in the light of the street lamp. my pulse quickened and I shuddered as I tried to shrug it off and go to sleep.
I woke up in my room to see it filled with balloons. I started to feel a sense of unease as I walked cautiously through them, feeling the rubbery texture against my skin. As I tried to make my way out of the room, I realized the balloons were closing in on me. They were suffocating me, wrapping tightly around my arms, chest, and neck. I could barely breathe, and every attempt to move made me feel like I was moving at a snail’s pace then the balloons lunged at me, covering my face in their rubbery embrace. I tried to scream but only muffled cries came out.
Then, a hand reached out and grabbed me. “Wake up!” a voice shouted. I opened my eyes and found myself staring at my friend gabe, who had heard the commotion. “You were screaming in your sleep,” he exclaimed. “I tried to wake you up, but you kept flailing around, everything okay?”
I shook my head, still trying to catch my breath. It was the same nightmare that had haunted me since I was a child. It was the reason why I dreaded birthday parties and avoided the circus.”I had a nightmare,” I explained.
“What kind of nightmare?” He asked curiously.
I hesitated, wondering if I should even tell him. But the words poured out of me before I could stop them. “I was trapped in a room with thousands of balloons, and they kept multiplying until they filled the whole room. Then, they started suffocating me.”
Lisa soon joined us, having heard the commotion. “What happened?” she asked, her face etched with concern.
“Adam had a nightmare,” game said in a calm voice.
It’s from your phobia isn’t it?” Lisa asked in a concerned voice
I nodded feeling a bit embarrassed, Gabe’s eyes widened with disbelief. “That’s creepy,” he shuddered, “I hate balloons. They’re so unpredictable.”
“Me too, but I’ve never had a nightmare like that before,” I admitted, still feeling shaken.
We went back to sleep and woke up the next day trying to shake the remnants of my dream off. I couldn’t help but I could feel a sense of unease. Even though I tried to push it to the back of my mind, I kept thinking about the balloons that seemed to be everywhere we went. From the mall where we picked out gifts for Sarah and Jake’s upcoming birthdays, to the rooftop bar where we had drinks and watched the sunset, their buoyant shapes danced in the distance, there was always a balloon or two in sight. Then one day, Gabe, Lisa, and I went for a walk in the park, talking about the events of the other night.
“It’s weird, it’s like I could tell they had a sinister intent,” I said , perplexed.
“sinister intent? ok now you’re starting to freak me out “ Gabe said nervously
I couldn’t blame him, it was starting to feel like we were being watched. It was like the balloons were following us, but that was ridiculous, right?
“I know it sounds crazy,” I said, my own nerves starting to get the best of me. “But every time we turn a corner, there’s another balloon. And they’re not just regular balloons, they’re all black.”
Lisa looked at me with concern etched on her face. “Do you think it’s some sort of sign?”
“I don’t know,” I replied honestly. “But it’s starting to feel like we’re being targeted. What if someone is trying to send us a message?”
Gabe scoffed slightly. “Come on, man. It’s just balloons. You’re letting your phobia get the best of you.”
But Lisa was quick to defend me. “It’s not just about his phobia, Gabe. Adam has a point. It’s not just a coincidence that we keep seeing these balloons, what if someone is trying to send us a message?”
Gabe rolled his eyes. “Come on, guys. It’s just balloons. We’re not talking about some horror movie villain here.”
But Lisa wouldn’t be deterred. “Adam’s fear of balloons may be irrational, but it’s still real. And if something is making him feel like the balloons are out to get him, we should take it seriously.”
We continued to walk in silence for a few moments, the only sounds coming from the rustling of leaves beneath our feet. I could sense that we were all feeling the tension, and I knew that I wasn’t the only one with the nagging feeling that something wasn’t quite right.
What we did not know is that my nightmare was about to become a reality and the next thing I knew everything went black. I wake up to the feeling of something light tickling my face and the rumbling of a truck, as I lift my hand up to brush whatever it is away I hear a chorus of rubbery squeaks and feel the unmistakable sensation of latex and rubber on my skin. My vision comes into focus and to my horror i see the seemingly endless number of balloons that now surround me, all of them are different colors and sizes . panicked, i started pushing the balloons away from me only for them to be shuffled around in response, suddenly one of the balloons popped and i cried out in agony and fear as pain shot up my arm where the balloon popped.
“A-Adam?!” a concerned voice called out, I’m relieved to know that it’s Gabe,
“Gabe, where are you?” i ask, my voice trembling from the shock as i try to calm down
“Over here man,” Gabe said. I looked around to where I heard Gabe’s voice but all I could see were balloons, then I saw a hand poke out from the balloons and push them aside.
As i see gabes face, his expression immediately changes from flustered to worried as i start to hyperventilate from being surrounded by balloons
“It’s ok bud, just breathe” Gabe says as he helps me up and looks around, “where are we?”
“i don’t know, i remember walking with you in the park when all of a sudden i hear a loud bang and the next thing i know i wake up surrounded by these damn balloons” i say
Suddenly the feeling of moving stopped and the floor we were on tilted upwards and Gabe and I slid along with it. Soon we were dropped into a large, dimly lit room filled with even more large balloons. I slammed onto a large clear balloon as i fell to the ground, knocking the air out of me and a moment later Gabe landed beside me, jerking to one side as he hit a balloon only to land on another one that pops with a deafening bang as he cried out in agony, i panicked as he disappeared under the large balloons.
“Gabe!” I cried, rushing to comfort my friend and help him out from under the balloons as he struggled to get up.
“I’m ok, where the hell are we?” Gabe said as he rubbed his sore arm
“Beats me,” I said, as we looked at our surroundings
As we got a hold of our surroundings we see an endless field of large balloons ranging from red, blue, yellow, green, to some being transparent and having stars, polkadots, and stripes, rubbing against each other in a chorus of rubbery squeaks that made my heart beat so fast it was threatening to burst out. As Gabe and I stood there, equally confused, we heard sobbing and someone calling out “help, someone please help me!” It was Sarah and she sounded panicked, Gabe and I exchanged worried looks as we ran towards her voice as fast as we could. “Hold on, we’re coming” I said as we stumbled through the balloons, the overwhelming fear that I felt as we did so was as clear as day we saw Sarah lying in the fetal position, she had balloons tied to her arms, legs, and neck and Sarah was struggling to break free.
“It’s okay, Sarah, we’re here now,” I said calmly, as Gabe began to pop the balloons and untie her. “Just take deep breaths, everything’s going to be alright
Afterwards Sarah told Gabe and I about how she, Jake, and Lisa went through the same thing as Gabe and I had. They went out for lunch and when they left, there was a loud bang and everything went black .
We took a further look at our situation, that’s when we heard something that made our heart stop. A bloodcurdling scream followed by a sickening pop and a thud as we hear someone falling to the ground in a rattle of balloons. When we rushed towards the sound, I could see Lisa lying on the ground covered in lacerations and breathing shallowly, tied with balloons in the same way Sarah had been. “Lisa!” Gabe shouted as we ruched towards our friend,
“I don’t want to die like this” Lisa sobbed, yet as her life drained away all of us were dreading the inevitable as Gabe sarah and I tried to comfort Lisa in her last moments, with her last breath Lisa was gone, her innocent features forever staring into the abyss.
As Sarah sobbed at her sister’s death Gabe and I held back our own tears as a sense of livid build up inside of us at the loss of our friend, anger fueling our determination to survive this nightmare. As we trudged and pushed through the large balloons that filled the warehouse, their colors glinting in the dim light and rubbery squeaks seemed to mock us, a constant reminder of Lisa’ death.
As we continued further into what now seems like a large abandoned warehouse we found Mark who had managed to fashion some weapons out of a backup set of keys he kept in his back pocket and with a new sense of courage we popped as many balloons as we could as the warehouse filled with the rubbery sounds and deafening pops of the balloons. After an hour of fighting off the balloons, they retreated, leaving behind a pile of shredded rubber, bloodied and bruised, we made our way through the warehouse once more.
Soon, we ran into Emily and Jake at which point, Emily’s face lit up as she recognized us, and she ran into Mark’s arms. Sarah and I hung back, trying to steel ourselves for the terrible news we had to deliver. Finally, we approached Jake, his face twisted in anticipation.
“I’m sorry for making fun of your phobia, now i know why you hate balloons”
Sarah’s voice was barely a whisper as she spoke the words we had all been dreading. “Jake,” she said, “we have to tell you something. It’s about Lisa.”
Instantly, Jake’s face changed. Anguish and fear flickered across his features as he struggled to process what we were telling him. Tragedy struck again though as Emily and Mark were mercilessly ripped from each other as a single large balloon plunges its razor string into Mark’s chest in a horrifying scene, through the shock he looks down at the gruesome wound.
“E-Emily” Mark weakly says as he crumples to the ground as Emily cries “Mark, NO!” A thud is heard as Mark falls to the ground, bouncing off of the balloon attached to the stiff razor string that now impales his chest. Emily runs to Mark’s side as his breathing grows shallower and his voice barely a whisper, blood trickling from his mouth. Mark coughs as he whispers “I-I don’t think I’m going to make it”
“Mark don’t say that” Emily pleads as she tries to staunch the bleeding on Mark’s wound “we’re going to get out of here” Mark places a trembling hand on Emily’s cheek, their eyes locked in a heart-wrenching moment. Despite the pain, he manages a faint smile. As Mark gasps in agony, he whispers,“tell my family I-” His voice trails off, his body growing limp in Emily’s embrace as his life slips away.
Emily sobs as she cries out “Mark? MARK!” “Mark, wake up dammit!” “I can’t do this without you”. Emily feels a devastating emptiness in her chest, as if her heart has been ripped out along with Mark’s as the balloons draw ever closer, the eerie sinister rubber forms squeak and rustle as they tumble over each other, closing in on Emily
“We have to go!” I say as I grab Emily’s arm, I spot a hole in the wall and we make a run for it, however our escape is cut short as a balloon stabs its razor string through Emily’s leg, she cries out in pain as she collapses to the ground. The four of us just managed to reach the door when a cascade of large balloons started falling down, their unexpected dense weight making it impossible for us to escape. “ Go! I’ll hold them off, ‘’ Jake told Sarah as he struggled to hold back the killer balloons. Sarah looked back and saw Jake struggling “I’ll be right behind you”.
We all made a break for it as Jake started bursting balloons, each one disappeared in a sickening pop. Eventually we heard his agonized cries fill the air as the balloons descended on him. As we ran for the exit we could hear the balloons right behind us rattling as they cascaded down toward us. I could feel my heart beating out of my chest as we sprinted towards freedom, our escape just within reach. But then, suddenly, everything went dark. The last thing I heard were the screams of my friends. When I awoke, it was to the chime of hospital machinery and the sight of my friends in hospital beads, a nurse came in and I asked “are they going to be ok?”
The nurse said they will recover with some rest and explained that we had been found outside a field near the national park, unconscious and battered. We were lucky to have been discovered when we were; any longer and we might not have survived.
Days passed in the hospital and we were visited by the police who asked us what had happened. We hesitated at first, not knowing if we should reveal the truth about what happened that day for fear of being ridiculed. But eventually, we told them the whole story. At first, the police looked at us skeptically, but as we spoke, their expressions softened. They could see the fear and trauma in our eyes, and they knew we were telling the truth.
I write this as a warning that even the most innocent and harmless things could turn into our worst nightmares and I guess as a form of closure and tribute to Lisa, Mark, and Jake, who lost their lives to those killer balloons.
(Epilogue)
As Gabe and I sit at the park, I think back to the horrors that we faced in that abandoned warehouse that I so vividly remember. Gabe’s hand on my shoulder snaps me back to the present moment and i look up at him with a pained expression, “i can’t believe they’re gone, it should have been me” i say, my voice shaking with emotion tears rolling down my face “I know, but they wouldn’t want us to give up like this” gabe says as he gently tightens his grip on my shoulder and i look up at him with a sad but determined look, a half hour passes as we sit on the bench for a while and as we get up, we head towards the hospital to see Lisa’s cousin Josh and get some answers. As we enter the hospital room, we see Sarah sitting by Josh’s side as he lays in a hospital bed, his face bruised and bandaged from the attack of the killer balloons. Sarah looks up at us with red and puffy eyes, and we exchange a somber greeting before pulling up chairs beside her.
For a moment, we sit in silence, unsure of how to begin. Finally, I speak up, my voice cracking with emotion.
“How is he doing?” I ask Sarah, trying to keep my voice steady.
Sarah shakes her head, tears streaming down her face. “He’s in a lot of pain, but the doctors say he’s going to make it. He’s lucky to be alive.”
The words hit me hard, and my mind races back to the moment when I thought I was going to die. I can’t even imagine what Josh must have gone through, trapped and wounded by those deadly balloons.
As we sit by Josh’s side, we share stories about Lisa, Mark, and Jake, remembering the moments we shared with them before everything went wrong. Gabe shares a story about the time Mark convinced him to jump off a cliff into a river, and we all laugh through our tears. As the moments ticked by, we sat in silence, each lost in our own thoughts. It was Sarah who finally broke the silence, her voice barely above a whisper. “Do you remember that time we went to the beach?” she asked, her eyes still brimming with tears.
I nodded, a smile tugging at the corners of my mouth despite the heaviness in my heart. “Yeah, Lisa drew that amazing sandcastle. I still can’t believe she did that all by hand.”
Sarah gave a small laugh, wiping the tears from her face. “And do you remember when Jake stole Gabe’s phone and buried it in the sand, and we had to dig it out?”
Gabe chuckled, a spark of life returning to his eyes. “Yeah, little punk thought it was hilarious.”
For a moment, it felt like the weight of our loss was lifting, replaced by the warmth of memories shared. It wasn’t enough to make up for all that we had lost, but it was a start. Then we heard Josh stir, as we looked over, I could see that he’s in a lot of pain. I reach out to take his hand, and he grips it tightly, his eyes closing in a grimace. “Hey, buddy,” I say, trying to keep my voice steady. “How are you feeling?”
Josh takes a deep breath, and for a moment, I can see the fear in his eyes. I know how he feels, trapped and vulnerable, and I don’t want to make things worse for him. Gabe leans in, his voice low. “It’s okay, man. You’re safe now.”
Josh nods, his grip on my hand relaxing a little. “Thanks,” he whispers, his voice hoarse. “I don’t know what happened. It was like they came alive, i tried to tell my other coworkers but they all thought i was crazy”
Josh says with a puzzled look “then i start seeing strange creatures, each one begging for help with faces of rage sorrow and fear”
I exchange a worried look with Gabe. It seems like Josh’s experience with the balloons was more than just a physical attack. It sounds like he experienced something…otherworldly. As we learn more about Josh’s experience with the balloons, a chill runs down my spine. His description of seeing strange creatures begs the question: was this just a freak accident, or is there something more sinister at play? I can’t help but think back to my own traumatic experience with balloons that left me with a phobia, wondering if there’s some sort of connection.