Millswood
by
Shane Mulvaney
The gleaming red 1964 mustang fastback was now just a glimmer of light in the distance although their parents were still waving good bye to Mike, Jamie and Adam. The three boys decided to go on a road trip around America to celebrate their graduation. They decided to go to 11 states and stay for one week in each state. They picked Las Vegas, Texas, Columbia, Florida, Ohio, New York, Illinois, California, Colorado, Niagara falls on the Canada - America border and finally Washington. They had been saving for the past few months and now it would be worth it. On the way to Las Vegas Mike the oldest told the other two about a place called Millswood and the legend of the Millswood butcher.
They finally arrived in Las Vegas after being on the road for a day and a half. They stayed in the Tangiers hotel and casino. The spent the whole week sight seeing. They were amazed that this used to be a desert. It was all going fine until Mike had a near miss with a bin truck. On the last day they got their souvenir from Las Vegas, This was the first of eleven they would get. They then headed for Texas. Adam was sitting in the back, map in hand when he saw Millswood on the map, He handed it to Mike and Mike said “we have to go and have a look.”
They all decided to take a detour through Millswood although Jamie was a bit reluctant. They were a bit low on fuel so they pulled into a garage to get some petrol. Jamie went in to pay, the owner asked him where they were going. “Texas” Jamie replied. “The main road to Texas is 50 mile back” the owner commented. Jamie looked up with his arms struggling to carry all the soft drinks and ready made sandwiches. We know, were taking a detour through Millswood Jamie replied. The owner looked down and blessed himself but before the owner could dissuade them from doing it, Jamie had put the money on the counter and had left. The owner looked out the window at the boys, he then put his hands together and mimed with his lips “please lord, not again, please”
They drove for another 100 miles but finally they saw the sign saying welcome to Millswood but as soon as they passed the sign the engine cut-out. Jamie looked at the fuel gage and it read ‘E’. They rolled to a stop in the middle of the Millswood, it was a ghost town, a cow-boy and Indian style town, only about 500ft long. There was one bar, one shop and all the rest were houses. Although the house at the end of the street seemed huge, it was about 3 storeys high while all the others were one story with a window in the roof. It seemed that they were the only life in the town apart from the crickets and the screeching eagles soaring in the sunny sky.
They looked around for a few minutes. They noticed that all the windows were broken, that there was an axe in one of the doors. They noticed some things about the bar, like one of the wooden planks on the steps going up to the terrace of the bar was gone, There was a rocking chair swaying in the subtle wind and that there was a dried blood stain in the arch going into the bar. They noticed other tyre marks in the dirt, All of the marks seemed to go around the back of the big house. Adam thought that he saw the silhouette of a tall man in one of the windows but when he blinked it had vanished.
The three boys got out of the car and walked towards the bar. They were at the arch near the entrance of the bar when an eagle squawked. The three boys jumped and looked back but when they looked towards the bar again Mike was gone. Adam called Mike a few times, then Jamie shouted “co’mon Mike… it’s not funny!” then they heard a scream. Adam shouted “we’re going now Mike!” Jamie and Adam walked towards the car when Mike’s lifeless head bounced off the roof of the car. Adam let out a horrific yell. They ran to the car. another head thumped off the roof. They both got into the car. Adam tried to start the engine but it wouldn’t budge. A strong breeze blew which churned up some sand with it. When the sand settled a small boy was standing at the other end of the town. Jamie signalled to the boy to come here and get in. The boy was wearing a very old cow-boy suit although most of it was torn up. The boy asked Jamie and Adam why they had come here when he got in to the car. Adam replied slowly “I don’t know”
Yet another strong breeze blew taking sand with it but when the sand settled a big man wearing a bloody butcher apron and a black leather mask was standing behind them at the entrance to the town. The child let out a loud scream and shouted “the big house, go to the big house!” They all got out of the car and ran towards the big house. Meanwhile the butcher was walking slowly towards them. He put his open hand towards the ground and a long bar of sand rose from the ground. He then raised the sand bar and threw it. In midair it changed form, it changed into a pitch fork. It narrowly missed Adam. The butcher did it again only this time it was a javelin and it struck Jamie in the back and emerged through his chest. Adam looked back at his friend and then he looked up at the butcher who was crafting more weapons. Adam turned with a tear rolling down his face and ran for his life. Adam asked the kid why the big house. The kid replied “cause there’s a gun there!” a smile of revenge appeared on Adams face. Suddenly there was another strong breeze and the kid disintegrated and floated away. Adam looked back and saw writing in the sand, it read “you can run but you can’t hide!”
Adam got to the house and found the shot-gun but it only had three bullets. Adam ran outside willing to face the butcher and finish this. He stood in the middle of the road looking into the butchers eyes. The butcher was crafting another weapon, Adam squeezed the trigger slowly. The gun fired, it hit the butcher in the shoulder then again in the chest. The butcher fell to the ground. Their eyes met. Adam let off another shot, this time he got the butcher in the head. The butchers remaining eye closed. Adam dropped the gun. He was looking at the butcher when his eye opened. A knife flew up out of the dirt narrowly missing Adam. Adam scurried to the gun, picked it up and tried to fire but there were no bullets left. He let the gun slip out of his hands and turned around, not wanting to see when he was going to die but nothing happened. When he looked back the butcher was gone but Adam knew he would be back.
Adam just stood there waiting. Suddenly the sand started to move like there were snakes slithering underneath it. Adam tried to run but it was too late, a wall of sand emerged from the ground, surrounding Adam. After a few minutes the wall came down. A tear welled up in Adam’s eye when he saw the butcher. The butcher held up his hand as if to say good bye, then he stuck the knife straight through Adams chest. Adam fell to the ground. The butcher looked him straight in the eye and then seemed to disintegrate in the wind. Suddenly the hole in his chest began to enlarge. Adam began to scream with the pain. The last thing that he saw was the butcher watching him from a distance. the smile on his face said it all.
Shane MulvaneySt. Vincent’s 2