ESCAPE

der-gorgonaut

// stairs // middle of 2014 // panasonic dmc-zs15 (by Georg Nickolaus)www.azurgrau.com

Lead me far away from the darkness.

Up these stairs, I will find my way.

I’m tired of living in this sadness.

Time to scope out a new day.

As I climb, the light taunts me.

It hits me square in the eye.

I squint as I try to see.

I must spread my wings and fly.

I’m thrust into a party at full throttle.

The sounds of laughter and music cocoon me.

I find life outside instead of a bottle.

I fly free and far away from the old me.

DOES CURIOSITY ALWAYS KILL THE CAT?

spongecatbeatpants

Esteban Maroto

DOES CURIOSITY ALWAYS KILL THE CAT?

My heart pumps fear through my veins,

bringing me anguish and pains.

Why must I be the curious one?

The one who can’t let the deed be done.

I must follow the noises to the basement,

where something is making an awful statement.

A voice called to me from my rumpled bed.

The sound echoed endlessly in my head.

I descend the stairs to the darkness below.

The noises combine to form a loud bellow.

A hiss hits my ear as claws rake my arm.

My silly cat thinks I mean him some harm.

I offer soothing words but he wants to flee.

Just as the door shuts and locks behind me.

The light bulb goes out leaving me in the dark.

Do I now hear a dog’s whimper and shrill bark?

Chills taunt me as I go down the dark stairs.

Following the whimpering and stray hairs.

Feathers float in front of me.

I don’t know what this can be.

I step on something squishy and soft.

I find a light and hold it aloft.

I lift my foot and the tail retreats

to the chair where it has hidden treats.

With the bright lantern held high,

I search for the source of a sigh.

My neighbor sits with her panting pals

of the furry sort in guys and gals.

“Am I also welcome to the party?”

I ask the pig-tailed girl, laughing hearty.

She replies, “Of course, you are, my dear neighbor,”

A point she refuses to belabor.

I join the circle on the floor,

as the cats and dogs eat some more.

Cake and cookies for all the guests,

even ones who have been great pests.

My black cat joins in with tail held high,

sniffing at the desserts and brown pie.

At least this story has a happy ending.

No one wants another tale to be pending.

DARK HOUSE

phoenix-in-ashes:

 

DARK HOUSE

Enticing.
Dark.
Deserted.
Dusty.
Eerie.
So many words
to describe the house.
Afraid.
Alone.
Reluctant.
Uneasy.
Too many words to describe
how I feel inside this house.
I will take it step by step.
One creaky step
followed by another.
Until I make it to the top.
What will I find there?
Creak, creak.
We will find out together.
Creak, creak.
Those weren’t my creaks.
I’m not alone in the house.
I’m leaving.
Bye.

THE DEAD GAME -- BEHIND DOOR NUMBER 3

THE DEAD GAME -- BEHIND DOOR NUMBER 3 

Down the stairs, we go,
Down to the dark basement
Of End House.
What happened here 5 years ago?

 A freak storm is what had happened.
The innocent family living here
Had disappeared into the raging waves
Of the Atlantic Ocean.

Now we are locked in its basement.
We've already made it through 
Swinging traps and circular saws.
No way for us but forward.

Three closed doors are standing before us. 
The horrors behind the first two doors 
Had almost killed us. 
Door number 3 is waiting.

We walk in.
It's dark.
Cages on the walls hold wild animals
Behind the metal bars.

Mike walks in first.
His eyes roam the room,
Searching for a possible escape 
From this hell hole.

He turns around.
The animals are suddenly free 
And are moving closer.
He could feel his heart beating faster.

The animals are breathing down his neck,
Getting ready to pounce.
David calls out that
He's found a door.

We are running down the stairs to the beach.
Flying creatures are swiping at us,
Trying to throw us into the ocean.
We stare down at the sharp rocks...

Their journey has only just begun. 

THE DEAD GAME

Kindle

http://amzn.to/1lKvMrP

Nook

http://bit.ly/1lFdqNj

THE HAUNTED HOUSE

“Should I walk up the stairs?

Should I peek into the window?

Should I see if the door is locked?

Do you think anyone is home?

It seems to be deserted.”

Linda hesitates.

Her friends close behind.

The house sighs.

It waits.

THE DEAD GAME by Susanne Leist

http://outskirtspress.com/thedeadgame

DOWN

LOOK OUT BELOW

The stairs are slippery.

The lights flicker.

All goes dark.

The door slams shut.

We run to check it.

It’s locked.

No place to go but down,

down to the basement

of the deserted house.

Waves hit the house.

Is that why the basement floor is wet?

A creaking noise comes from above.

Cages descend.

Circular saws soon follow.

THE DEAD GAME has begun.

THE DEAD GAME
Kindle
http://amzn.to/1lKvMrP

Nook
http://bit.ly/1lFdqNj

OUR GAMES HAVE JUST BEGUN

OUR GAMES HAVE JUST BEGUN 

How does a simple invitation to a party
Become the catalyst for The Dead’s games?

We arrive at End House in our party clothes,
Not suspecting the horrors that lie in wait.
The door bell gongs through the empty rooms
As a cold wind pushes us inside.

Candlelight flickers down the right hallway
And up the gargoyle-protected staircase.
We stand huddled together in fear,
Afraid to take another step into the unknown.

Two groups search the house for the missing host,
But no signs of a party can be found.
The empty rooms yield no people,
Only the smell of fear and the dying.

My group trudges down the basement stairs.
All too soon we are trapped behind the locked door.
The basement floor is filling with water.
What was once dry is now wet and cold.

Clanging noises fill the thick air around us,
Revealing cages with sharp metal spikes.
They descend from the ceiling by chains,
Converging on Edward who’s trapped in the pool.

Tim screams in despair over his roommate
And jumps into the dark water to save his friend.
He falls face first into the black water
As circular saws descend to join the game.

Edward dodges the deadly devices,
Bringing Tim to safety on the opposite side.
They disappear through a doorway
That quickly dissolves back into the stone wall.

I refuse to play this game any longer.
I must escape from this so-called party.
I will try one of the three new doors
That have appeared on the opposite wall.

The third door yields a round bricked tower
With a gated opening at the top.
I slowly climb the sharp bricks,
Using my hands and feet to pull myself up.

A loud noise comes from above.
The gate is crashing down to one side.
Of course, it’s the side that I’m clinging to.
I close my eyes and say a quick prayer.

The heavy gate somehow misses me,
Loosening dozens of bricks on its way down.
I could’ve been swatted like an ant,
But for some reason I’ve been spared.

Mike refuses to check any more doors
After the one he checks yields a bottomless pit.
It’s all left to David to open the last door
To find a possible escape from this hell hole

Our games have just begun.

THE DEAD GAME

Kindle http://amzn.to/1lKvMrP

Nook http://bit.ly/1lFdqNj

BEHIND DOOR NUMBER 3

THE DEAD GAME – BEHIND DOOR NUMBER 3 

Down the stairs we go,
down to the dark basement.

What happened here 5 years ago?
A freak storm is what happened.

The innocent family  disappeared
and were never heard from again.

Now we are locked in the End House basement.
Water reaching our knees.

We’ve already made it through 
swinging traps and circular saws.

Three closed doors stand before us. 

We’ve lived through the horrors
behind the first two doors.

Door number 3 is still waiting.

We walk in.
It’s dark.

Wild animals pace back and forth
in metal cages on the walls.

Mike walks in first,
his eyes roaming the room.

He turns around.
The animals are free.

They are moving closer.
His heart beats faster.

He can feel the animals 
breathing down his neck.

He hears David calling out that
he’s found another door.

We are running down the stairs to the beach.

Flying creatures swipe at us.
We stare down at the sharp rocks…

THE DEAD GAME has begun.

THE DEAD GAME

Kindle 
http://amzn.to/1lKvMrP 

Nook http://bit.ly/1lFdqNj