A Thousand and One

Suspense Stories | Sep 12, 2011 | 4 min read
180 Votes, average: 4 out of 5
Suspense Stories

A Thousand and One

Gasping for air, Jack Parker sprung from another night terror seething with images of his wife, Diane, who had died in a dreadful boating accident six months ago. The coast-guard had searched for her many days to no avail, and so she remained forever lost in a frigid, maritime graveyard. On the very same day, his best friend, Paul Kites, had died of a heart-attack--an extra tragedy thrown in, courtesy of Jack Parker, who'd mused about his murderous plans for what seemed to him like a thousand times before finally acting it out.

Parker reached toward his nightstand, which was illuminated by a pale, golden light. He felt for a pen, groggily watched as he jotted something down on a well-used journal, then collapsed, becoming lost in another vice-like, nightmarish slumber...

"Jack, are you okay?"

Parker slowly opened his eyes only to find Diane leaning over him. "You okay, Jack?"

"I... I suppose. Diane? Is that you? How--"

"It's okay, Jack. Yes it's me."

"But you're--"

"Dead? Is that what you think? You're so silly. You've said that a thousand and one times now."

"But this can't be happening, Diane. I was there; at your funeral. And why am I lying on the beach? I'm certain I was in bed a few moments ago. I just can't... can't think straight for some reason."

"Really, Jack. Hold on. I've got something that'll stimulate those brainwaves of yours."

Parker's eyes widened as a large boat anchor crashed down a few inches from his head. He backpedaled, spun around, then dashed down the beach while Diane ranted like she'd been overtaken by some form of madness.

"Wait, Jack! I'll help you remember!" Her voice began to vibrate. "Jack, I have a boat anchor for you!"

The sun descended beyond the horizon so quickly it was as if someone had pressed the fast-forward button on a video player. A bolt of lightening flashed across the sky, and the air turned bitterly cold.

"A thousand and one," a voice whispered before morphing into a demonic gargle. "A thousand and one, Jack!"

The sand became softer and softer, sifting Parker, pulling him down deeper and deeper. Suddenly, he found himself falling a great distance through pure darkness, then plunging feet-first into a deep pool of chilling, black water. Jack propelled upward as fast as he could, pushing against the murky liquid. He crawled from the mire and onto a dry, pebbly surface housed within the confines of a natural stone room. The area was lit with an unknown source of blue-green brilliance that bounced off every tangible surface, then down a nearby large shaft.

"A thousand and one," a multitude of metallic voices chimed.

Jack scurried to his feet, leaped over a mound of cluttered bones and bolted down the corridor. He glanced back only once and saw the rocks come to life in the form of a thousand and one gangly bodies. From the ceiling, floor, and walls they appeared; reaching, clawing, crawling from their hiding places--a thousand and one pulsating piles of putridness.

"I'm coming for you, Jack! I'm right behind you!"

Parker darted down the phantom passage as the corporeal multitude sang their spectral cadence of death. "A thousand and one! A thousand and one! Just one will make a thousand and one!"

Jack continued his trek down the luminous shaft, evading living corpses at every turn. Two of them suddenly grabbed his wrists, applying an unbreakable hold. The dark song faded to an eerie quietness, but was shortly replaced by a slithery, oozing sound. A unique figure descended upside-down from the ceiling, then slowly glided to where Parker remained prisoner.

"Hey there, Buddy. It's been a long time."

"Paul! Is that you? You've got to help me get free! Something's wrong with Diane! She's lost her mind!"

"Sorry, friend. If I've told you once, I've told a thousand and one times that there was nothing going on between the two of us."

A chill surged through Jack as the distorted form floated toward him, mouth wide, exposing long, jagged, yellow teeth. "No! Stay away from me!" Parker began to twist and turn, breaking free of the zombie henchmen. He dove at the undead Paul Kites, knocking him to the ground.

"A thousand and one," Paul sang. "Just one will make a thousand and one!"

Jack rocketed into the shaft, reaching a dead end, and an opening just big enough for him to slide through. Warm air engulfed him as he stepped from the dimly-lit passage and onto a dark, stony stairway. He trudged up, higher and higher, amid what felt like a thousand and one hands groping to enslave him, to keep him beneath the earth for a thousand and one years.

Sunlight led Parker to a tree-canopied cliff that overlooked a vast ocean--the same ocean where he had murdered his wife by way of sabotage. A phantasmal image of his boat appeared, speeding through the water, out of control until it crashed into the rocks below. Jack raced to the precipice for a closer look.

"Diane! I take it back! I take it all back! I didn't mean for it to happen!"

"Sure, Dear." Parker turned only to find a clammy-skinned, seaweed-covered Diane lumbering toward him with outstretched arms. "You've said that a thousand and one times." Suddenly, she lunged forward, taking him over the edge, fingers clamped tight, her rotted, bony grin eternally plastered. Screams and monstrous laughter created a cacophony of demonic horror as daytime turned to night in the blink of an eye...

Parker awoke with a start, cold sweat beading on his face. He took a moment to gather his thoughts, then wiped the perspiration away. Breathing irregular, he retrieved the small journal that rested on his beside table, flipped passed sheet after sheet, viewing the number of times he'd had this nightmare. On the page where the last entry was made sat a sickening group of numbers: 998, 999, 1000. Trembling, he reached for a pen and scrawled a set of new, more horrifying figures: 1... 0... 0... 1.

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Reviews

Kevin E Lake Sep 18, 2011

great story. you did a great job in regard to description. I could see the nightmare in my mind as if watching it on film. Imma go give it a 5! kevin e lake aurhor of Amazon's #1 rated ghost novel in customer satisfaction "From the Graves of Babes"

Elizabeth Sep 16, 2011

You did an amazing job !!! I give you Five Stars ***** Way to go My Love !!!!!():)

Elizabeth Sep 16, 2011

Tim you did an amazing job !!! I give You 5 Stars*****():) Way to go My Love !!!

Geeta Sep 13, 2011

good work...

Amit Sep 13, 2011

i give that 5 stars *****. its is awesome :)

James Sep 12, 2011

1001 times great storyline!!

Chanchal Sep 12, 2011

omg?. its a really good story.....

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