Horrific

We All Scream

Martha's Ice Deli was the place to go for a frozen treat when you needed one. No one had ever met Martha herself but she was known all across the town of Topock Maine for her delicious assortments of flavored ice.

The kids would gather around the large stand, standing in lines on all sides, just to buy a cone of what was rumored to be the best ice cream for miles.

For years the stand had been around, no one knowing exactly how long. And despite the weathering away of the roof and the moss in the cracks of the walls, the kids still kept coming. So when a young man came by and saw the newly posted "hiring" sign in the window, he decided to go for it.

The sign had instructed him to return to the stand the next Wednesday night, at 11:00 PM on the dot. The young man named Clayton found it somewhat odd for a job interview to be so late but he didn't think much of it at the time.

The next night, sixteen year old Clayton found himself rolling into the nearby parking lot and making his way over the the well known ice deli. He looked down at his digital watch and saw the time flashing back up at him notifying him that he was fourteen minutes early.

Wanting to appear professional, he decided there was no harm in showing up a little early. He walked down the small path and up to the ice deli. All of the windows had been closed and locked for the night. Circling around the back, Clayton did his best to find where his future employer awaited him.

After circling the entire establishment he found nothing. And just as he was beginning to think this must be a joke, he saw the door. It was only open a crack, as if left open by mistake, but light flooded out of it in a long thin line.

Approaching the door, Clayton saw there was no handle. And if the door had been closed it easily would have been mistaken for another part of the wall. But being fortunate enough to find it, he assumed this had to be where he was supposed to meet whoever was hiring.

Pulling open the door, he found himself looking into a small hallway. Doors on either side most likely led to rooms with window booths where ice cream was sold. Only one door stood slightly cracked and so Clayton preceded.

The warm glow of the hallway light flickered above him as he looked down at his watch and read the time. Still seven minutes early and wanting to keep it that way, Clayton eagerly pushed the next door open.

This one was darker but sound came from within. Clayton stepped in and looked around. He had not expected it to look like this. Usually ice cream shops were brightly colored and merry. This one seemed to be dull and dark and depressing.

The walls were faded and discolored, resembling no evidence that anyone had been in here for years. Yet as he looked around, Clayton still heard a sound coming from the back. Looking past overturned chairs and tables, Clayton made his way into what must have once been the kitchen.

He stepped inside and was disgusted by what he saw. A young girl, about her age, sat tied to a chair. He recognized the girl: Cindy Green. She had been his lab partner once in Toppok public middle school. As for the woman standing over her, he could not say.

Her clothes were tattered and torn apart, as if she had been running among the local wolves. She wore a look of insanity on her face and her attempt at speech reinforced the visual. While her words were slurred and she had difficulty forming sentences, He caught bits and pieces.

"You're early." It sounded like she said as if she were an old lady and was having trouble catch her breath.
"Hi. Uhm.." Clayton stammered, confused and lost on what was happening. And that's when he saw it: the knife in her hand.

He turned and tried to run, but met a brutal realization. Just like the outer door, these doors also lacked handles. And as he ran for it, he watched the last of the light slip away, carrying his hopes of escape with it.

It didn't take long for her to catch up to him. And surprising he didn't put up much of a fight, even if he was on the high school football team. He only let out a single yell for help before the woman who may or may not be Martha planted her knife in his heart.

And with him no longer struggling, and the girl tied up, it was a lot easier to work. To sit back and spend the night grinding up the new ingredients. To spend the night preparing tomorrow's special new flavor.