Shorts stories & Creepypastas

Bloody corruption

Judge Hayden Howell had just settled with his wife, regardless of her opinion, in a small house deep in the woods. He had begun a well-deserved retirement after years of service to the court.

Of course, he had not always been honest, but he had to make a living. So, if the worst of criminals offered him a good compensation, he would turn a blind eye to the evidence and make them appear innocent. He had received numerous threats and letters pointing the finger at him for corruption, but he had been able to use his position to escape any accusation. He felt he was not in the wrong. After all, money ruled the world. His favorite excuse was having to give in to the whims of his children, of whom he was now very proud: His eldest daughter had just finished her law studies and was following in his footsteps, while his son was entering his final year at the same school. Only his youngest daughter brought him shame. She had attached herself to what Hayden called the "proletarians." Between humanitarian trips or Christmas soup distribution... couldn't these people fend for themselves? 

Judge Howell should have been thanked many times, after all, once in prison, these people were fed and housed regardless of whether they were innocent. And worst of all, this girl had become infatuated with one of them. A rogue, no less! She spoke to him of "great love" or not to judge by appearances, but he would never have accepted this boy as a son-in-law, let alone welcome him under his roof! Lately, he had been arrested for a crime he claimed he did not commit. If he had offered a small sum, Hayden might have been lenient and listened to him, but nothing. Did he think that freedom was free then? His daughter had begged him first, then insulted him. His own daughter! What nerve! However, the judge did not give in. Not only did she dare to raise her voice against her father, but also to demand the release of a proletarian she was in love with! Hayden was uncompromising in his decision! He had not heard from his daughter since, but it didn't matter.

However, the threats were becoming more frequent, which is why, now aged seventy-five, he had decided to take a small house far from everything. At least no one would bother him. They had just arrived at the gate. The house, no, the villa, was large. Immense even. Far too big for two people, but the judge intended to receive the children of his two eldest.

As he got out of the car, Hayden saw a magnificent deer in the garden. The animal had taken advantage of the fact that the place was not fenced. The judge grimaced and hurried to chase the animal away. Then he turned to his driver. How come the garden was not enclosed? Would wild animals be able to enter at will then? The poor man apologized, even though he was not guilty of this problem. The judge immediately called workers to enclose the property, although it disgusted him. He had the work done before moving in, precisely to avoid mingling with proletarians! Fortunately, the team worked quickly and did their job very well. Nevertheless, he did not give them a penny more than the amount agreed for these small jobs.

There! He was finally at home with his wife, even though she was like invisible to him. He was finally far from the city, he would no longer see all these people lamenting without reason. After all, those who had no money were the only ones to blame for their fate, right? Hayden settled in, with a clear conscience. When night began to fall, he enjoyed the silence. He sat in front of his fireplace and began to read a book on politics.

He didn't even bother to find out what his wife was doing. In the morning, he would lounge in a bath, alone. Then he would eat with his wife, but they wouldn't exchange a word. Finally, in the afternoon, he would lounge in the garden, or in the indoor pool he had built, cocktail in hand.

It was during their fifth night in this little paradise that they woke up, him and his wife, because of a loud noise. Someone... was knocking on their door? Or hammering? Hayden growled and got up. By the time he put on his slippers, he went down the stairs, distinguishing a thick shadow behind the glass of his front door.

"Who's there?"

The knocks stopped. A moment passed. Then, a high-pitched scream resonated, as if through a particularly powerful megaphone. Hayden covered his ears, it was unbearable!

Finally, the scream stopped. But the shadow was still present. The judge headed to the living room to grab the poker, then returned to the door. The shadow had not disappeared. He shouted:

"I am armed!"

No movement. Hayden decided to step forward and put his hand on the doorknob. He took a deep breath, then opened the door quickly while raising his makeshift weapon.

There was no one in front of the door... but when he turned his head, he dropped the poker and let out a scream as he stepped away from the wooden panel.

There, concealing the glass, an owl had been nailed to the door. Blood was dripping from its wings, and a paper was stuck in its beak, marked with a single word: "Justice"

Hayden looked at this bloody scene with wide eyes. Who dared? Who could have done this? The garden gate was double-locked and too high to be climbed! He looked outside to make sure... the gate...

Where was the gate?

The fences surrounding the garden were on the ground, broken, and even seemed to have been crushed by cars, judging by the tire tracks around.

Hayden was furious. But he was also afraid. Threatening letters were nothing compared to this!

He turned sharply to go back into his villa but found himself face to face with a huge owl. No... it was a human. He was wearing a dark suit and a mask of a disproportionately sized owl. On his hands, gloves with metal claws.

The judge let out a scream and stepped back, finding himself on the porch. The owl-man did not move. The empty eyes of the mask seemed to stare at him.

Hayden turned around, hoping to flee into the garden, but a second one stood in place of the gate. He leaned to the right and found himself facing a third, and on the other side, the same.

He didn't know what to do, or where to go. Surrounded by these... these... what were they exactly?

The owl-man on the doorstep stepped aside to let a fifth one pass, but this one was not wearing a costume. Instead, Hayden recognized his wife's nightgown. He was paralyzed as she approached him. She reached his height and the tips of her fake claws slid over the lawyer's cheek. He then recognized the voice of the woman he had married, even though he had never really listened to her.

"Justice. Justice for the woman you have never looked at."

"Justice. Justice for the children with imposed destinies."

Saying this, the one on the right and the one on the left approached in turn.

Hayden was about to open his mouth to scream his reproaches, but one of them slid his claws into it, in a dark threat to rip out his glottis.

"Justice. Justice for a love you have never accepted and for all the innocents who died because of you."

The five "owl-men" surrounded him, repeating the simple word: "justice". Hayden let out a moan as he felt the claw slowly sink into his tongue. The owl in his wife's attire leaned towards him and whispered near his ear:

"Know that your money will be of no use to you, in hell."