Little Darlings (A Friday the 13th Story #2) Read online

  Excerpt:

  The knocking came again, more insistent. Mollie tossed off the covers and sat up on the side of the bed, then grabbed the mace she always kept on the nightstand. She stood, but her legs shook so badly that she had to sit back down.

  “Get it together, Mollie. You’re being ridiculous.”

  Taking a deep, fortifying breath, she stood again, this time remaining on her feet. Unsteadily, she crossed the room and gripped the curtain in her hand, tugging it back just enough to peer around it. Involuntarily, she yelped. The same four children stood on the other side of the glass. Rain poured down on them, but they seemed oblivious to the fact they were getting soaked.

  The tallest girl swiveled her head toward Mollie, black eyes gleaming beneath the patio light. Mollie’s heart leapt into her throat, and she let the curtain fall back.

  “Hey, miss. Please let us in. We’re cold and wet. Won’t you please let us in?”

  Mollie pressed her back against the wall, willing her heart to stop racing. What was the deal with these kids? What were they doing all alone at night, and why did they creep her out so badly?

  Little Darlings

  by

  Alicia Dean

  A Friday the 13th Story

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  Little Darlings

  COPYRIGHT © 2022 by Alicia Dean

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author. Contact information: [email protected]

  Published in the United States of America

  Publication Year: 2022

  Dedication

  To my awesome, supportive fellow authors, especially the other writers in the Friday the 13th Series.

  What a big bunch of beautiful people you are.

  I’m blessed and grateful to be one of you.

  About the Friday the 13th Stories:

  13 different authors each wrote a stand-alone, suspenseful short story in the series, to be released on Friday, May 13, 2022. Find the other stories here:

  Friday the 13th Series Page on Amazon

  We hope you enjoy them all and that they bring a chill to your spine. We would love to hear from you. You can find us here: Friday the 13th Facebook Page

  Get your Fright on…

  Sincerely,

  Friday the 13th Authors

  About Little Darlings:

  Mollie Burrows and her friends, Caroline and Beth, rent a cabin in Colorado for a therapeutic getaway. Beth is despondent after a recent miscarriage, and Mollie hopes the trip will alleviate Beth’s depression. The owner of the general store in town warns them about the Black-Eyed Kids—supernatural entities who pose as children and terrorize anyone who allows them into their homes—but Mollie scoffs at the ridiculous notion.

  Not long after they get settled, four children knock on their door—and their eyes are as black as a starless night. Beth is drawn to them and is ready to offer them shelter, but Mollie and Caroline are freaked out and refuse.

  When Mollie discovers the bodies of obviously murdered victims, she realizes the store owner was telling the truth. As the evil children begin their homicidal rampage, their determination to gain entry into the cabin becomes terrifying. Help won’t arrive until the following morning and a long, torturous night looms ahead. Can Mollie and Caroline prevent Beth from opening the door to the Little Darlings? If not, they could all end up dead.

  *** Check out these other stories in the original A Friday the 13th Story Series that are FREE from May 11 through May 15, 2022…

  Blood and Breakfast by Alicia Dean

  https://www.amazon.com/Blood-Breakfast-Friday-13th-Story-ebook/dp/B08NF5GH9C/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3DSSI5Y35JCAE&keywords=blood+and+breakfast+alicia+dean&qid=1652019804&sprefix=blood+and+breakfast+alicia+dean%2Caps%2C87&sr=8-1

  Fatal Legacy by Krysta Scott: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08NCD8XS7?ref_=dbs_m_mng_rwt_calw_tkin_0&storeType=ebooks&qid=1649521133&sr=1-4

  In the Still of the Night by Callie Hutton: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08MBHP93R?ref_=dbs_m_mng_rwt_calw_tkin_1&storeType=ebooks&qid=1649521133&sr=1-4

  Retribution by DJ FitSimons:

  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08MCJJ97S?ref_=dbs_m_mng_rwt_calw_tkin_4&storeType=ebooks&qid=1649521133&sr=1-4

  Shattered Reflections by Tamrie Foxtail:

  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08M946Z7Z?ref_=dbs_m_mng_rwt_calw_tkin_5&storeType=ebooks&qid=1649521133&sr=1-4

  Scorned by Anna Kittrell:

  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08M3VQS8C?ref_=dbs_m_mng_rwt_calw_tkin_7&storeType=ebooks&qid=1649521133&sr=1-4

  Glimpse, The Dinner Guest by Stephen B. King:

  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08LCHP6G1?ref_=dbs_m_mng_rwt_calw_tkin_9&storeType=ebooks&qid=1649521133&sr=1-4

  Contents

  Dedication

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Other stories in the Friday the 13th series:

  Other Titles by Alicia Dean:

  About the Author

  Chapter 1

  Mollie Burrows gripped the steering wheel, focusing intently on the winding highway leading in to Mountain Ridge, Colorado. She couldn’t help imagining the rental car careening off the steep drop and plunging hundreds of feet, bursting into a ball of flames, she and her friends, Caroline and Beth, screaming in agony as their flesh burned…

  “Oh my God!” Beth shrieked from the back seat.

  Mollie yelped and jerked the wheel, the nose of the car dipping perilously close to the edge before she could return it to the road. “What the hell, Beth?” she snapped. “What happened? You scared the shit out of me.”

  “I’m sorry, but did you see those little darlings?”

  Mollie exchanged a brief glance with Caroline, who sat in the passenger seat, digging her fingernails into the armrest, her face pale.

  “What little darlings?” Mollie kept her voice level.

  “They were on the side of the road. Adorable little angels with the most beautiful dark eyes.”

  The highway was bordered on one side by a cliff face and on the other by a steep drop off with barely a hint of a shoulder. There were definitely no children hanging out by the highway. But Beth had been through a lot lately. The miscarriage she’d suffered had devastated her. Her husband had been less than sympathetic, telling her to get over it, that it wasn’t even a baby yet. Beth was fragile, and they were handling her delicately. The three women had been friends since grade school and were as close as sisters. Mollie was torn between giving in to Beth’s delusions to keep from upsetting her and snapping her back to reality. She let out a long sigh and forced cheerfulness into her voice. “I didn’t see them. Wish I had. Did you see them, Caroline?” She’d decided on the former. There would be time for reality later.

  “Uh…yeah. Yes, I did. They were adorable.”

  Mollie glanced in the rearview mirror. Beth’s face was aglow, her eyes holding a hint of insanity. Her expression was that of someone under the grip of a cult. Mollie feared she was on the verge of a psychotic breakdown. Hopefully, this getaway would help, although it wasn’t starting out th
at promising.

  The GPS instructed her to take the next exit. She did and found the general store where they were supposed to meet their ride who would take them up the mountain and to the cabin they’d rented. The way was tricky and treacherous, and people were advised not to try it on their own. Their guide, Carmen, had a vehicle equipped for the mountains and knew the area well.

  A large wooden sign hung along the top of the building with the name ‘Grab and Go.’ Mollie stopped the SUV in a parking spot, and the three of them climbed out. Mollie stretched, glad to be out of the car after the six-hour drive from Nebraska.

  The door gave off a warning ding as they entered. “Howdy.” The man behind the counter was short and weathered looking, with wisps of gray hair on his head and jaw. He wore a red flannel shirt and overalls.

  “Hello,” Mollie said. “I’m Mollie Burrows. These are my friends, Caroline Baker and Beth Underwood. We’re here to meet Carmen. She’s taking us up to our rental cabin.”

  A dark expression crossed his face, and he shook his head. “She tole me ‘bout that. I wouldn’t advise you goin’ up there.”

  Mollie frowned. “Why not?”

  “There’s evil up there. This time of year, the Black-Eyed Kids come out.”

  Caroline spoke from behind her. “Black-Eyed kids?”

  He nodded. “Evil things, they are.” He pointed to a newspaper article taped to the wall next to the register. Mollie walked closer and peered at it. The headline read: “Black-Eyed Kids Murder Tourists.” The article claimed that, last year, on September 13th, a couple and their teen son were found murdered in the cabin they’d rented. No suspects were found, and the writer of the article claimed the Black-Eyed Kids had committed the crime.

  “They’re spawns of Satan. They come out ever so often, ‘specially on Friday the 13th, Halloween, winter solstice, and so forth. If you let ‘em in, they’ll unleash their evil. Not many have encountered them and lived to tell of it.”

  Mollie rolled her eyes at Caroline, who grinned. “Thanks for the warning, but we’ll take our chances. I think we can handle a couple of unruly children.”

  The man’s mouth tightened, and he harumphed. “You cross paths with these kids, you’ll be prayin’ for just unruly.”

  Chapter 2

  Carmen—a blonde, stout woman in her twenties—handled the vehicle with ease as she drove them over the snow-covered roads.

  Mollie’s teeth rattled as the Subaru Outback jostled her like she was a bobblehead doll that had pissed someone off. She raised her voice to be heard over the snow pelting the windows and the bump of the tires on the rough terrain. “So, the man at the general store said we shouldn’t go up to the cabin.” She grinned. “Said we might be murdered by some kind of children with dark eyes.”

  She expected Carmen to laugh and confess the man was crazy. Instead, she shrugged. “You mean the Black-Eyed Kids. I don’t know that I one hundred percent believe they exist, but I also can’t say for sure it’s all bullshit.”

  Mollie snorted. “What do you mean? You actually think demonic children are running around killing people?” She remembered what Beth had said about the ‘little darlings’ on the side of the road, and she shivered. But no, it was just a coincidence. Or maybe Beth had heard something about the urban legend before they came here. There was no way she saw kids on the side of the road. Or that they were the supposed Black-Eyed Kids.

  “Who knows. I’ve heard stories since I moved here just over a year ago. And last Halloween, some folks were staying at a cabin up in the mountains—though not the ones you’re staying at—and they were brutally murdered.”

  Mollie shivered. “By children?” Her voice was scoffing, but a trickle of unease crawled over her flesh.

  “They don’t know. Never caught the killer…or killers. There have been other similar incidents over the years. People have told of these kids who show up at their door and beg to be let in. They didn’t. And nothing horrible happened. A part of me thinks it’s just people getting caught up in the legend and making up their own stories for attention. But another part of me.... well, let’s just say, you’ll never find my ass staying in one of those cabins, especially during Friday the 13th or Halloween. Or any other holiday with evil connotations when they supposedly make an appearance.”

  “Awesome,” Caroline said sarcastically. “Tomorrow’s Friday the 13th.”

  Mollie grimaced. “Yeah…awesome.”

  “Please don’t,” Beth’s strangled voice came from the back seat.

  Mollie looked back to see tears streaming down Beth’s face. “Don’t what?”

  “Don’t say such horrible things about precious children. They are angelic gifts from God, and they are not evil.” Her voice rose with every word. She slapped her hands over her ears and shook her head vigorously. “Just stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it—”

  “Okay, okay,” Caroline put a hand out. “We’ll stop. It’s okay. Calm down. It’s fine.’

  Finally, Beth settled down. But Mollie couldn’t relax. Beth had always been fragile, but since the miscarriage, she’d seemed to be on the precipice of a total mental collapse. Mollie and Caroline thought getting her away for a few days would help. Now Mollie was wondering if they’d made a mistake. Before she could ponder further, they were slowing, then pulling into the drive of the cabin.

  The place was bigger than Mollie expected, a one-story sprawling log-sided cabin. Carmen helped them unload their luggage, and Mollie thanked her. “You said there’s no way you’d stay in one of these cabins this time of year, yet you’re giving us a ride here. Doesn’t that worry you?”

  Carmen shook her head. “According to legend—and various retelling of encounters—the Black-Eyed Kids only come out at night. And, by the way, if you do encounter them, legend has it the only way to get rid of them is to burn them.” She shrugged. “But I’m not sure how much good that does, since the legend claims they also can come back.” She grinned as she backed off the porch. “So, yeah. Good luck with that. See you in a couple of days. Remember, you won’t have any cell reception, but there’s a landline. If you need anything before I come on Saturday, just give me a shout. You’ve got my number.”

  Mollie nodded. She was tempted to follow Carmen and hop back in the Subaru and drive far away from this place. But since she was a rational person, she didn’t.

  The inside of the home was gorgeous. A roomy living room held an overstuffed dove gray sofa, loveseat, and recliner. Large bay windows overlooked the spacious front yard. The curtains were drawn, and the snowfall was beautiful.

  “Hey,” Caroline said. “We haven’t had a slumber party in ages. This will be just like when we were kids.”

  “Except,” Mollie said, “if either of you stick my hand in a glass of water and make me pee my pants, I’ll kick your asses.”

  Beth laughed, and Mollie sighed in relief. She hadn’t seen Beth laugh in weeks.

  “That’s what you get for falling asleep first,” Caroline shot back.

  They let Beth pick first, and she chose the largest one, which sat at the end of the hallway. All the bedrooms were lovely, but Beth definitely hit the mother lode. Hers had a fireplace at one end, a large window overlooking the mountains, and a huge king-sized bed that still left plenty of floor space. A large, free-standing oval mirror that looked like an antique sat in the corner of the room.

  Mollie collected antiques and knew it was worth a fortune. Why people kept such expensive items in a rental, she’d never know.

  After they all unpacked, Beth lay down to rest, and Mollie and Caroline put away the groceries they’d brought. The kitchen, while large, had very little cabinet space. “That’s weird,” Caroline said. “You’d think a house like this would have tons of cabinets. Where do they expect us to put our shit?”

  Mollie shrugged. “No kidding. Having so little storage room would drive me nuts.”

  “Wait…this must be a pantry.” Caroline stood in front of a door on the far side of the
kitchen. She turned the knob and stepped in. Mollie heard a crashing sound, then Caroline screamed.

  Heart hammering, Mollie raced across the room to check on her friend. “What happened?” She peered into the darkness behind the open door. Beyond the opening was pitch blackness.

  Caroline clung to the doorknob. “Help me. Grab my hand.”

  Mollie gripped her hand and tugged. Caroline stumbled through the doorway and into Mollie’s arms. Mollie hugged Caroline’s trembling body. “What the hell happened?”

  Caroline stepped back and ran a shaky hand over her hair. “That’s not a fucking pantry. It’s a basement. I almost fell to my death.”

  Frowning, Mollie slipped her cell out of her pocket and turned on the flashlight, shining it into the space. Caroline was right. It was the basement with a steep set of stairs. She shut off the light and shook her head. “They should warn guests about that. Maybe have a sign. Or just keep the damn thing locked. Why would guests need to access a basement?”

  “I don’t know. But we need to tell Beth. And we all need to stay the fuck away from that death trap.”

  Mollie nodded. “I’ll go see if Beth’s awake. I’ll let her know about the basement and see if she’s ready for dinner. You want to get the salad started?”

  ****

  A few hours later, just after dinner, the doorbell rang. Mollie lifted her brows. “Who could that be?”

  Caroline smirked. “I don’t know…maybe the Black-Eyed Kids?”

  “Ha, funny. I’ll go see.” Mollie checked the ring doorbell. A man and woman stood on the porch. The woman gave a friendly smile and waved.

  Mollie opened the door. “Can we help you?”

  The woman was auburn-haired and had a natural prettiness that didn’t require makeup. Around her neck, she wore a bright green scarf patterned with miniature skulls. Weird. The man was dark complected, broad and muscular but had a paunch, like a former football player who hadn’t stayed in shape. “Hi!” the woman said brightly. “I’m Simone Freeman, and this is my husband, Wesley. We’re staying in the cabin next door and thought we'd come over and introduce ourselves.”