They All Died Screaming
written by: Benn Bell
@BennBell
I shouldn’t have done it, but then she shouldn’t have screamed. Everything would have been all right if she just hadn’t screamed. The only thing I wanted to do was talk to her. I just had to have someone to talk to. I guess my knife did scare her a bit. But then, it’s over and done with. There’s nothing I can do to bring her back.
I’ve got to get away. Where to? I don’t know. I don’t have any money to get out of the country or even the state. I must go somewhere. But where? Wait! I have it! An alibi! Yeah, that’s it! I’ll get an alibi. I’ll go to a movie, and if the police ask me where I’ve been I can always say to see a show at the Palace and have witnesses to prove it.
Walking up the street towards the Palace Theater, I can see the brightly lighted marquis. The colored lights set off the title of the movie in large black block letters. “The Death of Elanor Parker,” it reads.
Wait a minute! That’s the name of the girl I just killed. No! It can’t be! But, no, that’s impossible. That’s absurd and ridiculous! There’s no relationship at all. I’ll just go up to the cashier, pay my money, and go in.
“No!” No!” I scream, pointing to the cashier. “That’s the girl I killed!”
“No! No!” I screamed again as I backed into the theater. I turned around and began to run. I’m in a long hallway, an endless hallway with no door or opening on either side of me. I’m still running, running endlessly, never ceasing. I start sweating profusely, and beads of perspiration pop up all over my face. Will this hallway never end?
What’s that up ahead, on the floor? Why it looks like the body of a girl. Yes, it is. She looks hurt. I’ll stop and find out. Her face is downwards. I’ll turn her over. My eyes feel as if they are going to pop out of my head as I stare at that hideous grinning face, the grinning, laughing face of Ellen. I can’t stand it. I’ve got to scream. Oh, no! She’s getting up. Walking towards me.
“I’m sorry Ellen! I didn’t mean to kill you. Please go away. Leave me alone.” I’m turning around now; I’m running down the hall again. Running, running, running. I glance over my shoulder, but she is gone.
Wait, there’s a door up ahead. Ah… the door into the theater. As I walk in and start down the aisle, I see the theatre is full of people. They all turn around in their seats, row by row, and point their fingers at me and laugh hysterically. They all have the same face. Ellen Parker!
“Stop it, stop it!” I cry as I put my hands to my temple, but it doesn’t do any good. I try to turn but I can’t. I seem paralyzed. All the Ellen Parkers are still laughing and pointing, laughing, and pointing.
“I’ve had enough! I’ve had enough! Why do you torment me so?”
I find that I can manipulate my body again and I turn back into the hallway and start running, running for what seems like an eternity.
“Oh god! Please save me or kill me!”
I’m slipping. Slipping on some dark…no! Blood! It can’t be! But it is. Ellen Parker’s Blood. I’m falling, falling, falling….
“Who is this guy, anyway?” The first cop asked.
“I don’t know. We found him in front of the Palace Theater,” was the reply. “It seems he had slipped on a pool of oil.”
“Cover his face up, will ya? That look on his mug is enough to scare the bejesus out of anybody. By the way, what’s playing at the movies? I might take the wife out tonight.”
“I don’t know, something about the Life of Helen Waker or something like that.”
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