The Horror of Hollow Passage

The Horror of Hollow Passage
By Natalia Rodriguez

The sky was gleeful and bright, the sun was glowing and shined vividly. The playground in the corner of the abandoned church was quiet and empty. The wood of the playground rotted and vandalized, the glass broken and shards scattered across the dead brown leaves. The plastic steering wheel ghostly turns with every gust of wind, and not a soul is in sight. That’s normal around here believe it or not.
I live in a quiet town in Muskogee, Oklahoma called “ Hollow Passage”. The houses are abandoned and boarded up and every tree in town is dead. The branches reach out like clawed fingers. I live here, because of my job. I’m a realtor for homes. I didn’t even have to pay for my house, no one owns them. The creepy agriculture doesn't bother me much, though, I always wondered why the town is empty. Maybe they couldn't handle the look of the church? There was no horrifying tale to this town. Silly me to have thought that. I was on my way walking to work, yes, walking. My boss yelled at me yesterday in fact, saying “you’re always late, Rose!”, and “if you want this job you need to find a way to get here on time, Rose!”. Whatever Daniel, it’s not my fault your marriage is failing! So I was tired of his complaints and moved to this garbage of a place. At least now my boss can get off my case for once.
I looked over to where the corner of the church is, walking along the moldy sidewalk. I spotted what I thought was a person. A tall dark figure standing in the gates of the old playground. I could barely see his face but from what I could see he had a wide toothed smile like the Joker, or something you’d see in an animation. He was lurking in the dark leaning against the wall. I felt suddenly uncomfortable. He looked utterly insane, smiling his psycho cartoon like smile. His eyes were wide open and bloodshot. “No one else I’ve seen is in town so maybe he escaped an asylum? or is high off every drug in the book?” I thought to myself . He looked almost inhuman. I hadn't realized that I was staring and suddenly he looked at me. I felt chills running up my spine and every bone in my body begin to shake. He began to slowly walk out from the shadowed corner, still keeping eye contact giving me a better look at him. He looked like he was in his 30s and had paper white skin. His clothes were dirty, ripped, and tattered. He looked homeless. “Probably some weirdo” I thought and started walking to work to prevent another annoying complaint from my boss about me being late. Just in case the man got any smart ideas, I sped up my walking pace. Luckily for me he stayed by his corner. I almost felt bad, some people have mental issues and it’s nothing to discriminate against, but, this man...just didn't seem quite right. I hoped I wouldn’t see that man again, I wish that was true.
Work was the usual. No one called for a home, but I wasn’t really concerned about that. I still couldn't figure out who that man was or why he was by the church. He seemed dangerous. I decided to get my head off of it and go out for my lunch break, I couldn’t bare that cardboard junk anymore that they give us at work. I decided on a shop that was down the street from my house, some sort of meat pie restaurant.“There are people around here?” I thought out of excitement, the thought of a decent person being in town was enough to have a bit of happiness in this empty place. Hopefully it’ll be better than what they serve at work.
The shop was dirty and had rats scurrying all across the floor. The wallpaper was ripped and nearly torn down and there was a swinging sign that read “GrEg’s-” I couldn’t fully read what it said, the paint was fading. I sat down in a cracked wooden chair with a torn up table mat with ants all across the table and it appeared I was the only customer there.
A lady came up to me in a ugly worn out ruffled dress and dirty apron. She asked me what I wanted to drink and that the only thing they sold for a meal was meat pies apparently. I asked her for water. That never came, which was unfortunate for me since the walk here was tiresome, but, the woman was nowhere to be found. A few minutes later, she finally gave me my food. It was placed on a dirty chipped white plate and the dough appeared uncooked. I asked her for my water again but she ignored me. I got over it and stabbed the dirty metal fork into the pastry.
The meat felt dry, oddly soft to cut, and it didn't seem quite cooked either but like i had hoped, it’s better than work food. It tasted extremely salty and was oddly gluey, like, meat flavored candy. “Must be the lard.” I told myself continuously struggling to cut what I thought was beef. I hadn’t thought anything of it, just trying to enjoy my meal and get out of here, but then, i felt it…A sudden hard piece that I couldn’t bite down. “OUCH!” I yelled out after attempting to bite what I presumed was just a poorly cut piece of meat. Realizing it wasn’t I finally spat it into a napkin “You must've forgot to check for bones” i shouted out to anyone, hoping it was my waitress. I went to get up and see if I could ask to get a different one or just pay and get out of here but just as I was about to get up from my seat...the horror I witnessed haunts me to this day. It was a human finger! I staggered out of my chair in fear but tried to calm myself. “Maybe it’s just a joke?” I attempted to reassure myself but then I heard a terrified scream that seemed to be coming from the butcher room. I still don't understand what in my mind made me think to go and investigate who made that sound, but I stepped toward the gray swinging door to peek through the window. I turned pale at the ghastly sight. The butcher was cutting my waitress alive. The victims organs, guts, and liver placed on a steel plate. Blood was everywhere and the butcher was covered in it. The smell was unbearable that I vomited. There was a mountain of bodies in the corner of the bloody room. It all made sense. this place is empty because this cannibal butcher was murdering and most likely eating everyone! I quickly backed up from the door trying to gather a plan of escape to save myself from being the next victim and most likely the next meal of this butcher. I backed away from the door and snuck closer towards the door. I stepped out and stupidly turned to look behind me to make sure I wasn’t seen. My stomach turned even more when I saw the psychopath. The creepy man from this morning on my way to work in the corner of the church was smiling at me covered in his victims blood holding a machete. I ran and ran till I reached my house. I locked the door in case he ran after me and called the police. I felt like I was in a horror movie, like the Green Inferno.
I quit my job the next morning. I was tired of my boss anyway. I moved immediately after the incident and stayed with my friend for a few days till i could find a place. They never found the man. They claimed that they searched everywhere but no trace. Almost as if he was never there. I am still traumatized from that evening, sometimes I even see him in my nightmares.