W is for Wayfield - Walking by Natasha Duncan-Drake - Day 23 #AtoZChallenge

W is for Wayfield

Hello and welcome to day 23 of the AtoZChallenge - can you believe we're almost at the end? I have to admit I have mostly failed this year - not only have I been late posting, but I haven't done anywhere near the visiting I usually like to do. However, I plan to finish my ghost stories, if nothing else.

W is for Wayfield in Waterslade which has a park which has a grizzly story of murder attached to it. Now I couldn't find many details, but is sounds like more of an urban legend to me than an old fashioned ghost story, so that's the idea I ran with. I won't go into details here, because it's in the story, so I shall just get on with it :).

This one is more ominous than outright scary...

Walking 

by Natasha Duncan-Drake

A joke was a joke, but this was taking it too far. Mark had agreed to the dare. He had come out to the park alone and he had started walking the cursed path. The gang had promised that's all he would have to do, them pretending to be the ghost wasn't fair.

"I know it's you," he yelled into the darkness.

The sound of drum beats continued, no doubt from Kevin's phone.

"You promised you wouldn't do this," Mark tried again.

He didn't believe in ghosts, but he was still sweating under his coat. The urban legend had been told and retold for as long as he could remember. A person walking through the park while listening to music with heavy drum beats too loud to know anyone else was there, had been attacked and murdered. Their blood covered Walkman, iPod or phone, depending on who was telling the story, had been found with the body, still playing the same music. Now those who heard drums while walking down the path never made it to the other side.

Kevin had said it was just a test to prove he was brave enough. No one was supposed to be in the park with him, they were supposed to be waiting on the other side.

"This isn't funny," he shouted.

He felt cold, even though his clothes had been plenty warm enough only moments before.

Kevin had told him he had to walk, not run, all part of the test, but Mark was on the point of not caring. There was something in the air, a feeling that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. It wasn't good here.

When a figure with a white luminous face appeared near the trees, that was it, Mark was off. He was on the football the cross-country teams and he ran as fast as his legs would carry him. He didn't care about being in the gang anymore, all he wanted to do was get out of the park.

Kevin managed to hold it in as Mark vanished into the distance, but then the laugh burst out of him. That would teach the little snit who thought he was good enough to be in his gang. Now, maybe, Mark would show him the respect he deserved.

Turning off the drums he switched his phone to be a flashlight instead. He'd almost bashed his brains in by falling over a tree root already, it was dark away from the path and he didn't want to mess up his new jeans. He couldn't wait until school tomorrow, he'd tell everyone what a coward Mark had been.

It was as he was walking towards the path he realised he could still hear drums. He swiped at his phone, ready to kill the annoying track, only to find there was nothing playing.

Dramatic Reading on Patreon

For this month I am also recording dramatic readings of all the ghost stories. These are available on my Patreon. Some are public, some are patrons only.

Walking- read by Natasha Duncan-Drake - coming soon

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Please do let me know what you think of the story and leave me links to your AtoZ entries so I can visit you back. I love to chat.

Would you test out an urban legend as a dare?