I've lived in this town since ninteen fifty four, since I was a young man of eighteen. I worked as a mechanic for old Mr Freeman, that was when the town was a place of beauty. But ever since the spring of fifty-five the town has gone to hell and I mean that literally.
It began when the old Jensen's place at the edge of town was brought by a middle-aged fella by the name of Reams who made it into a butchers. Why we needed another butchers is beyond me, we already had three, so we didn't need another especially on the edge of town.
Now at first things were fine, except for a few kids getting killed up on Creek Hill, it was reckoned by a rabid dog. But soon some of Reams' new customers started acting wierd, now no one will tell you this as most folk are to scared. First there was the Olsen family who were all murdered by Jimmy Trent, who owned Jim's Cafe, the nicest man I ever met. Who after eating his dinner of steak, brought from Reams, just picked up his shotgun and went round to Olsen's and killed them all as they sat round the dinner table.Then there was young Judy Gardner, she drowned her baby son the only reason she gave was that he told her to do it, which is strange as he couldn't talk and never will God bless him.
You might think I'm just a crazy old man making up stories but as God as my witness its all true. It wasn't just the murders of fifty-five that are odd, there were also the beast that was creeping around at night. It was seen by a number of folk including the sheriff, I saw it too. I've never had a night since that I haven't dreamt of that thing, like a cross between a reptile and a bat it was. I remember the night clearly July the tenth, it had been hot all day and I'd just come back from out of town. I'd pulled up to the driveway of my house and got out the car when I heard a noise, like someone trying to break in through by back door. So I snuck around my house to scare whoever it was away, only it wasn't a someone more of a something. It stood there its clawed hands trying to open the door, it must have heard me or something because it turned round. I tell you I nearly died of fright with those glowing green eyes boring through me, I choked a scream then it opened its wings and flew off. Ever since then I've slept with the light on and kept a gun under my pillow.
You might be wondering what that Reams fellow has to do with all this, but I'll tell you. The murder rate has increased since he arrived and as far as I know the murderers all happen to be his customers. Another thing back in fifty-five I'd guess he was about forty, well that would put him in his ninties but if you see him he still looks forty. Whats worse is that the other buthers in town he now owns, the original owners all vanished. I fact Reams is turning this place into a ghost town, only us old timers and a few young families live here any more. A population of six hundred yet back in fifty-four when I moved here we had a population of three thousand.
Oh I almost forgot, the worst year we had sixty-six, now whatever you do don't repeat this story and don't try to find a record of what happened, there is nothing to tell you what happened that year. Sixty-six the year that the school burnt down, the year that all the bodies in the cemetary were dug up an vanished, the year the sheriff was found hung froma tree out side Reams butchers.
The year of sixty-six was also the year Reams was nearly uncovered for the devil he is. Myself along with a teacher called Alan and the Deputy Sheriff Reubens attempted to dispose of Reams. At the time we had formed a sort of underground resistance against him, originally there were fifteen of us but they all vanished one night. I need not explain why as you can probably guess. Anyway it was September second and the three of us decided to break in to Reams' butchers. We did that fine but I remember the cold dread as we entered the shop, I tell you it was cold in there unnaturally so. After looking around for a while we went into the back room, thinking it was going to be a store room or something. Oh how right we were, but to our horror it stored dead bodies those from the cemetary I presume. Well Alan was sick I didn't blame him really, but we carried on as there was another door in this store room. We found ourselves in a dusty and empty room, all that was in there was a set of stairs that didn't go all the way up and a trap door in the center of the room. It was down there under the trap door that scream echoed from making us all jump. It was also were we decided to go, I opened the trap door and Deputy Reubens his gun drawn went down first. We expected to be in a cellar but instead we found ourselves in a long grey tunnel. We must of walked for nearly an hour before we came to a dimly lit room. What I most remeber about that room were the large empty cages lining the walls and the gnawed bones and human skulls scattered about in there. Also I remember the dreadful cold and the stench of something evil something ancient.
After standing there for sometime not knowing what to do we heard another scream from a corridor to our right. Without thinking we rushed toward the corridor and there some twenty yards away stood Reams, only his eyes glowed green and a woman lay dead at his feet and around him were a pack of large black hounds. The hounds looked up and instantly charged towards us, Reubens got off a couple of shots before he was taken down by ne of the hounds. Me and Alan ran for our lives but it wasn't long before I heard Alan scream, I'm ashamed to admit I never went back to help him. So I kept running I could hear the beasts gaining on me and I cried as shear terror consumed me, but I kept running. I finally reached the steps leading to the trap door and as I stuggled to push it open I looked round just in time to see one of the hounds lunge at me. I put out my arm in defence as it snapped its jaws, which is why I'm missing a couple of fingers. Luckily though it never got a really grip of me and I managed to slip through the trap door and I bolted home.
That is why I know Reams is evil and I know he is why the town has become hell. You probably wonder why if that happened why Reams hasn't silenced me, well I think its because he doesn't know I was the third person who saw him that night. Not that it matters any more as how is going to believe me a half-blind, half-deaf old timer.
But I warn you, never eat meat in the town of Green Oak.

Is it that bad.

Whoa . . . . . that is an awesome story grendals_bane!

Keep it up, I'd like to read more of your work.

Thanks, I've a new story in the pipeline so it shouldn't be to long before I post it.