Hiya there, folks! I'm happy to have finished this second episode! I had fun writing it, and I hope you all have as much fun reading it!

 

Red Moon Falls (Episode 2)

 

by

 

Elite Shade

 

 

[Sinister Intro Music]

 

ANNOUNCER: "In a world where sinister forces lurk in the shadows, where the truth is obscured by mystery, and where legends and nightmares hide and wait, there is a place where the paranormal and the unexplainable happen with unnerving frequency."

[Flashes of images of a blurry humanoid figure moving between trees in a forest, transitioning to images of lights in the sky above a desert.]

ANNOUNCER: "The town of Red Moon Falls. On the surface, it is a sleepy small desert community. Skulking just beneath this visage of Small Town America are paranormal powers at work. And there is only one person keeping the darkness at bay, a man who delves into the deep of the unknown to do battle."

[Fade to Black, followed by words in large red print reading 'Blood Moon Falls', before fading to black again.]

The camera fades in on Duke standing in a hole, shoveling out some more dirt onto a nearby pile. He is shirtless, revealing a series of scars ranging from bullet wounds to claw marks to stab wounds, to one that is curiously shaped like Abraham Lincoln's profile from the penny. He sticks his shovel back in the dirt and lets go to stop and rest. Wiping some sweat off his brow with one work-glove adorned hand, and using the other to take a long swig from a silver flask with the other, Duke looks up, seemingly surprised.

DUKE: "Oh, hey there, a[BLEEP]holes!" He chuckles. "So we're still doin' this sh[BLEEP]t? Alright, fine. So, uh, for one, I'm out of jail. My grandma paid my bond, which was real nice of her. Though she made me promise to re-shingle her roof in exchange. I don't mind doin' that, but she expects me not to drink or smoke anything beforehand, and that's really the only way I can actually stand to do any kind of work... well, unless I'm good and p[BLEEP]sed off and planning some kind of revenge. Still, it's nice to be out and about again. Though I do have a court date, which sucks, but it is what it is. Worst comes to worst, I'll have some community service to do, and I can always drink and smoke some good sh[BLEEP]t while I do that. And, uh... oh! You're probably wonderin' why I'm here digging this hole!"

At that, Duke takes another swig from his flask.

DUKE: "Okay, so, remember when I said that there was a poltergeist in my house? Well, that f[BLEEP]ker is still there, and it's still trying to kill me. The latest attempt was it trying to trick me using a trail of candy to a large wooden box in my living room, being held up by a stick that had a string wrapped around it that led just around the corner to my hallway."

 

He snorts before looking down and kicking a clod of dirt.

 

DUKE: "I may have been a little stoned when I went in my house earlier and, well, I was able to kick my way out of the box... right after that f[BLEEP]kin' poltergeist started grabbing random knives and a couple machetes I thought I lost and driving them into it, trying to stab me."

Duke pulls out a rolled joint from his shirt pocket and lights it, taking a drag.

DUKE: "So yeah, I decided to take care of the poltergeist situation once and for all. As I said before, I had a pretty good idea where the piece of sh[BLEEP]t that is currently haunting my house was buried, and that is right here, in the Hazelwood cemetery. I found all this out after I looked into some info about my house and the previous owner. Aside from them possibly being turned into a wendigo shortly before I bought it at an awesome discount, there's nothing of note there in the house's history. Finally, I was able to get my friend that we in town call Psychic Pete, great guy and a decent medium when he's not trying to upsell ya on his services; to try and get a reading on the entity in my house. Son of a b[BLEEP]tch tried to upsell me on a cleansing, but I wasn't in the mood to fall for it. Anyways, he agreed that the body is up here somewhere."

Duke sticks the blade of the shovel into the dirt again, scooping some more out, the joint between his lips.

DUKE: "As for the significance of knowing the location of this entity's body, well, a lot of folks have a lot of different ideas of how to get the haunting to stop. Some of the more religious types figure blessing or praying over the grave will help dispel it, put it to rest, etc. Some think that random crystals they bought from some soft-speaking jackass of a hippie will do something, but like prayer, that's just a fresh steamy load of horesh[BLEEP]t. I myself like to take more of a scientific approach to the situation."

The shovel hits something solid, causing Duke to chuckle. He scoops out some more dirt, before bending down. There's a few inaudible grunts coming from the hole, before a loud creak and a CRUNCH is heard. Duke stands up with a large chunk of wood that he casually tosses aside.

DUKE: "Basically, first, you confirm that this is the correct body. Now, since I don't know the actual name of the person this 'geist used to be, I kinda had to utilize a little trial and error."

The camera zooms out to reveal thirty to forty graves that have also all been dug up, some with body parts scattered around them. Zooming back in on Duke, he bends down again, this time popping back up, hoisting out an ashen gray mummified corpse wearing a brown suit and tie. He unceremoniously tosses it by the opened grave. Leaning over, he snorts and spits right in the corpse's face, before using the blade of the shovel to jab the side of its head. The camera suddenly vibrates, and Duke yelps as he goes flying up out of the hole, to drop back onto the ground next to the corpse, his joint still in his mouth.

DUKE: "That's a big 'ol yes."

Duke dusts himself off and turns to the camera with a smile.

DUKE: "Step two of my scientific process to get rid of this annoying f[BLEEP]king haunting, is to then power up the trusty wood chipper I'm currently renting from Jai, who owns the local hardware store."

Duke points and the camera quickly pans a little to the right to reveal the bright orange machine. He walks over to it and fires it up.

DUKE: "Step three is to carefully, and respectfully, shove the assh[BLEEP]le's corpse through the wood chipper headfirst, pour salt on the chunks, burn them, salt them again, and then rebury it all. Easy, peasy, and with no added hassle--WOAH!"

With the blades spinning, Duke was suddenly shoved forward by something invisible, now gripping the sides of the mouth of the chipper as the force keeps trying to shove his head in.

DUKE: "WELL, AT LEAST IT'S OUT OF MY HOUSE! KOFFESHA!"

A green energy began to radiate from Duke's body. There is an ear-splitting shriek that causes the camera to vibrate as he flings himself away from the wood chipper. The town fixer scoops up the corpse and, with a heave, rams it in headfirst. There is a harsh grinding sound as the dried corpse is fed into the woodchipper. Out came spraying the dried chunks of what used to be a human being, all the while Duke is pushing the legs in, taking drags from his joint. When at last the feet were sucked in, he stepped away. Stooping down, he picks up a canister of salt and walks over to the pile of chunks.

DUKE: "Ashes to ashes, chunks to chunks, motherf[BLEEP]ker."

He proceeds to pour the salt onto the pile, before turning to have his back to the camera. There is a ZIP, succeeded by a steady trickling sound.

 

[The picture fades to black, with it fading back in, not with the camera in Duke's truck.]

 

DUKE: "So yeah, all in all, I'd say that that wasn't too bad. Not nearly as much of a pain in my a[BLEEP] as the time I had to fight that drunk hag down at the marsh. 'Course, now that I can go back inside my house, I gotta start cleaning up whatever mess that f[BLEEP]knugget left me behind."

Duke lights another joint as he drives, taking a few puffs. He is now wearing a bright blue Hawaiian shirt with a long white hooked claw on a necklace. The camera pans to out the window, showing the rocky and sandy landscape passing by. Above was a bright blue sky, the sun not yet near the center, with a few small scattered clouds lazily drifting by. In addition to various rock formations, there was the occasional cactus and ocatilla, all with blooming flowers visible.

DUKE: "By the way, I did take a look at the name on the headstone after I got done reburying the remains. It said his name was Calvin Hobart. Took me a minute to think back on it, and then I remembered where I knew that name from. Son of a b[BLEEP]tch and I went to high school together. He was this little weird dude who always stank, stared at any girl he thought was pretty, to the point where it started creeping them out, and then would get, like, ridiculously angry every time a girl he asked out shot him down. He'd yell, call them whores, say that he never gets a chance, blah blah blah."

Duke takes another drag from his joint.

DUKE: "If you tried to tell him that no girl wants to go out with a guy who stinks and who stares without saying anything, he'd just blow up at you and claim you were picking on him. Anyways, he hated me. Claimed that I stole some girls right out from under him. All I did was ask Sarah McArthur out, apparently a few minutes after she told him no. That happened a few times, and I had no freakin' idea at the time. Then he tried to fight me in the school parking lot, no idea why. It was... actually pretty sad. My grandma ninety threw harder punches than that guy. I still laid him out flat, I just didn't feel good about it... oh, and, uh, I may have taken, like, fifty bucks from his wallet after the fight was over, but as far as I'm concerned, that was just him paying the Dumba[BLEEP] Tax."

Duke sighs and holds up a gold ring with a large amethyst embedded in it. The camera zooms in on the words Shimmer Hills High School engraved in a circle around the stone. Duke then turns to look just past the camera to the back seat.

DUKE: "Oh, and f[BLEEP]k you, boom mic guy! Me taking this ring is just good 'ol Calvin paying the Dumba[BLEEP] Tax again! I'm not some degenerate graverobber!"

The camera shifts to look at the black duffel bag laying next to Duke. Printed on the side, in white calligraphy, were the words Graverobbing Kit. The camera is forcibly yanked up to look Duke in the face.

DUKE: "I will have you know that that was a gag gift from a friend! It's not like I have an actual kit for diggin' up and robbing graves, or that I'd be dumb enough to keep them in a bag advertising what they were on the side of it!"

Duke reaches down and grabs the bag to move it, only for some of the contents to spill out. This included a foldable shovel, a small pickaxe, a flashlight, and a large ziplock bag filled with jewelry, gold watches and, as the camera zooms in close, some gold teeth. Duke hastily starts stuffing everything back inside while trying to keep his eyes on the road.

DUKE: "That doesn't prove a damn thing!"

 

[Commercial Break]

 

[The camera fades in as Duke is pulling into his driveway.]

DUKE: "I still can't believe that f[BLEEP]kstick actually asked me if I used that f[BLEEP]king wood chipper to dispose of a corpse! He had no way of knowing that that was a chunk of human bone that fell out!"

Duke mutters to himself as he gets out of the truck. The camera is jostled as the crew quickly exit the vehicle. Just as Duke starts walking towards the front door, he turns and shakes his head.

DUKE: "Oh now, what's this c[BLEEP]ksucker want?!"

The camera turns to show a bright red '57 Plymouth Fury pulling up just outside the gate to the chain link fence. Out steps an older man with a completely shaved head in just a white shirt and jeans.

MARVIN: "Hey son!"

DUKE: "Dad, what the f[BLEEP]k are you doing here?! If Mom finds out you're back in town, she's gunna shoot ya again."

Duke is rubbing his temples as his father hops over the fence, holding up a rolled piece of parchment.

MARVIN: "Aw, come on, Bud, Lucy's not gunna find out. I just wanted to stop by and see my favorite son."

 

[The footage cuts to Duke sitting on a lawn chair for a talking head interview, a bottle of beer in his hand.]

 

DUKE: "Don't get me wrong, I love my dad."

Duke takes a swig of beer before continuing.

DUKE: "But I'm the only one of his kids who actually still talks to him. See, I know folks talk about how I try get rich quick schemes... and fine, I do. And it's gotten me into a little trouble now and again."

The footage cuts to show a photo of a school gymnasium engulfed in flames.

DUKE: "But that's nothing compared to the ridiculous sh[BLEEP]t my old man gets up to. He's started about ten or eleven cults, I think, I actually lost count after that one about where he claimed to be a magic space wizard with a sword made of pure energy. Oh, and all of them are based on popular movies. Like the one where he claimed that aliens were going to attack most major cities on the 4th of July."

Duke takes another sip of his beer, and then a drag from a joint, and shakes his head.

DUKE: "Not really sure where he was going with that one where he tried to convert the motel he was staying at into some kind of fantasy chocolate factory, but he still went for it nonetheless. Though, I will say, him ending up on the news and getting arrested can be pretty entertaining."

Cut to a clip showing a procession of people in handcuffs wearing white robes, their skin all painted orange with green dyed hair. Two officers then exited a motel room, dragging a yelling and squirming Marvin, wearing a purple tophat and matching coat.

MARVIN: "YOU GOT NOTHIN' ON ME, YA B[BLEEP]ARDS! NOT A DAMN THING! I GOT A WILLY FOR Y'ALL TA WONK ON, YA F[BLEEP]KS!"

Back to Duke who now has his head in his hands, not looking up at the camera.

DUKE: "In case you guys didn't read the part of the pamphlet I'm sure Susie gave you, I'm gunna be straight with you and let you know that my family is kinda cursed, at least on my Dad's side of things. To summarize, someone in the past that I'm related to made some kind of deal or something with some kind of creature or entity or maybe a conscious force of nature. They got what they wanted, but then their bloodline got cursed, and now the curse manifests in the seventh son of a seventh son."

At this Duke looks back up into the camera.

DUKE: "Three f[BLEEP]king guesses as to what I am. My dad's a seventh son and, wanting to have a lot of kids for what I'm sure was another scheme he came up with after going to the movies, he stopped after number six with his wife at the time. And then started dating my mom without telling her he was married. They got hitched, him hiding his original wife and family, and instantly got to work making me. See, because he's a f[BLEEP]king idiot, he didn't think that it was collectively the number of kids you sired. He just thought it was seven per woman you impregnate. So yeah, that was all a fun little surprise to find out on my thirteenth birthday! That and the fact that my mom and me were his secret second family!"

Duke takes another, deeper swig of his beer.

DUKE: "... F[BLEEP]kin' dumba[BLEEP]...

 

[The film returns to Duke and Marvin standing in his front yard.]

 

MARVIN: "Where's my hug, buddy?"

Marvin, still clutching the parchment in his hand, holds open his arms for a hug.

DUKE: "No."

MARVIN: "Huh?"

DUKE: "The answer's no, Dad. I'm not getting involved in whatever scheme you're cooking up now."

Duke turns to walk away.

MARVIN: "Woah, woah! Hold your horses there, buddy! I'm not cooking up any schemes..."

Duke snorts and takes a drag of his joint.

DUKE: "Then what's with the parchment?"

MARVIN: "Well, I know how much you love going around and investigating paranormal phenomena, and I thought that you might be interested in what I came across when I... borrowed a friend's grandpa's old steamer trunk!"

Marvin proudly presents the parchment, holding it out for his son to take it. Duke, however, doesn't reach for it at all.

DUKE: "Dad... did you get yourself mixed up with another cursed object? 'Cause I told you last Christmas, after that f[BLEEP]kin' nutcracker came to life and tried to cut out my liver to eat, that you were on your own as far as curses go."

MARVIN: "Son, I remember, and I just felt so bad about it. I mean, I still had fun on that Vegas trip I went on the day after, but I was still really concerned."

DUKE: "Really? 'Cause it seemed like you thought it was all really funny, especially when that little f[BLEEP]kstick BIT OFF MY LEFT NUT!!!"

Marvin tapped the parchment to his chin.

MARVIN: "Well, hell, boy. How many times do I gotta keep apologizin' for that whole fiasco?"

DUKE: "At least once would be a nice change of pace!"

MARVIN: "... Well, anyway, here, a little something that I got and made me think of you."

Again, Marvin held out the parchment.

DUKE: "Dad... is this a cursed item? Just shoot straight with me."

MARVIN: "Son, you know that I'm a straight shootin' cowboy, above all else."

DUKE: "... So it's definitely cursed then."

MARVIN: "Okay! Okay, ya got me!"

Marvin throws his hands up into the air in exasperation.

MARVIN: "This scroll or whatever you call it is cursed! And I need to get rid of it."

DUKE: "I take it that it's something that to pass on, has to be taken from you willingly, right?"

Marvin looks down at his shoes, his free hand in his pocket. Duke sighs and holds out his hand.

DUKE: "This is the last f[BLEEP]kin' time, Dad. I mean it."

MARVIN: "Oh, thank ya son!"

He hands Duke the scroll, and immediately starts running to the fence.

MARVIN: "If ya live through the night, call me!"

Marvin yells this without even looking over his shoulder as he hops the fence. He then gets back in his car and quickly peels out.

 

[Cut back to Duke sitting in the lawn chair, now holding up the scroll.]

 

DUKE: "If I didn't take it, he woulda just begged and pleaded and refused to leave, and try a whole bunch of annoying bullsh[BLEEP]t. Not really sure what this curse is yet, but I'd rather deal with it, rather than him, any f[BLEEP]king day."

A series of overlapping whispering voices can be heard, slowly rising in volume.

DUKE: "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I get it. Let's get this sh[BLEEP]t over with."

He unrolls the parchment and starts to read something on it.

DUKE: "Huh... been awhile since I've seen one of these f[BLEEP]kin' things."

The parchment shudders, and a skeletal hand and arm shoots out from the center of the scroll. The inky black and dripping bony clawed fingers grab Duke by the throat, as the skull of a full blackened skeleton starts to rise from the scroll.

DUKE: "BRING IT, SH[BLEEP]TSTAIN!!!"

 

[Roll Credits]

 

 

And there we go, folks! Tune in next time for more Red Moon Falls!