The Well House Sequels

In the summer of 1998, Ben Carson faced the ultimate evil— and won. Once his wife, Anne, recovered from the coma, she gave birth to a daughter, Molly, who grew into a beautiful, independent teenager, now almost seventeen years old. The family continued to live in the same A-frame house in the mountains near Boulder, Colorado, and their life was peaceful and fulfilling. Ben became a successful writer, and Anne volunteered her time at a Boulder homeless shelter, counseling residents with mental disabilities. Their son, Taylor, got a job in Denver at a television station as a reporter and married his longtime love, Jenny. Ben’s dog, Sherman, slowed over the years but remained in remarkably good health for a dog his age. In the summer of 2015, the future looked great with the expected arrival of their first grandchild. Life was never better for the Carsons. But that was about to change.

Chapter 2

A cool mist covered the trees and bushes making them sparkle in the moonlight. Ben sat on a large boulder in the middle of a gentle stream that flowed down the side of the pine-covered hill. He felt more peaceful than he had ever felt. He looked up at the dark sky and closed his eyes, letting the sound of the water running over the stones fill his mind with an easy, peaceful feeling. And then, he heard it. Something strange, off in the distance. Was it marching, chanting, or just his imagination? Ben slid off the rock and tiptoed across the stones to the shore and then up the side of the hill. He knelt down behind a bush and looked across the stream to the other side where the sound came from. He heard a grinding noise and saw a faint red glow appear in the side of the hill straight across from him. Mist billowed out of the rosy opening, covering the entire area with a heavy fog, making it hard to see anything. Out of the depths of the small cave flowed a group of shadowy figures. The fog was too dense for Ben to see clearly. One figure walked at the front of the group and led the others out of the cave. The air turned warm and acrid as the figures marched along the bank of the stream. Ben heard the cadence of marching feet. But there was another sound. More sinister, like leather and metal being rubbed together. Ben shuddered with fear and crouched lower behind the bush until the shadowy figures were gone. The grinding sound returned as a large stone rolled across the front of the cave. Cool air slowly returned and the sweet smell of the damp forest grass again filled the air.

Ben left the protection of the bush and ran across the stream to the side of the mountain where the figures had emerged. The smell of smoke and sulfur was strong and an orange glow shone through a crack in the rock. Ben looked through the crack but couldn’t see anything but swirling clouds. The sound of the marching shadows was fading into the distance and Ben decided to follow. He ran down the hill by the side of the stream that snaked it’s way through thick trees and foliage. At the bottom of the hill was a clearing and Ben stopped and knelt behind a large bush. At the far side of the clearing was a sandy beach stretching out in front of a beautiful blue sea. Ben saw the group of shadowy figures walking across the water, headed to the far shore. He ran across the clearing and stopped on the sand at the edge of the sea. Ben slipped into the water and swam as fast as he could against the current. The figures did not sense his presence and continued their march across the water. Ben continued to swim after them, fighting the cold and the waves. Ben began to tire and looked at his watch. He couldn’t read the dial in the darkness but he knew he had been swimming for a long time and his arms were weak and rubbery. Ben struggled to stay afloat but was exhausted. He slipped under the water and drifted to the bottom, getting tangled in the seaweed. He held his breath and his lungs started to ache. Ben knew he was near death. Suddenly a hand grabbed him by the shirt, pulled him to the surface and dragged him through the water to the sandy beach. Ben lay still on the beach, barely breathing. He coughed up water as someone pushed on his chest. Ben slowly opened his eyes and saw Claude Moran kneeling over him with a big grin on his face.
“Welcome back , Bentley. You had me worried.”

Ben looked at Claude. Something was wrong. “Claude , I can’t see you very clearly. What’s wrong with me?”
“Nothing’s wrong with you. Just remember, you is the man,” Claude said as he faded away into the darkness.
“Come back,” Ben said as he struggled to his feet. He looked all around but couldn’t see Claude anywhere. He was on the beach on the far side of the sea. He had been here before but he didn’t remember when. Ben was confused and looked around. About thirty feet in front of him was a dark pit. Ben felt something pulling him, like an invisible magnet. He fell to the ground as he struggled to keep himself from being pulled toward the darkness. He grabbed the ground with his fingers and fought the power dragging him across the ground. The skin on his fingers was peeling off and left small, bloody trails in the sand. No matter how hard he tried, Ben could not stop the power moving him toward the pit. Suddenly, he was falling, tumbling through the dark fog with no chance of escape. He was helpless, at the mercy of some unseen power. Then he hit bottom and lost consciousness again.

Ben opened his eyes and looked around. He was in a white room with black curtains hanging on the walls. He was sure he had he been here before, but when?
As he lay on the floor trying to remember, a door opened in the side of the room and the shadowy figures came marching through, about ten feet to his right. Ben lay still but knew they would see him. To his surprise, the group marched by, not noticing him at all, as they continued out the far door. Ben jumped up and ran after them out onto a trail which led into a forest.

Ben looked around and saw strange monsters, demons, scaly creatures and….dreams. Sharp pains pounded through his head as he again lost his balance and fell to the ground. Visions swirled thorough his mind. He struggled to his feet. He was now in a room with metal doors all hanging open. Dream creatures poured out of the rooms and encircled him. He closed his eyes and ran toward the door in the far side of the room. Suddenly, he tripped over something and landed on the floor. He opened his eyes. It was a decaying body. He turned it over. It was Anthony Garbaccio, eyes bulging, skin rotting. Ben screamed and ran toward a metal door. He opened it and stepped through. Forests, mountains, canyons and seascapes encircled him, changing continuously, creating a dizzy feeling in his head. He was lost in a swirl of dreams.
“Help me,” Ben screamed.

He heard a sound in the distance coming for him. He saw Sherman standing in the distance, barking and wagging his tail. The dog turned and ran toward a tunnel as Ben followed. At the end of the tunnel was a large Kiva with stairs coming down through the ceiling. Sherman bounded up the stairs and Ben ran behind as fast as he could.

Sherman stopped at the top of the stairs and started to bark. Ben came up to the landing and pushed on the trap door. It opened and they both climbed through the opening. Ben looked around. They were in the large room inside the well house.

Ben walked around and felt the rough wood walls. He approached the clear wall which separated this room from the interior of the small well house. He knew he had been here before.
And then he saw them. The shadowy figures reflected in the clear wall coming behind him, grabbing his arms and legs, clawing at his face.

“Who are you? What do you want?,” Ben asked.
The shadowy leader approached Ben from behind and grabbed him by the shoulders.
“Glad to see you again my friend”, the figure whispered in Ben’s ear.
Ben turned, and looked into those blue, blue eyes. “No, it can’t be”, Ben said, as he fell into darkness.

“Ben, what’s wrong”, a distant voice yelled out. Ben felt himself being shaken violently. He opened his eyes. It was Anne shaking him.
“Wake up Ben. You’re having a nightmare.” She put her arms gently around Ben and said, “I’m here. I love you. Everything will be okay. It’s just a bad dream.”
Ben looked at Anne and said, “It’s more than a bad dream. Something awful is about to happen. Hold me close. I’m scared.”