Jaxon's Torment (Book 1)
Jaxon’s Torment
By Ray Bush
“It’s 9:16 Mountain Time here in Utah,” Jaxon said as he started the recording. “Hopefully we have some new viewers this week,” He had brown hair and dark eyes. His smooth voice and likable personality made him a perfect live streamer. “So for any newbies, what I do is go to abandon buildings or towns that have fascinating backstories. I am not a paranormal investigator but I have found some fairly compelling evidence. My channel is to show my viewers places that you may not get the chance to visit. So if you’re new and like what you see then please like this video and subscribe to join me on weekly adventures.”
Jaxon always began his videos with the camera facing him to give his channel a more personal feel. “This week we’re exploring an abandoned compound for an obscure Utah cult. They worshiped the old gods, and that was the only information they would give to outsiders.” Jaxon loved researching stories like this and even more sharing these stories. “The government decided that the reports of human sacrifice were worth investigating. But as you can see,” Jaxon switched views to the camera strapped to his chest. He did a three sixty to show how flat the land was in the last light of the day. “There was a standoff that lasted for weeks. Finally the police and coast guard closed in. Reports say that the whole compound was found dead in their beds at home. Every man, woman, and child ate poison and went off to the beyond together.”
“The officers said it was the saddest things most of them had ever seen,” Jaxon was speaking solemnly, “As most mass suicides probably are. Most of the children were wrapped tightly in blankets, they think the parents waited for the little ones to pass first. Can you believe this story?” Despite the terrible history, Jaxon was very excited to be here, and so were his hundreds of viewers and thousands of subscribers. “Are you ready to go?”
He turned towards the compound as the last light was leaving the sky. It looked like any small city that one would drive through in the middle of nowhere Utah. There were several large buildings, eight watch towers, and a full neighborhood of houses. Jaxon got butterflies in his stomach. He walked down the short gravel road until he reached the sign, “Welcome to Saphiana everyone, the home of the green flock. The green flock worshiped the god of death. Saphiana was his wife and was the goddess of goodness.”
“Some people claim to have seen more than apparitions out here,” Jaxon explained “They think the standoff ended with a negotiation not a suicide. They claim that the deal is that the group can only sacrifice people who trespass in their city. But they had to become an invisible organization, the world had to think they were gone.
Jaxon was already strolling down mainstreet past the tailor shop on the left and the grocery store on the right. “Man I really want to climb that watchtower,” Jaxon said, “But first let’s take a look in the grocery store to see what we see.”
Their store looked freshly cleaned as well as freshly stocked, which made Jaxon a bit nervous. “Man this place is nuts,” Jaxon said more to himself than his viewers. The floor had no dust nor did the windows. “So they probably wouldn't have looted their own town but that stuff looks brand new. It really must have been a trip to live here. If you were caught stealing from this store you may be subject to a few different punishments. There is said to be a pit dug in the basement of the courthouse. One of the punishments was that the thief or thieves would be tossed in the pit to live out a short existence. I feel like that would be a terrible way to go. Obviously I’ll try to find it tonight, I hope I do but I also hope that I don’t.”
Now that it was completely dark Jaxon set his camera to night vision, “I brought a flashlight as usual but won’t use it until I need to. Did any of you think that grocery store looks like it's been a couple decades since someone has been in there?” The chat was overwhelmingly no. “Honestly that does make me pretty nervous. I am going to walk around for a bit longer but please let me know if you guys see anything.” The chat agreed that they would so Jaxon moved north down mainstreet.
He passed a tailor shop, a general store, and a mining store. Next to the mining store, but across mainstreet from the general store and tailor shop,there was a massive temple. Instead of being decorated with a cross, this one was decorated with a statue that looked like death holding a sword and an owl perched on his shoulder. He wondered how the eyes were still glowing green. Chills ran around his whole body.
“What kind of civilization would worship something like that?” Jaxon was a bit nervous, “Can you guys see the glowing eyes.” The chat answered yes and a few recommended that he find somewhere else to be. “I’ll be careful guys, but I think I’m gonna to look around a little longer.”
Jaxon saw the building labeled “Hospital,” he quickly backtracked in that direction, it was on the opposite side of the mining store. “We have to see what’s in there right?” Jaxon asked but didn’t look at the chat for an answer. As most that explored abandoned locations, Jaxon was always a little nervous in the ghost towns. “They say this is where the elderly were injected so they could pass on in peace. The rest of the town had a luxurious feast that would rival any royal dinner. Then they said their goodbyes and went to their homes. They considered themselves the last sacrifice to Saphianna. All of them would’ve considered it a great honor to die for her. This is the sad part of the history, hopefully you find it as fascinating as I do.”
He looked in the sliding glass doors, it was empty but it looked far from abandoned. The floor was clean, there were no scattered papers, and the windows were also clean. Absolutely nothing looked to be out of place.
“All the stories of these guys is that they took great pride in their town and their beliefs,” Jaxon explained. “If there had been a mass suicide I don’t think they would destroy the place that they loved. Even still, that place looks too clean.” Jaxon pushed on the door but it did not budge, “Man I wish we could see in there,” Jaxon thought aloud, “Well I guess I kinda wish I could, I wouldn’t want to see bodies.”
“Do you want to see the view from a tower?” Jaxon asked. The chat filled with yesses so Jaxon made his way to the north west of the town.
He climbed the stairs slowly not wanting to run out of breath on camera, nobody wants to hear that. When he reached the top he looked around so his viewers could see what he was seeing.
“They picked the perfect place for this,” Jaxon marveled, “There is no way to sneak up on this place, And there would be no cover to hide behind. I am starting to lean towards the cops making a deal with these guys.” He turned to look over the town, he didn’t see the light.
Chat comments
Did you see that light? elora419
Was that a light? alyssa77377
I think I saw a light. asy77nat
“Are you serious?” Jaxon said, everyone heard the worry in his voice. “Where was it at?” Thye chat informed him that it was towards the grocery store.
Jaxon quickly made his way down the stairs, skipping every other step. Of course main street was still empty, Jaxon jogged towards the store. He looked in the windows but everything looked as it was before.
“Are you sure it came from the store?” Jaxon asked, he didn’t know what was going on with him. He never chased after danger, he seemed to forget that some believed people still lived here and would sacrifice him if he were to be found. Most thought it was the store but others said it may have been the courthouse. The number of people advising him to leave was growing by the minute. He assured them again that he would be careful.
He walked slowly to the courthouse building and gave the door a hard yank. Jaxon stumbled backyards when the door opened easily. Just like the other buildings, everything was in perfect order. The chairs in the cathedral-like lobby were perfectly placed as well as the couches. The furniture looked very comfortable. The coffee table had magazines scattered on its surface. Jaxon walked over and picked one up.
“Guys I can’t believe this,” Jaxon said with wonder, “These magazines are only two weeks old. I think it’s time for me to hit the road and never come back.”
From somewhere in the building came the chilling sound of metal scraping against metal. His body broke out in goosebumps. He ran back to the door but when he reached for the handle the door locked with a buzz and a click. Somebody was watching him. The chat screamed for him to leave, Jaxon very much agreed but this door was not an option.
He thought about breaking the window with a chair but decided against it. He didn’t wanna alert his location despite someone already knowing exactly where he was. Even more he didn’t even know who was here, they may not be bad people. That was ridiculous of course, but he still did hope. He scanned the lobby, halfway in there was a hallway to the left with an exit sign hanging above it. Jaxon jogged despite the noise his shoes made on the floor.
Instead of a door Jaxon saw a dark silhouette of a large man holding something that looked like a large knife. Directly across from this hallway was another very similar to this one. Jaxon sprinted, there was no door at the end of this hallway. Well there was a door, it just led to the basement of this building. Jaxon did say that he would look for the pit. He didn’t want to in these circumstances but he had no other options. He ran down the cut back stairs like he did in the tower, skipping every other stair.
The hallway was long and dark but not completely black, Jaxon could see a pretty good distance. He ran past door after door, This must have been the most glum place in this beautiful town. This is where the lost souls worked, they didn’t even get the luxury of a window. From the top of the stairs came the scream of a lunatic, Jaxon sprinted. After what had to be the center point of the building was a crossroads hallway. He was far enough away from the stairs so that the madman would not see him right away. It had to be right or left, he would be spotted too easily if he ran straight. The scream came from the bottom of the stairs this time. Without thinking Jaxon ran down the left hallway. He looked down and could see the dust on the floor, that would make it very easy to track him.
It looked like the basement had, or maybe is, used for storage. Jaxon passed desks and chairs carefully placed against the wall. Jaxon’s heart was pounding, he needed to take a breath and make a plan. He passed a few hallways heading in each direction until he found a random door and entered. There was a desk facing the door and an office chair behind the desk. On the desk was a typewriter, next to the desk was a large filing cabinet. There was a closet behind where the door would open so Jaxon decided to hide behind the door or slip in the closet if he needed to.
From somewhere in the hallway the man started banging on the walls. He had a soft lunatic laugh and a crazy smile that Jaxon would never see. Every few seconds or so would come a loud bang, the man was chopping into things with his machete.
“Call the police guys,” Jaxon said frantically to the livestream. He had a moment of fear thinking he may have lost the signal down here. “Please guys, I need help.” The chat informed him that they already had. Unfortunately when the name of the city was given the line disconnected every time. Jaxon may be on his own.
Now the banging of the machete was getting closer and closer. “You here somewhere,” the man’s voice was covered in madness. “I gonna find ya, I always find ya.”
The footfalls were right outside the door, Jaxon was so scared his eyes filled with tears. The man simply had to follow Jaxon’s footprints in the dust to know Jaxon was behind door number B67, that was the number on the plate next to the door. He stopped outside the door, Jaxon knew that he would find him right away. The door knob turned slowly then the door opened equally slowly. Jaxon loosely grabbed the inside of the knob. He quickly and silently pushed the button that would lock the door. When the door cleared the door jam the man slowly peaked his head in the room, Jaxon slammed the door hard into the side of his head. The man stumbled into the room, Jaxon pushed him hard. The stranger fell over the desk. Jaxon slammed the door and sprinted back to the main hallway.
“He’s got a machete guys,” Jaxon was manic with anxiety, “He’s got a damn machete.”
He planned to turn right to go back the way he had come, another crazed scream came from that direction. Jaxon went straight. That man also appeared to have a machete, he was in a butt load of danger.
“Shit guys,” Jaxon was whisper-talking to the live stream, “What the hell am I going to do?”
“Get over here,” a deep voice said, Jaxon wasn’t sure which of the men said it. “There is no use running, we are going to find you.” It had to be the second guy, he spoke more intelligently than the first.
Jaxon found a hallway that turned right. He was hoping that the man would follow where Jaxon had been and not where he was going. Jaxon heard a door shut from behind him, the first man was back in pursuit. A man appeared at the end of the hallway, presumably the same man. Jaxon slid to a stop on the linoleum floor. The man screamed and waved the machete over his head. Jaxon could not figure out where the dim light was coming from but it would have been much easier to hide in the darkness.
When Jaxon turned to run the other direction, the first man was waiting at that end of the corridor. Jaxon thought his life was coming to an end, he would continue to fight but things did not look good. Jaxon headed towards the stairwell and towards the second man, he hit maximum speed. His dad called that “Turning on the afterburners.” The man screamed another wild scream, Jaxon thought it was a delighted scream. He raised his machete to a good swinging position and waited for the young man. As Jaxon got close and the man began his swing, Jaxon dropped to the floor and slid like a baseball player stealing second. Jaxon purposely aimed for the ankle hoping that he could snap it. The man flipped over Jaxon and hit the ground hard, Jaxon heard the air leave the man’s lungs. Jaxon quickly got back to his feet then turned right back towards the stairwell. How had he missed this corridor on his way in?
Jaxon got to the door and ran up the stairs, again skipping every other step. He got to the top and ran back into the lobby. On his way to the window Jackson picked up a chair, when he got close to the widow he threw the chair hard. The window shattered and Jackson jumped through the glass like an action star. He hoped the livestream picked up a good shot of that, if he made it out of here he would like to see it. Surprisingly the first man was in hot pursuit and the second man was not far behind him. Jaxon turned left next to the courthouse then took another left towards a neighborhood. The first man followed Jaxon but the other passed the ally, probably trying to cut Jaxon off somewhere.
He crossed a street into the housing area, then took an ally then another ally. He took ally after ally until there was nobody behind him. He crouched next to a house trying to get his breath and trying to figure out which way the parking lot was.
“I don’t know what to do guys,” Jaxon was scared and it was obvious in his voice. “I forgot my damn taser in the car.” In the distance he could hear the two men yelling towards each other but could not understand a word. “Can any of you tell which way the parking lot is?” Jaxon didn’t think they would but he was praying for help from anywhere.
Someone suggested that he run into the desert and find the parking lot from somewhere safe. “I’ll keep that in mind and may have to,” Jaxon answered, “But I don’t want to run into the desert night unless I have no other options. The land is flat but believe me when you get in the middle of it, well it’s very easy to lose direction.”
Jaxon was breathing better so he started sneaking between houses hoping he would recognize something. He finally made it to the point where was next to the last house and was looking at the stables. Jaxon knew the stables was on the northeast of town and the car was southeast of the town.
“K guys I know where the car is now,” Jaxon told his viewers, “I’m gonna to take off down mainstreet and hope I’m faster than them.” He made a fist and tapped his forehead, then kissed it, “Wish me luck.”
Jaxon got close to the church when one of the men came out of an alley next to the barbershop. As Jaxson passed the sheriff’s office the other man stepped out and swung his machete throat level. Jaxon spun his body and neck, barely getting out of the way. He ran like his life depended on it, because it did. He could hear the footfalls behind him and knew that both men were giving chase. Luckily for Jaxon he was very fast, he could hear that the men were falling behind. He slowed a little so he could grab the keys out of his basketball shorts. Jaxon always wore basketball shorts for this exact reason, in case he needed to run. Of course he was only thinking homeless people or security guards, not two crazed men with machetes.
They gained on Jaxon a little but not near enough to worry about. Jaxon turned on the short road from the town to his car, the two men were far behind him. Jaxon knew that he was safe. As he got close to the parking lot he clicked the unlock button and the parkings lights lit up. A man stood in front of his car holding another damned machete. What is it with these people? Jaxon turned left into the sagebrush diagonally towards the main road. The new man charged, hoping to cut Jaxon off before he could get there. The two other men still gave chase but Jaxon had little worry about those two. They should be getting winded and Jaxon would be able to outrun them all night. The man did exactly what Jaxon was hoping he would do.
When Jaxon got ten feet from the man, Jaxon cut right like a running back towards his car. The man tried to do the same but lost his footing on the gravel road. He caught himself with one hand and pushed himself to his feet. He chased after Jaxon. He took a peak over his shoulder, the original two were running on an empty tank. The new guy was keeping pace with Jaxon. He opened the door of his SUV, jumped in the seat, and tried to close it. A hand reached in the door and stopped it from closing. Jaxon smashed the man’s hand with a hammerfist punch. He felt some of the man’s bones break. Jaxon opened the door and slammed it on his hand, the man screamed and yanked his hand away. Jaxon could see his misshapen fingers.
He got the door shut then locked. A machete slammed into his windshield making it crack a little, Jaxon started the engine. A machete slammed the passenger window and broke it. Jaxon put his car in reverse then slammed on the gas. Jaxon slammed the brakes and put the SUV in drive and again slammed on the gas.
A new man stood in the narrow road, Jaxon believed that the cult was still here. These cloaked men must be their security, or maybe kidnappers. Jaxon let off the gas but only for a half second. The man got out of the way just in time, lucky for him Jaxon would have ran him down.
“Holy shit guys,” Jaxon said to his viewers with joy in his voice, “I’m safe so you guys don’t have to worry.” Jaxon sped down the abandoned dirt road. “I’m gonna to sign off, I will go live again when I get home.” Jaxon ended the live stream.
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