Stories from my dark side | The Children of Prospect Park

The Children of Prospect Park

The tale I'm going to tell you is one of those stories that people believe is not real —said a voice in the dark— one of those stories that people call a myth, an urban legend. But aside from these facts, this is not a tale you'd tell to a child. This is a tale about the kids who went to Prospect Park station to never came back... And is a story I remember very well.

The night of August 2, the year 1997. A security guard at the Prospect Park subway station was the very first to witness the weird phenomenon through the cameras, a lonely child walking toward the station's tunnel and getting inside. Alarmed by this, the man reported the singular event and the search for the kid began —a quiet laugh could be heard in the room—. two teams were deployed that night for the search of the infant, one of them starting off from the 7th Avenue station, and the other one from Prospect Park. surprisingly, both of them met in the middle of the tunnel with no traces of the missing kid, how could it be possible? were they asking, but that's something no one was entirely sure and our story started.

The man in the darkness stood in silence for a while.

After checking the station recordings it was found that numerous kids had been getting inside the tunnel to never get out of it in the past 3 weeks, leading the police to get hands on the matter and the case was given to the detective Alexander Miles.

—Who is the security chief? —asked Miles when he got to the station.

—Welcome to Prospect Park station detective, my name is Larry Huffman and I am the security chief —he said while offering a handshake to Miles—. Larry had been the security chief of Prospect Park station for 7 years, one of those friendly and fat men, with ginger hair and a mustache in the best French style with pointed ends that you could easily bet he was proud of.

—Nice to meet you, Mr. Huffman. How did all this happen?

—My pleasure, you can call me Larry. We're not entirely sure yet detective. I, I... need you to follow me, there's something you must see —added Larry.

After a brief walk to the cameras room of the station, Larry took a notebook with dates and times on it and then, played a sequence of recordings, showing every single kid who went into the tunnels in the past weeks for a total count of 17 missing children.

—Jesus Christ... How is this possible? is there any lead of where the kids can be or what could've happened to them?

—I... I'm afraid there's none Mr. Miles —the hands of the security chief were shaking— we don't know how this has been happening for so long undetected—I, I apologize in the name of all the security members of the subway station.

-Don't misunderstand me Larry, but apologies are not going to resolve this case. I'll need a copy of all the recordings from this and the 7th Avenue subway stations.

—I've already prepared a copy of the stations' recordings for you —said Larry handing a DVD disc to Miles.

—Thanks, let's keep this event secret until we have a solid lead to follow. For the time being, the station must keep working as usual. keep an eye on any kid who tries to get inside the tunnels and stop him for interrogation.

After this, our detective started his way out, It was already late, the night was cold and a heavy rain was approaching the streets. Not far away on his way home Miles saw a child standing below the light of a street-lamp looking at the black sky, absent in the rain, ignoring everything that surrounded him until Miles pulled over his car to offer him refuge, starring at the detective, the kid said something Miles couldn't hear due to the noise of the rain and when he tried to get out of the car, the kid ran away disappearing in the alleys. "What's wrong with children nowadays? Everything is becoming so weird..." he thought. But what he didn't know yet was that everything in this mad world of us serves a major purpose... —the man could be heard laughing again, quiet and hidden among the shadows of the room.

A massive investigation was done for the next two days, watching the recordings that Larry gave him over and over again, identifying the children, suspects, nothing was matching. Everything was so confusing for our detective, none of the 17 missing kids left a trace behind his disappearing and the most shocking fact was that neither of them seemed afraid to get inside the tunnel. Only one thing was commonly present in all the 17 cases, the kids were the only ones in the platform at the moment of the disappearances. "This can't be a coincidence, but why?" he asked to himself over and over again "Why did these kids went to the tunnel, what was their reason and most importantly... How did they disappear? I don't understand" said Miles while looking at the watch his father gave him when he graduated from the police school. It was 10:40 PM of a Monday. —this case is going to kill me with a headache.

A phone was ringing on his desk.

—Hi! is this Alexander Miles? —Asked the voice on the other side of the line, he sounded nervous.

—Yes, Alexander Miles here. Who's asking?

—Oh... It's me Larry, Mr. Miles, You, You should come and see this. A child managed to get inside last night and we've found him, but I'm afraid that... —Larry's voice was shaking, inconsistent and ashamed— This is horrible sir, the kid is dead...

—Wait! Did you say dead? —asked Miles clearly shocked— How did this happen? Didn't I order to watch out for any kid who tried to get inside the tunnel?

—Yes, yes! But... Everything was so fast... We saw the kid when he was entering the tunnel and we ran to try and stop him, but... God damn it! We followed him sir and once again we lost the trace of him until now... a technician found him while fixing some lights in the tunnel, I... I'm sorry sir. —The shame in the voice of the man was bigger than him.

—Calm down, Larry! I'm already on my way, please check that no one moves the corpse. —said the detective Miles leaving his office.

Finally there, Miles was not ready for what he was about to see, that kid was the worse thing he had ever witness in his long days of duty. on the ground near the rails, hugging a teddy-bear... But yet that was nothing compared to what he saw when he got closer to him. the eyes of the kid had been ripped off and his skin looked aged and wrinkled... Miles felt a twinge in the center of his stomach that he couldn't bear, sharper than a knife and causing him to leave the scene.

—Are you ok, detective? —Asked Larry worried about his situation— Jesus Miles... you're pale as a ghost, do you need medical attention?

—No... no, fuck Larry... I saw that kid two days ago in the streets, I tried to help him, but, damn it! he ran away from me... —said Miles trying not to throw up— and I... I didn't follow him, Larry. I didn’t follow him... Oh god, what have I done? —asked the detective looking at the dark ceiling of the tunnel.

—Wait here for me Miles, I'm going for a paramedic. You are not looking good. —Larry knew that Miles didn't need the medical attention, but yet... He needed time alone.

Larry was a good and experienced man after all. Life had been his best teacher —added the mysterious voice in the room.

After having seen the paramedic and clearing his thoughts Miles went back to the crime scene to examine it properly. But once again everything was confusing, the state of the kid was horrible but the surrounding area had not a single trace of blood. his first conclusions were that the kid was dropped there after his killing, or at least that's what the detective Miler thought at first... —said the voice hidden in the dark, enjoying the tension in the room— while examining the kid he started feeling dizzy, but surprisingly, the kid had no marks of a fight, he showed no resistance before his death. "Interesting... Yet weird." thought Miles, but it was at that moment when he realized something even stranger.

—This kid was homeless, you can easily tell he lived in the streets. —said Miles to Larry.

—Is it important sir? I'm not getting what you're trying to tell me...

—This teddy-bear, Larry... I'm completely sure he didn't have it when I saw him on the streets. Where did he get it? —Asked Miles confused.

—I'm afraid I can't help you with that Miles.

—Don't worry Larry, you've already done enough. Keep everyone away from the scene till the forensic comes and then please close the station until the investigations are done. I, I'm going home...

Leaving the station, he passed by the street lamp where he first saw the kid and pulled over next to it to think about the case. "What have I done...?" he kept arguing with himself while lighting a cigar, he never fell into the vice of smoking but it helped him to clear his mind and anxiety. He took his flashlight and went into the alleys in search of something, seeking enlightenment, for something he knew that wasn't there anymore but yet he had to try, he found nothing else than dead-ends in another cold night. His time was running out faster than he could ever imagine, he decided once again to start his march onwards to home, the march to a house he didn't want to go to.

Miles had been living alone since his divorce 9 years ago, but that night, his house felt lonelier than ever, Already there he went to his studio and served himself a glass of whiskey before starting to watch all the recordings again and again. But It didn't matter at all, he had failed to himself and to those children. they were no longer 17 kids, and 18 was a number he started to hate. In his mind, the picture of that one child on the ground, so defenseless, he knew it wouldn't go away and every time he closed his eyes he was able to see it, that child below the light of a street-lamp. In that specific moment when he saw him, strong, ignoring the calamities of life, never thought that it would've such an end like it, but all of that was over. The moment when he realized it, he had already drawn a teddy-bear "Why do this teddy-bear keeps tormenting me?" he thought, but finding no answers inside his mind, finished the glass of whiskey and went to his bedroom trying to rest, that was a long night he wanted to forget about.

In his dreams, he reminded the night when he first met the child, there he was... below the same street lamp, Looking at the sky, ignoring the cold water that had unleashed above him, once again Miles pulled over to offer his help, decided to don't let him flee again taking him by the shoulder, but to his surprise, the kid was already dead, pale as only death can be and with holes where eyes had been, with blood flowing out of them as tears of sadness. Miles was paralysed, waiting for it, waiting for the judgement he deserved. But the child just stared at him, looking at him with a hollow sight, parting off the hand of the detective away from his shoulder. "I told you to get away!" said the kid causing Miles to wake up in the darkness of his bedroom, crying for not having saved the kid even in his dreams, crying of shame.

—This is going to end tonight! —thought Miles out loud— I won't lose another life in this case.

He got up and started to dressing, checking up his Glock 19, one bullet in the chamber and 15 in the magazine. picked up a flashlight and two extra magazines before looking at his watch, it was 3:00 AM "What a good time to go hunting" he thought and left his house smelling the death in the air. He drove to Prospect Park station to find out it was closed as he told Larry to close the station before leaving hours ago. Ignoring this, he proceeded to jump over the security walls of the station to find himself in the rail area outside the station. It was pitch black, he took his flashlight and started his walk to the station's platform. He was worried at first that a guard could see him, but it seemed that everyone had already left the place. it was there when something suddenly stopped him, he could hear steps at his back, causing him to turn back with his gun ready to shoot. "Freeze!" he screamed while aiming to the walking shadow in front of him, ready to shoot, but he was the one that couldn't move, the mysterious walker was the only kid that went into that tunnel and came back, the kid of his recent martyr. "No, no... I saw you, you died! I... I couldn't save you in time. Please, forgive me" he said, but the kid walked towards the tunnel, completely ignoring his presence. "Stop! don't get in there" He said while positioning himself between the kid and the tunnel but he started to lose control over his legs and fell to his knees, the shame and fear he was feeling was too strong to bear. He dropped his gun and with arms wide open he disposed himself to hug the kid and stop him, but this one went through him as a ghost as if he wasn't really there as if he wasn't a real part of this mad world. After seeing this, Miles started to feel a horrible headache that made him crawl on the ground, his head felt as if it was about to explode and his eyes about to fall off, causing him to blackout.

In the darkness of his mind, he was able to hear a voice. "Thomas! Hurry up, or we won't be able to see it" it was a little girl's voice, "Come on Thomas, Hurry!" after hearing her voice he opened his eyes to see her in the distance, a girl in front of the tunnel jumping of joy while hugging a teddy-bear strongly to her chest. Confused, the detective tried to talk but he couldn't, he tried to move but once again he wasn't able to do it, then he started to walk towards the station tunnel, having no control over his body. "No! stop it, wait... What's happening?" he thought until he saw a man walking on the platform who then fell to his knees in front of him, he didn't recognize the man at first, but when he got closer he saw it, it was him who was there on his knees with the arms wide open... In that moment he realized he was seeing through the eyes of the kid and was able to see it, the shame and guilt in his face, harmful, before he passed through him again, walking onwards to the little girl. it was like an illusion. Closing his eyes he was able to go back to his body, the pain was gone and could get up, to find that the child was almost inside the tunnel. "Wait, Thomas! Don't get in there, she's not real, there's nobody there" screamed Miles, but he saw it, where the girl was supposed to be now was a big shadow distorting the surrounding area. Afraid, he couldn't move, the fear had paralysed his body and standing there he saw how the kid finally entered the tunnel to be embraced and devoured by the darkness inside it.

—This can't be happening... —said the detective while getting up.

He was in shock and his hands were shaking, but his will wouldn't let him run away, instead, he picked up his gun again, searched for the flashlight in his pocket and started to walk towards the tunnel. He knew that his gun would be useless against the threat he was about to face, he knew that maybe he would not be able to come back from that tunnel, but even knowing that he decided to walk to it without looking back, to walk and to don't stop until he fulfilled his duty, he decided To get in seeking revenge, seeking for the death itself... —finished the man hidden on shadows.

—And what happened to him? —asked a child's voice in the room.

—Well... He indeed came back —said the voice that was hiding in the darkness while getting up, revealing an old man with patches in both eyes— he did...

The End
Story Written by: José Alejandro Quintero Urdaneta, aka: J.

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