Craze Issue 3: Goosebumps by Craze Magazine

cra

the goosebumps issue

issue three // volume twenty six //october 2016

TABLE of CONTENTS 01-02

introduction

messed up dress up

15-16

03-04

contributors

draw your fears

17-20

05-08

the art of horror

21-22

09-10

horror film classics

emo halloween playlist scary stories irl

23-26

11-14

spooky snapshots

craze american horror story

27-30

letter from the editor . . . We’re lucky we made it out alive. After our last issue ended with a series of bumps and mishaps, we were all slightly discouraged, to say the least. Publishing day felt like an exhausted crawl to the finish line instead of the usual triumphant win. But rather than of giving up, something happened. Maybe it was the leaves changing, the carved pumpkins lining our streets, or the millions of other things that remind us of one of the best holidays, but the spirit of Halloween kickstarted a new sense of productivity. We didn’t think we would be able to finish at first. As far as I know, an issue of Craze has never been completed in a week. But thanks to an inspired staff and a mutual undying of Halloween, we were able to publish something we are all proud of. This issue is a celebration of all things Halloween. From controversial costumes to spooky stories, we’re ready to celebrate the greatest day of the year with our closest 2,000 friends. And when it’s the middle of March and everything is grey and dull, you can look back on this issue and start counting down the days until its Halloween season again. Because sometimes the scariest thing isn’t experiencing Halloween, but realizing that it’s over. We hope this issue leaves you with goosebumps, amped up for a night of trick-or-treating or just staying home and eating all the candy yourself.

— grace wolfe, editor-in-chief 01

contributors to the issue

Editor in chief: Grace Wolfe

Photo Editor: Kyndall Goodwin

Managing Editor: Kati Stanzel

Copy Editors: Erin Kruger

Design Editor: Lilli Marvin

Elisabeth Facer

Staff: Kendall Brekke Nick Protzman

Lydia Kasem

Anastasiya Petrosyan

Ella Paulson

Kaelyn Mettler

Emma Kopplin

Biruk Tewodros

Ivan Reyes

Anna Greene

William Larson

Samantha Chesire

Isabella Tyler

Not Pictured: Megan Murray

THe art of horror an inside look at mystery manor story by elisabeth facer, design by emma kopplin, photos by kyndall goodwin

feature // mystery manor

e look for art everywhere: in museums, in nature, in books, on stage—art is how people express their deepest thoughts. One type of art not commonly mentioned is the scary, spooky kind that stops your heart and steals your soul. For the last 33 years, Mystery Manor has been making adults and kids of all ages shake in their shoes and shriek with a fervor that only halloween fanatics can enjoy. Founder and owner Wayne Sealy has made this house what it is—a piece of art that’s worth a hundred screams. As the audience walks through Mystery Manor, hindering to every creak, rustle, and screech, Sealy and his team run the whole show backstage. Although Sealy’s obvious passion wouldn’t show it, he didn’t always want to own a haunted house. As a commercial artist for over 50 years, Sealy has found his heart in the manor. However, he doesn’t run the house for himself, or even for the public. It’s for the people that walk through the door ready to act and contribute to such a legendary house. “They’re passionate people that work hard,” Sealy said. “Two things can’t be taught: desire, and you can’t teach somebody to practice.” Performance art is generally assumed to be plays or skits, but a haunted house takes just as much passion and artistic skill. This forms of art is seen live with or without actor and audience interaction. The up-close reality of this form of art creates a surreal effect, especially when it comes to haunted houses. “Everybody loves to have a thrill. You’re alive when you come through the manor. You’re doing things you’ve never done before.” Sealy said. People from all different professions come together to create this unique experience. Through its creepy aura radiating from the walls, each element of the house is carefully planned by the actors, who sometimes improvise pieces. These experts are passionate about what they do and their performance throughout the manor. Aside from the fact that the actors like to make all who step through the front door shake, shiver, and even cry a little, these people love to make the house an enjoyable experience for all. Each

actors job is to make sure the house ensures a good scare to a variety of fears, whether that be claustrophobia or the common fear of the dark. The performance art enhances those fears because it’s right in front of you. Actors and Sealy alike understand how to create an artistic response that would make your hairs stand on end. “[It’s unique because it’s] not limited to me because everybody that comes and works here brings themselves here and that extends it to a lot more areas than what I can do,” Sealy said. Not only are the actors unique, but the brickand-mortar manor is one-of-a kind. The manor itself has been standing in Omaha since 1886, and the entire haunted house has been built on top of it. As the years have gone by, Sealy and his crew have added new features to the house. Each spot of blood, cobweb, or even shadow has a purpose

“when you come through the manor, you’re doing things you’ve never done before.” and place just, like any piece of art. The property has even been used as several different facilities before the haunted house was established, but none compare to the terrifying beauty that is the Mystery Manor. “Mystery Manor is the best piece of artwork I have ever been associated with,” Sealy said. Each actor and member of the Mystery Manor crew has contributed to the dark halls we know and love today. The very lifeblood of the haunted house is ingrained by the love for halloween from those who worship the Great Pumpkin itself. With such a dedicated group of halloween enthusiasts ready to make you scream until your voice box breaks, the only question left is when will you visit the Mystery Manor?

feature // mystery manor

HERE'S JOHNNY!

reviewing the best halloween classics story by isabella tyler, design and illustrations by anastasiya petrosyan

ost people don’t exactly think of horror movies as “quality films”. Many of us just watch them to scare ourselves and get into the Halloween spirit. However, there are actually a lot of horror movies that are considered to be

good films in general. The following list of films defy the stereotype that scary movies are about stupid teenagers making bad decisions. With the perfect balance of gruesome deaths and smart dialogue, these selections are to die for.

Scream (1996) I know everyone has heard of this movie, but it’s still one of the best horror films ever made. The movie presents itself with what seems like a cliché plot, with all of the classic horror movie tropes—that’s what makes it so genius. Scream subtly mocks horror movies without being a complete parody like Scary Movie. The film follows the story of Sidney Prescott, a teenager in the fictional town of Woodsboro. When a killer is on the loose almost exactly one year after the murder of her mother, everyone is a suspect. With so many twists and turns, this movie kept me on my toes with every scene. Also, the reveal of the killer will send shivers down your spine. I would recommend Scream to anybody who’s sick of the horror movie norms and wants to see a different kind of flick.

review //best horror films

Silence of the Lambs (1991) Like I said before, some horror movies are quality films as well as just something you can watch when you need a good scare. I couldn’t think of a more perfect example of that than Silence of the Lambs. This film won numerous Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Actress. The movie focuses on Clarice Starling, a student attending the FBI academy, who is assigned to interview psychologist-turned-cannibal, Hannibal Lecter. One of my favorite things about this film is how the women are portrayed. Clarice is strong and in no way a victim, a way that horror movies often portray female characters. The movie relies less on jump scares and attempts to scare the audience through tension and psychological terror. Most of the movie shows Clarice talking to Hannibal and attempting to find out any information she can on Buffalo Bill, a serial killer on the loose. Though there isn’t much action in this movie, Anthony Hopkins’ unsettling portrayal of Lecter is enough to give anybody the chills.

The Shining (1980) Beautiful cinematography and horror movies typically aren’t two things that go together. However, Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining is one of the most beautiful movies ever made. The stylish and symmetrical shots aren’t typically found in scary movies, especially before Kubrick’s time (Hitchcock excluded). Based on the Stephen King novel, the film shows the effects of cabin fever in the Torrance family, the winter caretakers of the Overlook Hotel. Whether the family’s insanity is caused by the hotel or their own psychological problems is left for the viewers to decide. Much of this movie is left up to the interpretation of the audience. Even though The Shining is easily one of the most messed-up movies ever made, it’s still an amazing classic to watch around Halloween time.

Psycho (1960) Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho is an extremely groundbreaking film; it was one of the first films to show violence and nudity in a tasteful way. The film relies heavily on suspense and dialogue and less on gory deaths. However, that doesn’t mean it’s not scary. The famous shower scene, for example, is executed through the film score. That scene wouldn’t be half as scary if it weren’t for the terrifying orchestra music. The basic plot of Psycho follows Marion Crane, a woman who has stolen money from her employer in order to run away with her boyfriend. On her way home, she gets caught in a rainstorm and decides to spend the night at the Bates Motel, which leads her to meet the motel’s owner, Norman Bates. With suspense, amazing cinematography, and an ending that will leave you speechless, Psycho is a classic you will not want to miss.

SCAR Y SNAPSHOT S didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make the cut? check westsidewired for more! design by grace wolfe, photos by craze staff

snapshots // craze photobooth

Messed up dress up

addressing the issue of cultural appropriation story by erin kruger, design by lydia kasem, graphic by ivan reyes

opinion // cultural appropriation

hile I look around the store for Halloween costume ideas, I begin to notice a particular theme jumping out at me. Disgusted with the overbearing ignorant white people agenda, I’m presented with elaborate Native American headdresses, vibrant-yetoffensive ponchos, and overtly sexualized, revealing belly dancer costumes. What has the modern tradition of wearing costumes on Halloween come to? Back in 10th century Ireland, the Celtic pagans celebrated a holiday called Samhain, which is basically the foundation for Halloween. During Samhain, children would wear costumes of skulls and rawhides to scare away spirits rising from the dead. That’s the original intent, but now Halloween is far too commercialized. Nowadays, we mostly wear costumes that we think are funny or ridiculous. I’m not saying that being humorous is a bad thing, because that’s widely accepted today. What’s not funny, though, is when people wear costumes that represent cultures other than their own. Cultural appropriation is the adoption of one’s culture by people of a different culture. The biggest offenders of cultural appropriation in costumes are white people. In some cases, cultural appropriation can be a good thing. It can introduce us to new foods, music, literature, and art. But on the other hand, some people actually thinks it’s funny to wear Arab garb and call themselves “terrorists” on Halloween. As someone of Arab heritage, I find this extremely offensive, as the vast majority

of Arabs are not terrorists. I can majority of our school is white assure you that you are not being and everyone had to dress in clever. traditional clothing as the country Think it’s comical to put on a big we were representing in order to poncho, a fake handlebar mustache, get a good grade. It’s sickening and an enormous sombrero? Ask that educators would encourage someone of Hispanic heritage. We this kind of behavior, and it only need to remember that clothes instills the acceptance of cultural originating from different cultures appropriation within our minds. are not fit to be gag costumes Only a few people wear these at Halloween parties. They are insulting costumes, but what they extremely rude and derogatory don’t realize is how they make toward people of color and America’s 85 million people of their heritage. Many people are color feel. affected negatively by cultural “People go out to music festivals, appropriation—Senior Colton or go out on Halloween, and Armstrong, who is of Cherokee “They don’t realize descent, is one of what they are making them. “It really a mockery of” angers me - senior Colton Armstrong because everyone has the same idea of what a typical they throw on these headdresses. Native American would dress like. They don’t realize what they are They all have headdresses and the making a mockery of,” Armstrong leather clothes. That’s not what said. “People have died for these everyone wore,” Armstrong said. headdresses, and they’ve died for “Historically, [headdresses] are a the right to wear them. People just sign of a warrior who’s fought in go around with them like they are battle, so he’s honored by given the nothing. It’s like if I were to wear a headdress, which represents honor, Marine uniform—I haven’t earned glory, and valor, and all these the right to wear it. To me, it’s about wonderful things.” the equivalent.” Of course, cultural appropriation This Halloween, be mindful through clothing doesn’t only when making your costume happen around Halloween time. It selections. If you want to make also happens a lot in our everyday others laugh at your party, dress clothing and interactions, with as a meme, movie character, or an some examples being Native inanimate object. I could list tons American prints, henna, and of costumes that would be funnier cornrows. One of the most horrific than wearing traditional ethnic examples I’ve experience while at clothing. Just remember that these Westside was the United Nations costumes aren’t witty or smart— Day that the World History classes they are a way of life for someone participate in. As we know, a else.

What Scares you? westside nightmares: revealed story and design by kati stanzel, illustrations by featured artists

ear is a funny thing. It’s that rush of adrenaline that tells your body to either fight or run away; the empty feeling in the pit of your stomach before getting on the world’s tallest rollercoaster. Your brain is torn between screaming, crying, or laughing because you just wet your pants. Fear is more of a feeling than an emotion. We think of fear as a tangible, living thing, simply because we can connect our experiences to vivid memories of that feeling. This is what makes fear so powerful. No one can escape fear. People don’t have

to watch scary movies or go to haunted houses to be scared because there’s always one way fear can reach them: through nightmares. Waking up, sweating through the sheets, heart beating fast—that’s the reason why people can’t sleep at night. Dreams are nothing more than our brain’s fooling with us, even though there are certain nightmares that stick with us forever. To truly make sense of these sick dreams, Craze collaborated with National Art Honors Society to see what Westside artists’ nightmares look like.

interactive // draw your fears

Lauren Carrick

Isabella Headlee Mia Fisher

Paul Nelson

Anonymous

Taco Peterson

Alania Mann

let’S GET SPOOKY mood music for an edgy night story and design by samantha chesire, photo by william larson

veryone crowds in the bathroom, reaching for the black eyeliner, trying to get a spot in the small, tri-fold mirror. Their goal is to make the straightest lines, making each side even. Everyone wants to look their scariest on this special night. This scene comes together in my head as I conjure up the best

Halloween playlist ever. However, this isn’t your average little kid playlist. This one satisfies every angsty teen bone in our bodies. Including covers of our favorite Halloween hits along with some unconventional jams, this playlist will be monstrous fun for everyone listening.

It’s Almost Halloween // Panic! At the Disco What’s This? // Fall Out Boy Monster Mash // The Misfits Time Warp // Groovie Ghoulies Jack’s Lament // All American Rejects Version Sweet Transvestite // Apocalypse Hoboken This is Halloween // Marilyn Manson Forever Halloween // The Maine 21

playlist // an emo halloween

this can't happen to me

real life scary stories to tell in the dark story by nicholas protzman, design by ella paulson, photos by grace wolfe

orror movies are designed to scare you. While watching, they keep you in suspense and even manage to creep into your head. Luckily you can put your mind at ease is to remembering that it’s just a movie. With this in mind, your problems will often end here and you can finally drift off into a sleep that is free of ghosts, demons, or any other evil figures that were lingering in your head. But what happens when these harmless stories become reality?

Many people swear they’ve had encounters with ghosts and other sinister entities, similar to what you would find in a horror movie. We found people from Westside High School who have had experiences like this and had them share their “real life horror stories.” The threat of these frightening and seemingly impossible situations actually happening can even instill fear into those who are skeptical of the paranormal.

feature // real life horrors

Demon Doors

sarah percival, french teacher When I was living in France we had a bunch of exchange students at the university we were at. Mitch was from Australia and he was living in a house with a host family. So, his host parents were going out of town and they said, “Feel free to have some of your friends over, just pick up after yourself and make sure you don’t go upstairs.” It was a typical house. It had a cellar, basement, and then it had the main floor when you come in. It had an upstairs with bedrooms and then it had a third floor with rooms in it. He said okay, but thought that was kind of weird. Later that night, we were listening to music and just had some snacks. He was playing guitar and someone said “Mitch, give us a tour of your house.” He was reluctant at first but then agreed. We climbed up the stairs and went to the top floor. Some of the doors were open and some of them

were’t. We figured that’s where a lot of storage was. It was completely empty. All of the rooms were totally empty and right when I got to the top of the stairs, there was a landing and you could see five doors and two of them were closed. All of a sudden behind me I heard ‘no!’ and all of the doors slammed shut and I ran downstairs. The next day when the host parents got home, they asked “did you have a good time?” He reluctantly said yes and his host father asked “did you stay on the first floor?’ He told them he did. They said, “That’s weird because a lot of our stuff has been moved around. are you sure you didn’t go up to the top floor?” He said “Yeah we did. We went up to the top floor and some crazy stuff happened.” They said, “We told you not to go up to the top floor. If you go to the top floor, they come down here. If you leave them alone, they leave us alone.”

Caught on Camera anonymous

One of the parents of the family that lived in our house before us had become really sick and died. When the family was in the process of moving, the spirit of the parent was haunting them. It placed old toys in weird places and blew papers off tables. Our family has had a few encounters with this spirit a few times since we moved in, I believe. One time, I took a picture with the front camera on my phone and you could see a foggy figure behind me with some sort of white gown. A few summers ago, my sister was asleep in her room in the basement and woke up out of no-

where. She tried to go back to sleep but she started to hear weird noises like light switches flicking and door knobs turning. The door to her room was broken at the time so it would shake when somebody would be walking upstairs. She heard footsteps going down the stairs and the door was shaking. It stopped and she tried to turn on her light but she couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t move. She began to feel a huge amount of pressure on her chest and couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t breath for about four seconds and then everything was gone.

feature // real life horrors

An Invisible Force anonymous

I was staying at my grandma’s house when I was like nine or ten years old. My grandpa and her husband at the time never went into the basement because they knew a spirit or something that was down there. My mom and aunt’s room used to be in the attic, which is where I slept when I visited my grandma. My mom told me that one night she was laying down and about to fall asleep she suddenly saw a dark purple cloud above her that appeared to be a small storm. She couldn’t move and she tried to scream but she couldn’t.

Anyways, it was in the middle of the night and it felt like something was sitting on my chest; I couldn’t move or see. It felt like I was awake but I knew was still sleeping. Even though I couldn’t physically move, I somehow bent over the side of the bed. I saw a litter of kittens that were grey and black with white spots on their chest. When I actually woke up, there wasn’t anything there and and the pressure wasn’t on my chest anymore. My grandma has schizophrenia and my mom insists that the house made her crazy and paranoid.

craze american horror story:

The Stock Yards story by emma kopplin, design by megan murray, photo by kyndall goodwin

“M

short story // craze horror story

aybe we shouldn’t be doing this…” Ella whispered to her friends as they reached the old, dusty wooden gate. The metal sign that leered at them from above read “UNION STOCK YARDS.” It was a cold night, the sky cloudy. There was no moon and—because the yard had been abandoned so long— there wasn’t a single street lamp to light their path. Despite the ominous surroundings, it was hard to be scared with such a big group. Eight of them stood at the gates, peering in. First there was Ella, although she was a spunky girl, known for getting into trouble, she’d never done anything like this before. Then there was William. He lived for excitement, and had began climbing the fence the moment they arrived. But Lydia, a sweet girl in complete disagreement with coming to the yards, stopped him in fear he’d get too far from the group. She realized that their only safety was in numbers. But Erin, three years older than Lydia, had other ideas. She began to climb the lower hanging fences, ignoring Lydia’s protests. Kyndall and Kati, both shivering in the cold, simply watched. They weren’t sure of their next move. The whole situation seemed stupid to them; they didn’t want to die or get arrested. But they came anyways to look out for their friends. Then there was Ivan. Always the scaredy-cat, he stayed in the car. Last, but not least in the group was Anne, a young girl, probably the smartest of the group. Because she was the only one who remembered to bring one, she held the flashlight. “Let’s go in!” William whispered excitedly as he jumped down from the gate and into the first pen. The others cautiously followed, Anne being the last one over. With William in the lead the group moved together across the first five pens… or was it six pens? In all honesty, not one of them had remembered to count how far in they’d gone. Because the stock yard was abandoned, trees and vegetation blocked their view of where they had come in. And yet, they pushed on, eager for adventure. Suddenly, as William began to climb the next pen, he slipped and his foot slammed down into an old, dry trough—his foot getting wedged between a crack in it’s base. “Ouch!” he yelled, splinters digging into his skin. Anne was the first to reach him. She pulled his leg and kicked the trough, but it was no use. He was stuck. Kati pulled out her phone to call for help, but the service wouldn’t connect—none of theirs would. “We need help,” Erin said. She quickly turned

around and started to leave. The further away from their cars they’d gotten, the more anxious she’d become. “Erin, wait,” Lydia called after her. “We have to stay as a group.” “I’ll go with you,” Ella volunteered and ran after Erin back the way they came. They climbed back over the pens and, with only the small piece of light from their phones, stumbled out of the stock yards. “We made it,” Erin chuckled, looking up to see a street light in the distance. That was when she heard it: a faint, dull ring. It was the sound of an old cowbell, which shouldn’t have been surprising considering livestock were kept in the pens years before. But this was different. Not random, like the sound a cow would make walking—no. It rang in rhythm, a pattern, a purpose, nothing an animal could imitate. Ella saw it first, just behind the cars. The silhouette of a figure, a human figure lingering in the darkness. “Who are you?” Erin asked the strange shape. But there was no answer, no reply, no acknowledgement, only the cow bell fell silent.

*********

“William, why didn’t you look where you were climbing?” Kyndall asked him again for the 20th time as she desperately tried to wrench his leg free. “It’s night, Kyndall. That means it’s dark,” William retorted. “I can’t see in the dark.” “Alright, alright, enough,” Kati said, taking charge. “They’ve been gone for at least 20 minutes. Maybe we should look around to find something to break the trough.” She squinted in the darkness, looking for anything other than endless pens. “She’s right,” Anne said, beginning to walk away. “That would be way faster.”

“Wait! Wait! Wait!.” Lydia yelled, “We have to stay as a group!” “Wait! Wait! Wait!” Lydia yelled, “We have to stay as a group!” She sighed, desperately trying to get her friends to listen. “What’s William going to do if something happens?” “Quit being scared, we’re the only ones out here,”

Anne snapped as she continued to walk away. The rest of the group followed her, except for William and Lydia. Those remaining in the group made their way to a large pen—at the end of which looked like a rotted, wooden house. As they approached the house, the air became heavy and thick, making everyone uneasy. Anne shakily went first, pushing the old door open with a rough shove. She shined the light inside to find almost everything undisturbed. The chairs at the table were still pushed in, the filing cabinets still organized— and from the looks of it—the only change was thick layer of dust covering the entire office. The group piled in. Pictures of the stock yards in their prime covered the walls, the cattle packed so tightly into pens like sardines, cowboys somehow squeezing even more in, workers in the packaging plant—all of it disturbing. Seeing these things that were living and breathing shoved in cages so tight they couldn’t move, standing back and looking at the situation seemed cruel and inhumane. It was scary to look at what evil humans are capable of. They were pictures of another time—a time that came to an abrupt end. Union Stock Yards 20 years ago

The wind whipped against the little office as the sound of unruly cattle almost shattered its windows. Usually a happy place, bursting with profit, was settling quietly today. Something horrible was happening— something no one could understand or stop. At the table sat three people: Isabella, the stock house’s secretary and money cruncher, Anna, a well versed, outspoken journalist here to cover the story, and the one and only Grace Wolfe, the owner of the stock yard. Her nick-name was “The Wolf ” because of her nomercy business methods. “It happened again. I just know it,” Isabella whispered as she nervously sipped her coffee. “We don’t know that…” Anna assured as she struggled to be supportive, “everything’s probably fine.” A knock at the door startled the lot of them as four of the cattle herders walked in and took a seat at the table. Amongst the group was Biruk, a herder from his own farm who had just been stopping by, Elisabeth, a sheep herder who came to stock yards in search of work, and Megan and Samantha, who’d come to help because of the excess in cattle. Biruk was the first to speak. “More cattle dead.” “Well… how many was it this time?” Isabella asked in dread, looking to the other herders for an answer.

“What the hell is killin’ em?” “A whole three pens…” Elisabeth said in disgust, unable to get the picture out of her mind. “How do you know they’re dead?” Anna asked. “They could’ve just run away.”

“Oh no, they’re dead alright,” “Oh no, they’re dead alright,” Megan said in full confidence. “They’re all dead, same as the last ones. All the cattle are still in that pen, it’s only their heads that’s missing.” The Wolf, speaking for the first time, shook her paper and set it down pointing to the front page. “It’s him!” she yelled, pointing to the picture. “Jerred Zegelis—that’s the man they think’s been killing farm animals up North. He’s the one killing our cattle!” She stood up and walked over to the window to take a breath. “He disappeared last night, and no one knows where that maniac’s gone off to.” “We can’t prove anything…” Anna reminded. “Yeah, well I’ll catch him!” The Wolf screamed in anger. “I swear! I’m sick of that man controlling me!” She turned away from them looking at the cowbell on the wall. It was from her first cow, her first sale—representing her struggle to the top. Lost in her thoughts, she was only pulled back into reality by the faint sound of laughter coming from the back room. The whole group stopped and turned around. The silhouette of a man could be seen from the door. That’s when the lights went out. Union Stock Yards today

Kati picked up a newspaper on the table and blew off the dust. “Zegelis—suspected of the murder of several stock yard staff and over seven pens of cattle,” Kyndall read over her shoulder. The headline sent a chill through the room. Anne was about to say something when a strange sound came from the back room—the dull, thudding of a cowbell. Instinctively, the whole group stayed in the room, afraid to move a muscle. The footsteps began, slow at first. But as the sound came nearer it got faster and more uneven, until whoever the hell it was, started charging through the hallway straight at them.

short story // craze horror story Just as it would’ve plowed through the group of teens it was gone. No more sound, no more movement—only the eerie silence of the dead stock yard. “Let’s go find William and Lydia,” Kati finally said, and beckoned the others to follow her, with Kyndall and Anne quick to follow. The office door swayed in the window and let off an awful screech making them all flinch, but they kept moving. When they came to the pen where William was stuck, they were shook with horror. The trough had been obliterated as if by some mad bull, and neither Lydia nor William were anywhere to be found. All that was left was a small cowbell, hung over the broken fence post. Kyndall choked on a sob. “Guys–?” “Are you crazy?” Kati interrupted. “That thing could still be out there!” Thump, thump, thump. More footsteps, only much closer than they had been before. Scared out of their minds, the group ran to the nearest shelter, another old barn in the corner of a different pen. Blind with fear they ran into the barn with so much as a glance at the sign stuck to the side of the barn. The door slammed behind them and left them in complete darkness. Anne’s flashlight flickered back to life as the group got a look around. Horror crept up their throats. Skulls, thousands of them. Cow skulls lined up in rows or were thrown in piles—some broken, some oddly fresh. The true horror came from what sat next to the piles of carcass. There were human skulls… exactly seven, all of which had brands burned into the sides, like would’ve been done with cattle. Suddenly there was a sound behind them. Knives, scythes, hammer all coated with blood, new blood. But this blood was fresh, still dripping down the blades and handles.

“Are you crazy? That thing could still be out there!” “What the-” Kyndall began, but was cut off by that ever-so-familiar, awful sound. The cowbell eerily clanged in the dark corner farthest from them. Slowly, Anne lifted her flashlight. The thing wasn’t human, but it wasn’t cow. It stood hunched over, hands held up by it’s chest like claws, legs crouched under it as if it were ready to pounce.

The most horrible part of all, it’s head was not it’s own. A cow’s head hung, loosely attached to the base of its neck. As the light reflected off its dead eyes, the thing shook and turned to the group, stomping it’s leg. Kati didn’t need to see anymore. She grabbed her friends by their arms and yanked them out of the slaughter house. An animal-esque screech escaped the barn as they fled. Jumping over bushes and fences, they ran as fast their feet could carry them, all the way until the highway was in sight. Not sure where the monster was, they sprinted blindly until they finally barreled through the last fence and were out in the open. “Whoa!” Kaelyn exclaimed, a vegan protestor standing outside the stock yards along with a mob who hoped to get them torn down. The group was still so shaken they couldn’t breathe. “Are you okay…? You look a little stiff.” “Who are these guys?” Her friend Kendall asked, approaching the scene. “I don’t know; they just came through the fence,” Kaelyn said, “You should probably call the cops.” Kyndall jumped up. “You have to go help our friends!” she cried pointing back to the yard as a circle of people formed around them. “They’re still in there!” “So tell me again what you saw,” Officer Anastasiya, a local policewoman, spoke to the Kati and Kyndall calmly. “It was – it was a thing!” Kati yelled, so hysterical she could barely breathe. “It had black eyes and claws!” Kyndall added. “And knives and blood and…” She couldn’t finish. “So you you’re saying it had the head of a cow…” Officer Nick asked Anne in disbelief, in another interrogation room. “What are we doing here?” Anne exclaimed angrily. “Our friends are still out there!” “They’re demolishing the yard tomorrow.” his partner, Officer Lilli said calmly. “If they’re there, they’ll find them.”

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Only three of the eight original kids survived. The next day, when the stock yard was destroyed, they found no skulls, no blood, nothing. It was as if everything had been moved, quickly and without mistake. Their friends were never found, nor their cars. The entire night had been erased from existence. The only thing they found other than the wood of the fences, was a single, rusty cowbell.

CRAZE MANIFESTO Here at Craze, we pledge allegiance to keeping it real, To giving a voice to the unheard students To expressing emotions through art To being too loud To avoiding clichés like the plague To finding a reason to celebrate at all times To gaining life long friends Because what makes Craze unique is the family that forms with it, Making each issue the product of a lot of love. We hope after reading you: Want to explore the resaurants and shops of your town Have gained solace from a personal story that hits close to home Begin to look at the world around you differently Feel like maybe your school isn’t so bad after all And that’s just why we’re here, us cool and relatable teens.