Midnight Terror

By Sherry Moss Walraven and Daniel Walraven

Two brothers put a mask over their face and went in the bank expecting to obtain a huge amount of money. They started hollering for the customers to lay on the hard floor or sit with their backs to the wall. No one recognized who the robbers could be due to the crazy masks they were wearing. After the men put money in the cloth bag, they ran as fast as they could run, but not until the Security Guard pushed the masks from the faces of the two men. The men started running even faster. They sure didn't want to be caught. After they did their exit from the bank, they stopped long enough to transfer the money they had in the bag to a black suitcase. One of the men sat beside a lady who had a suitcase the same as his. When he arose from his seat and took what he thought was his bag, but it belonged to the lady. The four women, who were thinking fast as they could, on what to do to switch the bags back. The ladies looked at the luggage tag and saw it was a man's name, Pete Sheet. Now, they could look up the address where the man lived. It wasn't a simple task to find the man's house, but they wouldn't stop looking. Brianna, who was one of the four women, began to panic because she had something valuable in her bag the man now had. The men wouldn't do the switch, so the ladies had to take matters in their own hands. They already had a situation during this vacation, and it looks like this is going to be another one. Will they ever make the switch without having problems with the bank robbers?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Proisle Publishing Services
• Release date: Mar 1, 2024
• ISBN: 9781963735109

Sherry Moss Walraven

Sherry Moss Walraven is a lifelong resident of Calhoun, Georgia. She taught literature to middle school students. She loves to read and will read all kinds of stories. She honed her storytelling on her two sons and later her four grandchildren. She made up stories on the spur of the moment. Now, retired, she still has many memories of her time with the students and their reactions to the stories. Sherry is the author of several books.

Book preview

Prologue

Haunted

Four ladies were traveling down a gloomy country road that was supposedly haunted. They were wondering if this was worth taking a dare. The sky was beginning to darken to the point of not being able to see your hand when you raised it in front of your face. A teacher in their school told the four ladies of a time in our county where a boy and girl had driven toward this same bridge. It was dark and the boy was driving too fast, plus the bridge was still wet from the rain earlier. He slid while going on the bridge and went off the side of the bridge into the water. The girl was already dead, and the boy left to get help. Everyone says when it turns dark the ghost of the girl comes on the bridge. The four ladies thought this would be something to see, although not even one of the ladies believed in ghosts.

The four teachers were becoming nervous. They don’t believe in ghosts. Some people do believe the story while others don’t believe it at all. They thought it was just a conversation starter. Most of the people in the county do not believe the story, but some will not come to the bridge at all, even in the daytime.

The four ladies saw the bridge and left five minutes later at a fast speed. So, is there actually a ghost or not. No ghosts have been reported to have been seen on this bridge so far, but there is always a first time, and these ladies wanted to see what exactly what happens. These ladies loved a good adventure so they were not afraid, but they didn’t stay around too long either.

Chapter One

Teachers in Savannah

A group of four haggard ladies, who had been at an English Conference, left their hotel with their destination being the airport. After turning in their rental car, they would board their plane for home. The ladies didn’t sleep well after an excruciating night due to running away from Devil Worshipers in a dark wooded area. They still wondered how they got away from the horrible situation, but they managed the best they could and finally made it back to their hotel in one piece, exhausted and hungry.

"It was all worth it to see the look on Mr. Coy’s face when his wife, Sarah, and his daughter, whom he had never seen, were handed back over to him. The smile on Coy’s face was epic. The ladies were sure they could have put a whole cake in his clown face smile. He was so happy he felt like dancing all night long, but first, he wanted to wrap his arms around his wife and the daughter he had yet to meet.

I thought Debra did a good rescue of Sarah and her daughter. Good job, Debra, Ashley said with a smile. She thought Debra deserved a trophy or something for all she did to rescue Coy’s wife and daughter. It wasn’t an easy task, to be sure. Debra could still be there in the woods dancing and chanting like the others who were still doing their thing. Of course, the other three ladies wouldn’t have let that happen.

Brianna and Mary Sue were still upset after all that happened the night before. They sure were hoping something like that never happened to them again. All they wanted to do now was get a shower, sleep, and some food.

Debra and Ashley were the strongest of the four ladies. Brianna and Mary Sue follow the lead of the other two girls, but to their credit, they never give up on friends. They were good to have around because they did the things the other two didn’t do.

The ladies had to go to the police station after their little adventure to tell their side of the story. When they finished, they made sure they told Coy, Sarah, and daughter goodbye. It was certainly an adventure they could have lived without, but everything worked out for the better, and they were happy they could help. It made the ladies happy to have found Coy’s wife and daughter after they spent years with these people. Sarah wouldn’t leave without her daughter that they had tied up and wouldn’t let her be with her mother. They were afraid if she had her daughter, they would escape. They knew if she escaped, she could tell the police where these mean people were.

The ladies made it to the airport and found seats at their gate to wait until they could board their ride home. Exhaustion was still in their blood, but they would make the best of the situation. They didn’t think they would be able to sleep on the plane, but they sure were going to give it a try.

As time went by, the ladies were patiently waiting. Ashley, who was extremely observant, noticed a man who sat down beside Brianna. She also noticed that his suitcase was identical to Brianna’s bag. Ashley usually knows everything about her surroundings when on vacation. Her friends were grateful she was the way she was. You never know when trouble might strike.

When the man rose from his seat, Ashley whispered to Debra that she was sure the man had taken Brianna’s bag instead of his own. They watched as the man bought food and walked away in a hurry not even knowing he had taken the wrong bag. Brianna thought he would get a surprise when he opened the suitcase and saw all the female clothes. She didn’t like the idea of not having her own suitcase. She sure didn’t want to have to buy clothes. She didn’t know if her budget would allow her to buy too many, but she may have to do it. She thought the man would see his mistake and return her bag.

Brianna needed her phone charger out of the front zipper pocket of her carry-on bag. The luggage tag with her name tag on it was face up, and she had to look at it again, because it was not her name. It was a man’s name. She was extremely confused. She knew she put her name on her luggage tag. All this was beginning to confuse Brianna and the others. They didn’t know if the man meant to switch the bags or if it was an accident. They sure didn’t need any more drama on this trip.

Look at this name tag. We may need it later, Brianna said with excitement. Now they were getting somewhere. What do you ladies think we should do now? I will need my clothes. This will require more thought, but we will do whatever we can.

Mary Sue looked at the name tag, "It says the man’s name is Pete Sheet. I sure would like to have my own bag. We must find the man quickly. Surely, he would give it to me since he can’t wear any of my female clothes.

I guess mistakes happen in an airport. Most of the luggage around an airport is black like mine, Brianna seemed to be taking this well. If she had to look at all the black luggage on the turn-stile, she would be here around ten years.

The ladies began scanning the terminal, but Mr. Pete Sheet was nowhere to be seen. Things were beginning to go crazy. They didn’t know how to find him with just a name. They sure wished they had his address so she could get her clothes back. It was a good thing that Ashley had her iPad and could look to see if she was able to google an address for Pete Sheet. Ashley is good at technology, and always took her iPad when traveling.

Ashley looked at Debra as she sat silently. Debra told her she was thinking of the bad memories of being tied up in a small shed in a camp with weird Devil Worshipers. Ashley thought it was bad what they did to Debra, but she also knew that Debra could bounce right back. She had seen her do it too many times. She had been friends with Debra since Kindergarten and all the way through high school.

Okay, ladies, the first thing we need is to find a way back to the hotel. We will need to stay another day or two. As it turned out, the policeman took them to their hotel. Surely, the policeman could help them find an address for this Mr. Pete Sheet.

Debra smiled at the others and said, "I don’t know about the rest of you, but I think the man’s name on his luggage tag could have been a made-up name. Pete Sheet, really? Who in their right mind would name a precious little baby, Pete Sheet?

My guess would be that Mrs. Sheet named her child. Perhaps, she didn’t think about the name in her mind before putting the name on the birth certificate, Ashley stated with a huge smile. It happens all the time.

Mary Sue agreed with Debra. It does seem sort of weird, and we can’t go home until we find the man and the bag. We have already missed our flight anyway. We probably need to find a hotel room. It looks like we may be here for a while.

The ladies searched some more around the terminal with no luck. I ask you. How could we miss seeing a man with red pants and white dress shoes? He was colorful, to say the least. They didn’t know what to make of all that was going on, but they wouldn’t stop until they found the right suitcase. Brianna needs her clothes and shoes and maybe other things.

Why don’t we go to a stall in the restroom and look to see what is in his bag. As the buckle opened, they all had big eyes and mouths open. They had never seen that much money in one spot before. This was not, for sure, anything they had ever come across, and they had no clue what to do next. This was beginning to become complicated.

What do we do now, girls? That is a lot of money in there. What do we do with it? Brianna asked while still having an expression of disbelief on her surprised face. She was having a hard time comprehending it all. All four of the ladies were in confusion.

We can’t keep it. We need to search for the man. Perhaps, we could find something about this man. We already have his name, Ashley thought that might be a good idea. At least, you didn’t have anything valuable in your bag, did you? Ashley asked Brianna. Ashley saw the look on Brianna’s face and it wasn’t good.

Brianna began thinking about what she had in her suitcase. She had clothes, toiletries, and shoes. After a few minutes, she had a look of panic on her face, making the other ladies panic. The others thought Brianna looked like she was going to cry, but they thought that was okay.

What’s wrong, Brianna? Debra had never seen Brianna like this before, and she did not like what she was seeing now. She seemed to be in a state of fright. Brianna, are you okay? Tell us what is wrong. Maybe we could help.

I forgot something. I had my great grandmother’s necklace in my bag. It has been passed down to the oldest daughter in the family for generations. It is very valuable. I brought it to show it to all of you because it has rare jewels in it. I guess I made a mistake by bringing the necklace.

I don’t know what to do first. The man has disappeared, Mary said with a concerned expression on her face. She couldn’t believe what was happening. Maybe the man won’t find the necklace. She really didn’t believe it, but it made her feel much better just to say it. Brianna was crossing her fingers that the man didn’t find her necklace. He probably hasn’t gotten home or wherever he is going yet anyway."

We can think this out and come up with something. First, we need to get a good night’s sleep, Ashley said as she began to yawn. She couldn’t believe it either. She didn’t know why some people do wretched things to others. It’s not right to steal from people. "Perhaps,