Here’s my last and final inktober prompt; ETC! I decided to keep it in the theme of Halloween and redraw an old OC of mine that I created on this day in 2018! 🎃
My scarecrow man is named Hollow, a once beaten and forgotten ragged thing, now the nightmare that haunts the farm where he was strung up and left to rot away 💀
This piece is the start of him, where he is finally able to cut himself free and begin to become more than just a story to scare the children, cue the ominous music 🎵
My sister also wrote a piece about him and a girl named Katie, who unknowingly starts working at the farm and tries to ignore the whispers and rumours of the ‘Scarecrow’. It’s really cool and has them sweet suspense elements! Check it out down below! ⤵️
The Scarecrow of Hollow Valley Farm
The sun mercilessly beat down upon the long stalks of corn, further drying out the already arid afternoon air. Katie wiped the sweat from her brow with a dusty forearm as she surveyed the fields stretching out before her. She swatted a fly and decided to take a short break from harvesting the corn and made her way inside her homestead. As she made her way to the fridge to get a refreshing drink of water, Katie caught a momentary movement from the kitchen window in the corner of her eye, her ears picking up footsteps. Her head snapped towards the window immediately and she held her breath, waiting for another sound, for a person to jump up and scare her.
But nothing happened. She released the breath she’d been holding and shook her head at her naivety. Goddamn kids, they’re getting bold, she thought to herself as she replaced the bottle of water in the fridge, I’ve been told they always act up on Halloween.
As she returned to her work outside, her mind wandered to the events of the previous year. Katie had been handed the keys to Hollow Valley Farm following her purchase of the land and had been surprised by what she’d found. A picturesque homestead with all of the furnishings left by the previous owners, hers to keep if she chose, a dozen or so loyal workers, hers to keep employed if she chose, and corn fields as far as the eye could see.
She’d been warned by the local adults and been stared at by the local children, been whispered about as she went about her errands in town, and even avoided entirely as she walked the streets. Katie had done nothing to these wary, superstitious folks, but that didn’t stop the rumours of the farm from ostracising her from this quiet township. She couldn’t understand the rumours as she considered them nothing more than tales made up to scare the children, and keep them in after dark; the stories of the scarecrow.
The stories of the scarecrow that resided on Hollow Valley Farm.
The stories of the scarecrow she had never seen.
The setting sun had been Katie’s cue to finish up her jobs for the day and head inside to make dinner and wash-up. Normally she’d farewell her employees, the closest thing she had to any friends here, as they refused to work after the sun began to set. But tonight it was just her and the eerie feeling in her gut that refused to settle. Tonight was Halloween after all, and she’d been warned by one of her workers that she might see some trespassing kids; all harmless of course, and it was all in spooky fun.
But the ambient noise refused to calm her as it usually would. The sudden silence was heavy and thick like the humid night air coming in through the open screen door. Unnerved, Katie locked her door. It’s one night, just gonna be a few kids trying to scare the pants off of each other, she concluded as the corn that leered from beyond the twilight, from beyond the back door came alive with rustling stalks and a large crow flew out and over the tall stems.
She left her dishes in the sink, showered quickly, and changed into her pyjamas before becoming gripped with fear as she moved to close her curtains. Her bedroom on the second floor gave a good view of the fields, and the rising blood moon. A giant ball of deep crimson ascended into the sky slowly, the clouds moving in a ghostly fashion across it. She shuddered at the glow it cast over the land, but became truly fearful as she saw a shape lumbering through the corn, cutting down the stalks and carving its path directly towards her house.
It’s a practical joke. Nothing but a Halloween prank. Kids messing around. Katie’s thoughts repeated as she stepped away from the window, but better to be safe than sorry, her voice of reason said as she dug out the small handgun and torch she kept in her bedside table. And with that, Katie crept carefully to her bedroom doorway.
She could feel her elevated heartbeat beating wildly in her chest as she scanned the short hallway before descending the stairs, keeping the light trained on the base of them. The eerie blood moon cast its red light into neat squares through the windows onto the floor, giving the already intense atmosphere a menacing edge as she moved quietly down the stairs. She gasped audibly as her torch caught the dark silhouette standing motionless at the back door.
“Who’s there? I’ve got a gun!” Katie called somewhat startled, though surprising herself with the level of confidence in her voice. There was no response however, just a quiet, whistling breeze that seemed to sound like a wheezing exhale. Frozen in place, Katie repeated herself and was met with the same silent response. Her heart pounded louder in her ears and she squeezed her eyes shut for a brief second to try to gain some clarity, but upon reopening them, the figure had disappeared. Katie lowered the gun slightly as she whipped around in a circle expecting to see the figure in a different window, but saw nothing. She took a deep breath in, held it momentarily, and released it as she steeled herself to investigate.
The door unlocked with a sharp clicking sound and she carefully pushed it outwards. Her ears strained to hear anything other than her own breathing or rapid pulse, but came up short as she traversed the wooden verandah, a little less confident to check around the sides of the house just yet. Whoever this was could’ve already been scared off or hiding in the fields watching her without her knowledge anyway, and she immediately felt sheepish for falling for some cheap joke. She let out a deep, exasperated sigh as she took in the sight of the narrow path carved through her fields, more concerned with the damage done to her property than the fact she might not be alone. She lowered the gun to her side completely as she made the short walk to the edge of the corn stalks not yet harvested, but that were now cleanly decimated by something extremely sharp; and this trail stretched out further than her light could reach.
A raspy disembodied laugh erupted suddenly from behind her, and she spun around while raising the gun, finger on the trigger. What Katie saw felt like a punch to the gut. There behind her was indeed a scarecrow.
The first thing that struck her was that it was very tall and raggedy, wearing old overalls and had straw poking out from various places. Its mouth was stuck in a permanently stitched sinister smile, and it was smiling at her. The glint in the single eye that could be seen beneath the straw-like hair and large pointed hat reflected the light from her torch back at her. Then it moved. It took one deliberate step forward with its entire body jarring, the jaw struggling to part as it wheezed at her again. It dragged the other leg forward to close the distance between them, and with a brief grunt long, sharp claws abruptly extended from its fingertips.
Katie’s fight or flight kicked in as she stumbled backwards from both the kinetic motion and sound of the gun being fired. The bullet landed squarely in its chest and she fired twice more. The scarecrow didn’t flinch. A breathy cackle emanated from it as it flexed its elongated claws, and Katie turned and ran. She sprinted down the bumpy path with the scratching of straw sounding all around her, but she didn’t dare look back. She couldn’t.
It wasn’t until her foot caught an ear of corn and she skidded forward, the ground rushing up to meet her, that she did look back; only to see nothing. She scrambled to stand as she did, her torch now blinking off and on as the impact had rattled it as much as her. She was breathing hard, the pain and adrenaline coursing through her made it hard to concentrate as she struggled to make sense of her situation. Where is it, where is it, where is it?!
Katie spun around behind herself once more with the gun raised, just as the scarecrow plunged its sharp claws into her abdomen, impaling and then suspending her in mid-air with ease. Her feet scrambled to find purchase on something solid as she sank further down the length of the claws, the gun falling from her hand in shock. Her hands failed to lift herself off them as she grabbed at the scarecrow’s forearm. But the life was draining from her. The thick blood was gurgling in her throat as she tried to sputter out a useless cry for help. Her final thoughts as she now sagged limply was that the rumours has been true.
Reblogging is very much welcomed and appreciated! ⭐️
Please don’t steal or use my art without my permission 💀
