Story [Dallas] The Devil Comes Back to Dallas - Spooky Story Challenge

This is a response to the Spooky Story Challenge. So, even though not one single person read my earlier ‘Dallas’ story that I posted here, I have decided to go back to Southfork for this challenge, mainly because I don’t watch much ‘fiction’ TV (as opposed to ‘reality’ TV… LOL!) and Dallas is one of the few shows that I follow.

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For those of you that haven’t watched the new Dallas, here is a character list so you can better follow my story –

Pamela Rebecca Barnes Ewing – Daughter of Cliff Barnes and Afton Cooper. She was married to Christopher Ewing in season one, before he knew her real identity and divorced her. She was pregnant with Christopher’s twin babies, before her father blew up an oil rig they were all standing on and she lost her babies.

John Ross Ewing – Son of JR (deceased) and Sue Ellen Ewing. He is now married to Pamela Ewing. (Pamela is a busy, busy girl)

Christopher Ewing – Adopted son of Bobby and Pamela (deceased) Ewing.

Ann Ewing – Current Wife of Bobby Ewing

Emma Ryland – Daughter of Ann Ewing, from a previous marriage to a really nasty guy named Harris Ryland. Emma is currently having an affair with John Ross. (yes, she knows he’s married to Pamela)

Elena Ramos – daughter of the Ewing family maid. She was engaged to John Ross in season one, and is now heavily involved with Christopher. It seems she is also a busy lady.

(It goes without saying that both the Ewing boys are very ‘busy’ too!)

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Words I had to use - Doppelganger, Warning, Memory

The Devil Comes Back To Dallas

(This story takes place after Season Two)


Unable to sleep, Pamela Barnes Ewing quietly got out of bed, careful not to disturb her new husband, and left their bedroom. It was late at night, and she had been tossing and turning for several hours, her mind racing as she thought about her father, Cliff Barnes. It was still hard to process that he’d been responsible for her unborn twins’ deaths. Her poor babies didn’t deserve their awful fate, and she would have to live forever with what might have been had they lived. Pamela touched her flat stomach, the memory of carrying her babies and feeling them growing inside of her still strong. Cliff Barnes deserved her outrage, as well as her betrayal that had left him languishing in a Mexican prison for the murder of JR Ewing, even though it was a strong possibility that he wasn’t guilty of that particular crime at all.

As she padded her way down the hallway, she couldn’t help but smile. Not only had she destroyed Barnes Global, she had married her father’s worst enemy. This ultimate revenge had tasted sweet, even though she had doubts about her ability to hold John Ross Ewing to his vows of matrimony.

She turned the corner, and stumbled to a stop, her heart pounding in shock. There, standing at the top of the staircase, was none other than Cliff Barnes. He was dressed in a dark trench coat, his craggy face illuminated only by the moonlight shining through the window pane.

“Wha…what are you doing here?” gasped Pamela, finally finding her voice. “How did you escape from prison?”

Cliff Barnes smiled, his eyes glowing a reddish hue. He held up the object he was carrying, and Pamela could see it was a plastic can, the kind you carry in the trunk of your car in case you run short of fuel. She could smell the odor of gasoline wafting down the corridor, and her blood ran cold. “You’re crazy, old man,” she snapped. “I’m calling for my husband.”

At that point, Cliff flicked on a cigarette lighter and tossed the gasoline at her feet. Pamela stepped backwards, but not quite fast enough to escape the sudden rush of white hot flames… she screamed….

And she was still screaming when the overhead lights flooded the hallway. John Ross was kneeling by her side, trying to calm her down and Bobby Ewing and his wife, Ann, were both there as well.

“Pamela!” John Ross yelled, shaking her shoulder. “What’s the matter?”

Pamela forced herself to stop screaming, and looked down the hallway where her demonic appearing father had been standing only moments ago. “He was… he was right there…”

“Who was, Pamela?” Ann asked gently, kneeling down as well next to the frightened young woman.

“My father.”

This comment startled Bobby into speaking up. “Cliff Barnes? In this house?”

“He was standing right there,” Pamela said softly, pointing to the top edge of the stairs. “He was holding a can of gasoline, and he threw it at me, and then used a lighter…”

“Pamela,” John Ross said slowly, drawing away from his wife. “Nothing here is burned. There isn’t any gasoline anywhere.”

“And Cliff Barnes is still in a Mexican prison,” Bobby added, frowning at Pamela as Ann helped the trembling woman get to her feet.

“I know what I saw,” Pamela insisted grimly. “Cliff Barnes was here. I know my own father when I see him.”

“You must have been sleep walking, dear,” Ann said, patting Pamela on her back. “It was just a nightmare.”

“I know I wasn’t asleep!”

“Settle down,” John Ross said, shaking his head in dismay. “Maybe you should see a doctor, or something.”

Pamela turned to glare at her husband. “Do you think I’m making this up? Or that I’m crazy?”

“I didn’t say that!”

Bobby and Ann exchanged worried glances. “I’ll contact the authorities down in Mexico,” Bobby finally said. “Just to make sure Cliff is still locked up down there.”

“In the meantime, I’ll get you some warm milk,” Ann said. “That always helps me get to sleep.”

“It sounds to me like she needs something a lot stronger than milk.” The group turned to look at a smirking blonde girl, the latest arrival in the corridor. “A strong shot of booze followed by four or five sleeping pills would be my suggestion.”

“That’s your answer for pretty much everything, isn’t it, Emma?” snapped Bobby at his step-daughter.

“Not everything,” Emma responded blithely. “But a lot of things.”

“That’s enough,” Ann snapped at her daughter. “Why don’t you go back to bed?”

“Sure.” She smiled sweetly at John Ross. “Maybe you should go back to bed, too, John Ross, and I’ll see you in the morning. Sweet dreams.” Emma turned and flounced off toward her room, pleased she had angered Pamela with her last comment.

~~

Later that morning, Bobby Ewing sat down at the breakfast table, noting the Pamela had not touched her fruit or oatmeal. “I spoke with Carlos. He swears that Cliff is still locked up in Mexico. Whatever, or whoever, you saw last night, Pamela, it wasn’t Cliff.”

“See? It was just a bad dream,” said Ann reassuringly.

“I know it wasn’t just a dream,” Pamela whispered, her head hanging down.

“Give it up, already, Pamela,” said John Ross with an exasperated sigh.

Just then Christopher Ewing walked into the kitchen, a dour expression on his handsome face. He’d been in a surly mood ever since Elena had disappeared after their latest argument.

“What’s the matter?” asked Christopher as he poured himself a cup of coffee. He hadn’t been home during the previous night’s drama, and had been staying away from Southfork as much as possible since his ex-wife and cousin had tied the knot. He glanced over at Carmen Ramos, Elena’s mother and the Ewing’s cook, before sitting down at the table.

“My wife had a nightmare last night, but she keeps insisting she saw Cliff Barnes in our hallway. She said he tried to douse her with gasoline and kill her. Uncle Bobby has gone through the bother of checking, and Cliff is still locked up safe and sound.”

“It could’ve been Senor Barnes,” Carmen whispered to Christopher, although it was loud enough that the others still heard.

“How!?” John Ross yelled, becoming annoyed at what he considered nonsense. “You tell me how you think that’s even remotely possible!”

“Don’t you shout at Mrs. Ramos, John Ross,” Christopher warned his cousin, eyes narrowing.

“Double… dopp…” Carmen paused, trying to think of the term.

“Doppelganger,” Bobby supplied. “Seeing someone’s exact double in a place they can’t possibly be.”

Carmen nodded at Bobby’s description. “Yes, Senor Ewing. Seeing a double is a bad omen. It is a warning that means death is coming.”

Horrified, Pamela stood up and fled the room.

“My wife is upset enough, Carmen,” John Ross said, his mouth a tight line. He stood as well, glancing toward where Pamela had run. “And you’re not helping matters.”

“Do you want me to go talk to her?” Ann asked.

“No, I’m going to talk sense into her,” John Ross groused, throwing his napkin on the table before he turned and stomped away. “It’s probably my job now that I’m her lawfully wedded husband.”

“It looks like Pamela needs more pills than even I can supply her with,” Emma said with a giggle.

Bobby gave a stern glare at Emma. “You wouldn’t have anything to do with this so-called vision, would you?”

“Me?” Emma asked, sounding outraged. “Mother, your husband is being mean to me.”

“Bobby, that was uncalled for,” Ann said, always feeling the need to defend her only child, even when Emma’s actions were inexcusable.

“I humbly apologize, Emma,” said Bobby dryly, not sounding sorry at all.

~~

Three days later, Cliff Barnes had not reappeared, and life was back to what passed for normal at Southfork Ranch. Although it had been difficult, Pamela was determined to put last week’s nightmare behind her. It was late evening, and Pamela was alone in the large house since Bobby and Ann had gone to a concert, and John Ross had phoned earlier to say he’d be working late at the office, a common occurrence. Christopher was still absent from the large mansion most of the time, and no one could ever say with any certainty where Emma spent her waking hours.

Placing her cup in the kitchen sink, Pamela decided to call it a night and head upstairs to get into her nightgown and watch some television while she waited for John Ross to come home. It was in the darkened hallway that the eerie apparition reappeared, taking a step forward just as Pamela turned the corner by her bedroom door.

“Who are you?” she screamed as she found her voice, even though she was immobilized with fear. “I’m calling the police!”

The man still said nothing, but took another step toward her, holding up a shiny and very wicked looking knife. The threat prodded Pamela into action, and she rushed into her bedroom, slamming the door and turning the lock. Desperately, she looked around the room for her phone, and realized it was inside her purse, which was still downstairs. The door handle rattled, and Pamela felt her heart pounding in fear. With trembling hands, she pulled open a dresser drawer, and located the handgun John Ross kept inside. She could barely manage to put the bullets in the chamber, and the door handle was now shaking much harder. Pamela turned toward the door just as the door knob began to turn, and to her horror she realized the door was no longer locked as it began to slowly swing open.

Pamela aimed and squeezed the trigger, and in her haste only managed to hit the right side of the door frame, blowing chunks of wood splinters into the air and out into the corridor.

“WHAT THE HELL!?”

It was John Ross’s voice, Pamela was shocked to realize. The hallway light clicked on, and standing in the open doorway was her husband, his palm pressed against the left side of his face, his eyes wide. Blood was running down his neck, staining his shirt collar.

“John Ross?” she spluttered out in surprise.

“Have you lost your mind?” he yelled back in fury. “Why would you take a shot at me?”

“I thought… I thought you were Cliff…”

“Again with the Cliff garbage?” he snapped, pushing her aside as he hurried into the bathroom, and inspected his bleeding wounds in the mirror.

“Do you need a doctor?” Pamela asked, her voice timorous as she handed him a washcloth.

John Ross swung around to face his wife, his face flushed with rage as he pressed the cloth to his facial wounds, which were superficial cuts caused by the wood trim shattering into splinters. “You’re asking ME if I need a doctor? Don’t you have that backwards?”

“I… I don’t know what to say, John Ross. I could swear it was my father, and he was holding a knife.”

“I don’t know what I’m going to do about you, Pamela,” he stated grimly.

“Maybe she’s having delayed stress trauma, ‘cause her daddy killed her babies,” a coy female voice said from behind Pamela’s back.

Pamela swung around to face Emma, who had quietly appeared in their bedroom. “How long have you been here?” The timing of Emma’s arrival back at Southfork, only moments after John Ross had come home, struck Pamela as extremely suspicious.

“Only for a few seconds. I heard the gun shot, so I called to police.” She smiled and pointed toward the ruined door frame. “How are you going to explain that?”

“I was cleaning the gun, and forgot to unload it,” John Ross said suddenly, his anger now directed at Emma. “My wife was going through the drawer and it accidentally discharged. Do you understand that, Emma? It was an accident, and that’s what we’re telling the cops.”

“I understand,” Emma said, tossing her hair over her shoulder as she left their bedroom. “I understand more than you could possibly know.”

~~


Two weeks later, the shooting incident was somewhat behind them. John Ross had been furious for several days afterwards, and had only been appeased when Pamela had agreed to talk to a therapist. It seemed to be helping, since there was no further appearance of Cliff Barnes at Southfork Ranch.

Pamela was sitting in bed, reading a magazine, and once again was waiting for her husband to return home from Ewing Energies. Being married to John Ross was turning into a very lonely existence, which had not been alleviated by either Emma or Christopher, both of whom ignored her when she was in their company. Fortunately, the older generation of Ewings as well as Sue Ellen, had taken pity on her and had been far more willing to talk to her when they were all at Southfork.

Sighing, she looked at the clock. It was approaching midnight, and it didn’t seem worth the effort to stay awake until her husband came home. Putting her book aside, she turned off the light before sinking her head against into the soft pillow.

The hair on her neck suddenly prickled, and she realized she wasn’t alone in the bedroom. Slowly she forced her eyes to open, and saw a dark shadow of a man standing at the foot of her bed. She wanted to scream but her mouth was suddenly dry as dust.

“Hello, Pamela,” Cliff said conversationally as he shifted to stand closer to the headboard. “You really know how to twist a knife into my heart, don’t you?”

It was the first time that the apparition had spoken. “Father? Is it really you this time?”

“This time?” Cliff asked, frowning down at Pamela. “I haven’t been inside Southfork for years. But the better question might be - why are you calling me ‘father’? You lost that right when you betrayed me by helping my enemies set me up for JR’s murder. You’re no daughter of mine, Pamela.”

“You killed my babies,” Pamela argued hoarsely.

“I did you a favor! I tried freeing you of millstones that would have tied you to Bobby’s son, but then you turned right around and did yourself one better by marrying JR’s spawn. Talk about out of the frying pan and into the fire.”

“How did you get out of prison?”

Cliff smiled without humor, his aged face wrinkling. “I had some help. Elena Ramos is the daughter I should’ve been graced with, not you.”

“Why did you come here?” Pamela asked worriedly.

“Because, my dear, I have something I needed to give you.”

“What?”

“This.” Moving with unnatural speed, Cliff grabbed the pillow from behind Pamela’s head, and using both hands, pressed the downy object hard against her face, using his leverage to pin her body to the mattress.

This time, Pamela could not scream for help.


THE END

 

A really scary story. Great use of the prompts

 

See, I found my password!
You killed off Pamela? Just when I was starting to feel sorry for her. I think it was Emma who was the doppelganger.
Great little story.

 

Three readers! Thank you!!!

Thank you! I tried to make it very spoooookkyyy.....

You should watch Dallas when Season Three comes back. (hopefully it does). It's almost as good as the original, even though it doesn't have JR anymore.

Hey, there!! You came and read my story. Thank you, Jedi-2B!!!!