 Welcome to Microterrorz. Scary stories for kids, where it's always the spooky season, full of chills, thrills, and spine-tingling spooks. Microterrorz are family-friendly frights for those ages 8 and up, and while our stories are for younger years, we are still talking about things that go bump in the night, and some children may not be able to handle what others can. Parental consent is recommended. Now for tonight's Microterrorz. The liquid dripped down the side of his shoe and onto the spotless tile floor. He looked at his finger and licked the red substance from it. I certainly hope you're going to wash your hands, a dark-haired girl next to Billy said. Billy snapped his head to her, his finger still in his mouth. Of course I am Tina, Billy said. We're not even open yet. It's not like I'm serving anyone. Yeah, but Mr. Strausser is really anal about the cleanliness around here. These two little shops are his pride and joy, his family's legacy. Billy scoffed and looked at the tubs of ice cream placed in the serving bar before him. His entire life has led to serving average ice cream to unsuspecting neighborhood kids. Tina wiped her hands dry after she finished washing a few of the metal spoons, and then aggressively tossed Billy the towel. Clean your hands, she demanded. Mr. Strausser will be here in like five minutes, and we need to be ready to open. It's the first day of summer. I hope you're ready to work your wrists until they sound like loose cranks. Billy tossed the towel over his shoulder and pushed past Tina to the sink where he washed the thick, strawberry-topping off his fingers. I wouldn't want to upset Mr. Strausser now, he said sarcastically. Tina went to the front door and unlocked it. The door, as well as the entire storefront, was made from glass and looked out onto the busy main street of Eastern Park, Illinois, the town where Mr. Strausser decided to open his flagship shop, Strausser's Creamery. Tina saw a family pull into the empty lot and all climb out of their minivan. She smiled. This was her second summer working for Mr. Strausser, and there was something about it that she absolutely loved. The muggy heat outside was perfectly contrasted by the cool brisk interior of the shop. So cool and brisk, in fact, that she proudly wore her blue Strausser's Creamery sweatshirt. Billy wore a t-shirt with the company logo on the breast pocket. But over time, maybe even after the first day, he'd realize how cold it could get in the freezer heavy shop. Being Billy's older sister, Tina found a certain sick joy in just letting him find things out the hard way. The family came in through the front door, jingling the bells that hung just inside, and ordered their sweet, whole treats. Tina served them all while Billy watched. Sort of a last-minute-on-the-job training exercise. The next customers who came in, Billy served while Tina supervised. In the first three hours, Tina and Billy had served over two dozen customers. Tina took note of how Mr. Strausser hadn't shown up yet, and being the first day of summer, it struck her as odd. It was like a coach not showing up for the first ballgame of the season. Plus, Mr. Strausser had been elated by his latest feature flavor, chocolate marshmallow crunch. The flavor itself was imported from a secret distributor, as Mr. Strausser put it. He was only being playfully on forthcoming, but still wanted to keep his mysterious new partnership a mystery. Speaking of the new flavor, Tina realized she hadn't even put it out yet. Billy, can you get the tub of chocolate marshmallow crunch? She asked. She turned out down and opened the freezer cabinets under the bar. He shoved a few tubs out of the way, but couldn't find the chocolate marshmallow crunch. I think we're out, he called up to his sister. It's in the cellar, she said, as she served a young couple who she assumed were on a date. We have a cellar? Billy asked. Seemingly unaware that a small ice cream shop like Strausser's Creamery would not only have a cellar, but actually have a need for one. Through the door in the back, his sister said, there's a hatch on the floor. Okay, Billy said. After walking through the door in the back, he saw the hatch Tina was talking about. It was on the floor between two long wire shelves of napkins, plates, boxes of cones, and other dry toppings. How did I not see this thing earlier? He said to himself. Billy lifted the handle on the hatch and a burst of icy cold air rushed up from underneath the shop. Once the frozen air dissipated, he pulled his phone out to ignite flashlight. Then he slowly descended the creaky steps to the cellar. He found the pull cord from an exposed light bulb on the ceiling and yanked on it. The cellar barely lit up, so he continued to use the light from his phone. He aimed it straight ahead, trying to see through the frigid mist and aimlessly drifting through the small room. The light caught something ahead and reflected a silvery shine back at him. He moved through and noticed it was a freezer. He opened it. Empty, not a single extra tub of ice cream in sight. Something clicked behind him and Billy turned around fast, aiming his light. Hello? He called out. Tina? The clicking sound continued, a nail continuously tapping on the ground. Something was scurrying across the cellar floor. Billy still couldn't see great through the icy vapors, but he could tell that something was moving straight ahead, something shifting in the darkness right next to the wooden stairs that he came down. Hello? Billy called out again. He pushed forward until he saw the shape of someone crouched down on the floor. I don't think you're supposed to be doubted here, Billy said sternly, yet cautious of the shadowy intruder. The person wheezed uncomfortably. The closer he got within the beam of his light, Billy noticed the back of a man's head. His hair was mostly gray with longer strands of white mixed in. Billy recognized the hair as being the same color and length that Mr. Strasser had. Mr. Strasser? Billy questioned. The man abruptly shot to his feet and leered directly at Billy. Billy gasped in horror. It was Mr. Strasser, but at the same time, it wasn't. The old man's face and exposed skin were covered in giant green boils that all breathed up and down in unison. His mouth was missing most of its teeth, with the few that remained barely hanging on. His eyes were just the whites vacant of their pupils and irises, and his clothes were slipping off his deteriorating form. Billy didn't know what to say. He covered his mouth as if not to scream and slowly backed away. Mr. Strasser tried to shuffle himself closer to Billy, extending his arms outward. His bones cracked loudly with every little movement he made. Suddenly, he dropped to his knees, a sickening splat sounding off the cellar walls. A mistake! Mr. Strasser gurgled. Billy was speechless. He took a step back, his feet crunching down on tiny beans or something within a dark, sticky substance. A brief scent of chocolate wafted up. Get out! Mr. Strasser gurgled. Or they'll get you, too! With Mr. Strasser's final words, the green bubbly skin on his body, along with his clothing, all slipped off his bones, splattering against the stone floor. Billy stared at the old man's skeleton on its hands and knees, which then swiftly collapsed to the ground as well. We'll conclude our story next week. Don't forget to subscribe to the channel for more videos like this. I hope you'll join me again soon for Microtarrows Scary Stories for Kids.