Tyler and his kid sister sat at the kitchen table and ate uncooked pop tarts with milk.
He glares across the table at her, right at the bright pink Hannah Montana shirt she wore all the time, the image of that teen idol’s plastic smile burned into his brain.
“So is Taylor still messing with you?” He asked.
“No, not since you beat him up.”
“I wouldn’t have had to if you hadn’t of pissed him off. What did you do to him anyway…”
“Oh you’re gonna think I’m evil for this,” She smiled with that same shit eating grin she knew annoyed him.
He shook his head,
“You are evil.” He said taking a bite of poptart.
“I kinda started a rumor that he had a crush on that guy Josh.”
Tyler made a *thump*on the table with his glass.
“Well I’d kick your little ass too if I were him!”
She busts out laughing, unconcerned with waking their hungover parents. They knew an earthquake wouldn’t wake them after date night.
“I didn’t mean for it to get around as fast as it did. Me and Katy were joking around and I mentioned that I thought I saw Taylor trying to kiss Josh!” She washes some pop tart down with milk and wipes her mouth with the sleeve of her jacket.
“Somebody must’ve overheard us talking and started spreading it around, so it was just an accident.”
Tyler shrugged just as he heard the bus pulling up. Then he turned his glass up, enjoying the cold milk falling down his dry throat. He threw his backpack over his shoulder and said,
“YOU ARE AN ACCIDENT…let’s go.”
Her grin turned upside down as she followed him out the door.
“Well I’m mom and dad’s favorite so BLAH.”
They walked through the front yard heading toward the bus.
Tyler comes to a halt and reaches his hand in front of Angel and stops her.
“What?” she said.
“You see Taylor right there don’t you…” He nods toward the middle window of the bus where She recognized the chubby pale freckled face of Taylor Barns.
“Yeah, so?”
“He’s not alone.”
Then she notices the other two boys glaring right at them.
“Crap! they’re gonna try and jump us! What do we do!?” She imagined herself getting beat up by Taylor’s big ass while his friends beat up Tyler.
“We’re gonna walk to school. I don’t feel like dealing with these assholes today.”
“We can’t! That’ll take forever to walk!”
“I know a shortcut through the woods. We’ll get there before they will.”
“I’ve never been in the woods…what if we get lost!” She insisted.
Tyler grabbed her wrist and lead her away from the bus as it’s doors closed and moved away. On the same block, stood the remains of a condemned house. She thought they were going inside, but then Tyler cuts and walks around it. Behind the old house was the beginning of thick brush and tall trees that had dead limbs hanging above. In front of them, leading through all of the fading green red and yellow colors of autumn, was a walked down path that stretched forward as far as She could see, and fallen leaves covering the ground every step of the way.
“We can cut right through the woods and come up behind the school. It’s only about a mile walk.”
*Crunch*
Tyler stepped into the edge of the forestation and made it several yards out before he realised he was alone. He turned around to see his little sister standing still with wide eyes.
“Come on! we gotta hurry or we’ll be late!” He yelled.
“I don’t want too…” Angel said, her voice shaking.
“We don’t have a choice, now come on!”
“It’s scary in there! I’m not going…”
“Don’t do this to me angel, not now goddammit…” He groaned hard, already feeling groggy from poor sleep, and more than pissed about the long terrible day he predicted would end with him fighting off three overweight kids with bad breath.
Angel folds her arms and says with a smart ass tone,
“I won’t do it! and you can’t,”
Tyler all but leaps over to her and grabs her by the scruff of her coat.
“You listen to me you little shit, because of you I’m gonna have to deal with those assholes probably all year!” He growled through his teeth.
“I don’t want to walk through these woods either and because of you I don’t have a choice. Now follow me or I’ll leave you here!”
She starts welling up with tears, but Tyler didn’t buy it. She did that all the time with their parents just to get her way.
“You won’t leave me here! mom and dad will kill you!” calling Tyler’s bluff.
“FINE!” Tyler pushed her down on her butt and leaving her behind.
“Tyler if you leave me here I’ll go wake mom and dad up right now!” her confidence faded when he didn’t look back or slow down as he marched forward on the trail.
She didn’t want too, but she knew she didn’t have a choice. So she followed.
“Oh God…I don’t like this…HEY LET ME CATCH UP!” she began running through the brush trying to catch up to her brother.
He didn’t want to talk to her or let alone even look at Angel. All he did was try to tune out her complaining for most of the walk.
He kept a quick pace to stay ahead of her, and still kept track of her by listening to her bitch about the woods and how mean he always was to her; more so, he kept track from her dragging her feet through the leafs, sounding as though they were hissing at her for kicking them up. He could hear every step she took and knew she was still right behind him. And it wore on him.
*CRUNCH CRUNCH*
He was sick of her.
*CRUNCH CRUNCH*
He was sick of her getting everything that he wanted .
*CRUNCH CRUNCH*
He was sick of being her caretaker.
*CRUNCH CRUNCH CRUNCH CRUNCH*
He was sick of his parents treating her like a princess and treating him like a workhorse. He was so tired.
The injustice of his situation was getting to be too much. He did most of the chores around the house and always after a full day at school. He wasn’t a slacker academically either. He maintained a B average and could even score an -A- in math when he felt like it. Sleep was a problem lately. Now it was bad dreams. They started over a few weeks ago and he had been dealing with the grogginess and fatigue from it everyday.
As he followed the path, he made wishes that his parents would stop dismissing his complaints and would actually try to help him with his sleep problem.
Maybe they could take a little bit of that money they blew every weekend on weed and booze and get him some medicine that’ll help him sleep. That’s all he wanted. Maybe he’d Just skip school today, go home and lay back down in his bed. He didn’t care if he got yelled at. He didn’t care if he had another nightmare; bring on the damn SPIDERS!
He started to enjoy the walk some. The weather was cool and the woods were grey and beautiful today. And It was quiet. Not even the birds were chirping like they do in the summer. Save for the sound of shuffling leafs under his feet, it was calm and tranquil out there…save for the sound of leafs.
*CRUNCH*
He stopped in his tracks. Now it was almost silent out there. After he enjoyed only a few minutes of a relaxing walk through the woods, he realized something terrible. Dread came crawling up in his guts as it dawned on him that he hadn’t heard a second shuffle in the leafs this whole time; he had blocked it all trying to escape this day. He turned around to see that Angel was no where in sight. As far as he could see, she was gone.
He kicked up leafs and dirt running back down the path. He reached the spot in the trail where he thought he last heard her.
He looked all around, but saw nothing; no evidence that she was ever here. He looked at all the rotting crumbling leafs and sticks littered on the ground everywhere searching for a trail she might have left behind, but he couldn’t even find his own tracks in the cold dried dead earth that blanketed the area.
He took a deep breath.
“ANGEL!!! I’M GONNA KICK YOUR ASS WHEN I FIND YOU!!!”
He yelled as loud he could in the slim hope that she was pranking him for earlier.
“THIS ISN’T FUNNY ANGEL! YOU’RE GONNA MAKE US LATE!”
He heard nothing but the little cracks and twitches of nature.
He took another deep breath.
“FINE THEN! I’M GOING HOME AND WAKING MOM AND DAD UP AND TELL THEM EVERYTHING THAT YOU DID, LIKE HOW YOU GOT ME INTO FIGHTS AND HOW YOU AIN’T LISTENING
AND HOW YOU WANDERED OFF AWAY FROM ME!” He took a quick breath to yell even louder; he was crying now.
“GOD DAMN IT I HATE YOU!”
“I HATE YOU LITTLE BITCH!!!!!” He hurt his throat yelling that hard. He never felt this frightened before. He lost his baby sister and he knew he’d be blamed for it. He was panicking. Then something merciful occurred to him, and it made so much sense, he almost immediately started to feel calm.
He wasn’t certain, but at least he had an excuse to just forget it and head to school.
(That little brat turned around and went home! He turned around and started walking back down the trail; Thank God!)
He could make it to class and not have to deal with her, and if he saw Taylor, he could just walk wide circles around his fat ass. Then he could go home and maybe his Mom and Dad will hear him out and Angel will get scolded for once in her spoiled rotten little life. The best part of it all was that he could go back to bed and sleep; nightmares be damned. He’d grab the biggest fattest spider and use it for a pillow!
He’ll sleep and…
and…
then…
Then he heard it.
Something, a voice, a whisper, dancing through the silence of the woods. What is that? Faint, far away, but he heard it. It almost sounded like a person singing a note, dangling in the air like it was tied to a string. It was resonating with him, within him. He thought of a fishing lure in the water, flickering beautifully for any big mouth that might bite at it. That memory coming from fishing trips with his father. Yes. Think of a little fish swimming around in the bottom of the ocean, the pitch blackness of the deep. As black as space, minus the stars as not even the sun can be seen in the deep waters. What would you do if you were down there alone and scared and then suddenly you spotted salvation? A light! A little bulb of light just floating there in the nothing; Beautiful, Warm and just for you; would you have the sense to question it, or would you just chase it?
And he chased it.
The voice sounded light and female. Sweet and calming. He didn’t understand, but somehow he’s whole mind was calm, yet his thoughts were clouded. His judgement subdued, but he was okay with it.
Where is it? Where is it coming from?
He could almost figure out the direction, but it still felt like it was in the air dangling just above his head. The longer he listened, the more it sounded to him like a woman singing. No words; just harmony.
For a moment, a small opening in the dark clouds in his head, allowed for pessimism to shine through.
(What’s happening to me…
This doesn’t make sense…
I need to go home…)
Above him, the voice began to fall, creeping down, leading off the trail and deeper into the woods.
The song was all but a lustful taunt now, beckoning him to give chase.
(COME FIND ME…)
“Who’s that!” He heard it. It was in his head, an alien voice spoke so loud that he actually heard it more clearly than if it was spoken aloud. The opening in the dark clouds were closing and becoming darker like heavy storms with only glimmers of light showing through.
(COME FIND ME…TYLER…)
And with that command, he obeyed.
*CRUNCH*
He pushed through the dying forest. A machete would be handy. Either way, he was hell bent on finding her, or whatever it was calling him. He forgot about school, about Angel, about getting in trouble with his parents, and about Taylor’s fatass. He wasn’t studying anything else except,
(HURRY! COME FIND ME!)
There she was again. There was no mistaking it: this was the voice of a woman. He imagined her features that went along with that sweet voice. Long dark flowing hair, a perfect glowing face with almond eyes and a bright smile. Breasts, hips and long legs, Yes; there was a woman in these woods. Maybe she needed help? Maybe she needed a young man to come save her! Tyler knew none of that made sense, but he still had to find her no matter what.
He reached a thick bush that seemed there was no getting around it, and there was a deep ditch on the other side that he hadn’t noticed. He pulled his hands into his jacket, got down and fought and crawled through whatever openings he could find through.
And what if he did find some weird woman out here; what was going to happen? It was unlikely that he was going to lose his virginity to some sexy siren out in the middle of these woods. He figured he had made it at least a mile or two away from the trail, and considered the trip back. The bush and brier patches annoyed him, as cracks in the dark clouds were letting more light shine through; then the voice would repeat itself:
(HURRY! COME FIND ME! HURRY!)
And the dark clouds would regain control over him.
This voice was engaging his adolescence with promises limited only to his imagination, and he had a healthy imagination for his age.
She’d be waiting for him on the other side of this shit, he’ll emerge all cut up and bleeding, he’ll see her standing there, she’ll turn and see him down on all fours exhausted and go to him, drop to her knees getting dirt on her angelic white dress, he’ll look up at her and see the most beautiful face he’d ever laid eyes on, she’ll smile at him and put her soft warm hands on his face, he’ll lay his head in her lap and she’ll gently pet his head. Then she’ll bend down to tell him something as her bosom squishes against the side of his head; her lips will move and,
*CRUNCH*
The ground he reached to grab wasn’t there; he fell forward and rolled down the sudden drop into the ditch on the other side, landing flat on his face, hissing at the scraps and cuts.
“that hurt…”
The lights were on and he escaped the clouds; whatever had him, lost its hold in the fall. He couldn’t hear her anymore. He didn’t feel tired anymore, just slightly dead inside.
Face down in the dirt, he thought about how there was no chance at making it to school on time, how horrible this day was, how things would be if Angel hadn’t started shit with Tayler. Better yet, what if she had never been born? The day started off bad enough, and now here he was laying down in the dirt, in the middle of nowhere miles away from home and not sure how he was going to get back. Hell, he wasn’t sure how he made it this far.
He turned his head and saw more woods, then he turned the other way, resting his cheek on the cool dirt:
The sun was setting.
Already? How long had he been,
*Cccccrrraaaaaang*
His head lurched up to the loud metallic shriek. He saw nothing, Almost. He would have missed it otherwise, but he remembered now: the dream; there was something from it that this place conjured up. Right in front of him was a hill where the noise came from. At a first glance, there’s nothing remarkable about it, yet somehow, Tyler knew the secret.
He pushed himself up to his feet. He’d seen it before; that’s what it was. He couldn’t think of it that morning; he had to see it play out in front of him before he could remember it:
There was a faint outline in the hill and Tyler reached and grabbed the side to feel around for…“There!”
He pulled with all his strength, then he let go of the big rusty metal door as it fell open, unveiling metal stairs leading down into darkness.
He knew this was here! Maybe an old cellar or a storm shelter, but how did he know it was here?
He looked down and thought of going in, but then thought better of it. He stepped back away from the entrance, then lights flickered over the stairs defeating the darkness that covered them, leading down to a metal door. Tyler realized that it was dark all around him; the sun had finished setting and the daylight was over. The woods around him now scarier than the hole with lights reflecting off the steel walls and stairs. He took his first step following them down careful to not make a sound. He wasn’t trying to sneak, but was ready to turn and run back up the steps and into the woods in case he might jump an animal or a homeless man living down here. The metal door wasn’t closed all the way, as if someone left it cracked. He pushed and it swung open, revealing a long hallway with more lights flickering on. He went forward, and wasn’t so afraid; now he was just curious.
(Some kind of bunker maybe? Old and abandoned, but still has electricity?)
The hallway made a sharp right turn, then there was another metal door left open as well. The lights were already on inside. Tyler peaked through the crack and saw a room filled with lab equipment.
(Some mad scientist’s hidden laboratory? How the hell could something like this be here?)
None of the equipment was like anything he had ever seen before; even the tech displayed in science fiction movies did this stuff justice: it was all shiny and well kept. Whatever science project that was going on down here was serious, and obviously, a secret.
He passed a file laid open and couldn’t resist taking a look.
“1973 The M.A.W. Project. by Dr. Les.
Entry##113 submitted at 4:54 AM
‘On behalf of the staff at NEW CELL research LAB #13, we require further funding: This project must be finished. It is necessary to do this at the site of where this strand of the NEW CELL anomaly, was located and is where we need to conduct our work. We do not know how to make CELL grow on its own yet, but this environment seems to encourage a reaction. It takes the form of a gas, reduced to a molecular level and singled it out. That’s how NEW CELL’s R-strand was discovered. It infects organic tissue with a compound never seen in history. It’s proven to have high mutative properties, like other NEW CELL strands, but the R-strand has an amazing effect: psychokinetics is developing in the subjects! The R-strand will catapult Bio Engineering to places never thought possible!”
Tyler skips a few pages.
“It was necessary to have built ‘Lab #13 at the sight where R-strand was discovered; It is imperative that our research continue, and is the opinion of this department and myself. The location isn’t ideal, but this is also closest to civilian life that NEW CELL has been found to inhabit. It is costly -and risky- but necessary in order to collect this priceless data. You of course have seen the product of the remarkable capabilities of the R-strand with the M.A.W. Project; It’s still to soon to move on from this location! So much we still have to learn! This is about the future of our species!”
Tyler flips to the last pages in the file:
Request to terminate the M.A.W. project.
“We have accomplished huge strides with the research of the R-strand. We’ve concluded that this location is not in fact the place of its origin. We can’t prove it yet, but we believe now that the R-strand isn’t native, or that the location is consequential to the mutations. The cells of R-strand cover this area, slowly growing like any organic matter. We are close to making a significant breakthrough on R-strand, and likely a huge leap in the NEW CELL anomaly.
Concerning The MAW Project, she has proven R-strand’s remarkable capabilities, but we feel the project has hit a dead end, and is no longer a viable source for further study. I will note that with careful planning: further development of NEW CELL Projects can heed viable results, and we shouldn’t shut the Lab down just yet.
However, MAW’S devolvement has hit a brick wall. Her higher brain functions mimic that of the human host used, and this could be what is making her feral. However, I don’t believe that to be the case. There’s something else I’ve been looking into: It is possible that R-strand itself is where this intelligent/malevolent behavior is coming from. We had removed her brain and three of her limbs for our own protection, yet these problems persist.
If my theory is true, then that means that the NEW CELL anomaly is the most intelligent viral life form ever exhibited. It goes beyond what human evolution has ever been capable of.
Concerning MAW: it is understood that the resources expended on her were substantial, but we’ve got all that we need and then some from the project. Immediate termination of MAW is requested.
Let me also clarify the problems arising for the Lab in keeping her contained here: we believe she’s been telepathically commuting with sentient life outside of the perimeter. First we notice an excess of animals wandering closer to the lab, then our security was finding civilian life wandering in the area, and furthermore, somehow getting inside; they never remember how they got here. One poor soul actually made it inside MAW’s containment: what we found wasn’t a pretty sight. We have other issues of MAW affecting Lab #13 personal. Mostly complaints of strange dreams and emotional problems. Working within such close range of MAW is subject to high stress, and the project wasn’t recommended to personal with pre existing mental conditions, as it became common that She could exacerbate the conditions. I myself am having trouble, as I haven’t been able to sleep well in months.
I and my staff humbly request that a N.C.H. team is sent to sterilize this area, and to terminate the MAW Project.”
Tyler saw there was a tape recorder next to the file. He pressed rewind, and then the Play.
‘Those bastards. They actually went ahead and did it. The data we collected over the course of L thirteen’s establishment was more than viable enough and worth saving, but no, those bastards never cared. They really went ahead and did it! They’re gonna leave us and L thirteen to rot! We got them everything they wanted from the NEW CELL growing in this area, and then they cut their losses and abandon us! R-strand is growing; its infecting this whole area. Yes we were here to research it, but also to contain it! The civilian life that’s anywhere within a thousand kilometers will be totally lost…
They sealed us in here. The team we requested sealed us down here to die!
I Wonder how far they’ll get before they too are…
It’s MAW again…
I hear her now, she’s tempting me. I’m out of time…”
The rest of the tape was nearly silent save for steps on the tile floor, echoing as they got further away, until they couldn’t be heard, and then silenced altogether. There was nothing now but the light hiss of the tape spinning, and there would be nothing else on the rest of the tape either.
*thunk*
Tyler heard something. He turned to see another door. He carefully pushed it open, and there was more stairs.
No lights flickered on this time. It looked like the stairway to hell itself. Briefly, there was no way he was going down. So turned back. He was done with this. He was frightened and wanted nothing more than to leave this place and forget about it, the tape, everything. It was cold and lifeless in here. He had to get home. Then, he heard her voice; not the woman, not the sirens song he heard all afternoon, but his sister’s voice.
“Tyler…”
He heard it. And it wasn’t in his head.
“Hello?”
“Tyler…”
“Angel? is that you!” he yelled.
It was coming from down the rusty stairs, coming from the bottom. No response. He took a deep breath, and then he took the first step down, then another, then on the third, he heard Angel’s blood curdling scream eco from the bottom.
“Angel! Hold on!”
He yelled going down the steps as fast as he could, nearly slipping on what he thought was rags or towels, following Angel’s scream all the way to the bottom; down to the precipice.
The scream ceased just he saw a metal door hanging from bent hinges; It was decimated, ripped through like tissue paper. His gut told him to turn and leave now, then something caught his eye: Something familiar was hanging on one of the sharp pieces of the metal door, slivers of cloth. He approached and grabbed it: on the front was torn ribbond of tHanna Montana’s face still smiling that plastic smile.
Tyler felt terror crawl up through his guts.
Suddenly the lights came on above.
The floor was covered in discarded clothing. Most of it was adult sized: white lab coats, leather shoes, male and female undergarments, socks, and more laying everywhere. Watches, cellphones, pens, wigs, jewelry, etc.
He looked up the stairs, and saw even more just littered all the way up.
He realized something horrible: Nothing can get close to this place without coming under the influence of this MAW…How many people had wandered down here just like himself? Facing the stairs, he stepped on something sizeable. He bent down, and found that it was a backpack. Hanna Montana’s face plastered on it too.
It was Angel’s. He went down to his hands and knees and found a small pile of clothes, jeans, pink socks, a bright pink jacket and white panties.
He became nauseous, his stomach twisting itself up as he understood that Angel, along with all these other people had all been…
*CRUNCH CRUNCH CRUNCH*
The sickening sound found his ears, and then, he heard that woman’s voice speak aloud,
“Tyler, You found me.”
(The little fish that swims in the darkness will see the dangling light and approach it; never seeing the terrifying mouth of the anglerfish waiting just behind the light.)
A moist and warm gust of air covered him, and behind it was the mouth that exhaled it. Tyler on all fours, turned his head around to see it, and what he saw was a giant gaping mouth, filled with large jagged teeth, smelling of death and wide enough to bite him in half.
For a moment, he didn’t want to run away.
For a moment, the mouth seemed to not be so threatening.
For a moment, he was almost at peace with it, then that turned into a euphoria, rapturous, pleasurable even. The dark clouds were thundering, blocking all light, all sense. He was okay with this. Even wanted it…for a moment.
Then, as the mouth neared and began closing down, he saw something hanging from one of the long yellow stained teeth: something little, long and black. Like a worm? No…
He then realized what it was, and all the clouds blow away as sheer horror swept through like a 200 mph wind: It was in fact, a lock of hair from Angel’s head. The mouth spoke once more as the fresh stince of blood and guts seeped from the beastly dripping mouth:
“You found me.”
He screamed louder then he ever had in his life. His fight or flight chose the latter. His prone position was almost that of a runner’s stance, as the mouth started to close down for a bite. Tyler lunged up the metal staircase, the piles of clothes, phones and jewelry impeding him every step of the way, all the while that hot sick breath was rushing up his shirt. He made it halfway up the stairs and looked back at it to see if he was getting away from it. When he did, an even louder scream erupted from him with tears and mucus pouring from his face. He saw a massive hand reaching up for him, big enough to grab him around his waist and crush him into pulp, and pull him back down to face the same nightmarish death that his kid sister met. He caught a good look at the thing: a huge humanoid, that looked like it would have been a giant, but there was nothing below its lower torso. The hand swiped at him just barely missing the temporarily despondent boy, its large nails making deep scratches on the metal, sending an ear splitting shriek through the air. Tyler cuffed his ears in pain. He saw it trying to orient itself to take another swipe. It seemed to look up and let out a guttural roar at him, spitting its saliva and little tiny pieces of Angel all over him. Then he saw that the thing was missing its eyes: above the mouth, everything; a nose, its cranium, eyeholes, were gone. Atop of the mouth was just the healed over stump from where those things used to have been, maybe.
That huge hand was connected to a long muscular arm, the only limb it seemed to have left. Then all at once, Tyler understood it:
(It can’t do much else but eat. So it got good at luring its meals down to it…
Like one of those parasites that wiggle into the head of a grasshopper and make it commit suicide and that’s how the worm survived…That’s how this thing survived. He could hear it; feel it. The same voice the owners of these piles of clothes heard. The same voice that Angel heard.
That same sweet voice that lured him down, all the way from home, was now trying to wiggle its way back into his head. She was telling him that everything was alright; come back down, take your clothes off -and anything else that if wouldn’t like to chew on- and everything will be alright. Come down. Come down. Come down. Come down. Come down. Come down come down come down come down Come down. Come down. Come down. Come down. Come down. Come down come down come down come down Come down. Come down. Come down. Come down. Come down. Come down come down come down come down Come down. Come down. Come down. Come down. Come down. Come down come down come down come down
Come down. Come down. Come down. Come down. Come down. Come down. Come down. Come down come down come down come down Come down. Come down. Come down. Come down. Come down. Come down. Come down come down come down come down Come down. Come down. Come down.)
“COME DOWN TO ME NOW!!!!!”
Tyler snapped out of it for the last time as She lurched forward, mouth open wide. Tyler turned to the metal stairs, crawled up the rest of them and finally reached the door. He bolted through the lab, hearing both her voice in his head, beckoning him, while the monster was bellowing from below; cursing at the escape of its meal. Tyler passed the file, and grabbed it thinking he might need it later with all the rational thinking he had left, besides running. He reached the long hallway, the echo of his shoes coming down on the metal engulfing everything including her cries for him. He leaped out of the big metal door, and he got on the other side of it and pushed with all his strength, making slam back shut. Then he was out into the dark woods, at this point the safest place in the world to him. He didn’t stop. He ran back the way he came. He made his way around the hill he fell down, found the path through the brush that he made earlier and finally after scurrying through all of it again, he found the path to the school; the same path he could take home. The running wasn’t over; not yet; Not until he saw his parents.
His mother and father sat on the front porch along with several police officers who were gathering up for a search party. The mother with her head in her hands and the father was speaking to the police officer taking down descriptions in his book.
The red and blue lights of the police cars lit the whole street up, and that’s how Tyler found his way back. He saw the lights and new that that had to be his block. He held the file in his hand that would prove that everything he saw was true. He finally took a moment to catch his breath…
Then, she spoke to him again, and he listened…and he listened.
His mother looked up with tears in her eyes and almost didn’t see him: her son was standing there covered in dirt, grime and little bleeding cuts all over him. He was empty handed. She cried and ran to her son and embraced him as his father and the police officers followed. She hugged him tight. She loved him and he felt it. His father kneeled down with tears in his eyes, checking Tyler’s wounds.
“Tyler, what happened?”
“Tyler, are you okay?”
“Tyler, talk to me baby!”
“Tyler…where’s Angel?”
He was in awe. He looked up to the night sky without saying anything. He saw that the stars were out. They cared. They cared. He felt like he was the center of their world. And it made him feel good. This felt good. She was right.
****
Tyler woke up at 6:00 AM to the sound of his alarm blaring ZZ Top. He was sleeping so well that he hated the alarm. He stretched and pulled himself out of bed. He looked out of his window and saw the sun creeping up from behind the line of trees of the woods behind that old house. He grabbed the window seal and stretched himself. He left his room, past the hallway bathroom, and then went into the room that -use to- belong to Angel. The posters still hung, but the room was a mess where the police had searched it for any possible leads. He ignored the mess like his parents did, albeit for different reasons.
He enjoyed a shower. Angel’s shower that was.
In the kitchen he ate uncooked poptarts with milk. He was feeling great, well rested and had a sense of wellbeing he hadn’t felt in a long time. He thought about trying out for basketball, or maybe football. The school bus pulled up outside and he slammed his milk and ran out the door. On the bus he sat in the middle, right next to a girl he had never talked to before, and they struck up a conversation.
As they got off the bus she waved at him and saying whe would love to have lunch with him. He smiled and turned to go to class. He ended up trying out for football and fell in love with the sport that day. He liked his coach, and he made friends with almost everyone on the team. Everyone except for one big freckled face Taylor Barns. When Tyler caught up with him after school, Taylor didn’t know what to say to this knew and very chipper Tyler. They had gotten into a fight over his sister, and then she was pronounced dead, all back in the fall. When the bus passed his house, it seemed to be a ghost house with nobody home. Now here he was trying to make friends? How could he say no. He thought that he should try and be nice. Felt like he owed him that much. He didn’t have much of a choice though…
No choice, really.
See, Taylor had recently been experiencing some sleep deprivation, all from some recurring nightmares within the last week, give or take. Perhaps brought on by some remorse; an underserved guilt over the disappearance of Tyler’s kid sister.
He didn’t know why it was happening; he definitely didn’t know that Tyler knew about it, either. Taylor agreed to hang out with him after practice, and they would walk to Tyler’s house, play video games, and talk about football.
Tyler told him that he knew a shortcut through the woods. Taylor Barns smiled, and Tyler smiled right back…
and so did she.
*CRUNCH*
Written by Jacob Pittman.