Simple innocent words….twisted and corrupted.
“Hitters gitters!” Jamie shouted.
“You gotta be kidding me!?” Gary replied sharply.
“Rules are rules,” Shrugged Jamie with a grin.
“Hey, I don’t mind playing by the rules when it’s a bad pass, but you practically let the ball roll right past you!”
We had been aimlessly wandering the neighbourhood, passing a ball back and forth to each other as we went. It was a meagre source of entertainment to keep us occupied while we hoped to stumble upon something more interesting. But as usual, this town was as boring as it was small, and unwilling to deliver.
“You know what” said Gary extending his hands outwards.
“Fine…I’ll get the damn ball, but I’ll remember this next time you mess up, asshole.”
He put on a light jog down the street, passing by Jamie, and towards the ball. Jamie swivelled to watch him pass with the same grin still plastered on his face.
“You lazy, bastard.” Ryan said, shaking his head. “You were way closer! You should have just went an got the stupid ball.”
“That’s not the point,” said Jamie. “He hit it. He gets it. Simple.”
“Was still lazy, and you definitely could have stopped it rolling all the way back down the street if you, I dunno, actually tried moving.”
“Whatever, man” Jamie said rolling his eyes.
The four of us had been friends since as far as I can remember. Sure, we did some shit talking now and then, and we didn’t always see eye to eye on everything, but we were close, and we had each others backs.
Gary being the most into sports would never leave home without a ball. He was always on the move. Never able to stay still for even a few seconds without fidgeting. Even on the rare occasions when we got him to play video games, he would turn and lean in directions as if his body was the control stick.
Ryan was a bit of a goofball. Never took anything too seriously, and generally just called things as he saw it. He was one of those guys with waste disposal genetics. Ate what he wanted, when he wanted and converted it into pure energy. I’m talking cakes, pizza, whatever, and he still just kept in shape. If you ask me, that should be considered a super power.
Me and Jamie were more into video games and cartoon shows. That’s not to say we were physically inept stereotypes. We still played outside, got muddy, and had our fair share of scraped knees and bruises over the years. We just liked some indoor time as well, especially if one of us got a new game to play.
Originally me and Jamie didn’t really get on. Our opinions clashed with nearly everything. From what game series was better, to what character could beat who. After a while we just learned to put our opposing opinions to the side, and focused on the stuff we could agree on. Well most of the time anyway.
“Hey guys,” I said, looking up to the cloudy sky. “it’s starting to get dark…streetlights gonna be coming on soon.”
The streetlights were our signal to get our butts moving, and head home. We were at that awkward in-between age where we were too old to be playing in kid parks, but too young to do much of anything else, and curfew was most definitely still in effect.
“Yep. Looks like it.” Ryan said looking up to the darkening sky.
“Getting damn cold too,” Jamie said putting his hands in his pockets.
“Well maybe you’d keep warmer if you actually chased the ball now an then.” we heard Gary saying as he walked towards us with the newly retrieved ball.
“Heh! Sure, I’ll keep that in mind…..maybe.” Jamie laughed.
We headed towards the main road at the top of town for the rest of the walk home. That worked out well for me, as I stayed on the main street. My house was just along the road about 10 minutes from where we were, maybe 20 minutes if we wanted to drag it out a bit.
The road itself is a long straight cutting from right, to left, separating town, from the woods to the north. It was perfect for us to kick the ball about at this time of night, given it’s a nice stretch of even ground, and it’s a rare sight to see any cars passing through here at this hour. Only the lost wind up here at night.
Taking it slow, and trying to squeeze the most out of our remaining time before curfew, when suddenly an electrical humming emits overhead.
“Seriously? Already?” Gary says looking up to the streetlights as they started to flicker to life.
“Yup, that’s winter for you,” I said, feeling a shiver run through me. “shortens your daylight, and freezes your nuts off.”
“Woah, so they finally dropped? Congrats, champ! I’m proud of ya!” Ryan said, patting me on the back.
“Hurr Hurr! Funny guy!” I said, shoving him away.
I could hear Jamie, and Gary laughing behind us. Hell, even I couldn’t help but let out a little laugh in the form of a suppressed nose exhale.
Ryan was never the smartest guy, but his wit was sharp as a tack when the opportunity arose.I walked on a few steps to make some distance while planning to get Gary to pass me the ball. It was then that I heard it.
A slight almost unnoticeable whisper. Like someone trying to whisper a secret? No. Trying to get my attention.
My logical side passed it off as the wind whistling by, and I continued onwards, but with each step I took, I felt increasingly more uneasy.
There was something very wrong here.With a growing intensity, the lone whisper changed to whispers. Multiple voices, all in varying speeds and pitches, desperately trying to snare me. To get me to notice them.
My mind was screaming. RUN.
Then I saw it. Something out of the corner of my eye. I could see it, but I didn’t dare look towards it. I couldn’t.
In the trees on the other side of the road. Something was there. I could feel its horrible, unwanted presence just at the edge of the woods.
Cold dread washed over me, as this unbearable feeling of being watched had me rooted to the ground.
I wanted to will myself to look over towards the woods, in hope to prove to myself it was just my imagination, but I failed to turn my head. I was too afraid to see, what i prayed wasn’t there.
Then it started to move.
“WAKEY WAKEY!!”
I snapped out of my trance, immediately turning to look towards the trees! Seeing just the slightest glimpse of it before the branches closed over.
“You okay?” I heard Jamie ask. “You’re kinda freaking us out!”
Suddenly aware that I had all three of my friends eyes locked on me with confused worried faces.
“You alright? Ryan asked, genuinely looking concerned. “I was only joking about your balls dropping.” he said with almost comical sincerity.
“What!? No! It wasn’t that, it was…“ taking a second to think, as my eyes darted between the three of them.
They hadn’t heard it. They never felt that awful presence. Were they not close enough to the trees? Or was it just a moment of madness?
I exhaled a deep breath I didn’t realise I was holding. “It was….it was nothing…. I just zoned out is all.” I said trying to shrug it off, and pull myself together, failing miserably.
I could tell they weren’t buying it, but I didn’t care. I just needed us to start moving, and get out of here.
“Hey, come on! Pass me the ball!” I shouted to Gary, as I side stepped away from the woods, and put on a small jog towards home, further away from here.
“You sure, man? I thought you were about to take a seizure on us.”
“Just pass it.” ”Okay….you’re the boss.”
Gary kicked the ball over to me. I stopped it with my foot, trying to look as casual as possible, but still unable to get that image out of my head. That thing out of my head.
I stalled for a few seconds, letting my friends close some of the distance between us, in an attempt to get them closer to home. I eventually, and reluctantly kicked the ball over to Ryan who was the closest to me, but he immediately turns and passes it all the way down to Jamie.
I stood my ground, refusing to go another step back. Not that I felt much safer here. These damn woods stretch the whole way up the road spanning the width of town, and further. But at least every step this way was another step closer to my house.
Ryan approached me after he had kicked the ball to Jamie. “What’s up, Mike? You looked pretty out of it there.”
“Nothing, I just thought I heard something, and….” I trailed off, breaking eye contact.
“And what?” he asked quizzically.
I look back to Ryan, staring him dead in the eye for a long second before uttering the truth.
“I saw….a face.”
His expression instantly changing from one of concern, to perplexed. Raising an eyebrow he asked.
“A face? What do you mean a face??”
“Like, a fucking face!” I snapped.
“Where the hell did you see it?”
“Over in the tree’s! For like, a second! Just staring at us! It looked dead! Pale white skin, black slits for eyes, and a damn black empty mouth hanging open looking like it was….like it was smiling! It was a fucking nightmare!” I whisper yelled at him.
“Okay, okay, calm down, Man.” He said putting his open palms up like he was trying to reason with a rabid chihuahua.
“Is there any chance you were maybe just seeing things? You know, like a plastic bag stuck in the bushes or something?”
I inhaled sharp, and deep. Preparing to volley Ryan with every curse word in my vocabulary.
“Buuuut” he quickly interrupted me, raising his hands up even higher, and stretching his fingers out.
“…to be safe though, let’s grab Laurel, and Hardy back there, and we’ll all start a fast walk home, and we can talk about this tomor….”
But before he could finish his sentence, a loud “HA!” cut through the air.
“HITTERS GITTERS!” We heard Gary shout. We both turned to see Jamie down the road shaking his head and muttering to himself. My heart sunk as I realised what had happened….as he started towards the edge of the woods.