Chaz and I had only been together since the beginning of the summer. Still, based on his reputation of being kind of a player, I was surprised we had lasted that long.
He hadn’t really dated many girls from our school, but he was always rumored to be with someone. In fact, he’d take girls from other schools to house parties, but he would never show up with the same one twice.
I had always thought he was very, very good looking, but I never even thought to approach him. He was popular and I was not. I had friends, sure, but I wasn’t even close to being on the same social level as him.
We had chemistry class together, and we were assigned as lab partners. That’s how we met. A cliché, I know, but it was still pretty cute to me. I never had high expectations for love, my tastes were simple.
I was pretty nervous at first, but he was easygoing and made me laugh a lot, so I relaxed around him in no time. We’d sometimes meet at my place to work on a project, but that soon progressed into dates out somewhere. He’d take me to any place I wanted – the movies, the fair, bowling, and so on.
He was a very sweet, charming guy too. It was easy to fall for him, despite the murmurs I’d overhear around us.
That’s not gonna last.
Who even is she?
How much do you want to bet he’ll dump her before homecoming.
I didn’t care much for gossip. He never made me feel insecure in our relationship. As far as I knew, his eyes never strayed and he never snuck off to meet with other girls. I’m pretty sure all the people talking were just jealous of what we had.
I had to admit I was nervous about having sex with him. The first three months together, we only ever got to second base, but things would sometimes get a little more heated. Still, we never actually got there, but he never pressured me. He never got upset when we stopped either.
I was starting to think some of those rumors were just lies. My Chaz couldn’t have been the douchebag player everyone said he was.
When October rolled around, I felt even more secure in our relationship. I had thought that maybe it’d just be a summer fling, but when the new school year started, we were still going strong.
So one day, I decided it was time to stop fooling around.
Since Halloween was just around the corner, he took me to a haunted hayride and protected me from all the spooky creature actors that would pop up to scare us. We got caramel apples and mingled with some friends that had caught up with us. He held my hand the entire time.
Sabrina, my best friend, pulled me aside at one point. “So… Is tonight the night?”
She wagged her eyebrows comically, causing me to laugh and shove her playfully. My face was beet red. “I mean, I don’t know. Maybe!”
“Aubrey, this is huge!” She squealed, and I quickly shushed her. “I mean, did you plan it? Do you think he’s got something romantic in mind?”
I shrugged one shoulder. “No, I haven’t told him, but I figured being spontaneous is kinda fun, right?”
“Totally. Just be safe, okay? No hanky panky if he doesn’t have any protection.”
“Yes ma’am.”
As the night came to a close, Chaz and I extricated ourselves from our friends and began to head to his car. In a bold move, I began kissing him passionately, pressing my body close to his. Hands began to roam, and when I didn’t stop him…
He withdrew, both of us breathing hard. I could see his eyes were glazed with desire, searching my face. I gave him a languid smile, one that was full of promise.
“Are you sure?” He asked.
I nodded, pressing closer.
“Okay, I know a spot. Let’s go.”
He drove us out of town and just a couple of miles into the highway. Soon I saw faded farmhouses vaguely illuminated by the moonlight, along with the silhouettes of silos or late grazing animals. Vast fields of corn surrounded us, much taller than us and so dense it seemed almost impenetrable.
“Kind of spooky, isn’t it?” I said, shivering from the cold.
“It is spooky season, after all.” He draped his jacket over my shoulders and held his hand out. “Come on, I’ll take care of you. It’ll be fun.”
I took his hand without thinking, and he began to guide us through the corn. He used his phone to illuminate the way, and I kept close as he parted the stalks. I was completely on edge, every fiber of my body tense. Fear coursed coldly through my bloodstream.
“Not too far now,” he said, squeezing my hand reassuringly.
But he seemed to be shivering too, his breath a bit labored. His pace even picked up a bit, and I struggled to keep up.
“You okay?” I asked, nearly panting.
When he glanced back, I saw he was smiling, his face flushed and his eyes glinting. There was something sort of strange about it, but I just dismissed it as jittery anticipation.
“Simply amazing.” He said.
We soon reached a small, secluded area that had enough room for us to move around. The corn was still like a fortress around us, but I found a bit of solace not just in the company I had, but also in the vast expanse of stars in the inky night sky. The moon showed only half her face, but it was still a beautiful sight.
Chaz turned his phone’s light off, bathing us in shadows, but I could still see his smile – A neat row of pearly white teeth bared in a way that had a hint of menace. I took his jacket off and neatly laid it on the ground, if only so I could mask my nervousness.
“Um, this is nice…” I whispered, clearing my throat. “Private, too.”
“No need to keep your voice down, babe. No one’s gonna hear us out here.”
He approached me, crushing me to him. His kiss wasn’t nearly as tender this time; It was frantic and fierce, his teeth pulling on my bottom lip. I tried to match his energy, attributing his sudden change to pent up sexual frustration.
Then, his hands were under my shirt, raking up my ribcage and further up. I tangled my fingers through his hair as he kissed along my jaw and neck, sure to leave a mark.
Once my shirt was off, I hesitated, pulling back.
His heated gaze ran over me and I suddenly felt shy. The cold made goosebumps appear all over my skin. I tried to cover myself with my arms, but he stopped me.
“You’re so beautiful,” he said, almost as if in a trance. “I never want to stop looking at you this way. All mine, forever.”
His words made me melt, and I kissed him once more. He lowered me to the ground, my back against his jacket. I looked up at the stars momentarily as he climbed atop me, still peppering my face with kisses.
One of his hands trailed up to my neck, his fingers wrapping lightly around my throat. Arousal warred with a tinge of fear within me, but this was my Chaz, and I trusted him.
“I love you, Aubrey.” He whispered against my lips. “Forever, and ever.”
His fingers tightened some, partially cutting off my breathing. I squirmed uncomfortably, tapping at his arm to try and get him to ease up. I stopped kissing back and tried to move my head to the side, but his fingers tightened even more.
He pulled back to look down at me, his eyes wild and glazed over. A trickle of saliva was pooling on the corner of his lips.
“Quit moving around. Don’t you love me? Don’t you want to be with me forever, too?” He growled angrily. “You’re special to me, Aubrey. That’s why I’m trying to make this as easy as possible. Stop. Moving.”
His body caged mine in, keeping me in place. I tried to speak, but I couldn’t form the words. I couldn’t even gasp. Panic flared throughout my body and I thrashed, trying to push him off. My vision was swimming and I clawed at his arm, raking my nails on the skin I’d once have tenderly caressed.
In my mind, I begged for help. I prayed to whoever might be listening, whatever merciful being might look kindly upon me. With every waning beat of my heart, I held out hope that this wouldn’t be my end.
Where had I gone wrong? Were there signs I did not see?
Oh please, I don’t want to die.
When consciousness was beginning to elude me, the stars blurring into streaks of light, I heard a rustle nearby. Chaz did not seem to notice this, and for a moment I thought I might be hallucinating. I was losing my strength, so my limbs relaxed even as I wanted to keep fighting.
The rustling grew louder, and from the corner of my eye I could see the corn stalks being jostled. Was somebody approaching? Distantly, I felt the need to scream for help.
Then suddenly, a figure appeared behind Chaz – A tall girl with long, tattered black hair. Her skin looked gray in the faint light, and caked with dirt. Her leg was broken at a strange angle, causing her to limp. Her face was mostly covered by her hair, but I saw a flash of dark, empty eyes.
The rustling continued and another figure appeared. Then another.
More and more girls stepped out from the shadows – six in total – all in different states of decay. A couple had been brutalized; One had her head caved in, the left side of her skull nothing more than a dark crater full of rot. Another had one eye hanging out of its socket, the iris covered in a milky white film.
One had her throat slit, the wound like a second smile that bled a black substance. She was the first to take another step forward, wrath and hatred written all over her face. I wondered if she was an angel.
Chaz finally seemed to snap out of his trance, looking up at our new companions. His eyes zeroed in on the girl that was still marching forward.
“E-Ella?” He whispered, his voice wavering. “No…”
His eyes nearly bulged out of his head in shock, and his hand loosened around my throat. I sucked in air immediately, coughing violently. But he was too afraid to even notice me anymore, rolling off of me and trying to skitter backwards.
“Serena! Oh God… It’s not– It’s not what you think!” Chaz begged.
The rest of the girls shambled forward, their faces an equal mask of fury. I tried to drag myself away, but I didn’t get very far – I was still too weak. I heaved and retched on the ground. The back of my throat tasted like metal.
“Aubrey help! Help me!” Chaz threw himself toward me, trying to get a hold of my ankle. “No! You can’t do this!”
One of them – the girl with the hanging eyeball – leaned down, the corners of her lips twitching up into a smile. When she spoke, her voice was like smoke, so low it almost made the earth tremble. “No one can hear you out here.”
The girls descended upon him like vultures on carrion. With supernatural strength, they began ripping him to shreds. I could hear his flesh tearing even over his screams. I could hear his gurgles as he drowned in his own blood.
Then, they dragged his body away like a felled hunt to be consumed later. There was an all consuming silence in which I would only hear my blood pounding in my ears. I kept expecting to be attacked next, perhaps in an act of scorn or jealousy.
Instead, when they emerged once more, they helped me up and silently guided me back out to the road. Their grip on me was cautious and their gazes were sympathetic. There was something entirely surreal about the whole thing, but I was grateful that my prayers had been answered.
Once we were back by Chaz’s car, I turned to them. “How can I ever repay you?” I asked, my voice rough and gravelly.
The one with the slit throat – Ella – shook her head. “He’s gone. That’s all.”
“Thank you for saving my life,” I whispered, giving all of them a grateful smile, tears welling in my eyes.
As best as they could, they smiled in return. When I pointed to his car, they nodded, silently promising to take care of it. I wanted to say more, but one by one they receded back into the shadows without so much as a second glance back in my direction.
While I slowly walked back home, the sky gradually lightened, burning orange and gold. I was shivering and my teeth were clacking and my neck hurt, but I was alive. I could only wonder what would become of those girls, but I hoped that they could finally find some peace. Justice had been served, but I would not let anyone forget them.
As for me, I should’ve known that relationship was too good to be true. Losing my virginity in a cornfield was a stupid idea anyway.