There are people who claim to live in haunted houses and there are others who claim to have been possessed, meaning I suppose that their body is haunted. I suffer from a similar affliction however the haunting follows me wherever I go and scares everyone away from me. It keeps me up at night with all the lights on depriving me of sleep as I try in vain to postpone it’s inevitable attacks.
This haunting has caused my family to think I’ve got some mental illness, given me a false diagnosis or three, and given me the world record on most number of high schools attended by one person. I’m at 15 schools now.
How did it start? I don’t even remember. As far back as I can recall there have always been odd happenings in my life but the real destructive stuff seemed to pick up in middle school. But this story isn’t about that. This is about my brief enrollment at Milford High and the series of murders surrounding that sore spot in my already dreadful existence.
I had just turned 17 and starting my Junior year. I was once again hoping a new school would be a fresh start. At least these kids wouldn’t know me by my former nickname: ‘Bobby Boo’ a reference to the sound ghosts are supposed to make. Obviously.
I walked into Milford on the first day with my ear pods in to tune out the crowd, opting instead to listen to my favorite Starcrawler album. I still saw the looks out of my peripheral vision. I read the lips. It’s always the same.
My assigned locker was next to this short kid. As soon as I took my ear pods out he started talking to me. Of course.
“Homey, you new here?” I nodded. “Great. I’m Diego.”
“Bobby. Nice to meet you man,” I gave him a fist bump.
“Fist bump? They say to use your elbow now.”
“Fuck that shit. I don’t know where your elbow’s been,” I replied.
He started laughing. “I like you bro. You got a sense of humor.”
I had made a friend. “Let’s see how long this lasts,” I thought.
The first week was good. Diego and I had a few classes together and I hadn’t had a flare up of paranormal insanity yet. I was smiling again. And laughing. I thought maybe it was over. Finally at long last.
It was a tuesday I think. Diego and I were having lunch in the cafeteria. He was pointing out this girl to me. “I’m telling ya, bro. She looks at you all the time. You should go talk to her,” he said.
“That one over there? With the Beyonce shirt on?”
“Yeah. That’s right. Her name is Chazmon,” he informed.
“Fuck kinda name is that? Anyway, I’m into rock. We have nothing in common.”
He put his hands on his face in dismay and shook his head. “So what? She’s hot homey. So you listen to some hip hop and …”
“Do you know her? I mean what if she’s a bitch?” I asked.
“Yeah I know her. I mean we’re not like friends or anything but I’ve talked to her a bunch of times over the years. She’s a nice person. And she’s hot. Did I Mention that?”
“I think so. Several times.”
“Look there’s a party this weekend and she’s going to be there. We should go.”
“Are we invited?” I asked.
“Bro the guy throwing this shindig is my boy. I can go to any party he has and you’re with me. So yeah.”
“I’m not great at parties Diego. I’m just letting you know. I might have to leave at a moments notice.”
“What for?”
“I’ll tell you sometime. Let’s just say I got this thing that’s going on with me.”
I looked at Chazmon. She was a lovely Latina. Great smile. It lit her face up with warmth and happiness. Wouldn’t it be nice?
Just behind her someone was walking past with his lunch tray and everything slowed down like a movie. His hand was shriveled and kind of a pink/purple. Old and full of veins and liver spots. I looked up at his face. He turned it slowly towards me as a knot in my gut inflated like a balloon. The sickness was back. Like a jackhammer in my throat banging away - my lunch trying to get back out. The world went into a muted silence.
Yeah there it was. The face of god knows what again. Black piercing eyes. Shriveled and wrinkled face. Teeth protruding from gaping mouth. Like a dead man. Beaming a stare at me that projected some kind of darkness and dread right into my soul. I could hear him laughing like a cruel madman. I could see now in slow motion his fingernails moving. They were long, like claws. He ran them through Chazmon’s hair and gently slid his pinky claw across the front of her throat, letting loose red fluid that ran like tears down her neck.
No one else reacted at all. I knew only I could see it. Its message was clear: “You can’t have her you fuck. We decide if you have any joy at all. And we say no.” I started feeling really lightheaded and a wave of cold swept across my face. Things started going black. But the sound came back as my forehead hit the table.
I came to with Diego holding a cold soda can to my forehead. A couple of nearby students were gathered. I looked at him. “How long was I out?”
“Just a few seconds. We didn’t even call a monitor yet,” he replied.
“Good. Don’t. Did Chazmon notice?” I asked.
“No man only a few people here. It’s no big thing. Almost nobody saw you pass out.”
A little luck is better than none at all I guess. I knew where this was going. “It’s going to be one hell of a party this weekend,” I thought.
The evening of the party arrived without further incident and I wound up sitting in Diego’s car right outside his friend Daniel’s house. Diego was in the driver’s seat and we could hear the music pumping. “Bobby you ready?” he asked. It was a silly question but I was in fact somewhat nervous. It had been a while since I dared go to a social gathering.
“Yeah,” I breathed deep. In and out. Nothing to fear. It’s just people. I face worse all the time.
“Okay bro. She’s yours tonight. Just be calm and be yourself. Ok?”
“Ok.”
“Alright. Let’s go.” he opened the door and off we went.
Inside there were about fifty people mulling around and talking in small groups. About ten people were dancing in front of the DJ. To the right side of the room was a table with a stack of plastic cups and a large punchbowl. Diego dragged me over there.
“Ah. Daniel’s famous Hawaiian punch. Good stuff Bob. Good for the head.” He scooped out a couple of cups worth for us and we hit the couch in the back. “Oh look, there she is.” He motioned towards the left side of the room where leaning up against the wall Chazmon and two other girls were standing and sipping punch. “If you start dating her then that’s my in for her friend. The one to her left.” I checked her out.
“She’s cute Diego. Good call,” I encouraged.
They started dancing at one point and so we joined them. We both got a few looks and smiles from the girls and then it happened. A slow song. I motioned to Chazmon and she and I slow danced. Diego and the girl he liked danced right alongside us. What was happening? Was I actually having a normal high school life?
I decided to remain calm and play it cool. If nothing else came of it I was going to have one normal social interaction. Just one night. Forget about them for just one night.
When the song was over I decided to head outside for a smoke. You know, before I said something stupid. The DJ’s assistant had his pack of Lucky’s out and got to the rear door before me. He opened it and we both went out and lit up.
The backyard was dimly lit by a half moon but serene with a light breeze. No one else was out there. There was a gazebo towards the rear of the yard with bushes and trees surrounding the property. We went back there and sat down while we smoked.
“Good choices you guys are making. I like the tunes,” I said, trying to sound like I was familiar with what they played.
“Thanks. I bring em and he spins em.” He held out his hand. “Jeff.” I shook his hand.
“I’m Bobby. Here with Diego. You know him?” I probed.
“Oh yeah. Diego’s great. Funny guy. He always has some crazy story to…”
Jeff was interrupted by a very loud cracking sound coming from the woods right behind the gazebo. “What the fuck was that?” he asked.
“Sounded like a branch breaking,” I replied. “Hey we should go back in.”
“No man. I want to see what that was. Way too loud to be somebody stepping on a stick.” He got up and started walking around the gazebo towards the wood line.
I couldn’t let this happen. I knew my sickness was about to show its face. “Hey Jeff. Look forget it. Could be a dog or some animal,” I tried.
I walked behind him so I could physically pull him away if things got out of control. Behind the gazebo there was a small footpath that went back into the woods. He pushed the branches back on both sides of the path to get through. I followed him.
He whispered. “It’s dark back here.” He turned on his phone flashlight and scanned the path ahead. There were trees and thick foliage on both sides. The path weaved right to left around several large rocks. We ventured back about fifty feet or so when we came upon a branch lying across the pathway. It was about 6 inches thick and broken in half. The wood was moist on the inside of the limb.
“Fresh break,” he said “this is what we heard.” He looked at me confused. “What could snap a branch this thick?” I shook my head. What would it be this time?
He shone the flashlight up the path again. Right as he did a figure in a tattered white robe floated down right in front of him. It looked like an emaciated human with light greenish flesh, thin white stringy hair, and sunken in eyes. It’s hands were mere skin on bones and it grasped Jeff with them on both sides of his head as it peered into his eyes and opened its mouth to a gape revealing long thin teeth, all of which came to rounded points. It moaned like a wounded calf while snapping Jeffs neck in a single motion.
Jeff dropped to the ground as I fell to my knees trembling in fear and paralyzed with overwhelming dread. It floated down next to me and put one hand on my shoulder. It moved its face in front of mine and looked me in the eyes. As it did I felt total emptiness in my soul, dread, and absolute hopelessness. I felt completely vulnerable and accepted that I was about to die.
It moaned again before lifting up and disappearing into the darkness of the tree cover above.
I was shaking so hard I could barely stand. Though my knees were knocking as I walked, I managed to get back into the yard and around the outside of the house. I’d have to regain my composure before going back in. I had to play it off like I wasn’t even out there. That meant sneaking back into the house and pretending I was already there.
When I was calm enough to be seen without causing alarm, I went in through the front door. No one was around and Diego was on the couch kissing the girl he wanted. The music was thumping and people were rapping along. I hit the punchbowl and guzzled until I was dreary.
I vegged out on the couch until Diego told me it was time to go. I noticed Chazmon across the room but didn’t acknowledge her out of fear she might want to talk. I was in no condition for conversation.