ADARU

bulgari-istoria-2010.com/Rechnici/Sumerian_Dictionary.pdf

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For Jillian, who heard it first

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fear

Very few people have seen Adaru in person. Why you ask? This is because you and I, humans, tell ourselves what you are afraid of. You may not realize it, but you do it. Adaru is always present when you find your fear. Say that you’ve been chased by a dog down your street, and after that had an extreme fear of dogs. Adaru was there. Adaru was that stranger who calmly watched. Adaru was that crow who gave that beady eyed stare.  Adaru helped you create that fear. He forced the dog, against its will, to chase you. This is because everyone needs fear. Even the greatest heroes have fears. If humans didn’t have fear, there would be chaos. Humans mindlessly throwing themselves into danger because they aren’t afraid. But Adaru takes the need of fear to far sometimes. People can also not see Adaru in person, well, most of the time. Adaru is so powerful, so horrible, that our puny minds cannot possibly imagine what He looks like. Only those who are a pure fear to mankind can see Adaru. And when I say this, I mean they see Him in a dream, or perhaps a vision. He is not even fully present.  But, Adaru also visited the purest and the bravest. He tried making them evil, and have many fears. Only the strongest survived his trials.

You may think that because of you have a different religion, you don’t have to deal with Adaru. But Adaru isn’t a religion. It is alive.  It has a beating heart; a living soul. But even though it is flesh and blood, it is still like the devil. He is mentioned in every religion, simply in different forms. For Catholics, He is the devil and the viper, who persuaded Adam and Eve into biting the apple. He is always there. He was Phobos in Greek mythology. His name comes from the Sumerian language, Adaru meaning fear. Why Sumerian, you may ask. Because it is one of the oldest languages. Fear is one of the oldest feelings felt by humans and is always present. You can’t run. You can’t hide. And you can’t defeat it. But I did. Well, not completely. Anyways, if you do not enjoy knowing what is under your bed at night, and what creature is watching you from the woods, I encourage you reader, read no more. Because I shall tell it how it happened.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 1

Kenny

 

Kenny’s head bounced against the balmy window, heat by the early summer sun. He watched as brilliant shades of green from the lucid trees flashed by him while the car sped forwards. But he wasn’t exactly thrilled. The view was pretty, for sure. It just wasn’t his thing. And never will be.

“I need to stop to take a piss. We’re gonna pull over at the next rest stop. You can get to stretch or something.”  his father suddenly snapped. Kenny didn’t respond. He just closed his eyes and waited for the bumping and swaying of the car to slow, signaling that Mr. Dunic had pulled over. His father didn’t say as he stepped outside and jogged to a small, crappy-looking gas station. Kenny sighed and pushed the car door open, flexing his legs and tightening his biceps.

“Ugh,” he breathed and shoved his hands in the pockets of his shorts. A couple other cars whizzed by as Kenny sat himself down on a damp rock and marveled at his surroundings. These woods were like nothing he had seen before. Something that he probably would have enjoyed. That is, if it hadn’t happened.

A sudden shuffling in the brush disrupted his thoughts and Kenny spun around, pouncing to his feet as if there was a bear behind him. Instead, a chipmunk sat beside him, eyes wide with fear. Kenny gave it a small smile.

“Hey,” he whispered softly, something the guys back home would have made fun of him for. “I’m not gonna hurt you, bud.”

The chipmunk just stared at him. Kenny stared back. It didn’t seem afraid of him anymore.

“Kenny, let’s go!” a voice shouted, and the little creature went running. Kenny grit his teeth and turned around to see his father waiting by the car. He rolled his eyes and jogged back over, yanking the door open and sliding in. The car shook as his father got in and plugged his key into the ignition, then pulled out of the gas station.

“How much longer?” Kenny asked, dry as possible. Those were the first words that he’d spoken to his father in at least three hours. Mr. Dunic cleared his throat

“Two and a half hours. Maybe less. We have to see.” he stated, keeping his eyes on the road. Kenny didn’t respond as he grabbed his Yankee cap and pulled it over his eyes, ignoring his father for the rest of the ride.

* * * * 

Gravel crunched under the old Honda’s tires, awakening Kenny from his short nap as the car rolled into the driveway. Crunch, pop pop.  The car came to a stop, and Kenny stepped out. His dog, Jack, instantly pressed his nose to the ground and circled the area around the house.  Kenny sniffed the air, trying to get a whiff of whatever Jack was smelling. All he smelled was the overwhelming scent of pine trees and damp wood. Kenny grunted. He hadn’t even been there for five minutes, and he hated it here. In Brooklyn, he remembered the scent of hot dog stands and exhaust from the thousands of cars. It may seem odd to enjoy a smell like that, but Kenny loved it. Mr. Dunic stepped out of the car and took a deep breath. His nose instantly wrinkled to the smell. 

“Well? What do you think?” he exclaimed. Kenny rolled his eyes. 

“I think we should move back to Brooklyn, and away from this hellhole and it’s horrible smell” Kenny growled back. His father glared at him

“Shut your f*cking mouth. I did this for you. A thank you would be nice.”

“You didn’t do sh*t for me. And an apology would be nice.” Mr. Dunic stared at him.

“Would you rather be back home?” his father asked with a sweet, sick tone rising in his voice. Kenny glared at him. To be painfully honest, he didn’t He couldn’t last another day back in Brooklyn after it happened.

  Something suddenly hit his chest, falling to his feet. His bag.

“ Go put your stuff away.” his father said, turning away. Kenny grunted, but eventually forced himself away from the car. He approached the cracked stairs of the house. It was a stocky brick house with vines crawling down the sides like fat snakes. Most of the brick was cracked, and in some parts falling apart.The chimney was chipped at the top and the windows were thin a dusty.  Kenny couldn’t believe his father actually want to live in this house. He walked up the stairs and kicked open the door. A horrible creaking noise came from the hinges as large cloud of dust shot out of the wall. Kenny stumbled backwards, waving his hands in front of his face. His ankle caught on a loose plank of wood in the floor, and stumbled. His luggage spilled all around him onto the dirty floor, causing another cloud of dust to rise off the ground. Cursing, he crawled to his knees. Kenny staggered onto his feet and brushed his pants off. Suddenly, Kenny became aware of a mirror he had not noticed before. It was large and dusty, with a bronze cover. Kenny brushed off the dust to look at his face. His brown hair was in a disheveled flip on his head, and his tanned skin covered with a layer of dust. It was at that moment that he became aware of something behind him. His brown eyes glanced towards it. It was a pale, humanoid figure, with black pits as eyes and a slimy, gaping black maw as a mouth. It’s body was pale and emaciated like the starving, homeless people Kenny was used to seeing on the streets. A large hole was formed in it’s extremely visible ribs, giving a clear view into its body. Instead of blood and gore sliding out snakes, scorpions and other creatures spilled out, coated with a slimy black goo. Kenny felt his stomach drop. Barely holding back the scream in his mouth, Kenny spun around to see what this thing was. Nothing was there. He looked down, and nearly fainted. His mom’s wedding ring, coated in the black blood.

Rose had just wanted to get home to her son. She was walking past a dark alley when tragedy struck. She heard her son. Screaming. Rose dropped her bags and ran. She ran into the middle of the alleyway, and stopped, frantically looking for her son. “Kenny!” she screamed, over and over. Suddenly, she heard something from behind her. She spun, only to get a glimpse of a tall humanoid figure, rushing at her…

She had been mugged, was what the cops told Kenny and his father. She tried fighting, and they killed her. His father believed it. Kenny didn’t. Thugs don’t leave their victims with pits for  eyes and no jaw. Kenny saw her. He heard her scream his name and jumped out of his window he ran, looking in alleyways and shops. She wasn’t there. But she was in the last alley. The darkest alley, in which Kenny was terrified of. He forced himself in. His mother was lying face up. Her jaw was open at an unnatural angle, so far open it touched her chest.  It was black, with slimy tendrils hanging out from the top. Her eyes were pitless, but staring. Not staring at Kenny but at something else. Almost like another dimension. Next to her, lay her wedding ring.

Alec & Aaron

Alec ran. Aaron was closing in from behind 

“I’m gonna kill you, Bones!” screamed Aaron.

Alec laughed, “First you gotta catch me, Rocky! Good luck doing that! You’ve got all that muscle just for the show, my friend!”

“And you got nothin on your legs cause you know that if you eat anything, you’ll weigh two-hundred pounds within a day!”Aaron screamed. Alec laughed. He loved it when his brother made fun of him for being skinny. He loved it when anybody made fun of him. He was just like that. He used humor and sarcasm as comebacks and didn’t know how to keep his mouth shut for his life. He purposely messed up his blond hair, and purposely didn’t eat. He purposely wore mismatching clothes and made conversations awkward. This is because he knew it was funny, and what he enjoyed most was making people laugh. He also acted like the polar opposite of his brother so that he can enjoy the look on peoples faces when he tells them that they are not only related but twins.  Aaron was a stocky, muscular boy with light brown, short clipped curly hair. Alec was a skinny boy with dark brown eyes. Meanwhile, Aaron had green eyes that resembled the color of a lake. Alec was just beginning to lose breath (this is after at least a mile chase) when he heard his mother calling. Aaron, who was red in the face, had also heard it. Aaron turned, his mouth letting out a series of wheezes. 

“After this, Skins, your dead.”

“I’m sure, Bull. You are a gypsy, my friend. Always telling the future. Oh! Like that time you said you were gonna rip my head off, but instead, you spit on this beautiful blond hair. And that other time when you-”

“Alright, shut up, will you! I get it!” Aaron growled. The two walked side-by-side for a few, until Aaron said: “But this time I mean it.” Alec had grabbed at his heart and started breathing heavily. “You wouldn’t dear brother, you are not that cruel!” Aaron laughed, and grabbed his brothers head, suffocating him between his muscular arms. “Am I?” he replied. Alec struggled, but Aaron wouldn’t let go. Aaron held Alec like that until they reached their house, and their mother told Aaron to stop trying to kill his brother.

* * * *

“Did you guys hear about that new kid?” asked Mr. Hernandez, picking at his steak.

The boys shook their head. Mr. Hernandez nodded. “ Heard they came from Brooklyn. Where you're Aunt Cassie lives.” Alec laughed. 

“Oh, you mean that place. It was nice and sunny, similar to the devastation after a nuclear blast. Beautiful.” Alec finished, blowing a kiss off his fingers. Aaron laughed so hard he choked.

“Enough,” his mother scolded “One day, you boys are gonna have to learn to grow up.

“Yeah, that’ll be the day. When pigs fly. When Aaron grows out his hair. When I can bench-press ten pounds without making my lungs collapse. Yes, yes. Very soon.” retorted Alec. Aaron choked again. Mr. Hernandez rolled his eyes, and under his breath, sighed “One day. One day.” Alec rolled his eyes and finished his steak, tossing his plate into the sink. Aaron followed behind, poking Alec with his greasy fork. Alec slapped it away, and made a beeline for the staircase. Of course, Aaron followed behind in close pursuit. They did the same thing every night. 

Danny

Danny skidded across the old carpet, the old fabric causing his raw back to burn. His hands flew to his face, trying to protect his bruised face from the rest of his father’s wrath. But nothing came. Only a shout, and the slamming of a door. Danny peered through his finger in time to see his father, his beady eyes staring back at Danny’s green ones. He waited longer, expected his father to come bursting through the door with a belt in hand. Or maybe a beer bottle. Anything really. Nothing happened. He dragged himself over to the wall, pressing his ear against the thin drywall. Silence. That was until there was a sudden burst of static, causing him to jump backwards. Soon enough, the static turned into talking and there was the pop of a beer bottle opening. Danny let out a breath, relieved that Mr. Garcia probably wouldn’t come back to beat him for the rest of the night. His breaths were ragged as he stumbled over to the mirror, pulling his shirt over his head as he did. 

“F*ck,” Danny mumbled. He wasn’t sure if it was out of pain or surprise. Bloody scars and bruises were plastered all over his back as if someone had just sprinkled some on. Some cruel, messed up someone. Danny groaned as his appearance sunk in. He looked as if he came from hell and back. He looked like that nearly everyday. A black eye had formed around his right eye, his left being slightly swollen. A long cut had found its way from his left eyebrow to just under his eye like a venomous, vicious snake. He tried to count the rest of his cuts and bruises, but couldn’t. There were so many. He crawled to his knees and reached under his bed, pulling out a medium size, white box. It let out a soft click as he opened it, revealing everything that a first-aid kit would have. He sighed as he looked at it, and began to treat his body like he did nearly every other day. Every single day for years. It was a miracle that he was still alive. More than a miracle. Danny didn’t know how long. And yet throughout all those years, no one had said anything. No one. And Danny wasn’t going to. He knew the consequences. Anyways, no one said a thing. Not even his mother. Well, he didn’t expect her to, on certain occasions their father would lash out at her too. Not at the level in which he hit his eldest son of course, but enough to scare the sh*t out of everyone. Listening to screaming and fighting at midnight while lying on the floor in complete pain didn’t exactly calm the nerves. 

But he didn’t blame his mother for ignoring him his whole life. At least she didn’t hit him as often as their father. At she contributed somewhat financially to the family.  It could have been worse.

Danny was only ten-years old when he got his first job as a paperboy. He was now fourteen and working at Merrill’s, a small shop in town in which he worked some late weeknights and early weekend mornings. Even though he didn’t make much, it was enough. Richie also worked at a local deli. He was turning thirteen in only a month. Mikey worked at the little league snack bar on Saturdays. Bobby, Jackson, Liam, Mason, and Billy were all too young. Richie was the second oldest at twelve, then Mikey at eleven. The rest of the boys were pretty close in age. Bobby was nine, Jackson was eight. The twins, Liam and Mason were both seven. And little Billy was only six.

Their mother rarely went to the store to buy food for them She was a busy woman. If Danny had two jobs and was going to college, he wouldn’t pay much attention to anyone else either. Actually, that was a lie. Danny would notice. He noticed anything and everything. Anyhow, his seven brothers didn’t say a thing either. They all knew, they all helped him, but not one of them said a thing. They didn’t know the consequences if they did. All they knew was that it was bad.  So much worse than any beating their brother would ever receive. And it was. It was so bad, that by the time Danny was fourteen, his worst fear was his father.

Amos & Jenny

Jenny sighed as she tossed her walkie-talkie back and forth between her hands. Nothing yet. Amos had left a while ago and he still hadn’t said anything yet. She heaved out a heavy breath and flopped onto her bed and held the black contraption against her mouth.

“Amos, are you good?” she said and rolled onto her stomach, legs dangling in the air. A sudden static startled her and she bobbled the walkie-talkie, nearly dropping it on the old wood floor. Jenny mumbled a curse word and held it to her ear.

“Yeah I’m good. I was talking the whole time but I think I was on the wrong signal.” he said. She rolled her eyes.

“I literally put you on the right one before you left. How’d you screw that up?” she asked and looked in the mirror. Her dirty blond hair was frizzy and disheveled from rolling around on the bed and her blue eyes were shining in the dimming light. Jenny turned away. She didn’t think she was all that pretty although everyone who even glanced at her could all agree that she was stunning.

“I went to turn up the volume and hit the other thing.” he breathed. Amos was getting out of breath. Jenny sighed and dragged her legs onto the side of her bed.

“You sound tired, so I’m gonna go get plates and stuff. Call me if you need me,” she said and walked out of her room and into the kitchen.

“Ok, be home soon.” and the line went dead. Static filled Jenny’s ears until she finally twisted the knob that controlled the volume to nearly zero. She bent down  and opened a cabinet, pulling out two old plates for her and her older brother. The plates clanged together while she reached across and grabbed the pizza cutter out of the knife holder then walked to the table and laid them out. It was truly a lonely sight. Two siblings eating dinner alone for the second week in a row. Their mother was probably going to come home at midnight, all boozed up and blubbering about a guy she met at the bar. But eventually she’d vomit everything out, apologize for getting drunk, and go to bed. Then the next morning she make them an “apology breakfast” and drive to work. She wasn’t a bad mom. Not at all, she loved her kids more than anything else in the whole world. She just didn’t know how to cope with life, and her husband didn’t help. Mr. Reynolds was long gone. He left months ago after a big enough fight with his wife. But Jenny and Amos knew it would happen and they were prepared, it was only a matter of time. And to be honest, they were better without him. No more arguments, no more beer-breath, no more reason for anyone to make fun of them.

Jenny sat down in one of the chairs, staring at her plate as if a huge meal would pop up right in front of her eyes. She wished. Jenny and Amos hadn’t eaten a freshly cooked meal since Easter, which was months ago.  She shifted in her seat and contemplated turning on the walkie-talkie and seeing how Amos was doing. She probably shouldn’t. He was riding a bike, alone in the dimming woods. He needed to stay alert. Jenny sighed once again and was unsure of what to do with herself. That was until a sudden burst of loud static pierced the ear and caused her to nearly jump out of her chair and onto the cold tile floor. 

“Jenny!” Amos’s voice screeched through the intense buzzing. His voice was urgent and full of pure fear. She felt her stomach drop and fumbled for the black box and grasped it with white knuckles.

“What! What’s the matter?” she exclaimed and felt the blood rush out of her face. There was no response.

* * * * 

Amos had never pedaled faster in his life. He’d been chased by dogs, run down by older kids, and even been pursued by his angry neighbor but never in his life had his legs pumped more rapid than they are now. His brown eyes glanced up at the dark trees and landed on another falling crow. And then another. His ears screeched with pain as Amos felt the birds cawing impale through his ear drums. This was horribly abnormal, Amos had never even heard of any kind of story like this and he lived in Milford for all is life, born and raised. Cackling crows falling silent in the blink of an eye and then falling to the ground, dead as a doornail was definitely unheard of. He wheezed again and attempted to pedal harder, so hard that his legs felt as if they had been ignited by a white flame. Fear was spreading among Amos, and if he didn’t get off of Palahu bend now he didn’t think he was ever going to. He tried the walkie-talkie again. Static. He let out a strangled cry and pivoted out of the way of another falling bird, and for that one moment, he couldn’t move. He couldn’t think, he couldn’t hear. His front tire hit something fleshy on the dirt floor and Amos was thrown forwards as the bike overturned besides him. The hard earth scratched against his shoulder blade and the bike hacked down into Amos’s right calf while he skidded to a stop. There was a soft thud next to him and he twisted over, only for his nose to be centimeters away from a lifeless crow. It’s eyes were black with death and it’s limbs were frozen into place. Black veins traveled from its cold eyes and throughout its body until molting ebony feather concealed them. Amos stared at it, frozen in fear as the other birds falling behind him were clouded by the sound of his own heartbeat

And then, the eye moved. It’s beady little eye snapped towards Amos and made solid eye contact. That was when he lost it. Amos let out a terrified scream and stumbled backwards on his hands until he felt his old Raleigh beneath his scratched hands. The bike let out a squeal as Amos launched it upwards and leapt onto it, pedaling to the point where he didn’t feel the pain anymore. His fingers floundered for the walkie-talkie, which was still taped to his bike despite the huge fall. Amos felt for the long red button on the side and held it in, hoping to come in contact with Jenny.

He landed on the hard switch and pressed it down while weaving out of the way of another falling crow. 

“PALAHU BEND!” he screamed after blubbering gibberish for a solid ten seconds. Amos swerved around the side of the mountain kept pedaling in the falling darkness. It felt as if there was a blazing sword being stabbed again and again through Amos’s ears, his head was throbbing with a growing constant pain. He couldn’t take it much longer. Amos’s vision began to blur and dark spots began to flash in and out through his field of view.  Just as he began to feel his body fall limp, there as a sudden blur around the corner. Amos snapped into a state of attentiveness and his eyes locked on the moving object. It was no one other than Jenny. His sister had come to his rescue.

But by the time Amos gained control of his body again it was too late. Jenny’s front tire lodged itself into Amos’s right pedal and he spun into her, knocking his sister off her bike and onto the ground. He felt his arm being pinned under her weight and his skin being broken by the sharp pebbles on the rural road. Jenny lifted her shoulders ever so slightly, and Amos was let loose to roll the other way and towards the cliff. His hands dug into the soil and clung onto the insides of his fingernails as he gripped onto the road for dear life. Amos felt himself come to a stop and immediately turned to Jenny, whose back had crashed into the red-tinted guardrails. She seemed to be in a state of shock and blood was dripping from her jaw and elbow. Jenny’s head whipped towards him and began dragging herself towards her brother. Amos rose with a limp and hobbled towards, laying a hand on his sister’s shoulder. 

“What the hell just happened, Amos?” she wheezed and rubbed her jaw. Amos’s ears were still ringing.

“I-I-” he stopped. It was completely silent except for a single caw of one lonely crow. Along with it came the sound of a falling object and a sickening thud. A dead crow laid in front of them. Jenny’s hand slapped her mouth as she restrained a scream and she pressed herself back into Amos’s leg.

“Watch out,” Amos said, and gulped as he kicked the bird away with the tip of his shoe. It limply rolled away from them and stayed there. He turned and grabbed Jenny loosely by the arm and tugged her to her feet.

“C’mon,” he said, “we gotta go home now.” Jenny nodded and followed closely behind him. The two stalked towards their bike and gently picked them up as if the slightest movement would trigger a monster in the woods. Amos looked behind him, checking to make sure that Jenny was on her bike and ready. She made eye contact and gave a slight nod of her head, then pushed off and passed her brother. Amos trailed and tried to absorb what just happened. All he remembered was riding in the dimming woods, crows were squawking and the woods were alive. Then it just fell silent. Completely silent. He recalled stopping his bike and looking at the shadowy forest, his eyes gazing up and down. Then the first ear-piercing shriek from a bird, and a thud. Amos closed his eyes as he remembered the moment when all the birds began to fall. He remembered the black lifeless eyes of dead crow, and how his ears felt as if they had been split in half because of the sound.

 

 

 

Georgina

Georgina lay on her bed, exhausted from another day at school. Her arms ached from carrying her textbooks, and her legs were sore from gym. She let out a tired breath, turning over to face her desk. Her covers fell to the floor as she sat up from bed, walking over her desk. Jewelry was scattered all over the polished surface, along with other expensive knick-knacks. Georgina didn’t care that she didn’t use them half the time. She only kept them because they proved her wealth. They proved she was rich. And that was all Georgina cared about, alongside being popular and pretty. She walked over to her mirror, examining her pale face. She looking like a f*cking barbie. Her eyelashes were heavily coated in mascara and eyeliner, her face overflooding with foundation. She was just about to fix her eyelashes, when a call came from the kitchen.

“Georgina, honey! Time to eat!” a woman’s voice called. Her mother. Georgina groaned and walked into the hallway, the overpowering smell of fish hitting her nose in a strong wave. Her face twisted with disgust as she sat at the table, eyeing the cooked fish. It’s lifeless black eyes seemed to stare right back at her.

“Mom,” she whined as her mother sat at the table, her father following behind.

“Yes, honey?”

“I don’t like fish,” Georgina said, pouting like an immature three-year-old.

“C’mon, Georgie.” Mr. Coleman said as he stabbed his fish, “You’re mother slaved over this thing all evening. At least try it. It’s good!”

“But I don’t want to! Can’t I just  make some macaroni?” she asked. Mrs. Coleman sighed, and Georgina seized it.

“Thanks mom! I’ll eat whatever you make next time! Promise!” she said as she rushed over to the kitchen, leaving her fish to go bad on the table. She didn’t care. She didn’t care that her mother  made that in order to please her, and she’d just thrown it away. She was also oblivious to the fact that her father was glaring at her, disappointed.What she didn’t know was that a new boy moving into town would have done anything just to see his mother again, much less have her cook for him. She didn’t know that one of her best friends, Jenny Reynolds, had McDonalds nearly every night because her mother was never there for them. She also didn’t know that Danny Garcia didn’t have dinner made for him every day. He was beaten by his drunken father every day. He also had to go and get it just like Jenny and Amos. She was spoiled. She was spoiled to the point where she didn’t notice anything about anyone. She was oblivious to everything.

Chapter 2

Kenny

Kenny had convinced himself that the thing and his mother’s wedding ring was simply an illusion. A vision. He told himself that it never happened. But, his gut told him otherwise. And so did his dog. Jack would be walking around, and suddenly whimper, tuck his tail between his legs and run. It was almost as if he fear the very air.

* * * * 

Kenny walked through the halls of Lincoln Middle School, kids laughing and shoving each other around him. His father enrolled him in only a few days after moving in, saying he needed to “start early and make friends”. And Kenny did. He quickly made friends in school, mostly because of his looks and how athletic he was. Kenny was a taller kid, not scary tall , but not oddly short. He had dark brown eyes that were similar to mud. He was tan, mostly from all of his days outside playing in Brooklyn. His hair was flipped in a wavy kind of way in the front of his head. He also had a good sense of humor around other kids.  He was a likeable, attractive kid. But no one knew that on the inside, he hated this place, and just wanted to leave.

Kenny made a few friends. He befriended the Hernandez twins and Danny Garcia. But overall, Amos Reynolds was his best friends. Alec was funny, but sometimes he just didn’t know when to stop talking. Especially around adults and girls. Aaron was nice, but more of the silent type. Danny always had horrible, bloody bruises on his face, and usually walked with a slight limp. But in the end, he was nice and had a good sense of humor. Above all of Kenny’s friends though, stood Amos. Amos was funny, polite, and knew how to act around certain people. Amos’s sister was also just like him. Kenny had just began to get lost in his thoughts when he heard a familiar voice next to him. Danny

“Yo, did you hear about what Georgina said to Jenny? Y’know, Amos’s sister?” asked Danny, running up to Kenny. Kenny shook his head

“No, what happened?” he asked. Danny looked around, a nervous yet suspicous look creeping to his face. Kenny never knew why, but Danny would always get the same face when talking about his father or getting off the bus to go home.

“Well, you know how Barbie is always bragging about her money, right?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Well during Science, Georgina and Jen were talking, and Jen asked her about those new earrings she got. Y’know, the blue ones? Well, Georgina went into this whole story about it, and ended it in ‘to bad your family won’t have enough money to get something even close to this’”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah. And now Amos is real mad. ” Kenny said. 

“Well I’d be pretty mad too. I actually kinda am.” Danny said. Kenny shrugged.

“I mean, I get why he’s mad. I would be to. I just hope he doesn’t make a big deal about this. I mean, I heard she apologized after that chick Arianna  called her out for it.”

“Yeah, Ari’s like that.” Kenny nodded. 

“Ahoy ladies!” a joyful voice shouted, and Kenny felt an arm drape across his shoulder. Alec smiled at him and Danny as they walked.

“Alec, get the f*ck off of them.” Aaron growled, yanking his brother off of them. Alec rolled his eyes and jumped ahead.

“You guys hear what Barbie said to Ms. Jennifer?” he asked, walking backwards and nearly tripping a sixth grader.

“Of course we did. Dumb*ss.” Kenny said as they kept walking.

“What’s Amos doin? Hiring a hitman?” Aaron asked with a grin. Danny waved him off.

“Nah, he’d probably do the dirty work by himself. He’d enjoy it.” the green-eyed boy said as he smiled. Kenny laughed and watched as Alec winked at a group of seventh graders.

“Speak of the devil,” Aaron suddenly mumbled, his eyes landing on someone down the hall. Kenny turned his head to see Amos stalking down the halls with Jenny behind him. His face was redder than usual and he was angrily shoving his way through the halls. Jenny seemed annoyed as she grit her teeth and ran to catch up to her brother. Amos turned, his eyes locking with Kenny’s and gestured for Jenny to follow him. From the corner of his eyes, Kenny saw Danny shrink back and nearly hide behind Kenny.

“Evening,” Alec chimed as Amos approached.

“Shut your mouth, twig.” Amos growled. Aaron took a step forwards, his eyes narrowing.

“C’mon. Enough with that.” Aaron said as he towered over the group. Amos let out an angry breath and began walking alongside Kenny.

“Hey Jen,”Kenny said as she smiled at him and walked behind him, beginning to chat with Danny.

“Dude, it’s fine. It’s over with.” Kenny said as Amos pouted beside him. They walked outside into the warm sunlight. Amos said nothing.

“She apologized, didn’t she?” Kenny asked, walking along the sidewalk as he looked for his bus. Kenny’s face fell as he realized that he’d missed it.

“Yeah, Reynolds! Take a chill pill!” Alec called from behind them. Amos raised his hand above his head, flipping Alec off.

“Alec, I have to walk home with you, so cut the sh*t!” called Kenny. Aaron stifled a laugh from behind. Amos smirked.  

“See? Everything’s fine. Including Jenny.” They both turned to look at the blue eyed girl. Her and Danny were talking, both of them smiling and laughing.

“Yeah I guess,” Amos mummered.

“She’s with Danny. Danny makes everything better for her.” Kenny said, nudging Amos with his elbow. Amos cringed.

“Shut the f*ck up. They’re not like that. And if they are I’ll pound Danny into the ground and quarantine Jenny for the rest of her life.” Amos growled. Kenny rolled his eyes

“Take a chill pill.” he said.

“I feel like I’ve heard that phrase before,” 

“Damn right you have!” Danny called from behind. Amos stopped, looked at Kenny with a smile and grabbed Danny around the neck, dragging him down the sidewalk. Kenny grinned.

“Amos! Lay off,” Jenny called with a giggle. Amos looked at her with a half smile.

“Say one more thing, and you're next,” he said as Kenny pulled Amos off Danny and ran onto his bus.

 

Danny

Danny walked along the side of the dirt road, dreading the fact that when he walked through the doors, he’d have to face his angry father. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried not thinking about it. Within minutes, he reached the destination he feared. His house. It was a low, one-story white house (although it looked gray due to the dirt and other elements from the outdoors) with one broken window. Which was broken after Mr. Garcia threw Danny into it. The door was barely hanging onto the hinges and the shingles on the roof were faded and chipped. It would have been a nice house if it was taken care of.  He took a breath and walked in. The TV was blaring a sports game, and the house was filled with the thick scent of cigars along with cigarettes and liquor. That was all Danny was able to take in before a beer bottle clipped the side of his head.

Within moments Jim Garcia had his son pinned against the wall. 

The man snarled something inaudible, delivering a hard punch to his eldest son’s jaw. Danny sucked in a breath, and didn’t reply. This was one of his fathers traps. If he talked, he would get his lights punched out. If he didn’t… well he would still get his lights punched out, just a little less brutally. His father grabbed him by the neck, and threw him to the ground. But Danny didn’t yell out. He didn’t cry. He didn’t whimper. Because Danny? He was tough. He was unbreakable. His father kicked him violently, delivering punches and smacks in between. Danny winced each and every time his father struck him, not knowing whether or not to protect his ribs or his face. The blows stopped abruptly just as he had made up his mind to protect his face, not wanting anymore ugly bruises imprinted on his face.. Danny glanced out from between his hurting arms and saw his hideous father staring at him in such a way that it was almost as if he was  admiring Danny as an artist would his work. 

“Take off your shirt, idiot.” his father's words were low, malicious, and grumbly.  Danny shook like a leaf, but did what he was told. He watched through squinted eyes as the fat man  slowly removed his belt as if he was handling a venomous snake. Danny put his head in his hands for a few moments, then grabbed the table for support. He knew what was happening. A horrible whipping sensation overcame his back. He peeked through his fingers, and saw his father quickly pulling back the belt, and bringing it down. Up, and down. Non-stop.  After every lash, Danny felt his skin being ripped away from his back. He felt his throat close and his lungs shrink, his body shiver every time the old belt made contact with is bare back. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, it stopped. Danny received a few more kicks, some slaps, and punches, and then it stopped. Danny peeked through his elbows, and saw his father finish a beer, turn a greasy eyebrow towards him and chuck it. It shattered against Danny’s back. He winced as the shards of glass made themselves at home in his back.  The carpet burned his stomach as he dragged himself over to the wall and waited. He watched as his drunken father dropped to the couch, snoring before his head hit the rough leather on the couch. He crawled to his knees and quickly scrambled into his room without a noise. The door let out a slight creak as he closed it gently, not wanting to wake his father. Danny stumbled over to the window, and with the rest of his strength pulled it open and let the fresh air in. He took a deep breath and let himself fall by the window. He needed air. And room. Danny fell backwards, his hands under his head as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath from the fresh air that was flowing into the room. It was relief that none of his six brothers were home from school yet. That would have been hell. Danny hated it whenever his brothers saw him after a beating. Hated it. But if it meant that they didn’t have to get hit, it was fine with him. They never really did, thanks to the fact that their older brother took all of the weight for them.  Danny’s eyes snapped open as he realized that he needed to stop his back from bleeding.

 He stumbled over to his bed and reached under. He pulled out a small white box, and with trembling fingers, opened it. Inside the box were band-aids, plenty of ointments, gauze, stitches, and other medical supplies, that unfortunately Danny used quite often. He sighed and limped over to the mirror near the corner of his room. His tanned back was covered in a spiderweb of white scars, and now new bleeding ones. Danny’s thin frame was battered and bruised and he could feel the lean knots of muscle throughout his body throbbing in pain. Danny grabbed a towel, and slowly cracked open his bedroom door. With two quick leaps, he was in the bathroom. Danny held the towel under the rusty faucet, and let the cool water drip onto the towel. Once the towel was completely wet, he slowly turned off the water and snuck back to his room. He snuck a look into the the living room, just to make sure that his father was asleep.Thankfully, he was. Relief flooded Danny’s body as he realized one other thing: his father's friends hadn’t visited either. When they did, it was hell. All they did was drink, scream, and help Jim Garcia beat his son.  Time seemed to fly as he tended to his wounds. His brothers came home few by few. Richie stumbled home from a tough baseball practice. Billy and Mason burst through the door, chattering about their day. Bobby and Jackson skipped through the doorway, waving their test grades in the air. They were smart kids, just like Danny. Mikey stomped into the house, showing off his black eye from a fight he’d gotten into on the playground. As if a black eye was something to show off. Danny only dreamed of walking around with not a single bruise on his face.

“Danny, do we have food? I’m hungry.” Mikey asked, glancing up from his homework with his big brown eyes. Danny shrugged and looked at his brothers. They were all positioned around the room, some of them hanging off of the three beds which were squeezed into the room. Richie was sitting in the open window while Mason was leaned against the door. 

“I think we have eggs. Lemme check.” Danny said, hoisting himself up off of the floor. The door  rubbed against the stained carpet as he opened the door and looked into the kitchen. His mother, a frail, mouse-like woman with gray eyes was sitting at the table with a glass of wine. Meanwhile, Danny’s father was half-awake on the couch with a beer gripped loosely in his hand.

“Hi, mom.” Danny said, making sure to keep his words quiet and gentle. Partially so that his father wouldn’t hear, partially because he was trying to be respectful.

“Hey, Danny.” she said as she took a sip from the glass, her eyes glued to the TV. He gave her a kiss on the cheek then bent down to get a pan and a couple of eggs. Little by little, Danny’s brothers trickled out of the room and into the kitchen. By the time they were all out, their father was awake and the eggs were sizzling on the worn pan. Billy suddenly jumped on Danny’s back, wrapping his strong little arms around Danny’s bruised neck and twisting his feet around his brother’s hips.

His father lumbered out of the living room, his eyes red from waking up and hangover. The walrus of a man eyed the eggs as he shuffled into the kitchen. Danny saw his father's hand before they hit him. A meaty hand caused Danny’s head to snap to the side. Billy leaned back on his brothers neck, not daring to say a word.

“Make me eggs,” growled Jim Garcia. And Danny did as he was told. Because if he didn’t, he would only get the “do what your told when I tell you” “lecture” beat into him afterwards. 

* * * *

The next day, Danny woke up with a sudden pain. He gasped, and bit his tongue, but didn’t cry. Because Danny? Danny was tough. He was unbreakable. School was normal and boring. That was, until the bus ride home when hell broke loose.

Alec & Aaron

 

“ You’re an idiot, you know that Bones? One day, you're gonna get yourself killed when you don’t know how to shut your mouth in the wrong situation. Amos literally almost killed you.” said Aaron.

“Nooo, you're an idiot. One day, you're gonna get yourself killed when you're bragging about your muscles to the wrong guy.”Alec retorted. Aaron scoffed.

“I don’t brag. How can I brag when I barely talk?” asked Aaron.

“Oh, you’ll find a way!” said Alec as they walked along Palahu Bend. The boys looked around. 

“This place freaks me out,” whispered Aaron. Alec laughed, despite the nervous feeling beginning to build up in his stomach. The street was remote from the rest of the town and was coated with tall grass. One side was a large mountain, the other went downwards. The top was beautiful with plenty of life. The sun always shone through the leaves like a flashlight through a paper. Flowers bloomed everywhere, and there was a considerably large blackberry bush too. But, Alec, Aaron, and their cousin had once gone down the mountain. It was as scary as hell at the bottom, with a long dark river and many trees. It was almost as if God had slapped and dirt road on the side of a mountain, right between heaven and hell.

“What’s there to be afraid of when you the world’s biggest bodybuilder?”

“Oh, shut up you-” their conversation was interrupted by a furious roar. They whipped their heads back, only to see the face of furious grizzly running at them.

Alec screamed and started sprinting the other way holding Aaron by the arm. Alec’s legs moved faster than he’d ever thought they could. He thought he’d ran fastest when he stole Ms. Horvat’s pocketbook. No matter how fast Alec’s legs pumped, Aaron’s weight was slowing him down. The bear was closing in. Alec turned his head and saw that the bear was only a few yards away. Alec also noticed something else. Its eyes were completely black, like a demon. Its coat was dark and glossy, covered in some sort of goo. And when it opened its mouth to take a chunk off Aaron, it’s mouth was a gaping maw. Black saliva dripped from its teeth, which also were as black as night. Otherwise, it looked like a completely normal bear. 

Suddenly, Alec had an idea. A stupid one too. But, it could work. Alec zig-zagged, tugging his brother behind him. The bears footing became messy, and it began to slow down in order to maintain balance. Instead of running straight, Alec veered off the road. He jumped over the railings, still towing Aaron behind. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” cried Aaron. Alec turned and grinned, despite the fact that his heart felt like a college drumline. 

“We’re goin for a climb!” he shouted over the bear's fearsome roars. Aaron paled but nodded. The hill was getting steeper, and Alec knew that he had to find a tree soon, or else they’d tumble down the mountain. He made a sharp right, hoping to throw off the bear. It did, but not by much.  

“SPLIT!” cried Alec. He let go of Aaron’s arm and kept running. Alec looked around frantically, looking for the perfect tree. And finally, he found it. It was a great oak wit plenty of footholds. It had thick branches all the way to the top. Alec turned and climbed it like a monkey. Alec thought they’d lost, but then he only found out the HE did. Aaron was still running.

“AARON! CLIMB! FIND A TREE! YOU CAN’T OUTRUN IT!” Alec screamed. Aaron obviously heard, because he veered out of the straight line he was running in and started climbing a tall pine tree. The bear roared from underneath as if ordering Aaron to come down.  

Okay, timeout. I know what your thinking reader. “Oh, but bears can climb trees! Why doesn’t the bear just climb up and have a snack?” Well, you see, this bear was so massive and heavy that the tree couldn’t bear its weight. Alright, time-in.

The bear paced underneath, still snarling at the terrified boys. Alec looked across at Aaron. He was red from the run but pale from the fright. He had his hand over his mouth as if trying to control a scream, or possibly his wheezing. 

“Psst! Aaron!” Alec whisper-screamed. Aaron’s head shot up. “What?” mouthed Aaron. Alec grinned. “Did you enjoy the ride?”  he asked. Aaron began staring lasers into Alec’s skull. 

“Not funny,” he whispered.

* * * * 

The boys stayed in those trees for so long, that they fell asleep. They even slept through the loud footsteps of the bear leaving.

* * * * 

By the time Aaron awoke, the sun was nearly gone from the sky. The horizon was filled with vibrant colors, each becoming darker by the second. He would have stayed in that tree and watched it till the end if he hadn’t remembered the bear attack. Aaron’s head instantly snapped downwards towards the ground, where he expected the predator to be waiting. It was gone. All that was left were giant paw-prints and a gooey black substance. 

“Yo, Alec! Wake up!” Aaron whispered. Alec didn’t move. Aaron sighed, knowing that his brother was a very deep sleeper. Aaron grunted and picked a pinecone off of the tree. His drew back his arm and chucked it. It nailed Alec right in the head. Alec’s eyes snapped open and he fell back. If he hadn’t grabbed onto the branch he was resting on, he would have fallen twenty feet to the grassy land. “What the hell? I coulda fell and broke my back like a twig!” he shouted across. Aaron rolled his eyes. 

“C’mon, we have to go home. It’s already past our curfew.” Aaron called. Alec raised his eyebrows. 

“Oh, crap! We gotta go! Wait… what if that bear isn’t gone?” Alec asked. Aaron groaned and proceeded to try and convince him that the bear was gone. But, Alec simply clung to the tree letting out nervous laughs. Aaron was positive that Alec would be traumatized from the experience. In the end, Aaron ended up having to climb down his tree, and go up and carry Alec down. Aaron also ended up having to carry Alec home. And by the time they got home, their mother was waiting by the steps.

Amos & Jenny

Jenny had a lot going on in her head. First, her brother was attacked by dead robins, and then one of her closest friends made a horrible comment about her family. Jenny knew that Georgina didn’t mean it in a mean way, she just doesn’t know what she says sometimes. All she remembered was Amos’s red face as he lumbered down the hallway and his constant threats towards Georgina. And to be honest, they scared Jenny, those threats. They scared her a lot. Later on, Georgina apologized but whipped out the finger towards her brother. Jenny didn’t believe it at first, but then realized that Georgina wasn’t exactly the sweet person that Jenny thought she was.

Amos grunted as another paper airplane nailed him in the back of the head. He knew that it wasn’t intentional (because if it was, the idiot who threw it would get a free ticket to the moon) and that it was just how kids acted.  But, today he was ticked off. Amos was a bomb, ready to explode at any second. Kenny had lowered his friends temper a little, but it didn’t last long after Georgina had walked up to them, apologized to Jen and then flipped him off. Jenny and Danny had been trying to calm him down, but they couldn’t. Amos’s tan face was getting red, and all he was able to do was sigh. This went on until someone shouted. 

“Hey Jen, where’s the new watch?” the poor kid had only meant it as a joke, but Amos heard it as something much more.  Even though that little incident had happened yesterday, Amos was still furious. Amos shot up from his seat, jumped over his sister, and started stalking his way down the aisle. Once the kids saw him, he started backing up. 

“Whoa! Reynolds, it was just a joke! Calm down bro!” cried the kid, and if Amos recalled correctly, his name was Charlie. Amos never likes Charlie that much, and always felt the need to punch him in the face. He was small in height and big in attitude. He was loud and obnoxious too. So overall, Amos didn’t care if he beat the crap out of him or not. Some of the boys tried holding Amos back, but Amos was all muscle and had many experiences of people trying to tackle him like this in football. And not to mention, Amos was the best running back in the league. So, as you may guess, Amos was towering over the little brat within seconds. Amos spat out so many curses, that Jenny, listening from the front of the bus, thought that he may have outdone is mother's record of most curses. And the record was a whole twenty minutes of solid swearing. Charlie simply sneered and spat on Amos. And that was when Amos exploded.

He grabbed Charlie by the throat and bashed him to the ground. Charlie uttered a horrible cry, and thrust his arms up; a weak attempt to protect his face. Amos’s punches kept coming, kicks occasionally. Some boys tried pulling him back, but they only received an elbow to the stomach.  The entire bus was exploding with screams. Their bus driver was shouting to the back and trying to slow down. Amos kept on kicking and punching, and probably wouldn’t have stopped if he hadn’t felt an extremely hard shove from behind. Amos caught himself on the seats and spun himself around. He drew up his fist, and punch. He didn’t look. He just punched. And when he looked down at his fallen victim, he felt as if a stone was dropped in his gut.  Now, you may be thinking that Jenny was the one who pushed him and that Amos would deeply regret it. But it wasn’t Jenny. Jen would never build up the guts to hurt her brother. But there was one person who would. One person who didn’t want anyone else to feel what he felt every day, no matter who they were. It was Danny.

He looked shocked as he grabbed onto a seat for balance. But somehow, he was still standing. He was breathing heavily, his eyes locked on Amos. But something was off. His eyes were locked with Amos, but it wasn’t as if he was seeing Amos. He was seeing something different. Something no one else could see.

“Danny! I’m so sorry! Jesus Christ, I’m sorry!” cried Amos. But Danny didn’t stop scrambling away. Suddenly, Amos noticed something. Danny wasn’t looking at Amos. Well, he was, but not directly. Almost as if he was in his own little world. All at once, he squeezed his eyes shut like bear traps, his mouth similar. Jenny’s head snapped up and she stared her brother down.

“Amos, your acting just like Dad. ”

 

Georgina

Georgina was disgusted with her parents. They made her walk home. She couldn’t believe it! They never made her walk. It was so boring in her eyes. All she was able to do was try to perfect the make-up on her oddly pale face. Everyone else's face was tan, except for Georgina’s and a few other kids. This was because all of the other kids were outside playing, but Georgina was different. She sat inside all day. Even though she lived in upstate New York; where the trees took over and the wild ruled, she still wasn’t used to it.

Gnats swarmed around her as she walked briskly across the dirt road trail. She slapped and swatted, but none of them would go away. She started getting annoyed. Georgina started walking faster, and soon, jogging to get away from the little pests. It was not until one landed on her hand, she noticed that these weren’t regular gnats. They seemed to be growing by the second. Their eyes were darker than usual, their bodies becoming gooey and glossy. Its buzz went to an annoying hum, to an electric roar. Georgina felt her heart start beating faster. She started running, then sprinting. Her legs pumped like she never thought she was able to before. She uttered out a horrible scream as she chucked her backpack at the bugs.  They simply buzzed louder and kept growing. This was when Georgina realized that this was serious. She glanced back at the bugs. They were the size of softballs. And soon, the size of pro footballs. Georgina’s lungs were burning. She felt a white-hot burning sensation in her chest like her insides were igniting. Her vision began to tunnel, and she began feeling dizzy. Georgina began to feel vomit build up in her throat. Suddenly she fell. Georgina wasn’t used the running this kind of distance at such a speed. She laid there, vomiting and heaving into the ground as the bugs began to turn to her. When the first one bit her, she knew it. It felt like some had dug a flaming knife into her thigh. She screamed a scream of pain and agony. She swatted and slapped, but they kept attacking. Finally, out of exhaustion and pain, Georgina passed out.

* * * * 

Bradley Sutton was coming home from his noon shift from the farmers market when he saw something lying in a ditch on the side of the road. He shrugged and assumed that it was a deer. But, as he got closer, he began questioning that. It looked almost .... human. As the old red pick-up truck rumbled closer he realized, it WAS human. Sutton felt like a stone was dropped onto his gut. Sweat rolled down his face as he approached. He scrambled out of his truck and stared in disbelief at the girl. She was at least twelve to thirteen years old. Her jugular vein (and every other visible vein on her body) was black. The girl had bumps the size of golf balls everywhere. The bumps were gray and turning black with mountains of pus on top. Her eyes were rolled to the back of her head, and she was lying in a small puddle of a gooey black substance. The scene was so disturbing, that Bradley Sutton had to lean against his pickup and vomit himself. Knowing what he had to do, he glanced up at the sky, said a short prayer, and put two fingers to the blackened veins on her neck. It was still… Wait! Wait! Sutton’s heart jumped. There was a pulse!  Fighting the vomit building up in his throat, Sutton kneeled down and threw her legs over his arms. He gently lifted her head, cradling her like a baby. Slowly but steadily, he carried her to his truck. Once there, he drove straight to the hospital.

* * * * 

Georgina awoke to blinding lights and hushed voices. She heard the beeping of a machine and smelled the powerful scent of many medicines. One doctor, a small mouse-like girl with light brown eyes and a mask over her mouth turned and noticed that she was awake. Her eyes widened, and she turned her head and shouted something to a wrinkled, gray-eyed man. Georgina couldn’t make out the words.  The gray-eyed man slowly came over, holding a needle with a light green liquid. The doctor stuck it in her neck, and the world faded away.

Chapter 3

Kenny

Kenny lay in bed, staring at the wall. He was exhausted from another day at school. Kenny grabbed a baseball and started throwing it up and catching it. He stayed that way for about a minute until he heard his door creak open He sat up from his bed and looked in the doorway. Kenny went to sit back down. Everything was fine until he looked in the mirror. It was the thing. Its body was still as skinny as a rail, it eyes as black as pits. Its tongue slithered out of its mouth like a snake. The thing’s teeth were long and thing; there were so many of them that it looked like a spiderweb of needles. Its ribs were painfully visible, and it still had a hole on one side. Kenny, holding back a scream, turned around. The thing was barely four inches away from his face. Kenny grabbed his lamp from me hind him and swung it forwards. It hit the Thing square under the jaw. It launched backward, letting out a horrible cry that sounded like a mix between a hissing serpent and the angry roar of a dragon. Suddenly the thing froze, mid-air. It seemed as if everything froze. The birds stopped chirping, the clock stopped ticking, the wind blowing. The thing looked at him with pitched black eyes. Kenny stared back, noticing that this thing was nearly transparent. And suddenly, it was gone. In the blink of an eye. All at once Kenny fell. And he noticed one thing while he was falling. The bird’s pleasant chirping had turned into a blood-curdling screech. He fainted.

* * * * 

Kenny awoke to see is the worried face of his father only inches from his. “You're awake! Are you okay?” he asked. Kenny rubbed his head. 

“I’m fine. What happened?” he asked, startled by his dad’s concern.

“I was downstairs watching the Yankee game and then I heard this horrible screech, and then a big thump. I thought you just dropped your ball, but then I didn’t hear anymore movement, so I ran up. You were laying on the floor with some weird black stuff near your mouth.” Mr. Dunic says. Kenny felt his heart drop.

“Oh. Well, um… I’m better now. I’m gonna go outside now. Thanks.” Kenny replied, running out the door, leaving his father alone and startled.

* * * * 

Jack zig-zagged across the dirt road acting as if every patch of grass had something special in it. Kenny was glad to see his dog this happy. Ever since they’d moved there, Jack seemed very fearful of everything. It seemed as if fear was in the very air. Kenny had been ignoring it until now. Now, he had to do something. This couldn’t go on forever. He HAD to find out how to kill it. He walked for a few more minutes until he finally reached the town.  The stores around the town were all bunched together, like bees in a hive. Most of them were made up of old, crimson-colored brick, others made of peeling paint and others worn out material. He walked along the empty sidewalks, debating on whether or not he should go into Dylan’s candy store before he went to the library. Jack was just interested in every fire hydrant, and every patch of grass. He finally reached the old, brick library when the winds began to pick up. Inside, Mrs. Ruben was reading  some new popular book with a name that could have been more creative. “It”, by Stephen King. The faint tapping the broken fan was all that Kenny was able to here when he entered. He walked into the “Legends and Myths” section. Once he entered, Kenny got lost. Not in the library of course, being that it was very small with a the main desk and some shelves on the bottom. Near the back of the library, was a small staircase that lead up to a nice little balcony. Anyways, he was just lost. He didn’t know where to start. Suddenly, a book fell out of the aisle, making Kenny and Jack both jump. Jack tucked his tail between his legs and scrambled away. Even though it could have just been an accident, Kenny felt his heart beating in his throat. He slowly shifted over to the book looking to pick it up. But suddenly he stopped, noticing the cover of the book. “Fears of the Centuries” it read. Kenny scrunched his eyebrows, bringing the book over to the nearest table. Jack whimpered, his hackles rising. It was a black book with a silver lining. The place where the authors name would go was scratched out. The picture was truly disturbing. It was tall, skinny humanoid figure standing above a fire pit, hands reached up from it, others seeming as if they were trying to get away. He opened it. In small dark letters, it read “Adaru”. Kenny shrugged it off, and flipped to the next page.  It was a passage about how every culture has fears, and fear will never be banished from mankind. There is always some kind of power enforcing it. That was creepy. Kenny had never thought about fear in that perspective. He read on. Most of the book was about the different versions of fear in every culture. Then, Kenny began noticing something about the book. Written inside every margin, was the word “Adaru”. It was written in some odd, cliche murder handwriting. All that Kenny was able to think was, what does this word mean? There was one section in the book that had this name in it, but it was written in some odd language. Kenny decided to take it up to Mrs. Ruben, who was literally a walking dictionary. “Mrs. Ruben,” Kenny called out. Her head shot up, red hair bouncing and her green eyes staring intensely. Her red lips pursed together. “What is it, child?” she asked, a hint of annoyance in her voice. 

“Um, by any chance, would you know what the word “Adaru” means?” he asked. Mrs. Ruben, sighed, appearing to be thinking hard. She grunted. 

“If I recall correctly, Adarus is some made-up creature from eons ago, but in the Sumerian language, Adaru and Palahu mean fear. I hope that answers your question, child.” she answered, and went back to reading her book. 

* * * * 

Kenny went to sleep that night with the name “Adaru” in his brain. Why was this important? Kenny decided to save it for the next day at school, and fell asleep, not seeing the pitless eyes staring at him from his closet.

Alec & Aaron

Alec and Aaron were immediately sent to their rooms. No dinner, no nothing.  They’d tried explaining that they were chased by a rabid bear, but their mother wouldn’t buy it. She had screamed for about an hour about how worried she was and how she hates them all and all of that good stuff that every mother rants about when their kid comes home late. When they were laying in bed, their father came up, and claimed that Mrs. Hernandez was downstairs crying because off the panic she went through.

“You had her worried sick!” claimed their father

“But we were only out for a few more minutes than usual!” Alec tried arguing.

“YOU WERE AN HOUR LATE!” he screamed. This shut up Alec. after his father took a few deep breaths, he began talking again. 

“We are very disappointed in you. If you ever do that again. EVER, even by a minute, you’ll be grounded for a week. Understand me?” their father asked. The boys nodded in sync. Their father nodded, and walked downstairs to his weeping wife. Once their father was gone, the boys looked at each other. 

“Sh*t.” mouthed Alec. Aaron just shook his head, turned over, and quickly went to sleep. 

* * * * 

Alec didn’t fall asleep until twelve, and he awoke at three  in the morning when he heard the faint growl of a bear and saw glowing red eyes through his blinds. After he saw that, he didn’t fall asleep. He passed out. He fainted.

* * * *

The next morning, Aaron’s mother didn’t talk to them. She just placed some cold waffles in front of their faces, and briskly walked away. Once Aaron arrived at school, he noticed that Danny and Amos weren’t talking. Not being the gossip type, he ignored it and went to first period. Spanish was torture. And so was math, L.A, Science, Social Studies… well, pretty much everything except gym. Unlike his brother, Aaron wasn’t exactly an ace in school.  Aaron slammed his locker shut, turning around to walk to lunch. Once there, he sat down next to Danny (who was on what Alec liked to call “The Manly Half of the Table” because the rectangle table was split between boys and girls), who was just staring at the table, no lunch in sight.

 “Bro, you hungry?” asked Aaron. 

“I’m f*cking starving,” Danny replied, “I forgot to pack my lunch.”

 Aaron gave him half of his baloney sandwich. He devoured it before the rest of their friends arrived. Jenny and her friend Ariana sat next to Danny, and Amos sat as far away as possible. Alec resumed his usual place across from the girls (he sure was a ladies man), and Kenny sat near Amos. “Why are you so far away?” called Alec to Amos, acting as if he was a mile away. Amos shrugged.

“I feel like it.” he replied. Alec looked confused, and Aaron began feeling concerned.

“What’s the matter?” asked Aaron calmly. Amos opened his mouth to talk, but was quickly interrupted by Jenny. 

“Amos punched Danny yesterday.” Silence fell over the table. Everyone was surprised. They thought that they would never say anything bad about each other, much less than punch each other. Suddenly, Alec broke the silence.

“Is that where you get all of those bruises from, Danny? ‘Cause if you do, you guys need group therapy or something.” laughed Alec. No one knew why Danny had all of those bruises. They just assumed that it was a mixture of the jerks at school and his siblings. Amos and Danny turned red. Amos stood up, pounded his fists on the table and loudly exclaimed “Why don’t you shut your mouth, f*g!”. Alec seemed taken aback. Aaron stood up too, ready to come to his brothers aid if Amos attacked. But Amos didn’t. 

“Sorry.” said Amos “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to punch him. I was punching Charlie… only because he said something about Jen!” Amos explained frantically. “And then, I felt a hard shove from behind me and thought it was one of his friend! So I punched… and it was Danny.”  finished Amos, his head dropping down at the last sentence, as if saying the words were a burden. Aaron looked at Danny, who looked relieved. Alec clapped his hands together, and in a high, old lady voice, exclaimed, “Alright children, that therapy session was touching. It brought tears to my eyes. Come back again soon!” Amos looked at Alec as if he wanted to kill him. But soon, that glare turned into a grin, then a smile. Soon, a laugh. “You're an idiot, you know that ?” laughed Amos. Alec puffed out his chest. “No need to tell me twice,” replied Alec. Soon, everyone was laughing, even Danny who two seconds ago looked like Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh. Aaron, who was usually sturdy and quiet, was giggling. Aaron and the rest of them may have been happy, but watching from above, Adaru was not.

.

Danny

Danny felt much better when he left lunch. He felt like a giant weight had been lifted off of his chest. Another great feeling: he was full.  Half of a baloney sandwich felt a Thanksgiving dinner to him, being that he never ate. His mother was rarely home to cook. She worked three jobs, and six other kids to worry about (she focused more on the younger ones, being that Danny was capable of taking care of himself), and was working towards her college degree so she can get a better job. She was a busy women. That was also another reason why she didn’t notice her son’s cuts and bruises. Danny also knew that if he left his room to get food, his father would beat him. Despite all that, he had a smile on his face until last period, in which he shared with with biggest *ssholes in the school; A.J Bakeman and Dylan Wethers. They both stood in the back of the classroom, probably deciding who they wanted to pick on next. Danny glared at them as they eyed the bruised boy, Dylan’s beady black eyes dilating as they made eye contact. Looking at both of their faces, covered in acne and greasy facial hair, made him want to gag. Thankfully, Danny didn’t have any facial hair like most kids. Not yet anyways. Aaron grew sideburns during his growth spurt, but quickly shaved them off. Any boy with to much hair was considered disgusting in his school. Anyways, they seemed to like picking on him the most.  Danny didn’t know why they hated him in particular, but they just did. He wasn't the annoying type of kid. He definitely wasn't a loner, in fact he was pretty popular. And nobody had anything bad to say about Danny Garcia. Danny sat down towards the back corner of the class, one seat to his left and five to his right. All was going well until A.J sat down to his left, Dylan to his right. A few other kids, who Danny wasn’t exactly friendly with sat down in front of him. Danny thought that he was gonna get creamed, until Jenny sat down across from him. Jenny should have been a grade younger, being that she missed the cutoff by a week, but she was smart and teachers also wanted to keep her and Amos together. She turned around and smiled. Danny smiled back. The moment was ruined as Jenny turned away and a hand slapped the back of his head. Probably A.J or Dylan. To no surprise, it was. 

“Can you just f*ck off already?” Danny snarled. They just rolled their eyes.

“Never, prettyboy. You want us to stop, make us you little p*ssy.” Dylan growled. The two boys laughed. But to Danny, it wasn’t all that funny.

* * *  *

He immediately memorized the formula for the surface area of a cylinder. Within two problems, Danny completely understood it. That was just how smart he was. All of the other students were still struggling with the math. The only thing Danny was still struggling with was the welt building on the back of his head. Dylan smacked him again, and they giggled.  Apparently it was very funny. Danny growled and backhanded A.J, making direct contact with his acne-covered cheek.

“Oh, you little fu-” Dylan began. He froze as Mrs. Lores locked eyes with him, and as if controlling him, Dylan sat back down with his lip jutted out. And just as the teacher turned away, A.J’s fist bashed into Danny’s chiseled jaw, right behind the ear. Of course Jenny turned at the exact moment and witnessed the scene. The bell suddenly rang, making the stars that Danny was seeing brighter and more chaotic

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“Yeah. I’m fine.” he reassured

“It sure doesn’t look like it,” Jenny said, and walked out. Danny froze, grit his teeth, then left the room in search of her.

* * * * 

Danny looked behind him to make sure Jenny was following. With Amos at football tryouts (Danny had went to the earlier tryouts), Danny knew that he had to pretty much take over the role of “big brother”. They walked along the side of the dirt road, quizzing each other on the math quiz in two days.

“What is the formula for a cylinder. Surface area, of course. “ asked Jenny.

“I think it-” Danny was cut off by a holler. Suddenly, A.J, Dylan, Charlie, and one other kid came running out of the woods. They were laughing like idiots and stunk of cigs’. Danny heard Jenny gasp. 

“LOOK WHO’S HERE, BOYS!” shouted A.J, causing the other guys to burst out laughing. Danny would have rolled his eyes and told them to f*ck off if it wasn’t tha Dylan seized him by the collar of his shirt, slamming him against a large oak tree and knocking the wind out of him. Jenny screamed as Dylan started punching her friend. The other boy threw Danny, and started kicking him viscously. All at once, the kicking stopped, and out of his peripheral, Danny saw the boy fall to the floor next to him. Jenny had decked him. The poor kid must have a concussion, being that Amos taught Jenny a few football tackles. A.J and Charlie began circling Jenny, Dylan slowly walking up to Danny who was lying on the floor with blood pouring from his bruised face. Danny tried getting up to come to Jenny’s aid, but was quickly kicked in the side, knocking the wind out of him. A.J and Charlie were pushing Jenny. 

“You need your big bwother to pwotect you, Jenny? Oh, well, he’s not here right now.” said Charlie, mockingly. A.J raised a fist to punch Jenny, when he heard Danny cry out. 

“Stop! Stop! Leave her alone, you  f*cking *ssholes! Stop being a p*ssy and puck on someone your own size!” he cried. A.J  and Charlie scoffed, and began walking towards Danny who had made it up to his knees. 

“Run, Jenny!” screamed Danny in a raspy voice “Run home!” Jenny shook her head, her face set with determination and distress. A sudden fury suddenly erupted in his chest as the fact that they were going to hit Jenny set in. Hit her. Danny would never allow that for as long as he lived. He’d known Jenny forever. But it wasn't just that. Something about her made Danny more protective of her. Maybe it was knowing her from kindergarten, or maybe it was the slight crush he had on her.or maybe it was the brother-like bond that Danny had with her. But she would never like him back. A beautiful innocent girl like Jenny couldn't like a broken boy like him. But that only fueled his anger. Danny crawled to his feet, ignoring the burning pain running throughout his chest. And when A.J got close enough… he punched. He punched the most feared boy in the school right in the nose. Hard. It seemed as if the whole world froze. A.J peered down at the blood on his hands. 

He looked up at Danny and said, “You’re dead, punk.” he ordered last time for Jenny to run, and this time she did. As Danny watched Jenny run away, felt joy begin building up in his heart. This feeling was quickly banished from his mind when he saw A.J’s fist come flying at his face.

* * * * 

Danny awoke to the quiet sound of birds chirping and leaves rustling. He propped himself up on his hands, becoming aware that he was lying on the ground. Danny began thinking how he was still alive. Looking at his blood, he realized something. His father was going to KILL him when he got home. Getting home late meant that Mr.Garcia couldn’t enjoy beating his eldest son. Amos & Jenny

Jenny lay in bed with Amos’s sweaty arms wrapped around her, stuck between complete sobbing and fuming anger.. She had left Danny. She felt absolutely terrible. And so did Amos. Amos punches Danny, and he repays him by saving his sister. They both felt like horrible friends. 

“We have to go back.” sniffled Jenny, wiping tears from her eyes. Amos shook his head.

“No. We can’t, it’s too dark out.” replied Amos. Jenny slapped him.

“What do you mean we can’t go back for him! He saved me from four teenagers who meant for us to die! He saved me, and you repay him with punching him! I’M GOING AND LOOKING FOR MY FRIEND!” shrieked Jenny, her fists shaking. Their mother mumbled for them to be quiet from her room. Amos was not used to Jenny yelling like this. In fact, she never did. She never even got mad! Amos sighed, and looked at the window. Amos knew what he had to do. When Jenny noticed the defeated look on Amos’s face, she seized it. 

“We have to go. Now.” she whispered. Amos sighed again, and looked her right in the eyes.

 “Go get a jacket on.” he said. Jenny gave him a quick hug, and ran down the hall, grabbing her jacket and her backpack. Jenny ran into the bathroom, filling her bag with band-aids, painkillers, ice-packs, flashlights, and other medical supplies. Jenny ran outside into the garage, and jumped on her bike. With Amos following from behind, she rode out into the cold, cloudy night.

* * * * 

Amos sped along the dirt road, shining his flickering light on the sides of the road.  They'd been riding for at least a half hour already, and they still hadn’t seen Danny. Jenny thought it was her fault that he was gone. Well, not gone of course… just missing and probably badly injured. Suddenly, Amos picked up on something. A small dark object. near the edge of the woods. It was a piece of dirty blue fabric.... just like the shirt Danny was wearing at school. Amos skidded to a stop and jumped off his bike, running to the edge of the woods. Amos felt as if a stone was dropped in his gut.

“What?” cried Jenny, smearing the tears away from her eyes as the rain began to fall.

“Look.” said Amos flatly, looking down at the bloody fabric. Jenny gasped. Suddenly Jenny pointed to something fading in the rain. Footprints. They looked at each other and knew what they had to do. Amos turned on the flashlight as high as possible and followed the footsteps, which were quickly fading in the pouring rain. Water dripped down Amos’s face as it began to go from a slight shower, to a downpour. Suddenly, Amos saw a light. Amos squinted his eyes, trying to get a better look. A house! The footprints lead up the driveway and to the door. Amos felt a wave of relief. Danny had got home safely. That was until he heard a loud crash from insides. Amos jumped, and trying looking through the broken windows. It was a crappy old house that looked like it was nice. Once upon a time, of course. Shingles were missing on the roof, and a ratty pick-up truck along with a four-seat Honda sat in the driveway.  The grass was dead, the trees around the house wild and everything but contained. But something was… disturbing about this house.Something sinister. Amos shrugged it off and peered back at Jen, who was eyeing the house suspiciously. Amos shrugged. “I guess Danny did find his way home. He is pretty smart.” said Amos, hopping on his bike and turning away. Jenny shrugged. For the first time, through the dim light of the house, Amos saw Jenny blush. Jenny hopped on her bike and rode away with Amos. “You kn-” Jenny’s voice was cut off by a horrible screech. The two jumped, and shined their flashlights around each other. High above them in the same oak tree that Danny had been pinned against, was a giant eagle. Amos was amazed by its size. It looked like it was bigger than a washing machine. Its silver beak gleamed under the light like a freshly polished dagger, along was its talons. It had pitched black eyes, like the deepest pits of hell. Its grey undercoat had freckled with black markings in a sophisticated design. It spread its wings and screeched; a mixture between a strangled scream, a regular eagles call, and a hissing serpent. Then, it dove. Jenny screamed as it came closer. Without hesitation, Amos ripped the knapsack off of Jenny’s shoulders and swung it at the eagle. It screeched again, and dove backwards. Amos swung the bag above his head, hoping to fend it off if it did dive down again. And it did, only to get hit again. Suddenly, Jenny pulled something out of her pocket, and dove towards. Time seemed to slow as she lunged. The eagle slowly looked down in midair. It screeched and flapped its wings with such a great force that Amos almost fell over. And finally, Jenny hit it. Right in the chest with her pocket knife. It fell, screeching worse than it was before. It flopped onto the ground, blood oozing from the wound. Jenny jumped on on it,stabbing over and over with the pocket knife. Amos stood, frozen in shock by her sisters merciless actions. After the eagle screeched again, Amos was put back in his senses.  He lunged on top, holding its neck up with one hand, holding its thrashing wings together with the other; and holding its gleaming talons down with his feet. All while Jenny was stabbing at it. Finally, it stopped. It stopped thrashing at screeching. It fell as still as a winter night with no wind. Jenny wiped her eyes with her wrists. All she said was “I killed it. I killed a living animal.”, and then broke down sobbing.

“We had to. Or else, it would have killed us! And I’ll bet you one thing; it wouldn’t feel as bad as you are right now.” suggested Amos. Jenny shrugged.

“But still! I-I…” Jenny trailed off “You’re right.” At that moment, Jenny noticed something. 

“Oh my god, Amos! Remember the birds?” she asked frantically. Amos nodded, the scene coming back to him. “Do you think this is all connected?” asked Jenny, becoming quieter. That’s when it struck Amos. This can be.  They rode the rest of the way home in silence, thinking about the birds and what can be happening. 

* * * * 

“We need to talk to them.” said Jenny. Amos looked confused.

“Who?” he asked.

“Danny, Alec, Aaron, Kenny, you know! Everyone has been acting a bit strange. I also overheard Alec and Aaron talking about some black bear chasing them.” she said. Amos nodded. 

“Okay. We’ll ask them tomorrow.” Amos replied, wheeling his bike into the garage. Jenny nodded, agreeing with Amos. 

“And also, why hasn’t Georgina been at school?” asked Jenny. Amos shrugged.

“Her friends said that she was bitten by some bug and got really sick.”

“Oh.”said Jenny, turning to Amos with a serious look on her face, and out of nowhere said,

“Amos, something is going on, and I’m gonna find out what it is.”

Georgina

Georgina awoke to see the worried face of her parents above her face. Startled, she pulled back onto the hospital bed. “Oh, no no no no, calm down princess!” sobbed her mother “It’s us!” Georgian relaxed.

“What happened?” Georgina asked groggily.

“You were attacked by some swarm of bugs, and they almost killed you!” cried her father.

Georgina didn’t remember any of that. And she doubted that she nearly died. Her parents were very dramatic.

 “Well, the good news is that you’ll be back to school tomorrow!” said her mother, clapping excitedly.

“How long was I out?” asked Georgina, her eyes beginning to blur. 

“Oh, I don't know. But that's not important right now baby.” answered her mother. Georgina opened her mouth to ask another question, but then passed out. But not without seeing her parents faces flicker from normal, to pale with sunken black eyes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 4

Kenny

Kenny awoke to the sound of his beeping alarm clock. He sat up in bed, and looked at the time. 6:30. The sun was rising, giving a dim eerie light to its surroundings. Kenny threw the covers off, and swung his legs over the bedside. Books and papers were scattered all over the floor from last night's discoveries. The image of the thing flashed through his mind, sending shivers down his neck. Kenny shoved the thought aside, and got ready. 

* * * *

“Hey, what’s up?” asked Aaron cooley. Alec looked at him like he was an idiot. 

“The sky, you idiot.”  laughed Alec. Kenny released a short laugh, and then sat down across from them. Suddenly, Aaron’s expression turned serious. 

“Hey, can we tell you something?” he asked. Kenny shrugged.

“Yeah, go ahead.” Kenny said. Alec and Aaron exchanged looks, and then began.

“So two days ago… I think it was Wednesday when me and Alec were walking home from the bus. And suddenly, heard this huge roar, and turned around to see this huge bear running at us.” stated Aaron, glancing at Alec. Kenny was confused.

“Wait, I thought that bears don’t attack that much.” Kenny said. Aaron shrugged.

“Well this one did.” answered Aaron “Anyways, we ran. We ran onto the Hell Side of Palahu Bend, and climbed up a tree. It stopped there, and waited for us to come down. Finally, it got tired and went away while we fell asleep in the tree. After it left, we ran home.” 

“Did you tell anyone else?” asked Kenny. They shook their heads in sync.

“Why not?” Kenny questioned. Again, they looked at each other.

“Because, there was something… different about this bear. It’s fur was black and shiny, like it was covered in some sort of goo.” said Alec.

“And it’s eyes…” Aaron trailed off “They were like a demon. Black as night. The teeth were also black, and so was it’s saliva. And it felt like… listen, I know this sounds stupid, but...it felt like it radiated fear.” Aaron finished. Kenny’s eyes grew wide. Fear.

“Listen, we need to meet up sometime.” said Kenny “Something like that has been happening to me, and I’m pretty sure Georgina. She was attacked by some unknown species of bugs the same day.” This time, it was Alec and Aaron’s turned for their eyes to grow wide. Suddenly, the bus stopped, and they got off. Alec and Aaron left to go to their lockers, leaving Kenny at the thought of What is going on here?

* * * * 

Kenny didn’t even notice that he was drawing until Ms.Abbott took his paper away, and examined it. Her eyes grew wide, and she slapped the paper back down on his desk. 

“Now I don’t know where you got this image from,” she began, clearly disturbed “But you better stop drawing it and pay attention to what you should be paying attention to. Science!” she scolded. Kenny sat, his mouth open with no words coming out, to afraid to look at what he had drawn. Finally, he figured if he had already gotten in trouble for it, this drawing should be worth it. And it was. Kenny’s had instantly flew to his mouth as he realized what it was. It’s body was severely emaciated, one giant hole just under it’s rib cage. It’s head was nearly skeletal, with gaping black pits as eyes and a slimy maw filled with long skinny teeth. A slimy tongue slithered out, droplets of some slime falling from it. It’s fingernails were long and black, the size of it’s forearm. And in a murder’s handwriting, written around the entire body was “Adaru”. Kenny excused himself and ran out of the classroom, leaving Ms. Abbott in a confused state. Kenny ran through the halls, searching for the bathroom. He found one, and sprinted in. One little sixth grader with large black glasses took one look at the deranged boy, and ran out. Glad that he was alone, Kenny hobbled over to the sink, leaning on the side. Turning on the sink, and soaking his sweat drenched face in the cold water. He looked up, and screamed. Written on the mirror; in the some black goo, but this time with a reddish tinge; were the words “Adaru daku zae. Lu su AKALU!” And while staggering away, Kenny heard a cold, hard voice say “Adaru will kill you. Let him FEED!” Kenny screamed again, and pressed his hands to his ears. The lights flickered, making the bathroom have a bluish tinge. And suddenly, the door slammed open. Half expecting it to be the thing, or as the voice said “Adaru”, Kenny jumped back and raised his fists. But it wasn’t Adaru. It was the janitor, Ed. He looked surprised and confused. “Uhh? Kid, you okay?” Ed asked. Kenny nodded, licked his lips, and walked out as if nothing happened.

* * * * 

The first thing that Kenny did when he got back to class was rip the drawing off of the worksheet, leaving a gaping hole in the margin. Ms. Abbott eyed him suspiciously as she finished the lesson on cells. The bell rang, and Kenny grabbed his books and ran. He had gym. Finally, the only period of the day that doesn’t require much thought, only muscle. And Kenny had quite a bit of that. Mr. Turner, a broad shouldered man with a buzz cut nearly down to his scalp, announced to the boys that they were going to be climbing the rope. Half the locker room sighed.

Kenny jogged out of the locker room, eyeing the large rope that hung from the middle of the ceiling. Mr. Turner blew his whistle, saying that some skinny kid, Johnny Olson would go. Then some girl named Clarisse Dowd, and finally Kenny. Johnny Olson only got to the center, but then dropped. Clarisse got a little less than Johnny, and finally it was Kenny’s turn. Setting both feet on the knots, he shimmied up. And suddenly, he got the sense that he was being followed. But by what? He was alone on a rope surrounded by his classmates. What can possibly follow him? But still, Kenny looked down. Right after he saw what it was, he deeply regretted looking. Adaru was climbing up behind them. The same features as last time, but this time it’s gaping maws was turned upwards in the corners as if it was… grinning. Kenny climbed harder and faster, hoping to get away. And not once, did he look down. When he finally touched the ceiling, he looked down. No Adaru there. On his way down though, Kenny noticed something. There was a kid, who Kenny didn’t recognize, standing in the center of the group. He was pale and skinny, with dilated eyes and long black hair. On his shirt, was a little nametag that read 

HELLO! My name is ADARU.

Alec & Aaron

“A bear; any family of large heavy mammals of America and Eurasia that have long shaggy hair, rudimentary tails, and plantigrade feet, and feed largely fruit, plant matter, and insects as well as flesh.” Webster Dictionary stated. Another definition was “Something difficult to do or deal with.” The most disturbing parts out of all of that to Alec was “feed largely fruit, plant matter, and insects as well as flesh.” They feed on flesh (obviously). That meant that the bear had meant to eat them. The other one that was also disturbing, “Something difficult to do or deal with.” That bear WAS difficult to deal with, and it was looking to feed. Alec leaned his head back on his chair. 

“Does everyone have their definitions?” asked Ms. Belvin politely. They were learning how to use a dictionary. Fun. Alec raised his hand, and the class prepared for a scene. Ms. Belvin sighed. “Yes, Alec?” she asked. Alec sat up.

“Why are we learning how to use a dictionary? I remember learning that in second grade. If this is what my parents are paying you guys a thousand dollars a years for, we’re suing. I mean, we’re smarter than that.”cracked Alec. The entire class laughed.

“Well, Mr. Hernandez, your last test grade begs to differ. If you were “smarter than that” you wouldn’t have gotten a seventy-seven.” retorted Ms. Belvin.  Alec held his hand to his heart.

“Are you calling me dumb? I AM A DROP-OUT OF HARVARD! I DROPPED OUT BECAUSE IT WAS TO EASY!” gasped Alec. The entire class erupted. Finally, the bell rang, and Alec grabbed his stuff, and walked out. He looked out the window with a smile on his face. That smile quickly melted when he spotted a huge, black bear watching him from the woods. That pretty much ruined the rest of Alec’s day. Also the fact that all his friends were acting weird, and Danny wasn’t at school.

* * * *

Aaron hated it when he saw people getting bullied. He felt some fire build up in his stomach whenever he saw someone getting bullied. That’s why Aaron’s stomach was practically boiling after Spanish. That’s also why he decked Thomas Griffin and Nyall Harper when he saw them trying to shove Jake Kerr into his locker. Aaron took a deep breath, dropped his books, and rushed towards them. Within seconds, Thomas and Nyall felt one hundred-twenty  pounds knock them to the floor. Of course, Thomas and Nyall didn’t go to Principal Gordon, fearing that they’d be seen as babies and tattle-tales. But one thing's for sure, they weren’t going to push anyone with Aaron around. Speaking of bullying, Aaron felt as if he was GETTING bullied. Not by anyone of course, but something. Every time he’d turn a corner, he felt a wave of fear wash over him, as if someone was round every corner ready to beat him up.It became so common that day, that it was as if some bully was following him everywhere he went. And suddenly, while walking through what the students call “The Chunnel”, Aaron saw his source of fear. The Chunnel was a glass hallway that lead from one side of the school to the other. One side led to the soccer field, the other to a little courtyard in the center of the school. Anyways, while turning into the Chunnel, Aaron saw something in is peripheral. A bear. The same one from Palahu Bend. Aaron barely held back a scream as he froze in his tracks, staring at it. Aaron looked around, trying to see if anyone else noticed the giant bear standing on the outside of the tunnel.  Everyone else just walked by, talking with their friends. Aaron rubbed his eyes and looked again. It was still, there, glaring at him. Finally, Aaron decided that if nobody else can see it, then he should pretend that he couldn't. And it worked. Once he was out of the tunnel, he looked back. It was gone. Just like that.

* * * * 

Danny

Danny awoke with a groan, turning his battered head to the time. 11:32 He tried getting up, but couldn’t. Pain spread throughout his entire body, numbing him. But Danny? Danny was tough. Danny was unbreakable. Danny didn’t cry. But this time, he made an exception. He lay there on his back, and let two small tears fall as he propped his body up on the table. He let out out a breath, along with a few curses as he came to one knee. Finally, he made it up to his feet. Shaking like a leaf in the wind, he hobbled over to the mirror in the bathroom. Danny was quite handsome if not for his many cuts a bruises.  He had dark hair flipped off to the left side and up. The smallest amount of freckles sprayed across his tanned face bring out the color in his ocean-green eyes. And even though he was very italian, the only traits that showed his heritage was his olive skin and slight accent. But he learned to conceal his accent over time, and only spoke with it when he got mad. His frame was lean and skinny and not the smallest trace of fat or extra skin could be found on his body, only lean muscle from years of sports. His jaw was angular and strong. But then you have to add all of those injuries. A brand new black eye was forming under his right eye. Cuts were all over his face, from on his forehead to a long gash on his cheek. With much hesitation, he took of his green shirt .   The muscles in his stomach felt knotted and sore, along with his bruised chest. New scars were forming on his back. Danny was able to tell (from his many years of experience) that some were from glass bottles, some a belt, and the others… he didn’t know. Something sharp. He tried remembering what happened the night before when he got home, but all he could remember was fainting, and his father became infuriated. After cleaning off all of the blood, he applied Neosporin to, well, pretty much every part of his body. Danny then through on a pair of cargo shorts (which still contained the disposable camera that his mother had bought him for his birthday), high socks, and a short-sleeved shirt. Soon after, he ran out the door. Danny jumped on his bike, and sped off.

* * * * 

Danny was rounding the bend, which he remember quite well from the night before with Jenny, when all the sudden something came out of the woods. For a second, he thought it was just a deer. But then, more of them kept coming. They were broad-shouldered, black and dog-like. Definitely not deer. He turned his head once more, and screamed. Wolves. Five of them were gaining from behind. Each of them were as black as night, the same color as their eyes. They’re teeth were like sharpened blades, gray and deadly. Danny screamed again, stood up on his bike and pedaled faster. And suddenly, he felt his bike skid on the gravel. He launched off the side, just missing a wolf’s jaws. Rocks cut deep into his skin as he scrambled up. The wolves were a few feet ahead, still trying to slow down from their speed. Danny ran into the woods, looking behind him. They were gaining. Barely slowing, Danny picked up a long, sharp stick and launched it backwards. It it one right in the chest, making it stumble and slow. And suddenly, Danny came up with an idea. He skidded to a stop, and turned around. They getting closer by the second. The first wolf lept forwards, the other following behind it. Danny dodged the first wolf, but the second got a grip of his arm. Danny let out a scream, and grasped for something behind him. Something hard and smooth fell into his palm, and he brought it down on the wolf’s head. A rock. It let out a yip, and scrambled away. This gave Danny enough time to proceed with his plan. He jumped up onto a tree, and kept shimmying up until he reached a branch thick enough and strong enough to hold his weight. He propped himself up against  the trunk, and leaned his head back. Danny looked down at the wolves. They were barking and howling from the floor, trying to climb up. But of course, they couldn’t. Danny grabbed a pinecone, and threw it. “F*ck off!” he yelled. Oddly, this seemed to do it. They snarled at him one last time, and stalked away. Just for the fun of it, as they were walking away, Danny threw his two fists up, pounded them together, and to make sure they got the point; stuck up both of his middle fingers. He smiled. But that smile quickly faded when he saw something in the trees across from him. It was a pale humanoid figure, with pitched black eyes and a large gaping hole for a mouth. It’s freakishly long limbs were perched like a monkey’s on the tree, it’s long fingernails digging into the tree. Even thought it was about twenty yards away, he felt as if it was two feet within reaching distance. The fact they were at the same level only made things worse. And at that moment, Danny felt something in his shorts. Why hadn’t he noticed it before, Danny will never know. Anyways, it was a camera. The disposable camera from his birthday. Danny grabbed the camera, and with shaking fingers, snapped a few pictures. What else would he do? Climb down the tree into hunger wolves? Make small talk with the thing? Throw a pinecone at it? Anywho, this seemed to get the thing mad. It’s emotionless face turned in to a grim scowl. It took its claws out of the tree And started climbing towards Danny. 

It’s legs and arms were so long that it reached the next tree. Then the next. And suddenly, it started turning. Not the other way, but spinning to the point where sometimes it was hanging from the leaves of the tree. And the scary part? It’s head didn’t move. It stayed completely still as it came forwards. Danny didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t fight it in a tree. He couldn’t jump down thirty feet. So, he began climbing down. The thing reached his tree, looked down, and started climbing.  By the time it had made eye contact with him, the boy was gracefully falling from branch to branch. The tree’s limbs letting out long and sharp creaking noises, warning him to be careful. And then, for some stupid reason, he looked up and saw It. Danny screamed. And that scream, made him lose all of his balance, and fall fifteen feet to the solid ground.

* * * * 

Danny awoke about fifteen minutes later. He was able to tell by the dimming light that it had to be about one already. If it had been a normal day, he would have probably been finishing ninth period and be going to the next. Only this wasn’t a normal day. Danny got up, holding his head. Sticks and rocks were digging into his back. He could feel the blood soaking through his shirt. He looked around for any wolves. Not seeing any, he decided that it was safe enough to go find his bike, and go home. He walked up the road, searching for his bike. When he finally found it, scratched in the side of his blue bike were the words “Adaru kima ina ur”. Fear as the wolf.

Amos & Jenny

Jenny felt sick to her stomach when she didn’t see Danny at lunch. That’s when she knew that something was wrong. Especially when Alec and Aaron told her that they had been chased by bear, and then saw it just before lunch. Also how just before, Amos was attacked by falling dead robins and how both of them were attacked by an evil eagle the size of a washing machine. Jenny sighed. She wished that there was some kind of explanation for this. She sat down next to Ariana at the lunch table, noticing that Alec had a cautious look on his face. A few minutes later Amos and Kenny walked in, engaged in a serious conversation. Ariana nudged Jenny. “I’m gonna go to the bathroom real quick. Be right back.” she said. Jenny smiled and watched Ariana leave. Jenny was grateful for her. Ariana always knew the answer and always knew what to do. For example, just now. Ariana sensed that something was going on, so she left. She didn’t ask about it, she just knew that it was probably private. Kenny and Amos sat down where they usually do. 

“Where’s Danny?” Kenny asked. Jenny saw Amos turn pale, and look at the empty spot where Danny would have been sitting. Eventually, Amos shrugged. “Don’t know.” he said. Kenny nodded. Suddenly, Amos’s expression turned serious.
“Listen guys, we need to talk.” Amos said, his voice steady. The entire table turned quiet, drawing stares from a few of the other kids. Jenny immediately knew why. Amos proceeded to tell them about the dead birds falling and then getting attacked by the black eagle. Jenny expected the them to be confused and call him crazy. But they didn’t. 

“Something like that happened to us.” said Alec, nudging Aaron. 

“Yeah. This huge black bear chased us a few days ago. It was as scary as hell.” claimed Alec. Everyone nodded. Suddenly, Kenny spoke up.

“And when I first moved in, I saw something.” Kenny whispered, and proceeded to tell his story and about all of the information that he’d gathered. After everyone finished, they sat in silence. “Well, what should we do?” asked Aaron. Alec popped up from his seat. 

“I know! Who you gonna call? Ghostbusters!” he yelled. Jenny smirked.

“Very funny. But seriously, who?” she asked. Jenny looked at everyone, searching for an answer. Amos coughed 

“Do you uh… think Danny would know?” he asked shakily. Kenny shrugged. “Yeah, he’s really smart.” Jenny gulped.

“Um...okay. Well, we can’t talk about it here. When should we meet up? I know that we can’t, our mom is dating some new guy. He’s coming over on a date tonight.” Jenny said. They all shrugged.

“We can’t, my parents are throwing a party with a bunch of their friends.” said Aaron.

“Can’t, my dads doing work on the kitchen and doesn’t want anyone around.” Kenny grunted. 

“Does anyone have Danny’s number? We can call him and see.” said Aaron. Kenny’s eyebrows furrowed. 

“I think I do from that science project last year. I’ll call him when I get home. Then I’ll call all you guys.” Amos said. “I’ll give Kenny the number.” They all agreed, and then continued on with their lunch.

* * * * 

Amos left the lunchroom feeling relieved, but also guilty. He had help. Finally, he would get a chance to figure out what was going on. But, Danny wasn’t at school. Amos felt guilt form in his stomach. 

“Hey Amos, can I talk to you real quick?” asked a voice. Amos turned around. It was Georgina. Amos was confused. Georgina hadn’t spoken to him ever since that incident with her and Jenny. “Um, yeah. Sure.” said Amos. Georgina hesitated.

“Well, I heard you guys talking about those animals and stuff, and I just wanted to let you know that something like that happened to me. These huge black bugs almost killed me. And then in the hospital, just before I fainted, my parent’s faces turned into that thing that your friend, Kenny, was seeing.” she said. Amos sighed, knowing what he had to do.

“Listen, here’s my number. We’re meeting up tonight somewhere. I’ll call you when we leave.” Amos said flatly, handing her a slip of paper. Georgina gave him her’s, thanked him, and walked away.

Georgina 

Georgina couldn’t believe what she just got herself into. She just gave a (hot) loser her number. A loser who thinks that they are being stalked by some demon. If Georgina had not just been attacked by gigantic bugs, she would have called them crazy (and probably have started a couple of rumors). But of course, she asked Amos if she can join them. Tears came to her eyes as she imagined her popularity going to the drain. She quickly dried her eyes, not wanting to ruin her mascara. The bell rang to go to last period, and she walked into spanish, which she shared with Amos’s friend, Kenny. He looked at her with a look of loathing, and turned away. Georgina didn’t know why everyone hated her. Georgina didn’t know why they called her those horrible names (and yes, she knew about all of them). In her eyes, she was perfect. But that was the problem. She was oblivious to everyone else and their struggles. Her parents loved each other, and she had two of them. Kenny had lost his mother to a murder. Meanwhile, Amos and Jenny’s parents hated each other, and were divorced. She cried when her parents scolded her, not knowing that Danny Garcia was beaten everyday by his parents and rarely shed a tear. Anyways, she didn’t understand anyone but herself. She pursed her lips and turned away from Kenny. She didn't have time for people like him. She was above him. His opinion didn't matter. Class passed in a flash and Georgina was soon walking out with her friend, Kenny trailing behind

              “Hey Georgie, can I tell you something?” Rosie asked as they turned, leaving Kenny in the dust. She ignored him as he watched her leave, but looked at him walk after his head turned away. She always did that. Never look at a loser straight in the eyes.

             “Yeah. What's up?” Georgina asked as she leaned over her textbooks to examine her nails. Rosie looked behind her as her cheeks grew red. Excitement began to build up in her stomach as she realized what Rosie was about to tell must be gossip. She loved gossip.

             “I like that new kid, Kenny I think his name is.” Rosie whispered. Georgina let out a small squeal. She loved gossip. Especially boy gossip.

             “Why?” Georgina asked. Rosie’s hazel eyes stared off into the distance as if she was in a dream.

             “Because,” she mumbled, “he’s so...nice. And he's really hot. And athletic.”

             “I can name hotter boys. And athletic. I can name ones who are both.”

             “Okay. Name them,” challenged Rosie 

             “ Chris Owens,” Georgina began.

             “Eh. Too many freckles,”

             “ Amos Reynolds,”

             “Anger issues,”

“Michael Trimble?”

“Too full of himself. Plus, he’s head-over-heels for Jenny.”

“Owen Cardozo?”

“He likes you! That’s a trick question. But he is cute.” Rosie said. Georgina giggled.

             “Danny Garcia,” Georgina said as she stopped at her locker. Rosie thought for a moment.

             “ I used to like him. He's really hot and strong and smart and stuff. But to many bruises and other sh*t.”

 “Yeah same. I don't really know who I like now. I’m in a bit of a crisis.”Georgina said. Rosie laughed. The boy she liked. A crisis. That was the worst thing happening in her life.  That's what she thought. What she didn't know was that the commitment that she just made was Amos Reynolds was about to put her in a true crisis.

 

 

Chapter 5

Kenny

The first thing that Kenny did when he got home, was call Danny. After at least five tries, he finally picked up.

“Hey Danny, what’s up?” Kenny asked. Danny hesitated.

“Nothing. Just got attacked by rabid wolves” he mumbled “What about you?”

“ Very funny. Something big. Can we come to your house tonight? We need to have a little meeting about something.” Kenny asked. The line went quiet. “Danny? You still there?” he asked.

“Yeah. I’m still here.” said Danny, his voice barely audible “Nobody else can have us over, right?” Danny said. 

“Yep. If we can’t go to your house, we’re gonna have to meet in the woods. At night. And I definitely don’t want to do that.” said Kenny. He heard Danny gulp from the other side.

“Yeah. Sure, you can come over tonight at seven.” he said. A door suddenly slammed in the background, and a kids voice was heard.

“I gotta go!” shouted Danny to Kenny “Seven tonight!” And then the line died. Kenny then called Amos and Aaron, letting them know. After making all of those calls, Kenny flopped down onto his bed. He would finally find out what this thing was. Relief flooded over his body as he thought about it. He looked at the clock. 4:30. He had more than two hours for homework before the meeting, that he was hoping to change everything.

* * * * 

Finally. By 7:00, Kenny’s insides had turned into butterflies. He pulled up to the house, hopped off of his bike, and walked up to the front door. He knocked. Silence. He knocked again. Finally, he heard a loud crash, like a glass bottle shattering, and scrambling footsteps. The door swung open, and Danny stood in the doorway. Kenny was taken aback by his appearance. His angular face was bruised and battered, his hair in a ruffled mess. Danny’s arm was in some bandage, and his back was stiff. He looked like he just died and came back to life after years of torture in hell. Despite his injuries, he grinned shyly. “Well, we meet again.” said Danny. 

“I guess we do. Can I come in?” Kenny asked. Danny nodded. Kenny walked in, and Danny closed the door behind him. “Listen, there are a few rules.” said Danny. Kenny nodded.

“Okay, number one, don’t talk to my dad. Don’t look at him, don’t acknowledge him unless his talks to you. If he does, call him sir. Good?” Danny asked, seriously. Kenny nodded again. He didn’t know why there were so many “rules”. His father didn’t really care about anything. But, this was Danny’s house, not his.

“The last one is don’t ask him about anything. And don’t go near his beer. Okay?”

“Yeah, um...okay.” Kenny said.

“What’s the matter?” asked Danny. Kenny shook his head.

“Nothing.” Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Danny opened it. Jenny, Amos, and...Georgina? Why was Georgina here? Kenny gave Amos a weirded out look. Amos waved his hand, pretty much saying “I’ll tell you later.” Anyways, Georgina was looking Danny up and down like he was some slave. Her mouth was open with disgust, her eyes wide with surprise. 

“What happened to you?” she asked. His face grew red.

“I-I-I u-u-h g-got u-h b-bit…” Danny trailed off, giving up. Kenny gave her the death glare.

“Nothing that concerns you.” said Kenny. But in reality, Kenny had absolutely no idea. Kenny turned to Amos. “Why did you bring her?” he snarled. Jenny shrugged, staring lasers into the back of Georgina. Amos sighed. “Because, something happened to her to. And if we wanna get to the bottom of this, then I think we need her.” growled Amos. Kenny opened his mouth to object, but Danny interfered.

“It’s okay. She can stay.” he whispered, motioning for everyone to sit down. 

* * * * 

A few minutes later, Alec and Aaron arrived. They sat around the wooden table and watched Kenny as he spread out all of his notes. Everyone was looking wide-eyed at all of the information, except for Georgina who was examining her nails. 

“What is all of this?” asked Aaron quietly.

“Notes.” Kenny said flatly, as if that cleared everything up.

“I have something too.” said Danny, reaching inside of his ripped cargo shorts. He pulled out three pictures and a disposable camera. Danny then explained how he was chased by wolves, and climbed up a tree to escape them. He told them about how when he saw it, the only thing he could think about doing was taking a picture.

“And then it started crawling towards me…” Danny said. “So I tried climbing down and I fell. I don’t know how long I was unconscious, but when I woke up and went to find my bike, the words ‘Ina ur kima ADARU’ The wolf in fear. Anyways, later on I went into town and got them developed.”

“Is that where you got that thing on your arm from?” asked Jenny. Danny nodded.

“And what about your back?” questioned Jenny, obviously concerned. Danny looked embarrassed as he lifted a little bit of his shirt to reveal a long white bandage wrapping around his entire back. Kenny hated to say that he didn’t really care that Danny was practically a walking cast, he was concerned that Danny had gotten pictures of it. Kenny grabbed them from across the table and examined them. They looked exactly like was he was seeing. Kenny then proceeded to tell them about what happened to him, from the day he moved here until now. Then Amos and Jenny, Alec and Aaron, and lastly Georgina. Kenny was writing everything down. 

“Well, they all have something in common. All of these animals are black with dark eyes. They’re all vicious and merciless. And most of them leave some kind of message.”
“And they’re all older than mankind.” said Danny, biting his thumbnail.

“All of them are also carnivores.” said Alec, trailing off.

“And if you’ve ever injured one, they have black blood. And they’re covered in some kind of black goo.” said Jenny “Remember, Amos? The eagle after we killed it?” Amos simply nodded. The only one who hadn’t spoken was Georgina. Kenny rested his chin on his hands. None of this really made sense to him. All they were doing was listing the physical traits of them. Kenny felt that they had to go deeper.“And they all have one thing in common.” whispered Danny.

 They all looked at him, eager to know the answer. “They all are feared by humans. Mankind are naturally afraid of deadly predators. Remember how they most of them left notes? And in every note, is something about fear.” They all sat there silent. And for the first time, Georgina spoke.

“Do you think it’s like, all the carnivores? They all had this sudden thirst for blood or something?” she said, looking straight into Danny’s blackened eyes. Kenny was surprised that Georgina was able to come up with this kind of theory. It can actually be… true.

Alec & Aaron

After much arguing and theorizing, Aaron suggested that they all just come back the next day. But, no one wanted to leave.  Aaron just wanted to go home, and forget everything. Like it never happened. Aaron was just about to walk out the door when Alec shot up and yelled “I got it!” 

“What?” asked everyone in sync.

“I have a plan! How to kill it!” he shouted. Danny’s head whipped back towards the hallway, and then gestured for Alec to calm down.

“Listen, you know how all of these carnivores are trying to eat us? Well what if we lure them in, and than kill them!” he said, doing a little victory dance. Danny shook his head.

“ I mean, that can work. But.... I feel like there’s more to it than just an animals hunger for flesh. Maybe it wants...something else.” said Danny. Alec shrugged him off.

“Nonsense! What is this? Ghostbusters? There’s no such thing as that paranormal stuff. It’s just some virus or something that’s making them hungrier than usual.” Alec said. Aaron wanted to agree with his brother, but he was tempted to agree with Danny. Something about that bear just wasn’t right. They all agreed to just go with Alec’s idea, and if they couldn’t figure it out, talk to Danny. “Okay. What time should we meet up?” asked Kenny. Aaron looked out the window. The sun was setting, causing a mixture of stunning colors in the May sky. The tall pine trees looked black in the dimming light.

“Maybe tomorrow. I mean, it is Saturday. No school.” he suggested. Kenny shrugged.

“Sure. Everyone good?” he asked. They all nodded.

“Okay. Then meet at Palahu Bend at 4:30.” Kenny said. 

“Okay, see you later guys.” said Amos. He got up with Jenny and Georgina, and walked out, shutting the door behind him. Alec and Aaron were the last to leave. Last to come, last to leave. “Well, uh, see you later Danny.” said Aaron, walking out the door. Alec trailed behind him.

“When we meet again Professor Venkman!” Alec yelled dramatically.

“When we meet again, my *ss.” mumbled Danny. Aaron stifled a giggle as he walked down the porch. And suddenly, the door slammed closed, and Aaron heard a crash from inside.

* * * * 

Mr. Carnon slapped the hamburger meat into Alec’s hand. “Enjoy.” he said, and walked away to slice more meat. Alec walked out to Aaron, who was leaning against the wall with his hands in his jean pockets. Aaron turned “You got the meat?” he asked. 

“No. I got the veggies.” said Alec sarcastically, putting it in Aarons open hands. 

“Okay, then. Let’s go meet everyone.” he said, and hopped on his bike. Alec jumped on his, carelessly throwing the meat into the basket in the front. They sped down the side of the rode, the warm June wind making Alec’s unbrushed hair worse than it already was. They rode down, past the stores and into the woods. The shade from the towering pine trees gave an eerie feel to the road. Alec felt like he had just left civilization, and was in the Canadian Wilderness. There were no honking of horns, no shouts from anyone, just the sounds of birds chirping and leaves rustling. Alec leaned to his left as he turned the corner, the “Hell Side” of Palahu Bend becoming visible. The “Heaven Side” of Palahu Bend was becoming steeper, until at one point it was like a giant cliff. Long leafy vines hung in tendrils over the rocks. A small cave became visible in the cliff, and Alec skidded to a stop. He jumped off of his bike, walking over to it. “Yo, you guys in there?” Alec called, walking towards the cave.  “Yeah.” a voice replied. Kenny and Danny stepped out. Each of them had a small white package in their hands. “How much you got?” asked Danny quietly.

“ One pound of hamburger meat.” Alec said. 

“Oh. Kenny has one and I have...um… sixth of a pound. Kenny also had a med-kit, water, and other stuff.” Danny said. A few minutes later, Amos and Jenny arrived. And finally, Georgina who was at least half an hour late. They added up the amount of meat that they all had. “Okay. I have five, Alec and Aaron have two, Amos has half a pound and Georgina. You have five… right?” Kenny asked. Georgina nodded.

“My parents had extra.” she said. 

“Extra?! EXTRA! Ma’am, that meat can last me a week!” shouted Alec. Danny nodded, staring at the meat. Georgina scoffed.

 “Whatever.” she said “What are we gonna do now?”  Alec looked at the “Hell Side” of Palahu Bend. “I think we go down there.” Alec said.

“Yeah.” mumbled Danny. “It feels right. Just not at this part. Down more.” 

“Ugghhh! Fine.” groaned Alec, not wanting to walk any longer. But he did. They grabbed their bikes, and rode off.

* * * *

They had just left when Aaron heard Georgina scream from behind him. He turned, and saw that Georgina, who was in the way back, was getting chased. By wolves. Aaron’s head whipped forwards, and he screamed 

“Go, go, go! Wolves!” The wind whistled in his ears as he pedaled faster. His heart was thumping so hard that Aaron was afraid that it might pop out his chest. He heard Kenny yell something from up front, but couldn’t make out what it was. All at once, what could have gone wrong, went wrong. Being that Georgina never got out that much, she wasn’t all that great on a bike. She was slowing down, and the wolves just kept coming. Her chest heaved as she tried pedaling faster. But she couldn’t. A wolf jumped at her side, just missing her arm. Again she screamed. Another wolf jumped, and Aaron thought she was done for. But something happened. A blue blur slammed into the side of the wolf. The wolf was knocked off of it’s feet, and it rolled to the side. Aaron turned his head once more, and saw Danny trying to regain his balance. Danny, had hit the wolf. Danny, the boy who Georgina laughed at at school. The boy who Georgina had insulted the day earlier about his bruises. Danny was trying to straighten out his handlebars, but couldn’t. He fell right into the angry pack of wolves.  Aaron screamed for someone to help. Aaron wanted to stop, and run right into the wolves and save Danny. But Aaron knew that if he did, he would die. But Amos didn’t. In his peripheral, Aaron saw Amos’s black bike skid to a stop, and turn straight towards the wolves. Aaron yelled for him to stop, but he didn’t. Aaron watched as Amos lowered his head, and braced himself for the hit. He smashed into the biggest wolf, knocking it over. The entire pack stopped. Amos rolled into the middle of the wolves, finally coming up next to Danny, who was on his knees. “Stop!” screeched Aaron. Finally, Kenny who was in the front, turned and saw that Amos AND Danny were in the middle of a pack of snarling wolves. One of the wolves lunged at Danny, latching onto his bandaged arm. Danny let out a strangled cry as he delivered a solid punch to its jaw. It whimpered and stumbled back. The shredding bandages and blood oozing from Danny’s arm made Aaron nauseous.Amos grabbed Danny, and pulled him behind. One wolf lunged, but Amos kicked it away. Suddenly, Aaron had an idea. He looked towards the edge of the road, and spotted it. He ran towards it, picked it up, and chucked it at the wolves. The rock smashed into the rib cage of a wolf, sending it crawling away. Kenny noticed this, and did the same thing. Jenny, who had tears streaming down her face, threw her bike. Her bike. It landed on two wolves, sending them running. All the sudden, Georgina picked up a long, sturdy stick and threw it. Not at the wolves, but at Danny and Amos. Danny looked over just in time, and caught it. And Danny, being the smart person he was, knew what to do with it. He swung. And being that Danny was a starting hitter and outfielder on the school team, those wolves got quite a beating.  Seeing this, Aaron felt something stir in his stomach. Without thinking, he ran into the wolves circle. Behind him, he heard Alec scream. “YOU F*CKING IDIOT! WHAT ARE YOU DOING, *SSHOLE! I’M NOT LOSING MY ONLY F*CKING BROTHER!” he shrieked, launching a stone at the wolves. There were only four left, the other four had ran away. Aaron dove on top of one wolf, tackling it like he would in football with Amos. It shrieked, and started moving it’s legs rapidly. Aaron let it go, but not before kicking it about fifty times. It ran away. Only three were left. Aaron turned to look at Amos and Danny. They were still trapped in the circling triangle of three, mean looking wolves. Suddenly, two large rocks came from behind him, hitting two wolves. One was left. And it wasn’t going down easy. It lunged for Amos, and would have ripped his throat out if Danny hadn’t decked it, just like Aaron had. The wolf landed on its back, with Danny on top. Being that Danny wasn’t as big as Aaron, it would take a lot more to defeat it. And this one wasn’t going down easy. It thrashed it’s paws, scratching Danny’s face. “DON’T ATTACK MY FRIENDS, YOU MOTHER F*CKER!” he screamed. The wolf was biting Danny’s arms, and it was only when Aaron saw blood again, he leapt into action. He side-tackled the wolf off of Danny, picked up a rock, and bashed it’s head. It fell still, black blood oozing from the wound. Kenny, Jenny, Alec, and Georgina came running. Kenny ran over to Amos, who was watching the wolf like it was it about to jump back to life. Jenny nearly tackled Amos as she jumped on him, sobbing. Alec walked over to Aaron. They embraced each other until Alec said, “Dude, you seriously need help. You tackled a f*cking wolf. A f*cking WOLF!” he said. Aaron smiled. Georgina was standing near Amos and Jenny, who were arguing. But she wasn’t watching them. She was watching Danny as he crept to his feet, staring at the blood pouring from his arm and face. Her face was red and she looked.... guilty. Aaron walked over to Danny. He wrapped a long arm around Danny, and hoisted him up. “Dude, that was stupid… but also sick. Stupid, but sick.” laughed Aaron. Danny shrugged. 

“Yeah. I guess.” he said. Aaron glanced at Georgina, but than looked back at Danny.

“But why did you do that? Save her? I mean, she’s just mean to you.” asked Aaron, his voice hushed. Danny looked at his feet. “Because,” he said “I couldn’t just let her die.”

Danny

Danny watched as more blood dripped through Jenny’s fingers while she tried taking off the old bandage. “Are you sure you don’t want to just go home?” Jenny asked, a concerned look on her face as she examined Danny’s arm. Danny nodded. “I wanna kill this thing.” he grunted. Jenny shrugged. 

“Okay. But it’s gonna take a while for me to ‘fix’ your arm and your face.” Jenny sighed.

“Don’t care.” 

“You sure?” Jenny asked, raising an eyebrow. Danny nodded. After about half an hour of Jenny trying to bandage Danny, Amos, and Aaron they finally decided to leave.

So… do we go in the woods, or not?” asked Amos. Alec pointed towards the woods.

“Woods. But first, soldier's, we must make weapons.” he said. Danny shrugged. It wasn’t a bad idea. He walked over to the middle of the road, and grabbed the stick he had used to stab the wolves with. “Jenny, you still have that pocket knife?” Danny asked. Jenny nodded, and tossed him a shining black mechanism. Danny opened it, and scraped it against the wood, creating a long, sharp point. He then took the knife, and carved his name in the side. He glanced over at Amos, who instead of sharpening a stick, was sharpening a rock. Damn, he was mad. But so was Danny.

* * * * 

“What do we do now?” asked Aaron. Danny stared at the meat. They’d put it all in a pile, and gathered in a circle around it. “I think we just wait.” Alec answered. And they did, for a VERY long time.  Danny glanced up at the sun. It was setting, creating a mixture of swirling colors in the sky. He looked over to Jenny, who was also staring at the sky. She turned and smiled. Danny smiled back. All at once, there was a terrible shriek. Danny jumped, and glanced around him. Suddenly, he spotted it. It was the same humanoid figure, hiding behind a giant cave. Once it realized that Danny noticed it, it began sprinting towards him. Kenny screamed, and launched his stick at it. It missed by just an inch, angering It. It shrieked again, and skidded to a stop at the food. Out of the corner of his eye, Danny saw Aaron chuck a rock at It, hitting It in the neck. It screamed,  and began running towards Aaron. Danny screamed for Aaron to run. But it was to late. It hit him square in the chest, knocking him unconscious. Alec was shrieking at the thing, firing rocks at it. It turned to hit Alec, and began to run towards him. Without thinking Danny threw his spear expecting it to miss. But it didn’t. It punctured It’s ribcage. It let out a scream of agony, and turned towards Danny. They made eye contact, and it’s image flickered before his eyes. Not like a bulb, a quick on and off. But it flickered from Itself, to his father. Danny felt as if a stone had been dropped in his stomach. It rushed towards him, and Danny couldn’t move. Danny couldn’t run from his father. If he could have, he would’ve eleven years ago. It smashed into his chest, sending him sprawling into a tree. But unlike Aaron, Danny didn’t go unconscious. Danny was used to this. Danny heard the shriek of a girl, and the angry scream of a boy. He saw Amos come flying at it, like a battering ram. Jenny was behind him, chucking rocks faster than Danny had seen any boy before. Georgina stood behind a rock, tears ruining her mascara.  Danny propped himself up against the tree, feeling a warm, sticky liquid run down his back. Blood. His vision wavered, making him stumble as he brought himself to his feet. The thing was shrieking at Amos, running towards him with his claws out. Amos jumped out of the way just in time, making it crash into the tree behind him. It turned, and charged again. Not at Amos, but at Jenny. Jenny shrieked again, and chucked another rock. Without thinking, Danny ran. He ran towards it. Danny felt his shoulder make contact, sending it’s body sideways. It roared, and made its way to it’s feet. Again, it flickered from Itself, to his father. Adaru rushed towards him. But this time, Danny moved. He started to run. This just made it angrier. It shrieked, and punched the ground. At that moment, Danny turned his head. And all at once, his entire body turned and he fell backwards. Danny was now on the floor, scrambling backwards, his hands pulling him back. The thing screeched, and brought its claws down on Danny’s chest. Immediately, Danny’s shredded chest exploded with pain. A scream hitched in his throat as he kept crawling backwards.  Adaru had it’s body over Danny, slashed and biting at him. Danny let out a small yelp as it tore into his newly bandaged arm. Suddenly, he felt the hard bark of an oak tree against his back. So this was how he would die. Pinned up against a tree, his shirt in shredded rags.It raised it’s claw one more time, to give a final blow, when suddenly It was knocked a side. Danny turned his head, and saw Jenny and Kenny, arms loaded with rocks. Amos was beside them, holding one big rock, bringing it up near his ear to throw it. He turned his head to were Adaru fell, and saw Alec, and Georgina standing near it, all with sticks in hand. Alec yelled, and brought the spear down onto Adaru. The spear plunged into it’s back, inches away from it’s spine. Alec stabbed his stick into its side, puncturing it’s ribcage. Adaru spun around, shrieking like a possessed mutant. Well then again, Adaru kinda was. It lunged towards Alec, and Danny was certain that Alec was done for. But all at once, a spear buried itself into Its eye. Georgina was pushing the spear deeper. Danny crawled to his feet, and chucked a rock at it, making it shriek louder. It thrashed Its limbs and tried scrambling away, but the spear was lodged in Its eye. And suddenly, it stopped. It fell as still as a stone, and slowly turned Its head, examining everyone. It locked eyes with Danny, and a terrible voice filled his head. “Good luck at home, Danny.” It said in a cruel, mocking voice. He nearly whimpered. And it was gone. Just like that. Danny looked around him. Everyone seemed in awe. Except for Amos. He was furious. “WHERE ARE YOU, *SSHOLE?” he shouted, chucking his spear at the ground

 “COME AND FIGHT US, COWARD!” Kenny walked over to him, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him. “Stop! Stop! You need to calm down! Okay?” Kenny said. Amos looked like he wanted to murder someone. But eventually, he calmed down. Looking around, Danny definitely understood Amos’s rage. Aaron laid near the same tree that he was thrown into, Alec and Jenny huddled over him. Georgina was standing near the same spot that Adaru disappeared, tears flowing down her face. Danny looked down at his shredded chest. Three deep claw marks crossed from his left collarbone, to just above his left hip. Cuts from the tree he was thrown into, were tearing through his back, which once had a bandage on it. Danny’s bloody bandage was laying on the floor before him. The bandage looked like it was thrown in a bloody shredder. The blood from his back enveloped his spiderweb of scars. And Danny was thankful for that. Why, you ask? Because the new cuts and blood on his back completely covered his scars. Danny was suddenly hit by a wave of dizziness, and he sat down, his back leaning against a tree. His vision began to blur, and he looked down at his chest again. It was worse. Blood was flowing, not oozing, but flowing from the wounds. Danny glanced up to see Jenny running to him. Then all went black.

* * * * 

It was completely black. Danny spun around frantically, looking for some kind of life form. What was this? Heaven? Hell? And suddenly, Danny locked eyes with something, and he was sure that he was in hell. His father grinned cruelly, and began taking large steps towards him, a long black belt in hand. But something wasn’t right about his father. He was pale, and his eyes were an eerie black, like a demons. And his belt was flickering from a regular belt to a… long,oily whip. Danny couldn’t move as his father raised the whip. And suddenly, and searing pain spread across his body.

Georgina

Georgina wiped her nose as she watched Kenny calm down Amos’s rage; Alec try awakening his unconscious brother ; and Jenny try tending to Danny’s vicious wounds. And there she was, still. Doing absolutely nothing. Again. She felt nothing but guilt. First, she had insulted Danny, only for him to repay her by saving her life, and throwing himself into a pack of hungry wolves. Then, she had watched as everyone had eagerly thrown themselves into battle, and she had simply hid behind a rock. Well, not the entire time. She did stab It, which made It disappear. But still. Georgina turned and saw Alec helping Aaron to his feet. Immediately, she felt the need to help them. Georgina walked over, and hooked an arm under Aaron’s, and hoisted him up. Alec gave her a cheesy “thank you” smile and set Aaron down on a soft spot of moss. She heard footsteps behind her, and turned to see Kenny and Amos trotting over, Amos’s face still as red as a beet. “Aaron, you okay?” asked Kenny, his face twisted with worry.

“Yeah, I’m good.” grunted Aaron, rolling his shoulders.”Just hurt a little.” he said. He closed his eyes and leaned back against the tree. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open. “Holy sh*t, where’s Danny?” Aaron asked with alarm. Another stone dropped in Georgina’s stomach. She had completely forgot. Her hand flew to mouth as she turned to see Jenny, Amos, and Kenny huddled around his limp body. Speechless, he pointed towards him. The twins gasped in sync, and Alec helped Aaron up, half-carrying half-draggin him to Danny. Georgina followed. She took one look at Danny, turned, and vomited. His normally tan face was as white as a ghost. And there was to much blood. To much.  Three long, deep gashes stretched from his left collarbone to his right hip. Other smaller cuts surrounded it. All Georgina was able to see through the shreds of his shirt was blood. And… white lines. Like scars. And there were a lot. Apparently no one else had noticed because no one said anything. Suddenly, Jenny screamed. Georgina jumped, turned around, and saw it. Her stomach dropped. New scratches were forming, but just randomly. Nobody was touching him, but long jagged cuts were appearing across his body. It seemed as if there was an invisible whip, striking him over and over. Georgina shrieked and staggered back, her hands grasping her mouth. Kenny and Amos looked completely surprised, Jenny and Alec were completely horrified, and Aaron seemed in a scary daze. “Somebody, do something!” Georgina shrieked. Amos fell to his knees next to Danny, and he slapped him. Hard. A red welt immediately formed on his cheekbone. All at once, Danny’s arms went to his head, and he curled up in a ball as if to protect his stomach and chest. He began to hyperventilate as Amos grabbed his shoulders and began shaking him. “Danny! Wake up! You have to wake up!” he yelled. Suddenly, Georgina had an idea. She sprinted over to Kenny, and ripped the water out of his pockets, leaving him with his mouth gaping. With shaking fingers, she ripped it open and poured all over Danny.  Danny awoke with a scream, clawing up dirt as he pressed his back up against the tree. Georgina felt a wave of relief fall over her body. There were no more sudden scratches. But… he looked as if he wasn’t seeing them. As if he was seeing something else. And he was still screaming. Without hesitation, Georgina ripped another bottle from Kenny’s pocket, ripped it open, and splashed it on his face. A scream hitched in his throat as he looked around at them, like a kicked puppy would at a man. Confused, scared, and surprised. 

“Good morning?” he asked, his eyebrows furrowing (in a kind of cute way). Georgina let out a sigh of relief. Amos looked tired and weary along with Aaron. Kenny had his hand to his head, and tears were flowing down Jenny’s cheeks. Georgina turned, and saw Alec with a smile on his face. “Top the mornin’ to ya, lad!” he yelled cheerfully. Georgina let out a strangled giggle. Jenny knelt down and hugged Danny. Not long after, so did Kenny, Amos, Alec, Aaron, and even Georgina who still felt guilt in her stomach. Suddenly, Kenny pulled away. “Well, um… What do we do now?” he asked. Georgina looked around. 

“I don’t know.” she answered. Jenny looked at them like they were idiots.

“We take Aaron and Danny to the doctor, idiots!” she exclaimed. Georgina felt blood flow to her face. “Yeah. Um… of course.” Georgina said “What are we waiting for? Lets go now!” she exclaimed, wanting to look like she was useful. Jenny nodded, and hooked an arm under Danny.

“Can someone help, please?” Jenny asked, clearly disgusted by the sight of no one stepping forwards to help. Kenny quickly rushed over, and lifted Danny off the ground. Georgina scuttled over to Aaron, and placed an arm on his shoulder. “You need help?” she asked. Aaron shook his head. Suddenly, Georgina gasped, pointing at his ear. Blood was coming out of his ear. Georgina turned. “We have to go, now.” she said. No one hesitated.

* * * * 

It was quite the challenge taking Danny and Aaron to town. Aaron kept getting dizzy spells, so he couldn’t ride his bike. And Danny on the other hand.... The poor kid had to ride on his bike, despite the horrible pain he was probably in. It felt like forever when they finally reached the doctors. Georgina jumped off her bike, and hurried over to hold open the door. Amos and Kenny had Danny leaning on their shoulders. His face was beaded with sweat and blood, and the temporary bandage that Jenny had put on was peeling off. Once the woman behind the desk saw them, she immediately called for the doctor. An old grumpy looking man rushed into the hallway.       “What happened?” he asked. Georgina froze.

“We got, um, attacked by a bear.” she said.  He nodded, took one look at Danny’s chest, and the blood running down the side of Aaron’s face, and ordered them into an office in the hallway. Georgina tried following. “No, children. Stay out there.” he said. Georgina turned towards Jenny. Her face was red, and she had her finger pointed up at the doctor. She opened her mouth, but the doctor was gone.

Chapter  6

Kenny

Kenny felt himself relax as Aaron appeared in the hallway, an ice pack pressed up against the side of his swollen head. Kenny stood up, but Alec was already running towards Aaron. Kenny smiled as Alec slapped Aaron, telling him how much of an idiot he was. That joy was quickly destroyed when he heard Jenny say “Wait, where’s Danny?”. Kenny literally felt something drop in his stomach. The nurse let out a sigh. “You’re friend is going to take a while.” she said, and walked away. Kenny looked at his friends. All of their eyes were downcast. Kenny shrugged. “What are we gonna do? Unless any of you are surgeons, we can’t do anything.” he said. They nodded. 

“Um, excuse me?” called a voice. Kenny turned to see the face of the woman sitting behind the desk. “Yeah?” Kenny asked. The clerk looked down at her desk.

“Where are your parents or guardians ?” she said “Because we need someone to pay for the stitches, bandages, medication, and concussion treatment.” she said. Kenny’s mouth formed an “o”. 

“Sh*t, um…” Kenny turned to his friends “Can anyone’s parents, y’know.. pay?” They all groaned. They all knew that their parents were gonna kill them. Aaron sighed. 

“I guess our parents.” he said. Kenny raised an eyebrow.

“You sure? It’s gonna be a lot of money.” he said. Aaron nodded.

“Yeah, no big deal. This is what we’re here for! To pay for everyone’s problems! No biggie!” exclaimed Alec. Aaron punched him a gut. Kenny rolled his eyes and looked at Aaron.

“Thanks, bro.” he said. Aaron shrugged. Suddenly, the door down the hall burst open and the doctor rushed out. Behind him, Danny was walking behind him, his eyes downcast. His arm was in a soft, white bandage. He had a new shirt, and Kenny was able to see a bandage that started at his left collarbone. They rushed forwards, and hugged him. For a moment, Kenny felt as if nothing had ever happened. He felt like he was in his own little safe circle. That was broken when the doctor coughed. 

“Excuse me, but I don’t see any parent or guardian anywhere.” he said. Aaron turned to him.

“Does anyone have a quarter?” he asked “I need to call my mom.”  The doctor sighed, and fished a quarter out of his pocket. Aaron thanked him, and trotted outside to the payphone. Kenny shoved his hands in his pockets and watched as Aaron argued with whoever was on the other side of the line. Finally, he hung up and came back in. “She said she can take everyone home, and pay the bill. Even Danny’s.” he said. Kenny saw Danny redden. 

“Thanks.” Danny whispered, barely audible.

“No prob.” Aaron replied. Kenny looked at Aaron.

“When is she coming?” Kenny asked.

“Soon.” answered Aaron.

* * * * 

Kenny shifted on the stairs, trying to get more comfortable. After the doctor kicked them out of the office (he said that they were being disruptive and were loitering), they were forced to sit outside. Suddenly, and woman in a large, black mini-van pulled up in front of them. “Get in the car.” she said. Kenny was about to tell the woman to f*ck off (being that she was a random stranger), but Alec and Aaron climbed right in. Her eyes were like stone as she watched Kenny, Amos, Jenny, and Georgina step into the car. Her gaze softened as the bloodied Danny climbed in, gritting his teeth and probably ignoring the pain in his arm. But then almost immediately, the stony look in her eyes were back. “Who are we dropping off first?” she asked, stomping on the gas.

“Let’s do Danny first, and than just drop everyone else off while coming back.” suggested Aaron. Kenny nodded in agreement. Mrs. Hernandez sighed, clearly irritated. “Fine.” she snarled as she nearly completed a donut while trying to turn around. They rode the rest of the way in silence. And Kenny noticed that every second that they got closer, Danny seemed to shrink. His shoulders would hunch and his head would become lower. He kept on clenching and unclenching his fists as if he was nervous. Kenny took it as he was just in a lot of pain from the wounds. Finally, the pulled up to an old, white house that looked like it had given up it’s job of actually being a house. It was more like a large, wooden box with termites. Kenny could make out the silhouette of a small looking woman, and a man the size of an obese walrus. They seemed as if they were fighting. Not physically of course, but verbally.  They kept on making hand gestures, and Kenny could almost hear the shouting from the driveway. Danny said a quick thanks to Mrs. Hernandez, and walked out of the car. Sweat beaded down his forehead as he exited. But instead of Mrs. Hernandez leaving, she parked the car and followed Danny. Kenny watched closely as Mrs. Hernandez knocked on the door. The man opened it, and it appeared that she was yelling at Danny’s father. Mr. Garcia kept looking at the woman, and then at Danny. Danny’s eyes were downcast, and he had a submissive look on his face. Being the impulsive person that Kenny was, he leapt out of the car and ran to them. 

   “You don’t understand, we got attacked by a bear!” Kenny exclaimed “It wasn’t Danny’s fault! In fact, he saved one of our friends!” Mr. Garcia looked at Kenny like he was a cockroach that wouldn’t die. “It’s not that, brat. It’s the fact that I have to repay this woman for my son’s mistake of playing with bear!” he screamed, turning to glare at Danny.  Danny didn’t look up. Kenny waved his hands 

“No, no, no, that’s not what happened! We were just riding our bikes and then-” Mr. Garcia cut him off.

“I don’t care, brat! Shut your mouth and mind your own business!” he screamed. Suddenly, he turned and slapped Danny in the face. Hard.  But Danny didn’t flinch.
“Get your *ss inside. I’ll deal with you later.” he said through gritted teeth. Danny rushed inside, glancing back at Kenny with wide eyes. Kenny shut his mouth. He couldn’t keep on arguing with an adult. He turned and walked away. Behind him, he heard Mrs. Hernandez thank Danny’s father for giving her money. She walked away, and Mr. Garcia slammed the door. 

* * * * 

They then proceeded to drop off Amos and Jenny who left with a quick “good bye”.  Within a few minutes, Kenny was out the door and walking up his driveway. He silently closed the door behind him, and snuck upstairs, unnoticed by his father who was sleeping on his Lay-Z-Boy. The TV was blaring a Yankee game and the air smelled of cigars. Kenny made his way upstairs and checked the clock. “Holy sh*t!” Kenny whispered to himself. They had been out for hours It was 9:30! Kenny sighed and crawled into bed, not even bothering to change.

Alec & Aaron

Alec’s mother didn’t  speak to them until they were in bed. Alec was expected the whole nine yards, screaming, sobbing,scolding, and all that great stuff. But instead, she just sat at the edge of Alec’s bed, looking at them. “Listen, madre. Mother. Mama. We’re sorry. I know you hate us and all and your disappointed and yadda yadda....but sorry. We’re sorry.” he said. Alec glanced over at Aaron.  Alec shook his head, urging Aaron to start talking. He gave a silent sigh. “Yeah, mom. It just came out of nowhere. We were just going to the…” Aaron trailed off. He looked at Alec. 

“Umm, uh, we were going to Danny’s house. Danny’s house.” Alec said. Their mother just sighed and placed her hand on her forehead. Suddenly, her head shot up. Her face was pale and emaciated, and her clothes had transformed into rags. Her eyes were endless pits, her mouth a slimy, black maw. Alec shrieked and crawled back into his headboard. Aaron was screaming, but all Alec heard was ringing in his ears. His mother/demon shrieked and lunged. Everything moved in slow motion. Alec crawled back, his back bending the headboard. Aaron was screaming, and throwing the covers off him. His mother threw up her claws, and Alec was sure that he was done for. But suddenly, something white crashed into her. She hit the wall, and turned back towards Aaron. Aaron raised it, and brought it down on her, making her face plunge into the floor. The pillow exploded into white feathers, falling softly to the floor. Aaron was fighting his demon mother with a pillow. A pillow.  But Alec came up with a better idea. He leapt out of bed, grabbed the lamp, and bashed it on her head. She disappeared in a flash of black smoke. And suddenly, Alec’s real mother walked up the stairs.

* * * * 

Aaron thought that their mother was going to KILL them. She slowly walked up the remanding steps, her hand on her chest. Tears were in her eyes. Suddenly, Aaron came up with an idea. “Mom!” he cried, urging fake tears to form in his eyes “T-t-t-he bear! You didn’t see it?” he cried, glancing at Alec. Within a second, Alec caught on. “Mom, I think he’s have a hallucination from the concussion! We gotta take him to the doctor!” he yelled. Aaron held his breath as more fake tears fell, hoping his mother would by it. “Oh honey, come here! I’m so sorry!” she sobbed, bringing Aaron into her arms. Aaron let her embrace him. As she hugged him, he turned his head, and winked at Alec. Alec winked back, and joined the group hug, pinching Aaron as he did.

* * * *

Their mother eventually let them go, cleaned up the glass from the lamp and the feathers from the pillow. They laid in bed, staring at the dark ceiling. For a while, Aaron just sat a listened to the creaking of the fan and his shallow breathing. Aaron’s heart was still beating hard from the demon mom attack. He turned over to see Alec who had turned over the same time he did. For a second they looked at each other. “This has to stop.” Aaron said.

“Yeah, and how are you gonna do that? Put the thing in a chokehold and make it say sorry? Go in and fighting the mother f*cker again, just to get our *sses kicked again?” Alec snarled. Aaron was taken aback. His brother never talked like that. 

“Well, I’ve been thinking about something.” Aaron said “You know how Kenny said that all of the things that attacked us, are humans worst fears?”

“Yeah, why?” Alec asked.

“Fear is a mental thing. It occurs in your brain, not physically on you. What I’m thinking is that we have to fight it mentally.” he whispered.

“And how are we gonna do that? Tear our brains out and chuck them at it?!” 

“No, you idiot. What are you most afraid of?” asked Aaron. Alec was silent. Then he grinned. “Georgina with no makeup on.” he laughed. Aaron giggled.

“No. Seriously. What are you afraid of?” he asked.  Alec hesitated.

“I think it’s… being hunted or something. After the bear, I always feel like something is hunting me.” Alec said quietly.

“I think mine is… being weak or something like that. Y’know, how you always say that I’m strong and stuff, but then I couldn’t even beat that bear.”

“Well, no one could’ve.” 

“No duh. But also when Danny and Amos were fighting those wolves and I barely did a thing.” Aaron said. Alec scoffed.

“You didn’t do a thing?! You tackled a f*cking wolf while I was throwing pebbles like Fred Flintstone.” Alec said. Aaron didn’t respond.

“We need to talk about this with them tomorrow.” he said quietly. Aaron turned over, and fell asleep, fearing the nightmares to come.

Danny

Danny looked at the boy in the mirror, wondering who he was. He was Danny’s height, Danny’s size, Danny’s everything. Except he was covered in more scratches and bruises than ever before.  Both of his eyes were black, and his entire face was bruised. Random cuts were placed all throughout his face and body. His father had also ripped away the bandage on his chest, which Danny had to replace. Danny was sure that last nights beating was the worst out of all of them. After Mrs.Hernandez left, Danny’s mother walked out the door saying that Mr. Garcia can take care of it himself. And he did. He took care of Danny real well. Danny tilted his head in the mirror, hoping that at some angle, he wouldn’t seem that bad. No dice. His face was covered in black and blue and red, and it hurt like hell. But Danny realized something odd. Nothing was swollen. Nothing was broken. His back was whipped raw and  he felt as if glass shards were still sticking into his back. Everything just hurt. But there were no serious injuries other than the cuts and bruises. Danny narrowed his eyes at the reflection and stopped. Why complain?                                                                                                                                     

Danny slammed his locker shut and trudged his way into homeroom.  Alec waved hi once Danny entered, but he didn’t seem like his usual happy self. “Yo, Danny… me and Aaron have to talk to you guys again. But this time, I think it may be more Ghostbusters.” he said. Danny nodded. He knew it was like that all along. 

“I know.” he said. Alec shifted in his seat.

“Your house again?” he asked. Danny hesitated.

“I don’t know. My dad may be having his friends over..” Danny said, lowering his head down farther. Alec sighed.

“Okay. I guess we can ask Jenny and Amos. My mom is DONE with us. She says we need to stop hanging out with you guys.” he grunted. The bell rang, and Danny rushed out. He weaved through the swarm of kids, like a running back through a defensive line. 

* * * * 

“So we’ll meet at your house tonight, right Amos?” asked Aaron. Amos nodded.

“I guess.” he replied. Danny shifted his backpack from one shoulder to another, trying to lessen the pain on his back. Suddenly, Danny heard a shout from behind him. Everyone jumped, and turned to see A.J Bakeman, Dylan Wethers, and two of his friends hooting as they ran towards them. Danny didn’t have time to react as A.J slammed into his side, sending him flying. In front of all of Danny’s friends. Danny’s head smashed into the locker, causing black spots to appear in his vision. Another fist hit his jaw, causing his head to snap back. Danny felt another force hit his side, knocking the wind out of him. Another fist hit Danny in the nose, causing tears to flood into his eyes. Suddenly, a hand grabbed Danny by the collar. He thrashed and kicked blindly, occasionally making contact with whoever was holding him. This just angered the person, because he began punching Danny harder. All at once, Danny was dropped to the ground. He looked up to see Aaron wrestling A.J Bakeman to the ground. Kenny was in a fist fight with Charlie, the kid Amos had attacked on the bus a few days ago. Danny stumbled to his feet, and was almost decked by Alec who was running towards Aaron and A.J. Out of the corner of his eye, Danny saw Dylan edging closer to Jenny. Danny froze. No, not Jenny. Danny launched into a full on sprint. He felt his stitches tear as he made contact, sending Dylan into the wall. Dylan was up within seconds, throwing punches at Danny. Danny threw up his fists, and punched. He made contact with Dylan’s nose, cheek, and jaw. But so did Dylan’s. Danny kept punching, no matter how many times he was hit. Dylan was tiring. He expected Danny to fall within a few hard punches. But what he didn’t know was that Danny took these punches everyday. If he can survive his father’s beatings, he could survive a kids punches. Danny took a few blows before he tackled Dylan to the ground, punching him repeatedly.  He got up, and looked at Dylan. He was unconscious. Danny turned and saw that Aaron had A.J pinned to the ground. Kenny was standing triumphantly over Charlie, who was sobbing. Alec was kicking another kid, Thomas Audrey, viciously. Suddenly. Such a great force hit Danny in the side of the head, he flew forwards. Danny’s ear felt like it was about to explode as he turned, and saw Dylan standing behind him. He had faked being unconscious. Suddenly, Danny felt something. A boiling sensation in his stomach. He felt as if the very insides of his stomach were on fire. Rage. Danny turned, and punched him square in the jaw. He punched the boy who had bullied him everyday, since first grade, in the jaw. Dylan threw up his hands in a weak attempt defense, but Danny kept punching. Dylan fell to the floor, but Danny didn’t let up. He fell on top of Dylan, and kept fighting. Instead of trying to defend himself, Dylan tried punching Danny, again. Suddenly, Danny felt himself being lifted away. He thrashed and squirmed, until he realized that it was Aaron who was lifting him away. Danny heard footsteps pounding down the hall, and turned to A.J Bakeman, Charlie, Dylan Wethers, and Thomas Audrey sprinting down the hall. 

* * * * 

Danny’s feet slapped against tile floor as his shoulder bashed into the door, swinging it open. The sweet scent of pine immediately greeted him as he exited in the school, his friends trailing behind. Danny didn’t slow until he reached the turning point of Palahu Bend. He bent over on his knees, wiping his face of blood.the crumbling pavement, adrenaline rushing through veins like horses on a racetrack. Behind him he heard the quick, labored breaths of his friends as he trailed in front of them. He didn’t dare look back, fearing that someone might be chasing him. Danny kept running until Palahu Bend, despite the white hot burning igniting in his lungs. Danny skidded to a stop, leaned up against the wall. He brought a hand up to his face, and wasn’t surprised when he realized that his hand was full of blood. He turned and saw all of his friends, hands on their knees. Alec looked up, and smiled. He was the only one not out of breath.
“Holy sh*t. You just f*cking destroyed Dylan Wethers.” he giggled. Danny let out a short laugh, and shook his head in disbelief. He just pummeled the boy who had pushed him around since first grade.Alec patted him on the back, still giggling. Suddenly, Danny felt an even bigger hand pat him on the back. Aaron stood beside him, a large gash on his chin. But that didn't ruin his smile. Kenny trotted over, his left eye blackening. Amos was flexing his shoulder, and had a small trail of blood running down from behind his ear. Jenny had a small cut above her left eyebrow and on her cheek. Her hair, which was once in a nice braid, had loose strands hanging from the sides. 

“Yo, did you see the way I hit Charlie?” asked Kenny, clearly proud of himself “I was like, bang!” he said, throwing a punch. 

“Yeah! And how Aaron decked A.J when he had Danny?” cried Alec. 

“And then you started kicking that Thomas kick while he cried like a baby!” exclaimed Amos, kicking a rock ahead of them as they began walking down Palagu Bend.

“Definitely, bro. Did you guys see when Danny completely creamed Dylan! And all while Danny was punching Dylan, Dylan was punching him?!” asked Aaron. He turned to Danny.

“And it was like you didn’t even know he was punching you! You just kept punching!” he said. Danny shrugged, remembering the practice he had at home with that. “It just doesn’t bother me.” he said. The boys laughed, but Danny spotted Jenny eyeing him suspiciously.  He looked at her, and she stared back. Just from the gaze in her eyes, Danny knew that Jenny was putting the pieces together. 

Amos & Jenny

Amos tapped on the table nervously, trying to figure out why Alec and Aaron thought it was so important for them to meet. Butterflies turned into rabid pigeons inside his stomach as Alec tried explaining what happened last night. “And she turned, but she wasn’t my mom. She was...It. Adaru.” Alec said, shaking.

“That’s f*cking scary, bro.” said Amos, a chill running down his spine.

“But that’s not what we wanted to meet here for.” said Aaron “Me and Alec were talking after it happened, and we think you might be right, Danny.” he said, looking at Danny. Danny simply lowered his eyes.

“So your saying that we are pretty much in our own ghostbusters episode.” said Jenny

“And that it’s not just an animal.” asked Amos. But this confused Amos. What else can it be? Amos had never been one to believe in all of the paranormal stuff like his friends did. It was ridiculous. 

“Okay. Then what do we do? Wander into the woods and hope we come across a ghost. Sorry, but last time we did that Aaron got a concussion and Danny was nearly torn to pieces.” said Amos. He looked at Kenny, who had all of the notes. Amos nudged Kenny.

“What the hell are we gonna do?” he asked. Kenny just sighed.

“We need to make a little trip to the library.” he said.

* * * * 

Mrs. Ruben looked as if a couple of gangsters walked into her library. Wide-eyed, she watched them scramble in nervously. Amos hated the way she was looking at them, as if they shouldn’t be there. Of course, Amos had only went to a library about twice in his life, but still. They completely disregarded her and walked straight to the mythological section of the library. Immediately, Amos began skimming through the books. But suddenly, he stopped.

“Well, what do we do now? Where do we start?” he asked. Kenny held up a black book with silver lining. The author’s name was scratched out, and above it was a terrifying picture. A large humanoid figure stood above a burning pit. Inside the pit, were bodies. Some were trying to go away, and some were just dead. Just the image sent shivers down Amos’s spine.  Kenny flipped open the book, and glanced up at them. “Ready?” he asked. They all nodded. “Well, after the woods, I started reading it more. And this part kinda stood out to me.” he said. Amos put his head in his hands, bracing himself for what was to come next. “It pretty much says what humans are mostly afraid of. The dark. Death. Physical injury. Drowing. Y’know, all that stuff. But that’s not the creepy part.” he said “What’s scary is that the book says that all of those fears… are pretty much distractions from what we should be afraid of.”

Amos shook his head again. “So you're pretty much saying, that in order to fight the real thing, we have to get over our ‘distraction fears’” asked Amos. Kenny nodded. Amos heard Danny wheeze from behind him. Amos rested his chin on his hand, and looked away. “So what do we do? This doesn’t make any sense.” stated Jenny.

                 “I think what we have to do is to conquer our fears. But the thing is, I don't know where, or how to.” replied Kenny, shaking his head. Suddenly, Amos heard a quiet voice from behind. “I think I have an idea.” Amos turned, and saw Danny staring at them. Amos could practically see the gears turning in Danny's head.

                  “Think about it. We fought Adaru in the woods. Right? Well, that means we have to fight it in the woods again.” Danny said  “ And, Kenny said that the most common fears are the dark, death, physical injury, and drowning. You know. Stuff like that. What is something dark in the woods?” asked Danny. Amos shrugged and looked at his friends around him. They all had confused looks on their faces. Danny sighed.

                   “A cave.”

* * * *

                   Another twig snapped under Jenny’s weight, causing her to flinch. Every sound just increased her fear of what could be watching her. She felt Amos’s hand on her shoulder, and relaxed. Her big brother was here. She was going to be fine. That was until Jenny saw Danny and Kenny stop from up ahead. Danny was pointing to a giant…. rock. Suddenly, Jenny realized that it was a cave. A cave. Just like Danny had said. Jenny felt her throat tighten. Danny turned to them. “That's it.” Jenny didn't have to be told twice.  The cave radiated fear, and it was close to the location where Adaru had attacked them. Danny looked at her, his expression a mix between fear, nervousness, and determination. His green eyes locked with hers, and she felt something pass throughout her body. She looked back at him, and raised an eyebrow. Jenny swore that she saw him blush.  He turned away and began walking towards the cave. 

                  Jenny felt a cold breeze rush out of the cave mouth as she stood at the edge. She looked over at her friends, to see them all with fearful expressions. Except for Kenny’s, his expression was stone cold. “ Ready?” asked Kenny. Alec pounded on his chest. 

                  “ I was BORN ready.” He said. Kenny shrugged, and lead Jenny in the cave. Jenny’s hands scrambled for her flashlight as the darkness swallowed her. The light danced around the cave,revealing a large opening. Vines hung in tendrils from the ceiling. As Jenny shined her light forwards, she noticed the vast opening was getting smaller and smaller until the point where it was only large enough to crawl through. She looked at Danny and Kenny, who were up ahead shining their lights into the hole. Jenny shrank as she approached the mouth of the cave. A cold breeze caused goosebumps to form on her arms. She turned her head, and saw that all of her friends faces were covered with a mixture of fear, curiosity, and determination. Jenny to a deep breath, and stepped into the darkness. Almost immediately, nerves forced her hands to fumble for her flashlight. Jenny clicked on the flashlight, revealing a large, vast stone opening. Large stone spikes hung from the ceiling, all crumbled like they were ready to fall at the drop of a pin.  The walls seemed to get thinner, until the point where it was a hole just small enough to crawl through. Ahead of her, Danny was squeezing himself through the small tunnel. Jenny pushed ahead, until she was standing next to Kenny at the entrance. 

“Danny, you good?” called Kenny, cuffing his hand over his mouth. 

“Uh-huh!” answered Danny, his words muffled by the flashlight in his mouth. Suddenly, Jenny heard rumbling in the cave. From above her, Jenny felt rocks began falling. Dust engulfed her, and she felt her hands fly above her head in an attempt to block any more rocks from falling on her head. Jenny felt a sharp pain on the back of her neck, only to feel a warm liquid begin dripping down her back.  Suddenly, the rumbling stopped, and Jenny saw the cave that Danny was in, crumble. But not before she spotted Kenny dive in after him.

* * * * 

Amos pushed past Alec and Aaron, and dove into the cave, grasping for Kenny. Amos was not about to lose his best friend over a stupid mission. Amos dug into the rumble, looking for some sign of his friend. Amos kept digging blindly, until finally he felt something. A shoe. Amos tugged, and with it came Kenny’s unconscious body. Amos dragged Kenny onto the ground, and began shaking him awake. Amos snatched and water bottle from his belt, and poured it on Kenny’s face. Kenny still didn’t wake up. Amos slapped him, and Kenny jumped up from the ground, hacking all of the dust out of his lungs. Amos slapped his back, and turned his head only for a new fright to engulf him. Alec had half of his body in the tunnel, Aaron had the other half in his giant arms. Jenny was beside Aaron, trying to crawl in the tunnel along with Alec. Suddenly, Amos felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Georgina, gesturing for him to go help. Amos scrambled over, when suddenly he heard a shout. Aaron pulled Alec out of the tunnel with such a force that Alec was was nearly thrown out of the cave. 

“Danny!” Aaron cried. Silence. “Danny, are you okay?” Jenny cried,  panic edging its way into her voice. But this time, Amos heard something. 

“I’m fine! Come down!”  called Danny. Amos didn’t waste a moment diving into the tunnel. He crawled on his stomach, thrusting his elbows forwards and dragging himself through. Suddenly, Amos felt his elbow catch air, and within seconds he was plummeting to the ground. Pain seared through his shoulder as he rolled, trying to lessen the impact. A pair of hands grabbed his shoulders, and leaned him up against the wall. Amos rolled his head over and saw Danny leaning against the wall next to him. His head was tilted up, his hands limp at his sides. Amos punched his shoulder and laughed. 

“We’re idiots.” he laughed. Danny giggled, but quickly stopped when an echo emerged from the tunnel. Danny scrambled over, opening his arms to catch whoever was coming. Jenny let out a shriek as she fell from the tunnel, into his arms. Danny, who was not ready for Jenny, fell backwards, Jenny still in his arms. Amos swore that he saw them both blush, despite the fact that the room was only lit by a single flashlight. Amos rushed over, and pulled her out of Danny’s arms. Jenny squeezed him so hard, he thought that his lungs would pop. Finally, Jenny let go of him, and hurried over to Danny. Amos smiled, and rushed over to the tunnel. One by one, their friends came out of the tunnel. 

“What do we do now?” asked Alec, looking around him. Amos shrugged, and dragged himself over to what looked like and small pond. He reached his hand in, and a terrifying image took over his brain. The same hawk that him and Jenny had fought, diving at him. Its claws were stretched open along with its silver beak. It shrieked, and Amos pulled his hand out of the water before the hawk reached him. He stumbled back, crashing into Kenny and Aaron. Amos gasped and crawled to his feet, shaking the water off of his hand. He felt Jenny’s hands wrap around him. “What? What?” asked Jenny. Amos pointed at the water, unable to get his words out.

“That’s it.” said Danny, stalking closer to the water. Everyone looked confused.

“What’s it?” asked Georgina, who hadn’t spoken a word the entire time.

“That’s where we have to go. To face our fears.” said Danny with a gulp. Beside Amos, he saw Kenny nod. “Danny’s right. Remember when I said that another big fear was drowning? Well, then this is where we have to go.” he said. An awkward moment of silence followed. “Well?” asked Kenny “Who’s going first?” asked Kenny. No one responded. Amos looked at his shoes. He wasn’t ready. Not for this. He needed to calm down. Amos shoved his shaking hands into his pockets and closed his eyes. Kenny sighed. “Fine. I’ll go.” he said, stepping towards the water. He didn’t even look back.

Chapter 7

Kenny

Kenny spun around, the sheets from his bed falling slowly around him. He knew where he was far to well. He leapt off of his bed, and was out of the window before he even heard his mother shout. Kenny’s shoes slapped against the cracked pavement as he ran. He skidded to a stop at the last alleyway, and sprinted in. But he was to late. His mother lay there, lifeless and dull. Above her, It stood. Adaru with It’s pitless eyes and It’s gaping maw.  It shrieked at Kenny, and without hesitation he lunged for a wooden plank laying on the floor. Kenny grabbed it, and swung it like he would a baseball bat. It flew backwards into the alley’s wall, black blood pouring out of it’s gaping wound. Adaru shrieked and lunged forwards again, only to meet the wooden plank again. Kenny screamed and swung again, so rapidly to the point where Adaru didn’t even have a chance to fight back. Suddenly, it exploded into black ashes. Keny screamed, and bashed the plank into the ground, shattering the dead wood. He crawled next to his mother, and grabbed her hand, sobbing. He would never get her back. Never. The woman who raised him. The woman who taught him nearly everything he knew. Dead. Gone. He would ever be able to talk to her again. Never be able to laugh with her, play with her, look at her.  Kenny looked straight into her eyes, and didn’t see the dead woman laying before him. He saw the smiling woman beautiful brown eyes. The woman she would never see again. Kenny laid there for a few minutes, remembering all of the times he spent with his mother. But Kenny knew. He had to get up. He had to leave her. He stood up, and wiped the rest of his tears away from his eyes. He looked at her one more time. Then walked away.

* * * * 

Kenny opened his eyes, and let out a sob. He tried taking a breath back in to calm himself. But instead, water filled his mouth. Kenny shot up from the water, blindly grasping for something to hold onto. Hands hoisted him out of the water. He coughed out his last sobs, and buried his face into his arms. Kenny felt arms wrap around him, but didn’t turn to see who it was. Until he heard a voice say, “Who's next.”  and Alec’s quiet voice say “I am.” Kenny just shook his head. Alec didn’t know what he was getting himself into.

Alec & Aaron

Alec wasn’t in the mood to joke around. So instead, he just quietly slipped into the water. When Alec appeared at Palahu Bend, he already knew what was going to happen before he heard the furious roar. Alec ran, his legs pumping as fast as his heart was. Alec felt the drool from the bear splatter across his neck as it got closer. It was getting close. Too close. Alec swerved off of the road. But this time, he knew that he couldn’t climb a tree this time. He had to face it. Alec dodged trees as he ran, occasionally picking up sticks to fling it back at the bear. But this wasn’t enough. Alec made a sharp turn, causing the bear to skid forwards. It spun back around, snarling in rage. For a moment, they just circled each other slowly, like boxers in a boxing match would. Alec wiped the sweat off of his forehead, and slowly bent down to pick up a stick. Then, the bear charged. Alec felt the urge to run. His legs stumbled, unsure of what they should do. But Alec knew what he had to do. The swung the stick at the bear, causing it to explode into black ashes. Alec dropped to his knees.. That was it? That was all he had to do? Just don’t run. He was afraid of getting chased, and his first instinct to being chased was to run. He had to fight back. Alec put his head in his arms and rocked himself on the floor. He turned to get up, and that was when he saw it. Again. The bear roared and charged. Alec's heart pounded in his ears as he stood his ground. Just. Don't. Run.

Alec let out a muffled scream from underwater as he swam up. Alec emerged, and felt Aaron’s rough hands grabbing at him. Finally, Alec felt himself being dragged up. His legs scraped against the rock as he crawled up. Almost immediately, Alec felt Aaron embrace him. Tears built up in Alec’s eyes as the rest of his friends hugged him. Alec could have sat like that for hours, but of course Aaron volunteered to go next.

* * * * 

Aaron let out one last breath, and plunged into the water. Aaron was confused at where he was at first. But then, he realized. He was in the cave. Aaron spun around, looking for something. Anything. He took one last turn and realized, he was with his friends. They were only a few yards away. Aaron smiled. But that smile quickly faded when the rumbling started. Giant boulders began to fall from the ceiling, building an unbreakable barrier between Aaron and his friends. He dove forwards, trying to find some type of gap. But it was too late. The rumbling stopped, and standing before Aaron was a giant stone wall. With his friends on the other side. That was when Aaron began to panic. He wrapped his arms around a rock, and tried lifting it. It didn’t budge. He tried all of the other rocks, but had the same luck. By the time Aaron had tried them all, his ands were covered in cuts and blisters. He wasn’t strong enough.  Aaron felt a wave of dizziness take over his body, and slowly sat himself down. He wasn’t strong enough. There was no way he could get back to his friends. Aaron put his head in his hands. But suddenly, Aaron’s head shot up. This was his fear. Not being strong enough. He laughed and leaned his head back up against the wall. “Oh, I’m not strong enough? Oh well!” Aaron said aloud. All at once, the boulders started shaking. Each one began to combust into black ashes, and soon stood his friends before him.

Aaron opened his eyes, and immediately realized that he was still underwater. He crouched, and shot up out of the water with such a force that he knocked someone over. They pulled him out of the water, not saying a word. Aaron felt Alec embrace him and say “I’m kinda surprised you didn’t die.” Aaron laughed and shook his head. “No, I’m fine.” he shrugged. He looked at his hands. “Well, for the most part. Within seconds, Jenny was on top of Aaron, wrapping his swollen hands in gauze. Once Aaron’s hands looked like mittens, Danny stood up and said “I guess it’s my turn.”

Danny

Danny already knew what he was walking into before he dove into the water. He stood in front of his house, which looked worse than usual. He took a deep breath and walked up to the door. From outside, Danny could hear a sports game blaring along with the drunken laughs of his father. Danny squeezed his eyes shut, and walked through the door. Danny barely had time to open his eyes before the bottle came crashing into his head. Danny fell back up against the wall, and was soon pinned by his father. His fist came flying at Danny’s jaw. His eye. His cheek. Danny wanted to scream, but his mouth was glued shut in the fear that if he opened his mouth his father would punch his teeth out. Mr. Garcia grabbed Danny’s throat, and threw him to the ground. Danny felt all of the air leave his lungs, and soon after that his scarred back being exposed. The belt slashed across Danny’s back so rapidly that Danny’s back was numb within seconds. Another bottle crashed against Danny’s back, and he felt his body give out. He lie on his stomach, trying to crawl away. His father grabbed Danny by his neck, and smashed him up against the wall. “Are you trying to run away? RUN AWAY! You can't run from me, *sshole! You can NEVER run from me!” He screamed, throwing Danny across the room. Danny pressed himself up against the wall,bracing himself for another hit. Mr. Garcia stomped towards him, fist raised high in the air. And that was when Danny realized. He had to fight back. Danny pressed his back up against the the wall, and lunged at his father.

                   Danny felt a chill run down his spine as the cold water flooded around him.  A white hot pain spread throughout his lungs, and he coughed, and tried inhaling. Water filled his mouth the second he let out a cough. Danny crouched on the ground, and sprang up. Hands immediately grabbed him and hoisted him out of the water.  Vicious coughs racked Danny’s lungs, each one creating a feeling as if his lungs were being torn apart. He felt a strong hand slap him on the back, and out of the corner of his eye saw Aaron drawing his hand back again. Eventually the coughing stopped, and Danny leaned up against the wall. His hand flew to his eye, testing the bruised flesh around it. A sharp pain stabbed into the tender skin around his eye, and he pulled it away. He didn’t remember any other of his black eyes being this painful. Danny sighed and leaned his head up against the wall. A hand grasped his shoulder, and Danny found himself staring into Jenny’s blue eyes. “What. Happened.” she asked. Danny pressed himself farther up against the wall. He simply stuttered until Amos grabbed her and pulled her back. “Our turn.” he said.

Amos & Jenny

Amos tried to prepare himself for what he was walking into. He already knew. But he couldn’t prepare himself for the massive eagle diving towards him. It screeched, and outstretched it’s claws. It’s claws grabbed the loose flesh his arms as he dove away, causing Amos to cry out. He rolled on his shoulder, and bounced back up, trying to locate it. How could he have have lost a silver eagle the size of a washing machine. Instead of hearing a loud, serpent-like shriek, he heard a familiar caw. He turned, and saw a beady-eyed crow staring at him. It cawed again, but this time an entire flock came out of the darkness. Amos screamed, and ran but he was no match. He couldn’t run. He had to beat them Amos let out an angry roar, and turned to face his fear. The first crow crashed into him he flew backwards, his elbows scraping against the rough stone. The flock swarmed around Amos, pecking and biting at him. Wait, no. No a flock. A murder. A murder of crows. How ironic. Amos let out a cry and swatted at  them. “I’m not afraid of you!” he screamed “I’M NOT AFRAID!” And then all went black.

Amos awoke, and immediately realized that he was under water. But instead of swimming up immediately, he just lay there. His hands shook until the point where he couldn’t even function. He swam up, and grabbed the nearest object. Fortunately, that was Jenny. Amos hoisted himself out of the water. He grabbed onto Jenny, and just held her tight, resisting the urge to sob. Eventually, Jenny squeezed him one last time, then gracefully dove into the water.

* * * * 

At first, Jenny didn’t realize where she was.  The sound of crackling fire filled her ears. Fire? As her eyes adjusted to the dim light, she realized where she was. In a burning village. Alone. The word echoed in her ears. Alone. She hated being alone.She feared being alone. She spun around, looking desperately for some kind of life. Nothing. That was when Jenny began to panic. “AMOS!” she screamed. “DANNY! ALEC! AARON! KENNY! GEORGINA! SOMEONE!” No response. A wave of dizziness forced her to sit down. She was alone. Jenny put her head in her hands. Dizziness came at her in thick waves. She staggered to her feet until she was standing in front of a burning house. Her hand reached towards the fire, hesitant at first, but soon strong. If someone was in there, she had to save them. She didn’t want to be alone anymore. She didn’t want anyone else to be alone. Suddenly, she realized. She wasn’t actually alone. Her friends were waiting above her, ready to grab her out of the water without a moment's hesitation. She sat down and laughed.  The crackling of the fire seem to get lower. She laughed again, and at that moment, she was back in the water. She reached up, and was grabbed almost instantly. She was lifted out of the water with such a force that when she came down onto the stone floor, she felt it dig into her skin. She let out a small yelp, and heard Aaron’s gruff voice say “Sorry.”. Jenny waved him off. Jenny felt Amos hug her tightly until Georgina spoke up for the first time.

Georgina

The buzzing was right near her ear. Georgina slapped it, and stumbled away She screamed as the bug came into vision. It was like an oversized mosquito, every feature covered in black goo. Georgina ran, but couldn’t outrun the massive bug. She felt a sharp pain engulf her neck, and knew that it had stung her. She screamed, and ran faster. But according to past experience, Georgina had learned that she couldn’t run. But she couldn’t help herself. The entire situation was just too frightening.  Her heart was beating so fast to the point where it felt as if it was humming. She felt another sharp pain against her thigh, and soon against her arm. She shrieked again, and slapped at the bugs again. Her hand caught air. She let out a frustrated cry, and turned to the face the bugs. And just like that, she was underwater again. She felt a wave of relief pass through her body. That was until she realized she was underwater. And fun fact: Georgina did not know how to swim. She thrashed underwater, trying to get above the water. She couldn’t . But somehow, her friends knew. A bony hand reached under, and pulled her up. She gasped once above, tightening her grasp on Alec’s arm. Once on land, she laughed. They looked at her like she was crazy. That just made her laugh harder. “What?” asked Kenny, clearly annoyed that she was laughing in a situation like this. “I don’t know how to swim.” she giggled. Alec snickered, and soon after everyone was laughing.

* * * * 

Georgina held back tears as she saw sunlight again She felt as if it was a lifetime since she had been in the sun. Georgina walked through the woods, letting the sunlight bake her pale face. She did need a little color. The crunching of the fallen leaves felt like an unfamiliar sounded compared to the hard sound of footsteps on stone. Nobody spoke throughout the walk. Everyone was still to stunned. Kenny seemed in some kind of daze, Alec kept on looking behind him, and Aaron kept on flexing his arms. Danny seemed fearful of every little  sound, Amos had his eyes locked on the sky, and Jenny was nearly hanging onto Amos. Eventually, they reached the road where their bikes waited. They said their goodbyes, and rode home. Georgina was taken to the ER the second she got home. But this time, it didn’t seem that bad.

Chapter 8

Kenny

              Kenny let out a scream as his eyes snapped open from the nap he had fallen into after school. Half expecting Adaru to be standing in the doorway, he grabbed a baseball, and held it as if he were throwing a pitched. Noticing that he was still in his room, he calmed down. Kenny swallowed, and swung his legs over his bed. He was still dressed in the dirty outfit from the day before. The floorboards creaked as he tiptoed downstairs, not wanting to wake his exhausted father. Once downstairs, he whipped out the phone and jabbed Amos’s number in. Kenny leaned against the side of the wall, looking out the window. It was beautiful. The sky was cloudless, and the woods seemed alive. And for the first time in a while, Kenny felt happy. He knew what he was going to say to Amos. At that moment, Amos picked the phone. “What's up?” Kenny asked, yawning into the phone.

            “Nothin.” Amos said. He sounded half asleep. Kenny looked out the window.

            “You wanna meet at The Cliff? 4:00? You call Hernandez and Georgina. I got Danny.” asked Kenny, glancing upstairs. Kenny heard Amos perk up.

             “Yeah, see you at 4.”  he said “ I gotta go get Jen.”  The line went dead, and Kenny hung up, running upstairs to get his bathing suit.

             

             Wind buzzed in Kenny’s  ears as he sped through town, taking in everything. The happy feeling in the air. The laughs of children at the candy shop. Children with mothers. He shook away the thought, not wanting to ruin his good mood. As his surroundings became more rural, he pedaled faster, veering off of the road into a skip dirt path. Kenny slowed as the roots from trees became larger. Finally, he came to the wide stone opening. The rock was cracked everywhere, like the pictures Kenny had seen of deserts. Kenny looked outwards, taking in the beautiful view. The calm water had a greenish tint, but was as clear as day. Across from where Kenny was standing, was another cliff. Kenny had never been there before, being that it is usually where all the high schoolers went. He didn't like on that side anyway. To much garbage and graffiti. Between the two cliffs was a long beach, a mix between sand and gravel. It was beautiful. Kenny ripped off his shirt, and walked over to the edge. He hung his feet over, and leaned back on his hands. The wind tickled his feet as he leaned back, letting the warm sun bake his face. All was quiet, except for the rustle of leaves, and the occasional call of a bird. It reminded him of the time him and his mother had went to Central Park in the summer one year. The sky had been cloudless, and the air had a sweet tinge to it. They’d went out for pizza (which Kenny had about six slices of being that it was New York pizza) and ice cream that day. Kenny still remembered that weekend as clear as day. Just thinking about it, he thought he fell his mothers soft hand fall on his shoulder. He turned and was disappointed to see no one there. As if he should be expecting anyone. He sit like that until he heard the sound of two bikes crashing together. He spun around, and saw Alec and Aaron lying on the ground, their bikes in a mess. 

“ I win.” Alec mumbled, trying to get his leg out of the mess. Aaron's eyebrows went up.

 “Are you kidding me?” Aaron cried.  “I was beating you the entire way, and then you decided to crash into me like an idiot!”  he said, untangling the bikes. Kenny laughed, and began walking over to them. 

“You’re both idiots.” Kenny exclaimed “ And by the way, Alec won.” Alec laughed, and stuck up his fingers in the shape of an L on his forehead.

 “ You have to jump in first, loser.” teased Alec, pulling his shirt over his head.

             “ I'm not doing it. You cheated.” growled Aaron.

             “Oh, stop being a p*ssy. You lost and you know it.” Alec said. Aaron groaned.

             “ Your relentless.” he growled. Kenny laughed. 

             “ Your both relentless.” he said “C’mon.” Kenny waved them over.  The three stood at the edge of the cliff, taking in the sight. “It gets me everytime.” Aaron said quietly, and took off his shirt. Alec and Kenny nodded. 

             “ Aaron, you have to go first. You lost the bet.” said Alec. Aaron shook his head.

             “ I’m not going. I don't care about the bet. Somebody else go first so that I can make sure I can survive the fall.” Aaron said. From behind him, Kenny heard Amos sigh.

             “ Fine, I'll go.” Amos grunted, a smile finding its way across his face. “But if I go, your coming!” Aaron didn't have time to register what Amos said before Amos came running. Amos wrapped his right arm under Aaron’s neck, his other arm over his head. Amos made it look as if he was sitting, pulling Aaron with him, headfirst. “*SSHOLE!” screamed Aaron. Kenny laughed, and failed to notice that Danny had disappeared with a sly grin. That was until he felt Danny crash into his right side. Kenny saw Danny reach out and grab Jenny’s arm, sending the three of them plummeting to the water, Danny’s grey shirt flapping in the wind. Bubbles engulfed Kenny as he fell in the water. He followed them up, and gasped for air when he got to the top.  He swam to a low ledge on the cliff where the rest of his friends were sitting. He threw his arms over, and hoisted himself up. Kenny looked at Danny who looked amused, but also…. nervous as if Kenny was about to slap him. Instead, Kenny laughed.

           “That's one way to get us in, idiot.” Kenny giggled. Danny grinned as him and Jenny slapped him. They waited for Georgina and Alec to come, but they never came down. Kenny felt worry begin to build up in his stomach. “I’ll go see where they are.” Kenny said, hoisting himself into the water. Aaron sat up. “I’ll come too.” he said. Kenny nodded and dove into the water. They reached the gravelly beach, and began walking up the hill.  Kenny saw Aaron's face pale as they walked up farther, and still no sight of Alec or Georgina. They rounded the turn, and crashed straight into someone one. Kenny pushed the person down, raising his fists as if he was ready to fight. That was until he felt Aaron's rough hand fall on his shoulder, laughed. Alec and Georgina lay on the floor, their faces covered in surprise. Aaron just laughed harder. “Why didn't you guys jump down?” asked Kenny, helping Alec up. Aaron laughed.

                   “ Because Alec’s a sissy!” he cried. Alec glared at him.

                   “No,” Alec began “ Its because Miss America over here can't swim. Remember?”

                    “ Excuses.” Aaron said, waving him off. Kenny laughed, and took off down the hill, diving into the cool water. Jenny jumped off the ledge, pulling Amos and Danny with her. Aaron cannonballed in after Kenny, half dragging-half carrying Alec and Georgina after him. Georgina squealed she fell under the cold water. Kenny smiled as he saw Amos sneak up behind Jenny, and jump up, lifting her onto his shoulders. “CHICKEN FIGHT!” Amos screamed. Alec swam up behind Georgina, and hoisted her onto his shoulders. Kenny was amazed that Alec was even able lift Georgina out of the water.  Jenny leaned forwards, and with one strong shove, pushed Georgina off of Alec’s shoulders. Jenny laughed and flexed her surprisingly muscular arms as she fell back into the water. Kenny giggled, and looked at Georgina who had emerged from the water. All of her makeup was gone, and Kenny had to admit that she was kind of pretty. Not as pretty as Jenny of course, but pretty. He turned, and noticed something that was terribly wrong. Jenny was not back up yet. Out of the corner of his eye, Kenny saw Danny dive under. And at that moment, and pool of blood formed above the water.

Alec & Aaron 

                   “JENNY!” Amos screamed, diving under over and over. Aaron dove to where she had went under, and looked for some kind of sign of her. Just when he was about to dive under, he saw something begin to come up from the water. The thing crashed into him, sending Aaron flying backwards.  He rubbed the water out of his eyes, and saw Danny, his arm around Jenny. A wave of relief engulfed Aaron as Amos snatched Jenny, dragging her to the beach. Five long, deep cuts had found their way from her knee, to just above her ankle. Blood oozed from it, and Aaron was scared that it wasn't going to stop. “What the f*ck was that?” Aaron asked, examining the cut.   

                    “ I don't know.” muttered Amos , hoisting himself up. 

                    “I do.” Georgina whispered “ It touched me.” 

                    “Well then, what was it?” Aaron asked. Georgina looked at them.

                    “You won't believe me.” she whispered. Aaron rolled his eyes.

                    “ After what we've been through, you think that we won't believe you!”

                    “ Yes!” Georgina yelled.  Aaron heard Kenny groan. 

                    “ It was a gator.”  mumbled Danny “It was a f*cking gator.” Everyone became silent. “What the f*ck is a alligator doing out here?” asked Kenny. Danny stared at him. Kenny nodded. “Right.” Kenny whispered. Danny walked away, holding his back. That was when Aaron noticed the blood oozing through Danny’s fingers. Danny turned to face him, and his eyebrows furrowed. “ What?” Danny asked, and nervous edge creeping into his voice. Aaron pointed to his back. “That.” Aaron answered. Danny shook his head, pretty much saying “I'm fine.” Aaron sighed, and knowing that Danny was a pretty tough kid, ignored him and walked over to Jenny.  Amos and Georgina were frantically trying to stop the blood flow, but had nothing to stop it with. There shirts were at the top of the cliff. “Somebody, give me something, goddammit!” snarled Amos. Aaron looked around, but couldn’t see anything. Until his eyes landed on Danny. “Danny! Give me your shirt!” he said, grasping for Danny’s shirt. Danny’s eyes grew wide. “What? No!”

“Danny, just give it to me! It’s not a big deal!” Aaron cried. Danny groaned.

“Fine! Here!” he growled, tearing of the sleeve of his t-shirt. Aaron snatched it from him, a ran over to Jenny, whose fists were balled in pain. Her teeth were gritted to the point where Aaron thought that if she tried any harder, her teeth would shatter. Amos handed it to Amos, who proceed to tie it around the biggest gash. Unfortunately, it only slowed the bleeding. Amos looked up. “C’mon.” he grunted, throwing his arm under Jenny’s. Aaron scurried over to her other side, and lifted her off the ground. Danny, Alec, Georgina, and Kenny trailed behind, all concerned looks on their faces. Sweat dripped down Aaron’s face as he hoisted Jenny up the hill. He glanced over at Amos. Amos’s face was expressionless, his eyes focused on the top of the cliff as if he was climbing Mount Everest. Despite Aaron’s strength, each step felt like she was getting heavier and heavier. By the time they reached the top, Aaron was red and wheezing. Amos set Jenny down gently and felt to his knees, rolling his shoulders. Aaron coughed, and Amos looked up. “Well someone's out of shape.” he said. Aaron grinned. “Maybe I am.” Aaron giggled. Amos laughed, and ran to get his bike. Jenny watched him go, as if something was about to grab him out of the woods. Aaron placed a hand on her shoulder. Her head snapped towards Aaron, her eyes wide in surprise. Aaron gave her a small smile. “Are you okay?” he asked. Jenny smiled back.

“Yeah. Just a little shaken up.” she replied, looking down at her leg “And bloody.”

“Just a little.” laughed Aaron. Jenny smiled again, and turned to watch Amos. Aaron grinned, and looked behind him. Kenny was shaking his head as if he had done something wrong. Alec kept looking at the water, and Georgina had ran over to sit with Jenny. Danny sat on a rock, trying to cover his bare shoulder, and part of his chest. Aaron raised an eyebrow. Why was that kid so worried about taking off his shirt? An athletic good-looking kid like Danny had nothing to worry about. Aaron walked over and sat next to Danny. “Are you okay?” he asked. Danny hesitated. “Yeah.” he said “Just an old cut.” Danny replied, trying to cover the open skin. And when Danny looked away, that was when Aaron saw it. Hundreds of scar were plastered all over his body.

* * * * 

“You guys can go home, I can take her.” said Amos, Jenny sitting uncomfortably on his handlebars. Alec shook his head. “No. Your sister was just attacked by a giant lizard, and you think that we’re gonna let you go to the doctor’s by yourself?” Alec cried. Amos glared at him. 

“Go. Home. I got this.” he snarled. Alec’s eyes narrowed. Amos was his friend and all, but sometimes Amos pushed Alec to the edge. He got too angry to easily, and was WAY too protective of Jenny. “Fine. We’ll go home.” growled Alec, turning away. Kenny and Aaron took the hint, and went to get their bikes. Danny just stood there. Alec looked at him. “Lets go. King Amos wants us to leave him alone.” Alec grunted. In the corner of his eye, Alec saw Jenny reach over and restrain Amos from completely destroying him. Danny shook his head. “My house is on the way, anyways. I’ll just go” he said, glancing nervously at Amos, who was red in the face. Alec shrugged, and walked over to his bike. Alec swung his leg over, and pushed off. He turned to Amos, who was still staring lasers into the back of his head. “Bye, honey.” Alec said, smiling sweetly. He turned away and sped off just in time to see Amos give him the finger. Alec laughed, and pedaled to catch up with Aaron and Kenny. He sped around the bend, expecting to see them far away. But they weren’t. They were only a couple yards away, frozen. Alec slowed down, and worried sensation beginning to build up in his chest. He turned towards the woods, and saw the source of their fear. A moose stood in the shadow of the trees, breathing so loud that Alec was able to hear it. Time froze as they stood their, no one daring to move. Alec didn’t even blink, afraid that any movement would set the moose off. But then, a raven called out, and the moose charged. Alec screamed, and pedaled, Kenny and Aaron doing the same. Alec was fast. He was a star sprinter at school and the number one pinch runner in baseball. He was fast.but his speed was absolutely no match to the moose’s. Even though it had been yards away before, it was gaining more and more each second. Alec couldn’t out-bike that!  And that was when he had an idea. Alec took both hands off of the handlebars, and ripped off his shirt. He tossed it into his right hand, and waved it on his side. “COME AT ME, YOU MOTHERF*CKER! I’LL EAT YOU FOR DINNER!” Alec screamed as he swerved off the side of the road. He glanced behind him nervously, praying that the moose would follow. And it did. It skidded to a stop, and charged down the hill. Alec stood on his bike and pedaled faster. “C’MON YOU STUPID COW! I’M IN THE MOOD FOR A BURGER TONIGHT!” Alec cried, just missing a tree. He heard the moose bash into branches as the woods got thicker, and knew he had to stop soon. And then he spotted it; the moose killer. Alec grinned, and pedaled until the point were it felt as if his thighs had ignited with fire. And when he was only a couple yards away from it, he turned. Alec went flying over the handlebars, smashing into a tree with his shoulder. He turned, and was just in time to see the moose crash into the pine tree. Alec heard a sickening crunch as  it’s antlers dug into the tree. The moose’s body fell limp as Alec stumbled towards it. From above the hill, Alec heard a bike skid to a stop. Alec looked up, and saw Aaron and Kenny staring at him, there jaws open in awe. Alec smiled. “Anyone in the mood for a moose burger?” he asked.

Danny

              Danny shifted his backpack over to his right side, the pain in his back to unbearable. He put his head down as he passed A.J’s locker. But he didn’t know why. He wasn’t scared of that son of a b*tch anymore. He boarded his bus, and swung into the seat across from Amos. “How’s Jenny?” he asked, throwing his backpack to the side.  Amos shrugged.

“Good.” Amos said, barely taking his eyes off of Jenny, who was in the front with Arianna.

“How many stitches?” Danny asked, trying to make conversation. Amos thought for a moment

“Eleven, I think. They also had to glue some together.” Danny raised his eyebrows

“Glue? I’ve had stitches, but not glue.” Danny said. Amos grinned

“Yeah. I’d never heard of it.” he laughed.

“You wanna know the first thing that popped into my head?”

“What?”

“The doctor whipping out his Elmer’s glue and the cuts are magically gone.” giggled Danny.

“You’re an idiot.” Amos said, laughing even harder.

“ I know.” Danny said as the bus took off. Danny rested his head against the seat, and looked out the window. And that was when he saw it. His head snapped towards Amos. Amos had noticed.  Danny smiled. What seemed like thousands of different rides were being tested, their lights shining just bright enough for Danny to notice them. He remembered every name of each ride. The Zipper, the Himalaya, Alien Invasion. And the food tents. Each one was big enough to feed an entire middle school. The smell of cooking food nearly made Danny’s mouth water as the smells were wafted by the buses speed into the bus. The games section of the fair was a museum of color. All of the different prizes glimmered underneath the sunlight, like a burning ember in a fire. No. Not embers. They were too dark. A blazing bonfire. He smiled as he noticed his favorite game, the milk can game. Every time he played, he knocked them all down. Amos did usually, and so did Alec and Aaron. But Danny nailed them every time. He didn’t know about Kenny, being that he had just moved there that year. All Danny knew was that Kenny was a hell of a pitcher. Alec was the fastest center fielder Danny had ever seen, and Aaron being the most solid first baseman in the league. Amos rarely let a ball get behind him, and Jenny was the best softball pitcher in the league.And Georgina… if dance was a sport then she was good at it.

“Meet at the Zipper at eight?” asked a voice, snapping him out of his trance.

“Uh, yeah. Sure. I’ll call Hernandez. You got Kenny and Georgina?” Danny asked. Amos grinned, and nodded. Danny pushed himself up from the seat as the bus skidded to a stop. “At eight tonight.”

* * * * 

Danny ran out the door, glancing back at his drunken father while he ran. He jumped onto his bike, and sped off. The wind weaved through his hair and cooled his face as he rode on Palahu Bend. He pedaled faster, not daring to look down. By the time he reached the glowing fair, his legs felt like molten jelly. He rested his bike up against the fence, and pulled out his bike chain. He tied it, and jogged off to the Zipper. Screams from the ride sent chills down his back as he searched for Amos. His eyes finally landed on Alec and Aaron. Alec was shoving a hot dog down his throat, and Aaron was watching him with disbelief. Danny stuffed his hands in his pockets, and walked over. Aaron noticed him, and smiled. 

“This is his fifth one” he laughed. Danny raised his eyebrows.

“Jesus, Alec. You must weigh five-hundred pounds.” Danny giggled. Alec looked at him, confused.

“Five-hundred pounds? I only weigh one-sixty five!” Alec cried, in his high black lady voice. Danny burst out in uncontrollable laughter, along with Aaron. 

“I-I…” Aaron said between wheezes “I can’t with you anymore.” he cried, laughs racking his body. Danny’s hand flew to his stomach, the pain from laughing in his chest becoming unbearable. “I think I just died a little!” he laughed, leaning up against a bench. “What’s so funny?” asked a voice. Danny turned and saw Amos, an ice cream cone in hand. Jenny stood beside him, trying to get cotton candy out of her hair. “Nothing. We’re just deciding if Alec has diabetes or if he is anorexic.” said Danny. Amos raised an eyebrow.

“I’m going with the first one.” he said, waving them towards the Himalaya. Suddenly, Kenny was beside them, two dollars in hand. “We’re goin on the Himalaya first?” Kenny asked. Danny shrugged.

“I guess.” Danny said, looking at the rides flashing lights.

“Well, I’m not sitting next to Alec. I don’t feel like being puked on right now.” he grunted, the hint of a smile on his face. “Okay, Aaron, you sit next to him. He’s your brother.” Danny said. Aaron’s eyes widened. “Oh, hell no!”

“Why? You guys were literally in the womb together, a little throw up can’t hurt you.” laughed Amos, butting into the conversation. “Well, you and Jenny were too! And that doesn’t change anything!”

“We’re not twins!” said Jenny, pulling the last of the cotton candy out of her hair. “We’re a year apart.” Danny looked at her. Only one thought passed through his mind. And it wasn’t the fact that cotton candy was gone, nor the fact that Jenny looked nearly old enough to pass as thirteen. Goddammit, she was beautiful. The lights reflected off her blue eyes like it would in water. The setting sun made her face look even tanner than it was in the first place.  Her dirty blond hair seemed darker in the dimming light, contrasting against her bright eyes. And unlike most of the girls in his grade, she didn’t have bangs or raised hair. Instead, she wore her hair in a braid, ponytail, or just down. But he liked that. Danny looked away, embarrassed.What he didn’t know was that Jenny was looking at him, thinking about how godd*mn handsome he was. They had just reached the ride, when they heard a familiar voice. “Pleeease? I’m really hungry! I’ll pay you back later!”  cried the voice. Danny rolled his eyes, and saw Georgina standing near the food tent. The cashier had his arms crossed, and was staring at him like a man would at a ridiculous toddler. Danny laughed and shook his head. 

“Yo, Georgina! You can’t charm your way into everything!” yelled Alec, licking ketchup off his fingers. Georgina turned, and rolled her eyes. She walked towards them, clutching her money. Alec smiled at her sweetly, but Danny felt like  he was trying to show her something more than the sarcastic little brat he was being. She gave him a sarcastic smile. “Okay, what ride are we going on?” she asked. Danny pointed at the flashing blue lights. Her face lit up. They boarded, and Danny swung into the outside seat, not realizing he was about to be crushed.  Jenny and Aaron slid in next to him, each of them beaming with excitement. Danny heard the hiss of air, and braced himself. Within seconds, Jenny and Aaron were falling against him. Jenny let out a squeal as Aaron’s huge shoulder slid onto her’s. Danny pressed up farther against the wall, trying to ignore the fact that Jenny’s elbow was digging into his back. “OH, SH*T!” Danny cried as the ride sped up, once again. He felt Jenny and Aaron laugh against him. He was thrown to the front as it came to a stop, and screamed as it started moving backwards.  He felt the back of Aaron’s hand slap his ear as they sped up once again. But Danny just closed his eyes, and smiled.

* * * * 

“I’m not goin in that stupid clown maze.” said Kenny, crossing his arms. Danny eyed the funhouse. He didn’t really want to go in either. Suddenly, Danny heard stuttering footsteps from behind him. He turned, and saw Alec stuttering towards them, wiping his mouth of some brown liquid. But he was still smile. The kind of smile that reached your eyes. “I think three of my hotdogs just came up.” he giggled. Danny nearly vomited as he smelt Alec. “Does anyone have two dollars?” he asked

“No. Why?” Danny asked. Alec smiled

“ I need money for a coke. Y’know, to get the taste out of my mouth.” he said. Georgina sighed, and began to pull the money out of her pocket. “And another hotdog.” Alec said, grinning. Georgina cocked her head at him. 

“After the Clown House.” she said. Alec shrugged, and walked towards the clowns open mouth. Danny sighed, and followed. The first part of the maze, Kenny crashed into the same mirror about ten times. Danny didn’t know why. It was pretty simple. Wherever you see your reflection, don’t go there. Simple. The second part, Danny thought that he was going to have a seizure from the blinking lights and strange colors. He laughed as he crashed into Amos while trying to get out of what Alec called, “The Seizure Zone”. 

“Oh, god help us.” Aaron muttered as they entered the second to last room.  Danny groaned as he peered over Amos’s head, and saw long strings of confetti  hanging from the ceiling. A smiling clown was waving them forwards, as if he wanted them out. Alec laughed as he passed the clown, flipping him off. The clown made a sad face, and rubbed his eyes, smearing his white face paint. Danny laughed, but turned around nervously watching it. It was watching them. Danny grit his teeth, and hurried forwards. 

“Oh, Danny. Come to Papa!” cackled a voice. Danny froze. How the f*ck did the clown know his name. And come to Papa… Danny turned around slowly, fearing that he would see his father standing before him. But he wasn’t. The clown was still there. But it’s red smile was smeared, and the blue triangles on his eyes were smeared. Not as if he was crying like he was sad, but like something far more sinister. It’s bright sweater had become darker, it’s neon red becoming the color of blood. Danny’s hands curled into fists as he saw what was in the clowns hands. A lighted cigar dropped ashes on to the confetti-littered ground. And when the clown raised it to take a puff, it’s happy clown eyes had turned into… his father’s eyes, black, beady, and full of hatred. Danny’s eyes widened as he took a step back, grasping for something.

 “You can’t run from me, Danny.” the clown said, blowing a single ring of smoke out of his nose. He held the lighted cigar up. “And you never will.” it cackled. The cigar dropped, igniting the confetti.

Danny already knew what he was doing before he dropped it. Danny didn’t remember screaming, but apparently, he did. They all spun around, saw the fire and ran. Flames licked his legs as he ran, trying not to lose sight of Aaron. Danny looked back, and saw that the entire section was engulfed in flames. A shape formed in the inferno, causing Danny to run even faster, nearly tripping over Aaron. The clown emerged from the flames, little parts of his red hair burning. He was still a clown, but his eyes. Oh, god. His eyes.  A beer bottle was in his hand, and the clown cackled as he raised it. Danny’s eyes grew wide. He knew what he was gonna do. And Danny knew right where he was going to throw it. The bottle was in midair by the time Danny came to his senses. But that didn’t matter. If he would have moved out of the way, the bottle would have shattered on Aaron’s back. A unintentional scream escaped Danny’s throat as the bottle made contact with his back. Tears formed in his eyes, blurring his vision. Ahead of them, Danny could see nothing but black. Small neon shapes of clowns, balloons, and all of that other happy sh*t was plastered on the walls. And whatever was in those lights, were also igniting in flames. Danny looked back one more time, to see that the clown had stopped, and just stared at them from the flames, the same menacing grin on his face. Danny hit the ground like a rag doll, the light of all of the rides nearly blinding his eyes. He felt and horrible burning sensation on his shoulder, similar to the time when he was five, and his father had  dug his cigar into Danny’s back for making to much noise in the kitchen. Danny looked at his shoulder, and wasn’t surprised to see it in flames. He slapped his shoulder with such a force that he could feel a welt forming on his shoulder. But the flames didn’t stop. Suddenly, he felt a force knock into his shoulder, and a fabric up against the flames. Danny turned, and saw Aaron covering the fire with his shirt. Danny stumbled to his feet, and noticed that a crowd of onlookers had formed around them. The clown, still smiling, standing behind a man. Rage boiled in his stomach, and he did something that the shy person he was used to being would have never done. 

“Shows over folks!” he yelled “Hope you enjoyed it!” No one moved. Danny rolled his eyes. “How about, instead of just standing there like useless clowns, go and get help!” he cried sarcastically. He saw one or two people shuffle away. But no one else moved. Danny groaned, and flipped them off. That seemed to get them going.

Amos & Jenny

“I don’t know what happened.” Aaron said. “I just heard someone scream, a push, and then I just started running he said. Jenny shook her head. She didn’t know what happened either. Only Danny did. And Danny was being checked out in the ambulance for burns, along with Kenny whose hand had grazed the burning walls. She sighed, and leaned forwards on her elbows. “We can’t just have a nice time, can we.” she sighed, looking at the small burns on her calves. She turned her head towards the ambulance, and saw Kenny and Danny walking towards them. Kenny looked enraged and Danny just plain exhausted. Kenny sat down, and slammed his fist on the table.  Suddenly, Aaron had him by the shoulders, holding him in a steel grip. 

“Jesus! Calm down!’ Aaron cried. Kenny glared at him.

 “What happened?” asked Aaron, softer this time.

 “They’re blaming the fire on us.” said Danny, staring at Kenny’s fists like they were the devil. 

“What?” cried Alec “They can’t just do that!”  Jenny turned to Danny. 

“What the hell happened?” she asked, flatly. Danny responded quicker than she thought he would.

”The clown dropped his cigar.” Danny said, searching their eyes.  

“Where the hell did a clown get a cigar?” asked Alec.

“I don’t know. When I passed it, there was nothing in its hands.” Aaron said, his face full of confusion.

“Same.” Georgina said quietly “And why the f*ck would a clown be smoking in a room filled with paper?” she asked

“Woah, Georgina! Language!” laughed Alec, trying to get something good out of the situation. Georgina simply glared at him.

“You know what? This is probably your fault.” she snarled. 

“What!” cried Alec “How is this MY fault? I didn’t do anything!”

“Yes, you did.” she said.

“What’d I do then?” Alec asked.

“You gave him the finger.” she said. Alec grew quiet. Jenny groaned.

“That’s ridiculous.” she said. It wasn’t Alec’s fault that Adaru was after them. Suddenly, Jenny heard a car screech from the parking lot. She turned, and saw her mother’s old honda sitting in the lot. Her mother got out, and jogged over to them, which was a hilarious sight being that she was wearing heels and huge glasses. Jenny groaned and looked at her friends. “I’ll see you guys soon.” she said, getting up with Amos. She resisted the urge to look back at Danny, being that she could feel his gaze on her. But she kept walking with her mother, silent until they got to the car. 

“What happened?!” her mother cried, buckling her belt. Amos groaned, and shook his head. 

“There was a fire in the clown maze.” Jenny said. Mrs. Reynolds stared at them.

“Did you start it?” she asked, and hint of anger in her voice.

“No! Danny said that he saw a clown smoking a cigar, and dropped it in the confetti part!”

“Ugh.” she said, rolling her eyes. Jenny’s eyebrows furrowed.

“What?” Jenny asked. Her mother started the car.

“Danny Garcia?”

“Yeah, why?” Jenny answered, worry beginning to build up in her stomach.

“I wouldn’t believe that kid if I were you.” she said, pulling a cigarette from her pocketbook. Jenny held her nose as Mrs. Reynolds let out a cloud of smoke.

“Why?” she asked, again. Her mother groaned.

“His father takes drunk to the next level. Has parties all the time. The kid is probably so used to cigars and beer that he was imagining it.” she said, taking a drag. “I wouldn’t be surprised if the kid smoked himself. And drank!” she said. Jenny felt something boil in her stomach. Plenty of kids smoked. Only a few drank. But they weren’t good kids. Danny was the complete opposite, he was the nicest boy in the school, and every girl knew it.

“Danny doesn’t smoke or drink!” snarled Amos. “Maybe if you actually knew a little about your kids lives, you’d know who the people we hang out with are like. I’m surprised you came a picked us up, much less than remember our names!” Even from behind her mother’s dark glasses, Jenny could see tears rolling down her mother’s face. The rest of the car ride was spent in silence. Jenny would have loved to say that she was surprised that Amos said what he said. But she wasn’t. He always went on rants about how their mother doesn’t act like a mother, and how their father is nowhere to be found.  But Jenny wasn’t like that. She knew that she was lucky. Very lucky. She knew that she’d rather have A father nowhere to be found, rather than a father that beats her everyday. She was lucky that she had a mother who was still at home, meanwhile, Kenny’s mother was nowhere to be found. He never spoke of her, or anything. She thought that she would see Mrs. Dunic around, but never saw a woman in resemblance to Kenny. And Danny… It was obvious to her now. There was no use hiding it. He was abused. That was the only simple way to say it. She didn’t know why he didn’t tell anyone, or even admit it, but if he didn’t want anyone knowing, then she wouldn’t say anything. She just had to ask him. And she was going to. The car screeched to a halt, and Jenny’s mother was out of the car in a flash. Jenny unbuckled, but say that Amos hadn’t moved. “Amos?” she asked, leaning forwards “C’mon, we have to go eat.” 

“I’m not hungry.” he said. Jenny sighed. Amos was always hungry.

“What’s the matter?” she asked, not knowing what else to say. Amos slapped the car door.

“Goddammit!” he cried. Jenny shot backwards.

“Am-” she began, but was cut off.

“I don’t know what to do anymore!” he yelled, slamming the dashboard with his fists.

“It’s like I plan out exactly what I’m gonna say to her, and make her feel guilty so that she starts caring for us again. But then everytime I say something, I feel so godd*mn guilty! And I don’t know why! I’m always so f*cking mad, and then when the time comes for me to say something, I feel like I’m a f*cking brat! A coward! What kind of son insults his mother?” he cried, his eyes so squinted that small tears spurted out of the sides. Jenny was silent. And then it hit her.

“One who cares about his little sister.” she said, “One who cares about his mother, and is trying to snap her out of her little world, and start caring for her kids and herself.” she said. Amos looked at her gratefully. He shrugged, and walked out of the car. Jenny smiled, and did the same. She walked in the house, and slowly tiptoed into her room, not wanting to disturb Amos and her mother’s “apology session”. They’ve been having those a lot. She turned on the lights, began to search through her draw for burn lotion. Band-aids, cough medicine, aspirins, neosporin, and gauze. She sighed, and pulled out the neosporin and band-aids. She began applying the neosporin to her calf when Amos walked in, his face full of relief. “Good?” Jenny asked. Amos nodded.

 “Good.” he said smiling.  Jenny grinned.
“Do you need some of this?” she asked, holding up the neosporin.

“No.” he said, “What I do need is food and actual burn stuff. I’m gonna go to McDonalds and Rite-Aid.” he said. Jenny nodded, and was suddenly hit by a wave of unease.

“Wait.” Jenny said, glancing around nervously. Amos looked confused.

“What.” he asked.

“Don’t go. Not yet.” 

“What? Why?”

“Because,” she began, “I don’t have a good feeling.” Amos’s face filled with worry.

“What do you mean?” he asked, his stomach rumbling just after.

“I don’t know. I just feel like something's gonna happen.” she said. Amos groaned.

“Jenny. I believe you. But mom is home, so if anything happens, just go get her.”

“Fine. At least take the walkie-talkie.” she said, handing it to him. Amos smiled.

“ I always do.” Amos said, winking. Jenny smiled, and watched him walk out. She wrung the walkie talkie in her hands, prepared to call him at any moment. A few minutes passed, and nothing happened. She sighed, and turned over towards her bookshelf, looking for something to read. That was when her eyes fell upon the picture. Jenny remembered the picture as clear as day. Jenny was on Amos’s back, nearly choking him as she held on. Her mother and father were in back of them, arms wrapped around each other. They were all smiling at the camera, their eyes squinted like it was the sun. She remembered that trip to Disney. In fact, she still had the stuffed monkey that Amos won for her.  That monkey showed how much he loved her. At six years old, winning a stuffed monkey was like finding a gold mine. He had spent an hour using up all his quarters trying to win that monkey after Jenny said that if she could choose one thing, she would choose that monkey. He used all his quarters, won it, and gave it to her. She smiled, and laid back on her bed, reaching under the pillow for her monkey. And that was when she heard the screech of tires on pavement. Not like a bike. A car. She was on her feet within seconds, running to the window. At first, she thought it was her mother’s boyfriend, Gary. But once she saw the figure step out of the car, her heart leapt to her throat. She fumbled for her walkie talkie, and screamed into it.

 “Amos, come home now! Amos pick up! COME HOME AMOS HE CAME BACK!” she screamed, as he staggered closer to the house. 

“WHAT? WHAT? I’m coming home now!” cried Amos’s voice through the walkie talkie. She held the walkie talkie to her mouth, but not before Mr. Reynolds slammed through the door, his red rimmed eyes glaring at her.

Her father had Jenny in a chokehold within in seconds, even though Jenny had kicked him thousands of times. Her mother rushed through the hallway, and nearly fainted at the sight of her ex-husband trying to strangle her daughter. “ WHAT ARE YOU DOING YOU F*CKING *SSHOLE, THAT’S YOUR DAUGHTER!” Mrs. Reynolds screamed. 

“You’re d*mn right she is!” snarled Mr. Reynolds. “And I’m taking her back.” Jenny felt her heart nearly drop out of her chest. They all knew what a man like Ben Reynolds would do to a girl like Jenny. Jenny clawed at her father’s arm, feeling his blood drip down her arm. She bit his arm so hard, that he let out a scream. Jenny spit the blood out, nearly vomiting at the fact that her father’s blood was in her mouth. It was disgusting

* * * * 

Surprisingly, Amos didn’t drop his Big Mac when he heard Jenny on the walkie talkie. But his stomach dropped, that’s for sure. Amos pedaled so fast when he heard that call, that he heard something pop on his bike. His legs were pumping so fast that they felt as if they weren’t there anymore. His chest heaved, and not being the kind of person who runs (or bikes) long distances, he felt the urge to vomit. But he couldn’t stop. Never. This was Jenny. The girl who he carried on his back all throughout Disney when he was six years old. The girl who would never say a bad thing about him. The girl who learned nearly everything she knew from him. He finally skidded to a stop at the house, and leapt off his bike. But not without throwing it against his father's old pick-up. Amos sprinted to the doorway, and slammed through the door. Just in time to see his father slam Jenny in the eye with his fist. Jenny passed out right then and there. Everything suddenly froze. It sounded as if Amos was underwater, his mother horrible scream. Amos didn’t even know he was moving until he made contact. He hit his father like Aaron would on the offensive line, strong and solid. His father was thrown backwards into the wall, his eyes wide. Amos began punching, and didn’t stop. Blood was pouring from his father’s mouth like a gushing waterfall. He tried screaming, but all that came out was a throaty gurgle. “YOU MOTHER F*CKER!” Amos screamed, his punches not slowing. “WHAT KIND OF FATHER ARE YOU!” Mr. Reynolds arms reached out, as if he was trying to choke his son. But Amos didn’t let that happen. He ducked under his father’s arms, and punched his stomach instead of his face. Amos brought his knee up in between his father’s legs causing him to double over, his hands between his legs. Amos shoved him against the wall and backed away. His father was curled up against the wall, like a pathetic animal. 

“You f*cking coward.” snarled Amos “Get out of my house. Now.” he said, oddly calm.

“What the f*ck are you talking about?” screamed his father. “This is MY house!” His father lunged at Amos, causing him to slam his head against the corner of the table. But Amos didn’t even notice. Instead, he grabbed for something behind him.His hands wrapped around the cold metal, and he brought the pan down on his father’s back. Mr. Reynolds screamed, and scrambled towards the door. And Amos let him. He wanted the *sshole out. Out for good. He heard his father let out an angry cry as he noticed a dent in the side of his truck. Amos heard the truck start, and roar away. He turned, and saw his mother, Jenny unconscious in her arms. Amos fell to his knees beside them, watching as her mother held ice to her eye. Tears threatened to roll down Amos’s face as he watched his mother cry will putting ice to Jenny’s eye. He wiped the blood away from the spot where he banged his head on the table, and stared at his mother. 

 

 

Georgina

Georgina rolled her eyes for the thousandth time, as her mother asked the same question for the thousandth time. “Yes Mom, I’m fine.” groaned Georgina, looking into her mother’s heavily detailed eyelashes. Mrs. Coleman sighed, and went back to cooking dinner. “I don’t know, Georgina.” she began, stirring the pasta. “You’ve been acting strange lately. And, you’ve been going out with no makeup on. You always go out with makeup on!” she exclaimed.

“Ugh! Mom! It’s not the end of the world just because I don’t wear makeup!”

“I don’t know, honey.” her mother said. Suddenly, her expression turned serious.

“It’s those kids you’ve been hanging out with.” she said, narrowing her eyes.

“What?” said Georgina, confused. “Why would you say that?”

“Because. You haven’t been talking to Sophia that much. Or Brooke. And you always used to hang out with them. You used to wear makeup all the time with them. Now with your other friends, you’ve been acting different.”

“That’s ridiculous.” sighed Georgina, rolling her eyes. Her mother leaned on the counter.

“Who are these ‘friends’ that you’ve been hanging out with. Full names.” Mrs. Coleman said. Georgina groaned with annoyance.

“Ugh. Fine. Kenny Dunic-” she began.

“Oh. I haven’t seen the mother ever. I think she died.” her mother said. Georgina shook her head. If Kenny’s mom had died, he would’ve told them. They were good friends.

“Whatever. Amos and Jenny Reynolds-” said Georgina, only to be cut off again.

“Eww. Their mother is crazy. Their fathers a drunk too. Weird family, but nice kids.”

“Can you stop interrupting me?”

“Fine. Go on, sweetheart.”

“Danny Garcia, and the Hernandez twins.” she said. Her mother made a face.

“The Garcia kid’s father is also a drunk.  The guy has his friends over like he’s in high school again, and everybody’s afraid of him just like they were in high school. All they do is get drunk. Apparently they have a pretty good time though. And I don’t know about the Hernandez family. I ran into their mother once. Nice lady.” her mother said. “I kind of feel like you shouldn’t be hanging out with these kids.”Georgina nodded as if she was interested, and walked to her room. She changed into her pajamas, and flopped onto her bed. 

Maybe her mother was right. Maybe she shouldn’t be hanging out with them. Ever since she started hanging out with them, her life had turned to sh*t. What she didn’t know, was that her friends lives were already sh*t. Maybe Kenny wasn’t exactly the person she wanted to hang out with. He always seemed emotionless, and sometimes got too angry too easily. Same with Amos, minus the emotionless part. But Jenny was fine. She was the sweetest girl on earth. She was a bit clingy, like she was scared of being alone.  Danny seemed scared of everything… but something about him made him seem more brave than scared. Maybe it was his bruised and battered face and yet she had never seen him cry. But he was also handsome- another reason to stay around him. Georgina knew a hot boy when she saw one. Alec and Aaron were fine. They were perfectly normal kids. She especially liked Alec. He was absolutely hilarious. And now that she’d been hanging out with him more… she liked him more. But all he ever did was act as if she was a big joke. Aaron was a little quiet for her liking. And before she met him, she was rarely able to take her eyes off of his biceps. She blushed at the thought, and curled under the covers just as an owl called out in the night.

* * * * 

Alec and Aaron looked like hell. Simply, hell. Aaron had a big welt on his cheekbone, and Alec wouldn’t let anything touch his back. “Are you okay?” she asked, boarding the bus to go home. Aaron didn’t answer. But Alec sure did. “Oh, we’re great. It’s not like our f*cking father belted us last night because he thought that we started the fire. We’re perfectly fine! Sunshine and  f*cking rainbows!” he exclaimed. Aaron glared at him. Georgina sat their in awe. Her parents never hit her. It was never even on their minds. Whenever she was bad, she would just go to sleep early. Georgina didn’t speak. They stayed like that for a while, until Aaron spoke up. 

“You wanna meet at the Cliff?” he asked. Georgina shook her head.

“It’s a little chilly for swimming.” she said.

“No, not to swim. Just to hang out.” he said. Georgina shrugged.

“Sure, why not. I’ll call Amos and Jenny. Can you call Danny and Kenny?”

“Okay.” he said, as the bus screeched to a stop. He got up, Alec trailing behind him

“See you later.” he said, shyly. Georgina nodded, and watched them leave. She spent the rest of the ride wondering who was more of her fit, Alec or Aaron. Eventually, the bus came to a halt at her stop. She  thanked the bus driver, and began her walk home. She reached her house, threw her backpack in her room, and ran to call Amos and Jenny. She took the slip of paper out of her draw, and rushed to the phone. She dialed the number, and waited for someone to pick up. Finally, she heard Jenny’s voice on the line. She sounded exhausted. Georgina wondered what she must be like. She hadn’t seen her all day. “Hey, Georgina.” Jenny said.

“Hey, Jenny. Do you want to come to the Cliff later? Not to swim. You know, just to hang out. After this, I’m riding over there now.” Georgina said into the phone.

“Okay. Lemme go get Amos. I’ll see you later.” 

“See you later!” Georgina said before the phone went dead. She ran outside, and jumped on her bike. She had gotten a lot better since she started riding again. She had control over her handlebars, and could go faster for a longer duration of time. She finally reached the dirt path, and wheeled her bike through. She stumbled into the clearing, and saw Alec and Aaron waiting near the edge. Suddenly, she heard a bike skid beside her. Jenny was just behind her. Her face was turned towards the woods as if she didn’t want Georgina to see her face. Amod was behind her, his face pinched. Nobody really seemed to be in a good mood. 

“Hi, Jenny.” Georgina said, leaning her bike against a tree. Jenny barely turned her head. 

“Hey.” Georgina’s eyebrows furrowed, and she walked towards Jenny. She nearly gasped at the sight. Her left eye was a dark shade of purple, small traces of red sprinkled across.

 “Oh my god, Jenny! What happened?” she cried. Jenny shook her head and smiled. 

“Nothing. Just a little fight.” she said reassuringly. Georgina eyes narrowed, but she turned away. Within a few minutes, Danny arrived, Jenny’s black eye seeming like nothing compared to his face. His face was almost angry when he saw Jenny’s black eye. And when she asked what happened, she whispered something inaudible back. Danny’s eyes grew wide, and he shook his head. Danny turned to Alec and Aaron. 

“What happened?” he asked. Alec went on the same rant he had on the bus. Danny’s eyes were downcast the entire time. And suddenly, Alec’s face twisted with rage. “Well, what happened to you?” he snarled “You always come with all those f*cking bruises, and you never tell us why! I’m done feeling bad for you! What happened to you?” growed Alec, shoving Danny. Aaron tried pulling Alec back, but he shook free.  Danny didn’t respond. He just stared at Alec with a dangerous glower . Alec pushed him again, but this time harder. But it didn’t seem to have any effect on Danny.

 “Alec, stop it you *sshole!” shouted Aaron, leaping off the rock.  Jenny surged forwards to along with Amos. Kenny, who had just arrived, was staring at them from behind his bike, unsure of what to do. Aaron’s hand closed around Alec’s arms, but instead of shaking it off, Alec punched his twin in the throat. Hard. Aaron’s mouth fell open as his hands grasped for his throat. And that was when Georgina knew that Alec was going to hurt someone. Alec kept shoving Danny, no matter how many times they all screamed at him and tried holding him back. 

“Because you don’t know anything about pain.” snarled Alec. Danny looked at him sceptically. “My dad belted me last night. Your dad is too drunk to belt you. So what’s the matter? Still letting Wethers and Bakeman get to you? Or is it the brothers who are years younger than you?” snarled Alec. Suddenly, Georgina understood what was happening. Alec thought he had a tough life. He wasn’t thinking clearly. He was trying to get everyone to feel bad for him instead of Danny. Alec was a bomb, ready to explode at any moment. And apparently, Danny had set him off. And then Alec did something that she thought that the funny boy that she knew would never even dream of doing. He punched Danny. But Danny’s head didn’t move. His jaw twitched, but that was it.  His scared expression was gone, and was replaced with a…. Georgina didn’t know what it was. He was holding back anger, but he also seemed familiar with the pain. Alec pushed him into a tree, and that was when Danny reacted. Danny shoved him back, and punched him in the gut, a clean and professional moved that looked as if he’d seen it before. Alec fell over, and Danny stood above him.

 “Don’t touch me.” Danny snarled, oddly calm. “You get belted once, and it’s the end of the world. And I don’t need to tell you sh*t.” Danny said, turning back towards his bike. He kicked the kickstand and rode away. 

“Goddammit!” exclaimed Jenny, jumping on her bike to ride after him. Georgina jumped on hers too. She just wanted to get out. Her legs pumped as she leaned over her handlebars. They finally came into sight. Danny had his bike between his legs, and was looking at Jenny. Georgina skidded to a stop beside them. They looked at her like she was crazy, but didn’t say anything. “ I don’t know what got into him.” said Georgina quietly. Danny rubbed his jaw.

“Neither do I.” he said, glancing at Jenny. Jenny just stared back at him. Finally, she looked down, and put a foot on her pedal. “C’mon,” she said, pushing off. “We’ll stop at my house to get ice, and then go do something.” Jenny said. Georgina shrugged, and got on her bike.   They rode along in silence. Everything was peaceful until a silver dagger dug into Georgina’s bike.

* * * * 

Georgina let out a high pitched squeal as the dagger- no, not a dagger. It looked more like a silver claw. That was confirmed when she turned and saw a gray and black bobcat lunge out of the woods. Her legs pumped harder than she ever thought was possible. But of course, that was no match for Danny and Jenny who had been on their bikes before being able to walk.  Georgina didn’t know where they were going when Jenny turned into a crappy looking neighborhood, but followed. She let out a horrified scream as she saw a silver blur pass by her. Was the thing throwing it’s claws? Throwing it’s claws Well then again, anything was possible with Adaru. She leaned over to her side as they turned, trying not to slip on the damp gravel. She had never turned at such a sharp angle at an angle like that. At first, she was doing good. That was until her legs gave out. She nearly fell off her bike as her legs fell limp. Oh god no. Not now. Why now? Why not during the mile run in gym? Suddenly, Georgina heard a shout from up ahead. Jenny was standing in front of a house, holding the door open and screaming. Meanwhile, Danny had ran to the corner of the house, and pick up something. A bat. He held it in his right hand and motioned for Georgina to run With his left. Georgina jumped off her bike, and began to run. At this point, she was seeing spots in her vision.  She had just reached the walkway when she felt it’s hot breath against her neck. And nearly a second after, she heard a sickening crunch. She fell inside the door, her back slamming into the closet. She looked out, and saw Danny holding the bat like he would in a baseball game. The thing lunged again, but this time it reached out it’s paw as if it were going to give Danny a hug. Yeah. A nice warm hug. Danny swung again, this time hitting it in the ribs. It fell onto its back, and Danny ran. It was only when he was diving into the house, that Georgina saw the four claw marks running across his collarbone, just missing his neck. His back slammed into Georgina, causing her yelp. Jenny slammed the door closed, just as the bobcat slammed into the door. Another crunch. Jenny locked the door, and grabbed an umbrella from the closet. Danny scrambled to his feet, his bat high in the air. Georgina crawled over to the window, and looked at the porch. It was gone. “Guys?” she whimpered. “It’s g-gone.” Jenny rushed over to the window and looked out. She cursed silently under her breath.  Georgina leaned against the wall, trying to calm her pounding heart. She looked at Danny, his baseball bat on the floor. He had dropped to the floor, leaving a trail of blood on the banister. His hand was on his collarbone, and his expression was dazed. All at once, there was the pounding of footsteps. A blond woman emerged from the hallway and looked at them with the expression of confusion and the slightest bit of anger. Danny gave a weak smile, and waved. 

“Hi Mrs. Reynolds,” he wheezed.

It took a lot of convincing for Jenny’s mother to not take them to the hospital. Danny claimed that they were just scratches, and that there was no reason to waste money on going to the hospital, when they were probably going to put a band-aid on it.  So, Mrs. Reynolds ran out to Rite-Aid for bandages and gauze. They sat in silence once the door closed. 

“Do you guys want water?” Jenny asked, walking over to the kitchen. Georgina nodded, and licked her lips. She was thirsty. Soon after, Jenny came back with three glasses of water. She slid it across the kitchen table. Georgina drank it within a few gulps. She almost immediately had to go to the bathroom. She got up from the table, and found her way to the bathroom. She sat down, and that was when she heard them start to whisper. She pressed her ear against the door. 

“That wasn’t Alec.” said Jenny. A moment of silence.

 “What are you talking about?” she heard Danny say.

“I’m saying that what happened back there, wasn’t Alec.” 

“Jenny, what are you saying?”

“I’m saying it was Adaru!” Jenny exclaimed loudly. A moment of silence.

“But why?” 

“I don’t kno-”

“ I know.” Danny whispered, barely audible.

“It’s trying to break us up so that our fears become stronger.” Danny said. Georgina nearly gasped.  A wave of relief hit her body. So it wasn’t Alec. Thank god it wasn’t Alec. It was Adaru. That godd*mn Adaru.

 

 

 

Chapter 9

Kenny

Kenny’s steps were ragged as he wheeled his bike into the driveway. He slowly leaned his bike up against the wall of his house. He couldn't believe what happened. He felt broken. They were turning on each other.  It turns out that Alec isn’t exactly the nice, funny person that Kenny thought he was. But no. Wait. When Aaron had dragged Alec away after Danny left, Alec started screaming hysterically. Not just randomly. He kept saying that it wasn’t him. Aaron had slapped him across the face, and screamed at him. And being that Aaron’s voice rarely turned loud, hearing him yell had taken Kenny aback. Kenny kept on trying to think that it wasn’t Alec. It wasn’t Alec. But it was.  Kenny growled. It seemed as if his heart was torn into two. One half was saying that it was Alec. The other.... Adaru. Part of him was saying that what Alec had done was completely wrong, but the other half was saying he understood how Alec felt. Kenny’s father hit him sometimes, and when he did, Kenny would lash out on anyone who tried talking to him.Even his mother. He cringed at the thought. He jumped up the stairs, and pulled open the door. His father was on the couch watching a Yankee game. “Hey, Kenny.” his father said, not looking away from the screen. He seemed pretty normal, but he seemed as if he was in a hurry to relax. Or nervous. His fingers were tapping the couch rapidly. And he had the look on his face as if he was anxious.

“Hi Dad,” Kenny said, stopping in the hallway. “Who’s winning?”

“Yankees.  They’re playing the Rangers.” 

“Cool. I’m gonna go upstairs and finish my homework.”

“Wait.” Kenny turned around. His father had sat up.

“If you could, would you want to go to a Yankee game?” his father asked.

“Of course! Why?”

“I don’t know. You weren’t watching them that much anymore, and I just didn’t know if you still like them.”

“I still like them. I’ve just been busy.” said Kenny. His father nodded, and returned to watching TV. Kenny dragged himself upstairs, and threw his backpack on his bed, and slumped into his chair. He let out a groan as his homework spilled all over the floor. He picked it up, and threw it on the desk. He tried to concentrate, but couldn’t. There was to much going on in his bed. He pounded on the desk, and looked to the side. That was when he saw it. Kenny had never been much of a drawer, but he had the sudden urge to draw. He snatched the notebook from off the windowsill, and began to sketch rapidly. He didn’t know what he was drawing, until he recognized the outline of its face. To his relief, it wasn’t Adaru. It was Amos.  He kept drawing, not stopping until it felt as if his fingers were going to fall off. He leaned back on his chair, and inspected his work. It was amazing. The way that Kenny had perfected the way when Amos smiled, his eyes crinkled. He perfected how his dark blondish hair was pushed off to the side and up. Kenny couldn’t stop now. He flawlessly drew Jenny, and how her smile always reached her blue eyes. He drew Danny’s lopsided smile, and how when he smiled it seemed as if all the bruises on his face were gone. He drew Alec, and how his eyes squinted and his mouth opened when he’d smile. He flawlessly drew Aaron’s shy smile, and how his cheeks lifted to his eyes when he did. He perfected how Georgina’s lips pursed together when she grinned. He leaned back again, staring at the drawings. They were all perfect. He leaned back again. They all looked strong and happy. And that was when it hit him. They were strong.  It wasn’t Alec. They were defeating their fears together, and Adaru had to stop that. So, he forced Alec to break them up. Kenny ran downstairs and dialed his number. No one picked up. He cursed silently under his breath, walking upstairs. He flopped onto his bed, and before he knew it, was asleep.

* * * * 

Kenny woke up, and jumped out of bed. He quickly shoved on a pair of jeans, and shoved his homework in his backpack. He flew down the stairs, skidding to a stop when his father appeared in front of him. “Dad, I gotta go now. If I don’t, I’m gonna be late.” Kenny said, walking around him. Mr. Dunic put a hand on his sons shoulder. “Well, wouldn’t you rather go to a Yankee game?” he asked, grinning. But something seemed off about him. He looked so nervous.

“Seriously?” Kenny asked. “But I have school.”

“It’s fine. It’s not a big deal if you miss one day.” Mr. Dunic said. Kenny dropped his bag.

“I’m gonna go get my stuff.” Kenny said, racing up the stairs. “How long is it gonna take to get there?” Kenny asked, grabbing five dollars from his bank.  

“A couple hours.” called Mr. Dunic.  Kenny groaned. Half an hour with his dad was dreadful. How was he going to survive a couple hours?

Kenny slammed the car door shut, and threw his bag into the back seat. His father took off once Kenny’s seatbelt clicked. “Why are you going so fast?” asked Kenny, gripping the armrest.

“Because,” said his father, his fists white on the steering wheel. “I just need to get out of this place for a day. It’s a big change from Brooklyn.” Kenny nodded, and looked out the window. And to be honest, the ride wasn’t that bad. They blasted Aerosmith and AC/DC the entire ride. Kenny rarely took his head away from the window, watching as his surroundings changed from rural and wood-like, to more populated and urban. He took a short nap, thought a little about what might be going on back home, and imagined himself on the mound, pitching for the Yankees. His mother was there. That was what made him happy. Not the fact that he was pitching for the New York Yankees to Rick Cerone, but the fact that his mother was there. He could have been pitching for the Mets, or even the Phillie’s, but he’d still be happy. When he awoke, they had arrived. Kenny stepped out of the car, and took a big whiff of the air.  Instantly, he felt homesick. The Bronx reminded him of Brooklyn. Him and his father walked among the crowd, where Kenny felt he belonged. His tan face mixed in with everyone else, along with his high cheekbones and Brooklyn accent. He felt at home. Kenny was taken aback by the size of the stadium when he entered. He had never seen such green grass, and such perfection on the foul lines. Everything was so perfect. The smell of hotdogs and cotton candy drifted in the air as they walked to their seats on the first base side. Mr. Dunic was calmer, but still seemed anxious. “I’m gonna go get a hot dog. Be right back.” said Kenny, fishing two quarters out of his pocket. His father nodded, and watched as the players warmed up. Kenny ran up the steps, and searched for a vendor. He finally spotted a chubby bald man walking through an isle near him. He ran down, got his hot dog But instead of walking back to his seat, he began to wander the ballpark. If this was going to be the last time he was in Yankee Stadium, he wanted to explore. He wolfed down his hotdog, and stopped at another vendor for cotton candy. He let the soft, paper like candy dissolve on his tongue as he walked. He nearly gasped as the entire field came into sight. It was enormous. He bet that upstate New York couldn’t have anything close to this. He kept walking until he reached the outfield, and stretched his neck above the crowd to get a glimpse. He looked at center field, almost expecting an apple to be there. He remembered that when he first moved to upstate New York, him and Danny had an argument about the Mets and Yankees. Danny had claimed that whenever the Mets hit a homerun, and giant apple with the Mets logo popped out of center field. Kenny had asked if that was the only reason why he liked the Mets, and Danny had said no. “Its because my dad likes the Yankees.” he had said, throwing Kenny a baseball so hard that Kenny felt it throughout his arm. Kenny didn’t ask any questions after that. He kept walking until he reached his seat again. His father was leaning forwards on his elbows, watching the game. His father always loved baseball. Kenny jogged down the aisle. His father barely took his eyes off the game. And neither did Kenny for the next hour.

* * * * 

The Yankees ended up winning, which made the experience ten times better. Him and his father talked baseball all the way to the car. But when they reached the car, Mr. Dunic sat down and froze. “Dad, what’s the matter?” Kenny asked, sliding into the passenger seat. His father didn’t answer. But his knuckles were as white as a Yankees uniform. Kenny closed the door. “Dad! What’s the matter?” Kenny asked again, growing concerned.

“Do you want to stay the night in Brooklyn?” his father asked.

“Da! What’s the matter!”

“I mean, we can stay in a hotel.”

“Dad!”

“I just don’t feel like going back.”

“DAD!” Kenny screamed. His father froze. Kenny took a deep breath.”What. Is. The. Matter.” Kenny asked, watching his father. Mr. Dunic hesitated.

“Ariana Faden was murdered yesterday.”

Alec & Aaron

Another hard shove from Aaron. “WHAT THE F*CK IS WRONG WITH YOU?” Aaron screamed, bashing him into the wall. He was silent the entire ride home, and lashed out on him the second they walked inside. Alec put his hands up to block Aaron again, but failed.

“YOU GO AND ATTACK OUR FRIEND, AND THEN YOU SAY THAT IT WASN’T YOU! WHAT THE F*CK IS WRONG WITH YOU, YOU F*CKING ASSHOLE!” Aaron yelled.

“It wasn’t me!” cried Alec as his back was bashed into the wall.

“OH, YEAH!” Aaron screamed. “THEN WHO THE F*CK WAS IT?”

“You’ll just yell at me again!”

“YOU’RE D*MN RIGHT I WILL!”

“Exactly!”

“TELL ME! TELL ME WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!” Aaron screamed again, shoving Alec again.

“GET YOUR F*CKING HANDS OFF ME!” snarled Alec.

“THEN TELL ME!” cried Aaron.

“TELL ME GODDAMNIT!”

“YOU WON’T BELIEVE ME!”

“I don’t give a f*ck.” growled Aaron, lowly. Alec was silent for the first time in the evening. “It was Adaru.” whispered Alec. “It was that godd*mned Adaru.” Aaron didn’t say anything. He just got up, and walked away.  

* * * * 

“You’re going, and apologizing.” said Aaron, walking beside Alec. Alec groaned. Aaron, gave him the death glare, despite how hard it was. He knew that it wasn’t Alec. He knew it right when he started attacking Danny. But he felt like he would be a criminal if he had sided with Alec. So, he yelled at him. But then when he acted like he was mad, he started actually getting mad. And that was when his rage took over. Aaron turned the corner, nearly bumping into a kid. 

“Oh, sorry.” said Aaron, looking up. He felt as if a rock was dropped in his stomach when he looked up. Danny stood in front of them, his jaw tight. Aaron gave him a small smile, not knowing what else to do. 

“Hi, Danny.” Aaron said, shoving his hands into his pockets. Danny nodded and looked down.  From beside him, Alec groaned. 

“Listen, Danny. I’m sorry. I don’t know what got into me. I’m a f*cking idiot.” said Alec. Danny stared at him, a small grin on his face. “But anyways, how's life?” Alec asked, casually. 

“Good. I have to go get something from my locker. Wanna come?” Danny asked. Aaron was surprised he didn’t know that it was going to be that easy. Aaron shrugged and began walking.  Danny turned and shouldered his backpack, revealing bandage from leading from the side of his neck to across his collarbone. 

“What happened?” Aaron asked, gesturing to the bandage. Surprisingly, Danny didn’t seem nervous. “On the ride back, a mountain lion attacked us.” said Danny, putting his combination into his locker. “And the kitty-cat scratched me after I beat it with Amos’s bat.” 

“What about Jenny and Georgina?”

“They’re fine. Just shaken up.” Danny said, opening his locker. Aaron nodded, and looked down the hall. “Hey, look,” said Aaron, gesturing down the hall. “It’s our r*tarded janitor! Bill or something.”

“How do you know he’s r*tarded? Spend a lot of time together?” asked Alec. Aaron glared at him. “Go f*ck yourself.” he growled. Danny turned, and raised an eyebrow.

“He probably lives in that looney house down south.” Aaron said, ignoring his brother.

“Have a lot of family there?” asked Danny, slamming his locker shut. Aaron slapped his back. Danny winced, but smiled. The halls were silent, with the exception of their footsteps. Danny kept on looking behind him at the janitor. His expression began to grow worried as time went on.

“Aaron?” Danny asked, speeding up. “Why is he following us?”

“What?”

“Look! He left his stuff back there!” Danny said. Aaron turned. The janitor was walking towards them each step carefully.  And he left his stuff behind. 

“Holy sh*t.” Aaron said under his breath. He pushed Alec and Danny forwards. “C’mon. Let’s just get out.” Aaron said. Danny nodded, and that was when Aaron saw a meaty hand wrap around Alec’s throat. A gurgle came out of Alec’s throat as the janitor lifted him in the air, staring at him with an expressionless face.  Aaron let out an unintentional scream just as Danny gave the janitor a solid punch to the gut. He dropped Alec, and doubled over in pain, all while screaming like the mental patient he was. “RUN!” Aaron screamed, his legs beginning to pump. They ran towards the front entrance as if the devil himself was chasing them. And that was when Aaron noticed that something was wrong. All of the kids were gone. The doors where locked, and there was no one in sight. Apparently, Danny had noticed that too. He swerved down another hall, coming down so low on the turn that he had to steady himself with his hands on the floor. Meanwhile, Alec was tailing Danny, gaining on him by the second.  Bill let out an angry roar as they gained distance away. Aaron heard a shout from up ahead, and his head snapped forwards. Alec was in front of Danny by a few yards now, and was pointing towards an exit in the corner. Within seconds, Alec was there, slamming his shoulder into it. Panic was plastered all over Alec’s face as he realized that it too was locked. But instead of stopping, Danny turned again, and ran off to the side of the halls, his hands running over every handle. Finally, one bent down and the door opened. Danny skidded to a stop and dove into their language art teachers room. Aaron grabbed his brother by the collar, and dove in, slamming the door behind him. Within seconds, Bill was at the door, slamming his meaty fists against the window. Out of the corner of his eye, Aaron saw Danny run to the corned, and grab a yardstick sitting on the chalkboards. Aaron got the hint,  ran over and grabbed a chair. Alec stumbled behind him, and snatched two pairs of scissors from the desk.  

By now, Bill was slamming his shoulder into the door. At first, Aaron thought it would hold. But those hopes were crushed when the door began to give, cracks forming in the old wood. With one more strong ram, the door shattered, and the man was standing before them. Aaron didn’t waste a second throwing the chair over his head. The chair caught Bill in the face, blood beginning to pour from his eye.  

But the janitor didn’t even show the slightest emotion. From beside him, Danny screamed, running forwards. He brought the yardstick across the janitor like he would with a baseball and bat. The yardstick shattered on impact, but now Aaron was able to tell that he was in pain. Alec lunged forwards, digging his scissors into the janitor’ stomach and arm. He screamed with agony, and doubled over, blocking the doorway. Suddenly, he snapped upwards, his arms reaching outwards towards Danny. But instead of moving, Danny snarled at him, and lunged forwards, tackling him. Aaron was taken aback. Even though Danny was muscular for his age, Aaron would have never thought that he would be able to take down a man. Aaron winced as he heard a crunch, right when the janitor’s neck was bashed into the wall. The doorway was open now, but Aaron knew that they couldn’t go that way. All of the doors were locked. Aaron grabbed a chair, and threw it into the window, shattering it. Danny’s head snapped up when he heard it shatter, and got the idea. He scrambled over the fallen desks, and dove out the window. Aaron grabbed Alec, (who had be frozen in fear), and threw him out the window. Aaron jumped out after him, the janitors screams fading behind him. Once outside, Alec snapped out of his trance, and sprinted to catch up to Danny. Alec ran like he would in a track meet when he came to his senses. Long strides, straight back, and flat hands. Aaron on the other hand ran like a tiger, his back hunched over. His hands were curved when he ran, and he ran as if someone was pushing him in short bursts. Meanwhile, Danny ran slightly hunched over. His strides were long and quick, just like Alec’s. He focused on that as he ran, not stopping until he reached the small cave on Palahu Bend. Alec stumbled inside, and leaned on his elbows. Danny staggered over to the back and sat down as if his legs had no strength left in them. Aaron leaned against the wall, the sudden urge to vomit overcoming him. He gagged, and stumbled outside of the overhang, not wanting his friend to see him vomit. He coughed, and soon he was throwing up. He felt a skinny hand on his back, and immediately knew that it was Alec’s. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and turned around. Alec had a hand on his brother’s back. Danny was in the corner, looking away with respect. 

“Sorry guys.” Aaron said, straightening up. “I'm not a runner.

“We figured that out a while ago,” laughed Alec.

“Just like how we figured out your inability to bench press ten pounds.” Aaron said. The rest of the time, they talked about the Mets, and how they were going to win the world series again just like they did a year ago in 1986. They talked about AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, and The Police. They talked about how Joe Montana was the best quarterback in football history. They talked about everything any normal kid from 1987 would. 

Danny

Kenny bounced up and down  as if he was on a pogo stick as he waited for someone to get open. Danny spun around his defender, causing his cheap helmet to rattle around his head. His defender, Michael Trimble(who had an obvious crush on Jenny), stumbled as his ankles crossed while trying to catch Danny. Kenny apparently saw this, and chucked the football up just as Danny reached out his hands. He legs pumped so hard that he thought that they were going to just stop moving. Thankfully, they didn’t. He kept running, trying to catch up with the spiral, floating through the air like it had all the time in the world. And finally, it came down. It landed easily in his open arms, just like any other ball that Kenny threw. He kept running until he reached the end zone, Michael giving up behind him. He slowed down in the endzone, and ran back. His scrimmage jersey was covered in sweat along with his chest pads. He heard a whistle blow and jogged towards Kenny. He ripped off his sweaty helmet, thrilled to breath without a sour tasting mouth guard ruining his air. Kenny saw him, and slowed down. “Nice catch.” he said.

“Thanks. But that throw was great.” Danny said, squirting water into his mouth. Kenny grinned. “Thanks.” he said. Danny gave him a small grin, and began walking away.  Danny was happy that Kenny had smiled, being that he hadn’t smiled the entire day. He seemed off. Like he was anxious or hiding something. But with everything going on, it seemed kind of normal. He jogged to the edge of the field a little faster. He’d promised Jenny at lunch that he’d meet her at the Cliff along with Aaron. She’d asked everyone, but apparently Georgina had a birthday party. Alec had to go to track tryouts, Amos was going to extra help after school, and Kenny said that he just wasn’t in the mood. He threw his chest guards under his arm, and jumped on his bike. He waved  to Kenny and Michael, and rode off. 

* * * * 

He skidded to a stop at the front of his house, barely noticing that his mother’s car was in the driveway. As he walked up the steps, the same nervous feeling he got when his father was in a bad mood erupted in his stomach. He took a deep breath, and opened the door. His father was watching a Yankee game. The smell of cigars made the air thick and hard to breath, just like how the smell of liquor on his father's breath made Danny feel as if he was going to suffocate. Mrs. Garcia was sitting at the table, papers spread out all over the table. “Hi mom.” he said quietly, slinking into his room. She barely looked up. “Hi Richie.” Danny resisted the urge to say that it was Danny. His own mother didn’t even know her own son’s voice.  If Danny had said it was him, she probably would’ve looked up and said, “Who are you?”. She’d done that more than once. His mother forgot his name, and his father wouldn’t call him by it if there was a gun pointed at his head. To his father, his name was b*stard, f*cking idiot, son of a b*tch, coward, *sshole, f*cking retard, and a mother f*cker. To his mother, he was anyone but Danny. Or even Daniel. He closed the door behind him, and changed into a pair of shorts and t-shirt. Danny quietly opened the door, and slipped out the front door, forgetting to tell his mother that he was going out. He jumped on his bike, and began pedalling. He rode through town, taking in the sights and temporary peace of being away from home. He stood up and pedaled harder as his surroundings became more rural. He turned into a narrow dirt path in the wood, barely slowing. He finally came to a stop when the roots became large enough where some unlucky person could break more than an ankle in it. He wheeled his bike into the clearing, where he saw Jenny sitting at the edge of the Cliff. Her feet were hanging over the ledge, and she was leaning back on her hands. She turned as she her the dirt crunch under Danny’s tires. “Hi.” she said. Danny nodded, and leaned his bike against a tree. “Hey,” he said, sitting down next to her. They sat in awkward silence for a few moments, until Jenny finally broke the silence. “When’s Aaron coming?” she asked. Danny snapped out of his trance. He nodded again. “Dunno. Probably soon. He usually takes a long time.” he stated. Her black eye was fading, leaving a yellowish bruise underneath her eye. Jenny shrugged.

“Oh,” Danny began “You never told me what happened to your eye.”  Jenny looked at him.

“I’ll tell you, if you admit it.”

“Admit what?”

“You know. Your not an idiot.” she said, raising an eyebrow.

“Maybe I am.” Danny said, smiling. But he knew that he wasn’t an idiot. He was just a bastard, f*cking idiot, son of a b*tch, coward, *sshole, f*cking r*tard, and mother f*cker. He’d gotten used to those names. Jenny punched him.

“I’m not saying anything until you say something.” she said. They grew quiet. Danny was split. One half of him wanted to say nothing, and keep her safe. But the other half wanted to just blurt everything out, and what everything was like. What having your parents not know who you are, what having your drunken father beat the crap out of you everyday feels like. What having your little brother put bandaids on you while your unconscious because no one else gives a f*ck. What waking up nearly screaming feels like because of a nightmare about your father or the pain is just too much.  What having to protect seven boys from a dangerously drunk man was like, and what raising seven kids did to him. But as he looked into Jenny’s blue eyes, he knew he could trust her.

“Fine. I admit it.” he said, staring at the lake. Jenny was quiet.

“My dad came home two nights ago and said that he wanted us back. He was as drunk as your dad probably, and would’ve taken me if Amos hadn’t showed up and beat the crap out of him.” she said. Danny grit his teeth. He was supposed to be the only one. He was supposed to be the only one who’s father came home drunk and gave them black eyes. And if he wasn’t, then why did it have to be Jenny? Why the f*ck Jenny? They sat in silence until they Jenny spoke up again. 

 “Danny, why didn’t you say anything? This could have been over with a long time ago!” she exclaimed, her voice rather angry. Danny looked at her and felt his insides fall apart. How could he lie to one of the only people he trusts.

“Because,” he said, his words barely audible “I think that if you had a gun pointed at your head, you wouldn’t either.” blood drained from Jenny’s face just as Aaron walked through the brush, his bike beside. His head was hanging low, and he had a shocked. look on his face. Danny got up immediately when he saw Aaron’s expression. “Aaron?” Danny asked, taking a small step forwards. “Are you okay?” he asked. Aaron looked up, his face full of grief and despair. Jenny jumped out from behind Danny. “Aaron?” she said, panic edging its way into her voice. His head snapped up.

“I-I can’t say.” He stuttered. “But you might want to check o-on Ariana.”  Jenny didn’t hesitate for a second. She ran to get her bike. “Jenny, wait!” Danny said, stumbling over to his bike. But Jenny didn’t wait. She jumped on her bike, and sped out. Danny pushed off of his bike, not stopping until he heard Aaron. “Wait, Danny!” Aaron cried, staggering through the woods. Danny stopped, and waited for him to come within a few feet, and then took off. Jenny was already well ahead of him, and was going at a speed that Danny would never be able to catch up to. Wind buzzed in his ears, turning them red and cold. Despite the warm weather, his cheeks were beginning to grow red from the wind. Jenny turned down a hill, and Danny followed. Aaron was wheezing from behind, but Danny ignored him. It was hard for him, believe me. Danny’s stomach suddenly turned dropped as he thought deeper about what Aaron had said. “You might want to go check on Ariana.”. Danny’s head grew light as he realized what could have happened to her. Robbery. Rape. Maybe she was in an accident, or there was a home invasion. Maybe she was laying on the floor of her house unconcious, just like Danny after coming home from school. Tears threatened to spill from his squinted eyes. He’d known Ariana since first grade.  Of course, Jenny had know her longer, but still. Ariana was practically Danny’s sister. Even though he was friends with Jenny and Ariana, she saw Ariana differently. Jenny felt more like a close friend (and lately, something more). Danny had always secretly wished that he had a sister after meeting her. It was nice to have someone who cared. Danny remembered when they were younger, Ariana and him used to play all the time. As the years went on, and being best friends with a girl became abnormal, they grew slightly apart. But he always said hi to her in the halls, like he did every other girl he knew. He always tried to be nice to her. 

Danny was so lost in his thoughts about Ariana that he almost missed Jenny turn. He skidded around the bend, and came to a stop next to Jenny. She was staring her best friends house as if it were her mother’s grave. When Danny turned, that’s exactly what it felt like. A police car was in the driveway. At that moment, the front door opened. A clean-shaven officer, bowed his head, and walked to his car. He saw them, and stopped. The officer frowned, and walked over. 

“What are you kids here for? Playing around is not the time.” he said. Danny shook his head, noticing that Jenny was unable to speak. 

“No, we came to see Ariana Faden.” he said, a sick feeling building up in his throat. The officers head dropped. 

“I hate my job.” he mumbled.

“What?” Danny asked, noticing that Jenny’s hand was now cutting off the circulation in his arm.  

“I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but she was murdered yesterday.” he said, and walked away. Danny froze. Murdered. Suddenly, he felt a pulling on his arm. He turned, and saw that Jenny’s legs were giving out. Both of her hands were wrapped around his arm as if it were her lifeline. He pulled her up, and she started crying. Danny shifted his arms under hers, so that she was practically holding her up. Jenny’s arms wrapped around his neck, and he ignored the fact that her knuckles rested on the bruise that his father gave him the night before. Aaron came up from beside her, and placed a hand on her back, that other hand on Danny’s. They stayed like that until the officer came back.

* * * * 

Danny’s hand rested on the doorknob. He didn’t want to go in. He already knew that his parents were mad at him. Enraged, in fact. He heard them yelling inside. He heard his mother saying that Danny does nothing for the family. That he was a good for nothing son of a b*tch. He heard his father say that when he got home, he was going to beat the f*cking sh*t out of him. He heard his mother say he deserved it. Danny took a deep breath, and walked inside. His mother and father were sitting at the kitchen table. His father had a beer in his hand, his mother a glass of red wine. When his father saw him, he pounded his fist against the table. Danny shrunk back into the wall as his father advanced towards him.

 “Where the f*ck were you?” he snarled, delivering a solid punch to Danny’s jaw. Danny didn’t answer. He just pressed himself further up against the wall, and glanced at his mother. She was staring right at him, not moving a muscle. Not lifting a single f*cking finger to stand up for her eldest son That hurt even more than the beatings that his father gave him. His father shoved him into the wall again. “WHERE THE F*CK WERE YOU?” His father cried, punching him. “YOU LEFT YOUR WORKING MOTHER ALONG WITH SEVEN KIDS! YOU LEFT THE HOUSE WITHOUT TELLING HER!” he screamed. Suddenly he leaned in close, pushing Danny further into the wall. 

“And I didn’t get to have my fun, either.” he snarled, grinning. But Danny wasn’t paying attention. He was watching his mother. Even though she probably forgot who he was, he loved her. And now she was staring blankly as her husband beat him to a pulp. His father screamed in his ear, but it sounded as if he were underwater. Danny couldn’t tear his eyes away from his mother. Suddenly, his father had him by the collar of his shirt, and was throwing him on the floor. He felt all the air leave his lungs as his body made contact with the floor. His trance was broken, and heard everything. Saw everything. 

“Take your shirt off, you f*cking b*stard.” his father snarled, undoing his belt. Danny did so, and grasped the corner of the coffee table as the lashes came. One after another. But that didn’t bother him. It didn’t bother him that a new collection of scars on his back. He didn’t care at all. What was tearing him apart on the insides was the fact that his mother was sitting there, watching. Smiling. Enjoying the entertainment. Like a circus. Step right up folks, and watch as Danny Garcia falls apart! Watch as his father beats him to the point where his back is numb and bloody! Step right up and watch the show! Suddenly, something hit him in his side, causing him to fall over. He was hit again and again, only to open his eyes and see a boot go flying at his chest.  After what felt like a lifetime of beatings, his father finally threw his beer bottle at Danny, and screamed for him to get to his room. And he did. He stumbled into his room, and shut the door behind him. His brothers were all sound asleep. Or faking it. They did that a lot. Danny chucked his bloodied shirt at the ground, and stared at his reflection. Why him. Why. But he knew why. Because he didn’t have the guts to make anyone else go through what he had to go through. He fell to his knees at his bed, pounding at the cushion. Thankfully, no one was in the bed. It was his turn to sleep on the bed. Mason, Richie, and Bobby were all huddled in their sleeping bags on the floor with their heads turned away from their older brother. He didn’t even care about waking his brothers at this point. Tears came out of him uncontrollably. He shoulders shook to the point where he couldn’t control it. He cried like he hadn’t cried in five years. He punched his rock-hard bed again as the thought of telling someone, anyone, about home. He could end it. But he couldn’t. Because the same memory came back whenever he thought about telling someone. His father had retreated to his room, and came back out with a black object. Danny didn’t know what it was at first, due to his blurred vision. But when it was pointed at his head, he knew exactly what it was. He felt the cold metal dug into his temple, his heart nearly stopped beating. His father had said that if he told anyone,  he would have a bullet in his head. Along with whoever he told. And that was when it hit him. Why hadn’t it before? Why not, goddammit? Jenny.

Amos & Jenny

Amos  wished that we could say that he calmed Jenny down. But he couldn’t. She hadn’t stopped crying since the night before when  she found out Ariana died. Amos hadn’t either really, but still. He had himself in control. Jenny barely did. When she had gotten home the night before, Amos had to practically carry her out of the police cruiser. She’d cried hysterically the rest of the night. And when she finally fell asleep (which was for only about two hours), she hadn’t slept peacefully. She twisted and turned, mumbling Ariana’s name, and occasionally Danny’s and Aaron’s which Amos found odd. Amos didn’t like it. And when she woke up again, she woke up in hysterical sobs. Being so, Amos was up the entire next two nights with her. And Amos was able to tell by the redness in his eyes as he looked in the mirror. And the way his face seemed to be sagging. Amos sighed, and tightened his tie. He walked into his room, where Jenny was wearing a black dress, staring at the ground. A single tear rolled down her cheek. Amos frowned and walked over to her. He hoisted her up, and wrapped an arm around her. Her head leaned against his shoulder as they walked. Amos’s mother was already in the car, her big glasses on. She was crying too. He took a deep breath, and walked outside. It was a beautiful day. How ironic. The sun was shining in the cloudless sky, and the birds were singing like there was no tomorrow. Those godd*mn birds. He gently helped Jenny into the car, and slid into the passenger's seat. His mother took off.

* * * * 

Amos stood in front of the large, clean looking building. Such a beautiful building for a horrible cause. Jenny was already inside. But he wasn’t prepared. He waited outside on the bench, looking for his friends. Waves of people walked in passed him, each one giving him a sympathetic look. He finally spotted Danny, walking towards the steps.  Amos walked inside, looking behind him to watch Danny. His head was downcast, and it appeared that there were no parents in sight. His suit looked like it had seen better days, along with his tie. Finally, a mousy looking woman with gray eyes appeared behind him, her eyes staring lasers into the back of his head. Danny seemed to cower at her gaze. He saw them, and the sign on the side of their pew saying “Friends”. He began walking over, but his mother grabbed his shoulder, and snarled something in his ear. Danny just stared at Ariana’s casket. He turned to her, said something, and then walked away, leaving his mother dumbfounded. He sat down next to Jenny, and looked at Amos. Amos grit his teeth, and nodded. Danny let out a breath, and looked at Jenny. She didn’t move. Jenny was staring at the front of the church as if  Her arm had closed around Amos’s arm, along with Danny’s wrist. Alec and Aaron came next, Alec’s usual humor nowhere to be found. Aaron looked completely depressed. Meanwhile, Georgina had tears rolling down her face, ruining the very little mascara she had on. Amos found that odd. She used to look like a f*cking barbie with her make-up, and now she rarely wears any. Amos thought that she looked better that way. She looked less fake. Kenny finally walked in, his father with a stunned look on his face.The priest walked in, shaking everyone’s hand, comforting the parents. But once he saw them, a look of disgust crossed his face. Amos scowled. He knew that they were quite a sight of course. A skeleton boy, a bodybuilder, a football jock, a bruised boy, a wannabe model, a princess, and a new kid in town. Quite the sight. The priest probably couldn’t believe that they were friends with such a nice girl like Ariana.  Danny looked away when the priest saw them, probably used to the stares. Jenny stared at him, her mouth open in surprise and disgust. Alec smiled sweetly, and Aaron stared down the priest. Georgina opened her mouth, but Kenny pushed her back, his expression saying don’t-f*ck-with-me-right-now. The priest walked away, his eyes still trained on them like an owl. (Those godd*mn birds). They sat in silence until the music started. It was the saddest music Amos had ever heard. And what Amos saw during that music was even sadder. Ariana’s casket was being carried by six policeman. Of course. Her father was a policeman. Her parents followed behind, Mrs. Faden in complete tears. And her husband was just holding them back. Her eight year old brother was staring at the ground, her sister who had just began sixth grade, sobbing. Jenny’s hand tightened on Amos’s arm. Out of the corner of his eye, Amos saw Danny’s jaw twitch, as if he was in pain. Which probably was, considering what the kid looked like. The casket was set down at the front of the church, slowly and carefully The priest began speaking, but Amos didn’t hear anything. Everything was sounded like it was underwater. All he was able to focus on was how the life-sized Jesus behind the caskets eyes had turned coal black. It’s neutral face turned into an evil grin. It took all of Amos’s strength to not go and bash the thing against the floor. Apparently, Danny saw it to, being that Amos could hear his breath hitch from where he was. Jenny had seen it too, her grip had tightened(if that was even possible). Aaron’s arms tightened, Alec and Georgina’s jaws dropped, and Kenny let out a small gasp. A couple of people glared at them. But Ariana’s parents didn’t. Because her parents were understanding, just like their daughter. They knew something was wrong. They knew that something was wrong with their dead daughters friends. They knew because the life-sized Jesus on the wall told her so.

* * * * 

Jenny hadn’t moved for the past fifteen minutes. She just sat in her chair, and stared at the table cloth. She was afraid to look away from it. She was afraid because Ariana’s dead body was in the front of the room. She couldn’t bear to look at her dead friend.  Especially not alone. Amos had gone to see her parents, Georgina was bawling her eyes out in that bathroom, and Alec said that their mother was forcing them to stay as a family. She hadn’t seen Kenny at all since the mass. She let out a breath, and took a small sip of water. She nearly spit it out when someone sat down beside her. She cupped her hand under her mouth and turned around. Danny was sitting next to her, his green eyes focused on a mousy looking woman standing in the corner, checking her watch. He turned to her, and let out a breath. Jenny swallowed her water, and leaned her head on her had. “I’m sorry.” Danny said quietly, his hands clenching together under the table. Jenny shook her head.

“No, I’m sorry.” she said. She knew that wasn’t what your supposed to say when someone “I’m sorry”, but she had to apologize. “I was just worried about myself. I didn’t even say thank you for yesterday.” she said, her face turning red. Danny smiled, and turned away. He was embarrassed too. She turned away too, remembering how he practically carried her to the police cruiser. How he’d held her up and hugged her. And she hadn’t even realized that he had lost a girl who was practically his sister. She hadn’t even thanked Aaron who had convinced the cop to drive them home. She was just about to say thank you, but a line had suddenly formed behind them. A line leading to Ariana’s casket. Jenny’s head snapped towards Danny, her blue eyes locking with his green ones. Jenny felt her heart quicken, and randomly grasped for Danny’s hand. She heard Danny’s breath seize as they made contact. A silent agreement passed between them, and Jenny knew that she had to go up.  Jenny took and deep breath and closed her eyes. It was Ariana. She had to. She got up and gave Danny and small, thankful smile. He smiled back, his face beet red. She hobbled over to Amos and her mother, grasping on to them for balance. Jenny felt as if she was underwater as they came closer to the casket. The only thing that she heard were her footsteps, and the heartbroken sobs of Ariana’s parents. Everything suddenly came in focus when they approached the casket. Everything grew silent as her eyes settled upon Ariana’s resting face. She seemed so peaceful. Her dirty blond hair was in a careful braid. A beautiful blue dress engulfed her like a waterfall. Her face was coated with the slightest amount of makeup, which Jenny knew Ariana would have probably hated. Ariana had always despised makeup. She claimed that it was like putting a mask over your face. It was like you didn’t want anyone to see what you truly looked like. Anyways, she looked absolutely beautiful. The makeup brought out her features, causing Jenny to notice things about her that she had never noticed before. Suddenly, she felt a pulling on her arm. She turned and saw Amos, his face solem and dark, pulling her away. She hoisted herself up, and walked away. But not without touching Ariana’s hand and going through every inside joke they ever had in her mind. Amos lead her back to the table, where he forced her to sit down. She did so, and watched as Alec and Aaron approached the casket. Alec’s usual spark was gone, and Aaron seemed as if her was seconds away from tears. Kenny went next, his face a mix of  grief and depression. His father trailed behind him, his head shaking slightly. Danny walked behind Kenny, his mother beside him. His mother was staring lasers into the back of his head as if she was going to punch him at any second. Jenny guessed that she probably was, being that she was married to a coward who entertained himself by beating his son. She wanted to go and rip that woman’s throat out. She watched as Danny kneeled at the casket, the nervous look on his face gone. His mother was half-kneeling next to him, her eyes flicking from the exit to the casket. Disgusting. They finally got up, and left. The priest and a few other people said a few words, but Jenny didn’t hear anything. Not a thing.

* * * * 

“I’m so sorry for your loss,” Nick said, holding his hat on his chest. The girls mother shook her head, and patted him on the shoulder. He smiled sadly, and held open the door for her. She nodded her thank you, her husband shaking his hand on the way out. Nick looked at the rest of the room, wondering how much longer the rest of the people were going to stay. He wanted to leave. Now that the parents had left, they would probably leave soon. He eyed a beautiful young girl and what looked like her brother as they stood in the corner, staring at the girl’s corpse. Another boy was walking Nick’s way, the boy’s face covered in horrible bruises. Behind the boy was a stony-eyed woman who seemed to not give a sh*t that there was a dead girl in the front of the room. Nick nodded at them on their way out, looking the boy in the eye. Nick’s eyebrows furrowed. He recognized this boy. He recognized all these kids. He closed his eyes, flashing back to when he saw the kids faces. His eyes snapped open. The hospital. The Faden’s house. He had driven them home after the girl collapsed on the bruised boys, and stocky one pleaded for a ride home. They had been attacked by a bear. He grit his teeth. At least that was what they said. Nick hadn’t believed them for a second. He could tell something was up. Especially because when the brother and sister walked out with a rich looking brat he overheard the words, “Adaru”, “Kill it”, “Palahu Bend”, and “Monster”. Something was up. And it wasn’t because of the kids and their lies. It was because when Nick had found the girl, a tall humanoid figure had fled the scene, leaving Ariana in a pool of black blood. Just like his sister.

Georgina

Georgina lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling. How could that have happened. How could she have died. How?  She groaned, and rolled over. She squeezed her puffy, red eyes shut and tried falling asleep. But she couldn’t. She sighed, and rolled out of bed. Georgina walked over to the doorway, and stood there until her parents noticed her. Her mother came rushing over. “Oh, sweetie! Are you okay? You don’t look so good.” she said, placing her hand on Georgina’s forehead. “No, I’m fine.” Georgina said, brushing her mother’s hand away. “I just don’t know if I want to go shopping tomorrow. I just want to take a break.” she said, looking at the ground. She was playing the depressed card, and her parents believed it. “Oh, honey! Of course you can!” she said. Georgina thanked her mother, and began walking back to her room. But then she froze.

“Hey, Mom?” she asked, turning around.

“Yes, honey?”

“Do you mind if I call Jenny and all my friends. I want to make sure that they’re okay.”

“Sure thing.  But don’t spend to much time on the phone.”

“Okay!” Georgina said, hurrying over to the phone. She dialed Jenny’s number and waited. Jenny picked up within seconds. And that was when Georgina told Jenny her idea.

* * * *

Georgina quickly turned into a small alleyway between Milfords Deli and Mr. Softee Ice Cream. She felt something squeeze her heart when she saw the shape of a person in the alleyway, but realized that it was only Kenny. He was wearing a black baseball shirt and bluish converse, his usual outfit. He noticed her, and smiled. 

           “Hi.” he mumbled, in the bored tone that he usually used. 

“You almost scared the sh*t out of me when I saw you in there. It looked like you where a murderer or something.”

“No duh. I’m what my dad likes to call, ‘an alley walker’” he said, making quotation marks with his hands. Georgina laughed, but froze when she noticed a dog-like figure beside him. Kenny laughed again. “Why do you look so scared? You asked me to bring Jack, so I brought Jack.” Kenny said, scratching the tan dogs ears. It groaned, and tilted it’s head towards Kenny’s hand. Georgina giggled. Kenny grinned, and wrapped his other hand around Jack’s head just as Amos and Jenny pulled into the alleyway. Jenny leapt off her bike, and ran to the dog. Apparently, Jack liked her to because he went running. He squirmed around Jenny’s hands as she rubbed his sides. Jenny giggled. “He’s a sweetie.” she said.

“He seems more like an idiot to me.” Amos said, patting the dog on the head.

“No duh.” Kenny said. “He’s only smart when he wants to be.”  Jack suddenly trotted towards the exit of the alleyway, where Danny, Alec and Aaron were wheeling their bikes in. Alec leaned his bike against the wall. “Okay Georgina, what did you bring us here for.? It better be important, because my mom thinks that I’m laying home, sick.” Alec said. Georgina waved him off.

“Believe me. I think I know how we can kill it, or at least injure it.” Georgina said. 

“Go on.” Alec said, glancing at Aaron.

“ Just think about it,” Georgina said. They had all gathered around her by now. “We’ve already weakened it by going in that cave, that one fight with it when Danny was torn apart, and we’ve just been fighting it overall this entire time. So, if we go back now when it is weak, then we may have a chance.” Georgina said. Alec was looking at at her skeptically and Aaron was gritting his teeth. Jenny’s eyes were glued on Danny, whose hand was wrapped around the back of his neck. 

“I don’t know, Georgina. I kind of just feel like we should take a break right now. It’s just hard right now.” Aaron said, stepping forwards.Of course, how could she have forgotten. Suddenly, a wave of anger struck her.

“Exactly!” Georgina cried, her hands flying in the air. Aaron stumbled back.

“What do you mea-” 

“I mean, do you actually think that it was a human being that killed her? Are you serious?”

“Yeah! I do! I’d like to believe something that a normal kid would!”

“Well then, how about we murder the thing that makes us ‘not normal’, so that we can believe things that make us normal!” Georgina cried. Aaron let out a breath. He knew that once Georgina got started, there was no stopping her. He dropped his hands. 

“She’s right.” Danny said, stepping forwards. “For Ariana. What’s the worst that can happen? I mean, if we kill it, we kill our fears. And I have no problem with doing that.” he said. Georgina smiled. She knew that he would agree. “Fine.” Jenny said, glancing at Danny. “For Ariana.”

“For Ariana.” Alec said.

“For Ariana.” Aaron mumbled, his head dropping. Kenny and Amos nodded, Jack going back to Kenny’s side. 

“Well, Queen Georgina. Where do we start?” Alec asked. Georgina froze. Her idea had seemed good before, but now it seemed weak. Suddenly, Danny snapped. His eyes were shining, and Georgina could practically see the gears turning in his head. “I know.” he said. 

* * * * 

Georgina didn’t know how Danny and Amos, who both came from the poorest families possible, had managed to get so much gear. Danny had a rope around his neck. He held in his hands hammers, nails, string, and other junk. Amos was carrying what looked like a large survival knife. “Where the heck did you get the money to get all of this sh*t?” Kenny asked, sorting through the gear. Amos shrugged. “My dad knows the owner. Also dated Danny’s mom in high-school.” he said. Georgina stifled a laugh as she saw Danny look away. His expression was oddly thoughtful. They loaded the gear into the baskets in front of their bikes, and rode off. Jack ran beside them as if a full-on sprint was no trouble at all. They finally reached the cave that they usually met in, and sat down. 

“Now what?” Georgina asked, sorting through the gear. A long rope. A cheap looking dog-catch pole. Matches. A small bottle of gasoline. 

“ I should probably bring Jack home.” Kenny said, taking a blue leash out of his pocket. Danny shook his head, not looking up from the drawing he was making in the dirt. 

“No, we need him.” Danny said. Georgina’s eyebrows furrowed.

“Why the hell would we need Jack?” Georgina asked, looking at the tan dog. One ear was sticking up, the other was flopping on the side of his head. His bright eyes were shining, and his tongue was rolled out of his mouth as far as it could possibly go. He looked like a happy dog. Danny fell back against the wall. 

“Because,” Danny began. “Dogs can sense fear. We’re going to use Jack as kind of a map to find it.” Kenny shook his head.

“Hell no. You’re not using my dog. I’m not going to lose him over a stupid little mission.” Kenny said, pressing his hand against Jack’s chest. Jack looked up, and licked Kenny’s arm.

“Kenny,” Georgina said, stepping forwards. “You’re not going to lose him. He’ll be fine. I mean, look at him!” she said, gesturing to the dog. Muscles rippled throughout the dogs body, and his ears had perked up. “If anything happens, tell him to run. He’ll listen. He listens to everything you say.” she said. Kenny sighed, and shoved the leash back in his pocket. Danny gave him a slight smile, and went back to his work. Jenny and Alec and joined him, observing the plan as if it was the Bible. Which at this point it probably was. Georgina squeezed into their huddle trying to figure out what Danny was planning. The second she finally got in, Danny called for everyone to join them. “What the hell is this?” Amos asked, rubbing his forehead. Jenny shot him an angry look.  “The plan.” Danny said, waving him off. “Just let me explain.”

“Fine, go ahead.” Amos said, glancing at Aaron who was more confused than anyone.

“We’re gonna use Jack as kind of a map towards it. And remember last time when we tried killing it, and it wasn’t there when we got there?”

“Yeah,”

“So it’s probably gonna be the same this time. And before it comes, we set up a trap.” Danny said. 

“And what’s the trap?” Aaron asked, picking up a stick and rubbing it against the rock, creating a sharp point. Soon enough, everyone was following along.

“So first, we’re gonna tie the dog-catch pole to a tree. We’re gonna have someone above the dog-catch pole with the bottle of gasoline. Then, we’re gonna lure it into the dog-catch pole, and whoevers above it is gonna pour some of the gasoline on it.  There is also gonna to be a ring of gasoline around the dog-catch pole. So when the thing gets set on fire, everything around it will burn too. We’re also gonna have a log tied above the pole covered in gasoline. And when it gets set on fire, the person up top is gonna drop the log on it.” Danny said. Amos and Aaron were nodding.

“Not bad.” Amos said, picking up the gear. Georgina smiled, and began to help him. Kenny groaned, and hooked the leash onto Jack. He lead him to the edge of the woods, urging him forwards. But Jack wouldn’t go. It was if there was an invisible wall between the road and the woods. Georgina hurried over, nearly dropping the matches. “What’s the matter?” she asked, glancing at Amos whose hands were full. Jack’s tail was tucked between his legs, and a small growl had emerged from his throat.  His hackles were so high that he looked like a cat on Halloween. Kenny knelt down next to the dog, ignoring Georgina’s presence. His hands scratched the dog and he let his head rest on the dogs back. Jack seemed to get a little better, but not by much. After a few moments of Georgina being absolutely terrified to make a noise and disturb their little moment, Kenny finally took the dog’s head into hands, not looking at Georgina. 

“Find it.” he said. The dog whimpered, but eventually took a step into the woods. Georgina’s mouth fell open. She’d never seen a dog that listened so well. And it wasn’t even that. A dog that trusted it’s owner so well. Kenny looked back and waved her on. She stepped forwards into the woods, her friends trailing behind her.

* * * *

Georgina rolled her shoulders, trying to ease the pain in her arms from the gear. She grit her teeth, and kept walking. She looked ahead at Jack, whose tail was still tucked between his shivering legs. But he hadn’t stopped yet. That was a good sign. She’d rather the dog never stop walking, and they never find Adaru rather than Jack stopping and finding it.  And of course, the second the thought went through her head, Jack came to a solid stop. One paw was lifted in the air, the other planted to the ground as if were coated in cement. Kenny froze too, his knuckles white against his “spear”. 

“Go!” shouted a voice. Georgina turned, and saw Alec sprinting towards her. She braced herself for impact, but only felt a pulling sensation on her arm. She opened her eyes, and saw that Alec had torn away the rope, gasoline, and matches from her hands. She stumbled forwards, dropping the bowie knife. She didn’t know why she was going to catch him, but her legs seemed to be moving without command. By the time Georgina had reached the tree that Alec had ran to, he was already resting on a high, thick branch. Alec’s fingers her fumbling over the rope as he tried tying it to a large branch that he broke off while climbing. Georgina turned, and saw that her friends had all departed from each other. They had all formed a perfect circle around the dog, who was still frozen in the same place it began in. Georgina staggered forwards and grabbed the bowie knife. But nothing happened. Not even after Danny tied the dog-catch pole to the tree. Not even after Amos had said to go through every fear they ever had in their mind. Nothing happened until Kenny spoke up. Tears had begun to roll down his cheeks as he looked at his frozen dog. “Jack,” he whimpered, taking the slightest step forwards. Suddenly, Jack’s head whipped towards him. His teeth were bared to the point where his gums were turning red. His once beautiful, brown eyes had turned coal black. Jack’s teeth seemed to be more silver than white, and his reddish-tan fur had turned the color of burnt hickory. A menacing growl emerged from his throat as he stood up on his hind legs. Hind legs. Georgina’s stomach dropped as the dog seemed to grow, his body growing darker, bigger, and more muscular by the second until the point where he was a seven-foot tall… werewolf. It threw it’s arms back, and howled as Kenny ran at it. 

“GIVE ME MY F*CKING DOG BACK!” Kenny screamed, jamming his spear into it’s leg. It howled in agony, and in one strong slap, sent Kenny flying backwards into a tree. She heard another angry scream, and saw Danny running at it, his stick poised as if he was going to hit a baseball. And at that moment, they all charged as if answering to silent battlecry. Danny brought his stick across its body, the stick shattering on impact. “Oh, sh*t.” Danny said, stumbling back. It charged forwards, and would’ve latched it’s jaws onto Danny’s neck if Aaron hadn’t stabbed it’s back. It let out a cry, a mix between a howl and a roar, and spun around. It slashed for Aaron, but missed. Everytime it tried hitting Aaron, it would get a solid hit from Amos in the abdomen. At this point, the wolf's eyes were blazing with hatred. Georgina let out a shrill cry and dug the survival knife into its calf, twisting it furiously. The wolf's roar changed from a howl of anger, to a pained cry. It turned towards Georgina, it’s arms stretched out as if it were going to give her a hug. How sweet. Georgina didn’t even have a chance to scream before the werewolf’s face was inches away from her’s. Time froze as she felt it’s hot breath against her face, and it’s claws graze her sides. Suddenly, it was knocked to the side by some strong force. Georgina turned, expecting her hero to be Aaron, but it wasn’t. Jenny stood to her right, Danny at her side. How the hell did a girl who didn’t even tip the scales at ninety pounds, deck a seven foot tall werewolf. Georgina figured that Danny must have helped her, and  regained her balance. Suddenly, she saw Danny lunge forwards, his face a mask of fury and anger. Danny dug the thick rock he had in his hands underneath its rib cage, causing it to shriek again. It slapped Danny away like it did to Kenny, sending him flying backwards. Georgina’s chest seized, expecting him to not stand back up. But he did. He stumbled to his feet, his hand on the long gash that had found its mark from behind Danny’s ear to his jaw. But other than that, he was completely unfazed. Georgina turned around and saw Jenny charge at it with her stick high in the air. She watched as Jenny dug the spear into its neck and Aaron twist his spear into its thigh. Danny charged forwards and stabbed it in the gut with the rock. Kenny roared, and punctured the soft skin in its armpit. Georgina let out an angry cry and ran forwards, digging her knife into its collarbone. At this point, it was bleeding uncontrollably. 

“TRAP! TRAP!” Danny cried, using his shoulder to push it. At first, Georgina didn’t know what he meant. It suddenly came to her when she remembered Alec sitting in the tree above them. She pulled the knife, dragging it towards the tree. Aaron climbed up the wolf's back until the point where he was sitting on it like he would on someone’s shoulders. He put his hands on the wolf’s head, and pushed down as it neared the dog-catch pole. It’s thrashing head somehow fit into the pole, causing it to gag and thrash even harder.

 “AARON GET OFF!”Alec screamed from above, unscrewing the gasoline. Georgina twisted the knife even harder as Aaron pushed off. He fell onto Danny, his neck back giving a sickening crack as he made an impact with the ground.Alec poured gasoline on it, some of the liquid splattering around it.  Danny dragged himself out from Aaron’s weight, his face twisted in pain as he held his ankle. Aaron lay beside him, his hands twitching. Jenny had ran to their aid, her stick nowhere to be found. Georgina turned and saw that the werewolf was tugging free from the rope, and leaning its weight towards Danny, Aaron, and Jenny. She ran forwards again, and dug her knife into its chest. It howled, and slashed at her. Georgina screamed and staggered backwards. Amos and Kenny ran in front of her, trying to shield her from the its vicious claws. They were only to be knocked backwards too. Time slowed as the wolf broke free, taking a monstrous step towards them.  Amos pushed Aaron in back of them as Danny tried standing. His leg gave out, causing him to fall nearly on top of Kenny. Jenny pulled Danny backwards as Amos shoved his friends in the back of him. The wolf raised its claw, and that was when Georgina thought they were done for. Suddenly, Georgina saw a star drop out of the corner of her eye. No, not a star. It was still daylight. She turned her head, and watched it fall onto the wolf. It ignited in flames. The werewolf howled in fury as it twisted and thrashed, trying to put out the flames. Suddenly, Alec dropped from the tree with a stick in hand. 

“GET AWAY FROM MY BROTHER YOU MOTHER F*CKER!” Alec screamed, bringing the stick down on the flaming wolf's head. And at that moment, it burst into ashes, revealing Jack underneath a pile of ashes.Georgina felt tears begin to trickle down her face as she watched the ashes settle on the confused looking dog. Alec’s chest heaved as he lowered the plank, looking at his friends. Instead of making a stupid comment like he’d usually do, he fell to his knees at Aaron’s side. Aaron seemed better now, thank god. He was sitting upright and his gaze seemed more focused. Alec had his hand on Aaron’s shoulder, and was shaking him.

“Are you okay?” asked Alec. Aaron licked his lips and nodded.

“Yeah. Just got the wind knocked out of me.” Aaron said.

“ No duh.” laughed Alec, hauling his brother off the ground. Kenny got up and rushed over to Jack, wrapping his arms around the stunned dog.  Small, silent sobs racked Kenny’s body as the dog licked his ear, trying to figure out what the hell just happened. Eventually Kenny got up, the blue leash wrapped around his hand. He gave them a reassuring look and began taking Jack to the road. Georgina shoved the knife in her pocket and placed a hand on Aaron’s shoulder. He smiled at her and began hobbling away. She turned around and saw Danny leaning against Jenny, his face crimson. Jenny noticed her looking, and waved her off. Georgina sighed, and walked away with Amos. Georgina walked back with Amos in silence, occasionally looking back at Danny and Jenny. They seemed to be whispering to each other, Jenny’s eyes being glued onto Danny’s.  She grinned as she noticed something that she was trained to notice from years of being a popular girl. They liked each other. How cute. It was completely obvious. They seemed to be closer ever since “it” started. She had seen Jenny grab his hand at the funeral. She noticed anything that included “love”. She almost let out a squeal that she would if her friend told her their crush. They were absolutely perfect for each other. Suddenly, a voice snapped her back to reality. “Georgina!” said a voice. Georgina’s head snapped forwards to see Alec standing in front of her. “C’mon,” he said. Georgina grabbed her bike. “Oh. Sorry.” she said, throwing her leg over. Alec just grinned at her. She felt her face grow red as she rode away, wanting to feel the soft material of her blankets in bed. Kenny soon came up beside her, not saying a word. Neither did she. The only sound she heard was Jack’s heavy panting and the sound of worn rubber tires on cracked pavement.

* * * *

Nick walked into the sheriff’s office, his nose wrinkling at the overpowering scent of cigars. He peeked through the door only to find the room empty. He stepped in, making his way over to the filing cabinet. He brought himself down to one knee, opening it. Nick leafed through the many files of murder, until he reached a file labeled “FADEN”. He licked his lips, and returned to his office. He opened the file, his heart beginning race. He stared at the file, trying to connect what he had heard from the kids to what he knew about the girls murder. And his sisters. He began at the top line, and read down. “Cause of Death: Blood Loss.” Nick grimaced. A slow painful death.

“Location of Death: Unnamed Location. Off of Milford to Fairview.” Nick put down the file. He had been on that road once before. It was unnamed and was as if God had slapped a road in the middle of nowhere. It was the most isolated bend in all of Milford. He leaned back against the wall, trying to figure out how the location was connected. That was when he realized it. Palahu Bend. The kids had said Palahu Bend. He bounced up, running to return the file to the sheriff’s office. He silently place the yellow-ish paper in the filing cabinet and ran out. He had to question those kids. And he was going to.

 

 

Chapter  10

Kenny

“Which one?” Kenny asked, staring at the posters. Amos and Aaron shrugged.

“I kinda wanna see Lethal Weapon. Seems cool.” Amos said.

“I’d rather see Hellraiser,” suggested Aaron, “He kinda looks like Alec when he gets out of bed.”  

“Oh, shut-up.” Alec said, slapping him. Jenny groaned.

“Do we have to see a horror movie? I mean, look at what we’re dealing with right now! And you wanna go see a horror movie! The things gonna pop out of the screen at us!” Jenny cried.

“Because, we’re practicing dealing with fear.” Alec said, laughing. Jenny shook her head. Kenny sighed, and looked at the other options.  He knew that it was probably pretty stupid to watch a horror movie now, but he was dying to. Of course there were other options like The Princess Bride and Spaceballs were movies that Kenny wanted to see. Suddenly his eyes landed on a poster, and he grinned. 

“Nightmare on Elm Street. Let’s go.” Kenny said, fishing five dollars out of his pocket. He saw Jenny grit her teeth as she walked forwards.  Danny hobbled behind her, the white bandage around his ankle coming loose. Georgina walked in after them, twenty-dollars in her hand.  

“Jesus Christ,” Amos whispered, walking alongside Kenny. “Who brings twenty dollars to the movies?” Kenny shrugged and grinned. Before he met Georgina, he probably would have said a spoiled little brat. But  know that he knew her, it seemed wrong to. It would be like gossiping about Jenny. Georgina wasn’t the little diva that she used to be. She seemed more real and less self-absorbed. He stopped at the booth, and exchanged his five-dollar bill for a ticket. He walked in the double-doors, and waited outside for his friends. “Do you guys want something to eat?” asked a voice. He turned, and saw Georgina holding up her extra fifteen dollars. “Hell, yeah!” Alec exclaimed, turning towards the snack bar. Aaron rolled his eyes and followed, Georgina trailing behind. Kenny grinned and jogged after them. “What should we get?” Georgina asked, her eyes gazing upon the board. Kenny shrugged. “Don’t know,” he said, stepping forwards.  He looked at his friends who seemed deep in thought about what they want to get. “How about we get one large popcorn that we could all share?” Danny asked, flexing his ankle. Kenny nodded. 

“Yeah, that seems good. “ he said. Georgina nodded, and stepped forwards to the counter.

“You guys go find our seats and I’ll get the stuff.” she said.

“It’s fine,” Kenny said. “I can help.” Georgina smiled at him. Kenny grinned and looked away. They walked away, Alec going on and on about how Freddy Krueger is real, and Aaron claiming that it’s just a movie. The popcorn came a few seconds after they ordered it, to Kenny’s relief. “I’ll hold the two popcorns, you hold the sodas?” Kenny asked, wrapping his arms around the two giant popcorn tubs. 

“Okay,” Georgina said, putting the money she had left in her pocket. 

“Are you usually scared of horror movies?” Kenny asked, breaking the awkward silence as they walked. Georgina gave a nervous laugh.

“Yes! I’m gonna sit near the exit in case I need to run out,” she said, laughing.

“Seriously?” Kenny asked, shaking his head.

“Yeah! I hate horror movies!I can’t even believe that I bought those stupid tickets,”

“Y’know, you didn’t have to come. Or you coulda just said no.” Kenny said.

“I know,” Georgina said, shoving three straws into one of the soda bottles. “It’s just that you guys seemed so excited about it that I didn’t really wanna say no.” she said. Kenny hid a smile, and pushed open the double doors into the theater.  He looked around for his friends, and began walking towards the back of the theater where Amos was waving them over. Kenny shuffled over, popcorn spilling in the isles as he walked. As soon as he reached the row his friends were sitting in, Alec snatched a tub of popcorn. He grabbed a handful, and shoved it in his mouth.

“Alec!” Aaron snarled, grabbing the popcorn away from him. Alec stood there, his cheeks full of popcorn. “What?” Alec asked, dumbfounded.

“You’re acting like a f*cking animal,” said Aaron.

“Sorry,” Alec said, looking around sheepishly. “I haven’t had popcorn in forever.” Kenny laughed, and took a handful himself. “Damn, that’s good.” Kenny said and passed the popcorn to Danny. Danny took a handful and shoved it in his mouth as if it was the first meal he had all day.  Kenny found his way next to Jenny as the salty taste of the popcorn absorbed on his tongue. Just as he fell onto his seat, the movie began.

* * * * 

Kenny felt his pulse lower back to normal as the credits began, ending the movie. He tugged his arm away from Jenny’s iron grip, and pulled his arms above his head. “Ugh,” Georgina said, standing up. “I’m not gonna sleep for a week.” she groaned. Aaron rolled his eyes.

“You now that this stuff isn’t real, right?” he said. Georgina sighed and nodded.

“Wrong,” Danny said, flexing his leg. “Lot’s of nightmares come true.”

“He’s right.” Jenny said. “For example, the wannabe skeleton that we’re dealing with right now.” she said, nudging Danny.

“And the janitor that attacked us.”

“What?”Jenny exclaimed. Danny gave Aaron an open smile.

“Oh, sh*t. We forgot to tell them.” he said. Aaron laughed.

“Wait, so you're telling us that our janitor attacked you guys, and you forgot? You f*cking, forgot?” Kenny cried. Danny shrugged.

“Oops,” he said, laughing. Kenny shook his head, and looked at the front of the theater. It had emptied surprisingly quick. There was absolutely no one left. Kenny’s heart seized.

“We need to get out. Now.” Kenny said, pulling Danny’s sleeve. No one objected.They began to hurry out, and that was when something moved at the front of the theater. Kenny’s head snapped to the side just in time to see it. Out of nowhere, a pale, skinny figure popped out of the seats, it’s body as straight as a rail. Kenny screamed, and tumbled over Alec. The two fell to the floor, scrambling to get up. Suddenly, Kenny felt a pull on his arm, and soon his body being lifted off the ground. He stumbled to his feet and saw Amos’s hand squeezing Kenny’s wrist. He looked back, and saw that Danny was practically dragging Alec out of the door. And at that moment, the thing lunged forwards. Danny dove forwards, him and Alec just making it out of the theater as whatever the thing was crashed into the door when Jenny closed it, letting out human-like shrieks.  Jenny and Aaron slammed their backs against the door, trying to contain the thing. Kenny staggered to his feet, and helped Alec and Danny to there feet. Aaron’s eyes were squeezed closed with determination. Meanwhile, Jenny’s jaw was set tightly, her teeth squeezed together. The thing banged against the door, Kenny’s body shuttering every time it made contact with the door. Amos had hurried over to help when the thing finally stopped, leaving them in an awkward silence. A group of tall teenagers emerged from the main hallway. One of them was wearing a black leather jacket, another was wearing a dark jean jacket. A short one with a ratty face had his hair dyed bright green and was wearing black Pony’s, just like Amos’s and Danny’s. The teenagers looked at them confused. “It’s a pretty scary movie,” Alec said, brushing off his shoulder.

“No duh,” said tall, black haired teenager. Alec grinned, and that was when Kenny knew that he was going to do something stupid. “Alec,” Aaron said through gritted teeth. Alec ignored his brother and walked forwards just as the group of teenagers began to walk towards the double doors. Kenny saw Alec smile sweetly, and braced himself.

“It may be a little scary for you, honey.” he said, patting the teen’s shoulder. Immediately, his face twisted in fury. “Queer!” he snarled, lunging for Alec. Apparently, Alec saw this coming and was running before he even lunged. The teen’s head whipped towards Kenny, and Kenny ran.
“COME BACK HERE YOU *SSHOLES!” cried the teen, stomping on the ground. His friends flipped them off, but didn’t make an attempt to catch them. Kenny slammed his shoulder into the exit, and would’ve face-planted if Aaron hadn’t pulled him up. Kenny laughed as Danny hobbled out, tripping over the same lip that Kenny had tripped over. He skidded on the concrete, his face saying you-f*cking-*ssholes-why-do-I-still-hang-out-with-you as no one bothered to help him up. Kenny doubled over in laughter as Alec staggered over, brushing Danny’s skinned shoulder off. Danny grinned, and pulled Alec into a chokehold. People who walked by them looked at them if they belonged in a mental hospital, which just made it even funnier. Finally, Danny let go of Alec and pushed himself up. “You all suck,” he said, lifting his sleeve to look at his skinned shoulder. Kenny turned, his face red with laughter. Everyone was laughing hysterically, except for Jenny. She was wearing a half smile, but she also looked the slightest bit angry. Kenny patted her on the shoulder, and she giggled. That giggle soon turned into a laugh to Kenny’s relief. Eventually, the giggling stopped due to the amount of people staring at them.

“Guys, c’mon!” Amos said, unlocking his bike chain. Kenny ran forwards, and jumped on his bike. Kenny cruised into an alleyway next to the theater, and waited for his friends. They came eventually, they’re faces still red with laughter. “What do you guys wanna do now?” Kenny asked. Danny shrugged, an anxious look appearing on his face. “It’s too early to go home,” he said, gripping his handlebars. 

“I have some money left. I’m gonna go get something from the candy shop. You guys figure something out.” she said, counting the bills that she had left. “What do you guys want?”

“Big League Chew!” Danny and Amos said in usion.

“Runts, if they have.” Alec said, licking his lips.

“I’ll have Skittles,” Jenny said, shrugging. Alec grinned.

“Candy Cigarettes,” he said, grinning. Kenny laughed. 

“Hell, yeah!” Kenny said, pumping his fist.

“Bottlecaps for me,” Aaron said, smiling. Georgina nodded and smiled.

“Can someone come?” she asked.

“Say no more, my fine queen. No one is more suitable for this task than the one and only, Alec Hernandez!” Alec cried, throwing his arms in the air. Georgina rolled her eyes.

“C’mon, let’s go.” she said. Alec raised his eyebrows at them, and walked away. Kenny rolled his eyes. Alec was a nut.

“So,” Jenny said, leaning against the brick wall. “What do you wanna do?”

“Dunno,” Aaron said. Suddenly, Amos smiled.

“Do you guys wanna do something stupid?” he asked. Danny and Jenny shook their heads in unison. “Not really,” Danny said, shoving his hands into his jean pockets.

“Not stupid. Sorry. I mean ‘productive’” he said, grinning. 

“What do you mean?” Danny asked.

“Who wants to go to the Hell Side?” Amos asked.

“NO!” Jenny exclaimed. Amos froze. “Are you an idiot?”

“No, but-” 

“Exactly! Considering what we just saw! We are not going.” Jenny said, crossing her arms.

“Jenny! It was a joke.” he said, his eyebrows furrowing.

“But we should go.” he said.

“Why?” Danny asked, putting an arm across Jenny as she nearly lunged at her brother.

“Because,” he said. “I feel like we should explore. Learn more about the Hell Side. Maybe we’ll find something that can help us.” he said. Danny nodded.

“No.” Jenny said, just as Georgina and Alec came back, their hands full of candy.

“So, where are we going?” Georgina asked, handing Kenny his pack of Big League Chew. Kenny ripped open the paper-like bag, and stuffed a fingerful of the string-like gum into his mouth.

“Nowhere today,” Kenny said. “But tomorrow, we’re going to the Hell Side.” Kenny heard Jenny groan. “You’re all idiots.” she mumbled.

* * * *

Nick slammed the door behind him as he stumbled into the house. He flipped on the lights and found his way to the kitchen where he grabbed a beer from the fridge. He popped open the bottle, and hopped that the taste would clear the thoughts of his sister. After he left the sheriffs, his brain was overwhelmed with flashbacks of Sarah’s death. It was to much. He fell onto the couch and gulped the beer. He flipped on the TV, and let the familiar sound of static and voices put him sleep. 

Nick opened his eyes, confused of where he was. He knew it was a dream, but it felt so real. He spun around as his eyes adjusted to the bright room. His stomach dropped as he realized where he was. Home. Home in Clayborn, Pennsylvania. He knew the day, the time, he knew everything. He knew what was going to happen. He slammed through the door and sprinted out the door, forgetting to close the cabin’s sturdy door. Nick didn’t even get his bike from the garage. There was no time. He sprinted until the woods became less rural and a small park came into view. He felt his heart drop. This is where it happened. It happened here. “SARAH!” Nick cried, cupping his mouth with his hands. “SARAH, ANSWER ME GODDAMIT! THIS ISN’T A GAME!”he screamed into the park. No answer. He dashed behind the swingset so that he was looking straight into the wheat field. And that was where he saw her. And It. “SARAH!” Nick cried, running towards her just as the thing saw him. Nick didn’t even realize it was there until it lunged.

“MOTHER F*CKER!” Nick screamed, clawing his way up the couch. He screamed again, this time to help bring him back into reality. His beer and spilled, and the ball game was over. “Gahh!’ Nick cried again as he brought his fist down on the couch. 

“F*ck,” he said. He leaned back against the couch and closed his eyes. 

“F*ck,” he muttered once again under his breath. He opened his eyes again, and stared at the picture of his ten-year-old sister resting on the fireplace. Dead. Just like the Faden girl.

Alec & Aaron

“Alec, let’s go!” Aaron yelled, straddling his bike between his legs.

“I’m coming! Shut up!” Alec yelled, bursting out the door. Aaron slapped him and took off.

“What took you so long?” Aaron asked as his brother caught up to him.

“I didn’t take that long,” Alec said, shouldering his backpack.

“Yes, you did.” 

“No I didn’t!”

“I was literally waiting outside for ten minutes!”

“I was getting the stuff!” Alec cried. Aaron rolled his eyes.

“What’d you get?” he asked. Alec thought for a second

“A compass, snacks, water, band-aids and stuff, and a pocket knife. I don’t really know what else.” Alec said. Aaron nodded.

“Kenny will probably bring a lot of stuff.” he said. Alec nodded. They reached the cave eventually, and saw Amos, Jenny, and Georgina waiting in the cave. Aaron leaned his bike up against the fading rock, and walked over.  He nodded a hello, and leaned against the entrance. Alec on the other hand, couldn’t go one day without greeting his friends with a dramatic entrance. “Greetings, peasants. Be prepared to take on a dangerous quest today in order to keep your wonderful king safe and sound.” he said, grinning. Jenny smiled and shook her head.

“You’re an idiot,” Georgina said, ruffling through her bag. Alec raised his eyebrows and nodded. “I began to realize that after Mr. Pirsa forgot my name, so he called me an idiot.” Alec said. Aaron laughed, flashing back to the memory. “Holy sh*t, I remember that!” laughed Aaron. Amos snickered. “We all do,” he said. Suddenly, there was the sound of bikes skidding against the gravel near the entrance. Aaron turned and saw Danny and Kenny  getting off their bikes. Kenny didn’t waste a moment once he got off his bike. “What did you guys bring?” he asked, taking his gym bag off his shoulders. He dumped the contents out on the floor, a drawing pad falling on Aaron’s foot. He picked it up, and turned it over. “Kenny,” Aaron said, “Since when do you draw?”

“Since about a week ago. Last Sunday.” Kenny said, snatching the notebook and opening it. At first, Aaron thought that it was a photograph of Amos. But as he looked closer, he realized that it was a drawing. The details were perfect. “Jesus,” Aaron breathed, “This is amazing.”

“Yeah,” Alec said, examining Amos’s face, “A little stalker-ish, but amazing. Ever think about teaching art classes?” Alec asked. Aaron giggled, and looked at Amos. His jaw had dropped, and his eyebrows were raised. Kenny didn’t say anything, but Aaron was able to tell that he was pleased. Without warning, Kenny reached out his hand and flipped the page. Aaron heard Jenny gasp as the next page revealed a stunning picture of her. Even though the drawing was in black and white, her eyes seemed to contrast with her body. The entire group of boys reddened, especially Danny. “That’s amazing,” Jenny said quietly, “But I didn’t know I was that ugly.” she said. They all rolled their eyes, but didn’t say anything. Mostly because Amos would probably hunt them down but also because it would be awkward. “Gimme a break, Jenny. You’re not ugly.” Amos said. Jenny raised an eyebrow and rolled her eyes. Holy sh*t. She actually thought she was ugly. Aaron flipped to the next page, revealing Danny with his lopsided grin and chiseled jawline along with detailed cuts and bruises.  Aaron saw Danny grit his teeth and look away. 

Aaron went to the next page, revealing a picture of Alec. He was smiling so hard that his eyes were squinted as if he couldn’t see. “Beautiful!” Alec cried, blowing a kiss. Aaron smiled and flipped to the net page. It was him. His cheeks were lifted to his green eyes and his short, curly was in a ruffled mess on his head. Aaron felt his face redden as he realized how his cheeks were like a baby’s.

“I look like a baby. Jesus Christ.” Aaron muttered. Alec shrugged, but Aaron ignored it.

 The last picture was Georgina. Aaron had to admit, she was pretty. Not Jenny pretty, but pretty. Georgina had covered her mouth on the last one and looked away. Kenny grinned as he snatched the notebook away. “Anyways,” Kenny said, snapping everyone out of their trances. “I also have the bowie knife, string, a flashlight, matches, and a pocket knife.” Kenny said. Aaron slapped Alec, and Alec emptied the bag. Jenny, Danny, and Georgina followed, and soon there was a small mountain of supplies in the middle of them. Overall, they had collected five pocket knives, three boxes of matches, enough medical supplies to be given to hospital (thanks to Danny), enough snacks and water to last them months (credits to Alec), two rolls of string, two compasses, a watch, a bowie knife, and other sh*t that Aaron didn’t bother to keep track of.  “Okay,” Danny breathed, shouldering his ripped pack. “Let’s go.” They set off into the woods, not knowing where the hell they were going. That started to bother Aaron when the road wasn’t visible. “So,” he asked, “Where exactly are we going?”

“Uhh,” Kenny said, stopping. He looked at Danny, hoping for an idea. Danny was looking into the forest, his eyes narrowing. “You guys hear that?” he asked, stepping forwards. 

“Hear what?” Aaron asked.

“It sounds like water.” Danny replied, not taking his eyes off the woods. Suddenly, Alec snapped. “Aaron!” Alec exclaimed, “The river!” Aaron’s eyes widened.

“Oh, sh*t! I forgot!” he said. Kenny didn’t waste a moment. He ran forwards, Amos trailing behind him. Aaron groaned, and jogged up to catch them. “Jesus!” Aaron said, coming at a stop next to them. “Don’t just run like that!” he said. 

“You all know I’m not a runner,” Aaron said. Alec and Danny smiled.

“Your a burn out quick pace.” Danny said, staring at the river. Suddenly, his smile faded. Aaron frowned, and looked at the river. It was as black as night. “What the hell?” Amos asked, kneeling down. The river ran at an amazing speed, causing it to crash on the sharp-looking rocks making great waves. There wasn’t a single visible life form in it. It was like a river of death. Suddenly, Aaron saw Alec straighten up as if someone had slapped him. His brown eyes locked on Aaron’s green ones, and he fainted. Into the river.

* * * *

Aaron didn’t even notice that he jumped until the water hit him. And it hit him hard. Instead of feeling like  he had jumped into actual water, it felt as if he had crashed through concrete. And it stung like hell. Especially when it got in the open cut on his leg. At first, he didn’t know where he was. He pumped his legs frantically as he felt a burning sensation in his lungs; a desperate call for oxygen. He gasped like a fish out of water as he emerged from the black river. His eyes stung, but he opened them as wide as possible in search of his brother. Suddenly, something hard jabbed into his neck. He let out a small scream, and turned. Amos and Kenny stood on the overhang jabbing a long stick down at him. “Grab on!” Amos screamed, jabbing it at him again. Aaron looked at his brother, his wet brown head bobbing in the water. He looked at Danny who was running downstream, his eyes glued on a huge rock sticking out of the river ahead. Aaron’s eyes stared into Amos’s. He wanted to get out so bad. But this was his brother. This was the only person who would stay with him even if everyone else gave up on him. Alec was his blood. “Go downstream!” Aaron yelled, and used the stick to push off towards his brother. He let out a cry as a rock tore at his thigh from under the water. The water immediately filled the wound, causing mind-numbing pain. He cried out, tears beginning to roll down his cheek. He blinked, and paddled faster towards his brother. His hand wrapped around Alec’s arm, and he pulled. His brother snapped awake, his eyes glazed. Blood dripped from behind his neck to his collarbone. Aaron pulled him until he was practically carrying his brother. Alec clawed at Aaron’s arms, ripping off skin as he did. Aaron grit his teeth and looked ahead. Danny was on the rock up ahead, his hand reached out. Amos had jumped on the rock to, kneeling down. Aaron set his jaw, and paddled with his only hand towards them. His hand caught Danny’s, and Aaron pulled. His eyes widened as Aaron’s weight pulled down. He let out a scream as he was thrown in. But not without throwing Aaron’s hand backwards onto the rock. Aaron’s head whipped towards Danny as Amos pulled him forwards. Suddenly, Kenny was there pulling Alec out too. And then he was gone. Aaron clawed his way farther up the rock, stumbling to get a glimpse at him. But he couldn’t see anything. Everything was blurred and dark. He wiped his eyes, only to see a furious bull running at him. It looked as if it could’ve easily taken down the werewolf. The bull’s dark glossy fur shimmered under the sunlight, and Aaron swore that he saw smoke rise from it’s nostrils. Aaron braced himself for impact, and blinked.It was gone. He staggered to his feet, his vision as clear as day.  He peered down the river and looked for his friends. He said a silent thanks to god as he noticed Danny’s head still bobbing above the water. He arms thrashed in a methodical way, his way of him trying to keep himself afloat. Kenny was farther downstream, shimmying down a fallen log up ahead. Jenny and Georgina were on the sides trying to steady the log. Aaron felt his heart stop as Kenny reached his hand down, and Danny reach his upwards. He missed. Kenny missed. Aaron nearly cried out as he jumped off the rock and ran downstream. Suddenly, as if pulled by a rope from god, Danny jumped out from the water. Kenny’s hand was wrapped around his forearm. Kenny pulled him up, his face set with determination. His elbow’s wedged themselves on the log, his feet dangling above the water. Kenny pulled him up farther and nearly dragged him to land. Danny’s mouth was wide open, his eyes and face contorted with pain. Jenny was immediately on top of him, just like Georgina was on Alec. He turned to his brother to see Georgina and Amos at their knees next to him. He was leaning on his elbows, the glazed look in his eyes gone. Now he just seemed stunned. Aaron let out a sigh of relief as he fell to his brother’s side. “What the hell happened?” Aaron asked. “Did you get any sleep last night? I mean, you couldn’t have been that tired where you literally fell asleep while standing.”

“Did you get any brain cells last night? Because what the hell would make you jump into a f*cking black river, instead of just running downstream and catching me like Amos and Danny did?” Alec laughed, slapping his brother.  Amos giggled, but Georgina remained emotionless as she pulled Neosporin and Band-Aids from her bag.  

“How do I look, Dr. Coleman?” Alec asked, looking at his body.

“Like hell,” Georgina said, the crack of a smile finding its way to her face.

“Well, no duh.” Alec said. “I just went for an unpleasant swim in an acid river. My brother came along too.” Suddenly, Georgina’s head whipped towards him.

“Are you okay?” she asked, looking him over. Aaron peered at his huge arms. 

“Uhh, yeah. I think.” he said.

“You think,” Amos said, dusting his knees off. “You just dove into a demon river, and you think you’re okay?” he said. Aaron nodded. 

“Jesus,” Amos said. “I’m gonna go check on them. Do you guys need anything?”

“No, we’re good,” Georgina said. Then, she paused. “Actually, can you help me bring Alec over there? It would be better if we were all together.” Amos nodded, and lifted Alec by the arm.

“I should dive into rivers all the time, this is fun!” exclaimed Alec. Aaron laughed, and rose to his feet. At that moment, he was struck by a sudden wave of cold. Not the cold where you just get goosebumps. The kind of cold that gives you hypothermia. The teeth-chattering, life-threatening cold. Aaron fell to the ground, pulling his arms to his body. Amos immediately dropped Alec, and rushed over. “Sh*t!” Amos yelled, pulling his shirt over his head and tucking it around Aaron. At that moment, Aaron saw Alec drop to the floor shivering. Georgina let out a yelp, and looked over to Amos for guidance. She immediately ripped off her brown wool sweater, and threw it over Alec.  Aaron’s teeth chattered hard enough where he thought his teeth were going to crack. He just wanted it to stop. He wanted it to stop. And then it hit him like sentences a first grader would write. He had seen the bull. He was afraid of the bull. Think of the things he’s not afraid of. Aaron curled tighter, and thought of the first day of school with Alec. He thought about when he had first met Amos and Jenny, he thought that Jenny was Amos’s girlfriend, and didn’t believe that they were siblings until they convinced him. He thought the day he first met Danny a little league game, and how he thought that Danny had been hit in the face by a pitch when he took off his helmet. He thought about talking to Georgina for the first time even though they had known each other for years. He thought about how when Kenny first moved in, he was chosen last for baseball. He was never chosen last after that game, that was for sure. Eventually the cold stopped, a odd feeling like he would get after a stomach ache disappears. He leaned on his hands, Amos’s shirt still draped around his shoulders. He nodded a thanks to Amos, and stumbled to his knees. He felt Amo’s hand on his shoulder, hoisting him up. “C’mon, Aaron. “ he said softly. Aaron coughed, and used Amos’s arm to hoist himself up. His legs were shaking to the point where he couldn’t control it, but he still walked. He turned his head, and saw Alec and Georgina sitting side by side. And by the smile on Georgina’s face, he could tell that Alec was back to his old jokes. Amos rested Aaron against a tree near Kenny and rushed over to Alec to help. He let his head fall back onto the bark and rolled his eyes over to Danny. He was shivering inside of Kenny’s zip-up, and his eyes were squeezed so tight that tears were beginning to form at the corners of his eyes.  Tears? In all the years of knowing Danny, Aaron had never seen him cry. But then he remember the horrible pain that he felt when the water got into his wound. He remember how he had seen his worst fear. He didn’t exactly know what Danny’s worst fear was, but he knew what the pain was like. And for Danny, it must be much worse. He dragged himself over, and place a hand on Danny’s back. Jenny was kneeling beside him, whispering something inaudible. Everytime she did, Danny would shake his head and squeeze his eyes tighter. “Danny, you good?” Aaron asked. Danny’s green eyes snapped open causing Aaron to nearly jump. 

“Yeah,” he said, wiping his eyes with the back of his hands. “I’m fine. Thanks.”

“No, thank you. If you weren’t there we woulda died.” Aaron said. Danny grinned.

“It’s fine.” he said, not a single tear in his eyes.

“We should go back now,” said a voice. Aaron turned, and saw Amos standing above them.

“I don’t wanna wait for anything else to happen,” he said, pulling his shirt over his head.

“Yeah,” Kenny said. “Let’s go. Can you guys walk?” he asked, gesturing to Aaron and Danny. Aaron glanced at Alec, who was standing with Georgina’s help. Aaron nodded and used the tree to hoist himself up. Danny grit his teeth and got up, his face turning crimson. Jenny looked at him with tired, concerned eyes and hoisted him up.

“Thanks,” he wheezed through his breath. Jenny shook her head.

“No problem,” she said. Aaron took a step, and immediately felt dizzy. Amos noticed and walked over, hooking an arm under Aaron’s. And then they began the long walk back.

* * * *

“We still have some more time,” Kenny said glancing at the sun. Alec looked up, and shielded his eyes. “Yeah,” he said. Alec walked over to his bike, putting one foot on the pedal. 

“So, where are we going?” Amos asked just as Alec reached his bike.

“Dunno,” Kenny said as he walked over to his bike. Alec sighed and rubbed his eyes.

“Wanna go to the football fields?” Danny asked suddenly. Alec saw Aaron’s face light up.

“Yeah!” Aaron said, hobbling over to his bike. And off they went. And they played until nightfall, undisturbed. They earned it.

Danny

Danny wheeled his bike out of the lot, his gear hanging by his side. Kenny and Amos wheeled their bikes beside him, trying to come up with what to do for the day. 

“We could go to the arcade,” suggested Kenny, running his hand through his sweaty hair. Danny shrugged. “I don’t know,” Danny said as his shoulder pads banged against his knees. “It’s to nice out.” 

“Wanna go to the fields?” Amos asked. Danny felt his chest lighten.

“Yeah, I just gotta finish homework  and then I’ll meet you guys at the fields.” Danny said. Amos and Kenny nodded, and took their separate routes home. Dread began to build up in his stomach as he got closer to his house. He couldn’t focus on anything. By the time he reached his house, he was sweating. He brushed his forehead with the back of his hand, and threw his gear inside the ratty shed on the side of his house. He walked slowly towards the front door, and put an ear to the wood. Silence. He took a deep breath and walked inside. The house was completely empty. The smell of cigars and liquor still lingered in the air, but those were the only traces of his father. Along with the empty beer can sitting on the table in the living room. He took a cautious step in, not making a noise. He listened. Nothing. Eventually Danny decided it was safe, and made a break for it. He slid into his room, closing the door behind him. Seven opened backpacks lay on the floor in the room that they all shared, an obvious sign that they had all completed homework and were outside playing. He sorted through everyone’s backpack, making sure all homework was done just like a good mother/father would.  He sat back on his heels, and opened his bag. His homework was done within minutes. He grabbed his glove, which was resting on their bookshelf, and ran out the door. He had just reached the opening to the kitchen and the living room, when his father burst through the door. Danny froze, his hand tightening on his glove. Mr. Garcia chucked his bag to the side, and let out an angry cry. He stomped on the floor, looking upwards at his sons terrified green eyes with his angry black ones. Danny felt his stomach drop as he pressed himself against the wall. Then, Danny’s father charged.

* * * * 

Danny pressed his back up against the wall, eyeing his sleeping father. His baseball glove was squeezed in his left hand as his right hand reached up for the doorknob. He waited a moment before opening it, and stumbling out. His back and chest screamed with pin as he ran out and jumped on his bike. He wanted out. He pedaled faster than he thought was humanly possible and threw his glove into the basket on his bike. Time flew by as he pedaled. By the time he turned into the gravel trail, his legs felt like jelly. Suddenly, a wave of dizziness knocked him off his bike like a bull. He pulled himself up against a tree and let his head roll back. Danny closed his eyes and grit his teeth as a new wave of pain passed through him. He could still feel the belt whipping against his back, and his father’s fist connecting with his face. He looked at his face in the reflection from his bike. He look like hell. It was obvious that whatever happened to him had happened recently. He pulled his shirt in front of his face, wiping some of the blood off his face. Better. He got back on his bike and pedaled out into the opening. The field wasn’t much. It was a small, isolated baseball field in the middle of nowhere. What did you expect? Hot wind blew against Danny’s face as he pedaled over to the dugout. He rested his bike against the fence and sat down, looking out into the woods. The grass on the infield was now ankle high, and the dirt was gray and hard. The outfield was sprinkled with large bald spots. The woods began on a few feet after the rusty fence in the outfield, it’s huge trees now hanging over the outfield. And it was a black hole for homerun balls, that was for sure. Danny remembered when he had hit one over the fence, they never found it afterwards.  They never found any of the balls they hit over. He shoved his worn gove on his hand and waited for everyone to show up.

* * * * 

“Let me try pitching,”  Jenny said, walking up to the mound. Kenny groaned and rolled the ball into her glove. “I just wanna pitched to Alec,” she said, positioning herself on the mound. Kenny sighed and walked over to third base. Danny watched Jenny from shortstop as she put her left foot on the mound. He tried positioning himself close to second base, but his position still didn’t feel right. He was used to being in right field. “Danny, wanna switch?” Kenny asked, edging closer. Danny nodded, knowing that if Kenny wasn’t pitcher, he was a shortstop. Amos was at third base which left shortstop open. Danny nodded, and jogged into right field. Georgina was standing in center field, fingering the extra glove that Amos gave her. Danny smiled at her, and looked towards home plate. Alec was standing on the right side of the plat, his bat wiggling in the air.  He stepped out of the box, and pointed out towards center field. “Oh, give me a break.” Jenny said as she threw the ball into her glove. Alec laughed, and stepped in the box. Jenny almost immediately went into her wind-up. She bent forwards, and whipped her arm over her head like a windmill. Alec didn’t even have time to swing before the ball had already whizzed by him 

“What the f*ck?” he cried, looking at the ball in Aaron’s glove. 

“Why is that humanly possible?” he nearly screamed, throwing his hands in the air. Jenny laughed and returned to the mound. Alec hit the ground with his bat.

 “Y’know what?” he said. “Someone else can hit. I don’t feel like embarrassing myself right now.” Danny groaned. 

“Oh, c’mon!” Amos said as he kicked the dirt. “Just try. She’ll throw slow.” Alec sighed and stepped back up to the plate. She was fast, Danny admitted that. But having the ball come from her hip was what threw all of them off. Along with her rise ball. And drop ball. This time, Alec was quicker. Just as the ball was about to pass him he swung, sending the ball flying towards right-center. Danny took off immediately, knowing that Georgina wasn’t going to move for the ball. He laid out, the ball making solid impact with the web of his glove. He slid across the long grass, all the air leaving his chest. He held the ball up as he staggered to his feet. Alec groaned and threw his bat. 

“I had that, Danny! The one time I get a hit off of this girl, you go and rob it!” Danny laughed, and threw the ball in to Amos.

* * * * 

“Seriously, Aaron?” Amos cried as they watched the ball sail over their heads into the woods. Danny groaned. “That was our last ball!” he said, taking his glove off. Aaron shrugged as he jogged around the bases. Suddenly Alec ran towards him, pushing him towards the pitchers mound. Aaron shoved him off easily, but was soon shoved by Kenny and then Amos. Soon they were all shoving him, even Jenny and Georgina. He stepped on home plate and laughed. 

“Wanna go look for it?” Danny asked, looking into the woods. Aaron shrugged.

“Why not?” he said. They began walking forwards, still throwing their gloves at Aaron. By the time they reached the fence Aaron was covered in red marks. Danny put two hands on the fence, and pushed himself over, throwing his legs over the rusty chain fence. His friends did the same, leaves crunching under their feet as they fell.  Danny carefully stepped into the woods, suddenly aware of everything around him. He observed the ground intently, looking for the baseball. “Jesus Aaron, where the hell did you hit it?” Amos asked, dragging his foot through the leaves. Aaron shrugged. “Somewhere over here,” he said as he looked back at the field. Danny sighed and jogged forwards, his eyes still open for the ball. Suddenly, a white sphere-like object caught Danny’s eye. He jogged towards it, his heart leaping in excitement. He would be the first one known to find a ball in the woods. He bend down to pick it up, his hand closing around it. Danny grimaced as he realized it wasn’t a baseball. It was a mushroom. “Ugh!” Danny groaned as he shook the white, clay-like substance off his hands. Amos’s nose wrinkled. “That’s nasty,”

“No duh.” Danny said, wiping the rest of the mushroom off on the tree in front of him. And that was when he noticed it. He froze, his heart jumping to his throat. His throat closed and he felt his head lighten as his eyes focused on the man staring back at them. He was wearing ripped jeans and a black flannel. His face was pale, his hair as black his night. The man’s eyes were like glittering coals. Underneath his eyes were bags so purple they look black.  Danny made eye contact with the man, and it was as if he set off a bomb. “Run,” Danny wheezed, stumbling backwards. The man got closer. “RUN!” he screamed. They’re heads snapped up, and they didn’t hesitate a second. Danny leapt over the fence in one clean jump, his adrenaline pumping through his veins. Alec trailed ahead of them, his feet pounding against the thick grass of the outfield. He looked over his shoulder, only to see the man bash through the fence as if it was no problem at all. “HOLY SH*T!” Georgina cried as she watched the scene. Danny skidded to a stop at the dugout, grabbing the wooden bat Aaron had thrown off to the side when he hit the homerun. Suddenly, he saw Jenny run behind him and grab a hard ball of yarn which had once been a baseball. She grit her teeth, and went into the fastest wind-up he had ever seen. The ball bashed into the man’s nose, tearing off a piece of his lip as it did. Danny heard Jenny scream as his blackened gums were exposed through the cut. But that didn’t stop him. He just snarled, and kept coming. Danny gripped his bat as the man grew closer and swung, his bat making contact with the man's rib cage. Instead of the bat hitting the man like it would hit a normal person, the bat shattered when Danny was halfway through his swing, causing him to throw his arm forwards. He let out a cry of pain as a horrible feeling exploded in his arm. The man doubled over, holding his stomach. Suddenly, he felt a pulling on his other arm. He turned, and saw Kenny and Jenny pulling him forwards. Danny stumbled forwards, jumping on his bike as his momentum took him forwards. He took off, his glove banging around in his basket. Thank god he put it back before they went looking for the ball. It was the only glove that he had. And if he lost it, no one was going out a buying another for him. He let Jenny go in front of him as they sped out of the fields through the narrow path in the woods. The stomping of heavy footprints from the man stopped as Danny emerged from the clearing. His friends stood on their bikes, unsure of what to do. Danny watched the opening intently, ready to run on the slightest movement. Nothing. 

“Let’s go,” Kenny said as he pushed off his bike. Danny didn’t complain. “But where?” Aaron asked as he caught up to them. They were silent for a moment. “My house,” Jenny suddenly said. Danny looked at her. “My mom’s on a date with some new guy. They’re going to his house afterwards, so if we wanted, we can stay at our house until morning.” she said. 

“But we have school tomorrow,” Georgina said.

“ No we don’t. We have Monday off..” Alec said.Excitement built up in his stomach as the thought of being away from home with his friends for a whole night sank in. Immediately, that excitement was killed when he remembered what happened when he came home late. “I don’t know,” Danny said, rubbing his neck. “I’ll have to ask my parents.” Kenny nodded.  Danny blew out a breath and looked at Jenny. Her face was growing pale by the second and her lips were pulled together. Danny swallowed and looked away from her. “What time is it?” Danny asked as he looked at the sky. Alec looked at his watch. “5:53” Alec said.

“Can we go now?” Alec asked. Jenny looked at Amos and nodded. Danny grit his teeth nd parted from them. “I’ll go ask them now,” Danny said. Amos shrugged. 

“You know where we live, right?” Amos asked. Danny nodded, and rode off.

* * * * 

Danny heard them screaming before he even pulled into the driveway. He gulped and walked up to the front porch, pressing his ear up against the door. 

“YOU F*CKING B*STARD, YOU DON’T DO ANYTHING FOR THIS FAMILY! THE ONE JOB YOU GET, YOU GET FIRED BECAUSE YOU'RE A F*CKING DRUNK!” screamed a feminine voice. His mother.

“AS IF YOU DO, YOU LITTLE B*TCH! TELL ME ONE TIME YOU WERE HOME TO CARE FOR YOUR F*CKING KIDS! NOT MINE, YOURS!” His father screamed. Danny took a step back. Not his kids? Danny shook his head. Jim Garcia would never admit to being related to Danny. Suddenly, the door slammed open, nearly crushing Danny. His mother ignored his presence and got into her car, speeding off within seconds. Moments later, his father steamed out and heaved himself into his pickup. The truck let out a cough, and backed out faster than his mother had. Danny peeled open the door, peeking inside. Empty. He carefully stepped inside, listening for a sound. “Danny?” asked a voice. Danny’s head whipped towards the hallway his bedroom. Billy stood in the hallway, a blanket clutched in his hand. “Yeah?” Danny asked, walking towards him. “Are you okay?” Danny asked him, lifting him in the air. Billy nodded.

“Yeah. Mom and Dad started fighting again. But I’m fine.” Billy said. He nodded.

“Did they hit you at all?” the older brother asked, already feeling rage boiling in his stomach. But the little boy shook his head.

“Where did they go?” Danny asked. Billy shrugged.

“Daddy’s goin to the bar and is gonna stay at his friends house for the night. Mom’s staying at her college for the night, too.” Billy said. Excitement bounced in Danny’s stomach.

“All night?” he asked.

“Yup,” Billy said as he looked out the open door into the warm June evening.

“Do you mind if I go out for the night, too?” Danny asked. “I’ll come back to put you to bed at eight, and I’ll bring home some candy.” Billy’s face brightened.

“Okay!” Billy said. “I’m gonna go play outside with Aiden, see ya later!” he said, running outside. Danny grinned and walked into his room. He grabbed a sleeping bag, a set of clothes, and ran out the door.

Amos & Jenny

Amos slid shoulder first into the fence, the ball bobbling in his grasp. He wrapped his free arm around the ball, making sure it didn’t roll out. “It’s good!” Alec shouted as he ran over to Amos. “He held it!” Amos laughed and jumped to his feet. Kenny groaned and sat in the grass.

“What do you guys wanna do now?” he asked, gesturing for Amos to throw the football to him. Amos did, a perfect spiral. “Wanna go set up now? The sun is starting to set.” Georgina suggested. Jenny shook her head. “We have to wait for Danny.” she said. Amos nodded  and put his hands up for a pass from Kenny. “How much longer do you think he’s gonna be?” Amos asked as the ball flew into his hands. “Don’t know,” Jenny said, her face growing pale. Worry filled Amos’s as he saw his sisters face go from beautifully tan to a scary white. He dropped the ball and walked over. “Are you okay?” he asked. Last time she started feeling nervous, Amos had ignored it. That was a mistake. “What? Yeah, sorry.” Jenny said as a bike pulled into the driveway. Amos leaned over, and saw Danny letting his bike fall on the ground. “Perfect timing,” Jenny said, looking at at dimming sky. “Let’s go.” she said. Amos shrugged, and walked in the front yard. 

“Can you stay?” Jenny asked. Danny nodded.

“Yeah, I just have to go back at eight put Billy to bed, and then I can come back.” he said as he pulled a sleeping bag out of the basket on his bike.

“Y’know, we have sleeping bags and stuff, right?” Amos said. Danny nodded. 

“Yeah. I kinda just grabbed some stuff.” he said. Amos shrugged.

“Let’s go,” Amos said, waving them into the house.  He walked inside, holding the door for his friends. “I’ll go get the stuff,” Jenny said as she walked through their bedroom door. Amos closed the door behind him and walked inside. He walked in his room and began to help Jenny pull sleeping bags and blanket down from the closet.  “Oh! Can I have the pink one?” Alec cried, clapping his hands together. Georgina rolled her eyes. “You’re an *ss.” she said, snatching the pink sleeping bag from Jenny’s hands. Alec gasped and held his chest. “How dare you!” he cried, snatching the pink blanket from her and wrapping it around his head. Georgina laughed, but didn’t make an attempt to take it back. Alec wrapped the blanket around his head, his face suddenly serious. “Totally b*tchin’” he sneered. Amos doubled over in laughter, tears sprouting in his eyes as he did. “You’re an *ss, you know that?” Danny said as he wiped his eyes. Alec nodded.

“Yeah, I realize that, my fellow b*tches.” he said. Jenny rolled her eyes.

“Enough cursing,” she said. Amos nodded. Their parents cursed all the time, no wonder she didn’t like them cursing. Danny didn’t seem to like it either.

“C’mon, let’s go set up.” Jenny said, waving them towards the center of the room.

“This is gonna be fun,” Alec said, removing the pink sleeping bag off his head.

* * * * 

Jenny walked out of the bathroom, the bundle of dirty clothes balled up in her arms. She walked over to the laundry room, and dumped them in. “Jenny!” cried a voice. Jenny’s head snapped backwards. “What’s taking so long?”

“I’m coming!” Jenny groaned as she made her way her bedroom. She walked into the doorway of the dimly lit room, amazed by how organized it actually was. A single lantern was placed in the middle of a circle of sleeping bags, making a clean looking circle. The room had an orangish tinge to it causing it to have a cozy feeling to it. “What took you so long?” Amos asked. Jenny shrugged. “I wasn’t that long. I just had to get dressed and put my stuff in the laundry.” she replied. Amos nodded. Jenny stepped into the middle of the circle, looking for her beanbag. Alec had gotten his pink one back, and was now shoulder high in it. She stepped into her sleeping bag next to Amos and Georgina, settling down into it. “What do you wanna do now?” Aaron asked, shifting his bulky shoulders in the bag. 

“Ghost stories?” Kenny suggested. Jenny shrugged.

“Who has a story then,” Georgina asked as she propped herself up on her elbows. They all looked at one another. “Got nothing,” Kenny said. 

“How about we figure out what to do to kill the thing.” Danny suddenly said. 

“Okay,” Kenny said. Jenny propped herself up on the heels of her hands, listening carefully. “So, should we do groups to kill it?” Danny asked. “Because in every single horror movie when the group splits up, they all die.” They all nodded.

“So, two groups of two, one group of three.” Alec said, the ridiculous look on his face gone. “Yeah,” Georgina said. “Maybe Alec and Aaron, me, Amos, and Kenny. And then Danny and Jenny.” she said, nipping at her lip. Jenny reddened and looked at Danny. His face was beet red. “Shouldn’t it be me and Amos. Or me, Amos, and Aaron since they’re the strongest and Amos is my brother. No offense Danny.” Jenny reasoned, giving Danny a small smile. Danny shrugged and grinned. 

“Oh, c’mon. Danny’s strong.” Georgina said, a glint in her eye.

“Not really.” Danny said, looking at his arms, which were in fact muscular.

“Yes you are. Flex.” 

“What? No.”

“I will!” shouted Alec jumping to his feet. He rolled up his sleeves, and held up his twig-like arms. Aaron laughed and pulled himself up, flexing his monstrous arms too. Soon Kenny had joined, hysterically laughing. Amos did to eventually.  Jenny laughed, and held up her arms as she flexed her surprisingly strong arms. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Danny laugh and hold up his arms. Jenny bit her tongue, and glanced his way. She wasn’t focused on his arms, which every other girl would be focused on. She was focused on the scars on his arms. He turned and noticed her. But instead of rolling his sleeves down and looking away like he normally would, he stared right back at her and grinned as if he was challenging her. Jenny turned away, hiding her smile. 

“See!” Georgina said gesturing to all of them, especially Danny. “We’re all pretty strong. It doesn’t matter.”  Jenny nodded. She was right. They were all strong, and had the type of bond where they treated each other like brother and sister.

 “I’m gonna go get cookies.” Amso said suddenly, hoisting himself up. 

“I think they’re in the closet closest to the refrigerator.” Jenny called to her brother. “Got it!” Amos said, walking back in with a box of Oreos. He licked his lips and opened the bag. Almost immediately, the bag was attacked by everyone. Jenny laughed and dug in. She backed away once her fists were full with the cookies. She popped one in her mouth, savoring the creamy taste. Alec had taken at least five fist fulls, scattering them around him. 

“This is the most I’ve eaten in like five years!” Danny cried, shoving an Oreo in his mouth. Jenny gave a soft laugh, knowing that it was probably true. Suddenly, he  stopped. His eyes were suddenly glued to the clock. 

“Shit,” Danny said, shoving the rest of his Oreos in his pocket. “Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!” he cried, stumbling over to the door. “What?” Jenny asked, dropping her Oreos. Panic began to build up in her stomach as he scrambled towards the door.

“I promised Billy and my brothers that I’d come home at eight a put him to bed. And I gotta lock up the house, put into the laundry, make sure they ate, clean up my dad’s stuff, and a bunch of other sh*t.”

“Jesus, Danny. Don’t you have parents?” Alec laughed as he chewed contently on his Oreo.

“Not really.” Danny said as he made his way to the doorway. “My mom doesn’t really remember who I am. My dad’s too drunk to give a sh*t about anything. So not really.”

“Oh. Sorry.” Alec said, clearly embarrassed.  “My mom’s nothing like that. We have a f*cking curfew.” Alec said, glancing at Aaron.

“Our’s is just crazy. Well, at least after my dad went crazy. And then of course left.” Jenny said as she looked at Amos. Danny’s fumbling noticeably slowed as the word came out of her mouth. She turned, and saw him staring at her. His teeth were grit and his jaw was set.

“My mom is literally like a thirteen year old girl. All she does is gossip.” Georgina said as she shook her head. “Kenny, what’s your mom like?” Georgina asked, resting her head on the heel of her hand. Kenny didn’t move when he answered. “Dead.” he snarled flatly. The room fell silent.

“Kenny, I’m so sorry. We didn’t know,” Jenny said, resting a hand on his tense shoulder. Kenny softened a bit. “No, don’t be. It’s not your fault. It’s Adaru’s fault. He killed her.”

“Oh my god,” Georgina wheezed as the blood drained from her face.The room grew fell into a deeper silence, the kind that Jenny found unbearable. The kind she would feel if she was alone. “Guys, it’s fine. If I hadn’t said anything you guys wouldn’t be worried. Can we please just go on like it’s a regular night.”

“Yeah, definitely.” Jenny said, quick to answer. Kenny smiled at her.

“Ok. What’s your dad like?” Kenny asked. Jenny groaned.

“Drunk, crazy, useless, and nowhere to be found.” she said. Danny looked at her again.

“Oh,” Kenny said, the conversation about his mother forgotten. “My dad’s pretty cool. He took us to a Yankee game a few days ago.” he said. “What’s yours like, Danny?” he asked. Danny froze in his tracks at the exact same moment Jenny felt her gut drop. She looked at him, and he looked right back at her. “Drunk, useless, and always around,” he said, then rushed out the door.

* * * *

“Why do you want to question these kids?” the principle asked, filing through the papers Nick had brought. “Because, they may know something that we don’t. We’re trying to figure out what happened to your old student, Ariana Faden. The principal frowned. 

“Fine. Tuesday. They have Monday off so you can’t do your little thing then.” Mr. Gordon said. Nick said his thanks, and walked out. The sun had set by then, causing the night to radiate an eerie feeling. Nick’s hands grazed his gun as his eyes flitted around his cruiser. His hand had just grasped the door when he heard a bang. Nick jumped and pulled out his gun, aiming at whatever was in front of him. He fumbled for his flashlight. His hand finally wrapped around the cold metal and he brought it up to his gun turning it on just in time to see it flying at him. Nick fired without even commanding his body to. The thing screeched and fell backwards as it clawed at its chest. Nick fired again, over and over until his barrel clicked instead of giving a loud shot whenever he pulled the trigger. He dropped his gun and fumbled for his baton, holding it up like he would a baseball bat. He aimed his flashlight at the thing, his heart rising into his throat when he saw it. The thing eyes were as big softballs but as black as the deepest pits of hell. Its body was long, pale, and emaciated to the point where Nick could easily fit his baton into the gaps between each rib if he built up enough guts to. A large hole tore at the things rib cage, black goo and creatures spilling out. Black blood. Just like his sister. Nick had just raised the baton to throw it when it let out a horrible cry, spitting black slime into Nick’s face as it did. He fell back as the true pain of the goo settled in. He cried out and clawed at his face, trying to rip it off. His nail dug into his skin, tearing away the flesh like someone would tear away a rubber mask. He fell to his knees so that he was staring straight into his reflection. Nick nearly started to sob. His face was torn away, his flesh now a dark greenish red. And behind him, was the thing. Nick snarled, and swung his baton backwards. But he didn’t hit anything. His baton bashed into the side of his car, causing a deep dent to form in the door of the cruiser. He let his arm drop, blinking as he did. Blinking. Nick jumped to his feet and stared at his reflection. He was completely normal. Same light blondish-brown hair. Same hazel eyes. Same everything. Nick turned to look behind him, only to find nothing there. Nick sighed, and swung open the cruisers door. He fell down into the seat and placed his hands on the wheel, his eyes planted ahead of him. He thrusted his key into the ignition, and sped off.

Georgina

Buzzing. Bugs. Buzzing. Georgina’s had snapped up as she realized that a swarm of angry bees were probably outside her door. Nothing. She rubbed her eyes, and staggered out into the kitchen. 

  “Crap,” Jenny muttered as something popped from in front of her. And just at that moment, the strong scent of bacon hit Georgina’s nose. Her mouth watered at the smell of the frying bacon. “That smells good,” Georgina said as she took another whiff.

“Oh look! Sleeping Beauty's up!” Alec cried, gesturing towards Georgina.

“Shut your mouth, *ss.” she said as she grinned at him.

“Language, Georgina!” Amos cried suddenly as he walked over to the table, a bottle of orange juice in hand. “Are you kidding me? Orange juice!” Alec exclaimed, pounding his fist on the table. Danny rubbed his swollen eye. “Yeah. At the rate I’m goin, I’m gonna need about eight cups of coffee with a couple of shots in between.” he said. Kenny laughed.

“Same,” he said.

“Coors Light,” Jenny suddenly said. That was probably what her dad drank. 

“Sam Adams,”Danny said.

“Corona,” Amos chimed in. 

“Fireball,” 

 Georgina frowned. She found it horrible that the most loyal, nicest, and most  good looking kids lived in a house full of alcohol.

“What do you guys want to do after?” Amos asked as he let out a belch. Georgina shrugged and looked out the window. It was another beautiful day.

“The Cliff?” Georgina asked. 

“Yeah!” Aaron said excitedly. Jenny shrugged.

“Okay,” she said just as the door slammed open. Danny, Jenny ,and Amos nearly jumped out of their skin as a couple walked through the door. Georgina clutched the edge of the table.

“Hi mom,” Jenny finally said, holding her chest.

“Hi…” she replied, her words trailing off as she realized the gang of kids sitting in her kitchen. “Sorry, we just thought that we can have some friends over. Just because you were with ,uh, Gary for the night.” Jenny said as she eyed the tall, brown haired man in the doorway.

“Oh, no. It’s fine. In fact, we were going back out anyways,” Mrs. Reynolds said as she tugged on her boyfriend’s arm. The man smiled at Mrs. Reynolds, and then looked at Jenny.

“Not until I try that bacon!” he said, grinning wildly. Jenny gave an small laugh and a nervous smile as Amos looked at the man skeptically. Danny was looking at the man with a look of unease, fear, and something that looked like he was ready to pounce at any moment if the man made any move on Jenny. Georgina turned to look at Kenny. His face was a replica of Danny’s, minus the fear of course. Alec was tapping his foot with unease and Aaron was cracking his knuckles. It wasn’t exactly what Georgina would’ve called a friendly looking group of kids. 

“Are you sure, Gary? I’ve never made these before.” Jenny said as she backed away from the plate holding bacon meant for them. Gary waved her off.

“It’s fine. There’s a first for everything.” he said as he picking up a slab of bacon, his teeth crunching on the meat. His eyes lit up. Suddenly, he began to make exaggerated sounds as he rubbed his stomach.

“That’s good stuff, Jen.” he said as he munched happily on the remainder of his bacon. Jenny gave him her most charming smile. “Thanks, Gary.” she said. Gary blushed.

“No problem, Jen.” he said as he joined his girlfriend at the door. “See you guys later,” he said, and walked out the door. Jenny blew out a breath. “Jesus,” she said as she let the bacon fall in front of Georgina. Alec laughed. “Someone was having a good day, that’s for sure,” he said. Georgina giggled. Alec was right. The guy was way to0 happy. “If you told that guy that your grandma died, he’d probably laugh,” Danny said suddenly, giving everyone his signature grin.

“Hey, my grandma died yesterday from a massive heart attack. Funerals Monday.” Alec said as a depressed look washed over his face.

 “Oh, really! Good for you! I’ll bring balloons and pinatas to the mass!” Danny said as he smiled too wide. Amos laughed out loud. Jenny giggled and put a hand over his mouth. 

“He’s a nice guy! He’s just a little much sometimes.” she said as she grew red. 

“Just a little!” Alec said. Jenny sighed as she watched Alec.

“You're an idiot sometimes,” she said. Alec groaned.

“Do you people think I don’t know that? I am literally told that twenty-four seven.”

“But Jenny, you have to admit it. He’s more than ‘a little much’,” Danny said.

“Okay, fine. He is. He’s a handful. But he’s a nice guy! Really nice! And plus, I’d rather live with him than my actual dad.” she said. The room grew a little quieter, but not by much. Danny grit his teeth. “Same,” he said, his words nearly inaudible. Jenny frowned at him. Alec smiled.

“If my dad was a drunk, I’d rather live with a gay guy too, don’t worry.” he said. Georgina gasped. She looked at Jenny, Amos, and Danny.

“Alec! You *sshole!” Aaron said, punching his brother.

“No, it’s fine. I don’t care. Neither does Amos,” Jenny said, glancing at her brother, “Right, Amos?”

“Yeah. Fine. Don’t care,” he said. Danny didn’t say a word. His jaw was set and his fists were clenched. 

“Anyways, when are we going to the Cliff. Now or never.” Kenny suddenly said, breaking up the awkward silence. Georgina smiled.

“Yeah, I’ll go to my house a get dressed.” she said, placing her plate in the sink. The rest of her friends did the same. She ran out, got her bike, and rode away.

* * * * 

The water around Georgina calmed as she stilled, turning from a disturbed white into a calm green. She smiled as she watched Danny and Alec crash onto the calm water, Danny’s shirt flapping like a sail. “SH*T!” he screamed, just before he landed. Georgina laughed out loud. She began to carefully wade over to them, prepared to swim back at any moment. She had improved with her swimming, but wasn’t to sure of it yet. Alec paddled over to her, his sly grin making her suspicious. 

“What are you doing?” Georgina said as she edged closer to the shore.

“C’mon, you can swim,” he said as he began to pull her deeper in the water.

“No, I really can’t” she said, pulling away.

“Yes you can. Let’s go,” Alec said. Georgina sighed and began to paddle deeper into the lake. She grit her teeth as she felt her feet leave the soft sand from under the water. Alec gave her a reassuring smile as he saw. 

“Don’t worry,” he said, “the worst thing that ever happened here was an alligator attack on an innocent swimmer. Nothing big,” he said.

“Alec, you *sshole! Shut up!” she exclaimed, spinning around to look at the water around her.  Alec laughed, and pulled her in farther. 

* * * * 

“Bye, Kenny,” Georgina said as she slammed the door, shaking her wet hair. She threw her towel on the kitchen table, and walked over to the laundry room where she picked up a dry pair of clothes. She retreated into the downstairs bathroom where she changed. The floorboards creaked as she padded over to the laundry room, throwing the clothes in. Suddenly, the phone rang. Georgina nearly jumped out of her skin as it rang. She held her stomach with shaking fingers and picked up the phone, expecting Jenny to be calling. She held the phone to her ear as she leaned up against the wall, the color returning back to her face. “Hello?” Georgina said into the phone. Silence. Georgina rolled her eyes, and began to put the phone back. But then someone spoke. She held the phone to her ear as a nervous feeling crept it’s way into her stomach. “Yeah?” Georgina tried.

“Gonna kill ya… Gonna f*cking kill ya. Half an hour. Imma murder you.” breathed a voice into the phone. Georgina’s eyes went wide, and she slammed the phone against the wall. She backed away from the phone as if it were going to turn into a monster and lunge at her. Georgina gulped, and eyed the phone. With an sudden burst of courage, she grabbed the phone again, quickly spinning the dial so that her fingers hit  the numbers 9-1-1 . She wasn’t an idiot from some horror movie. She wasn’t just going to sit there. Even if it was just a prank, she’d rather be safe than sorry.

“Nine-one-one, what is your emergency?” a masculine voice asked. Georgina breathed a sigh of relief into the phone. “Someone just called me and claimed that they were going to kill me in half an hour,” Georgina said as she wrung her hands on the phone. She winced as she imagined the operator telling her that she was in no trouble at all, and that there was no reason to send a cop over. A long pause passed between them. “Is this a prank, kid?”

“No! I swear to god it’s not a prank. My address is twenty-five Couper Street. My name is Georgina Coleman, and I’m home alone.” she said.

“Fine. I’m sending a cop over now. They’ll be there in five minutes. Hold tight.”

“Okay, thank you!” Georgina said just as the operator hung up on her.

“*sshole,” she mumbled, placing the phone back on the wall. After the longest five minutes of her life, there was a knock on the door. She looked out the window, relieved to see a young, clean-shaven cop standing at the door. She walked over, and opened the door. 

“Georgina Coleman?” the officer asked. Georgina nodded.

“Uh, come in.” she said as she opened the door wider.

“Thanks,” he said as he walked in, observing the house as he did.

“No problem, officer.” she said, giving him her most charming smile.

“Nick. Not officer.” the officer, Nick, said as he turned to face her again. Georgina opened her mouth to apologize, but he cut her off.

“No worries. Just tell me what happened,” he said. And Georgina did. The entire time, Nick gave her his full attention. And Georgina appreciated that. Every adult she’d ever met treated her like a two-year-old. Nick nodded when she was finished with her story.

“Okay. All I can tell you is lock your doors and windows. Maybe you can call your parents too. Just sit tight while I go back to the station and try tracking the call. I’ll let you know what happens.” Nick said as he made his way to the door. Georgina said her thanks, and began to close the door. But he froze.

“Do you know Ariana Faden?” he said suddenly, turning to face her. Georgina nodded.

“Her and I were friends. Before she died, of course…” Georgina said, trailing off.

“And you were at the wake, right?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Nothing. I’m visiting the school to talk about it with some students. You think you’ll know them?” Nick asked

“Probably,” Georgina said. She knew everyone.

“The Hernandez brothers? Do you know them?” he asked. Georgina nodded.

“Okay. There’s also Jennifer and Amos Reynolds, Kenneth Dunic, Daniel Garcia, and Georgina Coleman…” he said. He pointed at Georgina, realizing that who she was. Georgina nodded.

“We’ll talk about that tomorrow,” Nick said, and walked out the door.

* * * * 

Two minutes. Two f*cking minutes. Georgina felt her heart begin to pound as she realized that she was two minutes away from the half hour mark that the person had said. She tested the lock on her door, and sat back down in the living room. The entire house was lit up with lights and the TV was on a very low volume. Like she said before, she wasn’t going to sit around like some idiot horror movie character would. She wasn’t stupid. Suddenly the phone rang, causing the same thing to happen that had happened before.  Her hands began to shake and she felt the blood drain from her face as the phone rang a second time. She fumbled for the phone, expecting to hear the operators voice. And to her relief, it was.

“Ma’am! Are you there?” the operator asked, his voice panicked. Georgina felt her stomach drop a second time as she realized how nervous the operator seemed.

“Yes, why? What happened?” she asked as the nervous feeling in her stomach elevated from butterflies into rabid eagles.

“We’ve traced the calls, and…” the operator gulped, causing Georgina to also.

“And what? Tell me!” she cried. Tears were beginning to build up in her eyes.

“The calls are coming from inside your house…” the operator said. Georgina dropped the phone and turned to the staircase where noisy footsteps had began. She let out a petrified scream as her eyes focused on the man coming down the stairs; the exact same man who had chased them in the woods. The same pale face, the same dark eyes. It was if Adaru had taken human form. Georgina screamed again, and grasped for the doorknob. Locked. Of course. Nick had told her to lock everything. They expected the man to be outside. And the entire time, he was sitting upstairs. Watching. Waiting. She fumbled for the lock, switching the wall of locks on the frame of the door as the man grew closer. She reached the last lock, turned the doorknob, and stumbled out side only to crash into someone. She looked up, expecting the worse. Another man. A monster. She nearly cried in relief as her gaze fell upon Kenny’s confused face.  

“Uh, you left your bracelet at The Cliff.” he said. Georgina slapped the bracelet away and pushed him backwards just as he saw the man. 

“F*CK!” Kenny screamed, grabbing Georgina by the wrist and pulling her to his bike. “GET ON THE HANDLEBARS!” Kenny cried as he leapt onto his bike. Georgina didn’t hesitate. She jumped on the handlebars, almost falling back  onto Kenny and she did. She leaned back and grasped the center, hooking her heels near the body of the bike. Kenny took off as the man slammed the door into the wall and began to chasing them in full-on sprint. And that was when Georgina heard sirens. Oh, thank god. Sirens. Blue and red lights flashed in the woods. But Kenny didn’t stop. He pedaled faster. Kenny turned the bend, and almost collided with a police cruiser speeding down the street. Georgina let out a scream as she was thrown forwards into the cruiser. The door suddenly slammed open, and a light-haired, young officer stepped out with a gun pointed towards Kenny. It was Nick. 

“Stop! Don’t shoot!” Georgina screamed as she stumbled backwards off the car. But Nick didn’t put his gun down. “Put your hands up!” Nick screamed at Kenny. Kenny froze and slowly lifted his hands in the air, not taking his eyes off the gun in the cops hand. 

“Are you f*cking deaf? Put the gun down!” Georgina cried, staggering towards Nick. Still, Nick didn’t budge. 

“Get on the ground!” he said, taking slow steps towards Kenny as the boy lowered himself to the ground. That was when Georgina exploded. She ran forwards and threw her body into Nick’s, causing him to drop his gun and fall to the floor.

“What the f*ck?” Nick snarled as he turned to Georgina. Suddenly, his gaze softened.

“Sarah?” he asked. Georgina’s eyebrows furrowed.

“What? No, it’s me. Georgina,” she said as she lifted her self to the ground, glancing at Kenny. He was still on the ground, his hands spread out. Nick stumbled to his feet and grabbed his gun, his eyes focused on something ahead of them. Georgina lifted her gaze, and felt her heart drop as soon as she did. A dark figure stood in the middle of the street like a statue.

“Stay where you are! Don’t move a f*cking muscle!” Nick screamed, running towards it with his gun pointed at its head. But it did the exact opposite. It turned and walked stiffly into the woods. Nick fired, the three loud bangs nearly shattering Georgina’s eardrums. Suddenly, Nick stop running. He fired one more shot and dropped his gun, cursing as he did. He slowly began the walk back to the car. “Get off the ground.” he called at Kenny, whose belly was still to the floor. Kenny groaned as he hoisted himself off the ground, and made his way over to Georgina. She gave him a sympathetic look and walked over to Nick.

“What happened to it?” she asked, glancing back into the woods as she did.

“It got away.” Nick said flatly as he turned his gun on safety.

“How? You shot it four times, right?”

“Yup,”

“The how-”

“It wasn’t human, kid.” Nick said darkly, “The d*mn thing wasn’t even human.”

 

Chapter 11

Kenny

“You’re almost late, Mr. Dunic.” called a voice as Kenny swung into his desking, throwing his books down as he did. Kenny groaned and muttered a silent curse under his breath.

“Yeah, sorry. My bus came late,” Kenny said. His teacher opened her mouth to lecture him again, but there was a sudden knock at the door. Kenny turned his head and saw their principal, Mr. Gordon, standing in the doorway. 

“Kenneth Dunic?” he asked. Kenny’s eyebrows furrowed. Kenny lifted himself out of his desk and walked to the door. And that was when Kenny saw Alec and Aaron standing in the hallway.

* * * * 

“You guys just sit tight while I get someone,” Mr. Gordon said as he walked out of the room, leaving Kenny with Alec, Aaron, Georgina, Jenny Danny, and Amos. Kenny had just opened his mouth, when the door was slammed opened, revealing the same officer from the night before standing in the doorway. Kenny felt his stomach drop. Kenny’s head whipped towards Georgina, who was surprisingly calm, almost as if she had been expecting it. 

“Why are you here?” Kenny asked, not caring that the man was a police officer and ten years older than him.

“I’m interviewing you guys on Arianna’s murder. Well, we don’t know if it’s a murder yet. That’s why I’m here.”

“Oh,” Kenny sighed. He looked at Jenny whose face had gone pale. The officer sat down on the cushioned seat in front of them and looked back at Principal Gordon.

“No offense sir, but I think that the kids will feel more comfortable without a spectator.” the officer said. Mr. Gordon scowled, and walked out of the room. 

“Uh, Nick? We don’t really care,” Georgina said. 

“Well, I do. Tell me everything.” he said quickly. Kenny leaned back in his seat, startled by the sudden outburst.

“But we don’t know anything,” Aaron said, even more confused than Kenny was. Nick rolled his eyes. 

“Yes, you do.” he said.  Danny shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

“Well she wasn’t depressed, everyone liked her, and she didn’t mention anything about running away.” Jenny said flatly. Nick groaned.

“That’s not what I’m asking for!”

“Then what are you asking for?” Amos asked.

“I think you all know,” Nick said. That was when Kenny realized. He was talking about Adaru. Sh*t. Kenny looked over at his friends, who had all grown pale. Danny had his head in his hands and Alec’s foot was tapping rapidly.

“Why? Why do you want to know?” Kenny asked. Nick hesitated.

“Because I saw It. I saw It when It when It left my sister dead in the same exact way. When I found your friend, she was a mirror image of my sister. I saw It a day ago when I was asking your principal about questioning you kids. I know I’m not crazy, and therefore I know you guys aren’t crazy. Tell me all the sh*t you know or else.” Nick snarled. Kenny looked at his friends, and told Nick everything.

* * * * 

“Whip up some tears. Let’s go.” Nick said as he glanced towards the door. Kenny eyebrows furrowed. He looked at Amos, who was also confused as hell. 

“Are you deaf? Let’s go!” Nick whisper-screamed. Kenny watched as Georgina sighed and squeezed her eyes shut until tears sprouted from the corners of her eyes. Nick nodded.

“Okay. The rest of you, just look really depressed.” he said, “Actually, you come with me.” Nick said quietly, pointing at Danny. 

“Why?” Danny asked, obviously not wanting to budge.

“Because, you're the most beat-up. Vamanos, chico.” Nick snarled. Danny looked at Jenny with wide eyes, and sat up.

“Georgina, you come too. And you, uh, Jenny. Act like you have a headache.” he said. Jenny looked at Amos unsurely, but did as she was asked. Nick disappeared through the door and appeared minutes later with Principal Gordon in tow.

“The kids aren’t looking good. I don’t think they’re fit to survive an entire day at school. I might as well take them home. Mark it as an excused absence” Nick said, his face sympathetic and kind. Mr. Gordon scowled.

“Fine. But one more absence and they’re all getting detention and phone calls home.” he said. Danny winced at his words.

“No problem. Thank you for your time, sir.” Nick said, putting a forceful hand on Danny’s back. Danny glanced at Nick and backed away towards the door. Georgina followed, wiping her fake tears from her face. Kenny sighed and tried looking as depressed as possible, following Georgina and Danny out the door. Soon Amos was behind him along with Alec (who had been oddly quiet the entire time), Aaron, and Jenny. 

“Why the f*ck did you do that? We’re fine.” Amos said angrily. Nick glared at Amos as he closed the door behind Jenny.

“Because,” Nick snarled as he began to lead them towards a police cruiser, “You need to show me.”

“Oh,” Amos said.

“Question!” Alec suddenly exclaimed as he shot his hand in the air. Nick groaned.

“What, Hernandez?”

“How the hell are we supposed to fit in the car?”

“One of you are gonna sit on the roof,”

“Wait, what?” Kenny asked in disbelief. Nick rolled his eyes as he walked around the front of the car and swung the door open.

“No. You guys find a way,”

“Great. Thanks for the help officer,” Alec mumbled as he opened the door, peering into the small car. Kenny looked at his friends and groaned.

“How the f*ck are we gonna do this?” he asked. No response.

* * * * 

Kenny shifted further against the door as the weight became unbearable on his shoulder. He turned to look at his friends, who also seemed to be struggling. Jenny was looking around uncomfortably as she tried shifting from Amos’s lap farther towards the door.  Aaron was packed into the middle of Kenny and Amos, Alec on his lap too. Danny had found his place on the floor, looking jealousy at Georgina who was sitting comfortably in the front seat.

“Where are we goin?” Nick asked, glancing through the rear-view mirror at Kenny. Kenny groaned. “My house. Fifteen Walton Street. Off of Couper.” Kenny said. Nick nodded and turned off the main road, onto Palahu Bend. They hit another bump as they did, causing Kenny do bump his head on the wall. He groaned and pressed his head out the window, peering into the sunny morning. Holy sh*t. It was only the morning and Kenny didn’t even remember what he had for breakfast, which had to be at least two hours ago. The car rolled to a stop in front of Kenny’s old, brick house.

 “Let’s go,” Nick said, stepping out into the clear morning air. Georgina did the same, walking around the side of the car to help them out. 

“Easy for you to say,” Danny grumbled as he hoisted himself up, throwing himself into the front seat. He grinned and stepped out the open door.

“You go try teaching your boyfriend some manners. I’ll help them,” Danny said to Georgina as he opened the back door.  Georgina slapped him and walked to the front door. The fresh air hit Kenny like a cool wave of water. Danny reached out his hand, helping Jenny out of the car. She smiled at him as he did, causing Danny’s face to turn beet red. Kenny rolled his shoulders, taking advantage of the extra space. Danny put out an arm and hoisted Amos out of the car. They kept doing the same until Kenny was standing next to the car, rolling his neck as he tried to get the cramps out. He turned to look at the house, and noticed Nick standing under the overhead and next to the door, waving them over.

“*sshole,” Kenny groaned and began walking to the door. He shoved past Nick and opened the door, leading them into the house.

“Wait right here. I’ll get the stuff,” Kenny said as he ran up the stairs. Once in his room, he grabbed everything he could. The notes that he’d taken when they’d met up for the first time to talk about Adaru. The picture Danny had taken of it, the pictures the Kenny had drawn, and everything he was able to find. He staggered down the stairs and drop the bundle of supplies on the table. Nick stared dumbfounded at the supply of evidence, his eyes landing on the photograph of Kenny’s mother. Kenny grit his teeth and looked away.

“Alright,” Nick said, “Where does it start?” he asked.

“Here,” Kenny said as he reached for the pictures of his mother, “When she died. It murdered her. So, my dad made us move here. That was when sh*t started happening. When I first moved here, I saw something in the mirror that looked exactly alike what killed my mom.”

“And then when I was goin to get food, the birds all suddenly just stopped chirping. Then they just fell to the floor. Dead. It was as scary as sh*t.” Amos chimed in.

“We were chased by a giant bear. That was fun,” Alec said.

“I got attacked by mutant bugs and spent two nights in the hospital” Georgina said.

“And then I saw It again,” Kenny said, flashing back to the memory.

“We also got attacked by some giant eagle,” 

“Getting ripped apart by a pack of wolves twice is also very enjoyable,” chimed Danny.

“And then, being the idiots we are, we decided to go in the woods and try killing it. That resulted in Danny almost being torn to shreds and Aaron getting a concussion.” included Kenny.

“Our mom turned into a demon,” 

“And then, we went to this weird cave to find our fears. That was fun.” Amos grumbled.

“Jenny got attacked by an alligator while we were at the Cliff. After that, me, Aaron, and Kenny were chased by a moose on the way home,”  Alec said.

“And then we got caught in a fire at the Funhouse after a clown dropped his cigar,”

“Our dad came back and would have taken me if Amos hadn’t come,”

“Then, me, Jenny, and Danny were chased by a bobcat,”

“I went on some random rage and attacked Danny. Then, the next day, the janitor attacked us. That was quite interesting.”

“We tried going back and killing it, but instead Kenny’s dog almost died,” Georgina said. Kenny turned and looked at his dog who was sniffing Nick intently.

“Soon after that, we were playing ball and some guy attacked us in the woods,”

“ And that guy in my house was the last thing that happened…” Georgina said, twisting her hands together. Kenny peered at Nick. His eyebrows were raised with surprise, his face twisted with worry.

“It’s like the list goes on, and on.” Nick said.

“And at the rate we’re goin, it feels like it’s never gonna stop.” Amos replied. Kenny nodded. All they were doing was getting attacked. It almost seemed like they weren’t even trying to fight it anymore

“Wait, Reynolds. You said that you guys went to some cave to figure out your fears. Right?” Nick asked. Kenny looked at Amos and watched as he answered.

“Yeah. And?” Amos asked.

“Earlier you guys said that you think that Adaru, or whatever it’s called, feeds off fear. That it even makes fear. And that you guys kinda think that it’s your job to fight your fears to get rid of this thing. Right?”

“Uh, no.” Amos said as he looked at Nick, his eyebrows furrowing with confusion.

“Oh,” Nick grumbled, “Must’ve been me. But anyways, how the hell are you supposed to kill your fear?” Nick asked. Silence.  Danny shifted in his seat and looked nervously at the officer. Kenny ignored Danny’s movement and stared at the picture of his mother. He knew what he was afraid of. He knew what he was afraid of before the cave. Losing someone he loved.

“You can’t kill it if the Thing is actually Fear itself,” Danny suddenly said, “Or at least I don’t think. All we can do is weaken it, and put it back in its place.”

“Yeah! If you think about it, people need fear. If we weren’t afraid of anything, humans would just be mindlessly throwing themselves into danger. But I guess there’s something about us that makes us… special. Like we could have easily defeated our fears if it weren’t for Adaru.  Or maybe Adaru is just taking things too far. That’s why it’s targeting us. That’s why it wants us dead.” Jenny said, tapping on the table with her fingers.

“That’s it. That’s the reason.” Amos said. Kenny had just felt a spark of hope when he realized something. 

“Well then, if that is true, and Adaru is fear,” Kenny began gravely, “Then how are we supposed to defeat Fear itself?”

“I’m afraid of getting chased. I’m always so fast. But when something gets to close, I freak out. I’m terrified that when I’m running, I’ll look behind me and see that f*cking bear again,” Alec suddenly exclaimed. Kenny looked at Alec, his face twisted with confusion and surprise.

“I’m scared of not being strong enough. You guys always tell me I’m the strongest. That when I’m with you guys, there’s nothing to be afraid of. But it scares the sh*t out of me when I imagine not being strong enough. When I can’t do it, when I can’t protect you guys with my strength.” Aaron said, placing his fist on the table.

“I’m terrified of bugs. I know it’s ridiculous, but ever after the accident, I’ve been afraid of them. Even butterflies. It’s not the silly little fear that when you see a bug, you give a funny little scream and run. It’s the kind where your heart starts pounding and your hands start sweating because you think it’s gonna grow and get you, just like it did last time.” Georgina nearly cried out.

“I can’t believe that I’m gonna say this, but I’m scared of birds. Mother. F*ckin. Birds. Since the crow incident, and when the eagle attacked, I couldn’t stand them. Even those mourning doves that I hear when I wake up in the morning. I just can’t do it with them.” Amos grumbled, his face turning red from embarrassment. If Kenny had a fear of birds, he’d probably be embarrassed too.

“I'm afraid of being alone. Amos has always been by my side, which makes it even harder for me to be alone. And when I was alone, my stupid father came back and only made the fear worse. If I’m not with someone, I panic. Just like a baby. Another reason is because I always feel like someone else needs help. And if I’m alone, I can’t help them. They’re not there for me to help them.” Jenny said as she glanced up at Amos. Amos smiled at her, and looked away.

“I-I’m afraid of, uh, physical injury I guess,” Danny began. Kenny almost snorted. Funny he should be talking. “I’ve had the fear since I was about two years old. I don’t know how or why, I just have it. If someone raises their hand, I flinch. I can’t control it, and I just want it to be over with.” Danny said, more confidently at the end. Jenny’s eyes were glued on him And so was the young officer.

“Speaking of which, what happened to your face?” Nick asked, leaning back on his chair.

“Brothers. *ssholes. Football. The regular,” Danny said nervously. Nick looked at him skeptically. 

“Don’t lie to me, kid.” Nick snarled. Danny pressed his back into his chair.

“I’m not lying,” Danny said as his face grew pale. Nick stood up and raised his fist in the air, causing Danny to nearly fall back out of his chair. Jenny and Aaron lunged out of their chairs, causing everyone else to. That was when Kenny began.

“I’m f*cking terrified of losing someone I love. After my mom died, I couldn’t let the fear go, or the memory. I was f*cking right there, watching it. If I’d only left the house earlier, or ran a little faster, I woulda saved her. But I didn’t. And now she’s dead. Dead as a doornail. And I can’t let it go. Everything reminds me of her. I can barely go two minutes without seeing her face.” he said, looking around at everyone. Alec and Amos had sat back down and were watching him with interest. Aaron’s hand was one Nick’s shoulder, pushing him back in his chair. Meanwhile, Jenny seemed ready to spring at any moment and Georgina’s eyes were wet. Danny was still pressed back into his chair, but seemed looser.

“I know I seem kinda emotionless at times, but that’s because I try to. If I don’t, my face fills up with worry that I’ll lose you guys. Or anyone else I love.  So seeing you guys trying to kill each other isn’t exactly helping.” Kenny said, ending his sentences with a snarl and a cold glare at Nick. Nick looked away.

“And listen, officer,” Kenny growled. Nick’s head snapped towards Kenny. “If you're gonna help us, you gotta learn some respect. First, you come here and treat us like sh*t. You act like a f*cking *sshole, and I’m done with it. Then, you try beating up my friend, who already has enough bruises if you haven’t noticed, you arrogant son of a b*tch. So if you're gonna help us, learn some f*cking respect or else we’ll let you deal with Adaru by yourself. Choose.” Kenny snarled. Nick glared at him with such coldness that Kenny almost shivered. The volume in the room decreased, only causing the tension to increase. 

“Fine,” Nick growled, “But it’s not because some young brat told me to.” Nick kicked his chair back, and walked out the door. He didn’t even say goodbye. Kenny nearly growled and looked where Nick had been sitting. There was a small, white rectangle sitting on the table. Confused, Kenny reached over and picked the card up, flipping it over. Kenny almost laughed. And in sloppy, hand-written letters, the card read:

Nick Copper

Milford Police Station

And exactly below it, his number.

Alec & Aaron

“Goddammit, Hernandez! Move your *ss!” a deep voice called. Alec turned, his helmet rattling on his head. He groaned and jogged back behind the line of scrimmage, the kid covering him panting heavily.  Alec grinned at the kid.

“Tired?” Alec asked as he looked at Kenny, waiting for a shout.

“Just a little,” the kid said, still panting.  Alec grinned, surprised that the kid had a sense of humor. The other kids just tried tackling him the next play. That was, if they were able to catch them. There was a sudden shout as Kenny began bouncing backwards. Alec took off, crossing paths with Danny as they both turned for a pass. Kenny saw them, and chucked it into Alec’s open arms. He lunged forwards, the ball landing perfectly into Alec’s hands. Dirt and grass clung to the mask of his helmet as he skidded on the rough field, landing only about ten yards away from the endzone. A pair of hands suddenly pushed him down and Alec looked up to see the boy who had been covering him holding him down.

“You can let me up now,” Alec said as he rolled the ball into his right hand.

“Sorry,” the kid mumbled as he let Alec up from the floor. Alec jumped up off the ground and looked down at his team. Aaron’s hands were in the air like he was indicating a field goal, and Kenny was pumping his fist in the air.  Thirty yards was a pretty big gain. Alec laughed and jogged back towards his team. And that was when Alec saw him. The big black kid from the other team. Alec hadn’t like the kid from the start. He was cocky from the beginning, and had to be taken out when the game started because he’d had a temper tantrum over a catch that Danny had made. He’d also gotten a penalty after hitting Aaron long after the play. The kid just wasn’t able to get past Aaron. Well, no one was able to. Alec picked up his speed as he saw the black kid let out a short cry of anger, and twist his body towards Aaron. Suddenly, he began to run. Full speed. Alec let out a yell, but it was too late. Aaron didn’t know what hit him. His brother’s head snapped backwards as he felt to the ground, his helmet rattling around his head as he did. The black kid was standing above him, his teammates holding him back from attacking again. Alec made impact without even knowing it. His shoulder hit the kids rib cage, knocking the wind out of him. There were suddenly hands pulling Alec back, and he turned to see Danny pulling him backwards. Amos suddenly rushed past him, colliding with the boy again. Shouts erupted another boy from Alec’s team hit the black kid again. Alec charged forwards, only to be held back by his friend again.

“Calm down! Calm down!” Danny shouted as he grabbed Alec by the front of his shirt. Alec shook his head and tried charging again. And once again, he was held back.

“What are you doing, you f*cking idiot? Let me go you f*cking asshole! I’m gonna murder that mother f*cker after I beat the sh*t outta you if you don’t let me go!” Alec shrieked, beating against Danny’s chest. He winced, but didn’t let go. That was until someone materialized behind him. Alec’s eyes focused on the kid running towards them, realizing what was about to happen.  Alec screamed again, causing Danny to spin around just in time. All at once, the boy leapt off to the side as he dragged Alec with him. The kid dove past them and landed in the dirt with a muffled shout. Alec clawed his way up, his eyes red with fury. But this time, Danny didn’t hold him back. He ran straight at the kid. The player was just getting up when he was tackled by Danny, sending him flying back to the ground. Alec slid to a stop next to the two, kicking the player as he did. But there was nothing he could do. Danny had it covered. Alec began to run back towards the team. He had to get to his brother. He shoved his way through the crowd which was being torn apart by the coaches. 

“Get the hell away, Hernandez!” Alec’s coach shouted as he ran deeper into the crowd. There was only one thought on his mind. And that was Aaron. Alec spun around, looking frantically for his brother.

“Alec!” a voice suddenly shouted. Alec froze, his head whipped towards the direction of the voice. His eyes landed on Kenny and Amos on their knees beside… Aaron. Alec took off, sliding next to his brother once he came close enough.

“What the f*ck is wrong with him?” Alec nearly screamed, his words panicked.
“I-I don’t know! He won’t wake up!” Amos cried as he shook Aaron’s head. Kenny ripped off his helmet and chucked it to the side, revealing Aaron’s pale face.

* * * * 

Aaron awoke, screaming. He leaned on the heels of his hands, spinning around. Where was he? He blinked and looked down at his hands. Everything suddenly came into focus. His eyebrows furrowed as he stood up, looking at the boy in confusion. Kenny. Aaron nearly gasped as he realized who it was.

“Kenny! What the f*ck am I doing here?” Aaron asked as he stepped towards his friend. Kenny ignored him and proceeded with reading his comic. Aaron took another step forwards. And that was when he heard a scream. Kenny’s head snapped up, his eyes wide. Aaron watched as he threw the sheets off his bed and jumped out the window.

“Kenny!” Aaron screamed, following Kenny’s footsteps. Aaron sprinted after him, trying to figure out why his friend was ignoring him. Suddenly, Kenny stopped and turned into an alleyway, causing Aaron to skid to a stop. Aaron nearly screamed as he saw what was in the alley. Adaru. Terror seized Aarons heart and he stumbled backwards in fear. But Kenny didn’t. Kenny ran forwards.

“GET AWAY FROM MY MOTHER!” he shrieked. Adaru oddly obeyed and ran off into the shadows, leaving Kenny and the corpse in the alleyway. Aaron slowly approached, fearful of what he was going to see. He took a step closer to Kenny, who was sobbing next to the woman. And that was when it hit him. That was his mother. Kenny suddenly snapped upwards and ran to the entrance of the alleyway. With red eyes, he screamed.

“Someone call nine-one-one! Please! Someone f*cking help!” Kenny shrieked. A man in a suit quickly ran to a telephone booth as a crowd gathered around the alleyway.

The cops arrived within seconds, sprinting over to Kenny’s dead mother. A brown haired man held Kenny back as they zipped his mother in a white bag. But that was when Kenny lost it.

“WHERE ARE YOU TAKING HER?” he screamed, breaking through the crowd. Two policemen grabbed him by arms, holding him back as tears streamed down his face. He beat at their chests, but the officers didn’t let go. But Kenny didn’t let up.

* * * *

Aaron knew where he was when everything came into focus. He saw him and Alec talking while walking on Palahu Bend and was able to recall the exact things they were saying. And that was when the bear came. Aaron saw Alec pull his past-self forwards and sprint into the woods, the bear following in hot pursuit. Aaron followed, but realized something. He wasn’t seeing himself clearly. He was seeing Alec. This was Alec’s fear, just like he had said the day before. Alec’s heart was visibly pounding out of his chest as he screamed for past-Aaron to climb a tree. They both did just before the bear came within a few yards of them. 

“Enjoy the ride?” Alec asked. But Aaron could tell that the joke was covering up for his fear. Just by the look in his eyes, Aaron could tell that his brother was traumatized.

* * * * 

Aaron’s vision focused, revealing a younger looking Danny walking. His breath was visible in the cold air but all he was wearing was a crappy sweatshirt. His cheeks were red from the cold and his hands were shaking. He shivered again, put this time it seemed more out of fear than cold. Aaron didn’t even have time to follow before a heavy man slammed Danny against the wall, causing Danny to drop his bag on the floor.

“WHAT THE F*CK!” Aaron screamed as the man began punching and screaming at Danny. Aaron lunged forwards, only to pass through the man. Aaron twisted onto his back and readied himself to lunge again. But that was when he realized he couldn’t do anything. This was the past. All he could do was watch. How could he have been so blind? One of his best friends were being horribly abused and none of them even bothered to see what was happening to him.

“You f*cking b*stard!” the man snarled as he seized him by the collar of his sweatshirt and threw him into the wall across the room. His friend pinned himself further up against the wall as the man came back over, kicking him in the ribs. Danny nearly doubled over as the wind was knocked out of him from the kick. Suddenly, the man froze. A slow evil smile crept onto his horrible, ugly face. 

“Take off your shirt, f*gg*t.” he snarled as he began to undo his belt. Aaron watched in horror as Danny removed his shirt with shaking hands, his eyes wide with terror. He clung to the side of the table as the whipping started, the belt moving so fast that Aaron could hear the wind coming off it. The man, Danny’s father, stepped back and looked at his son as if he was admiring artwork.

“Stay here, you sonofabitch.” he snarled and stomped off into the hallway. Aaron fell to his knees beside Danny, his friends back straight up against the wall. His eyes were squeezed closed and his breathing was ragged. Suddenly, there was the pounding of footsteps from the hallway. Aaron’s head whipped to the side, his eyes landing on Jim Garcia. He snatched Danny by the collar of his shirt, pinning him up against the wall. He snarled, and held a black object up to Danny’s head. A gun. Aaron felt his heart stop just as Danny’s did when they realized.

“ I’ve seen you with those f*cking kids at school. Whenever I go to get a beer, I see you with a whole group of brats. You f*cking tell anyone, and I’ll shoot you and whoever you tell in the head.” he snarled. Danny nodded quickly and gulped. What seemed like hours passed before the man hit Danny’s jaw with the but of his gun, throwing him into the hallway. Danny’s back slammed into the wall, causing him to wince. But that didn’t stop him from scrambling into his room.

* * * * 

Aaron blinked as he realized where he was. Jenny’s house. He walked into the room where they all slept, Jenny’s room, and saw Jenny sitting on the bed. A worn stuffed monkey was in her hands and her eyes seemed to be looking off into the beyond. That was until there was a noise outside. A car door slamming. Jenny’s gaze snapped back into reality and she grabbed a small, black box. A walkie-talkie, Aaron realized. A car. She was on her feet within seconds, running to the window. At first, Aaron thought it was her mother’s boyfriend, Gary. But once he saw a  figure step out of the car, his heart leapt to his throat. Jenny had told them what happened. She fumbled for her walkie talkie, and screamed into it. “Amos, come home now! Amos pick up! COME HOME AMOS HE CAME BACK!” she screamed, as he staggered closer to the house. “WHAT? WHAT? I’m coming home now!” cried Amos’s voice through the walkie talkie. She held the walkie talkie to her mouth, but not before Mr. Reynolds slammed through the door, his red rimmed eyes glaring at her. Her father had Jenny in a chokehold within in seconds, even though Jenny had kicked him thousands of times. Her mother rushed through the hallway, and nearly fainted at the sight of her ex-husband trying to strangle her daughter. “ WHAT ARE YOU DOING YOU F*CKING *SSHOLE, THAT’S YOUR DAUGHTER!” Mrs. Reynolds screamed. Aaron watched in horror as the fight went on, feeling as if it were never going to end. Suddenly the door slammed open, and Amos was standing in the doorway. His eyes were red with fury and his fists were clenched. Amos sprinted forwards just as Mr. Reynolds delivered a solid punch to Jenny’s jaw.

* * * * 

At first, Aaron thought that he was with Alec on Palahu Bend. But he wasn’t. Instead, he saw Amos speeding down Palahu Bend.  Aaron watched as he sped by, wondering what exactly was going to happen.The memory suddenly hit him just as everything went silent. Amos slowed as a worried expression overcame his face. And that was when the first robin fell. All at once, more robins began to fall just as the screeching of ravens took over the forest. Amos was thrown off his bike and tossed onto the ground. His handle scrambled for the walkie-talkie on his belt, but instead his hands grabbed a dead robin. Aaron felt his heart drop just as Amos screamed and chucked the robin away, his hands reaching for, and finally grabbing the walkie-talkie. Amos had just began to scream into the walkie-talkie when Aaron began to fade away.

* * * * 

It seemed as if everything was happening on Palahu Bend that day. Aaron steadied himself as he realized where he was, his eyes landing on Georgina. And that was when Aaron realized how much she changed. She started wearing less makeup and lost the snotty, spoiled look that she always wore. She briskly walked along the dirt road, swatting at the small flies buzzing around her. Aaron didn’t pay much mind of it. That was until they began to grow. First to the size of softballs, then footballs. Panic seized Aaron’s chest just as Georgina dropped her bag and began to run. But the bugs didn’t let up. Georgina screamed just as a bug stung her. Soon enough, Georgina was stumbling, tears streaming down her face. Aaron watched as staggered one last time, and fell into a ditch, the bites turning into mountains of black pus.

* * * *

Aaron opened his eyes to see a tall, older looking boy sitting in his bedroom. Nick. He rolled his head towards the clock and groaned. Nick threw his legs over the bed and opened the door, walking out of the house. Aaron followed and watched as Nick jumped on his bike and rode away. He jogged beside Nick’s slow pedaling, noticing how worried Nick was becoming. Why?

“Sarah?” Nick asked as he pulled into a small park sitting next to a school. He set his bike down and stalked his way to the side of the playground.

“Sarah? C’mon, this is not a game. We gotta get home,” Nick said, a little louder this time. Butterflies began to build up in Aaron’s throat as the only answer was silence. He strayed away from Nick, thinking that she was in the weeds somewhere. That was when he heard a scream. Aaron’s body whipped around and sprinted over to Nick and nearly fainted. Standing above her, was Adaru

* * * * 

Aaron didn’t have the slightest idea of where he was. He spun around, realizing that he was in a bedroom. His eyes finally landed on a bed. A young, blue eyed boy was buried in a mountain of blankets. His eyes were wide and his dark brown hair were nearly falling over his eyes. Could it be Nick? Aaron shook his head. It wasn’t Nick. This kid looked nothing like the young cop. Plus, Aaron had already seen Nick’s fear. Suddenly, there was a crash. Aaron spun around and faced the closed door, unsure of what he was going to see. The boy tucked himself farther under the blankets, shivering with fear. 

“ETHAN!” a woman’s voice screamed, causing Aaron to nearly jump out of his skin. Instead of hiding under the blankets again, the boy, Ethan, snapped up out of bed. His fearful look was replaced with anger and uncertainty. Ethan leapt out of bed and dashed towards the door just as it slammed open. A man in a mask suddenly burst through the door, his gun aimed forwards. Ethan screamed and sprinted under the man’s arm without the slightest bit of hesitation. Aaron followed behind as the masked man spun around, letting out an angry shout. Ethan still didn’t stop as he jumped down the staircase and sprinted out the door, Aaron stumbling behind. Ethan kept running even after three gunshots rang out in the air. Even after running over his mailbox, leaving the shattered remains of it behind. Aaron staggered to a stop, his lungs erupting in a white-hot fire. He leaned over the shredded remains of the mailbox, heaving his chest out. That was when he noticed it, hunched over the mailbox. He sorted through the remains until he saw it. The house number. 13 Millingham Lane. One of the only houses off of Palahu Bend. Aaron groaned as he realized. They needed to make a little visit to 13 Millingham Lane. Because if he wasn’t important, he wouldn’t have shown up.

* * * * 

Aaron awoke with a struggle, his limbs twisting without him even trying to.

“Woah! Calm down, Hernandez!” a voice said. Aaron did what  he was told as his vision focused, revealing his coaches worried expression. He nodded, his eyes wide.

“What h-happened?” Aaron stuttered as he looked around. He was in the back of an ambulance. The doors were opened, allowing a calm breeze to enter the van.

“Some kid hit you after the play was done. Knocked you right out.” Coach said as he leaned back, letting the paramedic look at him.

“Is everyone else okay?” Aaron asked. He could only imagine the fit of rage his brother must have went into.

“Eh. Your brother is pretty cut up. He tried to knock out that kid. Michael Trimble got his tooth knocked out. Kenny Dunic sprained his wrist and Amos Reynolds dislocated his shoulder. Logan Peterson got a black eye and Danny Garcia got bruised up, not that you could really tell. A bunch of other kids got hurt, but not much.” he said. Aaron nodded.

“How long have I been out?”

“The rest of the game.”

“How long was that?”

“Two quarters.”

“Oh. Wow,” Aaron said, not realizing how long it had been.  Aaron shifted uncomfortably just as the paramedic came over.

“You got a concussion, kid. If I were you, I’d take a break from sports and playing outside for seven to ten days. You can go to school, but no sports. Okay?” he asked in a bored tone. Aaron nodded.

“Can I, um, go now?” Aaron asked as he propped himself up with his elbows. 

“Is your mom here?” the man asked.

“Yeah, her and my brother are here.”The paramedic sighed and nodded. Aaron thanked him and jumped out of the ambulance, his coach staying behind to talk to the paramedic. The crowds where lessening and the field was empty. Aaron walked over to the locker room, hoping to find his friends. His head was pounding and waves of dizziness were overcoming him as Aaron shielded the bright sun from his eyes. He rounded the corner of the blue building, unsure of whether or not they were in the locker room. Fortunately, they were. Jenny and Georgina were standing outside the exit, waiting for their friends to come out.

“Aaron!” Jenny called as she rushed over, Georgina following from behind. Aaron smiled.

“Hey,” he said as they reached him.

“Are you okay?” Jenny said as she observed Aaron.

“Yeah, I’m fine. But we need to talk.” Aaron said seriously.

“About what?” Jenny asked as a worried expression crossed over her face.

“I saw some stuff. I’ll tell you guys tomorrow.” Aaron said, just as his teammates rushed out of the locker room.

Danny

Danny wheeled into his driveway, his shoulder pads and helmet knocking against his swollen knees as he did. He tried focusing on the warm air and the chirping of birds, but couldn’t. He couldn’t take his mind off of what Aaron had said. He saw some stuff? What the fuck was that supposed to mean.  Danny threw his gear in the garage and made his way to the front of the house. The porch steps creaked as he walked up to the door, a sudden fear overcoming him. Danny took a deep breath and listened carefully for drunken laughs, or maybe a blaring TV. Silence. He held his breath and opened the door, expecting the worse. Thankfully, no glass bottle hit Danny in the head. No drunken man was there to pin him against the wall and beat him senseless. Instead, no one was home. Danny took a cautious step in the house, ready to run at even the slightest sound. Nothing. 

“Danny?” a voice suddenly yelled, causing Danny to nearly jump out of his skin.

“Danny! Are you home?” the voice said again. Danny sighed with relief. Mason, his little brother. Danny let out a breath and walked over to the hallway, turning towards his room.

“Yeah,” he said as he stepped through the open door. Danny didn’t even have time to say hi to his brother before something white whipped him in the face, nearly knocking him to the ground.

“What the fuc-” Danny cried, but was cut off again by the white object.  It hit him again and again until he finally reached up and grabbed it. A pillow. Danny opened his eyes and saw his brothers, all grinning like maniacs, standing above him with pillows in hand.

“GET ‘EM!” Richie screamed, laughing as he did. Danny giggled as he realized that he was in no real trouble, only in a pillow fight with his brothers. He dodged a pillow aimed for his head and dove into his room, grabbing Bobby and Billy by the legs as he did. They both shrieked and fell to the carpeted floor as Danny ripped away Bobby’s pillow, hitting him with it immediately.  Danny spun around and whipped the pillow at Mikey, whose wide grin revealed the open gap between his baby teeth. Danny nearly fell over laughing as Mikey fell onto Jackson, Liam, then Mason, causing them to fall like dominos. All at once, something hit Danny’s back, causing him to topple onto his fallen brothers. 

“DOGPILE!” Billy screamed as he lunged onto the Danny  and the rest of his brothers. Bobby shrieked with laughter and jumped after him so that all of the Garcia Boys were in one big pile. Danny let out a playful roar and lifted his brothers off of him, throwing them back into his room. Richie suddenly hit him from behind, throwing him into his room. The rest of the boys followed, wrestling and whacking each other. It hurt, but Danny was happy. Happier than he’d ever been with his family.

* * * * 

Danny staggered under the weight of the TV, tripping over the long wire as he did. He shifted his arms  underneath it, trying to find a comfortable position.

“Richie!” Danny called as he leaned up against the couch. “C’mon! Help me out!”

“Fine! I’m coming,” Richie said from their room. Soon enough, Danny saw Richie’s blond head bobbing towards him from over the TV. The weight on his arms suddenly lightened as Richie wrapped his arms around it. They backed into the room, setting the TV down on the floor. Danny stepped away as he flexed his shoulders, looking at what his brothers had set up. They’d moved the beds together and draped a blanket over it, the small space lit by a lantern. Mikey and Mason  had made small pillow forts in front of the beds so that they were facing the TV. Danny grinned and plugged the TV into the wall, causing the TV to flash until it finally turned on. His knees scraped the old carpet as he kneeled to the side of the TV, switching through the channels until his brothers all yelled for him to stop at The Goonies. Danny fell onto his back next to Jackson, putting his hands under his head as he did. They watched in silence as the movie played, until the silence of became unbearable to Danny.

“So,” he began as he shifted onto his elbows,”did you guys plan that whole thing with the pillows?” he asked. They all giggled.

“Kinda,” Richie said, looking at his brothers, “We got really bored so we came in, and then Billy came up with the idea of ambushing you when you came home.”

“Billy, you little sh*t!” Danny laughed. Billy collapsed with giggles, falling backwards into his fort. “You planned that!” Danny cried as he crawled towards his brother. Soon enough, Richie was on top of Danny. Soon enough, Mason, Jackson, Liam, and Bobby were all toppling towards the pile of boys.

“TIMBERRRR!” Mikey cried, falling onto them. Danny laughed harder than he ever thought he would, until the movie came back on and the boys were all forced back into their trance. And Danny wasn’t upset about that. They rarely watched TV. They were either outside playing, or their father was sitting in front of it like the fat slob he was. Anyways, all Danny cared about was the fact that he was with his brothers. They rarely spent time with each other. But when they did spend time with each other, they were inseparable. Danny smiled at the thought and yawned, stretching his arms backwards. That was when the feeling hit. Danny’s eyes widened and his heart began pounding. Something was wrong. He didn’t know what, but something was wrong. He jumped up from the floor, peering out the windows as he did. Nothing.

“I’ll be right back,” Danny said, stepping over his Mason over to the door.  Once out of the room, he flipped on the lights and made his way to the door. Locked. Locked? Danny hadn’t locked the door when he got home. In fact, he never locked the door. No one in his family did. Danny swallowed, and made his way back to his room. Who could have locked it? And that was when he saw it. Danny’s stomach dropped the same way it did on rides at the fair. Only worse The man standing across the hallway, near his father's room. The same man from the baseball fields. The same man that was in Georgina’s house. The same f*cking man. Danny felt the blood drain from his face as he looked the man in his pitless eyes. But Danny wasn’t an idiot. He wasn’t just going to stand there and wait to get murdered. But he also wasn’t going to let his brothers get murdered either. He sprinted into his room, and it was as if Danny had set off a bomb. The man staggered forwards, his pale arms reaching for Danny. The door slammed behind Danny, causing his brothers to jump. 

“RUN!” Danny screamed as he pressed his back up against the door, bracing for impact. His brothers began to scramble but were unsure of where to go. Without hesitation, Danny grabbed a book from the bookshelf, chucking it against the thin windows of their room. Thankfully, Jackson got the idea and tossed himself out the window after hoisting it upwards with a loud slam. That was when the first punch came. The man must’ve began punching at the door, because Danny felt it. They were worse, so much worse than his father's hits. But Danny didn’t let up. All seven of his brothers had to get out. They had to. Liam finally jumped out, leaving Danny in the empty room. He gulped, and ran forwards towards the window. Danny had only stepped forwards when he felt it. A hand. A hand grabbing his neck. He let out a cry and clawed at the man's hand, punching it with all his force. But the f*cker still didn’t let go. Danny suddenly felt himself being lifted of the ground, the hand squeezing harder and harder as he did. So this is it. This was how he was going to die. In the hands of a demon (in the form of a murderous human), with his brothers outside. At least they’re safe. At least they’re safe.

 Danny’s thoughts had just begun to fade, his vision beginning to blur when the grip loosened, and he was dropped to the floor. He scrambled to his feet, and saw Richie and Mason bending the man’s arm back until his arm was so twisted, it was as if his arm was made of jelly. Danny ran back to the door, grabbed his brothers, and dove out the window. Pain exploded in his shoulder as he landed in the dead grass, Richie and Mason in tow.  He staggered back from the house as he pulled his brothers along, backing up until they were a few yards away.

“What should we do?” Bobby whispered. Danny turned to his brother. Tears were rolling down his freckled face, and he was in the arms of Liam. Danny found his way to his feet as he looked around in the darkness.

“C’mon,” he said, peering at the window, “we’re goin to the neighbors.”

“Who?” Mikey asked as they began to run away from the house.

“Dunno,” Danny replied flatly, “whoevers closest.”

“Okay,” Mikey said, letting out a shuddering breath. The rest of the run was silent, only Bobby’s careful sobs and gulps of unease were heard. Danny finally came to a stop, his gaze rising to the house in front of them. The Barco’s.  He didn’t hesitate as he limped up to the front steps, jabbing on the doorbell. Footsteps hurried to the door, to Danny’s relief. The door slammed open to reveal the startled wife of Mr. Barco.

“What in the world-” she began. 

“Sorry about the interruption. Our home was just invaded by a psycho-maniac and we don’t know where our parents are. My brothers are hurt and scared. Can we use the phone for a few minutes?” Danny asked, trying to look as polite and scared as possible. Mrs. Barco nodded, and hurried the boys in. Danny thanked her and led his brothers inside to the kitchen, an awkward silence settling between them.

“I-I’ll call the cops,” she stuttered as she hurried towards the phone. Danny thanked her again and turned to face the middle of the living room, and he felt his heart drop. The man was sitting in the center of the living room. The same man that just tried strangling Danny. Danny’s breath hitched as he stumbled backwards, his heart racing. How could he have gotten in the house? How? Hands suddenly grabbed him by the shoulders, shaking him. Danny gasped and saw Richie standing in front of him, his face twisted with worry. 

“Are you okay?” he asked. Danny nodded and pushed his brother aside, looking for the man. He was gone. Danny grit his teeth and turned towards Mrs. Barco. She was talking into the phone in an urgent tone, her knuckles white on the phone. She turned towards the stairs and cupped her hand on the phone, bringing it down to her waist.

“EDDIE” she cried, glancing nervously, “GET DOWN HERE!” Danny watched as a chubby, brown-haired man with thick glasses stumbled down the stairs. His jaw fell open as his gaze landed upon the group of sweaty, dirty boys standing in his living room.

“What the f*ck,” he breathed, backing away from them and towards his wife. Mrs. Barco had just began to explain when sirens erupted into the distance, blue and red lights following. Danny nearly let out a sigh of relief as a trio of cop cars pulled into the driveway, three uniformed men stepping out. Mrs. Barco stepped out the door, leaving her dumbfounded husband behind with eight ratty kids.  The older man looked at them, unsure of what to say. Danny stared back as if the man was threatening to kill his brothers, causing Mr. Barco to turn away.

“Alright, what’s the deal?” a familiar voice said. Danny’s head snapped to the side, and he felt his insides wilt like a dead flower. Nick Copper was standing in the doorway, his ice blue eyes locking on Danny’s ocean-green ones.

“Sh*t,” Nick mumbled. 

“Glad to see you too,” Danny growled. Normally, he would have probably cowered under Nick’s gaze. He would have probably begged for Mrs. Barco to let them in.  But he was done being afraid. Nick’s eyes narrowed on Danny, his blue eyes showing the slightest sign of regret. 

“Do you want to tell us what happened?” Nick asked, breaking the awkward silence. Danny dug his hands in his jean pockets.

“Yeah,” he replied. Nick nodded and turned to the doorway, waving another cop over.

“Derek, you make sure these kids are good. Tell Bob and Curly to go to the house. See if the guy is still inside. See if the kids know where their parents are. Also check if anyone needs medical.” Nick said to an older looking, brown-haired officer. The cop nodded, and waved Richie over, being that he was the second oldest at eleven years old.

“You,” Nick said, slapping Danny’s back. Danny glared at him with the most hateful stare he was able to muster, trying not to show the obvious pain Nick had caused by a simple slap on the back. “Let’s go.” he said, leading Danny into the dining room past Mrs. Barco. 

“Alright, Garcia.” Nick said, sitting down in a chair. Danny did the same, jealous of how nice the table was. Danny would never see a table like his as long as he was living with his family.

“What?” he asked, shifting in his seat. Nick looked at him as if he was an idiot.

“What happened?” Nick exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. Danny flinched at the movement, not able to control it. Nick frowned.

“C’mon kid. You gotta tell me what happened. I know I’m a jerk and all, but you gotta tell me. I’m sorry for acting like this, okay? It’s just… a lot. I’m sorry for lashing out on you. Got it? I’m sorry. But you have to talk to me. You have to. If you don’t, then we have a murder on the loose. And do you really  want that?” Nick asked, his shoulders sagging. Danny nodded and laughed. Nick’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Danny only laughed harder.

“So you do have a soul?” he asked, still laughing.

“Yeah. Now shut up and tell me,” Nick snarled, the corners of his mouth rising. Danny took a deep breath and explained. He told Nick how their parents hadn’t come home, so they decided to bring the TV in their room. Danny told him how he suddenly felt like something was off, and when he went to see what was the matter, he saw that the door was locked. Danny told him how when Danny was walking back to his room he saw the man, standing in the hallway. And lastly, he told Nick how when Danny had tried holding the door shut for his brothers escape, the man grabbed him and choked him through the door and how Danny would have died if Richie and Mason hadn’t come and broke his arm.

“How’s your neck? Need medical?” Nick suddenly asked after a long moment of silence. Danny looked at him. 

“Nah, I’m fine.” he replied in a strangled voice. Nick shifted in his seat.

“Lemme see, put ice on it at least.” he said, hoisting himself out of his chair. Danny pressed backwards, not wanting Nick to see anything.

“No, it’s fine. I’m okay,” Danny said nervously as Nick rounded the table. Nick growled, his hands suddenly shooting up from his sides onto Danny’s shoulders. Danny nearly screamed as he kicked Nick, trying to get him away. But it was too late. The bruise in the shape of a handprint wasn’t the only thing Nick saw.  Nick’s head snapped back, his eyes full of concern.

“What the f*ck-” his words were cut off when an urgent shout from outside rang in Danny’s ears. Danny pushed his chair back and stumbled towards the door, Nick running behind him.

“NICK!” the voice cried again. Danny suddenly felt a hard shove, only to see Nick running past him.

“*sshole,” he grumbled, leaping down the porch steps, trying to find where the young cop had ran off to.

“SH*T!” a voice suddenly shouted, causing Danny to nearly jump out of his skin. He followed the voice, hoping that it would lead him to Nick. And it did. But Nick wasn’t alone. Two officers were at his side, along with the man. But he looked different. He looked less...demonic. Instead pits for eyes, he had ice blue eyes and dark purple bags. His hair was still a ruffled mess, his skin still as pale as a ghost. But he was human. Nick was beside the man, trying to control his thrashing body. But the man wouldn’t stop. That was until his gaze landed on Danny. He stopped struggling completely, his body completely motionless. Danny’s fists clenched as they locked eyes.

“13 Millingham Lane,” he snarled. Danny’s eyebrows furrowed. What? What was that supposed to mean. The man suddenly started thrashing again, his eyes wide with craze.

“13 Millingham Lane! Go, and you're gonna die! You gonna die! YOU GONNA DIE!” he cackled, repeating the same phrase over and over. Danny backed away from the man, his heart pounding until Danny thought it was about to pop out of his chest. At the sight of Danny moving away, the man began to smile. Not a nice smile. Not a small smile. A huge, terrifying smile that stretched from ear to ear.  Literally. He raised his eyebrows and twitched before licking his teeth, then clicking them together. Danny stumbled backwards as the man tried coming forward, but was stopped by Nick and three other cops. That was when Danny had enough. He sprinted back inside, the man’s words ringing in his ears. He slammed the door behind him, leaning against it like he did when the man tried breaking in. His brothers and a single cop stared at him as if he had seven heads. 

“They got ‘em,” Danny said, his eyes glued on his brothers. Sighs of relief filled the room, until Billy spoke.

“Where are we gonna sleep?” he asked. Danny’s stomach dropped.

“I… don’t know.” he said, his shoulders drooping. Suddenly, the door slammed open to reveal Nick in the entrance, his forehead beaded with sweat. Another officer was behind him, his eyes wide.

“We checked your house and we got the guy,” the other officer said, stepping forwards, “We can walk you guys back home. Or we can let you stay at the station for the night.” Danny looked at Nick. There was no way Danny was going back in that house.

“Actually Bob, I think I may let them stay at my place. Their parents aren’t home.” Nick said. Danny resisted to grin at Nick after those words. The officer, Bob, shrugged.

“Whatever you wanna do, Copper.” he said, patting Nick on the back. Nick nodded as he passed by, wishing his co-worker a good night. Nick looked back at them as if he regretted what he’d said, but knew he had to do it.

“Alright,” he said, stepping out the open doorway, “let’s go.”

* * * * 

“What do you guys like?” Nick asked, rummaging through his fridge. Danny looked at his brothers, who were all running up the stairs to get sleeping bags after Nick instructed them to. At this point, they didn’t care. They just wanted to eat.

“Anything,” Danny said. Nick groaned.

“I don’t have anything,” he said, closing the fridge, “I’ll just go get pizza. You guys stay here,”

“What else are we gonna do? Go home?” Danny said jokingly. Nick raised an eyebrow at him.

“Watch it, smartass. I didn’t have let you stay here. I can let you go back home.”

“We don’t have to tell you anything, either.” Danny said. Nick rolled his eyes, and reached his hand out. Danny nearly flinched, unsure of what Nick was going to do. But then he did something to Danny that no one had ever done to him. He ruffled his hair. Nobody had ever done that to him. The only time he’d ever seen it was in the cheesy movies when the father is proud of his son, so he ruffles his hair. It was such a simple gesture, but no one had ever done it to him. Unless you count throwing a bottle at your sons head. Danny must’ve shown his surprise, because Nick backed away.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Danny said, “just hungry.”

“Oh. I’m gonna go and get the stuff than,” Nick said, walking out the door. Danny nodded and watched him leave as if he would never see Nick again. Danny had hated Nick at first. Absolutely hated him. But now, Nick didn’t seem that bad. In fact, he wasn’t bad at all. Now he seemed more like an older brother or a close uncle. Danny walked into the living room, his eyes landing on a picture on the fireplace. He walked over, picking the photo up. It was a young looking girl  smiling at the camera, and gap where her canine tooth should have been. Blondish-brown hair fell over her shoulders and her cheeks were lifted so that they reached her golden brown eyes. Freckles were splattered all over her face just like Billy. Danny had to admit, she was a cute little girl. And that was when Danny realized. It was Nick’s sister, Sarah. He gazed at the picture, wondering what the girl would have looked like if she were still alive today. 

“Danny!” a voice shouted from above, causing Danny to nearly jump out of his skin. He turned and saw Mason standing on the staircase, waving him up.

“C’mon, we need help looking for the sleeping bags,” Mason said.

“How many did you find so far?” Danny asked.

“Three,”

“Nick said there were only gonna be three. Just get some blankets.”

“Fine. Just come and help,” Mason said, leaning against the banister.

“Alright, I’m coming.” groaned Danny, making his way to the stairs. The floorboards creaked under Danny’s weight, giving off an eerie feel.He followed Mason into a room, Nick’s probably. It was a very plain room, painted a light brown. Only a few pictures hung from the walls, each of them made up of a good looking family. Danny approached one of them, wanting to take a closer look at one of them. A family of four sat in front of the camera. The numbers 1977 were engraved in a gold plate on the frame. The same girl from downstairs, Sarah, as standing next to an athletic looking, blue-eyed boy. Nick.  Danny stared at the picture for a few seconds, then walked away to look at the next. It was a picture of Nick in his uniform, staring off into the distance. Below it was a large picture of a group of men. The words “Class of 1985” written in the frame. 

“Danny!” a voice yelled, snapping him out of his trance. Danny turned and saw Billy waving him over to the closet, his other reaching for the top shelf. Danny groaned, and reached his long arms over Billy, pulling down a blanket. Billy grinned.

“Thanks,” he said, running down the stairs with the blanket in hand. Danny followed, his weight causing the stairs to creak as he walked down them. He turned the corner just in time to see Nick open the door, three pies of pizza on his arms.

“PIZZA!” a voice suddenly cried, causing Danny to nearly jump out of his skin. A stampede of boys suddenly ran past him, Billy leading the pack. Nick’s eyes widened as he was nearly knocked to the floor by the boys.

“Jesus! Calm down!” he cried, stepping over them to the counter. Danny licked his lips as he watched Nick set the pizza down, opening the cardboard box so that the smell of pizza drifted into the air. The first pie was instantly gone after each boy grabbed a slice, leaving nothing but smeared sauce. Nick watched in amazement as they shoved the pizza down their throats.

“Sh*t,” Nick said, softly, “don’t your parents feed you guys?” Danny froze, one cheek full of food.

“Nope!” Mason exclaimed, licking sauce off his fingers. Danny stared at him, his insides screaming. Why would he say that? Why? Nick’s eyes narrowed.

“What do you mean?” he asked, leaning against the counter. Danny stared at his brother, silently urging him to stop. No luck.

“Mommy is usually at school and work. Dad is usually watching TV and drinking. So, Danny usually gets us stuff.” Mason said, slowing down at the end. His gaze fell upon Danny’s as he realized what he’d said. His mouth formed an “o” as Danny swallowed the last bite of his pizza in a gulp.

“Is that right?” Nick asked, his icy blue eyes landing on Danny’s ocean-green ones. At this point, Danny couldn’t lie. Nick was a human lie detector.

“Yeah,” Danny said, bracing himself for another question. But Nick didn’t say anything. He just nodded and opened the second box of pizza. But by then, Danny had lost his appetite.

Amos & Jenny

Amos skidded to a stop next to Kenny’s house, peering up at the old brick structure. Jenny came to a stop beside him, her aqua blue eyes filled with excitement and worry. Of course she was worried. First of all, she was always worried. Secondly, the fact that Aaron claimed that he’d “seen some stuff” and “needed to talk about it privately” had put him on edge too. But not by much. Amos wasn’t exactly the worrying type. He was more of the kind to just sit back and let things happen. The exact opposite of his sister.

“Hey,” Amos said, letting his bike fall to the ground.

“Yeah,” Jenny replied as she wrung her hands together. Amos sighed at her.

“It’s gonna be fine. Just calm down,”

“Okay. Yeah,”

“Jenny, look at me!” Amos exclaimed as he watched his sister stared at the house. Her head snapped towards him. He sighed again.

“Calm down. You didn’t get nervous like this all of the other times,”

“Yes I did!”

“No, you didn’t,”

“Yes I did. And you know it.”

“Fine. But why are you so nervous about this? We’re just goin to talk.”

“Yeah, I know,” Jenny said, letting out a breath, “I just have a bad feeling.”

“You and your feelings,” Amos said as he let out a nervous laugh. But he knew it wasn’t a joke. Every time she had a bad feeling about something, something bad happens.

“You’re just on edge.” Amos said as he made his way up to the porch, Jenny trailing behind. “With all this sh*t happening, I don’t blame you. Aaron saying he saw some stuff, Danny not being at school again. Just calm down. I hate it when you get like that.” he said, ringing the doorbell. Jenny smiled at him.

“Fine. Anything for my big brother.” she said. Amos slapped her just as the door opened.

“Hey,” Kenny said, opening the door farther. Amos nodded at him and walked in the house to see Alec, Aaron, and Georgina already seated comfortably in the kitchen. Aaron seemed jittery and his brother seemed plain nervous. That only put Amos (and Jenny) on edge even more.

“We called Danny a couple times, but he didn’t pick up.” Kenny said abruptly, closing the door behind him. Jenny’s face suddenly turned pale, and Amos heard Aaron gulp. What was so bad about the kid not picking up the phone? He’s probably got things to do just like everyone else. Amos turned, and saw Jenny staring at Aaron with a mix of confusion, surprise... and something that Amos couldn’t place.

“Okay,” Kenny said as he fell into his chair, “tell us what happened.” Amos shifted in his seat, his brown eyes sliding over to Aaron’s green ones. 

“So,um-” Aaron was cut off by a sudden ring, causing Georgina to yelp and almost fly out of her chair.

“Jesus!” Alec cried, his gaze turning towards Georgina. 

“A little dramatic, don’t ya think?” he asked. Georgina sighed.

“You know what happened! It was scary!” she exclaimed. Alec grinned at her just as Kenny pick up the phone.

“Hello?” he asked, leaning up against the wall. Amos stretched his arms back in his chair, waiting for his friend

“Who is this?” Amos heard Kenny ask from behind him. Georgina sucked in a breath and stared at the phone with wide eyes. No wonder she was afraid. The last time she picked up a phone, a man tried to murder her.

“And why are you calling me right now? Shouldn’t you be at the station right now doing police stuff?” Kenny questioned. Nick. Of course it was Nick. Amos lifted himself out of his chair and walked over to Kenny, placing his ear near the phone.

“I could be at the station right now,” Amos heard Nick say, “I could just leave you friend and his seven brothers alone in my house.” Amos felt his heart drop. By then, everyone had gathered around the phone.

“What the f*ck do you mean? I swear to god, if you touch him or his f*cking brothers, I will murder you! Or, I’ll just call the cops and watch you lose your job. Or-”

“Would you rather them with me, or in their house with a psycho who nearly strangled your pal to death. Decide.”

“What-”

“I thought so. I’m coming over now. Do you think seven boys can stay home alone together? Or would that turn into Lord of the Flies. No? Okay. Coming now.” Nick hung up, leaving them in utter silence. Except for Amos, of course.

“That mother f*cker,” he snarled, ripping the phone away from Kenny and slamming it in the wall. 

“He thinks he could do whatever the f*ck he wants. Like he’s the boss or something. When that *sshole walks through this door, I’m gonna beat the f*ck outta him. He’s-”

“No, your not!” Jenny cried, her eyebrows shooting up.

‘What is wrong with you, Amos! He just saved our friend from something, and you wanna beat him up! Seriously?” she nearly screamed, throwing her hands in the air. Amos let out a breath, his eyes peering at his bewildered friends in embarrassment.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, pushing through them to his chair.  They all sat back down, waiting anxiously. Suddenly, a forceful knock came from the door, drawing another yelp from Georgina.

Kenny cautiously walked towards the door, glancing at his tense friends.. He opened it to reveal Nick standing Danny standing in the doorway. Instead of wearing his usual cop uniform, he was dressed in a varsity jacket and jeans. Danny looked like an exact replica, except his was a size to big on him. His face looked less bruised, but a bruise the size (and shape) of a hand was wrapped around his neck.

“What the f*ck happened to your neck? And why do look like a mini-Nick?” Alec asked, giving Danny a fist bump. Danny looked at Nick.

“I’ll tell you when we sit down,” he said. Nick nodded in approval and walked past Amos and into the room where they had been sitting before. He waved his hand towards the table, gesturing for sit down.

“Don’t ask if you could come in or anything. Just make yourself right at home,” Kenny growled under his breath as he walked with Amos back to the table. Amos snorted.

“Tell me about it,” he grumbled, sliding into his seat.

“Okay,” Nick began as Amos shifted in his chair, “explain why I’m here.”

“Explain why you're here? You literally called me and said that you were coming without even asking me if it was okay.” Kenny cried. Nick shrugged.

“Plus,” Kenny added, “I think you should explain why you had our friend and his brothers in your house.” Amos nodded and turned to Danny. He was looking at Nick, his eyebrows raised. Nick didn’t say anything, he just nodded.

“Last night when we were watching TV in our rooms-” Danny began, only to be cut off by Alec.

“You have a TV in your room!” he exclaimed. Danny shook his head.

“No, we carried the one from the living room in.”

“And your parents let you?”

“Nah. They weren’t home,”

“Oh. Carry on,”

“Ok? Anyways, I got this feeling that something was wrong, so I went to check outside.But there was nothing there. And when I was walking back, there was this man in the hallway.” Danny paused, his green eyes flickering around the room. Georgina was as pale as a ghost and Alec was engrossed in the story. Aaron’s eyes were squeezed shut while Jenny looked as if a brick had dropped in her stomach. Her eyes were trained on Danny’s, and his eyes locked with hers. Amos didn’t like that. But before he could object, Danny began again.

“And the guy attacked us. We escaped, went to the neighbors, and they called the cops. After that, Nick came and said that we could stay at his. End of story.” Danny concluded, shrugging. 

“Where did the bruise came from?” Jenny asked abruptly. 

“The guy tried choking me through the door.”he said, his hand rising to the bruise.

“And you escaped,”

“Well, I didn’t. I probably would have died if Richie and Mason hadn’t broken the guys arm. Like jelly.”

“Oh.” Jenny said, her eyes wide. Nick yawned.

“Enough. The kid is fine,” he grumbled, putting his feet up on the table, “is there anything else you need to tell me?” Nick asked, his icy blue eyes slicing through them.

“Actually, yes.” Aaron whimpered, rolling his huge shoulders. Nick sighed.

“Fine. Begin,” Nick groaned. Aaron shifted in his seat.

“When I got the c-concussion,  I, uh, saw some stuff.”

“Enough with the stupid suspense stuff. Get on with it.” Nick snarled. Aaron stared at him with wide eyes, but stuttered out the rest of his story.

“I saw everyone's fears. Kenny’s, Danny’s, and everyone else.” Aaron said, looking at Danny. He was unnaturally pale and his hands were shaking.

“But that wasn’t all I saw. I saw this kid, I don’t know who he is. But he was at his house, and there was a break-in.”

“What house?” Amos suddenly asked, his eyebrows furrowing.

“13 Millingham Lane,” Aaron said, “I saw the mailbox.”

“S-Seriously?” Danny asked, his face still pale. Nick also seemed pale.

“Yeah, why?” Aaron asked, looking at Danny with an expression that Amos couldn’t place. Ever since the concussion, Aaron had been looking at them all differently. Especially Danny. Amos didn’t like that, either.

“Because when I was arresting that guy, he started screaming that address. Said that if we went, we’re gonna get killed.” Nick gulped, shoving his hands in his pockets. Georgina whimpered.

“Sounds like we need to visit 13 Millingham Lane,” Kenny said, pushing away from the table.

* * * * 

Jenny stepped out of the car, stretching her arms as she did. Nick’s regular car wasn’t much of an improvement to his police cruiser Alec stepped out from behind her with his eyes trained on the house in front of them. 13 Millingham Lane. Just the sight of the house gave Jenny chills. It was a low, beat-up, one story house. Actually, no. Not a house. More like a shack. Danny stepped out after her, and she couldn't help but to stare. His dark hair was a mess, his green eyes shining as he looked at the house.  He almost resembled Johnny Cade from The Outsiders. Tan skin and lost puppy look in his eyes. The only difference was that Danny was much more handsome. His face was slimmer and much more angular. She looked away in embarrassment. She had never liked anyone before, and she hadn't been planning on it. Too much drama. And when she thought about it, liking someone, she hated it. Jenny felt vulnerable. But she couldn't help but to like him. Its was just because of his looks or his strength (which did play a factor), it was how nice he always was to her. How nice he was despite what he was going through. There were almost no other boys in her grade like him. None of them were as humble and kind and polite  like he was. None of them were as good looking or athletic as him. But something didn't feel right. She had grown up with boys, including Danny. It just felt so weird liking a boy that she'd known for years. But that wasn't the only thing. She felt horrible about it; but she didn't want to like him because of the abuse. What if he ended up like his father? What if he changed? What if-

“So do we just walk in?” Georgina suddenly asked as she stepped next to Jenny. Jenny shrugged.

“That wouldn’t be smart,” Danny said as he unbuttoned his jacket. Jenny nodded.

“Yeah. Let’s just let Nick take care of it.” she said. He smiled and nodded, looking away as his face turned red. 

“Smart choice kid. Let’s go,” Nick said suddenly, ruffling Danny’s hair. Ruffling his hair? Since when did Nick do that. Danny just smiled and followed. Jenny sighed and did the same. If he was okay with it, she was. Dead grass crunched under her feet as she made her way to the porch, staying behind as Nick and Aaron stepped up to the doorway. Nick glanced towards Aaron and shooed him away.

“If this guy is dangerous, I can’t have you guys getting hurt.” he said, reaching towards his belt. Jenny didn’t know what he was doing at first, until he pulled out a black object. A gun. Jenny took a step back along with Danny, whose face grew pale at the sight of the gun.  She watched as Nick knocked on the door and waited for an answer. Nothing. Jenny sighed and turned towards the windows in hope of seeing something. And she did. A pair of eyes were staring at her through the closed blinds.

“Look!” she cried, tugging on Nick’s sleeve. Nick reached into his pocket and pulled out another black object, facing it towards the window.

“Police! Open up!” he cried. Suddenly, the eyes disappeared leaving Nick holding his badge up to nothing. Jenny heard Kenny grumble something, but didn’t bother to ask what he said.

“Alright, I’m done with this sh*t,” Nick snarled, stepping backwards. He lifted his leg and in one strong kick, knocked down the old door. Jenny pushed passed everyone, trying to get a look in the house. Suddenly, there was a pair of hands holding her back. She turned and saw Amos holding her back.

“He’s going in first. Not you.” Amos grumbled, pulling her back farther. Jenny sighed and watched as Nick entered the house, quietly balancing on the balls of his feet. He looked around and finally motioned for them to come in after a long, grueling silence. Jenny silently stalked in, her nose being overpowered by the scent of liquor, cigars, and old wood. The floorboards creaked under her light weight, signifying how old the wood actually was. Empty beer bottles and other garbage littered the counters. The carpet was stained, along with the walls and couch. Once everyone was inside, the house grew quiet. The only sound was the loading of a gun. Gun? Nick’s gun was already loaded! Jenny’s head whipped to the side and her stomach dropped. A man. Thankfully, not the man who had chased them in the woods. A different one. The one who had been looking at them through the windows. His blue eyes were wide in craze, anger, and fear. A short dark beard fell from his chin halfway down his neck, his black hair falling slightly on his forehead. Bags were under his eyes and his face was coated with wrinkles. But that wasn’t what scared Jenny to death. It was the fact that he was aiming a gun at Nick’s head. Jenny let out a strangled cry, just enough to get everyone to turn and see the man. She leapt backwards just before a single gunshot rang out. A gunshot. Panic seized Jenny’s heart as she scrambled to her knees, trying to see if the bullet had found its place in any of her friends. Thankfully, the bullet had hit the wall instead of a body. 

“PUT YOUR GUN DOWN NOW!” Nick screamed as staggering to his feet, his gun visibly shaking. Instead, the man held his gun higher with his finger lightly tapping the trigger. At that was when Jenny realized that this man wouldn’t hesitate to shoot. She grabbed the lamp from behind her and flung it at the man with all the force she could muster. It crashed against his midsection, causing his hand to fly to his stomach. He snarled at her, pointing his gun up towards Jenny’s head. Terror seized her as she stared into the loaded barrel of the gun like it was death himself. Which at this point, it may as well be. The man's hand had just landed on the trigger when he was knocked to the side and into the wall, his gun somehow not dropping out of his wrinkled hands. A roar erupted from him as he turned to see Amos standing beside him, fists clenched in rage. Suddenly, she felt someone sprint past her and into the man, a pair of hands dragging her back. She watched as Kenny began pounding the man's face and only turned when the blood became to much. Danny was standing behind her, a strong arm anchoring her down from running forwards. But he didn’t stop Aaron and Alec. They charged forwards, anger twisting their faces. Just as they reached him, another gunshot rang out. Another wave of panic hit Jenny as she watched all the boys fall off of the man in fear of getting shot. Instead of falling away though, the man stepped forwards and grabbed Amos. That was when Jenny exploded. She twisted out of Danny’s iron grip and lunged at the man, only to feel the back of his hand smack her in the face. The old floorboards crunched under her weight as she fell to the floor, and welt forming on her cheek. Even through her swelling eye she saw him grab Amos and throw him to the ground with such a force that once Amos was down, he didn’t get back up. Soon enough, Kenny was sliding past her and into the wall. He didn’t get back up either. Jenny tried hauling herself to her feet, but was knocked down as the butt of the revolver made contact with her ear, causing it to throb.. After what felt like only seconds, everyone had been thrown back. Now it was just him and his gun. Jenny sank farther back up against the wall as she wished that she could just disappear.

 Why did she walk in the house in the first place? Why? Shouldn’t Nick have just gone in alone with his gun? That would have been a lot smarter. 

Why was she only thinking of this now? Why, why why? The man growled as he placed two hands on the gun, aiming it at Nick who was fingering his gun. It was jammed. Of course. Nick’s eyes widened as he noticed the loaded gun pointed his way and stopped fingering his gun. Everything moved in slow motion as the man  began to pull the trigger, his dazzling blue eyes full of hatred. But just before he shot, and blur slammed into him with such a force that the gun dropped to the floor. At first, Jenny thought it was Georgina finally springing into action. But then she realized, it wasn’t Georgina. It was Danny. He pushed the man back up against the counter, wildly throwing punches at the person’s face. Blood splattered across the counter and onto the empty beer bottles, causing the scene to only turn more gruesome. All at once, the man reached backwards. At first, Jenny didn’t know why. The gun was near the doorway. And that was when she realized. The beer bottles. But by then, it was too late. The man brought the glass bottle down over Danny’s head, causing it to shatter and fall all over him. He smiled with the neck of the bottle in his hands, expecting Danny to fall to the ground. Instead, Danny somehow managed to stay on his feet, determination burning in his green eyes. His eyes widened as he realized that Danny wasn’t going down.

“What the f*ck-” the man snarled as he reached back for another bottle, only for Danny to withstand another blow.

“WHAT THE F*CK! YOU'RE NOT HUMAN! WHAT THE F*CK!” the man screamed as Danny simply grit his teeth after glass showered down his body.

 After the second hit Jenny knew she had to do something. Her friends eyes were glassy, his face twisted with rage, determination, and pain. But Jenny knew that no matter how determined Danny was, he couldn’t take another bottle to the head. But he didn’t seem to notice that as the  man repeatedly began to slam him into the counter, raking the sharp remains of the bottle along Danny’s side. Without hesitation, Jenny grabbed the man's gun off the floor and pointed at them, her finger testing the trigger.

“STOP!” she cried, gritting her teeth. They didn’t stop. She growled, pointed it towards the ceiling, and shot. Her arm was thrown down by the power of the gun, which had left a nice sized hole in the ceiling. She turned towards them in fear that they were still fighting. They had slowed, but Jenny needed to completely break them apart. Mostly because the man was holding Danny’s throat in one had and a broken bottle in the other.

“Let him go,” she snarled as she planted her feet in the ground. The man only narrowed his eyes.

“I said, let him go!” she cried and released a shot. It skimmed the man's shoulder, leaving n bloody trail across his arm. Jenny felt her shoulder pop as the gun forced it back. He screamed and shoved the broken bottle into Danny’s tense stomach, sending him flying backwards.  Jenny shot out of a wave of anger, just clipping the man's ear. He screamed again, his hands flying to his ear. Jenny set her finger on the trigger again, prepared to fire if he made a move. She held steady as Georgina dragged Danny behind them, gently gripping underneath his arms as his bloody chest heaved up and down.

“Stop! Don’t shoot!” a voice suddenly cried as someone ran by her, grabbing the man and throwing him to the ground. Jenny gasped as Nick grabbed his arms, pinning the man to the floor.

“Get the f*ck off me!” screeched the man, giving a weak attempt to break free.  Nick only pinned him harder towards the ground, causing the man to thrash harder.

“Ethan! Stop!” a voice suddenly cried, nearly causing Jenny to jump out of her skin.  She turned and saw Aaron stumbling to his feet, his hands raised the air. The man, Ethan, had visibly calmed. 

“How do you know my name?” he snarled, completely going limp under Nick’s strength. Aaron gulped

“Because I saw it in a, er, dream.” Aaron said as he took a cautious step forwards. 

“What do you mean?”

“Listen, we’re dealing with something really crazy right now. Okay? We didn’t come here to hurt you. We just need answers. Do you know what we’re talking about?” Aaron asked, his voice soft and calm. Jenny almost laughed being that such a calming voice was coming from such a buff, strong kid like Aaron. She turned her attention back towards the man, who was staring at Aaron.

“Yeah, I know,” the man mumbled. “It’s that f*cking Adaru, isn’t it?”

* * * * 

“Alright,” Ethan sighed, falling into his chair, “what do you wanna know?” Jenny looked at Alec who had been assigned official spokesperson by Nick. Alec shrugged and turned to Nick, who was kneeling beside Danny and Kenny. Both of the boys were laying down, Danny on the floor and Kenny on the couch. Both still hadn’t woken up from the fight, which worried Jenny. After Ethan had calmed down, Jenny had tried to come to their aid. That didn’t end well. All she remembered was throwing the gun away and falling in between Danny and Kenny, unsure of who to help first. Someone, probably Amos, ripped her away and held her back as Nick staggered over to the unconscious boys. She remembered nothing after that.

“How do you know what Adaru is?” a voice suddenly asked, snapping Jenny out of her trance. She turned towards where the voice had come from, and saw Nick looking at them as he held an ice pack to the boys heads. Ethan groaned, leaning back in his chair.

“When I was a bit younger than you kids, there was a-” he was cut off by Aaron.

“Home invasion. Right.” he mumbled as he rubbed his legs with his enormous hands.

“How do you know? Are you a mutant like your friend over there?” Ethan asked, staring at him suspiciously.

“Mutant?” another voice asked. Jenny turned and to her relief, Danny and Kenny had woken up. Danny was staring the man, his face twisted in confusion.

“Yeah, mutant. No one can withstand more than one bottle to the head.”

“Apparently they can. And sir, I’m not a mutant.” He objected as Nick helped prop him up, one hand against his bloodied head.

“Yes you are. Stop arguing with me, mutant.”

“Yes sir.” Danny mumbled with respect. He looked at Jenny, his eyebrows raised in amusement. Jenny almost laughed aloud, but stopped herself for two reasons. One was because she didn’t want Ethan seeing; the other was because it would have been horrible if she laughed at the fact that the only reason why he survived those blows was because he received them on a regular basis.

“Anyway, how did you know that?” Ethan asked. Aaron sighed as he looked at Georgina, who shrugged.

“I got a concussion during football and when I was knocked out, I saw everyone's fears. Including yours.” Aaron said.  Ethan mumbled something under his breath as he popped open a beer bottle, taking a small sip while he tapping on the table with a gold ring. An engagement ring.

“And you were involved with this whole… thing before you saw the vision?” Ethan asked.

“Yup,” sighed Aaron. 

“We were actually far along with this whole thing. Or at least we think,” Georgina chimed. Ethan looked at her with sympathy.

“You don’t know what your getting yourself into, kids.That f*cking demon is the reaon I started drinking.” the old man mumbled darkly.

“What do you mean?” Jenny asked, unable to control the sudden panic sweeping over her. His gaze softened as he looked and her.

“I mean, I tried fighting the thing to.” he said, “I tried to do it alone. I didn’t get far. After a while, I decided that there was no use fighting it. I was an eleven year old boy, just a little younger than you; and this thing was an eternal creature. Something that can never be fully destroyed, only injured. Weakened. Pushed back to deal with in the future. So I gave up.”he sighed as he grabbed his beer bottle by the neck, twisting his wrist and taking a long swig of it. His old, blue eyes flit around the room, falling on each and everyone of them until he smiled.

“Don’t worry, Mutant. I’m not gonna throw this one at you.” he said, snickering. Danny’s eyes were wide, his face a mixture of relief, confusion, and amusement.

“That’s great. Thanks,” Danny said as he glanced at Jenny, a small grin creeping to his face. She gave him a small smile, and looked back to Ethan.

“Aside from the subject of throwing beer bottles at kids heads, what can you tell us?” Nick suddenly asked as he pressed an ice pack up against Kenny’s head. He was awake, but still dazed  from awakening. 

“Did you visit the mountain yet?” Ethan asked, his voice becoming dark and becoming an odd cliche  horror story type tone.

“Mountain? No, but we found a river and a cave.” Alec suddenly said, who hadn’t spoken for quite a while. The old man grunted.

“You know Palahu Bend?” he asked, raising a greasy eyebrow at the skinnier boy. Alec nodded.

“Can’t forget it,” he said as he combed the front of his warm blond hair.

“The northern side. Or in simpler terms, up.”

“The Heaven Side,” Georgina mumbled, her eyes wide with fascination. Ethan nodded.

“Go straight in the middle of the mountain. Halfway around the bend, look up, and begin your climb to the cave. You’ll know what cave it is when you see it. Believe me. You can’t miss it.” 

Georgina

Georgina ducked as another wad of mud flew past her face, splattering against the dry rock of the Cliff.

“Alec! Stop already!” she cried while small bits it showered on her, leaving small brown specks spreading across her back. She turned and saw Jenny with her back pressed up against a rock, laughing at Alec’s sudden urge to throw mud.

“NEVER!” Alec screamed as another ball of mud was thrown against the wall. Danny came with it, skidding on the gravel and into the small wedge where Georgina and Jenny were hiding. Mud was smeared across his cheek, his knees and hands skinned from the fall. He smiled at the them and poked his head over the rock, only for mud to splatter against his eye. He fell back, his hands wiping the mud off his face.

“Fuck!” he cried, causing Georgina to giggle. Jenny was laughing hysterically, her hands clutching her stomach as her face turned from a beautiful tan to beet red along with Danny’s.

“We gotta get him,” Georgina said, creating a ball out of the dirt and gravel at her feet. Danny and Jenny both nodded.

“Where are Amos and Kenny?” Danny asked as he molded a ball out of the dirt below them. Jenny shrugged.

“Probably hiding in the woods,” she said as she tossed the dirt ball from one hand to the other. Danny laughed. 

“Alec must be pretty dangerous for Amos, Kenny, and Aaron to be hiding,” Georgina said. 

“OOF!” a voice suddenly cried, and loud thump following. Georgina peaked her head above the rock and saw with his hands around Alec’s neck, mud dripping down his neck.

“Got ‘em!” Aaron cried as he grabbed Alec’s arm, pinning it under his weight.

“Finally,” Georgina groaned as she hoisted herself out of the wedge, “we thought we were gonna be stuck there forever.”

“Yeah,” Amos suddenly said as he emerged out of the woods. Kenny followed behind, using the hem of his shirt to wipe the mud off his face. “I didn’t know if we were gonna get outta there alive.” Georgina laughed while nudging Alec’s face with her muddy toe. 

“Get. Your toe. Out. Of. My. Face. Now.” Alec snarled as he twisted free from Aaron’s grip.

“You just chucked mud at all of our faces. I think you kind of deserve it,” Kenny said. Georgina laughed. Alec rolled his eyes, a grin spreading across his face as he dusted the mud off his bare shins.

“You have to admit, though,” Alec said as they began their walk back to their bikes. “It was fun.”

“Oh, yeah. Lot’s of fun. Especially when you whipped me in the face with mud. Can’t wait to do it again,” Danny retorted as he swung a leg over his bike. Jenny giggled.

“Where do you guys wanna go know?” Kenny asked as he propped his bike up against his hip. Georgina shrugged. 

“The sun’s already setting. Do you guys wanna just go home?” Aaron asked. Georgina shrugged.

“I guess. We can just come back here after school tomorrow.” she said. Alec groaned.

“I forgot. Tomorrow’s Monday. Sh*t,” he mumbled.  Kenny yawned.

“Let’s just go home. I’ll see you guys tomorrow,” Georgina said, using her left foot to push off. Jenny and Aaron waved her goodbye, and she took of with her friends trailing behind. She turned out of the woods towards town, absorbing the odd vibe that the rural part of town always gave her. Gravel and dirt crunched under her tires as she turned into town, watching as the buildings and small crowds of people zoomed past her. The air smelled like a mix of damp wood, heat (if it even had a smell. To her it did.),and the many different foods baking in the shops and restaurants. She couldn’t decide which part of Milford she loved more, the woods, or the town. She loved both dearly.  She used to like town more, in fact she used to hate  the woods. The smell, the dirt, and bugs. She hated it. But now that she was out in the woods and having a good time, she lived the woods. She felt so alive in them. It felt like they welcomed her every time she stepped in. Georgina turned the next corner toward the neighborhood, speeding up so that the mid-June air weaved its way through her messy hair. Having messy hair used to annoy the sh*t out of her. But now she didn’t care. In fact, she thought that the way her bleach-blond, wild hair look pretty. Just like the beach models that she used to dream of being. 

“Bye, Georgina!” a voice called from behind her as she turned into her driveway. She turned and saw Alec, no hands on his handlebars, waving her goodbye. She rolled her eyes and waved back. Ever since Danny had proved that he could ride across town no handed, Alec had been relentless with proving that he was just as good.  Aaron rode behind, one hand hanging limply at his side as he watched his brother embarrass himself. She wheeled her bike into the garage, letting it lean up against the side of the wall. Georgine kicked off her flip flops, throwing them into her closet carelessly. Before, she probably would have placed them neatly in the corner. But now she didn’t care. The lights flicker on, illuminating the entire living room. A soft breeze flowed through the open windows, causing the gown-like curtains to rustle softly. She took another whiff of the warm air, but instead of smelling the woods and exhaust and food, her nose was swarmed by the overpowering scent of perfume. Her nose wrinkled at the smell and she walked up to her room where she opened the window to its highest, letting the false fumes drift out of the house. The sun was setting, cause the sky to change from a clear, cloudless blue into a vibrant mix of colors. She took a moment to look out the window, her head resting on her hand as she looked out the coming night.  Georgian fell back on her bed, her eyes still on the sky. And that was about the time she drifted off to sleep.

* * * * 

Georgina awoke with a horrible sensation erupting in her chest. Her hands flew to her throat as the pain soon turned into the urge to vomit, causing her to gag. What was wrong with her? When she’d gone to sleep, she’d been fine!

“Ma!” she managed as another gag came, this time bile coming with it. But there was still something, still something in her throat. And that was when she felt it. She didn’t throw up much, but from past experience, she knew that vomit wasn’t supposed to be fuzzy with legs. The thought caused her to gag harder and harder until whatever was in her finally came out, leaving her kneeling beside her bed with her hands on her neck. Georgina’s chest heaved as she used the heel of her hand to wipe her blurry eyes, wondering why the f*ck her throw-up had been fuzzy. And when she looked down, she knew the horrible reason why. A black spider sat before her, it’s beady eyes staring up at her. It’s entire body was the size of her entire hand outstretched, its legs covered with greasy black hairs. Foam oozed out of its jaws, causing it to hiss. Georgina took in the sight, and passed out just as her mother came running into her room.

* * * *  

Nick nearly smashed the phone up against the wall when the chief called. Just when he was beginning to enjoy having Danny and his brothers, his father needs to come home and take his kid back. Nick wouldn’t even call the man Danny’s father. You're no father if you beat your kid. Well, Nick didn’t know that for sure. But he believed it. His gut and years of experience all pointed to child abuse.  But know he had to return the kids to their abuser. Why? He had no evidence. No whatsoever. Danny and his brothers wouldn’t admit a thing, the father would definitely deny it. There was no evidence. No cameras, no other witnesses. Not a damn thing.

“F*ck,” Nick growled as he exited the kitchen and turned into the living room where he saw eight boys, all stuffing their faces with the chocolate Nick had bought earlier.

“Danny, c’mere.” Nick called, trying not to seem too suspicious . He didn’t want to upset the kids. Danny turned away from the TV, his green eyes slowly beginning to fill with worry and unease as he hoisted himself up off the floor.

“Yeah?” he asked, swallowing the last of his chocolate. Nick let out a breath.

“I got a call from the office,” Nick said, watching as the boys skin turned from nearly olive to ghost white. “they found your dad. He’s looking for you guys. Your mom was at another college for some sh*t that we don’t know. She’s gonna be home tomorrow. They gave me an order to bring you guys home tonight. He’s waiting at your house.” Nick said. The boy let out a shaky breath and nodded.  Nick looked away from him, staring at the ceiling until he built up enough guts to say what he had wanted to say.

“Is there anything you want to tell me?” he asked. Danny’s eyes flickered up and shook his head; a weak attempt to keep whatever secret he was hiding remain a secret. Nick raised an eyebrow.

“You're sure about that?” questioned Nick. This time, the kid responded.

“I’m fine. There’s nothing that I need to tell you or anything that’ll concern you. I’ll get my brothers.” he said, turning into the living room. Nick shoved a  hand in is pocket and grabbed his keys.

“Do we have to go?” a small, muffled voice called from the living room. Nick sighed. He turned and saw Billy’s brown eyes and freckled face looking towards him. Wisps of brown hair fell on the top of his forehead and his pajama shirt (about ten sizes to big. It was Nicks.) was unbuttoned at the top. He looked like he had just woken up from a frat party, just like the ones that Nick had gone to while in college. He probably would have still been in college, still been going to frat parties, still been studying to become a physician's assistant if he hadn’t taken the stupid job of being a cop. Nick nodded slowly. The other young one, Mason, a bright eyed boy with a face full of freckles, groaned with disappointment. Nick wanted to do the same. But he couldn’t. He was a grown-*ss man with a job to do. 

“Get your stuff together and get in the car,” Nick said, trying not to show the disappointment. They obeyed rather quickly. Especially Danny. Probably had the whole “do what your parents tell you to do”thing beat into him at a young age. The other kids were probably just following in their brothers footsteps. They didn’t seem like they’d been hit like their brother. The engine gave a loud roar as it started, causing a puff a smoke to rise from the engine as it started. Hopefully, it broke and Nick wouldn’t have to take the kids home. But of course, it worked and they were driving smoothly. Once the boys in the back began talking and fighting, Nick took his chance to talk to Danny.

“I’m gonna miss you guys,” Nick said, glancing at the older boy. Danny took his eyes off the road, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

“Why? I thought you hated having eight kids living with you.” he said. Nick shrugged.

“It wasn’t that bad. It was actually kinda nice. I actually had someone to talk to.”

“You know that you can talk to someone else other than a bunch of boys more than ten years younger than you, right?” Danny with a small smile. Nick grinned and shrugged.

“Yeah. It’s hard I guess. All my friends stayed in Pennsylvania. Or they moved somewhere else. Somewhere much more exciting than here.”

“Why’d you move here?” the boy asked with confusion. Nick shrugged again.

“Don’t know. Maybe I wanted to get away. I also liked upstate New York. My family used to have a cabin up here. We used to go all the time. I loved it. So, I moved up here. Turns out that it's only fun when you have someone to talk to.” Nick said. Danny nodded. Nick hid a smile. The kid was a good listener. A great listener.

“You didn’t make any other friends up here?” Danny asked. 

“I did. But they’re all engaged, having kids, busy, all that sh*t.” Nick said.

“And you didn’t… meet anyone. Y’know, like a girl or anything?” he asked. Nick shook his head. Of course the kid had to ask. Danny was good-looking, athletic, polite- in other words, he’d have no problem finding a girlfriend. Nick was almost positive that the pretty Reynolds girl liked him. But the kid didn’t know that. 

“I had a girlfriend,” Nick said as he rolled his shoulders. “we broke up a while ago, though.” The kid nodded again. 

“Why don’t you try again? Try to meet someone. I mean-”

He opened his mouth to say something but then froze, his green eyes locked on something up ahead. Nick’s head snapped forwards, only for his eyes to fall upon a sh*tty looking house. The kids house. Nick came to a stop in front of the driveway, watching as the boys in the back suddenly fell silent.

“C’mon,” Nick said impatiently as he opened the door for Richie and the rest of the boys. They all spilled out, their usual energy and loudness gone. Especially Danny. Nick frowned and walked up to the steps with the boys in tow. He felt like a villain. Like Darth Vader. Turning his own son in to be killed. Of course, Danny or any of the other boys weren’t related to Nick at all. But still. Nick raised a hand to knock on the door, but only hit air as the door swung open to reveal a person standing in the doorway. The father. He was a walrus of a man, a big beer-belly and greasy hair. A cigar hung out of his mouth like he was trying to be a gangster, but if the guy had every got into a fight, he looked like he would be the first to die. Old jeans hung loosely around his waist and ripped socks were on his feet.  A near-empty beer bottle hung loosely in his right hand, his left holding the door open. To make the guy look worse, he had a short, greasy stubble that made him look even trashier than he already was. Aside from the hatred that Nick felt towards this guy, Nick was confused. How could such an ugly-*ss guy have kids as good-looking as Danny and the rest of the boys? Nick stared into his beady black eyes, waiting for him to say something.

“Why the f*ck did you have my kids?” he snarled, taking a swig of his beer. Nick glared at him.

“Nice to meet you, sir. Officer Copper.” he mumbled. The man raised an eyebrow. 

“Your house was broken into while you were away. The kids were in the house at the time. Being that you, nor your wife were home, we had to take the kids.” Nick said, his voice seething with hatred. The walrus only gave a slight nod, his eyes locked on something behind him. Danny. The man's fingers tapped on the beer bottle, his left hand curling into a fist. Nick felt himself and Danny both stiffen. The man let out a loud belch, breaking the awkward silence between them.

“Whatever,” he growled as he turned to look at Danny. His face twisted as he peered at his eldest son. “Get inside,” he snarled. Danny took one last look at Nick before going inside with the rest of the boys following behind.

“I want you after this f*cking cop leaves. Get the rest of your little brats out of my f*cking sight,” the father snapped, his voice barely a whisper.  Then he raised a hand, and slapped the green-eyed boy across the face.

“Hey,” Nick nearly cried as he grabbed the man's arm. “Don’t hit him. I can turn you in for that.”

“It’s called discipline. What do you think, I f*cking abuse the kid? F*ck off. I’m done with you.” he bullied, slamming the door in Nick’s face. Nick left that house with a sick stomach and a chest full of guilt. He was a cop. He could have done something; he should have done something. He should just walk back in. Nick froze in his car, listening carefully for any kind of noise. A crash, a shout, anything. Nothing came. He sighed and pulled away, not knowing where he was driving until he pulled up in front of Shelby’s Bar, a place he used to go often.  Why was he there? He had no idea. Nick had just grabbed the throttle to back out when a thought hit him. What had the kid said? Go find a girl. Make some friends. Nick groaned and opened the door of his car, stepping out a taking a deep breath of the warm air. Low music played on the inside. The lights were dim and there were only four or five cars in front of the old-looking bar. Dirt squished under his feet as he made his way up the path a opened the door, its hinges squeaking like tortured mice. Warm air smelling of liquor greeted him causing his bumping pulse to calm. His father had never been a heavy drinker, but there was always beer around the house. Nick grew up with beer in his childhood. It was familiar to him. It was like home. A group of men were sitting in the corner and a waitress was wiping down the bar. That was all. He sat down at the bar, leaning against his elbows as he watched the waitress. She was pretty, no doubt about that, but she didn’t seem like the kind of girl that would take sh*t from men trying to hook up. Especially drunk ones. She glanced up at him and stopped cleaning. 

“Are you gonna sit there and watch me all day, or are you gonna order something. If not, then I have to call the cops on you for loitering.” she said. Nick smiled.

“Surprise me with something. Beer, please.” he said, trying to be as much like a gentleman as possible. Women didn’t like nasty men. Or cocky ones. She shrugged and took out a glass, filling it with a bronze liquid.

“Surprise,” she said, sliding the drink towards him He said his thanks and took a small sip of the beer. The waitress began cleaning the counter again.

“So,” Nick exclaimed, “you work here full time?” he asked. The waitress shook her head.

“No. I work somewhere else, too. What do you do?” she questioned, throwing the cloth behind her. Nick leaned back in his chair.

“I’m a cop,” he said. The girl raised her eyebrows and nodded.

“So, officer,” she said as she leaned on her shoulders, “do I now have to call you by officer, or do you have a real name?”

“It’s Nick,” he replied.

“Emma,” she said. Nick smiled. Nick spoke with her the rest of the night, even buying her a drink. And by the time he left, Nick had a date.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter  12

Kenny

Gravel buzzed out from beneath Kenny’s tires, causing the back of his bare claves to become coated into the damp earth. Wind hummed in his ear as he peddled faster around the infamous Palahu Bend, his legs straightening so that it was if he was standing on the bow of a speeding boat. Just like the old days in Brooklyn. He flashed back to when he was thirteen, a year ago, when he was flying across the bay with his friends and his buddy’s older brother driving. He used to go on the water all the time. He lived on the water in Brooklyn. Many people thought that Brooklyn was all concrete. They were far from right. Brooklyn was literally a beach. The place he grew up in, Gerritsen Beach, was a beach. So was Coney Island; popular place for him and his friends. He also remembered a beach he used to go to as a toddler, Kitty Beach it’s name was. Kenny’s thoughts were suddenly disrupted as he turned the corner and almost collided with Amos.

“F*ck!” Amos cried as he backed away from the bike, his arms flying to his sides in attempt to protect Jenny who was standing a few feet behind him. Kenny slammed on the breaks and nearly hurdled his handlebars as he stopped. For one long, terrible second, Kenny leaned on his front wheel  and front wheel only as he tried not to hit his friends. And after that, he face planted onto the ground beside him. Quite gracefully.

“You idiot!” Amos cried as he doubled over in laughter, Jenny followed behind him. She was wheezing with amusement as her beautifully tan face turned red. Kenny rolled onto his back, putting his hands on his head as he did.

“Ouch,” he muttered as a small smile found its way onto his face, “that hurt like hell.”

“Of course it did! You face planted on gravel that has literally no moisture in it!” Amos exclaimed, reaching a hand out to help his friend up. Kenny took it, his biceps bulging as he hoisted himself up off of the dusty ground.

“Sh*t, you're right,” Kenny said as he dusted himself off. The ground was as hard as a rock. It hadn’t rained in days.

“You kinda scratched your face,” Jenny said as she observed his face. Kenny felt his face, only to feel a rough scrape on his cheekbone and a forming bruise underneath his eye.

“F*ck,” Kenny said, “I’m gonna look like Danny.” Jenny didn’t seem to like that.

“Why’s that?” a voice suddenly asked. Several bikes skidded to a stop behind him. Kenny felt his stomach drop as he turned and saw Danny with the twins and Georgina. And to make matters worse, Danny looked much worse than he usually did.

“I, um-” Kenny tried, but saw Danny’s amused expression. Kenny grinned. “I fell off my bike and face planted. I’m probably gonna get a bruise”

“I would have loved to see that,” Danny said while Alec tried reenacting the scene in back of him. Amos snorted.

“But it’s fine. I don’t really care. It’s true I guess.” he reasoned.

“Anyways,” interrupted Jenny as she crossed her arms, “are we gonna start hiking, or are we going to sit here all day?” she asked. Kenny nodded.

“Let’s go.” he said, picking up a large stick off the floor and testing his weight on it. It would make a good walking stick. 

“Should we all go at once?” a voice suddenly asked. Georgina. Alec shrugged.

“Probably not. I mean, if it’s not stable, we don’t want all of us falling at once.” Alec suggested. Kenny nodded.

“So the lightest go first, the heaviest go last.” Kenny said. They all agreed and put Alec first (despite the fact the Georgina was probably the lightest. But she was a girl.). After him they decided Kenny and Jenny (even though Kenny was on the heavier side. He looked like a bodybuilder compared to Jenny’s sleek body.  But he didn’t mind. He’d rather be with one of the Reynolds than anyone else). Behind him was Danny and Georgina, even though Danny probably weighed much more than Georgina. His athletic and muscular frame compared to Georgina’s skinny one was embarrassing. Amos and Aaron were both in back of Danny and Georgina being that they were the biggest. Amos wasn’t huge like Aaron, he was just stocky in a way where he seemed bigger than he actually was.

“Ready, troops?” a voice suddenly cried. Kenny jumped and saw Alec with his fist raised in the air and mud running down his face like the eye-black that they used for baseball games.

“You're a f*cking *sshole,” Amos said as he took a step forwards, “and yeah. Let’s go.” Kenny tied his bike to a tree and took everything he could hold out of the basket. Water, med-kit, rope, and a bunch of other sh*t that Kenny didn’t bother to look at. If he had it, it must be useful in some kind of way. But then again, when he was preparing he had just thrown a bunch of stuff from the werewolf fight. 

He threw the supplies into his backpack, and started up the hill next to Jenny. The dehydrated dirt crunched under their feet as they began the hike up the trail that Alec had been creating by hacking away at the brush with a stick. He was like a mini-explorer. Kenny gazed at the sun, his brown eyes squinted at the blazing sun. Now that they were farther up the mountain, the sun seemed stronger. Which it was. He could feel his skin baking underneath the sun beating down on them. He could only imagine what he would look like by the time they finish. And Georgina, forget it! She’d be a tomato.

“A hundred bottles of beer on the wall, a hundred bottles ah beer! Take one down, pass it around, ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall!” Alec suddenly cried, thrusting his stick in the air. Kenny jumped a nearly fell onto Jenny who also seemed stunned by Alec’s sudden outburst.

“Alec!” Aaron exclaimed from the back, “Shut the f*ck up! I almost fell of the f*cking mountain!” he snarled. Kenny looked back and saw Amos holding Aaron by his arm, keeping him from falling down the steep drop. They’d only climbed a few yards up, but even a drop that steep was fatal. Jagged rocks jutted out from dry dirt and trees with thick trunks towered over them. Cars rarely came around the bend, but when they did, they went fast despite the fact that the only thing protecting them from falling down the mountain was an old wooden guardrail with peeling reflector tape. Kenny peered down what they’d climbed so far. It wasn’t much, but the beaming rays from the sun already seemed more stronger. Mid-June was always when the sun seemed to get stronger. 

“Fine,” Alec grumbled as he slashed at another tree branch, “I’ll do it quieter next time.”

“No! You're not gonna do it all!” Aaron called. Alec turned to him, raised his fists in the air, bumped them together, and flipped up his middle finger. Kenny laughed.

“Whatever, *sshole.” Aaron growled as they began hiking up a steep incline. Within only a few seconds of walking at such an angle, Kenny’s thighs were burning. Alec and Jenny seemed completely fine though. Probably because they both ran in cross country. Of course.

“Can we take a break soon?” Georgina suddenly cried from behind him. Kenny nearly rolled his eyes.

“We just started. We’ll stop when we reach somewhere we can sit without tumbling down the mountain.” he said, glancing behind him. Georgina huffed and puffed but agreed.

“Here,” Danny said, “take the walking stick. Makes hiking a lot easier.” Kenny heard Georgina say thanks and go quiet. The only thing that was to be heard for the next hour was the labored breaths and panting of his friends.

* * * * 

“LAND HO!” Alec bellowed causing Jenny to nearly jump down the mountain, and she probably would have if Kenny didn’t catch her. She let out a breath.

“Thanks,” she mumbled, “but I wish he'd stop that.” Kenny nodded and looked ahead. Alec was standing up ahead, his feet flat on the first even ground that Kenny had seen in what felt like miles. The entire hike had either been upwards at a sharp angle or slanting off to the side. Georgina actually fell down the side, and would have kept falling if Danny hadn’t lunged off to the side, grabbed her, and held onto a tree until Aaron came and pulled the both up. Kenny stepped onto the smooth rock and let Jenny’s arm go. It was shaded by the trees towering above them and the jagged side of the mountain. There was a small overhead of rock which was big enough for at least three of them to fit under. Coating the sheet of rock was a surprisingly soft being that it hadn’t rained in days. Kenny felt the ground. It was moist. Amos suddenly collapsed next to him, his face red with sunburn and exhaustion.

“Woah,” Kenny said as he jumped backwards, “you okay?” Amos nodded and wiped his forehead with the back of his sweaty hand.

“Just tired,” grunted Amos. Kenny held out a hand and pulled his friend up.

“Thanks,” he mumbled. Kenny nodded. 

“You guys thirsty?” Kenny asked as he opened his bag, grabbing the warm waters out of the bag. They all nodded. He threw the waters at them and grabbed his own, guzzling most of it within seconds. He poured the rest down his back, a weak attempt to cool down. Danny and Alec did the same. The mud squished under Kenny’s converse as he made his way to the small overhang. He reached up and swung under the rock so that he was enveloped in the refreshing shade. Jenny and Georgina followed.

“So,” Amos said as he propped himself up against a tree. “Do we keep going or do we just go home. We’ve been walking for literally two hours, and haven’t found anything. Wanna just go home?” Danny shook his head as he put his hands in his short pockets and leaned up against a tree.

“If he said we’ll find something, we’ll find something,” he said, “even though he calls me a mutant, I believe him.” Kenny groaned.

“Wait a minute,” Jenny said as she emerged from the shade. “He said that he found the cave when he was our age. That must’a been years ago. Don’t you think that after all the storms and rain and stuff, the cave might’ve collapsed?” suggested Jenny. Kenny shrugged.

“You’re right, I guess.” he said, “should we just go home-”

“HOLY SH*T!” Alec suddenly cried, his voice far and distant. Kenny jumped and turned towards the peak of the mountain, searching for a dirty blond head bobbing in the brush. 

“Here!” Georgina yelled, jumping out of the shade and running up the mountain. Kenny followed her with Aaron trailing behind, his wheezing audible despite the fact that Kenny’s heart was beating in his ears.

“I found it!” Alec shouted as they followed Georgina around a sharp incline and onto another clearing. Only this time, Alec was standing in front of the mouth of a huge cave. The height from the floor to the top of the cave must have been fifteen feet tall, the length from wall to wall twenty five. It was huge. Just the sight of the cave sent chills down Kenny’s spine. And the cold breeze drifting out from the cave didn’t help.

“Are we going in there?” Georgina asked as she cowered behind Alec. Kenny grinned.

“Hell yeah,” he said and grabbed a flashlight from his bag, turned it on, and began the walk in. He thought he heard Georgina groan, but kept walking. Fear was replaced by curiosity as the darkness swallowed him and his friends. Kenny turned on the flashlight and summoned a beam of light in which he pointed in front of him. There was a large passageway, no small tunnels on the side. It was a straightaway. What it led to? Kenny had no f*cking clue. He squinted his eyes as they padded deeper into the cave. 

“I don’t like this,” Amos called from the back. Kenny rolled his eyes and turned to his friend. 

“Neither do I. But if we want this to end, we’re gonna have to see what’s in here.” he said. Amos was silent. And so was everyone else. From fear or the thought of something that they didn’t want to be awakened, Kenny didn’t know. All he knew was that there was some sort of urge to get to the end of the cave. There was something important there, something they needed to know. As they walked deeper, the floor went from bone dry to moist and they were soon ankle deep in water. Dirty musty cave water. The smell soon became putrid, not that something had died, but just the smell of mold and old water. Minutes turned to at least half an hour as they walked deeper into the cave with no end in sight.

“Should we just go back now? There is literally nothing here,” Aaron called. He was shaking, just like he usually did when he got nervous.

“No duh, idiot. This is f*cking pointless.” agreed Alec. Kenny rolled his eyes and didn’t respond. Whatever was drawing him further was close. Closer. And finally, the light from Kenny’s Surefire landed on a wall, and Kenny almost screamed. There was nothing there, no monster, no person, no nothing. It was what was on the wall. The face of Adaru, its pitless eyes staring into Kenny’s. But as Kenny stared at it longer, the image changed. It changed into the face of his mother. His beautiful dead mother.  It suddenly moved towards him, outwards until her whole bod was there. She was there. But Kenny wasn’t stupid. His mother was dead. Dead as a doornail. He grit his teeth as tears trickled down his cheeks. And suddenly someone bumped into him. And for that moment that whoever stood next to him touched him, the image flashed. It changed from his mother to an empty nothingness. Darkness. He turned his flashlight and saw Jenny standing next to him, her mouth open in fear. He grabbed her arm and the image changed once again from his mother to nothingness. She gasped turned to Kenny, her expression full of relief.

“I couldn’t see you guys, you disappeared!” she whisper-screamed at him, her eyes wide with terror. “And then I saw this woman! This beautiful young woman! Kenny, who was she?” she asked. Kenny hesitated.

“Mom,” he said flatly as he stared into the dark nothingness that Jenny was supposed to be seeing. And suddenly, the picture shifted again. But no one had touched him. Standing before him was a black bull. Muscles rippled throughout its slick body. Froth oozed from its open mouth and its eyes were bloodshot and red. Kenny sucked in a breath Whose fear was this. And then it hit him. Aaron. He was afraid of not being strong enough. Of course, there was no way he would be able to beat the bull. It was obviously stronger than him. The bull faded at the thought and was replaced by a spider the size of two men. Its body was hairy and black while its eyes were a beady silver. Georgina she was afraid of bugs. It flashed and standing in its place was a lean mountain lion. It was poised and ready to run as it slashed at Kenny with it’s claws. Danny? No. Alec he was afraid of being followed or chased, and this thing was ready to run. The mountain lion quickly morphed into something else, something Kenny didn’t expect. A bird. A silver and black eagle staring at him as it snapped its beak. Kenny backed away, not wanting the bird to take a chunk off his nose. Amos was afraid of birds. It snapped its beak one last time and transformed into something else. A man. A fat, mean-looking, drunk, walrus of a man. A near empty beer bottle was clenched tightly in one hand. It other hand was near his waist where a black object was tucked under his belt. Before Kenny could even comprehend more than what the man looked like, it morphed back into his mother. Except her eyes were black. They were bottomless pits on her face. Her lips had disappeared and a long black tongue slid out of her mouth. She opened her gaping maw to say something, but Kenny couldn’t hear a thing. It wasn’t because his heart was pounding in his throat, nor the fact that his ears were clogged and his eyes full of tears. It was because whatever his friends saw began talking to them to. And Kenny couldn’t hear a thing. He closed his eyes and listened closer, trying to make out what she was saying. Instead, he heard his friends.

Weakling

Run...hide

Fly

Alone

Father...can’t run

Venom…. Jaws of the spider

A sudden shriek erupted in the air and snapped Kenny out of his trance. It was as if a serpent and a demon had conjoined and screamed into Kenny’s ear. He did even know he was running  until the disturbed murky water was splashing up in his face and the flashlight banged against his hip, causing a short burst of pain to shoot throughout his side.

“I CAN’T SEE ANYTHING!” Alec screeched from in front of the group as the retreated further from the end of the tunnel. Kenny grit his teeth and pumped his legs faster, so fast that they began to burn as if they were on fire. He passed Danny and then Jenny just as he felt a presence behind him. Whatever was behind him slashed a claw at him, and Kenny braced himself for the hit. But nothing came. Someone cried out behind him just as a light appeared at the end of the tunnel. The sun. Now Kenny was flying. The thick, murky air of the cave whizzed past his ears as he flew down the tunnel. His eyes began to squint as the sun from outside became brighter and brighter. Kenny’s eyes squinted as they neared the exit. The sun was brutal. Only a few yards now. The sun was a brutal laser beam hitting Kenny’s eyes as he finally burst out of the tunnel. His feet stumbled and he was falling into the mud. His hands reached out just in time to break his fall the slightest bit, but it didn’t make much of an impact. His cheek scraped the ground as he skidded across the floor, and he felt his skin tear.

“Ah, sh*t!” a voice suddenly shouted. Kenny rolled off of his shoulder to see Jenny,  reaching around to her back. Blood was smeared across her hands and the back of her shirt was bloody. It was only when she turned that Kenny saw the two long streaks of blood tearing through her shirt. He stumbled to his feet towards Jenny, but Amos was there before anyone else. Without having to be told he slowed down and grabbed his backpack off his back, grabbed the gauze, and threw it at Amos.

“What am I supposed to do!” Amos nearly screamed as he caught the gauze, “I don’t have a f*cking clue what to do!”

“Neither do I!” Kenny shouted at him as he threw his arms in the air.

“Godd*mnit, lemme do it!” Danny exclaimed, snatching the gauze off the ground. He pulled a strip of the gauze out. He turned to Jenny, and that was when Kenny saw the two claw marks running down his back, a replica of Jenny’s. His seemed more direct than Jenny’s.

“You got-” Kenny was cut off by Danny.

“I know. It’s fine.” he growled. Kenny backed off and watched as Danny wrapped the gauze around the wound, his hand extremely nimble and careful as if he had been doing it his whole life. He leaned back against a tree and watched Danny for a few seconds (his and Jenny’s face red with embarrassment. Amos was to as he watched closely and tried helping) before putting his head in his hands. As he closed his eyes he saw his mother's face again, beautiful and young. Kenny opened his eyes and slammed his fists against his knees, causing Georgina to jump.

“Are you okay?” she asked. Kenny threw his head back.

“You know what? No. I’m not okay. How the f*ck are we supposed to beat our fears. They are literally part of us. How the f*ck are we supposed to fight ourselves?”

“Suicide should work,” Alec suggested. Aaron slapped him across the back of his head.

“Yeah. I just don’t get it.” Amos chimed as he left Danny and Jenny, looking at them out of the corner of his eye.

“A fear like mine, I can beat. Birds. Nothing big. But something like losing your mom or having your father f*cking attack you isn’t that easy to get over. It’s something you just gotta live with. Right?” he said.

“I don’t think we’re trying to completely kill fear,” Danny said, “I think we’re trying to weaken it. Maybe it just took things too far. Maybe it thought that we’d be the ones to kill it.”

“And we all know what life would be like with no fear, yeah?” Jenny said as she tested her shoulder.

“Okay, I know that this is really important and stuff, but can I say something real quick?” Georgina suddenly asked. Kenny shrugged. She smiled.

“You guys, c’mere.” she said as she pointed to Danny and Jenny. They looked at each other and walked towards her.

“What the hell are you doing?” Aaron asked as he observed.

“Just look,” she replied, “stand side by side.” ordered Georgina. They did what they were told. Kenny followed Georgina behind them, wondering what she was doing.

“Look.” ordered Georgina. Kenny sighed and followed Georgina in back of them. He didn’t exactly know how to react when he saw. It seemed like the claw marks had started on Danny’s top right shoulder and ended in the middle of Jenny’s back. But it wasn’t the fact that they’d split it evenly that awed him. It was the size of the claw marks. The creature that attacked them had claws the size of two teens combined. And if Kenny hadn't ran forwards and been shielded by Danny and Jenny, that would have been him. He imagined the gaping claw marks running across his back, snapping his spine and tearing his back to shreds. Kenny shivered. 

“Danny, you need help wrapping yours?” Georgina asked as she bit on her thumbnail. Danny shook his head.

“I got it,” he said. Georgina shrugged. 

“Should we go back now?” Kenny asked as he watched Danny lift his arm and wrap the gauze around his back. He was a pro at it.

“Yeah,” Amos said, “I’m not waiting for anymore sh*t to happen.”

Alec & Aaron

Aaron rubbed his eyes as his alarm clock screeched beside him. It came to a sudden stop as he slammed his massive hand on the clock. He heard something rattle in the clock and laid his head back.

“sh*t, Aaron. I think you broke it.” Alec said as he sat up in bed.

“No, I didn’t. I was careful,” mumbled Aaron as he swung his legs out of bed.

“Aaron, that’s the third one in the past three months.”

“I didn’t break it! It’s just and sh*tty alarm clock.”

“You're just a sh*tty brother.”

“Oh, shut the f*ck up.” Aaron growled. The floorboards creaked under his monstrous feet while Aaron made his way to the bathroom. After brushing his teeth and cleaning up, he threw on a pair of shorts, high-socks, and an old t-shirt, grabbed his backpack and a banana along with enough money for pizza after school. Alec’s feet pounded on the staircase.

“You got the money?” called Alec.

“Yeah,” Aaron replied as he peeled open the banana. “Hurry up.” Alec leapt down the flight of stairs. Aaron nodded and walked out of the door while taking a bite of the banana.  He closed the door behind him as his brother passed him. And this time, just out of precaution, he locked it shut.

* * * *

Aaron’s head lolled off to the side as he turned to stare at the clock. Five minutes left. He turned to pack up his things, but was startled when a voice called out at him.

“Not yet, Mr. Hernandez. Class has not ended and I dismiss you. Not the bell.” she said. Aaron groaned and turned to face his teacher, a tall woman with stocky shoulders and hair pushed up and to the side, just like every adult. He mumbled an apology and sat back in his seat. It creaked under his weight, but thankfully didn’t give. That had happened once before. At least it hadn’t happened to him multiple times like Walda “The Whale” Stephenson. She frowned and turned away while placing a white paper on Michael Trimble’s desk.

“As you all may know, every year the school throws a summer party for our leaving eighth-graders. It will take place in the date stated in the pamphlet. All students attending are required to wear formal apparel. Suit and tie for the boys, dresses and appropriate skirts for the girls. This is a formal dance, therefore the school expects your best behavior. There will be no manhunt, no basketball in the corner, no nothing. You are expected to be on your best behavior. Bring a date if you must.” she said. Aaron let out a sigh. There was little to no chance in hell that Aaron was getting a date. He groaned and turned to look at Danny, but instead his eyes landed on Michael Trimble. Aaron only hung out with the kid because he was on his football team. He didn’t like him that much. Michael thought he was the hottest sh*t in town. He also had a major crush on Jenny. But it was also obvious that Jenny didn’t like him that much, even as a friend. And being that Jenny was practically Aaron’s sister, he didn’t like that. Mike read the pamphlet and leaned back in his chair, looking at Jenny and giving her a small grin.  She grit her teeth and looked away. But Danny, who was glaring at Michael, didn’t look away. He stared lasers into the back of Michael’s head. And so did Jenny. When it came to Jenny, Aaron didn’t take sh*t from anyone. Aaron suddenly felt something light brush his knee, and looked down to see a paper at his feet.

“Sorry,” a small voice said. Aaron grabbed the paper and looked up to see Emma Wilkens, her tiny face red with embarrassment. Aaron gave her a polite smile.

“It’s fine,” he said as he handed the paper back. The bell rang, causing him to nearly jump out of his seat. Aaron grabbed his books, stuffed them all under his right arm and walked out the door with Jenny trailing behind. 

“Hey,” she said, clearly bothered. Aaron nodded hello. He shifted his books further under his arms as they waited for Danny.

“Why did Mike smile at you like that?” he asked. Of course, Aaron already knew the reason. The kid thought he had a date already. Jenny rolled her eyes.

“Dunno. But if he thinks I’m going to the dance with him-”

“He’s wrong.” Danny interrupted as he walked out the door. Jenny nodded.

“And if he does anything-” Aaron began.

“I know. Call you guys. Or Amos. And then you’ll beat him up and make sure he doesn’t do anything to me again.  I’ve been hearing the same thing for the last seven years. I can defend myself, y’know.” she said, flexing her surprisingly muscular arms and grinning. And Aaron knew that. Once, her and a couple other girls were walking around town when some perverted sophomores began catcalling them and following the group. After about ten minutes of it, Jenny had turned around and belted one of them so hard that she knocked a tooth loose.

“Sorry,” mumbled Aaron. He backed off. But Danny didn’t.

“But if you want to go with him, it’s fine. “ he said, his words rushed. “It’s just that he’s kind of a jerk and I don’t trust him at all. If I was you, I wouldn’t even talk to him. Just don’t like him. But if you do, fine. You can go with him. Or someone else. Doesn’t matter. I-”

“Danny!” Jenny exclaimed, causing Aaron to nearly jump onto a seventh grader passing him.

“What!” he replied.

“I don’t even know if I’m going with anyone! I’m probably not! Just calm down. Amos probably won’t let me, and I don’t really like anyone. And what the heck just got into you?” she asked. Aaron waited for a response. But he just mumbled an apology and turned into his next class. 

“Jeez,” Aaron said once he was gone. “What was that about?” Jenny let out a breath and shrugged. Then she looked at him, and Aaron couldn’t help to blush as he noticed that her eyes seemed a lot bluer today, if that was even possible.

“You know, right? About Danny?” she asked in a hushed tone. Aaron’s gut dropped. He knew. Aaron nodded.  She just tightened her lips and looked away and began to start a new conversation. 

The day went by in a flash. The only thing worth remembering was who was asking who to the dance. Freddie Ronkowski asking Bella Miller. Logan Patterson asking Stella Jennings. Alec asking Georgina as a joke. The class had a good laugh about that one. Even Kenny said that he may ask someone, but didn’t say who. Aaron heard that Owen Cardozo was asking Georgina. And now that he knew Georgina more, he felt some kind of protection for her build up in his chest, the same kind he had for Jenny. Aaron walked out into the front of the school, and towards a large group of boys where he saw his brother and Kenny standing, their faces turned away from Aaron. He walked closer to them until the shade odd the big oak tree in front of the school concealed him. 

“Hey,” Aaron called his brother, expecting Alec to reply. But instead, Alec turned and rushed towards him, putting his hands on his shoulders and pushing him away from the group. Amos followed behind him with the same urgent expression as Alec. 

“What the f*ck!” Aaron exclaimed.

“He escaped!” Alec whisper-screamed. Aaron’s eyes went wide.

“Who escaped? Alec, what the f*ck are you saying?” Aaron frantically asked. Alec looked behind him as if he was checking to see if anyone was listening.

“The man! In Georgina’s house! Danny’s house!” Amos cried. Aaron’s stomach dropped and sweat began beading on his forehead. Before he could stop himself, he was shaking.

“You’re kidding,” Aaron whispered hoarsely. Amos and Alec shook their heads in unison. Aaron put a hand on his forehead and looked towards the buses. This couldn’t have happened.

“Oh sh*t! Our bus!” Aaron cried as the buses began pulling away, their bus up in the front. Alec suddenly sprinted passed him, running alongside the bus, waving at it until it slowed and opened the doors. Aaron jumped on and stumbled into the back of the bus, nearly tripping over a few sixth graders. He grabbed the side of and three-seater and swung in, his forehead beaded with sweat. Alec dropped into the seat across from him.

“You're positive?” Aaron breathed as he leaned up against the cold metal of the side of the bus. He felt nauseous. Alec gave him a small nod.

“Apparently, the police station sent a warning to the whole area. Not just Milford. To Berson, East Valley, Stalbridge, all over. Mostly to the schools though. They told everyone how he attacked Georgina and Danny in their houses, and how they caught him at Danny’s place.”

“Really?” Aaron asked. Alec rolled his eyes.

“No,” groaned Alec, “I just lied to you about the whole thing just to see you sh*t your pants.”

“Oh, shut the f*ck up.” Aaron growled as he turned towards the few other eighth graders on their bus. Billy Harold, Bella Moram, and a few other kids that Aaron didn’t bother looking at.

“Aaron, you look like you just saw a f*cking ghost,” Billy said. Aaron stared at him and his annoying face. Puffy lips, fluffy hair, and baby red cheeks. His superior attitude.

“Nah, I just saw you and wondered how any human being could create something that f*cking ugly,” retorted Aaron.

“Ouch!” one of the kids, Jake Korman yelled. Alec and Bella were laughing at him.

“What’s the matter with you. Afraid the psycho's gonna break into your house like he did to Garcia?”

“No, asshole. And his name’s Danny, not Garcia. That’s also not funny.”

“Yeah it is. Get a f*cking sense of humor,”

“Oh, f*ck you. I’ve got a better one than you.”

“Talking to you is like talking to a pile of rocks,”

“At least when he talks, his lips don’t look like a fat girls t*ts when she runs,” cracked Alec. Jake let out a girlish scream while Bella fell back into her seat laughing. Aaron put a hand on his head, his jaw dropping at Alec’s quick remark. Soon Aaron’s surprise morphed into amusement and he was hunched over. Wheezes filled his lungs as Aaron’s face turned red. He looked up and saw Billy fuming.

“Ah, f*ck you!” he shrieked, his voice cracking as he did. Alec suddenly grabbed Aaron, throwing him out of his seat and dragging him down the aisle of confusing kids. Aaron felt Billy’s hand drape across his back as he tried grabbing the big kid. But Alec was running too fast and powerfully. They surged out of the bus and onto Palahu Bend with such a force that Aaron stumbled into Alec and almost knocked his twin over. The bus roared to a start again.

“F*ck you!” Billy screamed out the window, bumping both his fists together, his middle fingers in the air. Aaron laughed and gave it back while Alec pretended to pull down his pants and moon the little b*tch. Aaron giggled, but his amusement soon faded. He felt like a jerk. Aaron shouldn’t have said anything to him in the first place. If he hadn’t, nothing would have happened. Now the whole school was gonna be talking about it. Aaron ran a hand through his curly hair.

“I probably shouldn’t have started that,” he said as they began walking home. Alec just shrugged and looked down the steep part of Palahu bend.

“It’s no big deal. He shouldn’t have started with you. Plus, he deserves it.” his brother said. Aaron didn’t respond. A new thought washed over his brain.

“Forget Billy. What about the psycho? He escaped!” he exclaimed. Alec sighed.

“I guess we’ll just have to be on the lookout for psychopaths on the road. And just remember, never get in a stranger's car. Unless they have candy or money or that sh*t. Skittles would be totally worth it though.”

“You're ridiculous.”
“You have anger issues.”

“You’re diabetic.”

“You’re autistic.”

“You’re gay as f*ck.”

“You're pregnant.”
“You're-” Aaron froze as he turned his head and peered over his shoulder. The silhouette of a man was standing in the road. The same man that they’d seen at the field, the same one that broke into Georgina’s house, along with Danny’s. Same flat features and pale face. But this time, he had eyes. Not black, bottomless pits. Icy blue eyes with dark purple bags underneath. But instead of being normal eyes, he had them open far beyond what should be possible. Drool dripped from his mouth down to his chin like a baby would, his dark hair missing in certain spots. Aaron looked at his brother, and mouthed one word. Run. Aaron pushed off his left foot and began sprinting around Palahu Bend, so fast that he heard the wind buzzing in his ear. Alec was still at least two yards in ahead of him though with dust from the dry dirt flying from his heels. Aaron turned and looked behind him, only to the see the man running after him in short, jerked movements as if he was being repeatedly tugged by an invisible string. His feet hung out of his open boots to reveal pale, dirty feet and overgrown black toenails. The sight made Aaron nearly throw up mid-run.

“This way!” Alec shrieked causing Aaron to jump. Alec turned into a driveway and bolted up the stairs.  Aaron followed behind as Alec opened the door and dove inside. Aaron felt a sudden stab of pain in his ankle as he landed awkwardly on it, and let out a short cry.

“What the hell!” a voice shouted as the crashed into a closet door. A man emerged from what appeared to be the living room. He was dressed in a suit and tie, the buttons were undone and his pants were hanging loosely around his waist.

“Get out of my house, you little punks!” he screamed, pointing them out of the house. But then he froze, his eyes landing upon Aaron’s pursuer. The blood drained from his face as he ran upstairs, leaving the twins on the floor, alone and confused. Aaron felt a scream clog his throat as the possessed man approached. Alec tugged at his brother, trying to pull him down the hall. But Aaron’s ankle couldn’t take the weight. Now his was twenty yards away, at least. Fifteen. Ten. Aaron braced himself  and propped himself up against the wall, ready to fight. But not before a body streaked past him and positioned their feet in front of Aaron in a perfect triangle shape. He looked up and saw the owner of the house with a small, black handgun clenched in his hands. Five yards. A deafening boom caused Aaron to jump away and slide down the wall towards Alec. He looked between the legs of the homeowner, and saw the man collapse to his knees, a hole the size of a golf ball in the middle of his forehead. But he didn’t go down then. He gave the twins one last terrifying smile, one to big for a human face,  one that literally stretched from ear-to-ear, and collapsed with his dirty hands limp beside him. Alec breezed past Aaron and into the kitchen while the man with the gun slammed the door shut and pinned his shoulder against it while he locked it. Then, he looked at Aaron.

“What was that thing?” he asked. Aaron shook his head and shrugged.

“No idea. Thank you by the way,” said Aaron. The man nodded his head and hoisted Aaron onto a chair in the living room while Alec called the cops. Alec emerged from the kitchen, his face flushed full of relief.

“Cops are coming,” he said. Aaron let out a sigh and rested his head against the cushion. He peered down at his ankle, leaned forwards, and pulled down the sock. It was red and swelling.

“Sh*t,” Aaron mumbled under his breath. The man raised an eyebrow at him.

“Huh?” he asked. Aaron shook his head.

“Nothing. I fell on my ankle. I’m good.” he said. Out of the corner of his eye, blue and red lights flashed through the windows. He hobbled over to the door with Alec’s arm under his , and opened it. A stereotypical cop stood at the door. Three other cops had exited their cars one of which was observing the body on the ground. Even through the silver, mirrored glasses on the cops face, Aaron was able to tell that it was Nick. The sheriff began talking to the homeowner as Nick made his way up the stairs and towards the twins.

“I got the kids,” Nick said, taking his glasses off and hooking them on the collar of his shirt. He ushered them further into the living room, and sat them down on the couch.

“So,” the young cop said, “he’s dead. How’d that happen? After trespassing, attempted murder, and escaping the station, he’s dead. Cops with guns and tasers and batons can’t kill him, but two thirteen year olds and a stranger can. Explain.”

“It’s not that much of a story,” Alec said.

“Yeah, not much.” Aaron added. 

“We were walking home from school, saw him following us, and ran into this house. The guy who owns the house was about to kick us out but saw the psycho, grabbed his gun, and filled his head with bullets.”

“Blasted his brain right outta his skull,” Aaron mumbled. Nick nodded.

“Any injury?” he asked. Aaron nodded.

“Well, we didn’t exactly run in the house. We kinda dove in. I landed on my ankle when I did.” Aaron pulled down his sock once again and showed Nick his swollen ankle. Nick grimaced.

“We’ll get it checked out. From what I can tell, it’s just  slightly sprained.”

“Okay.” Aaron leaned back on the couch as Nick left to call a medic. The twins sat in silence for a few moments.

“He’s dead,” Alec said. “Finally, he’s dead.” Aaron shrugged.

“He’s dead, but Adaru isn’t.”

Danny

The sun was especially hot as Danny dragged himself off the cramped bus and into the open space before their school.

“F*ck, it’s hot!” Amos exclaimed from behind him.

“No duh,” Danny said, turning around to wait for Amos and Jenny. He pulled up the sleeves of his t-shirt, but it didn’t help a bit. Even Jenny was sweating and she was wearing jean shorts way above her knees and a tie dye tank top.

“I don’t know how we’re gonna wear suits to this dance,” Amos said as they began walking to school. Jenny laughed.

“You guys have to wear suits!”

“Of course we do. What else would we wear, a skirt?” Danny asked with a grin. Jenny rolled her eyes. They walked into the school, only to realize that it was ten times hotter in the school then it was outside. Danny felt his lungs nearly close as they weaved their way through the crowd of sweaty students. His shoulder slammed into a locker as he was shoved aside by a seventh grader with hair down to his forehead.

“Those f*cking seventh graders,” Amos growled.

“You don’t have to be so mean,” Jenny said as she departed from them and towards her locker. “You were one last year.”

“I wasn’t as annoying,” Amos mumbled. Danny shrugged.

“I guess she’s right. The eighth graders last year said the same thing about us.”he suggested. Amos grunted. Danny came to a halt at his locker and spun his combo.

“Are you going to the dance?” Amos asked from a locker down. Danny shrugged.

“Probably. I don’t know if I have a suit though,”

“Oh ok.” Amos said as Danny slammed his locker shut.

“Are you taking anyone?” Amos asked as they walked to homeroom. Danny shook his head, his face turning red. He wanted to take someone, but he knew that there was no chance in hell that he was taking her. Amos gave him a side glance.

“Are you?” Danny asked. Amos shrugged.

“Dunno.” he mumbled as Amos stopped in front of his homeroom.

“By the way,” Amos said, his face turning serious, “I heard that Michael’s gonna ask Jenny to the dance. You better make sure that doesn’t happen. I told Hernandez and Kenny the same thing. Make sure that doesn’t happen.” Danny swallowed and nodded, trying to play cool. Amos punched his shoulder and walked into homeroom.  He took a small step forwards as he watched Amos walk into homeroom. Amos didn’t have to tell Danny to make sure it didn’t happen. Danny wasn’t going to . He knew that there was no chance in hell that Michael was getting a date with Jenny. What he didn’t know, was that Michael was on the locker across the hall, listening in. And Michael, being the impulsive kind of person he was, didn’t think before he whispered something to his friend that there was no explanation for. But Danny just kept walking to homeroom. He dropped his books on his desk and swung onto the cold metal. The heat seemed to only grow more intense in the cramped room. 

“Yo, Danny.” a voice said. He turned and saw Zeke Pilot, a teammate from the football team leaning towards him. Also one of the few black kids in the school. The only difference was that Zeke was so black he was nearly purple. But despite the fact that he blended in with the shadows, he was a pretty good guy, the kind that you could tell anything to and wouldn’t say a thing.

“Yeah,” Danny asked. Zeke smiled.

“We got a sub.” he said. A small smile rose to Danny’s face as he twisted around his desk to talk to Zeke. The sub eyed them, but took one look at Zeke, his stocky build and intimidating stare, and Danny with his lean muscled body and piercing green eyes, and decided to stay quiet.

“Who are you taking?” the black boy asked, referring to the dance. Danny shrugged.

“Dunno. What about you?”

“Well being that I’m one of the only negros in the grade, probably no one. I wanna ask someone, but I’ll probably get rejected.”

 The sub placed a math worksheet down on their desks, and Zeke groaned as he got up to sharpen his pencil. Danny got to work, finishing the worksheet faster than the blink of an eye. Zeke glanced up a couple times, copying his answers. After a while, Danny just gave him the worksheet to copy off of.

“You’re seriously not asking anyone,” Zeke said as his eyes flit from the Danny’s paper to his own. Danny shrugged. Zeke rolled his eyes.

“Fine. Don’t tell me.” he said and wrote his name in sloppy letters on the top of his worksheet. Zeke grabbed Danny’s worksheet and walked up to the front of class, dropping it in a bin on the desk. Danny tapped his pencil on his desk. Should he tell Zeke? Probably not. If he didn’t trust Aaron, Alec, Amos, or Kenny to tell them, there was no chance in hell that he was telling Ezekiel Pilot. Zeke came back and they talked the rest of the period, breezing through worksheets as they did.  The day cruised by in what felt like seconds. And it was a good day. The teachers didn’t seem like they were in the mood to teach and everyone was talking about who was taking who to the dance. Danny had been asked by at least twenty people, half of them being girls who where hoping that he’d take them. But he said the same thing to everyone, “I don’t really know yet.”. Then they’d smile and laugh, and he’d smile and laugh and start a new conversation. Mostly because it hurt to know that he wasn’t able to ask the one and only girl he liked. Exhibit A, he was ugly as f*ck according to his father. Exhibit B, Amos would probably pound him into the ground. Exhibit C, he didn’t want to ruin his friendship with Jenny. 

“You're sure your not taking anyone?” someone asked. Danny looked up from his worksheet and a couple of girls that he talked to looking at him. Danny smiled.

“I don’t know yet. I’ll figure it out. I mean, it’s not the end of the world, right?” he asked. They giggled, the kind of giggle that sl*ts would use to get boys turned on. But he had little to no interest in them. A blond one, Liv, licked her lips and leaned in closer to the green eyed boy, only making him more uncomfortable. He leaned back a little and scooted his chair over.

“Well, there’s no was you're taking Jenny, that’s for sure.” Shannon, one of the girls said while attempting a sexy stare. Danny froze and gave another small smile.

“First of all, I wasn’t planning on it. Second of all, where did you hear that?” he asked. His heart suddenly began pumping faster than before, and  butterflies erupted in his stomach like a vicious hurricane. But they just giggled.

“Michael told everyone that when he asked you, you said that Jenny because you just wanted to f*ck her.” Natalie said, a blond girl with a dangerously low tube top. Danny felt his stomach drop. Never in his life had he said anything like that. Never. Especially to Jenny. He wouldn’t say boo to her! They just laughed some more at Danny’s pale face.

“I’ve never said that in my life,” he said, quietly at first. 

“Huh?” Natalie asked. Danny looked at her.

“I never said that! He’s lying! He’s jealous!” he began, his voice rising little by little. The girls smiles faded as the bell rang, and they rushed out the door. He sat in his seat for a few seconds, trying to figure out what had just happened. He didn’t say anything. He would never. Wind buzzed in his ears as he sped out of the classroom, his books tucked under one arm. By the time Danny got to his locker, his heart was pounding. He felt like he was going to throw up. The locker let out a loud, metallic crash as Danny closed it with shaking hands and ran down the halls. Some kids gave him disgusted looks, other called out at him. But he just kept running until the hot sun was beating down on his face. He spotted Zeke near the outside of a circle of boys and sprinted over.

“Zeke, where’s Jenny?” Danny asked after pounding his shoulder. Zeke pointed to the side of the school.

“Over there. And did you actually say that-” Zeke asked. Danny growled.

“No. I gotta go,” he said, and began rushing to the side of the school. He squinted his eyes as he barreled across the yard and towards the side of the school. Gravel spilled into his worn converse as Danny skidded to a stop, spotting a figure sitting on the stairs of a side door. It was Jenny. The second her eyes landed on him, Jenny’s fists balled up with fury.

“What the f*ck, Danny!” she snarled. Danny took a step back, his eyes wide. His hands instinctively rose to his face as she approached him.

“Why did you say that!” Jenny cried. His mouth gaped open, his words lost.

“I-I-I didn’t! I swear to f*cking god, I didn’t say a thing! He made it up!” he reasoned, still backing away from Jenny. She only grew angrier.

“Sure you didn’t! How could I have been so f*cking stupid? I trusted you my entire life, and then you say something like that. If I would have known that was the only way you thought about me, I would have stopped talking to you a long time ago!”

“I didn’t say that! You know this! You're smarter than that! I’ve known you forever, why would I say that!” Danny exclaimed, his voice becoming panicky. Jenny glared at him. She knew that he didn’t say what everyone thought he said. She knew. It was crystal clear. But if she didn’t get mad at him now, she would fall even farther into her crush on him. And she didn’t want that. Jenny didn’t want to be in love with her best friend, especially a boy who was abused on a constant basis. And Jenny knew that it was horrible to think that, but what if he acted like his father when grown up. What if?  And what if they ended up like her parents. She was scared. She was terrified.

“Jenny, you know I didn’t say that! Michael made it up!” Danny reasoned, trying not to get mad. She grit her teeth.

“That’s ridiculous. You guys are friends.” she growled. Danny felt his heart nearly stop as he looked at her. He’d never seen her so mad in his life. Never. He turned his head towards the drive way of the school. But his vision was blocked by the overgrown bushes on the side of the school. It seemed as if that small movement exploded a bomb within Jenny because she lunged forwards, her hands connecting his chest and nearly causing him to topple backwards.

“I trusted you! More than anyone else!” she exclaimed, giving him another shove. But Danny let her kept hitting him. He didn’t touch her once. He didn’t say a word until it finally felt as if his father was standing in front of him, taunting Danny before a beating.

“Can you please stop hitting me,” he murmured. The blows stopped, and Danny looked up to see Jenny’s face in a veil of guilt. They stood in silence for a few moments.

“How are you not mad at me?” Jenny asked, her face still beet red. 

“Why should I be mad at you for something Michael did?” he asked. And at that moment, by some horrible coincidence, Michael appeared around the bushes with Jason Harley, his backpack slung over one shoulder. 

“What is this, a makeup session?” Mike sneared.

Right then and there, Danny let out every shred of anger he had been holding at Michael. Jason took one look at Danny’s enraged face, and made a run for it. But the other boy was taken by surprise. They both fell backwards, and he heard Mike let out a strangled noise as they hit the ground, knocking the wind out of both of them. Unlike Michael, he was used to the feeling and knew how to handle it.

And at that moment, Danny saw something that he’d never seen before. He saw red. He was mad at this little mother f*cker. And Danny didn’t get mad all that often. 

“Gah da f*ck-” Michael tried screaming, but the words game out as inaudible gurgles. Hands were suddenly  wrapping around Danny’s shoulders, and he knew it was Jenny. That was the only thing that restrained him from lashing backwards and hitting the person behind him. Unfortunately, Jenny’s presence didn’t have the same effect on Michael as it did on Jenny. Danny  didn’t know what on earth was passing through his ex-friends mind as he freed his hands from Danny’s grasp and lashed out at Jenny, striking her across the face. Then, Danny lost complete control.

“You f*cking *sshole! Don’t f*cking touch her!” He lost complete control of his own body as his fists rained down on the other boy, his lean body towering over Michael’s so that if he tried to hit Jenny again, he’d only crash into Danny. And Michael did. Numerous times. Knuckles crunched against Danny’s cheek, his jaw, his chest, but it was no match for the damage that was being put upon Michael. They would have kept going for hours if a strong hand hadn’t ripped Danny off of him and flung him onto the pavement. His skin peeled against the dry ground while he skidded across the floor. And suddenly, a hand slashed across Danny’s face, snapping out of his fit of rage. He restrained himself, thinking that it was Jenny. He wouldn’t hit her like Michael did. Never. But instead of seeing Jenny, he was staring right into the cold eyes of Mr. Lloyd, a six foot, broad shouldered man with a mop of brown hair on his squarish head.  And to make things even sh*ttier, he was also the vice principal.

“What the hell do you think your doing!” the man exclaimed, glancing from Danny to the bloody boy behind him.

“I don’t know,” he wheezed, his gaze not faltering the slightest bit as Jenny placed a cautious hand on Michael’s shoulder. Instead of feeling anger though, Danny felt betrayal and disappointment. Mr. Lloyd hoisted him off the ground and roughly tossed him to his feet.

“Both of you are in big trouble,” he snarled. At those words, Michael erupted.

“Are you kidding me! He started it! I swear to god! Suspend me and I’m having my parents sue!” he shrieked, pointing at Danny. And as usual, he ignored it. The vice principal gently helped Michael to his feet with Jenny standing on the other side.  All she gave him was an embarrassed (and slightly guilty) glance towards Danny as they walked through the double doorways and into the office.

“Ugh, Travis. School ended a while ago. Why are these students here?” Ms. Solis asked, a heavy black woman sitting in a desk.

“They got into a fight on school grounds. A bad one. Apparently this one started it.” Mr. Lloyd grumbled as he gestured towards Danny. Danny grit his teeth but didn’t say a word. Ms. Solis groaned.

“What about Ms. Reynolds?” the black woman asked, smiling at Jenny. How could you not smile at her? She was gorgeous. Mr. Lloyd shrugged.

“I wouldn’t know. But I think one of the boys slapped her.” Lloyd inferred. Ms. Solis didn’t hesitate as she turned to Danny. But he just shook his head and glanced at Jenny. Her blue eyes were downcast and full of regret as they took a seat in the office, Michael being called to the nurse. The two sat in complete silence for a while. He was shaking violently, occasionally wiping the blood from his hands onto his shorts.

“I’m sorry,” Danny mumbled, his green eyes flitting towards Jenny. She shook her head and turned away.

“For what?” Jenny breathed, “Nearly killing Mike? Fighting in front of me? Getting caught? What?”

“For letting him hit you.” he whispered as he stood up, making eye contact with the nurse as she ushered him into her office. Jenny didn’t respond. The nurse didn’t seem to have much interest in Danny as she gave him some slightly melted ice and slapped some band-aids on him. He was out of the office in nearly ten minutes before Michael was. And when Michael did come out, Danny couldn’t help but to feel guilty. Both of his eyes were black and his face was full of bruises and cuts. A bandage was wrapped around his left hand while a large piece of gauze covered the back of his head.

“Great job, f*gg*t. Now I look like you.” Mike snarled as he passed. Danny just put his head in his hands and tried to ignore the comment. Jenny’s face only seemed to sag with more guilt.

“Jenny, dear? Would you please get on the phone and call your parents. By school regulations, we can’t let any of you walk home. And we definitely  can’t drive any of you kids home.” Ms. Solis asked with a soft smile plastered across her dark face. Jenny frowned.

“Sorry, ma’am. Both my parents are working and I don’t know their work numbers.” Jenny replied.

“Is your brother, Amos, home?”

“No. He had to work a shift at Mr. Softee right after school ended. He got a job there.” the blue-eyed girl said. Ms. Solis nodded. 

“Daniel. Call your parents. Now.” she said, her soft smile disappearing in the air. Danny didn’t bother objecting. It didn’t matter. Either way, his parents were going to find out and he was gonna get his *ss kicked. But much harder than usual. Floorboards creaked under his weight as he entered the office. Danny spun in the numbers and put a hand against the wall, knowing that he’d need it for balance. The phone rang a few times, each time giving him more anxiety. Finally, someone picked up. He prayed that it was Richie or one of his brothers. But it didn’t seem like luck was on his side that day.

“‘Yello?” a drunken voice grumbled. Danny could smell the alcohol through the phone.

“Dad? It’s Daniel. Your, uh, son…” he trailed off.

“What the f*ck do you want,” His dad snarled through the phone. Danny winced.

“I got into a fight at school and k-kinda got caught. And they won’t let me leave so I need a ride home…” he mumbled, the last words fading out. There was silence. All Danny heard was labored breathing on the other end.

“Are you f*cking kidding me, you little b*tch!” his father snarled into the phone. He held a hand over the top of the phone, scanning the office to see if anyone had noticed. No one had moved.

“I’m gonna beat your *ss when we get home. You f*cking understand me!” the voice screamed. Danny nodded as if his father was in front of him. He turned once again to make sure that no one heard. And then his eyes landed on Jenny. Michael had already called his parents, yet he hadn’t even offered her a ride. Now she sat in a wooden chair, her hands on her face. Jenny’s elbows were resting on the armrests, her back slumped. She looked completely depressed.

“We also need to take a friend home. Bye.” Danny nearly growled, mumbled a few curse words towards his father, and slammed the phone against the ringer.

“Watch it, young man!” gasped Ms. Solis. He mumbled an apology and sat back down, waiting for his father to arrive. And now that he thought of it, it probably wasn’t the smartest idea to call his drunken father to drive them home. Despite that, he leaned over to Jenny.

“I’m taking you home,” he whispered. Jenny looked at him, disbelief plastered across your face.

“Why?” she mumbled. Danny sat back in his chair.

“Well, no one offered. And you definitely can’t walk home.” he said quietly. Jenny looked away in deep thought.  The air conditioning clicked in the corner of the office, but it wasn’t doing much good. The room felt like a sauna and as Danny peered at Michael, he longed for the blue ice pack that the boy was holding against his head. Meanwhile, a clock ticked on the wall. 3:26. They all should have been home half an hour ago.  The chair creaked under Danny’s weight as he pushed himself farther back into the chair, the anticipation of his father walking through the door becoming unbearable. His foot anxiously tapped on the tile floor as the room suddenly seemed to grow warmer. 

“Where is my son!” a feminine voice nearly screamed as the doors were abruptly slammed open. Danny felt all of the blood drain from his face and his heart drop as the woman stormed in, glaring at him. Jenny was halfway off of her seat from shock by the time Mrs. Trimble was on the other side of the room, snatching her baby up and pulling him towards the door.

“Who did this to my boy!” she bellowed, grabbing his face and looking him up and down. Ms. Solis emerged from her office chair.

“Mr. Garcia,” she said, pointing at Danny. He grit his teeth, awkwardness consuming the room. Disgust was plastered all over the woman’s face.

“And your just letting him go!” Mrs. Trimble heaved as she squeezed her sons hand. Ms. Solis shook her head.

“No. He’s getting two days of after school detention. From three o'clock to four.” she said. The middle-aged woman rolled her eyes and tugged her Michael towards the door.

“Thank you,” the mother snapped. Danny watched them go, resisting the urge to trip Michael as they walked by. Instead, Mike looked down at him, sneered, then spat on him. And the mother and son were gone like the wind.  He waited a few moments before harshly wiping the saliva off his face. He could just see Jenny out of the corner of of his eye watching him. That only made him feel guiltier than he already was. 

The chair creaked as Danny rested his neck on the back and closed his eyes. His father was taking a very long time. But he wasn’t surprised. How fast could a drunk man move? As if by coincidence, ragged footsteps shuffled on the hot pavement outside as Danny was able to spot his overweight father through a dirty window. He winced with embarrassment. No one else had to call their drunken, abusive in to school. Only him. Ms. Solis eyed the man as he stumbled through the doorway, his eyes bloodshot and enraged. Danny rubbed his face with a single hand and glanced at Jenny. She was mortified.

“I’m hoping that this is your father,” the woman raised an eyebrow at him. He gulped.

“Yup,” he managed, “that’s my dad.” 

“Damn right I am. Take you and your girlfriend and get your *sses outside.” the drunk man hissed. The chair let out a sudden creak as Danny rocketed up from his seat, firmly grabbed Jenny’s wrist and walked out the door into the blazing sun. Once outside, Jenny ripped her wrist away from him.

“Don’t touch me,” she growled, bringing her arm into her chest. Danny grit his teeth and didn’t say a thing. What good would opening his mouth do?

“You shoulda just left me here. Amos could’ve came and gotten me and we coulda walked home.” Jenny snapped. 

“You would’ve been waiting here for two hours!” he exclaimed, trying to reason with her. Jenny rolled her eyes.

“Hate to burst your bubble, I’m not a weak little girl who can’t deal with her own problems.”

“I never thought that! Now your just making things up.”

“No, I’m not.” she thundered.  “You and everyone else-” Jenny was cut off  as Danny’s father lumbered out the door, chest heaving. The duo fell silent and stared at him. The man raised a greasy eyebrow at them, raised a hand, and smacked his son across the back of the the head. Through the stars in his vision, Danny was able to see Jenny take a step back, her eyes full of panic. He braced for another smack, but was only met by a rough shove.

“Get in the f*cking car,” the drunk stuttered and began hobbling to the lone car sitting in the front of the school. They both followed Mr.Garcia in awkward silence. Jenny seemed to be in a daze, unsure of whether or not to stay near her friend or let him get it.

“Just don’t go near him. Don’t say a word and you’ll be fine.” Danny whispered, his green eyes glancing at Jenny. She let out a breath of distress.

“Crap,” she heaved, “but what if you-”

“I’ll be fine.” Danny cut her off, a sudden anger erupting in his stomach. “It’s not like anyone cares in the first place.”

“Are you-” Jenny began another rant but was interrupted as Danny opened the cars door and ushered her in. He watched her get in, closed the door, then slid into the passenger seat next to his father. Mr. Garcia gripped the wheels, his dark eyes focusing elsewhere.

“What’s yer address, girl?” he asked.

“ 6 Eastbrook Road,” whimpered Jenny. The car jerked forwards, speeding down the driveway of the school and towards the main road. The pickup let out a rusty creak as it swerved to a sudden stop at the main road. Danny almost flew through the windshield, but caught himself on the armrest and pulled himself back into the seat. He probably would have laughed at the scene. That was if him and Jenny didn’t hate each other, their lives were at risk due to drunk driving, and he wasn’t in a small enclosed space with his worst fear. Danny was able to hear Jenny’s terrified breaths from the back as they both spectated the man. His eyes were glazed and he seemed unable to focus. The steering wheel let out small squeaks as his father squeezed the black leather hard enough for his knuckles to turn white. Probably to restrain him from beating his son while on a main road. 

Once again, the car jerked to a start and flashed across the road, lurching from side to side.

“I think I’m gonna be sick,” Jenny mumbled from the back, one hand on her stomach and the other on the car door. Danny glanced at her through the rearview mirror with sympathetic eyes.

“So tell me, young lady,” slurred Jim Garcia, his words long and disoriented. “What did the little b*tch do this time?” he grinned. Danny and Jenny made eye contact. She was beyond terrified.

“Uh…” she hesitated. The mood suddenly changed.

“If you don’t tell me, I’ll hit him.” Mr. Garcia snapped, a slow, lazy grin rising to his face. Danny felt his gut squeeze.

“He got into a fight! It was just a fight.” she rushed. The man sneered and glared at his eldest son. 

“Is that true?” Danny’s father questioned, his words dangerously slow.

“Yeah,” he gulped, wishing he could dig a hole and hide in it.

“*sshole,” the man mumbled as the car was thrown to the side while turning onto Palahu Bend.  His father zoomed down the road, barely clipping a flock of crows that were feasting on a dead deer. The bushes on the side of the road shuffled as animals darted away from the reckless car.

“Oh my f*cking god!” Jenny wheezed from the back seat, just before being thrown off to the side.  Just as the ride seemed to get worse, the car came to a sudden halt. Danny felt his body leave the seat and fly to the dashboard, his seatbelt catching him just before his nose was broken against the hard leather.

“Get out.” Jim ordered as he pointed to the door. Jenny did just that. She shoved the door opened and nearly leaped out, mumbling a quiet “Thank you” before slamming the door. 

The two sat in silence. Danny was petrified. His father looked at him, and he was almost able to see the devil in his black eyes.

“I think you know what’s gonna happen to you, f*gg*t.” Mr. Garcia snarled, his knuckles cracking. Danny gulped. “You're lucky I didn't beat your sorry *ss with that girl in the car! You're f*cking lucky I didn’t beat the sh*t outta her either! You little-”
“F*ck you. You touch her, I beat the sh*t outta you. Try me.” Danny stared at him, a sudden burst of anger and courage overcoming his body.

“What the f*ck did you just say to me?”

“You heard me. You beat me. No one else. You don’t lay a dirty finger on anyone else except for me. If you do, I’ll smash a bottle over your head and see how you feel.” Jim Garcia stared at his son in complete awe and astonishment. Danny stared right back into his father, glaring into his heartless eyes. And that was when he saw something flash in his father's eyes. Anger? Surprise? No. Danny felt his stomach squeeze as he realized what had overcome his drunken father. 

Fear. For that split second, his worst fear was afraid of him.

* * * * 

Danny didn’t remember how he ended up in the corner of the living room, bloody and bruised. He forgot. All that was going through his mind was the question of why his father was stomping towards him with a full bottle of beer in his hand. Full. Danny’s father never ever wasted alcohol. It was precious. More precious than his sons life. The floorboards creaked as they tried supporting the man’s weight, then groaned as pressure was released. Mrs. Garcia was standing across from her son, arms crossed and mouth tightened with disappointment. That was when Danny remembered why he was wedged in the corner of his living room, shirt torn to shreds, his body saturated in blood.

He’d gotten into a fight. A fight with Michael. All because he had to spread a stupid rumor. And that stupid rumor had caused Danny to argue vicously with his best friend, and for him to fear for his life while lying on the dirty carpet floor. A sudden burning and stinging sensation rampaged along the boys body, racking his lean frame with pain as he shuddered. Danny looked up and saw his drunken father pouring the fresh beer all over his son. And that beer hurt. It hurt real bad. Danny felt his breath catch in his throat as the last drops spilled out of the brownish glass bottle. 

In a fit of sudden rage, Mr. Garcia whipped the bottle at the wall, just clipping his head as sharp fragments of glass rained down on Danny. He winced in pain, but was too exhausted to move. He couldn’t take anymore. He was going to die. He was going to die. Danny Garcia was a hundred percent positive that he was going to die as his father took a couple of long steps back, then lumbered forwards to finish him off.

A sudden wave of absolute panic and fear overcame his bruised body. He didn’t want to die. He was too young. He had brothers. Young brothers. He had friends. Good friends.

“Mom,” he wheezed, pressing himself further into the wall. Too quiet. The monster raged closer.

“Mom. Mom! MOM!” Danny nearly screamed, tears beginning to well in his eyes. His hands and body were shaking to the point where he couldn’t control it.  He couldn’t control anything. Especially not his father as the distance between them shrank.

“Mom! Mom! Please, I’m sorry! I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry! Please, Ma!” he cried, the first tear dripping down his cheek. The gap closed, and Danny squeezed his eyes shut like clams as he waited for the vicious blows. He wedged his body into the corner of the wall, drawing a bloody arm over his face and burying his head in his knees. Nothing. He squinted through one eye and saw his mother, only a couple feet away. He almost cried out in joy. One of his parents loved him. Someone loved him! How amazing it felt! Danny held back a grateful smile as she stalked closer. As his vision focused, his stomach dropped. She wasn’t here to save him. She was there to hurt him, just like everyone else in his life. His mother leaned in close, so close that Danny was able to see the difference of color in her eyes and her large bags. So close that he felt the hate. She stared at him for what felt like hours on end. Then, just like her husband, drew a hand back and slapped him across the face. Hard. So hard his head bounced back off the wall and stars appeared in his vision.

“You disgust me,” she snarled. Danny felt his face fall, his insides shrivel. “You horrible, ungrateful, ugly, worthless, piece of sh*t. How dare you order me to help you. After all of the trouble you’ve caused, fights at school, making your friends get attacked by animals, coming home late, you expect me to help you. You are a horrible person. I think this earth would have been better off if you weren’t on it.” she snapped. Danny felt his eyes fall, his emotions dry up. He felt cold. He felt emotionless. He felt empty. The earth would be better if he weren’t on it. His mother said so himself. Danny felt her shove him into the wall, then walk to the door with her keys in hand.

“I’m  going out.” she said, her words clipped and bitter. She stormed out the door, not giving a single thought that her other seven sons were in their small room, listening to their brother get the life beaten out of his while their stomachs shrink to the size of a nut. 

And to be honest, Danny didn’t care that his mother left. Danny didn’t give a sh*t. Because the old him, the lively, caring, funny one, was gone. He was cold. He felt broken. He didn’t care that his father was going to beat his *ss for the rest of the night. He. Didn’t. Care. In fact, he was going so insane that he began to tell himself that the pain felt good. That he enjoyed it. But he didn’t. He didn’t one bit. All he wanted was for his torture to end, but there was no chance of that. 

At least his brothers were safe. Hungry, but safe.

At least his friends were safe. Torn apart by the fight, but safe.

And at least Jenny was safe. Probably sitting with Amos and talking about what happened. Or watching the stars while listening to the woods. It was a beautiful night. It sure was. She may be guilty, but at least she was safe.

Right? That was the last thought that went through Danny Garcia’s head as his father stomped forwards to finish the job.

Amos & Jenny

The sun was just beginning to set as Amos stepped out of the cramped Mr. Softee Shop and took a deep breath of the warm air.

“Bye, Amos.” a voice said from behind him. He turned and saw Parker, a buff sophomore with a stubble. 

“Bye,” replied Amos, trying to play cool. Most of the employees working there were either high-schoolers or thirty year olds who couldn’t find a decent job. The bike let out a creak as Amos pushed it out of the alleyway and onto the sidewalk. He leaped onto the bike and dashed down the empty roads, the road ahead of him becoming harder to see as the sun ducked under the giant trees.  He let out a breath and felt his muscles relax, something they didn’t do very often. The few moments of silence were interrupted as Amos’s mind began to wander to his problems. The test he took without studying a single subject, not remembering whether or not he had to pick up dinner for him and Jen. His thoughts came to a halt at Jenny’s name. There was some kind of rumor floating around, some rumor that Amos failed to hear the details about. His bike slowed as he turned towards Palahu Bend, veering towards the right side of the road. 

Something about the dance and Jenny. As far as he knew, Jenny wasn’t going to the dance with anyone. Probably just her friends. No boys. Gravel crunched under his Raleigh as he swerved along the right side of the cliff. He looked down, and felt chills go up his spine.  The bike wobbled as he shook his body, ridding himself of the unpleasant feeling. Wind buzzed in Amos’s ears as he pedaled harder. Houses flashed by him while pebbles were flicked on his back by the spinning tires. He skidded and turned into their driveway. 

“Jen!” he exclaimed as he leaned his bike inside the garage. “I’m home!” he reached up and pulled down the heavy garage door then began walking towards the porch. Amos laid a hand on the doorknob and twisted. It was unlocked. Panic seized his throat. Jenny never left the door unlocked. Neither did their mother. He slammed it open and crashed into the house as his heart began to beat faster.

“Jenny!” his voice echoed in the house. Amos ran to their bedroom door and swung it open. Empty. The bathroom. Empty. Pantry. Empty. Laundry room. Empty. He sprinted across the house and leaped up the staircase. He bouldered into their mother's room. Once again, it was empty.

“Oh my god,” he wheezed, his head rested on the back of his hands. Amos slammed the wall with his fist as he flew down the stairs and through the back door. As he exited the house, he felt himself calm. Jenny was sitting on the stairs of the patio. A sandwich was resting beside her and she was staring into the calm woods.

“Jen?” he asked, padding across the weed-covered bricks. She turned.

“Hi,” she mumbled.

“Hey. You didn’t hear me calling for you? I almost had a heart attack just now. Couldn’t find you.” he said as he sat down next to her. Jenny shook her head.

“No I did. Just thought I’d drive you crazy.” she said dryly. Amos narrowed his eyes and let out a small laugh.

“How was Mr. Softee?” she asked. He shrugged.

“Good, I guess. It was kinda awkward because everyone from school came and I was in that ridiculous uniform.”

“Oh.” Jenny remarked, not breaking her eye contact with the woods.

“What’s the matter?” he asked, nudging her arm. She shrugged.

“Jennifer Marie Reynolds. Answer me.” he said jokingly, hoping that she wouldn’t say his. Amos Brooks Reynolds wasn’t a very popular name. He hated it.

“Michael went around school and told everyone that Danny said something about me, so being the stupid little girl I am, I got mad at Danny instead of Michael. And what do us humans do when we’re mad? We hit people. So I hit Danny and started yelling at him.” she clipped. Amos sat dumbfounded. Jenny rolled her eyes.

“And as we were fighting, Mike and Jason strolled around the corner. Jason took off running and Mike kinda just snickered, which made me want to punch him in the face. But y’know, Danny did that for me and started pummeling Mike. I tried getting them off each other, but Mike the b*tch decided to hit me even though I was trying to save his ugly face and so I kinda fell backwards. And it then, Mr. Lloyd waddled around the corner and broke it up. Then…..” Jenny continued her story as Amos felt a familiar red-hot feeling bubble in his stomach. All he was able to hear was his heart begin to pump faster as his fists balled up.  

“That dumb*ss…” Amos began, losing his thoughts. He was mad beyond words. 

“Amos, stop.” Jenny snapped before he could start again. “Enough. I’ll figure it out myself. I don’t need you and Kenny and Danny and the twins to solve all my problems. I’m thirteen years old. I can fend for myself.” 

“I know you can fend for yourself, it’s just that-”

“It’s just what, Amos. You guys treat me like a baby. You solve all of my problems for me. That’s why this whole thing started. You went around telling everyone to make sure that Mike didn’t ask me out. If you hadn’t done that, me and Danny wouldn’t be fighting, Mike and I would be okay, and I wouldn’t be the center of attention around school. There was a simple solution to this simple problem. If he asks me, I either say no thanks or sure but just as friends. This should’ve never happened.” she stormed inside, slamming the storm door shut. Amos sat on the patio step, not knowing what had just been said to him. He knew he was protective, everyone knew that. But never did it strike him that Jenny got annoyed.

“F*ck,” he grumbled under his breath, hoisting himself up off of the floor. Amos slid open the door and closed it gently behind him.

“I’m home!” a voice suddenly called as he entered the kitchen. Their mother walked through the door, her body covered in bright neon clothes.

“Ma,” Amos said, looking her up and down, “what the hell are you wearing?”

“Clothes, babe. How was school?” she asked, setting her bag down on the counter.

“Good.”

“Where’s Jen?”

“Upstairs, I think. I’m not sure though.”
“Is she alright?”  Mrs. Reynolds asked, setting a foot on the stairs. Amos shrugged.

“Just some drama at school. She’s okay though.”

“What happened?”

“Stupid stuff. She’ll be okay.”  The chair let out a creak as he sat down, watching his mother call for Jenny. The phone let out a sudden noise as it rang.

“Amos, get that for me!” their mother cried as she hobbled up the stairs.  He sighed and hopped over to the phone.

“Hello?” he asked.

“Hi, it’s Gary.” the voice said. Amos nearly groaned.

“Yeah,”

“I was wondering if you, your mom, and Jenny could come out to eat with me tonight. I was supposed to go out with a couple guys from work, but they cancelled and gave me the reservations. It’s at McLoone’s. I can pick you guys up in fifteen minutes.” Gary suggested. Amos leaned against the wall and hooked a finger on his pants. Of course. His rich doctor friends that he knew from the pharmacy.

“Yeah sure, I’ll ask. Hang on a sec.” he wrapped his hand around the bottom of the phone and took a step towards the stairs.

“Ma!” Amos called.

“Yeah?” she shouted, her voice echoing throughout the house.

“Gary wants to know if you wanna go out to eat. He said me and Jen can come to.”

“Where?”

“McLoone’s, he said he can pick us up in fifteen minutes.”

“Sh*t! Lemme get something nice on. You too, Amos. Fix yourself up and get Jen. I need to get into something nice.” his mother said, her head poking out of the staircase. Amos raised his eyebrows and turned back to the phone.

“We can come. Just give us a few minutes to get ready. See you in a few,” he said, and placed the phone down.

The  open windows from upstairs let out a calm breeze as Amos jogged up the stairs and into  his bedroom. It felt like forever since he’d been there. He’d been sleeping in the guest bedroom for a while. The closet door rolled to the side as he picked out a red button-down shirt and threw on a pair of cargo shorts just above his knees. He popped his collar and strolled into the bathroom, grabbing a comb.

“Why the hell are you so dressed up?” a girls voice asked. Amos stared at Jenny through the mirror.

“We’re goin to McLoone’s. Mom wants us to look presentable.”

“Oh.” she turned and shuffled downstairs to her room.

“Hey Jen!” Amos called as he styled his short hair up and to the side.

“How’d I look with a mullet?” he grinned.

“Horrible. You're an athlete. You don’t wear mullets.” she exclaimed from downstairs.

“Rats tail?”

“Those skeeve me out!”

“Quiff? The short one like Alec?”

“Maybe.”

“Top curl? I can be like Aaron!”

“You don’t have curly hair, idiot.” Jenny said as she bounded up the stairs.

“ I have wavy hair. I can do that”

“Maybe.”

“Maybe like what Danny and Kenny have. Y’know, real short on the sides and the top kinda long. Then just brush it up. What’s it called, real cool man or something?” Amos said, trying the style.

“Too short,” he mumbled and set the brush down.

“Amos, Jenny,  let’s go!” Mrs. Reynolds cried from the stairs. Amos let out a breath and spun around the corner, almost knocking into his sister.

“I’m really not in the mood for this right now.” Jenny snapped, and started down the stairs.

* * * * 

Jenny stared out the window of McLoones, locking her eyes on the waterfall that was just outside the restaurant. Her mother and Gary were both talking and laughing but mostly flirting. Jenny wanted to gag.

“I’m gonna go wash my hands,” she said abruptly, pushing her chair back and rising above the table. “Be right back.”

“I’ll go too.” Amos said, tilting his head. Jenny sighed and walked across  the restaurant and towards the bathroom.

“What’s the matter?” Amos asked as he jogged to catch up to her. She shrugged.

“Oh, nothing. Just in the mood to tie my hair to a ceiling fan or maybe hug a telephone pole during a thunderstorm.” she grumbled dryly.

“I don’t know how I’m supposed to respond to that.”

“Then don’t.”

“Fine. But what’s actually the matter.” Amos asked as they came to a halt in front of the bathrooms.

“Amos, I feel sick to my stomach. After all that just happened, do expect me to just be okay? Seriously? I just got into a fight with one of the only boys I trust, and I’m supposed to be okay!”

“Jen, I’m not saying that. I feel like killing someone right now. Believe me. If someone makes up a rumor about you and one of my best friends and causes them to get into a fight, then I’m mad.”

“No duh.”

“But I can tell that’s not all that's bothering you.” he said, raising an eyebrow. Jenny sighed. She couldn’t tell Amos that it was her fault that Danny was probably getting beaten to a pulp by his drunken father while they sat and ate a nice dinner.

“What’s bothering me is that this whole thing is pretty much my fault.” she growled. Amos stared at her.

“I knew that Danny didn’t say that. I knew a hundred percent. But for some reason, I started yelling at him and literally hitting him instead of just confronting Michael like any normal human being would. Danny didn’t do sh*t wrong and now he thinks that I hate him. And now Michael probably got his whole group to hate Danny. So yeah. I’m guilty.” she said, then swung into the bathroom and slammed the door behind her. The small room was quiet, so quiet that she could hear her own heartbeat. 

The faucet let out a loud click as she turned it on, letting the lukewarm water fall onto her trembling hands. Jenny slowly turned off the water, dragging her hands down her face and letting the water cool her off. A million thoughts raced around her head while the water dripped off her face and onto the cold tile floor.

What was happening to Danny right now? Was Michael telling the truth? Should she have yelled at Amos like that? He was only trying to protect her.

“Sh*t,” she grumbled, grabbing a paper towel and drying her hands with it.  The door squeaked open as Jenny opened it, stepping onto the wood floor of McLoone’s. Amos was leaning against the door, his collar popped and hands hooked on his pants.

“C’mon,” he said, and began walking. The red button down flowed behind him as they walked.

“Just in time!” Gary exclaimed, a steaming plate of trout sitting in front of him. Jenny gave a quick smile and slid into her seat.

“What’s that?” she asked, trying to start a conversation. Gary smiled at her, not a fake cheesy smile, but a real genuine smile. And Jenny liked it.

“Trout, would you like to try some? I’m waiting for it to cool off.” he said. Jenny shook her head.

“No thank you, I have pasta.” she grinned. Her mother was watching them, her face glowing with happiness. Jenny glanced across the table towards Amos. He was leaning on his elbow, his cheeseburger gripped in his other hand. He raised an eyebrow at her, then looked down to take another bite. Jenny rolled her eyes, grabbed a fork and began poking at her pasta. It was good. Really good. She was just about to take another bite when a wave of chill and unease shook her body. The fork let out a dull clang as it fell onto the table cloth, smearing pasta on the deep red cloth.

“You alright?” Amos mouthed, his eyes wide and alarmed. She nodded and picked up the fork, another wave of chills crawling down her back. Jenny eyed the pasta, poking and prodding it. She stared at the once appetizing dish, trying to figure out what had caused her unease. The clicking of forks on a plate disrupted her thoughts as she looked up to see Gary begin to cut his fish. But that wasn’t what she cared about. The fish was. She wasn’t any kind of chef, but all she knew was that fishes eyes aren’t supposed to be beady and black. They’re supposed to be white or dull grey. Not black and pitless.

“Don’t eat that,” she breathed, her eyes locking with Amos then shooting towards the fish. He dropped his cheeseburger faster then expected. Gary barely glanced up at her.

“I said, don’t eat that!” She nearly screamed, smacking the fork out of his hand.

“Jennifer!” her mother shrieked, grabbing her daughters arm and digging her long nails into Jenny’s skin. Amos’s chair shot back as he towered over the table, ripping the woman’s hand off of his sisters arm and allowing Jenny to tumble backwards.

“Don’t touch her!” He snarled, his face twisted with rage.

“STOP!” Gary suddenly cried, snatching Amos and pulling him away.

“Look,” the man uttered. Jenny stared at him as she pulled herself up off of the floor. His face was ashen and he looked as if he had left his stomach in the car. She slowly rounded her way around the table, the restaurant completely silent. Jenny almost gagged as she stared at the fish. It’s beady black eye was moving around rapidly, making eye contact with her at least twice. But that wasn’t all. A huge gash from Gary’s knife was embedded across the side of the fish, revealing a black rotting inside. Black goo dripped from it’s moldy ribcage as its beady eye came to a halt, staring at Jenny. And it was completely lifeless.

* * * *

“I’m gonna see if I can go to Georgina’s. I need a break.” Jenny snapped, stepping out of the car and leaping up the porch. Amos stepped out of the car, watching his sister bash through the door and towards the phone inside.

“C’mon, can you just stay. I’m gonna be so bored.” he said,  walking into the kitchen.

“Amos, I’ll see if I can sleep over her house, then I’ll just meet you at your game tomorrow. It’s really not that hard and I want to talk to someone who won’t threaten people.”

“Fine. Go ahead. Leave me.” he grumbled and stalked up the stairs, ripping off his button down and throwing it in the laundry. The stairs creaked under him as the skipped back down in his white tank top. Jenny was on the phone with Georgina, smiling and laughing. Amos sighed. She probably did need a break.

“Bye, gonna be at Georgina’s. See you guys tomorrow.” She said, grabbing a bag full of clothes and running out the door.

“Alright, hun. Be careful!” his mother called from the bathroom. Amos frowned and dragged himself into the guest bedroom and onto the soft bed. He stared at the ceiling, unsure of what to do with himself. It was the first time he’d been without his sister for the night in two years.

 

Georgina

  A knock came from the front door, startling Georgina as she looked up from the TV. She jumped up from the couch, peering through the window.

“Who is that?” Mrs. Coleman called from the kitchen. Georgina bounded over the door, unlocking all of the locks.

“Jenny! She’s gonna spend the night.” 

“Ok,” her mother called. Careless as ever. She opened the door to reveal Jenny’s standing on the doorstep, a blue duffle bag clenched in her hands.

“Hi,” she said, giving Georgina a small grin.

“Come in,” Jenny gave another small and walked in. They trotted upstairs, 

the steps creaking under their feet.

“C’mon, we’ll stay in my room. I think I have a sleeping bag you can use,”Georgina said as she began to dig inside her giant closet. Jenny nodded.

“Georg, your room is huge!” she exclaimed, spinning circles around the room. Georgina giggled.

“Yeah. But to be honest, I really don’t need all this space.”

“Oh,” Jenny mumbled, wandering over to her desk and picking up a pair of blue earrings.

“These are so pretty” she whispered, spinning them around. They were small simple hoops, nothing like the huge rings that Georgina usually wore. She turned to Jenny.

“You want them?”

“What? No they’re yours. I’m good.” Jenny said, placing them back on the desk. Georgina smiled and rolled her eyes.

“Take them. I’ve never worn them and probably aren’t going to. Plus, they’d look good on you. Like, really good.”

“Really?”

“Hell yeah. C’mon, you can try them on.”

“Seriously? What if you want ‘em back?”

“I won’t.” Georgina insisted, hopping into the bathroom and grabbing a medium sized bag, bringing it back into the bedroom.

“What’s that?” Jenny asked, eyeing the bag suspiciously.

“Makeup. C’mon, we’re giving you a makeover.” she exclaimed, squatting down in the middle of the room.

“But I don’t know how to put makeup on,” Jenny insisted as she twirled her fingers around the earrings. Georgina shrugged.

“Well I do. C’mon, sit down.” they sat down across from one another as Georgina pulled out a brush and dipped it in mascara.

“Alright,” she said as she put a hand on Jenny’s forehead and began brushing the makeup on her eyelashes.

“Tell me what happened today. Just be honest.” Georgina said as she got comfortable, “Because I have a feeling that all of the drama is what drove you to the Coleman Household. All I know is that Danny and Mike got into a fight. From what I’ve heard, Danny whipped his *ss good.” Jenny gave a sad smile.

“That and the fact that my mom’s boyfriend almost at a rotted fish with a moving eye and black insides.” Jenny mumbled.

“Ek. That’s it?”

“Nah. I know this sounds horrible, but I kinda need to get away from Amos for a little.”

“Why?”

“Once again, I know this sounds horrible and all, but I feel like nothing would have happened today if Amos hadn’t said anything.”

“What’d he say?” Georgina questioned, getting up and walking over to the boombox. She turned it on, “Material Girl” blasting from the speakers. She lowered it and sat back down.

“Alright. So basically, you know how everyone is saying that Michael Trimble likes me?”
“Yeah. Him and a lot of other boys,” she said, giving Jenny and sly grin. Jenny rolled her eyes.

“Anyways, Amos told Danny, Kenny, and Hernandez to make sure that he doesn’t ask me to the dance. I have no clue why If he asked, I would have just said no! Simple!”

“And I guess Mike heard,” Georgina finished. Jenny sighed and nodded.

“Wait a minute,” the pale eyed girl began. Jen eyed her.

“Why would Michael try attacking Danny like that if Amos was the one who told everyone?” Jenny froze. Georgina raised an eyebrow and switched eyes, applying mascara to her right eye.

“I think I know,” she said, grinning. Jenny let out a breath.

“Why?”

“He saw Danny as competition. None of the other boys look at you like Danny does.”

“Oh, shut up. We’re just friends.”

“That’s what they all say,”

“And you like Aaron!”

“ I do not! I think we all know that I like Owen. Where did you even get that from?” Georgina felt blood rush to her face. Because to be honest, she didn’t like Owen to much anymore. She was starting to feel and little sweet for both Alec and Aaron, which couldn’t be good.

“Where’d you get Danny liking me from?”

“Jenny! Have you seen the way he looks at you!”

“Yeah! Like any normal human being!”

“Nooooo! He’s goo-goo ga-ga!”

“Until you show me proof, I don’t believe it.”

“Remember at the guys house, when you tried going to fight that looney and Danny held you back?”

“Yeah, but-”

“No questions! Let me explain! And when the man was pointing his gun at you and Danny attacked the guy like a battering ram! Or when we had to fight that guy at the baseball fields, and Danny let you go first even though there was a murderous psycho two steps behind him! Or how he hugged you when we found out Ariana died!”

“How did you even find out about that! Aaron?”

“Shush! I have my sources.”

“Sure ya do,”

“How about when you and him got slashed across the back in that cave, and he bandaged it for you!”

“He was the only one who knew how to!”

“How he beat up Michael for you! How about when you were the only one he’d talk to after falling into that river! How-”

“That wasn’t because he likes me. That was just because trusts me.”
“You more than anyone else,”

“So what? I trust Amos more than anyone else. Does that mean I like him?”

“Eww no. That’s so weird!”

“Exactly!” Jenny exclaimed, her eyes widening and a smile rising to her face. 

“Fine. You think what you want to think, but I am a hundred percent positive that he likes you.” Georgina said, placing the mascara back in her bag.

“Whatever,” Jenny said, her face becoming redder. Georgina gave her a sly grin and began brushing more makeup on Jenny’s face.

“Then can you at least tell me who you like?”

“Um, no.” Jenny wrinkled her nose.

“C’mon. Please? I’ll tell you who I’m starting to like!”

“It’s obvious that it’s either Alec or Aaron.”

“Wrong.”

“Seriously?”

“Yup,” Georgina stood up and closed the door, sitting down in front of Jenny again. Her eyes were wide with excitement.

“Promise you won’t tell?” Georgina said as she felt the blood rush to her face.

“I swear,”

“Alright,” she leaned closer to Jenny, glancing towards the door for a second time. “I kinda like both of them…”

“Ohhh,” Jenny grit her teeth, “that’s not good.”

“Yeah. I know.”

“But why do you like them? I mean they’re good-looking, but I’ve never liked them before.” Jenny said. Georgina sighed.

“I don’t know. They’re both super cute. And his eyes are really pretty, Aaron’s I mean. He’s also really buff,” Georgina gave Jenny a sly smile and kept going.

“And I really like Aaron’s personality. He’s really nice to me. And he’s like the strong silent type. Y’know?”

“Sure. Keep going.”

“And Alec is just really cute. Like Aaron’s more on the hot side, but Alec’s cuter. His big brown eyes, the blond hair. And I like his sense of humor.”

“Really? Because you two fight like an old married couple.” Jenny snickered. Georgina rolled her eyes.

“Listen, he can be really sweet when he isn’t being a sarcastic little b*tch.”

“Believe me, I’ve known him for my entire life. I know.” Jenny breathed.

“Alright. Your turn. Who do you like?” Georgina asked, already having a feeling of who it was.

“I don’t know.” Jenny shrugged.

“Fine. I’ll guess.” 

“Go for it,” challenged Jenny, sitting up straighter.

“Kenny?”

“No, he’s like a second brother. Him and Amos are real close.

“Ok. Mike?”

“I think I just threw up in my mouth.”

“Ha. How about Owen.”

“Never have, never will.”

“Fine,” Georgina said sneakily, “I guess I’ll have to say it.”

“Oh no,” Jenny said sarcastically. Georgina grinned.

“Danny?” Jenny shrugged.

“You like Danny!”

“Say it louder, why don’t you.” Jenny said, her face beet red as she covered Georgina’s mouth. Georg almost squealed.

“I knew it!” she squeaked, “You guys are literally perfect for one another!”

“Oh, c’mon. We’re like siblings.”

“No your not!”

“Uh, we kinda are!”

“Enough. Tell me what you like about him. Everything.”

“I don’t know. I guess-”

“What, his personality? Because to be honest, he has the best one in the school.”

“Yeah I know. He’s always been really nice to me and stuff. And he’s not disrespectful or anything.”

“Believe me, I know.” Georgina said, smiling at Jenny. “I think that at least every girl in the school has liked him at least once.” Jenny grinned.

* * * *

Georgina snapped awake as she heard Jenny pop up out of her sleeping bag, chest heaving. Her face was deathly pale and her forehead was sweaty.

“Jen,” Georgina said, crawling over to her friend as her heart started to rush. Jenny looked at her, eyes wide with terror.

“Jenny what happened? Are you okay?” she drew closer to Jenny.

“I-I don’t know,” the younger girl responded as she held her stomach, “it was a nightmare and D-” she froze, Jenny’s deep blue eyes locking with Georgina’s. 

“Who?” 

“There was this boy. And his parents were so mad,” Jenny began. Georgina sat back confused.

“So what if they were mad?”

“No, they were beating him and-” Jenny put her head in her hands. 

“And what, Jen. You have to tell me.” Georgina laid a hand on her friend's shoulder.

“And he was just taking it. He wasn’t fighting back, he was just taking it. His father would kick and punch and go on a rage, then belt him, but the boy just took it.” Jenny stopped and looked at her. Georgina nodded.

“And then the man, the father started dumping beer on him. And beer has alcohol and alcohol hurts when you put it in a cut! And the boy was so bloody and bruised. And-” Jen let out another breath and wiped her eyes. She was beginning to cry. Georgina let out a shaky breath and inched closer.

“It’s okay. Just tell me the rest.” Jenny looked at her and let out a heavy sigh.

“Then the father started stomping towards him. And then the-the boy started panicking and begging his mom to help. And he kept saying he was sorry and to please tell him to stop. But the mom just walked over and just slapped him across the face, saying that he disgusted her and should have never been born and that  he was ugly and a disgrace to her. Then she just backed away and the man kept coming closer. The boy started press himself into the wall and kept calling for his mom, but she just ignored him. She just let her husband beat her son…” Jenny swallowed, her gaze flicking towards Georgina. Her jaw dropped and her eyes were wide.

“I-” Georgina stopped and shook her head, “It was just a nightmare. Ok? A horrible horrible nightmare.” Jenny let out a quivering breath.

“But it felt so real.” she whispered. Georgina sighed.

“I know it did. Most nightmares do.”

“No, but this was different. It was like I was seeing something that was happening.”

“That’s impossible. C’mon. Let’s go eat breakfast.” Georgina assured as she used the bed to help pull herself up. She turned, looking at the clock. 7:37.

“It’s so early though,” Jenny said, rubbing her eyes.

“It’s fine. We’ll eat early and go down to town or something. Then we’ll just go to the football game.”

“Fine. I just need to go get money from my house.” Jenny said as the began walking down the stairs. 

“I’ll just give you some money. It’s fine.” Georgina said as she opened the window, letting the warm breeze flow inside.

“Really? Because I can just go and get some.” Jenny said, leaning on the counter. Georgina waved  her off.

“It’s on me. Just help me make pancakes and it’ll be fine.” Jenny smiled and walked over to the closet, grabbing the pancake batter.

“So what stores do you wanna go to?” Georgina asked as she grabbed a bowl. Jenny shrugged.

“I don’t really know a lot. I mean we can just walk around. Milford’s pretty big. It’s like a big mall.”

“There’s Rainbow, Converse, Aeropostale, there's a bunch of stores. Or we can take a bus to that mall in Stalbridge. Or those shops in Berson. I don’t think there's anything in East Valley.”  she said as she poured the pancake batter into a bowl.

“I’ve never been to that mall. We can try going there.” Jenny said, grabbing a flat pan from a cabinet. Georgina shrugged.

“Okay. It takes a half hour to get there and the bus comes at 10, so we can hang out here for a few.” she said. Jenny nodded.

“That sounds good,” she said. Georgina nodded and mixed the batter with the other ingredients. The whisk banged against the side of the bowl as she mixed, watching Jenny pull cups out of the cabinet. All at once, an idea struck her as she placed the whisk in the sink.

“Or,” Georgina said, a grin creeping to her face. Jenny looked up.

“We can go to Danny’s and apologize,” she said. Jenny shook her head.

“That’s not happening,” Jenny said. Georgina rolled her eyes.

“Well you're gonna have to apologize at some point. Why not now? So when we get back to school, there’s no drama.”

“Still. Maybe we just need some space.”

“Sure ya do,” Georgina said, winking at her. Jenny rolled her eyes and poured orange juice into the cups.

“I’m going over there, whether you like it or not.” she said. Jenny’s eyes widened.

“No! C’mon, can’t we just hang out here? That’ll be so awkward.” she said. 

“Oh well! I’m going over there.” Georgina said as the pancakes sizzled on the pan.

“C’mon, Georg. I don’t think we should go over there. It’s a gut feeling. I swear.” Jenny pleaded. Georgina shook her head and slapped a cooked pancake onto a pristine white plate that she’d taken out of the cabinet.

“Tell your gut to take a chill pill. We can go over there and see if he’s home. If he’s not, oh well. If he is, then we’ll apologize and tell him that we’ll see him at the game. Simple.” Jenny rubbed her eyes.

“Fine. I’ll go. But if we get there and I get uncomfortable, we’re leaving.” Georgina smiled.

“Ok. Deal.” she said, and smiled.

* * * * 

“Ready!” Georgina called, fixing her hair in the mirror. She leaned out of the bathroom, peering down the hall.

“Yeah, I’m coming now.” Jenny said, stepping out of the hallway. “Can we please just hang out here? I really don’t want to go.” Jenny looked at her with a desperate face, pulling her acid-washed shorts down a little further. Georgina rolled her eyes and pulled Jenny’s shirt.

“No. C’mon, let’s go.” she said, and trotted down the stairs and outside into the cloudy morning. Birds chirped from the trees above them as they jumped on their bikes, speeding off along the cracked road and to Danny’s house. Georgina smiled. It was a beautiful morning. The wind buzzed in her ears as they turned to the less wealthy part of town, where both Danny and Jenny lived. 

Her front wheel popped up as the road became even more uneven and cracked. They finally turned into Danny’s driveway, which was filled with weeds and cracks. The house was a low one story house with a broken window in the front. It was horribly dirty, so dirty that the white house look like a revolting brown. Shingles were peeling on the roof and a gutter was broken. Georgina laid her bike down on the dead grass and looked at Jenny. She looked sick to her stomach. 

“Can we please go?” Jenny begged as she edged closer to the stairs. Georgina shook her head and swallowed.

“It’s not a big deal. Let’s just go, say sorry and show him that we actually care. It’ll take two seconds.” they both stepped up the stairs, and Georgina laid a hand on the doorbell. She turned towards Jenny. Her friend was pale in the face and her hands were visibly shaking. Georgina stopped. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea. Jenny seemed petrified and she would never want to do that to her friend. But it was too late. A ring startled Georgina as the doorbell rang, awakening the house. She heard a grumbling voice and heavy, ragged footsteps approaching the door as both girls stepped back. The door creaked as it opened, revealing an overweight italian man in a white t-shirt standing in the door frame. He was tall, tall enough that his greasy head almost touched the molding at the top of the door. He wore a pair of old worn jeans along with a fresh pair of socks. The man, Danny’s father, looked them up and down.

“What do you two want,” he grumbled leaning against the wall. Georgina put a fake smile on her face.

“We were just wondering if Danny was home. Is he?” she asked, leaning to the side in order to look behind him. Mr. Garcia shook his head and stared at Jenny. She seemed suspicious, her eyes cast down the hallway as if there was something in one of the rooms. And Georgina was beginning to feel the same sensation.

“Didn’t I drive you home yesterday?” he asked. Jenny gulped and nodded.

“Thank you again,” she mumbled. Mr. Garcia ignored her as a blond headed boy, just younger than Georgina walked under his father's arm with a black garbage bag dragging behind him. He mumbled an apology and walked down the stairs past Georgina.

“Hey Richie,” Jenny said from behind. Richie nodded hello and kept walking as Georgina shifted on her feet.

“Ok. Well, thank you anyways.” she said and turned away from the door. The door slammed behind them as the girls walked away from the dirty house. Jenny suddenly stopped in front of her bike, her body facing Richie.

“Hey,” she called as the blond boy slung the garbage bag into the can.

“What.” he mumbled, not bothering to make eye contact.

“Do you know where he is? Danny?”Jenny asked as Georgina came closer. Richie looked up and slowed. His face was twisted and he seemed as if he was holding back anger.

“Why should I tell you? You're the one got him in trouble for absolutely no reason. You were one of the only people he trusted and felt good around, and then you do that. If you really care so much, go find him yourself.”  he stomped past and up the stairs, opening and slamming the door behind him. Georgina stood there, her jaw dropped so wide that a bug almost flew into her mouth. She swatted it away and turned to Jenny. She looked absolutely heartbroken. Her blue eyes were still locked on the door and she barely seemed to be breathing.

“C-C’mon Jen. Let’s get out of here.” Georgina said picking up her bike and placing a hand on her friend's shoulder. Jenny opened her mouth to say something, only her words seemed stuck in her throat. 

“Come on,” repeated Georgina, letting out a sigh. Jenny let out a sad breath and grit her teeth while picking up her bike. They rode until the house was out of sight, the only sound heard was the chirping of morning birds and dirt crunching under their tires.

“Okay,” Georgina said, still trying to make sense of what just happened. Jenny just swallowed and listened.

“That was… something,” she said. Jenny stayed silent. Georgina sighed and edged closer to her friend.

“Jenny, c’mon. It’s okay. Lemme ask you a question,” she said. Jenny turned.

“What,” she mumbled. Georgina shifted on her bike and pedaled a little slower.

“Danny’s not mad at you. He doesn’t have a shred of hate against you. Do you really think Danny, of all people, would hate you?” she questioned. Jenny shrugged.

“Jenny. This kid wouldn’t hurt a fly and wouldn’t hate a single soul-”

“Except for his father,” Jenny whispered under her breath. Georgina’s lip rose in confusion.

“Huh?” she asked. Jenny shook her head.

“He hates his father. There's nothing more to it. I hate mine too.” she snapped.

“I…” Georgina trailed off, unsure of what to say. She straightened up and began talking again.

“Richie may not like you right now. But that doesn’t matter because once he sees that Danny isn’t mad at you, he won’t be. Ok?” 

“Georgina, Danny told all of his brothers about what I did. Why would he do that if he didn’t hate me?”

“I don’t know, maybe saw something was wrong and asked him. They seem like a pretty tight family, so how could he not tell them?” she reasoned. Jenny shrugged and they kept riding, slowly picking up speed as they rode.

An uneasy feeling kept returning, over and over as they rode in utter silence. Something that made her feel queasy and worrisome. Something that told her that Danny was in that house.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 13

Kenny

Kenny’s legs cramped as he awoke, breathing in the steady flow of air coming from his window. He rolled over to the side of his bed, lazily gazing at the old alarm clock set upon his nightstand. Next to it, a picture of him and his mother in Central Park. The clock read 8:52 as he threw his legs over the side of his bed. Kenny hoisted himself up and raised his arms into the air, stretching his sore chest and body. 

Morning doves chirped outside his window in the warm air. It was a slightly cloudy day, with deep blue skies. The sunlight flowed through the dark green leaves, making them turn into a neon color. Kenny shuffled down the hallway and to the stairs, sliding down each of the steps while rubbing his eyes. His father was fast asleep in his bedroom, erupting in loud obnoxious snores. Kenny leapt down the last step and slid into the kitchen, making it quite far as his socks slipped across the tile. He was in a surprisingly good mood, awake and alert as he tossed two pieces of toast into the toaster oven. 

The warm morning breeze flowed throughout the house as Kenny opened the kitchen window and stuck his head forwards. It was a real nice day. The toast popped up out of the old toaster, starling Keny while he looked out the window. He grabbed the golden brown bread and tossed it onto his plate, snatching the butter and smearing it across his breakfast while bringing an apple to the table with him. Kenny chomped down on his toast, staring off into the distance as he wondered about what to do after he ate. The Cliff? The fields?  His chewing slowed as he remembered what happened yesterday. The rumor and the fight. Kenny swallowed his toast in a heavy gulp. Would it be too awkward for both of them? Danny, Jenny, and Amos? Kenny let out a groan and dropped the bread on the plate and walked over to the phone. It was 9:15. He spun his fingers around the dial and waited on the line for his friend to answer. The phone rang for a while until the voice finally answered the phone.

“It’s a weekend and it’s nine in the morning. What do you want?” a tired voice asked. It was Amos.

“Yo, it’s Kenny. Wanna hang out?” he asked. Kenny heard Amos wake up a little.

“Yeah. But Jen and Georgina can’t go. They just called my mom. They’re going to the mall.” he said. 

“That’s cool. It’ll be all boys.” Kenny said.

“Ok. I’ll call Danny and Hernadez. Meet you at the football fields at 9:30. I’ll bring ” the line died and Kenny ran upstairs, changing into a loose-fitting tank top and bathing suit. He brushed his teeth and put on a fresh layer of deodorant before leaping down the stairs. He skidded to counter and ripped out a piece of paper from his backpack, scribbling a note to his dad and leaving it on the counter for his dad. Kenny trotted out the door and to his bike, booting the kickstand and pushing himself out of the driveway.

He snatched a football off of his lawn and tucked it under his arm, pedaling faster and taking both hands off the handlebars.  Kenny cruised throughout his neighborhood, his head spinning as he took in the scenery.

And he had to admit. Even though he was always going to love Brooklyn. Even though he’d move back in the blink of an eye. Well maybe not that fast. He had friends. Good friends. The kind he didn’t ever make in Brooklyn. And even though there were no memories made with his mother in Milford, New York, he liked this place. 

He liked it a lot. He liked how the sun always shone through the leaves. He liked how the wet pavement and dew-filled grass smelled in the morning. He liked that nothing was on repeat, everything was new. Everything was fresh and real.

If only there wasn’t an immortal demon watching their every step. And an *sshole cop that they had to stay in touch with. And drama between his friend group.

Kenny swerved off the cracked concrete and onto an almost hidden dirt road. It was just big enough for two cars to squeeze through. The side of the field was lined with open parking spots, marked with peeling slabs of colored concrete. The snack bar was closed and the locker room doors secured with locks. Sunlight radiated off the yellow playground placed near the edge of the woods, right behind the bleachers and where the pee-wee cheerleaders usually cheered. Kenny pulled his front tire up as he rode over the curb and onto the dusty property. The fields were lined with fresh paint and the grass seemed to be glowing. He parked his bike against the fence then hopped it, tossing the football in the air and letting it land in his arms. Kenny shuffled around the field, unsure of what to do with himself as he waited.

A bike suddenly appeared out of the brush as Kenny leaned up against the fence. It was Amos. He sped along the parking lot and rode up to Kenny, tossing his bike off to the side.

“Throw,” he said, opening his hands in front of his chest. Kenny whipped the ball in a perfect spiral towards his friends. Amos gestured for Kenny to run out, and Kenny did until Amos launched the ball into his hands. It was a little wobbly, but Kenny caught it with ease. The two played catch until both Alec and Aaron arrived, then finally Danny.

“Ahoy ladies!” cried Alec as he lept off his bike. Aaron and Danny were next to him. Aaron was in his typical quiet mood as he put his head in his hands due to the embarrassment of his brother. But Danny… seemed off. Very off. His eyes were slightly puffy as if he’d been crying the night before and he looked absolutely horrible. So horrible that it almost made Kenny wince.

Amos eyed him as he through his bike to the ground and hopped over the curb.  Kenny shifted on his feet, unsure if Amos was mad or not. Would Amos get mad? Attack him? Start a fight? Aaron also seemed alert, but his brother looked like he didn’t give a sh*t if the Russians nuked them at that very moment.

“Why are you guys so… blah?” Alec asked, snatching the football from Kenny’s hands. They all looked at him. His mouth formed an “o” as he remembered. Alec pointed at Danny, then to Amos.

“So that’s why we’re sitting here in an awkward silence!” he exclaimed. Aaron slapped his brother’s chest.

“No sh*t, sherlock.” he said.  As the tension increased, Kenny felt the need to say something.

“Well I think we all know that-” he was cut off by a voice.

“Danny didn’t say that. I know, I’m not a f*cking idiot.” Amos said with a grin. Kenny looked at Danny, expecting to see his face lit up. He was smiling, but he was still so cold. There was no emotion in his eyes. Sure, he seemed relieved and genuinely happy, but there was something wrong. Something very wrong.

“Dude, are you okay?” Kenny asked. Danny swallowed and nodded his head.

“I think I’m gonna go though. Maybe pick up a shift at Merrill’s. I’m not really in the mood right now.” he said, glancing at all of them. Kenny narrowed his eyes a little and felt Amos’s eyes on him.

“You know we have a game tonight, right?” Amos said. Danny nodded and squeezed past Alec and Aaron, jumping on his bike and keeping his head low as he rode away. They all sat and watched in silence.

“That was weird,” Kenny mumbled, tossing the football back and forth in his hands. Aaron looked away.

“C’mon, let’s just play.” Alec said as he ran into the field. Kenny shrugged and elbowed Amos as they hopped the short fence and sprinted onto the freshly cut grass.

* * * * 

Kenny let out a deep breath and wiped his forehead clean of sweat and small bits of grass. He watched as the ball rolled into the open door of the snack bar. 

“Why’s the door open?” Aaron asked, jogging up to the side of Kenny. He looked back as Alec and Amos joined them.

“Dunno,” Kenny said. Amos shrugged.

“Let’s just get it. Maybe we can grab a snack or something.” he said as he resumed his slow run. 

“If there’s any Skittles, I call ‘em.” Alec exclaimed as he laid a hand on the rusty knob and pulled the door open further. Kenny cringed as its hinges creaked so loud that he was positive the dogs could hear it. Amos held his ears and pushed past the blond twins, stepping into the darkness of the snackbar. Aaron looked back onto the open football field, his eyes wild with anxiety. Kenny felt his stomach squeeze as he laid one foot inside.

“Yo, Aaron. C’mon and help us find it. It’s dark in here,” he said, trying to shake off the sudden wave of nerves. Aaron nodded and took a deep breath through his nose, following his friend into the damp air. 

Kenny looked around, squinted at the sunlight bursting through a patch in the ceiling. It smelled like hot dogs and mold, the air damp with moisture. A rather small shelf stood in the middle of the dark room, stacked with candies and chips.

“F*ck yeah,” Alec mumbled, rushing towards it and grabbing a couple of king-size Skittles, then shoving them in his pockets. 

“Alec, don’t take that many you *sshole. There gonna catch us.” Aaron hissed, snatching them from his brother's shorts. Alec rolled his eyes and opened the remaining pack he had. Kenny chewed a little harder on his gum and shuffled towards the corner. A pile of cardboard boxes were thrown in a mess, some wet with water leaking from who knows where.

“Where the f*ck is this ball,” he mumbled, kicking the boxes over.

“What the hell is that,” Amos asked as he came closer to Kenny, the twins trailing behind. Kenny shrugged as he nudged another box.

“Dunno. Maybe the ball knocked ‘em over. It’s probably still in here somewhere.”  he said. Amos shrugged and bent down, picking up one by it’s corner and tossing it behind him. Kenny reached down to pick up another box, and froze. The creaking of the door screeched throughout the small room. He turned in a panic, praying that it was Alec or Aaron. They were both behind him. The group came to a solid stop as it slowly eased itself shut. No one dared to move. Besides the heavy silence, all Kenny was able to hear was ringing.

And then a click. The click of a door locking. They were the only ones there. No one dared to say a word for what felt like forever. And then, a growl. Not the growl of an animal or any kind of person. This was unworldly. A familiar pale face emerged from the closet door, right next to where they had walked by. How could they have not noticed. It was right there.

A long pale arm reached out into the open patch of sunlight. Dark grey veins slithered throughout it’s skinny limb as its jagged black nails scraped the floor like nails on a chalkboard. It’s cruel, horrifying face peeked out of the shade. It truly was a horrible, horrible sight.

Kenny felt his breath hitch, and at that moment, it lunged. Right towards him. Kenny let out a scratchy shriek and dropped to the floor like a rag doll, watching as it flew over him and behind.  A hand tugged his arm, dragging him across the room and towards the door. He looked up and saw Aaron with a firm grip on his forearm, grabbed the doorknob and aggressively shake it. Alec stumbled forwards, trying to unlock the door. His fingers landed on the rusty metal and he tried twisting it. It was stuck. They all turned in unison, trembling in fear. A hissing like noise came from its open maw as Kenny felt his stomach drop in utter fear. It took a step forward and that was when they snapped out of whatever trance they had been stuck in.

“Run!” a voice screamed, triggering Kenny’s fight or flight response and he dove off to the side as it lunged, bashing into the door and leaving a monstrous dent. Now there was no way they were getting out. He rolled on the cold concrete, his clothes clinging to the jagged edges. Alec tumbled beside him, his chest heaving and eyes open in utter fear. Amos and Aaron were across from them on their knees, eyes frantically searching for a way out. Adaru suddenly jumped into view and Kenny felt the most intense fear he had ever felt shake his body. He’d been scared before. He’d been upset. He’d wanted to scream and cry. He’d felt his stomach drop to no return. But nothing like this. Nothing ever like this. 

Kenny suddenly felt like a rock. He couldn’t move, he couldn’t think. It was as if he was brain dead. His hands were coated in cold sweat, his mouth dry from any type of liquid. And it just stared at him. 

“Kenny, what the f*ck are you doing!” a voice screamed, and then the black rack holding packs of freshly stacked candy was soaring through the air. He watched as it plunged onto Adaru. It turned in a fury, slapping Kenny backwards with a harsh slap. He fell backwards and felt a welt forming on the side of his face as the monster lunged towards Amos, who had thrown the rack. Amos stumbled backwards and fell onto the counter as is stomped forwards, taking freakishly large steps. Amos was screaming in fear, but Kenny felt as if he were underwater while he lifted himself to his feet. Everything was spinning and blurry as he took a jagged step towards his friend, who was now backpedaling on the floor away from the monster. Amos hit the concrete wall, and his eyes opened even wider. An object in the corner of the room suddenly caught Kenny’s eye. A mop. 

He swallowed hard and lunged for the long stick. The damp wood was splintering and old, but it had to do. The cloth on the end was soaked with a horribly scented water, weighing it down. Kenny tugged it out of the bucket, spilling the foul smelling liquid onto the floor and throughout the room. He blinked rapidly as he used all of his strength, bringing the heavy mop above his head as he approached It. The water dripped onto his head and down his back, making Kenny shiver and cringe in disgust. He didn’t waste another moment as he crashed the mop over Its skinny back. He almost gagged as a cracking noise emerged from Adaru’s back, and Kenny was able to see misshapen ribs. It turned towards him and shrieked while Amos scattered out of the way and into the corner where Alec and Aaron had been panicking. The twins, or Aaron at least, snapped to his senses and he wrapped his big hands around another rack of goodies. Kenny fell backwards as the Thing approached, his hand splashing the mop-water up into his face. But Kenny was too terrified to give an sh*t. Who would?

“Get. The f*ck. out!” a deep voice suddenly hollered. It was Aaron. He pushed back on the floor, using all of his massive strength to swing the rusty stand at Adaru. The two made contact and sent the white demon flying off to the side, giving Kenny just enough time for Kenny to scramble back to his friends. Alec wrapped a hand around both his brother’s and Kenny’s wrists, pulling them back. 

“We need a way out,” Alec breathed, his breathes shuddering. No one responded. There was no way out. Except for the open patch in the ceiling, there was no way. Like statues, they watched as Adaru rose to its feet. It towered over them, having to bend over like a hunchback in order to not touch the ceiling. The demon obviously grew taller. A lot taller. It exhaled heavily and took a daunting step forwards. Kenny felt a sudden tug from his arm and turned to see Alec dragging him to the door. Amos and Aaron were careening behind them, both of them nearly falling on the ground and eating sh*t. Kenny felt another wave of panic seize his body as he watched Alec viciously tug on the door. He jerked back and forth like an angry bull, but the door only squeaked and clicked. 

“GO!” Amos screeched, shoving them all across the room as Adaru lunged once again, this time clipping Aaron’s shoulder blade. The massive boy cried out in pain and gave a final push into the corner of the room. Kenny felt his legs give out and he fell on top of Alec. Amos tripped over his own feet, soaring into the wall and dropping to the wet floor as Aaron staggered in front of them. 

“Nonononononononono-” Alec lost it as the pit-eyed beast whipped its head around and came to a dead stop. The air felt heavy and Kenny’s surroundings became deathly silent except for his friends breaths of hysteria. It took a step forwards. Kenny shuddered. Another step. Aaron wheezed. One more step. Amos closed his eyes and pressed himself further back into the wall.

BANG! 

Kenny’s eyes snapped open even wider. That couldn’t have been a footstep. It was too loud. Another loud bang. Adaru’s head whipped the other way. 

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The door swung open and light flooded into the room. Kenny raised a hand to his eyes and blocked out the sudden glare. He squinted through his eyelids as his gaze focused on someone standing in the doorway. And when he saw who it was, he couldn’t help but smile.

Like a guardian angel, Danny Garcia stood in the blazing light. A rusty aluminum bat hung in his hand and his green eyes were glowing with anger. The sight of Kenny’s friend sent shivers down his spine. Danny was covered in horrible bruises and cuts, but never had Kenny seen anything more intimidating in his life. 

“Get the f*ck away from my friends.” he snarled, bringing the bat up to his shoulders. Adaru hissed.

“I said,” Danny growled, taking a step forward into the snack bar “Get. Away. From. My. Friends!” he lunged at the beast just as it lunged at him. But Danny was mad. And when that boy got mad, there was no stopping him. Especially when it came to his friends.

The bat connected with Its shoulder and sickening crack was heard as Danny stomped forwards. It screeched, a mixture between some sort of dragon and the hissing of a cat, and took a slash at him. He ducked just in time as it’s massive claw whiffed the top of his head.  Adaru screeched once more, and that was when they are seemed to snap out of their fear. Kenny felt himself start to move while watching Aaron charge like an angry bull towards It. He smashed into the last standing rack and sent it flying into the white beast.

“Aaron, get the f*ck back!” Danny screamed, and pushed his friend behind him while gripping the bat with white knuckles. Just as Aaron was pushed backwards, Adaru, in a fit of rage, flipped the rack forwards. It made solid contact with Danny, then trapping Aaron underneath its weight. Kenny urged himself forwards and gripped the huge metal object, throwing it forwards with such power that Adaru was forced backwards. Amos hoisted Danny and Aaron off of the floor and to their feet. 

“Get out of the way!” Danny exclaimed from behind Kenny, and stomped forwards with the bat on his shoulder. Blood dripped from his eyebrow and bicep, but he didn’t show any signs of weakness. Kenny saw a movement in his peripheral and turned to see Aaron lifting the rack above his head, arms bursting with veins as he threw it again. Danny didn’t waste a second as his blows rained down upon the demon. Kenny felt bile rise to the back of his throat and took a step forward, watching as Its bones snapped and black blood oozed from Its wounds. The beast staggered to Its feet and towered over the group, raising Its savage claws in the air and belting them across the small structure. Aaron fell onto his back and his shirt was ripped in half by the barbaric slash while Danny was launched into the opposite wall, the bat still in his grip. His green eyes were flashing through such a variety of motions that Kenny didn’t know what to feel. And then a memory. The mop. The wet disgusting mop was still in the corner, cracked and splintered.  Kenny turned and his eyes landed on the old slab of wood. It was now or never. By some mystical understanding, Danny slammed his bat against the wall as if he knew the direction that Kenny was trying to go in. Adaru shrieked and roared forward into Danny’s direction. Another clang from the bat. 

Kenny shuffled to the opposite side of the snack bar, his eyes never leaving the It while he felt for the mop. Danny had staggered to his feet and was battling with the demon, the twins and Alec watching from behind as they tried to produce some sort of idea to help their friend. Kenny’s hand finally settled on damp wood and he grabbed it, dragging it behind him while stalking towards It. Danny seemed to be holding up well, fending off nearly every blow from It. That was until the two made eye contact, and Danny froze for a split second. That was all It needed. 

Kenny watched as It raised Its claw and slashed down on the boy, sending Danny flying across the room and into the wall. The bat clattered against the concrete floor, but Danny didn’t move. His eyes rolled to the back of his head and his hands were limp by his sides. But Kenny didn’t let that stop him. Using all of his anger and power, Kenny lifted the soaked mop above his head and smashed it down onto the demon. It shrieked as the long wooden rod snapped as it made contact with the demons emaciated back.

“KENNY!” a voice screamed as Kenny backed away from It. He turned to see Amos in the open doorway, waving Kenny forwards. Amos’s elbows were hitched under Danny’s arms as he dragged his friend out of the snack bar.

“Coming!” Kenny exclaimed, and stabbed the remainder of broom into Its spine. He stumbled towards the door and his feet left the floor as he dove into the dead grass surrounding the small building. With one strong pull, Amos tugged Danny out of the doorway while Aaron and Alec slammed the door shut before It could chase after them. The twins struggled against the demon as it repeatedly slammed Its massive body against the broken door. Veins slithered down Aaron’s temples and sweat dripped from Alec’s red face while they shouldered the door closed. An idea suddenly sprouted in Kenny’s mind, and he ran to the edge of the woods and picked up a sturdy log. He hoisted it over his shoulder and struggled towards Alec and Aaron, slamming the wood down before the door. Kenny dug his heel into the ground and created an indent in the tough, dry ground. Not wasting another second, Kenny jammed the log into the hole and leaned it against the door. Alec and Aaron stumbled back, smashing into Kenny as they fell onto the floor. Amos yanked them all backwards until their backs were touching the sizzling parched bricks of the outhouse. Several more slams emerged from the snackbar, then utter silence. All that was heard was the boys heaving breathing. They sat there in complete shock, unsure of whether or not they should make a run for it.

“C’mon,” Amos suddenly wheezed, “we gotta get out of here.” 

“Yeah. I’ll help you with Danny.” Aaron said somberly. The two placed an arm under Danny’s shoulders and heaved him off the ground. Kenny took a step ahead with Alec, making sure to not get too far. A sudden mumbling was heard from Danny as his eyelids lazily fluttered open.

“You guys alright?” he rasped. Aaron looked down at him.

“Yeah, we’re pretty good. How are you feeling?” he asked. They approached the large tree where their bikes laid, and sat down on its mammoth branches.

“I’ve been better,” Danny murmured and rubbed his eyes. “What happened?”

“You were doing fine,” Kenny said, and outstretched his left leg. “But then I sneaked up behind It. I guess you saw because you looked up at me and lost focus. Then It just bashed you across the f*cking room.” he said. Danny nodded and rubbed his arm.

“B*tch, when I say you flew, you f*cking flew.” Alec chuckled and leaned his back up against his brothers shoulder. Amos giggled.

“C’mon,” Kenny said as he shook his head with a smile on his face.

“Yeah, let’s get outta here.” Aaron suggested and pulled himself to his feet. “Before anyone else is thrown into concrete walls.”

 

 

Alec & Aaron

“C’mon, if you don’t hurry the f*ck up, we’re gonna be late.” Alec called upstairs as he waited by the door in his pads, helmet and shoulder pads in hand.

“I’m coming,” Aaron exclaimed and stomping was heard as the boy trudged down the wooden staircase.

“Finally,” Alec mumbled and closed the door behind him after letting his brother out in front of him. The twins hooked their shoulder pads on the handlebars of their bikes and pushed off. Alec adjusted his helmet as it repeatedly knocked into his hands while riding.

“Who are we playing? I forget.” Aaron asked while they turned onto Palahu Bend. Alec thought for a second.

“Either Berson or Marlow. Maybe even Saint John.” Alec said and the twins rounded the bend, edging closer and closer to the mountain.

“Ok.” Aaron mumbled. Alec rolled his eyes. His brother was getting nervous.

“Aaron, stop worrying. You almost six foot and weigh more than two hundred pounds. You’ll be fine.” Alec said, wishing that he could take back his words.  He was being too harsh. Alec knew his brother got anxious. Aaron was just a nervous person, very different from his physical appearance.

“Fine.” Aaron growled as they turned into town and sped to the football fields, where only a few hours ago they had almost been killed. The parking lot was packed with full cars and other players rushing across the pavement with their gear. Alec swerved between two cars and pulled up beside the locker room. Aaron got off beside him and pulled out his bike lock, something the twins had  brought to games after Alec’s bike was stolen by some teens when he was in sixth grade. Alec finished locking his bike up and snatched his gear off his bike, swinging the door open and walking into the small sweaty room. It wasn’t much. In fact, it barely was anything at all. Mold coated the broken water fountains and spiderwebs coated the ceiling. The lockers were rusty, the floor full of dirt, and the air was lukewarm. 

“Hey, twins.” a voice mumbled. Alec turned and saw Zeke Pilot, one of the couple black kids on the team. Alec and Aaron gave him a fistbump then began to put on their gear while listening to the teams conversations. There was mostly talk of the other team, girls, and baseball teams. But Alec didn’t but in, only making a few amusing comments that the team laughed at. More boys rolled in until Kenny, Danny, and Amos arrived and walked over to Alec.

“Are we ready, ladies?” Alec cracked with a smile and pulled his shoulder pads over his head. They all smiled, along with a couple of other boys who had overheard.

“More like little b*tches.” someone called from behind Danny. Only this person didn’t sound entertained. They sounded angry. Alec took a step to the side and peered past Danny’s lean frame. Micheal was standing near the in front of the door, helmet hanging loosely in his hand. Alec heard his group sigh. The locker room fell silent with tension as they watched in utter stillness.

The skin beneath Mike’s eye was purple and his lip was swollen with scabbing cuts. His hair was in a ruffled mess and his posture was sagging. Silence. Danny stared back, his green eyes not tearing away. Alec felt some sort of nervousness boil in his stomach. He had known Danny for nearly all his life, and never had Alec seen his friend like this. A cold, emotionless anger was plastered all over his face and his fists were clenched. Danny’s jaw was tight and his feet were set as if he were ready to fight.

“C’mon guys, we don’t need this right now. Let’s just focus on the game. Settle this after.” Aaron said, his voice cautious.

“No. You guys deserve to see how badly I can beat I can beat this mother f*ckers ass.” Michael growled, and took a daunting step forwards. Alec shuffled closer behind his brother as Danny smiled.

“Try me. You can’t take a punch for your life.” he snapped with a bitter glare. And that was what set Micheal off. He lashed forwards and swung his helmet over his head, trying to strike Danny with the gear. Micheal missed as Danny spiraled out of the way and hooked Mike under the jaw with his right hand, a clean hit to the face. Shouting erupted as Micheal began to fall backwards, his eyes dropping to the back of his head while a couple of teammates tried to catch him. Alec rushed forwards and draped an arm across Danny’s lean chest as dragged him outside, shouldering the door open and tossing him outside. Alec felt Aaron on his heels with Amos and Kenny stumbling behind. A few more boys jogged out, all of them stunned and grinning with disbelief.

“Sh*t, Danny. Now what are we gonna do.” Amos groaned as he hung his hands onto the collar of his shoulderpads. 

“Yeah, Dannyboy. It looked like you really knocked the sh*t outta him.” Zeke said and looked around. The group stood in almost complete silence while excitement and energy rushed around them through eager crowds and anxious players. Alec and Kenny made eye contact, both of them unsure of what to do.

“Whatever,” Danny mumbled and wiped his eye. “He threw first punch. I was defending myself. That *sshole can go take a walk.” he growled and stalked to the fields. Alec’s eyebrows furrowed as he watched his friend pace away. Aaron shifted on his big feet and took a step forward.

“You guys go check on Mike. I’m gonna see what’s wrong with him, he isn’t acting right.” Aaron breathed and walked away. Alec narrowed his eyes and watched his brother walk away. Aaron had the look in his eyes. The same look he got when he became too nervous and would become twitchy and tired

“It’s fine. Aaron will handle it, let’s go see what’s going on in there.” Kenny said and walked back to the locker room. Amos, Zeke, and a couple other guys followed him back in, but Alec hesitated.

Aaron knew what was wrong, and Alec knew that for a fact. Alec knew everything about his brother; when he was hiding something, when he was nervous, he even knew the second Aaron caught feelings for a girl.

Another thing about the twins- they told each other everything. Alec couldn’t remember a day where he hadn’t told Aaron something that he were hiding. And there was a reason for that. Alec knew that there was no stronger bond between anyone, not a man and wife, not a boy and his dog, not even a daughter and her mother, that was stronger than the connection that twin siblings  had. Absolutely nothing could break that bond. As a twin myself, I can confirm that fact.

Alec’s expression became serious and solemn as he thought further about the fact that Aaron wasn’t telling him something. He needed to know. And he was going to pry it out of his brother at the moment he wanted to.

* * * * 

Aaron took a shuddering breath and jogged a little faster until he was only a few feet away from Danny, who was still stalking towards the bench. His body language was rigid and almost dangerous. And Aaron knew why. Ever since the one time he was knocked out, the one time where he saw everyone's fears, he was able to see everything in his dreams. Everything. He knew why Danny was cold and emotionless and why Jenny had caused the whole upset because of her feelings, which she confessed to Georgina. He also knew about Georgina’s feelings towards both him and his brother. But Aaron wasn’t going to start anything with her. Sure, he might have started to gain interest in her, but he would never do that to Alec. His brother didn’t confess it, but Aaron had a feeling that Alec was crushing on her. Aside from that whole situation, Aaron witnessed the entire… “thing” that happened to Danny. He was forced to watch as his friend was beaten to numbness, convinced that the world would be a better place without him, and had any sort of emotion drained out of him. Just from watching it Aaron was traumatized. He couldn’t imagine what Danny was going through

“Yo,” Aaron called and grabbed his friends shoulder pad, “hold up. I wanna talk.”

“Well, I don’t.” Danny snapped and tugged his shoulder away. But Aaron didn’t give up.

“Too bad, because your going to.” he order and snatched his friend’s shoulder pads, spinning Danny so that he was facing Aaron.

“What do you want?” he growled as his ocean-green eyes locked with Aaron’s.

“What the f*ck is going on with you,” Aaron asked, trying to be as dry yet showing that he still cared. Danny stared in a wearisome matter.

“Nothing,” he said and took a step backwards. Aaron raised his eyebrow.

“Don’t lie to me.”

“I’m not lying.”

“Yes you are.”

“And how do you know?” Danny vented. Aaron hesitated and looked at his surroundings. Everything suddenly seemed so loud, so bright, so distracting. This wasn’t the place to say it. Right? No, Aaron had to tell him now.

“Because I saw it,” he mumbled and let out a heavy breath. Danny’s entire face dropped and the blood rushed out of his bruised face.

“W-What?” he stuttered as his gaze became unfocused. Aaron grimaced.

“Danny, I saw it. I saw what happened.” he explained gently.

“How? W-Were you there?” Danny wheezed and ran his hands through his dark hair.

“No. It was in a dream.” Aaron said.

“Aaron, what the actual f*ck!” he nearly cried as obvious hysteria began to overcome him. Aaron grabbed his friend by the shoulders gave him an abrupt shake.

“Calm down. I already knew. I’ve been seeing all of this stupid sh*t after I got knocked out in that one game. I know that Georgina and Jen hung out last night, and that Jenny also had a dream about you.” Aaron cautioned. Danny’s eyes went wide.

“Oh no,” he stressed and interlocked his fingers above his head. “What are we gonna do?” gushed Danny.

“Just calm down. Your fine. The only people that know are me and Jen. We aren’t gonna tell anyone if you don’t want us to, you know what’s best for you and your family.” Aaron reasoned in a somewhat soothing voice. Danny slammed his hands down into his legs and glanced up with a disheartened look on his face.

“It’s not that. I don’t give a f*ck about me anymore. What am I gonna do about Jenny? Is she guilty?” Danny asked.

“Very,” Aaron answered and raised his eyebrows.

“Is she okay?”

“Yeah, she’s fine. Her and Georg went to the mall.”

“Did she tell Georgina?”

“Yes, but she didn’t specify who it was.”

“Ok.” Danny breathed and looked around. A memory from the nightmare suddenly flashed in front of Aaron’s very eyes.

“She stopped at your house,” he exclaimed. Danny almost lit up. Almost.

“Really!” he said, and his face fell abruptly.

“What?” Aaron asked.

“What time?”

“I don’t know. Maybe around seven?”

“Seven?”

“Yeah, why?”

“I think I was up,” Danny mumbled as his eyebrows furrowed. 

“Yeah…” Aaron began and he remembered what happened next. 

“What?”

“Your dad answered the door.”

“Sh*t.”

“Nah, he really didn’t say much. It was your brother, Richie.” Aaron trailed off.

“What?” Danny croaked.

“Well your dad told them that you weren’t home or something like that. But then Richie came out with the trash so Jen asked Richie were you were.”

“And?”

“He basically told her to f*ck off and that she really hurt you…” Aaron drawled and played with his fingers. Danny stared blankly at him

“What-” they were interrupted by a sudden shout from the fields.

“Hernandez! Garcia! Let’s go! Get the boys and start warming up!” Coach barked as they turned to look behind them. Aaron took the chance to get away and jogged to the locker room as Danny limped to the fields, where a couple teammates were already waiting. He pushed open the door just as Kenny was pulling it open and walking into the early summer air.

“Hey, how’s Mike?” Aaron asked and backed away from the entrance. The team filed out in a bustling line.

“Fine. I just hope he learned hislesson.” Kenny cautioned. Amos walked up beside them

“Yeah. If that happens again, Mike is gonna end up in a godd*mn coma.” Amos cackled.

“Hey, are Jen and Georgina coming?” Alec interrupted. Aaron grinned at him.

“Why? Want to impress someone?” he joked. Alec and Amos glared at Aaron.

“I really hope your not talking about Jen.” threatened Amos and the group picked up the pace.

“Take a chill pill. He was talking about Georg.” Kenny intervened and grasped a football off of the ground. He positioned his fingers along the laces of the ball and proceeded through a throwing motion.

“C’mon, let’s just go. We’re starting again anyways.” Alec mumbled and strapped his football gloves on. Aaron noticed and snatched tape off the bench then began to wrap his fingers. He was just beginning to jog onto the field when he spotted Georgina and Jenny wheeling into the parking lot.

* * * * 

Alec wiped the ropes of sweat from his forehead and threw a leg over his bike while waiting for Aaron to catch up to him. His brother was still talking with Danny, as he had been nearly the whole game. Alec rolled his eyes and rolled towards Jenny and Georgina who had both emerged from the woods and into the busy parking lot.

“Hey, Alec.” Georgina called and bounded towards him. Alec had to admit, he did blush a little. Her light blue eyes seemed to be dancing, her blond hair bouncing as she ran with Jenny shuffling behind her. 

“Greetings, ladies. How has your evening been?” he asked in an english accent.

“Quite swell, lad.” Georgina responded with a smirk. Alec grinned and looked past her, and his brown eyes landed on Jenny’s deep blue ones.

“What’s up,” he asked, abandoning the comedic tone and trying a sympathetic one.

“I really don’t know anymore.” Jenny croaked. Alec gave her an easy smile.

“Neither do I.” he responded and turned when he felt a presence behind him. 

“Hey,” Aaron breathed and gave a slight nod of his head.

“Where’s Danny?” Jenny asked, barely acknowledging anyone else’s presence. Alec and Aaron turned to each other almost immediately.

“He’s coming with Amos and Kenny. Before the game, him and Mike got into another fight.” Alec mentioned with slight hesitation

“Sh*t. About what?” Georgina asked, stepping in front of Jenny who was quieter than usual.

“I don’t even know. Mike started trash talking so Danny said something back.”
“And?”

“Mike tried hitting him with a helmet. Missed though. Danny got him square in the jaw.” Aaron answered. Georgina chuckled just as Amos strolled around the corner with Kenny and Danny in tow. 

“What’s up,” Kenny huffed, maintaining his calming aura as he always did in tense situations. He didn’t show a single sign of unease or disturbance, the kids face seemed to be made of stone.

“Nothing,” Georgina replied as she yawned nervously. Alec stayed silent, fearing that if he said something that he would screw everything up. He took a step back to study both Danny and Amos. 

Amos seemed to be almost annoyed as he stood there, arms crossed while loudly chewing on a fresh piece of gum. Meanwhile, Danny’s eyes were wide and his fists were clenched around his helmet. For the first time that day, Danny had some sort of emotion in his eyes. An anxious, nearly petrified, expression had overcome his face and replaced the stony glare that he had been wearing. 

“Oh, sh*t.” Alec wheezed to himself, drawing a glower from Aaron. Thankfully, no one else had noticed. The twins made eye contact again, and Aaron’s eyes shot towards the parking lot as his eyebrows raised. Now was the time to get out.

“Hey, me and Aaron are gonna go now. I’ll call you guys later, maybe we can go to the diner tomorrow or something.” Alec called and pushed off his bike. Aaron gave a small nod.

“See ya later,” he said and followed his brother out of the parking lot. Alec pressured his breaks until Aaron had caught up to him.

“Thank god I got you outta there,” Aaron joked and turned towards Alec. Alec rolled his eyes and itched his nose with his middle finger. Although he had to agree, if he would have stayed, he definetly would have said something stupid.

Danny

“Can I, um, talk to Danny for a second? Alone?” Jenny uttered, as if the words were weighing on her. Danny gulped and nodded, then peered around him at everyone's faces. Georgina was watching them intently while biting her bottom lip while Kenny was turned away from the scene like he wanted to be invisible.

“Yeah, go ahead. We’ll wait by the bikes.” Amos insisted firmly, and began walking in the opposite direction. Danny watched as Kenny gave him a hopeful raise of his eyebrows, and Georgina squeeze Jenny’s shoulders. They were alone, aside from the bustling action of adults and children trying to get to their cars. 

Danny swallowed again and lowered his head submissively, scratching the back of his head while trying to avoid embarrassment and awkwardness. 

“I, um-” he began, but was cut off.

“I’m sorry. That was my fault.” she admitted and took a deep breath. Danny gazed at her. Jenny’s face was also red, her eyes pleading and sorrowful.

“It’s fine. I probably shouldn’t have kept fighting with you. Or hit Mike. I was just really confused, I guess. And mad.” he said, and tried a weak smile.

“It’s not your fault. I know that you didn’t say that. I guess I was also confused. With all this stuff that’s going on, I guess I just decided to take it out on you.” she confessed and her shoulders slumped.

“It’s okay. I’m not mad or anything.”

“I know, I just want you to know that it wasn’t your fault. I caused all this for no reason.”

“You’re fine, don’t worry about it. You apologized, and I do too.”

“For what?”

“I don’t know, I just feel like I have to say sorry.” Danny confessed, and rocked a little closer so that they weren’t an awkward distance apart.

“Don’t. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Okay. Sorry about my brother and everything. He was just mad, I guess.” he said and looked up at her for a second time. 

“It’s fine. I’m used to it, with Amos and everything.” She was grinning, and man was she beautiful. Danny felt himself blushing, and peered down at his shoes.

“I, um, also had a dream last night.” Jenny continued, her voice shaking the slightest bit. Danny frowned and felt all the air in him leave.

“Yeah. I know, Aaron told me.” he mumbled. She didn’t even question the fact that Aaron knew.

“Are you okay” Jenny asked, and inched forwards so that it was barely noticeable. Danny nodded quickly, praying that he could change the subject.

“Yeah. I’m better now. Are you okay, though?” he questioned and made eye contact with her. Jenny knew that he was lying. Danny Garcia was not okay. Not at all. He wasn’t himself. This was the first time this morning that he was showing any sort of emotion. Except for Aaron’s little chat. It was almost as if he had gone cold inside. No one loved him. What would be the point of staying warm? For more people to hurt him? No. But Danny couldn’t help it. This was the person he was. Affectionate and passionate.

 The iciness in his chest melted a little and he gave a reassuring smile.

“Yeah, now I am.” Jenny answered. Danny nodded.

“Well that’s good.” he said.

“So we’re okay now?” she asked and grit her teeth.

“Yeah, of course. Wanna go back over there?” Danny suggested, and nudged her with his elbow. He considered that a risky move. Jenny smiled and bumped him with her shoulder.

“Yeah, c’mon. Did I tell you that Gary almost ate a possessed fish last night?” she asked in a suddenly bubbly voice.

“Say that again, but slower.” Danny chuckled, and looked back down at her. Jenny kept walking, a spirited light bouncing in her deep-blue eyes that had disappeared earlier.  She kept talking and rattling on about what had happened the night before. Danny tried to listen, with mild success. He couldn’t get her eyes off her.

“So, are we done with this?” a voice suddenly asked, snapping him out of his daze. Amos stood in front of them, eyes hopping from Jenny to Danny. Danny blushed, knowing that Amos had just seen him staring at Jenny.

“Yup. Wanna go home?” Jenny chirped. She was really happy. And so was Danny.

“Yeah, c’mon. I’m hella tired.” Kenny groaned and massaged his throwing arm.

“Wait with me? I gotta ask coach something.” Amos asked, and back-pedaled towards the fields. Georgina shrugged and looked at Kenny.

“I’ll wait, I don’t care.” she said, and glanced at Jenny with a sly grin.

“You and Danny should go get the bikes. We’ll catch up in a sec.” Georgina suggested, unmistakingly innocent. Danny felt a sudden burst of butterflies erupt in his stomach with no explanation whatsoever.

“We can just wait, I mean-” Jenny began.

“I can get all of them. You guys can wait,” Danny offered. Jenny sighed.

“Fine, if you go then I’ll go.” she agreed and began walking to the bike racks, hidden behind the dirty bleachers of the pee-wee field. Danny shrugged at Kenny then turned to chase after her after placing his helmet down on the cracked pavement.

“Wait for me,” he called and jogged closer. 

“Sorry.” she sighed, and turned to look at him.

“Can you promise me something?” Jenny asked. Her face was completely red.

“Yeah, of course. What?” Danny’s asked, feeling a wave of nervousness overcome him. The mood had changed in a blink of an eye.

“That won’t happen again. I know that it was my fault and all, but I just don’t want that to happen again. Y’know.” she pleaded and looked up at him. Danny nodded and smiled at her.

“Of course. I didn’t want that to happen either.” he breathed and bit the inside of his cheek. Jenny grinned at him and took a shaky breath. 

Then, to Danny’s surprise, leaned up on her toes and kissed him on the cheek.

“Thanks,” she bursted and rushed ahead to grab the bike off of the racks, leaving him in a state of confusion yet exhilarating joy. Did that just happen? Did it? Yes, it did. Just now. It was nice, very nice. It almost felt as if his chest exploded into small, fluttering little doves. Now he was completely sure that he liked Jenny. He liked her a lot, dare he say love. What he had just experienced was the most amazing event in his lifetime. Danny would take one of his father's worst beatings for another kiss. That was his first ever, and it wasn’t even on the lips! Imagine what that would be like!

Danny stood there, an immense urge to smile overcoming him.  He resisted, and began walking forwards with the stupidest grin on his face.

“I’ll take those,” he swallowed, and pulled Kenny’s bike out of the bike rack.

“Okay, I’ll get Georgina’s.” Jenny agreed and gulped before tugging the bike backwards. Danny nodded and pulled Kenny’s and Amos’s bikes towards him, and the two began walking back. Jenny was making small talk and Danny was to, but he wasn’t really there. He was still thinking. Did that happen? Did it? Why Danny, of all humans in the male species, Danny? Maybe it was just a friend thing. Right? Wrong, it couldn’t be. It didn’t feel like that, for him at least.

“Thanks,” Amos said, and wheeled his bike out of Danny’s grasp. He nodded and swallowed, feeling his face grow red again.

“Yeah, no problem.” he glanced at Jenny, whose cheeks were flushed. Amos looked away and out of some random burst of confidence, she turned and winked at Danny.

* * * * 

Danny pulled into the driveway, his heart still racing and his mind wandering. In a good way. Adrenaline coursed through his veins and he tossed his bike onto the side of the garage, securing the bike lock and jogging to the house. The porch creaked as he padded up it, his steps becoming more cautious and quiet. Pressing an ear against the door, he listened for his father. Nothing. Danny pulled the door open and poked his head inside. Mason and Liam were standing in the kitchen, pouring stale cereal into a line of dirty bowls.

“Hey, Danny. Did ya’ win?” Liam asked and proceeded to the next bowl.

“Yeah, we won.” Danny replied and tossed his sweaty shoulder pads into the laundry room where all the boys kept their gear.

“Score any touchdowns?” Mikey called and stepped out of the bathroom.

“Yeah. Just one though. Where’s Richie?” asked, barely focusing on his brothers questions.

“In our room. Tell him that dinners ready.” Mason ordered and slid a bowl across the table, into Jackson’s open hands.

“Yeah, sure.” Danny mumbled and stalked into the boys room. Richie was seated in the open window, head leaned back against the frame as he read a book.

“Dude,” Danny began and brushed a hand through his sweaty hair, trying to stay calm.

“What.” Richie snapped and slammed the book closed.

“What the hell were you thinking this morning?” he nearly cried.

“What are you talking about? about?” Richie lied.

“You told Jenny to f*ck off!” Danny exclaimed and threw his hands up.

“She f*cked you up!”
“So what! We’re fine now! There was no reason for that!”

“She’s the reason for last night!”

“You’r delusional! That wasn’t her fault! I never blamed that on her!”

“Oh, it’s all about you, isn’t it?” Richie hissed and whipped his book onto the floor.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Danny cried.

“It’s always about you! You think you’re some night in shining armor for taking the beatings! Not letting us get hit! Sorry, *sshole! You’re not.” Richie hollered. Danny stood there, frozen in utter confusion and shock.

“You think that you’re taking all of it, we’re not affected. You’re wrong-”

“How does that even remotely relate to the topic? You cursed my girl best friend out! Now you’re venting about me trying to protect you guys!”

“Protect us? You think making us listen to dad beat your *ss, is protecting us! Pretty much forcing us to take care of you after a whipping! Really!”

“I-” Danny stopped, feeling all oxygen in his body leave him. He’d never thought of it like that. All this time, he thought that he was protecting them. Danny was only hurting them. Was he really this much of a screw-up? Could he do anything right?

“Yeah,” Richie snarled. “I thought so.”

“I practically raised you,” Danny wheezed, glowering at his brother.

“What do you want? A medal?”

“I don’t want sh*t. I just wish that you would understand that I was trying to-” a sudden gagging noise came from the kitchen, followed by panicked stomps to the bathroom. The brothers turned in unison and ran out of the bedroom, nearly colliding with Jackson and Liam. Danny pushed past them and stormed into the bathroom, where Billy kneeled next to the toilet, heaving and vomiting.

“What’s wrong?” Bobby called from behind the group of boys. Danny ignored him as he skidded next to his little brother, placing a hand on his back and the other on his forehead in order to pull his hair back.

“Someone wet a towel. Cold water.” he ordered, trying to maintain his cool under pressure. The sound of flowing water was heard from behind him and Mason handed him a dripping washcloth. Danny mumbled a thank you before pulling his brothers shirt down and laying the towel across his neck.

“C’mon, let’s get out.” a voice whispered. Probably Liam.

“Wait, Mikey stay in here with me. I need help.” Danny called, not looking up from Billy whose gags were turning into sobs. Shuffling from behind them signaled that the boys had left, leaving Mason standing in the corner of the room.

“Alright, calm down. I need you to calm down. Okay?” Danny soothed and rubbed Billy’s back. The younger boy nodded and took a shuddering breath. 

“Mikey, get clean clothes.” he ordered, and helped Billy lean back onto the bathtub. Mikey shuffled out and into the bedroom, ruffling through the messy drawers for a new pair of clothes.

“Listen, I’m gonna take your clothes off. Okay? Keep your underwear on.” Danny said, his voice soft and slow. Billy nodded and gulped before raising his arms above his head for Danny to take off the shirt. Heat was radiating off of Billy as Danny tossed the shirt near the garbage can, then proceeded to slide his shorts off until his brother was left in his boxers and socks.

“Here. I got the lightest stuff possible.” Mikey called and placed the new pair of clothes on the sink then flipped on the fan, immediately cooling the room. Danny sat across from his brother, panting like a dog. 

“Wanna get in the shower? It’ll cool you down, and you don’t have to stand or anything. I’ll carry you in and you just sit down. Yeah?” he asked and hoisted himself to his feet. Billy nodded and wrapped his arms around Danny’s neck, clinging to his brother before being laid into the bathtub.  Danny twisted the knob so that a cool gentle stream of water fell onto his brother. The two fell backwards with heavy sighs and looked at each other, exhausted.

“Why’d I throw up?” Billy asked as water dripped down his face. Danny looked at him.

“What’d you eat today?” he asked.

“Chicken nuggets, carrots, and crackers. Also some gum that Aiden gave me.”

“Did any of that make you feel sick?”

“No.”

“Maybe you just had a little bug.”

“Won’t you get it? Since you’re near me?”
“Nah, I’m older. Once you get older, you get strong enough to fight off those things.” 

“Oh.” Billy mumbled and squinted up at the showerhead. Danny groaned and pulled himself up, reaching for the handle of the toilet in order to flush it. But then he saw the vomit inside. It was black. Danny felt his stomach drop, his face grow pale.

“Billy, I-I need to go to the store. I’m gonna pick up some advil or something. Mikey, watch him. Take him out in a few minutes, dry him off, dress him, then put him in bed. No food or water until I get back. Make sure he brushes his teeth and keep everyone away. Clean out the garbage can and stay with him in the room. Open the windows, wash his clothes, and make sure everyone eats. Especially Bobby, he’s been looking kinda pale. Good?” he ordered. Mikey nodded and seated himself on top of the sink, peering at Billy with a hint of disgust. Danny ducked his head and walked out of the bathroom and into the kitchen.

“Where the hell are you going?” Richie demanded, followed by the chomping of cereal.

“The store.” Danny growled and snatched a sweatshirt from the coat rack.

“Why?”

“To get Tylenol or something.” he answered and grabbed a five dollar bill off of the counter, then rushed out the door and into the dimming sunlight. The sunset was beginning to fade as Danny jumped onto his bike and sped down the road, wind blowing through his face and weaving through his hair. The black hood was pulled off his head due to the breeze and the skin on his face began to turn red. Danny pedaled and pedaled until he reached the center of town, where most of the activity took place. Some kids were waiting outside of Mr. Softee, their childish shrieks ringing in the sky. A group of elderly men walked into Jenkins Diner, followed by a small family of five. Across the street sat a gang of lanky teens passed a cigarette back and forth, followed by a half-empty bottle of cheap alcohol.

“Hey, Dannyboy!” one of them called, a sophomore that Danny had worked with at Merrill’s before the kid quit. Danny gave him a small nod and kept pedaling until he skidded to a stop beside a Rite-Aid, tossing his bike in a dark alleyway before jogging into the store. He pulled his hood up and shoved his hands in his pockets, then briskly walking in. The doors squeaked open and Danny put his head down while jumping into an aisle. His steps were quiet while he stalked through the store and towards the pharmacy. A man in a white lab coat sat within aisles and aisles of medicine. He seemed to be intrigued in some sort of large book, barely noticing that the boy was there. Danny took advantage of it and slipped into another lane, hidden behind a small freezer that held butter and cookies.

“Ok,” he muttered and snatched a red box from the top shelf, labeled Tylenol. The price tag read $7.99. He didn’t bring enough money. Of course not. Danny gulped and shoved the box into his pocket, then shuffled back out of the aisle.

“Hey, anything I can help you with?” a voice asked. Danny froze and turned.

“No-” he froze. The man behind the desk was Gary. His brow furrowed.

“You look familiar.” he said and stood up from his chair.

“Yeah, I get that a lot. Don’t know why.” he said, and started to walk away.

“Hey, wait! What’s in your pocket!” Gary exclaimed and hopped over the counter. That was when Danny ran. He dodged freezers, racks, and shelves, skidding to a stop before sprinting out the door. What was he thinking? Gary had seen his face! There was no way he could get away with this! Danny hesitated for a moment, but that was all it took. The older man shoved him to the ground, snatching him by the hood and dragging him back inside. The money that he had grabbed before he left was spilling out of his pocket, clattering on the concrete. He wildly lunged for them before getting yanked backwards and thrown inside. Danny clenched his stomach before being thrown into a freezer which held frozen hotdogs and hamburgers. He was just able to curl up as a foot came flying at him, jabbing him in the ribs and opening a wound from the night before. Then another kick and a punch. As if that was going to do anything.

“Where did you think you were going!” Gary snarled and viciously grabbed for Danny’s pocket. “What are you stealing, huh? Cigarettes? Booze? Candy? Tell me!”

“Fine! Here, I’m sorry!” Danny cried and tossed the box of Tylenol a few feet away from him. The man chased after it, kneeling down to grab it before it could go under the freezer. A confused expression crossed his face.

“Tylenol?” he looked up, and a flash of recognition passed his face.

“Yeah.” Danny mumbled.

“You look familiar.” Gary said. Danny didn’t reply.

“Wait, you’re Jenny’s friend! And Amos’s!” he realized, and pointed at the teen.

“Yes, can you please not tell them? Listen, I’m sorry. I just needed it and didn’t have any money.” he reasoned.

“You should have said so, kid. Why?”

“My brother’s sick.” Danny explained, pushing himself further up against the freezer. Gary stared at him and sighed.

“What does he have?”

“Don’t know. He was fine, then just threw up.” 

“Ugh. Just take it.” Gary breathed, then sat up and walked over to a nearby shelf, grabbing a green box off of it.

“And this. It’s tea. Give it to him later. Don’t feed him anything. If you do, something small and bland, like bread or broth. Got it?”

“Yes, sir. Thank you.”  Danny gulped and shuffled to his feet, graciously accepting the gifts.

“My pleasure.”

“I’m sorry, though. I just got scared.” he said. Gary waved him off.

“I get it. Just ask for help next time. You can’t do everything by yourself.” the man said, and led Danny out the door. He shuffled out and into the alleyway, grabbing the money he dropped and shoving it into his pockets and snatching his bike. Face red with embarrassment, he jumped on and sped out into the dim streets. The roads were clear of adults and elders, now they were filled with teens and children. The fading sunset was the only source of light for Danny as he jumped a curb, leaning out of town and into the neighborhoods. He passed houses and houses, recognizing a few of them as he rode by. Then he saw Jenny’s, and felt himself push on the breaks. Should he stop? Keep going? Danny took a deep breath and stepped off his bike, letting it fall to the floor as he ran up the lawn and to the window. Grass crunched under his feet as he peeked through the window and found himself inches away from Jenny who was filling a glass of water in the sink. The window was the only thing in the way of them. She looked up to the sudden movement, and the glass dropped in the sink where it shattered on impact. Jenny stumbled backwards, snatching the nearest object closest to her, which happened to be a frying pan. Danny smiled and stood on his toes, then waved. She breathed out and put a hand on her forehead, a smile reaching her lips. Jenny grinned at him and ran to the front door, and Danny followed. She opened the door and he jogged up the steps, smirking at her.

“What the hell were you thinking?” she cried, still grinning. Danny shrugged.

“I don’t know! I went to the store and thought I’d surprise you.” he answered. A person suddenly appeared behind Jenny. Amos stood in the hallway, shirtless with a pair of grey cuffed pants loosely fitted around his waist. His toe was sticking out of his mismatching socks and his hair was a ruffled mess.

“What’s up.” he called, then took a double take. “Wait, why are you at my door?”

“Don’t know. Just thought I’d surprise you.” Danny said and looked at Jenny.

“Well, it worked. I shattered a cup in the sink. Wanna come in?” she asked and stepped aside. He shook his head.

“No, thanks though. I have to get home. Sorry about the cup, by the way. Want me to help?”

“Nah, it’s fine. I got it.” Amos blurted from the kitchen. Danny shrugged and stepped down the stairs.

“Alright. See you guys tomorrow,” he called and gave Jenny one last grin before jogging to his bike. 

“Don’t get eaten,” Jenny exclaimed, then waved goodbye. Danny smiled and blew a fake kiss, then sped off. Risky.

* * * * 

Gravel crunched under Danny’s tires as he pulled into the driveway, locking his bike up with shaking fingers. His father's car was in the driveway. He was home. The monster. Danny took a quivering breath and made his way to the door. The TV, as usual, was blaring. The light shone through the window and onto his tan face as he rested a hand on the doorknob. With another deep breath, Danny pushed it open and shuffled inside. Mr. Garcia was half-asleep on the couch, an open beer gripped loosely in his hand. Floorboards creaked under Danny’s weight as he cautiously made is way to the bedroom, where all of his brothers had retreated due to their father’s presence.

“Hey!” a voice shouted. Danny froze, lightly tossing the box and money into the slightly open doorway. A hand from in the room grabbed it, and Mikey’s eye appeared in the doorway.

“Get over here!” his father snarled. Danny gulped and straggled to the couch, standing straighter and freezing his gaze. No eye contact. No slouching. No speaking unless spoken to. No movements unless given permission. No showing any signs of pain. No crying. No facial expressions. A boot connected with Danny’s knee, nearly causing him to stumble onto the coffee table, littered with empty bottles and cans along with full ashtrays. As he fell, his father delivered a slap across the face. Danny grit his teeth and maintained his emotionless gaze.

“Beer, cigarette, lighter. Now or else.” Mr. Garcia ordered. Danny nodded and rushed to the kitchen, breaking his stare and glancing into the bedroom while grabbing a cold beer out of the refrigerator. Whispers were heard from the bedroom, probably Mikey and Billy. Were they okay? Did the medicine taste bad? Was Billy getting sick again? He snatched a cigarette out of the draw and rushed over his father, handing the beverage to his father. Mr. Garcia snatched the cigarette out of his hand, then froze. Danny felt himself tighten up and shiver.

“Where’s the lighter?” he growled. Danny’s stomach dropped. The lighter. You can’t smoke a cigarette without a lighter. He didn’t have time to comprehend the rest before his father's hand flashed towards him, smashing into his jaw. The man's body unfolded and he stood above his son, concealed in a drunken rage. Danny stared up at all six feet and five inches of his father, terrified yet rigid. A fist flew at his throat, forcing him across the table where he landed on drained bottles of beer. They shattered upon impact, digging themselves into Danny’s back. He winced and fell backwards, the back of his head colliding with the TV. A warm sensation spread throughout the back of his head, and Danny knew that he cut his head.

“I ask for three simple things,” his father thundered, unraveling his old leather belt. Danny quivered at the sight. He was all too familiar with that belt, hanging from his father's hands like a venomous snake. Perhaps a noose.

“And you can’t even give me that. Stupid little f*gg*t. And your surprised by why no one loves you.” The first lash rained down, and the pain caused every muscle in his body to jump. The first lash was always the worst.