Lost
The trees calmly dance in the breeze. Deers run at the sight of hikers. Amari wiped the sweat from his face.
“Good thing the sun is going down. It’s too hot.”
Amari looked back at his friends, who were struggling to keep up.
“Come on, out-of-shape asses.”
Jada caught up to Amari and slapped him on the back of his head. Amari was unfazed but stared at Jada, confused.
“What was that for?
“This is your idea of fun?”
“Yes?”
“Are you asking me or telling me?”
Amari didn’t know what to say; he liked Jada. He thought exposing her to something he enjoyed would get her to like him.
“Telling you”
“I’m tired, and it’s getting dark. I don’t think it’s safe for us to go any further.”
“It’s fine. The trail is safe, and I’ll protect you.”
Jada scoffs.
She walks away with Amari following behind her. Bianca, Darius, & Hakeem were barely keeping up.
“Slow down, you too; we’re dying here!” Shouted Bianca
“Alright, let’s take a break, then head back to the car.”
“Finally, that’s the best idea you had all day.”
Jada smiled at Amari. She pulled out a bottle of water from her bag and gulped it down. Amari watched her every move.
“Next time, I plan what we do,” said Hakeem
“Yea, this was a shitty idea, Amari.” said Bianca
Bianca rolled her eyes.
“I didn’t invite y’all; I invited Jada. Y’all tagged along. The only people supposed to be here are me, Jada, and Darius. You two could’ve stayed home. Back me up here D.”
Darius is in his own world with his headphones on full blast. He nods at Amari even though he has no idea what he said. Amari walks over and takes them off.
“What?”
“Never mind, we are heading back.”
“Already? I thought we were going to see the lake.”
“Everyone isn’t having a good time, so we’re not going to make it. Plus y’all walk too slow, and the sun is going down; they are scared.”
Jada knew what he meant by that.
“We are not scared; we are cautious. Now let’s go.”
“Fine.”
Darius shakes his head and puts back on his headphones. Zoning out the rest of the world as usual.
The sun goes down, and Amari notices Jada is a bit nervous. She is walking with her arms crossed. She keeps looking around. He reaches out for her hand. They both stop walking.
“What?”
“Wanna hold hands for safety, of course?”
“Righhttt for safety,” she says sarcastically
Jada takes Amari's hand, and they keep walking. Bianca, Darius, and Hakeem follow. The walk felt like hours, the sun went down, and the woods became dark and silent. The trees didn’t dance in the wind.
“Amari?”
“Yea?”
“I hate to admit this, but I am terrified right now.”
Jada squeezed Amari's hand tighter. Amari’s body felt electrified.
“As I said, I’ll protect you.”
He rubbed his thumb against Jada’s hand to reassure her that she was safe.
Bianca walked past them both towards the giant sign that stated no cars past this point.
“Great, the car should be right here.”
Bianca stood in shock. Amari and Jada walked over to Bianca.
“What’s the matter?”
“What the fuck do you mean, what’s the matter? The car is gone!”
“Gone?” Said, Hakeem
“Yea, gone look!”
Amari and Hakeem search for the car.
Bianca's face turned red, and her eyebrows touched.
“I should have stayed my ass home in my cozy bed on a fucking Saturday, but nooooo I had to listen to Jada and tag along because she didn’t want to be alone with Amari’s thirsty ass!”
Jada froze in place.
Amari heard Bianca’s rambling and walked over to Jada.
“Thirsty?”
Jada just stood there with a guilty look on her face.
“I didn’t mean to say that,” said Bianca
“You said exactly what needed to be said.”
Amari couldn’t believe Jada, as if he needed Jada.
“You know what… whatever. I don’t need this. I’ll ask Aaliyah out tomorrow. Let’s just find the car.”
“Aaliyah?”
“Why do you care? I’m thirsty, remember? You didn’t want to hang out with me, so don’t worry about it.”
Jada crossed in arms and pouted.
Hakeem was still searching for the car.
Bianca walked over to Darius and ripped his headphones off.
“Hello, earth to Darius!”
“What?”
“The car is missing. Go help look for it.”
Darius didn’t move from his spot; he just looked around.
“I don’t see it.”
“Duh idiot, you actually have to move and look for it.”
“Why? It’s obvious somebody stole it. We parked it right here.”
“Stole it?”
“Where else would it go?”
Bianca rolled her eyes. Darius started to walk the opposite way.
“Where are you going?”
“To pee, relax”
Bianca watched Darius walk off, but he vanished before her eyes.
“What the-“
Bianca ran over to see if she could see him.
“Darius?”
She looked all around but couldn’t find him.
Poem: Our Love
It burns in my chest
It calls to me at night
Sending me down a rabbit hole
Of memories
The first kiss, the first hug
The laughs we shared
The conversations we had
It calls to me
Whispering your voice in my ear
Like a beacon shining bright
I seek it through the stormiest nights
When my mind is full of darkness & sadness
It shows me that all I need
Is you
You nurse my problems
With your toxic nourishment
I long for you when my days are overwhelming
The comfort you give
Like it’s okay to want to quit
Is addicting and safe
I miss all of it
Sadly you’ve become my life
And I’m supposed to get over you?
Just let you leave because we don’t fit?
Art is Life
4:34 pm in the bustling city of New York, the sun was setting. The chill breeze blew through an open window of a messy apartment. Paint splattered everywhere; half-painted canvases and cups of watery paint are everywhere. Elijah was putting the finishing touches on his new creation. He dabbed a bit of black there and a bit of brown there. He stood back in amazement.
“Yes, she’s beautiful!”
His perception of the perfect woman. She was painted curvy but unproportional. Her skin like caramel and hair like an oak tree.
“Only if you were real.”
Countless times Elijah has been told that he cannot live in fantasy. His paintings were an escape for him. When he painted places and people, he felt like they were real. He wanted to interact with them.
Nightfall came, and the city lights came on. Elijah could hear all the cars and party people from the shower. He heard a noise that sounded closer and exited the shower in curiosity.
“Somebody there?”
Of course, no one answered. He wrapped the towel around his waist. He checked his art room, and to his surprise, his painting was gone. The canvas was there, but the outline of the woman he drew was gone.
“What the.. where… how?”
Elijah scratched his head. He didn’t know if he was having another episode or dreaming. He decided maybe he should take his pills; after all, it was supposed to help him. Dr. Jordan prescribed them after he had that episode on the train a year ago.
“Where are my pills?”
He decided to check the bedroom. In his bedroom, he saw a figure lying in his bed.
He quickly ran to turn on the light. He couldn’t believe his eyes; his painting was on his bed.
“Hi,” she said
Elijah stood frozen in shock.
“Aren’t you going to say hi? That’s very rude.”
Elijah quickly ran into the bathroom. He searched the cabinet for his pills.
“Where are these damn pills! I just had them.”
Elijah’s heart was beating out of his chest. Panic overwhelmed him; he began to breathe heavily.
“What are you looking for?”
Elijah jumped in surprise.
“No, you aren’t real!”
“I’m very real; you made me real.”
She walked over to him, and he avoided her every move to touch him.
“I need a name, you know, you haven’t named me.”
“Leave me alone.”
Elijah exited the bathroom and checked the kitchen.
“Okay, I think I had them after I made a sandwich earlier.”
“What about Jasmine or Rina?”
“Those are my ex-girlfriend's names.”
“What about Tasha? Oooh, I like Bella?”
“Found them!”
They were hidden in a drawer that he wasn’t sure how they got in.
Elijah opened the pill bottle and poured the tiny pills into his hand. He poured the majority back and held two. He dropped them into his mouth without hesitation and swallowed them without water. He closed his eyes.
“At least name me…”
The voice faded.
He opened his eyes and looked around the room.
“She’s gone”
Elijah checked the art room and saw her still on the canvas.
“Yup… I’m officially a person with no sanity. Completely crazy. Well I guess I should name you.”
Elijah picked up his paintbrush and wrote in the bottom right-hand corner ‘Willow.’
“That suits you.”
Elijah put the paint brush down and walked away.
“I love it,” a voice said faintly
Elijah froze in place. He turned around to look at the painting, and she hadn’t moved.
“I need to call Dr. Jordan.”
The Creepy Quinn’s: Part 2
Excruciating pain coursed through Matthew’s body. He opened his eyes only to be greeted by Mrs. Quinn, sawing his right arm off. Matthew screamed in pain, but his screams were muffled by an apple wedged in his mouth. He couldn’t believe this was how he would die.
“Don’t worry buddy, you’ll die soon from the blood lost.” said Malcolm
“Let’s just shoot him; it’ll be easier.” said Mr. Quinn
Mrs. Quinn looked at Mr. Quinn in disgust. She finished sawing Matthew’s arm off; Madeleine walked over with her plate. Mrs. Quinn placed the arm on her plate and smiled.
“There you are, my good girl”
Mr. Quinn sighed.
“Excuse him, Matthew; he's become soft over the years.”
Fighting through the unbearable pain, Matthew starts talking, forgetting about the apple wedged in his apple. Mrs. Quinn removes the apple.
“What was that?”
“So you guys are cannibals?”
“Sure. You can say that.”
“All of you are going to hell!”
Matthew fights with his restraints.
“Relax, sweetie.”
“Fuck you fucking bitch”
“Language, Matthew, what a dirty mouth.”
Mrs. Quinn starts to cut off Matthew’s right leg. Matthew screams; Malcolm shoves the apple back in his mouth.
“No need to alert the neighbors.”
“It’s fine. The Chamberlain’s are away on holiday this year. Bring your plate.”
Malcolm brings over his plate, and Mrs. Quinn puts the leg on the plate.
“My boy is growing up so fast.”
The blood squirts out of Matthew’s open wounds. The pain feels endless; tears and sweat pour down his face.
Matthew looks at Malcolm and Madeline eating his body parts, which feels unreal. He couldn’t believe those were his limbs, just off his body, and were being unwrapped and eaten like candy.
The chewing noises coming from them both as they both feasted sent him into a fit of rage.
“Now the head.”
Matthew moved as much of his body as he could. He figured since he was going to die, he wouldn't make it easy.
“Hold still; this is my piece. I like the chewy insides, the brain.”
Mrs. Quinn smiled.
He took one last look into Mrs. Quinn's eyes.
“Rest in peace, Matthew.”
Mrs. Quinn started to saw through Matthew's neck; his body twitched and jolted for a few seconds, then completely stopped. She grabbed his head by the hair and snapped it off, disconnecting his head from the body.
“Alright, that's my piece.”
She looks over at Mr. Quinn. Mr. Quinn sat in the chair, watching his kids feast in disgust. He held the shotgun tightly.
“You can cut your piece since you're the man of the house.”
“This is disgraceful.”
“Well, we’ve been doing it since we met; now you have a change of heart. Did your old age make you soft, honey?”
“I guess I grew a conscience.”
“Too late for that. What's done is done.”
“You’re right, but I can stop it from happening again.”
Mr. Quinn picked up the shotgun and pointed it at Malcolm.
“Harold, don’t you fucking dare!”
“Dad?”
“I’m sorry, son.”
Mr. Quinn shoots Malcolm in the head. Madeleine screams and runs upstairs.
“What are you doing!”
Mr. Quinn aims the shotgun at Mrs. Quinn.
“Harold!”
“You’re a monster.”
“Now wait a—“
Mr. Quinn shoots Mrs. Quinn in the head. He reloads the shotgun. He doesn’t think twice or mourn the death of his wife or his son. He believes he’s doing the right thing, so he tries to convince Madeline to come downstairs.
“Sweetie, it’s okay; daddy won’t hurt you.”
“You shot Malcolm!”
“That’s because Malcolm is a monster, and you aren’t. You’re my baby girl, right?”
Madeline peeked her head out from behind the banister, only to look into the barrel of the shotgun. Mr. Quinn pulls the trigger.
Tears fell from his eyes. He sobbed and screamed for a few minutes.
“God forgive us.”
He sat on the steps and wiped his tears. He puts the shotgun in his mouth and closes his eyes. He pulls the trigger…
Beach Visualization
The air was humid; taking in a deep breath would make anybody choke. The sun was blazing, burning anybody whose skin was exposed. The gritty sand full of tiny seashells set fire to bare skin only to get temporary relief when the waves came crashing in. Every two minutes, the waves would splash the already moist sand. You dig your toes into it, protecting them from the burn they had to feel on their way over. Sweat drips from your forehead and runs down the side of your face. You wipe your face with your forearm and, for some odd reason, look at the sun; as if it wouldn’t burn your eyes. You squint, trying to look at it. Attempting to make eye contact didn’t stop the intense heat from burning the back of your neck. You surrender to the ocean and stick your toes in, it’s cold, but it feels better than your skin burning. Step by step, you walk in, hoping your body gets used to the temperature. Eventually, it does. You feel cool and relaxed as you stand waist-deep in the water. After a few minutes, something tickles your feet, and you retreat to the sand in fear that something in the water will harm you. You head back to your spot marked with your favorite chair and sun-protecting umbrella. You sit back in your chair and watch others play in the water. You watch until your eyes start to get heavy. Your blinks become longer, and eventually, you close your eyes and fall asleep.
Hunter: Part 5
Cain smirked.
Eliza pulled Sam out of the car. She dusted him off and rubbed his head.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m okay.”
Sam pushed her hand off his head.
“I’m a big now.”
Cain laughed.
“Of course, you are, buddy.”
Dean coughed.
“Mmmmm, a little help.”
“Oh right, sorry.”
Cain helped Rose get out of the car, he went to help Blake, but he popped his hand like he was a misbehaving five-year-old. He hopped out of the car using his right arm to support his left; Cain backed off. Dean gently picked up Davina.
“She’s unconscious,” said Cain
“Thanks, I didn’t notice.”
Dean laid her up against a tree, and Rose sat beside her.
“Guys, relax; we need to find Lily and Jack.”
“Rose is right; I’ll search for them; you stay here.”
“Wait a minute, why do I have to stay here?” Cain questioned.
“Because I’m pretty sure you want to keep Eliza and Sam safe.”
“Yea, but—“
“I can protect myself, and I’ve kept Sam safe all this time… without you.”
“Of course, I know that, but…”
Eliza stared into Cain’s eyes, intensely demanding he stop being protective. Dean anxiously stepped in as he was worried about Lily and Jack.
“We’ll both go; I don’t want your girlfriend to beat you up.”
“Very funny! They flew off in that direction.”
Dean started walking; he looked back at Cain.
“Come on”
Cain looked at Eliza.
“It’s fine, go!”
Cain started to walk away slowly, still looking at Eliza. Dean grabbed his shoulder.
“Come on!”
He yanked Cain in front of him.
After about 10 minutes of walking, Dean decided it was time to understand Cain a little bit and see if everything about his relationship was legit.
“Soooo, she’s got you whipped?”
Cain took a minute to answer, then took a deep breath and smiled.
“I don’t think you understand how vampire emotions work.”
“I’m sorry I wasn’t taught to believe vampires had emotions.”
“We have families…”
“And?”
“Anyways, we have feelings; it’s not common for them to be for humans, though. I was born this way, and well… I love her.”
“Jesus Christ”
Dean moved a hanging tree branch.
“What?”
“Love her?”
“That’s what I said”
Dean looks in disbelief. He shakes his head.
“Wow!”
“Don’t believe me?”
“No, I do… it’s just I was taught one way… but… you do have feelings.”
“What’s the matter? feeling guilty for all the vamps you killed, slayer?” Cain mocked.
“No, they were evil… that’s different. I just-“
“I know we are making so much progress in you not hating me, but I smell blood.”
Dean looked around.
“Which way?”
Cain turned left and saw Lily leaning over Jack. He was propped up against a tree. Lily was trying to pull out a sharp object for his torso.
“Lily! You okay?”
“Yea I’m fine. Jack is bleeding like a lot and I-I don’t know what to do.”
Tears formed in Lily’s eyes. The wind blew her hair in front of her face.
“It won’t stop bleeding Dean!”
Dean put his hand on Lily’s shoulder and then pulled her up. She backed up slowly while wiping her tears away. She walked over to Cain, who was standing at a distance.
“Can’t handle the blood?”
“I can… I just prefer to not be tempted.”
Cain scratches the back of his head uncomfortably.
“He’s going to die, right?”
“Unfortunately, yes, I’m sorry.”
Lily just stood there in shock; she understood death but these past few months seemed like that’s all she knew. She recently saw people dying around or in front of her, but it didn’t make it easier. She didn’t know what to say. Cain, who was always empathetic to death, appeared unbothered. Dean sat on the ground next to Jack; he reached into his jacket pocket and handed Jack his flask. Jack took a sip.
“Whiskey, you’re really carrying around whiskey?” Said Jack, and then he laughed.
He coughed up some blood directly after.
“Yea”
“Well, I guess I’m not going to Ravensedge with you.”
“In another life, it’ll be me and you hunting witches.”
“I’ll be there, late and guns blazing as usual.”
Jack took another sip and then handed Dean back the flask.
A few moments of complete silence passed until Jack broke it.
“Alright, no need for a slow death. End it”
Dean spit out the whiskey.
“I’m sorry, what?”
“Finish me off.”
“I can’t.”
Dean’s voice cracked.
“Listen, no… need for that. Okay?”
Jack looked over at Lily and Cain.
“You vampire!”
Cain looked at Jack in frustration. As he had already told them what he was name was.
“Name is not vampire…”
“Sorry… Cain, I need a favor.”
Cain walked over to Jack.
“What is it?”
“Dean won’t do it. Kill me.”
“You want me to…but-“
“Do it! I don’t want a slow death!” Jack demanded.
“Well… okay.”
Dean grabbed the collar of Cain’s shirt.
“Don’t you fucking dare!”
“Dean, he’s dying anyway; he landed on whatever the fuck that is?”
Cain touched the pointy yet broad object that went all the way through Jack’s torso.
Lily turned away.
“Please end it, Cain.”
“I will fucking kill you if you hurt him.”
“You can’t kill me, remember?”
Tears formed in Dean’s eyes.
“Cain!” Yelled Dean
Cain looked at Jack once more and nodded.
Jack closed his eyes and smiled.
Cain gripped Jack’s neck, and Dean grabbed Cain’s arms, trying to pull them off.
“DON’T”
Cain snapped Jack’s neck with ease. The bone-cracking made Lily tremble. Dean's eyes widened, and he balled up both fists.
Before Cain could say anything, Dean started punching him in the face. Unfortunately for Dean, these hits did nothing to Cain, for he was unlike any vampire he had ever faced. Cain grabbed both of Dean’s hands.
“Stop, okay… I know you’re upset, but he was going to die anyway.”
“What happened to your empathy! I thought you cared for humans! Or do you just care about your family!”
“I do care; that's why I did it.”
Lily budded in the argument.
“A few minutes ago, you looked pretty unbothered.” Said, Lily
“Stay out of this”
Lily rolled her eyes.
“Unbothered? Yea, you don’t care. I don’t need you. I can’t hunt on my own.”
Cain let Dean’s hands go.
“Fine”
“Just know when I find a way to kill you, you’re dead.”
Cain walked away.
Lily tried her best to comfort Dean; he stared at Jack’s lifeless body.
“I’m so sorry.”
Dean felt guilty, two of his crew died today, and he did nothing to save them. He felt like a failure; he didn’t get to Cassius, he couldn’t kill Cain, he didn’t save Mack or Jack, and he didn’t stop the werewolves that ran them off the road. He couldn’t help but think his parents would be so disappointed in him.
He came from a long line of legendary hunters so he expected to be the same, but so far he’s done nothing but get people killed.
The Creepy Quinn’s
The sun starts to set on Rose Hills, and the smell of yams and macaroni and cheese fills the air of the Quinn family home.
Madeline is washing the dishes while her mom sets the table. Her father is sweeping the floor.
“We don’t have a main, just a bunch of sides.”
Said, Madeline
“Your brother went out to pick it up.”
Madeline nodded.
“Tell your father to finish sweeping and load the shotgun; Malcolm should be home any minute.”
Madeline walked over to her father, who was still sweeping the hallway. The bags under his eyes looked like small water balloons. He had on his best suit as he did every thanksgiving.
“Dad, mom said to finish and load the shotgun.”
He looked up at Madeline and smiled.
“How about you help your old man and get the shotgun from the garage.”
“Can I load it?”
“Sure, but be careful.”
Madeleine smiled at her father. She was spoiled; being the youngest of four siblings and the only girl; put her at an advantage.
“Hurry, don’t tell your mother.”
Madeleine quickly and sneakily made her way over to the garage. The garage was messy, filled with boxes of her dad’s old college stuff, her and her brother's baby stuff, and her mom's extensive collection of creepy old dolls. They always creeped her out; they just sat there; she swears the eyes followed her.
“Creepy”
The shotgun was placed on a small shelf at the far corner wall with the ammo beside it. She grabbed it and loaded it just like her father had taught her. She rushed back into the hallway to give it to her dad.
“Here you go”
“That’s my girl”
He took Madeline’s hair from the right side of her face and pushed it behind her ear.
Malcolm's voice echoed throughout the house. He was so loud even if he wasn’t inside; it always sounded like he was.
Madeleine’s mom rushed to open the door, frustrated at Madeleine and her husband for not opening the door. She gave them a menacing look.
“There’s my boy!”
“Hey Ma, this is Matthew. He will be joining us for dinner.”
“Perfect!”
Matthew walked into the house with a bright smile on his face.
“Thanks for having me.”
“Of course, Matthew, we lllooovveeee visitors.”
Matthew smiled uncomfortably.
“Ma, stop… you’re being weird again.”
“Well, anyways, everybody in the dining room, it’s time to eat.”
“It smells great!”
Matthew follows Malcolm into the dining room. Malcolm pulls out the chair for him to sit down.
“Thanks”
Matthew looks around the table and sees all the wonderful-smelling food. The macaroni and cheese, the stuffing, collard green, yams, and cranberry sauce; but he didn’t see a chicken or turkey. The Quinn family all took their seats, and Madeleine started praying.
Matthew awkwardly didn’t join the prayer as he wasn’t religious.
“Alright, honey, it’s time.”
Mr. Quinn sighed.
Mrs. Quinn stared uncomfortably at Matthew.
“Excuse me… but where is the turkey? There isn’t any meat on this table.”
Mrs. Quinn laughed.
“Of course there is. I made sure Malcolm brought some home.”
“Where is it?”
Matthew looked at Malcolm.
“It’s you, man”
Matthew laughed uncomfortably.
“No, seriously? Where? Is it in the oven?”
Matthew got up from his chair.
Mrs. Quinn looked at Malcolm as if she was signaling him.
Malcolm walked over to Matthew.
“Buddy, relax, okay, here, have some water. We like to play.”
Matthew nodded and nervously drank the entire glass.
After a few minutes of Malcolm talking to Matthew, Matthew felt dizzy.
“Hey, I don’t feel so good.”
“It’s okay, buddy, just rest.”
Matthew closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
Long Way Home
The sun peeks over the mountain giving life to the day. The radio blasts music, Nina sings her favorite song trying to stay awake for the long 8-hour drive. Tree after tree she sees going by, the road empty; she looks over at the GPS and immediately sighs. She turns off the music.
“Alright! You’re close, can’t miss it. Stay awake!”
She takes a long sip of her lukewarm coffee. Her phone vibrates in the passenger seat. She looks over and sees a text from Alisa, asking for the 100th time is she there yet. Nina rolls her eyes; as soon as she looks up, she sees another car in front of her, driving full speed with the driver screaming.
“No brakes!” He shouts
Nina screams and swerves the car off the road; the car flips, and the airbags eject.
Nina undoes her seatbelt and falls. The car was still intact, but it didn’t look like it could run.
She takes a deep breath in and looks over at the road where she thought she was going to see the car that almost hit her, but the road was clear again. She scratched her head in confusion.
“I know that car wasn’t going that fast.”
Nina plopped down onto the grass and waited for help. The adrenaline must’ve kicked in because she was no longer sleepy.
Thirty minutes passed, and nobody came down the road, so Nina decided to walk to find help. She walked about a mile before she saw a gas station. She rushed over once she saw the cashier.
“Hi, I need some help.”
The man looked at her, seeing her torn shirt and bleeding forehead, and immediately gave his undivided attention.
“What happened, young lady?”
“I was in an accident. A man came out of nowhere, and I swerved to get out of the way.”
“Okay, I’ll get the phone and call the sheriff. Stay right there.”
Nina thanked the man and watched him go to the back room to get the phone. The store was strange. It was like the wallpaper was falling off, and underneath, it looked like flesh. It made her easy; everything felt unsettling. She began to hold herself; she noticed the cashier was taking too long.
“Sir?”
Nobody answered.
“Did you get the phone?”
Still, nobody answered.
Nina didn’t know if she should leave the store until she felt a pair of eyes on her; she was being watched. She noticed a shadowy figure staring at her from across the road.
After a few minutes of uncomfortable staring, she worked up the courage to walk towards it; but as soon as she got close to it, it vanished.
“What the hell was that?”
She turned back toward the gas station, but it had disappeared.
“What is going on here?”
Neighbors: Part 2
The neighbor runs off, screaming frantically down the hall for something to help him. He bangs on every door, asking for help as Daniel casually walks behind him.
“HELP SOMEBODY PLEASE!”
The neighbors all ignore him; they are used to having people yelling in the halls due to the type of people that live there.
“PLEASE, SOMEBODY HELP!”
He pushed through the halfway-open staircase door and began running up the stairs. Conveniently, somebody had a crowbar propping open the door. Daniel picked it up. He started chasing the man smiling menacingly at him. The man struggled to open the staircase door to the second floor due to his fear that was messing with his intelligence. He kept trying to push open the door that had always been a pull. With Daniel just a few steps away, he screamed at the top of his lungs and swung open the door. He ran to the end of the hall, banging on the door, pleading for his girlfriend to help him.
“BLAIR! OPEN THE GODDAMN DOOR!”
Unfortunately for him, Blair couldn’t hear him over the music; he loved the play all day and all night.
“BLAIR!”
Daniel started to drag the crowbar on the ground, slowly walking his way down the dimly lit hall. The lights flicker, and then a couple shut off. The man cowards in the corner, so scared to even scream. He tries to talk to Daniel.
“Listen, man, how much do you want? I’ll give you whatever you want; just relax.”
Daniel laughs.
“What’s your name?”
“It’s… it’s Bryce”
Daniel nodded.
“Okay, soooooo, we’re cool now? Or?”
“Oh, we will be!”
Daniel cocked back the crowbar as if he was about to hit a home run and swung. He kept bashing Bryce’s head until he was covered in blood, and his face was almost unrecognizable. He threw the crowbar down.
“All I wanted was some peace and quiet Bryce”
Daniel wiped his face, and Bryce’s door opened. A woman stood there blank-faced and frozen in place.
“You must be Blair.”
Blair nodded.
“Right. I should be mad at you, but you don’t live here, do you?”
Blair shook her head no.
“Alright, Blair, you can call the police now but just know they’re not coming to this part of town.”
Blair fainted.
“Welp”
Daniel slowly took his time downstairs back to the laundry, where his clothes and the head had stopped.
“Time to dry”
He put his clothes in a big dryer and the head in a small dryer. He watched the man spin around until his eyeballs liquified and blood ran out his nose.
“I was hoping you would explode. How disappointing… cheap machines.”
Morton’s Halloween Visitor
The night was still; the streets of Watford are filled with kids in costumes, ringing doorbells, and receiving candy.
“Trick or treat”
Mostly everyone gave out candy to the kids, except for Morton. A stubborn old man who hated Halloween. He locked his doors every night and left a massive sign on his door written in sharpie that said ‘GO AWAY.’
The kids called him madman Morton because he was like the town’s crazy man who believed in crazy superstitions, especially ones about Halloween.
Morton heard a knock at his door, annoyed he limped over to answer it. He opened the door; he stood a tall slim man with a bald head and long silver beard. His clothes were faded, and his boots were scuffed up and dirty.
“Can’t you read?”
He pointed to the sign.
“I can’t find my mommy.”
He looked at the little girl in the princess costume. She stared at him in sadness, hoping he would help her. She was adorable, too cute, and young to leave all alone.
Morton sighed.
“Okay, let’s go find your mommy.”
The little girl smiled and skipped to the front gate waiting for Morton to catch up.
He noticed the girl had a stain on her dress, and he assumed it was chocolate. He went back inside to grab his coat, but when he walked outside, the little girl was gone.
“Now, where did you run off to?”
Morton looked up and down the street, seeing all the kids passing by but didn’t see anybody that looked like the little girl.
Morton’s neighbors noticed him looking confused and asked if he was okay.
“Mr. Morton, are you alright?”
“Did you see a little girl in a bright pink princess costume?”
His neighbors shook their heads no and proceeded to go inside.
Morton didn’t understand where she could have gone that fast and why she would leave without him.
He decided to go for a walk and see if he would see her safely with her parents.
Morton was uncomfortable walking past everyone in costumes. Halloween was troubling for him; he never liked it as a kid. The whole idea of dressing up like monsters and begging strangers for candy was unsettling for him.
He stopped at the police station to ask if they had found a missing little girl.
Once inside, he asked the deputy about any lost little girls; The deputy said no. Morton felt responsible for the little girl’s safety and continued to ask the other officers.
“She’s about this big, pink princess dress, a stain on the front, brown curly hair, and holding a pink basket full of candy.”
Unfortunately, no lost kids showed up there. The officers looked confused, as if Morton spoke a different language. He didn’t want to cause any more confusion, so he left and headed toward the park. He figured maybe some kids were there that saw her.
After the short walk, he arrived at the park, but no one was there. He sat on the nearby bus bench across the street; next to him sat a woman sobbing. Uncomfortable and hesitant to ask if she was okay, he managed to work up the nerve after a few minutes of hearing her crying.
“Miss, are you alright?”
The woman lifted up her head and wiped her tears.
“Yea…. every year on Halloween…. I just… miss my daughter.”
“Did something happen?”
“Yes..she died”
Morton rubbed his hands on his legs. They started sweating from the awkward conversation.
“I’m sorry.”
“They never did catch the guy”
“Oh…”
“Look, this is her”
She showed him the picture she had been holding.
Morton gasped.
It was the little girl he had seen earlier.
“This is your daughter!”
The woman looked at Morton, confused.
Morton immediately got up from the seat and walked as fast as he could home.
He slammed his door and locked it behind him; he grabbed all the salt from his cabinet and poured it at every door and window.
“I fucking hate Halloween.”
Soon as he was covering the last window in the living room, he heard another knock at his door.
“Go away!”
“I need to find my mommy.”
Morton froze in fear.
“Please help me find my mommy.”
“No!”
She kept knocking on the door, then started banging. Morton grabbed the rock salt-filled shotgun and pointed it at the door.
“Last year was fucking vampires, now ghosts! I’m moving out of this town!”
Movie Night: Part 2
“Vick, what’s wrong?”
Vick couldn’t move or speak as he couldn’t believe his eyes. Bailey’s face filled with panic.
“Vick, what is going on?”
The killer threw his machete, landing right in between Vick’s eyes. Bailey screamed; Vick fell to his knees, and blood dripped down the sides of his face. The killer pulled the machete out; Vick fell face first, and blood spilled on the floor. The killer turned and looked at Bailey; she took off running.
Bailey ran as fast as her legs could towards the backyard door. She pulled the door, but it wouldn’t budge.
“Help!”
She turned around and was face to face with the killer; he shoved his machete into her stomach and yanked it out. She coughed up blood and kneeled over, holding her stomach.
“Help,” she said softly
She slowly walked back to the living room where Vick's body was lying. She eventually ran out of energy as she was bleeding to death and fell to her knees. She tried crawling away, but the killer grabbed her by her ankles. She couldn’t fight anymore and gave in; she decided to deal with the fact that she was going to die. She looked over at Vick one last time, and to her surprise, his body started to fade like magic.
“What the”
The killer gripped his machete with both hands and plunged it deep into Bailey’s chest.
Hours later, Vick’s parents came home and noticed the blood on the floor, and called 911.
The police searched for their bodies but couldn’t find anything. They couldn’t confirm they were dead and decided to mark the incident as two missing teens.
They had no evidence; the police thought it was a mystery. The only thing that seemed normal was the Mayville killer movie that was still in the TV. Bailey’s mom arrived and was hysterical.
“It was the Mayville Killer!” She cried out.
Vick’s parents got irritated and asked the police to remove her from the premises.
“The Mayville killer killed my baby!”
The neighbors ignored her.
One officer asked his rookie partner to return the DVD to the store. The officer explained the situation to the store cashier, and he took it back with no problem. Before he could put the DVD back on the shelf, two teenagers asked to rent it.
“Is that The Mayville Killer? How much is it?”
“It’s 7.95”
He placed it on the counter so they could get a better look.
“We’ll take it.”
“Great, that’ll be 7.95”
The store cashier had an eerie smile as he handed the DVD to the two teens.
“Enjoy!”
Neighbors
The ceiling shook from the bass of the neighbor's speakers. The vibrations kept Daniel awake. He sighed and yanked his body out of bed. He looked around the messy room; paper and napkins were on the floor. The empty Chinese food container sat on the small nightstand, and the many half-drunk water bottles were scattered everywhere. He made direct eye contact with the overflowing bag of dirty clothes.
He shoved his feet until his sneakers and picked up the bag. The bag spilled clothes everywhere, so he thought it best to put it in the shopping cart. He grabbed his keys and the small bag full of quarters and headed down the hall. The laundry room was filthy. People left food and clothes lying around.
Daniel walked over to the two big washing machines and quickly shoved in his clothes. Just as he was putting his quarters in, a man wearing nothing but sweatpants and sneakers walked in. He took his clothes out of the washers and put them into the two big dryers.
Daniel sighed.
He hoped the man wouldn't take a long time to return to take them out because he needed to use them. The smaller dryers didn’t dry anything, and it would cost him more money, which he didn’t have.
The man left in a hurry; Daniel added the detergent and fabric softener, then pulled up a chair and waited.
Thirty minutes pass, Daniel's clothes are about to stop. He walks over to the door to see if he can see the man coming to remove his clothes from the dryer. Unfortunately, the hallway was empty.The lights in the laundry room flicker.
“Crappy ole building can’t even afford good wiring.”
Daniel waits forty-five minutes, but no one is in sight, so he chooses to remove them himself. After all, there is a rule about leaving clothes unattended, written on the signs on the walls. He puts his clothes in and puts them on high heat. As soon as he pushes the button, the man arrives. He walks in and immediately notices his clothes on the nearby table. He balls up his fist.
“Nobody asked you to touch my clothes!”
“I needed to use the machine.”
“You could’ve waited”
“I waited forty-five minutes for you.”
The man walks over to Daniel aggressively.
“Look, I don’t want any problems.”
“Too bad”
The man swings and punches Daniel in the face. Daniel falls back, and his head hits the top dryer. He tried to block the hits, but the man was powerful. He continues to punch Daniel everywhere. After about five minutes, he stops and spits on Daniel.
“Don’t touch my shit again!”
Daniel takes in a bunch of rapid breaths. He stands up, hunched over; his head is pounding. He notices a massive piece of glass sitting on top of one of the washers and grabs it. His teeth clench, and the veins in his face appear as he charges straight at the man holding this glass piece with both hands.
He pushes the glass into the man’s neck from behind. The man falls over, frantically trying to cover the wound; he gargles on his blood, Daniel pushes it further. It didn’t go through because the man’s neck was so thick. Daniel used all his strength to push the glass through for a clean cut. The man’s head falls off, and the rest of his body slightly twitches. Daniel picks up his head and throws it in a washer machine. He checks the man’s pockets for quarters and turns the machine on. The head spins around and around, and water starts to surround it. Daniel looks down at his shirt and sees blood.
“Great, now I need to wash this shirt too.”
The laundry door opens, and another man walks in and sees the headless body lying on the floor. He freezes; Daniel sees the man and realizes it’s his noisy neighbor from upstairs. The neighbor stares at Daniel in shock. Daniel smiles at him.
“You’re next”
Movie Night
Blood dripped down the blonde girl’s neck; the murderer was none other than the brutal Mayville killer. The intense music grew louder as the camera panned toward his face.
“This is the worst horror movie ever!”
Bailey threw a handful of popcorn at the tv. Her boyfriend, Vick, seconded her actions of shaming the horrible movie. He pulled her face close, stared deep into her eyes, and kissed her.
“What was that for?”
“I can’t just kiss my girlfriend?”
Bailey laughed.
She heard her phone beep; she stood up, looking around the room, trying to see where she had left it. It beeped again, and she saw the light shine from the kitchen counter. She made her way over to the comfortable size kitchen and saw texts from her mom. Her mom was checking in; her mom was superstitious, especially around Halloween.
“Who is it?”
“Just my mom, making sure The Mayville killer isn’t coming to get me.”
Vick laughed and pointed at the tv.
“Cute! So this guy is going to get you? She didn’t seriously say that… right?”
Bailey sighed.
“Yes… yes, she did”
“Unfortunately, my mom is just … really … really paranoid.”
“More like nuts”
Vick looked back at the TV but was in shock.
Bailey didn’t appreciate Vick talking about her mom; the town gave her mom enough criticism she didn’t need Vick to add to it.
“She’s not nuts!”
Bailey expected a response from Vick, but he just stood up and weirdly examined the tv.
“Vick? Hello?”
Bailey walked over to him and tried to get his attention. She waved her hands in his face.
“Earth to Vick!”
“I think something is wrong.”
“What do you mean? What are you talking about?”
“The movie is playing, but all the characters are gone.”
“What?”
“Look!”
Bailey looked at the tv intensely and realized Vick was right. The scenes and music played as if something was happening, but the characters were gone.
“Maybe it’s a bad copy.”
“What kind of copy does this?”
“I don’t know, but I don’t like this; it’s freaking me out, Vick”
Suddenly the TV turned off; Bailey grabbed Vick, and he held her tightly.
“I’m scared”
“Just relax; I’m sure it’s fine.”
The music from the movie started to play, but it sounded like it was throughout the house.
“Vick!”
Vick just looked around as Bailey grabbed him tighter. He didn’t see anything, but he heard massive footsteps coming from down the hall.
“What the fuck”
“Go see what it is.”
Bailey let go of Vick, pressuring him to check out the noise. He didn’t have to look far, considering as soon as he peeked around the corner he saw the Mayville killer. He couldn’t believe his eyes, he froze in place, and his eyes widened.
Betrayal
The fresh powder blue painted house outshined the rest of the homes on Smith Street. It was the only house not painted white; it stood proudly with its mahogany door. Kendra was the proud owner of this newly fixed fixer-upper. She sacrificed a lot to own the beauty that is 222 Smith Street.
She stood on the sidewalk admiring her dream house. Suddenly she felt a tap on her shoulder.
“Hey!” The voice said
She turned to see no other than her best friend, Miles. Her body filled with excitement.
“You came!”
She gave him a tight bear hug.
“Yea, is this the house? She’s gorgeous!”
“Thank you!”
She told Miles about the process, the ups and downs, and how she had to beg her family for money to help. She explained to him how she’s working three jobs to keep the house afloat.
“I’m proud of you, K. You did it”
Kendra smiled from ear to ear. Miles was important to her; his judgment meant a lot.
“If you’re not working, maybe you should come by my house later.”
“Are we celebrating?”
“Yes, of course, my friend just created her dream house. Drinks on me!”
Kendra smiled at Miles.
Miles smiled then he walked down the block. Kendra decided to check on her garden; the thyme was growing nicely. She waved to her neighbor, who was also checking her garden.
“Afternoon Kendra”
“Afternoon, Mrs. Barron”
Mrs. Barron was a nice older woman who brought over sunflowers the first day Kendra moved in.
The sky turned an orange and purplish color; Kendra started to get ready to head over to Miles's house. He didn’t live far, only about three blocks. She grabbed her keys and purse; she locked the door behind her. Before she stepped off the porch, she tugged and pulled at her dress; the fabric was a mixture of satin and cotton. It didn’t lay flat on her curves. She aligned the thin straps to lay on her shoulders perfectly.
Miles and Kendra flirted off and on for years, but he never once invited her to his house. She didn’t know if it was a flirty invite or a friendly one, so she was nervous.
“You look lovely,” said a familiar voice
Kendra looked up from finicking with her dress and saw Mrs. Barron.
“Thank you; I just don’t dress up much.”
“Who is the lucky guy?”
Kendra blushed as she walked over to Mrs. Barron.
“He’s just a friend”
“Must be some friend”
Mrs. Barron smiled and continued to walk down the street. Kendra started to walk in the opposite direction to Miles' house.
Miles' house was a beautiful three-story home with a balcony. Unfortunately, it was also painted white. Kendra pressed the doorbell and patiently waited. She played with her dress because it made her uncomfortable. Thoughts rushed through her head like maybe she shouldn’t have worn the dress, or it would give the wrong impression. Her stomach formed knots, and it started to bubble. She decided to rush home instead, but as she turned around to step down off the porch, Miles opened the door.
“Hey…. Are you leaving already?”
“Oh, I-I just-“
“Come on in”
Kendra tried to ignore her stomach.
She looked around Miles' house and was in shock.
“Wow!”
Miles laughed.
“Thanks, K, glad you like it”
“I love it.”
“Good, come, let’s sit in the living room.”
Kendra followed Miles into the living room. She was nervous to touch anything; everything looked expensive and white.
“Well, lady in red, you look great.”
“Oh, thanks I think I’m overdressed.”
“You look amazing, sit.”
Kendra sat on the couch next to Miles. Miles moved on closer and handed her a glass of champagne.
“Drink up; we are celebrating my best friend, who I love dearly, biggest accomplishment.”
Kendra smiled.
“Okay silly, but not too much”
Miles placed his hand on Kendra’s thigh and stared into her eyes. Kendra blushed and nervously drank the entire glass of champagne in one gulp.
Hours after laughing, reminiscing, drinking and flirting Kendra decided to call it a night.
“Okay I have to go”
“It’s only 10:45”
“I’m sorry”
“Okay fine, let me walk you back; I don’t want nobody to hurt my lady in red.”
Kendra tried not to blush; she quickly grabbed her purse and headed to the door.
Miles opened the door for her, and they headed toward Kendra’s house.
The sun rose, and birds loudly chirped. The sun rays brightly pierced through the sheer blue curtains. Kendra was sleeping peacefully on the couch when she heard a loud knock at the door. She jumped out of her sleep and quickly fixed her annoyingly tricky dress. She looked through the peephole and saw a woman she had never seen before; she assumed it was one of the neighbors. She opened the door to greet her.
“Hello, can I help you?”
“Are you Kendra?”
“Yes, who’s asking?”
“I’m Lena.”
“Okay…”
“I’m Miles's girlfriend.”
Kendra’s heart felt like it broke into a million pieces. Miles never mentioned having a girlfriend ever. The last girlfriend she remembered he had was junior year in high school. Kendra tried to be as calm as possible.
“Girlfriend?”
“Yes”
“Oh, I didn’t know he had a girlfriend.”
“I figured I already talked to him about you two being friends, and I need you to understand that he’s not interested.”
“Wait, what?”
“He’s not interested. He said you came on to him, that you aren’t his type.”
“I’m not his … excuse me?”
“That you don’t make any money, you work two jobs that don't make anything, and you beg people for money.”
Kendra was speechless; she felt betrayed and heartbroken. She didn’t understand why he would say those things about her; what was the reason?
“Oh okay… mmmm wow! Thanks for telling me.”
“No problem”
Lena stepped off the porch slowly as if she had won a battle. Kendra slammed the door in anger and frustration. She paced back & forth and talked to herself.
“I’m not his type; he put his hand on my thigh, gave them inappropriate compliments, and I’m pining after him? I told him about my hardships because he was my best friend… to have thrown back in my face… why? What did I do to deserve this!”
Kendra snapped; she called both her jobs and told them she wasn’t coming in. She tried to take a relaxing bath, but unfortunately, the thoughts rattled in her head, keeping her occupied on revenge.
She was waiting on her kettle to whistle for tea when she heard another knock at the door. She went to the door and looked in the peephole, only to see Miles.
She aggressively opened the door. Miles looked at Kendra with a sad look on his face.
“Kendra, listen-“
“Don’t say another word!”
“Please I-“
“You told her I begged my family for money? You told her I was into you!”
“We were flirting.”
“Yessss, Weeeee… not just me, you too!”
“Okay, look, don’t worry about her; we are best friends. Let’s talk this through, please. Can I come in?”
A vein on Kendra’s forehead pulsated, but she took in a deep breath and invited him in.
He rushed in and began to stumble over his words to explain himself. Kendra heard the kettle whistling and headed over to take it off the stove. He followed her into the kitchen, still explaining himself, Kendra still focusing on her next move.
Miles sat down in the wooden chair and began pleading with Kendra, asking for her forgiveness. She was more focused on finding her favorite mug. She searched the cabinets, trying to find the mug he gave her for Christmas last year.
“Kendra, please say something!”
“Found it”
She pulled the mug from the cabinet and sat it on the table in front of him. Miles looked confused.
“Kendra-“
“Shhhhhh it’s okay have some tea.”
“But-“
“Remember when you got me this mug for Christmas? That Christmas you bought me a bunch of presents because my family didn’t. That was so sweet of you.”
Miles sat silently, unsure of what to say. He couldn’t tell if Kendra was mad or understanding.
“Does Lena know you're here?”
“No, nobody does. Why?”
“Where is your car?”
“Home… are you upset?”
Kendra smiled menacingly; it made Miles uneasy.
“Okay, maybe I should go then.”
“No, stay, just for like a minute.”
Miles watched Kendra grab the kettle and walk over to him.
“Sorry, Miles”
“Sorry for what?”
Kendra hauled the metal kettle back and hit him over the head. He fell out of the chair, and it knocked him out cold. She tied up his arms and legs with rope and heavy chains and locked them onto a pipe under the sink. She put socks in his mouth for when he woke up.
Once he did, he screamed for hours, but nobody could hear him. Kendra went on about her day, sweeping, mopping, vacuuming, and unpacking.
It got dark outside around 8:15; she waited until 9. Her neighbors were usually sleeping by then. She checked her backyard and saw the neighbor's lights out and nobody around.
She proceeded to dig a hole near her roses. Around 10:30, she dragged his body outside, he kicked and screamed, but nobody came to his rescue. She worked up a sweat, so she briefly stopped.
“Wow, you’re heavy; need to lay off the pizza.”
Miles had tears forming in his eyes.
“Don’t cry now… you did this. I’m just doing what should happen to people that betray others, especially close friends and family. You were like family to me and in a weird way but it’s whatever you’re new friends will be, worms and maggots.”
Kendra managed to throw him in the hole. The sweat and tears built up on his face almost made Kendra feel bad. She stared down at Miles in remorse.
“You made me do this, sorry. I’ll tell Lena you chased a woman to Europe or something.”
Miles tried to scream. His eyes widened, and he tried to break free. Unfortunately for him, Kendra made up her mind and started to cover him in dirt. Every shovel of dirt that hit him made her feel unapologetically at peace. She started to hum ‘do I wanna know’ by Arctic Monkeys, Miles' favorite song. Once he was all covered, she dropped the shovel and stopped humming. She took a deep breath in and felt so calm. She felt eyes on her; she looked in the direction of Mr. and Mrs. Barron's house and saw Mrs. Barron standing there watching. Kendra didn’t know what to say or do; she and Mrs. Barron didn’t break eye contact for about 5 minutes, but Mrs. Barron said something unexpected.
“Relax, dear; I did the same thing to my first husband.”
She winked at Kendra and walked away.
Kendra smiled and went back into her house.
“RIP Miles”
Hunter: Part 4
Dean’s mind goes blank; he’s completely speechless. Everyone looks at him for direction, but he looks terrified. Cain noticed Dean’s fear and decided to take charge.
“Blake, is there a back door?”
“Yes, there is a tunnel system that leads outside.”
“Okay, we need to grab all we can and get out of here now!”
Everyone grabs different things; clothes, guns, ammo, and bags full of stuff.
Blake opened the tunnel door; it smelled metallic. You can tell nobody has been down there for years.
Blake tells Davina, Lily, and Rose to go first. Blake and Jack climb down, but Cain yells down the tunnel that Mack is staying behind.
Dean tries to talk Mack out of staying behind.
“What are you doing? Let’s go now!”
“Nah, somebody has to slow them down. You need to slay all the beasts, and Mr. Vampy over there needs to play house, so I’ll stay.”
“Nobody has to stay!”
“Dean, let’s go!”
Cain can hear the steel door quickly caving in.
“Just a minute!”
“We don’t have a minute!”
Mack grips the bomb Detonator tightly; sweat drips down his fist.
“Go!”
Dean refused to leave. Mack nodded at Cain; Cain grabbed Dean and threw him down the tunnel; he managed to grip the ladder before hitting the ground. Cain slammed the door shut and jumped down, landing on his feet. He dusted his shirt off and noticed the hole in his shirt again. Dean looked at Cain in rage. His eyes narrowed, and his nostrils flared.
“How could you do that? What happened to your weird care for humans?”
“I do care, but he made a choice. You need to respect that.”
“No, I-“
A loud boom blasted through the tunnel; luckily, the door was able to keep the aftermath on the other side.
“RIP Mack”
“You don’t get to say that!”
Cain understood his frustration but ignored it, considering he wanted his help. Mack sacrificing himself is sad and unexpected. Dean pushed past Cain and followed the others through the tunnel. Cain ignored Dean’s frustration.
The tunnel had water leaking. The consistent dripping sound was the only sound heard the entire walk as everyone was dealing with the death of Mack.
They reached another ladder at the end of the tunnel; a small glimpse of light shined through the tiny holes in the door. The rust falls off when Davina turned the handle.
“Ew, gross!” said Lily
Once outside, Cain's phone rang; he knew it meant trouble. Eliza told him that she and Kai had been attacked and had to leave in a hurry.
“Where are you?”
“Right now, we are coming to you.”
“How do you know where I am?”
“Tracked your phone”
Cain laughed.
“Meet us on the road”
Cain hung up. Everyone was staring at him.
“Everything alright?” Asked Lily
“Where is the closest road?”
“That way”
Dean pointed west, and Cain took off.
“Wait!”
“Shit, we need him” said Blake
Dean looked at everyone to see if they all agreed. He was offended that they would suggest Dean couldn’t do the heavy lifting without some vampire’s help. He ran behind Cain and the others slowly followed.
Cain came to an abrupt stop when he reached the road. He didn’t see any cars; he waited patiently. Eliza and Sam were his life; whenever they were in trouble, it made him feel fear like he had never felt before.
Dean caught up to Cain.
“Hey!”
Cain raised his eyebrow at Dean.
“We still need your help,” he said irksomely
“Funny you say that because you sound like you don’t want it”
“Man… whatever”
Cain started to hear a car and immediately put all his attention in that direction. He could see Eliza and Sam in this big midnight blue pickup truck.
“I’m assuming your human family.”
“Yea”
Eliza pulled over to the side of the road, inches away from Cain. Sam opened the door and rushed over to Cain. Cain embraced him with a big hug.
“Hey buddy, you okay?”
“Yea, I’m not afraid”
“Of course not”
Cain hugged Sam tighter.
Eliza got out of the car and approached Dean.
Holding a tiny blade behind her back, she stood directly in front of him.
“Who are you?” She asked aggressively
“I’m Dean”
“Relax E; he’s a…. Acquaintance”
“Rightttt” she said suspiciously
She slid the blade into her back pocket. She then made piercing eye contact with Cain.
“I thought this was a different type of interaction”
“It was supposed to be but-“
“Then why is he alive”
“E… relax”
“Your girlfriend is very hostile”
“Yea, well she-“
“And! Aren’t you the vampire hunter”
“The one and only”
“So you understand my problem with him being around you”
“If I knew how to kill him he’d be dead. No doubt about it but I don’t, so I can’t, so I won’t”
“I’m keeping an eye on you”
Dean and Eliza stared at each other for a good 15 seconds before Cain decided to break the tension.
“Okay! Now that the formalities are out the way let’s talk plans”
Davina, Lily, Jack, Blake, and Rose finally caught up. Cain introduced them to Eliza and Sam. Rose was intrigued that Sam loved Cain so much; he wasn’t frightened at all.
“Hey Sam, I’m Rose”
“Hi”
Cain was about to put Sam down, but a single howl echoed through the trees. Everyone prepared their weapons. Dean and Cain looked at each other in respect.
“How many?”
“About 30”
“Great!”
“All of you get in the truck”
“What! Hell no Cain, leave them here!”
“E, I can’t let them die you know that”
“No!”
Cain just looked at Eliza; his piercing gaze made her cave quickly. She knew he wasn’t asking.
“Fine!”
They all loaded in the back of the truck. Cain, Eliza, and Sam rode in the front. Sam looked unfazed. He felt that Cain was his superhero and that nothing would harm him as long as Cain was around. Eliza took off at full speed, but the wolves caught up with them; they surrounded the car. Jack, Blake, Lily and Davina started shooting off the ones close by.
“Any ideas anyone!” Asked Blake
“Yes, I do; they seem to be after all of you, so if all of you could just get out, that’ll be great for us!”
“Eliza”
Eliza rolled her eyes.
“Okay fine, how about the vampire hunter do something about it.”
Everyone looked at Dean. Dean's forehead began to sweat. His hands trembled a bit.
“I am a vampire hunter! Sometimes I hunt werewolves or shapeshifters, but what am I supposed to do about a pack!”
“Use your powers or something,” said Rose
“They aren’t magic!”
“Where is your teacher Dean!” Cain asked
“Dead! Thanks to your brother! He killed my family including my teacher! How do you know about-“
The wolves banged their bodies against the truck. Eliza struggled to keep control.
“Cain, this isn’t our fight! We have to protect Sam!”
Before Cain could argue with Eliza, two wolves bit into the side of the back tires. The truck swerved out of control. Eliza screamed as the car drove off the road into the forest. The truck hit a tree, Eliza and Sam went hurling forward, but Cain grabbed them both. The impact tossed Lily and Jack out of the car. Davina got knocked out, Dean caught Rose, and Blake injured his arm trying to brace for the impact.
“Is everyone okay?” asked Cain
“No, but I bet Eliza and Sam are!” said Dean
Six Feet Under
Gasping for air, Jules' lungs felt like they were full of dirt. She opened her eyes, seeing nothing but darkness. She screamed for help, but her voice was gone. She felt her surroundings; her hands pressed against what felt like wood. Immediately she began to panic. Her worst fear had come true; she had been buried alive. She kicked and banged on the box as loud as she could, but no one was around for miles. Her soft voice shrieked as her lungs were still fighting for air. She began punching the box, causing her hand to throb; she kept punching until her hand began to bleed. A small hole in the box cracked open, and dirt slowly poured in. She began to punch harder until she could claw her way up, and the dirt filled her mouth. One hand sticking out of the unmarked grave, then the other, she grabbed on the grass and pulled her body through. She could barely stand up.
Poem: I’ve changed for the worst…
Look… I’ve changed
I can no longer trust people
With big smiles
And gentle touches
I’ve changed…
I no longer see hope
For me on the romantic side of things
Nobody can tell me
“You can trust me”
Without me
Raising an eyebrow
Because people have tried me
Proved me right everytime
That’s it not
Always as it seems
I’ve been betrayed by friends
I was uplifting
But their hidden envy
Didn’t get the message
Pushed under buses
Left out in the cold
By people I thought cared
See I’ve changed
No longer will I be a victim
Of the hands of these fake smiles
I am older and wiser now
The things I trust are actions
Because “I love you”
Isn’t always the reality
The pain I felt each time
Has made me numb
No more shock
It’s expected
See these people broke me
Because my brain knew
But my heart misinterpreted
Chance after chance
I gave…
Hoping new people
Would give my heart a break
Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case
So don’t get frustrated
Because I’m not an open book
Im not an easy target
Im guarded
I have to
Because I’ve changed…
~I’ve changed for the worst
Poem
I’m curious to look
Just to check in
The house with the white door
Has demons within
I’m always ready to peek inside
What hides behind those white blinds
I love to see those big brown eyes
Watching me from the windows
As I walk by
I miss the comfort of his claws
His evil brought distraction
From my flaws
I’ll never forget his grin
But not more than
His skin touching my skin
~Incubus
Isabel: Part 2
She kept running; she had no idea where she was going. She kept hearing her mom’s voice to run so she kept running. She ran until her lungs felt like they were about to burn out of her chest. She dropped to the ground, she looked around and saw nothing but trees and grass. She laid on the ground staring up at the clouds through the tall trees. She started to hear a caw.
“Roo, is that you?”
A small crow landed on a tree branch nearby.
“It is you. Roo, dad moved from home. Why would he do that to me?”
The crow cawed.
“I get that he needed to get better too but so many things have changed. He’s muscular… no more pot belly dad… he's dating the ‘wanna be Barbie’ named Natalie. Ollie warned me about step mothers; oh Ollie says hi by the way.”
Isabel sighs. She closes her eyes for a little bit but she gets a feeling she should open them. She opens them and there stands a boy about her age.
“Oh, hi”
The boy offers her a hand. She takes it and he yanks her up on the ground. Isabel gets the feeling she’s not wanted her. The boy points her to go left. His eyebrows touched in anger and he tapped his left foot impatiently.
“Okay bye I guess. Come on Roo”
The crow landed on Isabel’s shoulder.
After at least 30 minutes of walking Isabel came to the conclusion that she was lost.
Roo flew and disappeared into the clouds.
“Great, now I’m really alone”
She decided to sit on a nearby bench. She closed her eyes.
When she opened them she was at her old house and she was tied to a chair. She saw her mother bloody and beaten on the floor; reaching out for her.
“Close your eyes” her mom begged
As the shadowy figure of a tall man began to strangle her.
“Mom!”
Her mom gasped for air, she turned red as she struggled with the man to let her go.
He let her go and somehow the rope that kept Isabel in the chair was gone. Her mom was too beaten to walk, yelled.
“Run Izzy Run!”
Isabel took off running through the door right into the arms of a policeman. She closed her eyes and opened them once more and was sitting on the bench still.
“Isabel Burton!”
“Dad?”
She looked over to see her dad heading over and he was upset. The vein in his forehead was showing. Her mom always said that was his angry vein.
“You nearly scared me half to death. It’s going to be dark soon, let’s go!”
“Sorry”
Isabel walked over to him and he put his arm over her shoulder.
“Just don’t… it’s okay Izzy”
He sighed.
He kissed her on the forehead.
“By the way you’re got taller”
Isabel giggled
“I would hope so, last time you seen me I was about 10”
“Now you’re a giant look at you”
“We should do something special for your 15th birthday, like a cake from Blake Bakery.”
Morning light peeked through Isabel’s white sheer curtains and illuminated her face. She woke up to the sound of loud talking.
Isabel gently rubbed her eyes and checked the time on the clock; it was 9:45 am.
She dragged her body out of bed to see what the commotion was about. She walked down the stairs then into the kitchen; where she saw Natalie wearing a fitted shirt black dress with black designer heels. Natalie was on the phone yelling about shoes, the store shipped her the wrong size.
“I don’t care who’s fault it is, just send me what I paid for!”
She paced back and forth while cursing. Her curly red hair bounced up and down as she paced. After about 5 minutes she finally hung up and noticed Isabel standing there.
She cleared her throat.
“Well good morning, hope I didn’t wake you”
“Yes you did”
Natalie looked shocked and annoyed all at once. It was clear she didn’t like or have patience for Isabel. Before she could respond Isabel’s dad walked in.
“Morning!”
“Morning Dad”
“Morning” said Natalie
The tone in her voice indicated that she was disappointed.
Isabel’s dad sat his coffee mug down and kissed Natalie on the forehead.
“What’s wrong honey?”
“Stupid company sent me the wrong size”
He grabbed her in close by her waist, it was uncomfortable for Isabel to watch.
“Did you call them and let them know”
Natalie pouted like a little spoiled kid. She stuck her lip out and her big green eyes made her look cute and innocent. Isabel knew this woman was trouble and decided to get rid of her.
“How about we go shopping after breakfast to cheer you up?”
Natalie leaned in and kissed him.
“Thank you”
Isabel cleared her throat.
“Mmm what’s for breakfast? I usually have oatmeal with a banana and orange juice.”
“Sweetie, that's hospital food. Don’t you miss good ole sugary cereal?”
“You are kidding right?”
“No have some I bought it just for you just like you used to like”
Isabel poured the cereal into a bowl. None of the kitchen utensils were familiar to her. She was disappointed that her dad got rid of everything that reminded her of her mom. Instead of expressing that to him she thought it best to not upset him.
She sat at the table staring at the cereal filled to the top with milk; it didn’t look appetizing. Natalie looked at Isabel strangely like she was plotting something.
Isabel heard a caw from outside the window.
“Roo!”
A crow landed right on the windowsill.
“Roo I missed you!”
Isabel got up and went over to the window and began talking to Roo.
“John… John..”
“I know Nat… I know”
“But”
“Don’t say anything please”
Isabel
The sun was shining through a small window. The bars on the window made the shadows look like stripes on the wall. The room was dull, with ash-grey colored walls and no pictures or posters. A small twin-size bed dressed in grey sheets with one pillow, and in the corner was a desk and chair. Screaming echoed through the halls; agony was not rare here.
Isabel was was tired of the claustrophobic room, she wanted to finally go home. She tried to ignore the screaming and kept drawing a crow. She named the crow Roo, and she drew Roo on hundreds of pieces of paper.
Doctor Fitz told her dad it was normal for her to believe that animals like Roo were her friends. Isabel struggled with making friends, and when she did, she couldn’t keep them.
Right as she was about to draw Roo on another sheet of paper, the orderly opened the door. Doctor Fitz walked in; he smelled of peppermint and hand sanitizer. His wool brown sweater looked brand new, but his pants were wrinkled. He pushed up his oval glasses on his face and took in a deep breath.
“Isabel Burton”
“Doctor Fitz”
He looked at his watch.
“You’re still here? I cleared you to go home an hour ago.”
“My dad hasn’t come yet.”
Doctor Fitz's nostrils flared. He left the room hurriedly; Isabel assumed it was to call her dad.
After an hour, Isabel's room door opened again, and the orderly gestured for her to take his hand. She assumed it meant her dad was finally here. She grabbed the locket off the desk and took the orderly’s hand.
They walked through the long hall and saw some familiar faces she had met.
“Look, Isabel is getting out!” one voice exclaimed
“Isabel is leaving?” another voice questioned
“Tell Roo I said Izzy,” said Oliver
Oliver was the only friend Isabel managed to keep. He was in Brickgate Sanitarium because he liked to start fires, but in his eyes, he was cleansing the world of evil. He said his stepmother was evil, and he had to ‘cleanse’ her.
“I will, Ollie.”
The orderly left Isabel outside the front gate. She didn’t see anybody that looked like her dad.
“Dad?”
“Isabel!”
She looked to the far right and saw a semi-familiar face.
“Dad?”
“It’s me, Izzy”
Isabel looked confused as the man that hugged her looked like a stranger. This man had muscles and didn’t smell like cigarettes. His hair was shiny and cut, but the most confusing part was the lady sitting in the car staring at her.
“Let me look at you.”
He stared at Isabel and smiled.
“It’s been so long; you’re so big… not even my little girl anymore.”
Isabel didn’t know what to say as the man she still didn’t believe was her dad took her to his car. The woman in the front seat was fixing her makeup, uninterested in talking to or even looking at Isabel.
“Dad?”
“Yes?”
“Who is that?”
“Oh, this is Natalie”
He opened the door for Isabel and closed it behind her. The entire drive, they all sat in silence. Isabel noticed her dad was not taking the usual route home; she raised her right eyebrow in confusion.
“Dad… home is that way”
“Yea, it used to be, kiddo.”
“Used to be? You moved?”
“Yea… dealing with the history of what happened and all, I couldn’t stay there.”
“Oh”
“Don’t worry; you’ll love it at the new place. You’ll have lots of space, unlike that shoe box room at the sanitarium.”
Isabel sank in her seat. Her brain started to whisper, and she started to hear her mother’s voice.
“Run, Izzy, Run!” It screamed in the back of her head.
They pulled up to the new house, and before her dad could stop the car, Isabel ran right out onto the wet grass.
“Isabel!”