The rest of Brewster’s friends were still beside the warm fire, inside the safe circle of camp. Harry was the first of them to wonder why Brewster had not come back yet. He might have even felt a tad bit sorry for what he had said about Brewster’s mother fucking around with Pumpkinface, but he would not let guilt have its way with him. He had only been joking around with Brewster, and Harry did not like to think he had much of a conscience anyway. He and Brewster were buddies, had been since the first grade. Brewster had bailed him out of a few playground scuffles when Harry’s jokes had gotten his ass in more trouble than he could have handled alone, and even Harry’s indifference to his conscience would not keep him from glancing over his shoulder to look for his buddy. That was when he thought he had heard Brewster returning to camp.
Lucky and Seth weren’t paying attention, and had been going on for awhile about the last football game their team had won against Polk County. Seth had shut down the final running play and clobbered the running back before he could get across the scrimmage line, but Lucky had ignored Seth’s boasting and argued that, if it hadn’t been for his own stellar pass completion percentage that game, the Lions would not have scored as much as they had to cement the crucial victory. Seth bit back by reminding Lucky of their freshman year when Lucky had not been so lucky, and had gotten sacked on the final play when he couldn’t find an open receiver. That had ultimately lost them the regional title for the JV team that season, and Seth would not let him forget it.
“Choked.” Seth mocked.
All their boasting and chiding each other stopped when they heard Harry scream, then they saw Brewster’s head roll into camp from the shadows. It stopped just outside the campfire, resting against the outer, glowing logs. Seth looked down at the orb-like intruder, having momentarily failed to see what had made Harry yell out. Lucky was staring at it too, both leaning over to figure out what was happening. Then they saw it. Seth numbly thought that Brewster’s head looked like everything in it had been scooped out with something. It had come to rest on its side, on Brewster’s left ear, but since it was hollow the bright, yellow light from the fire outside mixed with the redness inside of Brewster’s severed head. Through the holes where Brewster’s eyes and nose should have been the mixed colors glowed orange, like it was emanating an evil aura. Seth was terrified, trying desperately to make himself turn away, but he could not.
He sat there motionless, unable to move until he felt someone’s hand grabbing the hood on his jacket and yanking him up onto his feet. His legs must have fallen asleep, because he still had trouble moving even though he was standing with help now. Lucky’s brash grip on Seth’s hood finally got him moving. Lucky yelled out something, but some of Seth’s senses were still scrambled and he couldn’t make out what it was or who he was saying it to. He was able to look away from Brewster’s head lying next to the campfire, which resembled a carved, amazingly detailed pumpkin, just in time to see Harry skirting the shadows as he wrestled with someone at the edge of the camp. During that brief moment of interruption Lucky had succeeded in causing some of Seth’s mental wires to reconnect, and when he felt Lucky’s other hand pull at the front of his jacket he knew he needed to go along with him.
Both of them took off running, and soon Harry, who had broken free from whoever he had been fighting against (now you know who played wide receiver for the Harris High Lions) caught up to them. Harry soon overtook both of his friends with a flurry of feet, and barely audible expletives. None of the boys stopped running until they had gotten back to Lucky’s Cherokee, which was still parked at the trailhead. Lucky fumbled for his keys, hoping they were still in the front pocket of his pants. Seth and Harry were bent over with their hands on their knees, sucking in as much cold, crisp life as they could.
Thankfully Lucky found the keys quickly. “Get the fuck in!” He shouted at them as he opened his door, quickly unlocking the others.
Seth went around to the passenger side and threw open the door, but was halted when Harry hesitated to climb in. “What about Brewster?” Harry asked them, his eyes lingering along the dark, wooded trail they had just come from.
Seth realized that Harry was also mentally numb, and that some of his brain circuits must have gotten fried during their impossible ordeal. “Dude, he’s not coming.” Seth tried to delicately spell out the fact that something terrible had happened to their friend back at camp, but was not having much luck. Harry did not move, rather he looked at Seth for approval. It was almost like he wanted permission to let go of the door handle and run back into the woods after Brewster.
“Harry, get the fuck in, now!” Lucky screamed over his shoulder from his seat behind the steering wheel of the Cherokee. “And shut and lock the door!”
Lucky’s terror must have woken something inside of Harry, because he urgently threw open his door and jumped into the back seat, slamming it shut with a bang.
“Lock it and hold on.” Lucky told everyone, checking the rearview mirror as he pressed the clutch and threw the Jeep into first gear. He only caught a glimpse of the dark figure standing on the path of the trail
