“I know it,” Mike nodded thankfully. “Bless you.”
“Don’t turn your back on them. Those two will kill you, boy. They’re what started the evil in that school.”
The thought sent shivers rushing up and down his spine, that there were things out there worse than all he’d seen already. The worst part was that somewhere inside him, he knew it to be true.
Cathy had been waiting for Mike and Xander for over an hour, and now it was starting to get cold on the picnic table where she sat. All the teachers were long gone by now, even that troll Shnieder had called it an early day and gone home to eat cheezies and spaghetti-o’s, or whatever the hell he did at home. She took another look around, sending her hair into another swirl of motion as the wind picked up. She tried for a moment to straighten it, then gave up. Her feet hurt already just looking at the road that stretched out before her, the thought of walking it alone not all that appealing. She wanted to take off her jean jacket. She’d been huddled up into it all day and had made it all warm and sweaty, and it still stank of smoke from Grendel’s party. Her dark eyes danced along the tree line one last time, trying to see if either of the boys were coming even though she knew that they weren’t. She sighed, slapped her palms against her knees, and got up.
Where the hell did they go? she wondered, sighing heavily. Both of her feet feeling like lead weights. Men. Why do they all have to be so stupid? Is testosterone some kind of I.Q. retardant or something? Her book bag straps pressed against her shoulders, making sweat pool there. It itched and made her uncomfortable, as she glared evilly at the setting sun, daring it to come back up. I hate the night. I used to love it, once. Before the crash a few years back, before all this stupidity started. Xander is being such an idiot, bottling up all of his feelings the way he does. No wonder he goes out and kills things in his sleep... I probably would too, if I was that overly repressed. The trees loomed around her, their old branches whining in defiance to the motion that the draft was making them participate in. Their groans started to get to her, her pupils darting to the corners of their sockets every few moments to catch a glimpse of them.
She heard something behind her and turned swiftly on her heels, almost falling to the curb when she did so.
Her eyes darted along a patch of leafy green foliage on the side of the road, only partially obscured by an old metal gate. Even though the sun was still bright, it was dark inside, the leaves creating a blanket of shadow that made everything underneath them look homogeneous.
“Hello?” she called out into the shadows. It was damp here, and she couldn’t help but wonder if this is what it would be like after her and Julie... jumping at every sound in the dusk-hours, waiting for some pervert to jump you.
There was another sound, very faint.
She had to strain to hear it, leaning her ear towards the bushes but keeping them in her field of vision at the same time. It took her a moment to recognize it, but when she did a thousand memories came back to her all at once, as if it had been someone saying her own name.
-click-
The slow, rhythmic tapping of metal upon metal.
“Xander?” she mouthed softly, taking a step back from the trees without even realizing it. Her hands came up to her mouth as she stared into the darkness. Only now instead of seeing nothing, she saw everything. Every misshaped branch was a shoulder, every ragged red leaf was a slanted eye.
She turned and ran, hearing the click of her heels as she did. She listened carefully to the rhythm as she heard each step once, then again as it echoed back at her. Every few seconds, like clockwork, there was an extra click.
Like a hum or tap in your car that you know doesn’t belong, it stood out amongst all the other similar sounds. Her mind processed the information a million times between each pump of her legs as she ran down the street, beads of sweat pouring from her forehead and falling to the ground somewhere behind her. These sounds were so familiar to her she could have recognized them from a mile away.
But they’re not a mile away, she thought as she closed her eyes briefly, the cold fall air stinging at them as she ran. In fact they’re gaining on me. Each one’s closer then the last.
She bit her lip out of nervous frustration and ended up pushing her tooth into it from the force of her footfalls. She was close now. She still hadn’t turned around. She knew that if she turned around and saw the Womb, she wouldn’t be able to run anymore. Her legs would melt right then and there and it would be on her like a wolf.
She turned sharply into Xander’s driveway, pouring on the steam for those last few strides along his shale walkway. She opened his front door and slammed it shut behind her. She paused for a moment, let out a breath, then turned the deadbolt almost as an afterthought.
She leaned against the door like that for a minute or two, trying to give her mind a chance to catch up with the rest of her body. Both her hands were shaking, the adrenaline in her body working itself off via involuntary spasms now
