by J. D. Oliva
"And we still suck."
Cody turned and found Nick Johnson carrying his helmet by the facemask. Nick and Cody met in kindergarten and referred to each other as "best friends" ten minutes later.
"I choked," Cody said.
"Yep. You did." Nick said.
“It just sucks," was all Cody could muster.
"Yeah, it does. But so do we, so it all levels out," Nick said before standing in line with his teammates and giving out the obligatory “good game” to Morrisonville.
Across the parking lot, Abi Ahmad and Lonnie Reece were trying to hang a big, yellow banner with the words "Harvest Dance" written across from the school sign. They were the kind of kids that Nick and Cody were afraid to become. They both had good grades and were involved in student government, which is why they were waiting for the rain to finally subside so they could hang the big advertisement for next week's Harvest Dance. They were nerds and neither one of them cared. Or at least that's what Abi thought. She was the typical type-A kind of kid that was always the first to answer a question in class. The kind of student who'd remind the teacher about a quiz. The kind of student who everyone knew was going to be a success in life. Even most of her teachers found her slightly annoying. But she was so sincere and adorable, in a girl-next-door kind of way, people tended to ignore her more annoying traits.
Lonnie was a heavyset and quiet kid who would much rather be at home with his Xbox, but joined student government to spend time with Abi. As the rain started to drive again, he regretted that decision. No girl was worth getting wet.
"What's up, ISIS?"
Abi heard a voice that made her skin crawl. One that she hadn't heard since last May. The same voice that followed her around the lunch table all through the seventh grade. The voice that tried to break her and make her cry so many times, but she was far too proud to ever give anyone--let alone this particular voice-- that much power. She turned around slowly, hoping it was someone else's voice that she was mishearing, but there was Tyler Tomczak and his small band of freshmen misfits.
"What are you guys doing back here? Shouldn't you be bugging high school kids?" She asked in a tone that tried to cover her fear.
"We are high school kids, Abi. This is an immigration check," he said with a smile that made her spine curl.
Tyler Tomczak was already sixteen years old and on his second trip through the eighth grade last year. He was tall and thin and at Carter-Hallow he wasn't much to look at, but to the sixth, seventh, and eighth graders at Hawk Hallow Middle School he was a monster. He acted like one too. Tyler was flanked by four other freshmen, Cody's older brother, Connor Burk, among them. Dressed in scuzzy t-shirts and dirty jeans, these five were on the wrong path with the wrong guy leading their little clique. Tyler hadn't quite reached the level of burnout, but Abi was certain by his junior year he’d fill that role nicely.
"I was born here, you jerk,” she said slowly moving away from them.
"Then there's nothing to worry about, is there, Abs?"
Abs. His little pet name for her. Nothing made her angrier than hearing it come out of his mouth. Except when he started poking her in the stomach with his thumb and index finger every time he said it to her. This time was no different. Her mother went to the principal to try and do something about it, but even a suspension did little to stop Tyler's harassment.
"Stop it," she said gritting her teeth.
Abi was afraid of Tyler Tomczak, but she refused to allow him to see it. Tyler knew she was scared of him but got a sadistic kick out of watching her squirm and try to save face.
"C'mon, Abs. You should be a lot nicer considering you're a guest in our country," he said smiling.
"I said I was born here."
"Right, what's this?" Tyler said as he ripped the yellow sign from her hands.
"Give that back, Tyler!"
"What are you gonna do about it?" He asked.
Abi stood there seething. She wanted nothing more than to punch him in the face, but she worried he'd actually hit her back.
"What about you, fatboy? You wanna come get this thing?"
Abi looked over to Lonnie, who seemed to hope that he could just fade into the background without anyone noticing. Lonnie tried to talk but couldn't. Instead he just turned around and ran back toward the building. Abi just shook her head. It wasn't like Lonnie was going to do anything, but it was better than being alone with Tyler.
"Guess not," Tyler said laughing. So what’s this? Signs for some stupid dance?"
“The Harvest Dance isn't stupid," she said. "I'm sure it was important to you when you were in eighth grade. Both times."
"Daaammmnnn!" Tyler's peanut gallery erupted.
That sly, arrogant smirk was gone. Now Tyler's eyes were cold and piercing. He walked up to her and grabbed her by the wrist.
"That's not funny," he said pulling her wrist toward his chest.
Tyler was ready to take his little games to another level.
III
With their pads and helmet slung over their shoulders, Cody and Nick walked back to the locker room. Cody tried to shake off the sting. It wasn't failure, the Hawks had lost almost every game he played since they were in sixth grade. It was freezing. He was in a pressure situation and stopped moving. Again. The “choke” as Nick called it. It kept happening and Cody probably would have obsessed over it, if he didn't hear that grating voice.
"Hahaha! Yeah!"
"Connor," he whispered to himself.
Cody looked across the parking lot and saw his brother and friends over by the "Welcome to Hawk Hallow Middle School" sign.
"Shit, Tyler Tomczak. What's that douche-bag doing back here?" Nick asked.
"I hate that kid," Cody said.
Cody heard the way Tyler would talk about their mother in front of Connor. He never understood why his brother would allow him to tell those disgusting little jokes about their mother's underwear drawer.
Nick saw the look in Cody's eyes. It was the same look he had before blitzing the line twenty minutes ago. Before the choke, of course.
"Dude, you stick your nose in over there, and I guarantee it's gonna be nothing but trouble," Nick said.
"You're right," he said.
Cody hated his brother's friends, but knew that this wasn't a fight he needed to pick. He was about to open the locker room door, but for some reason he turned back toward the parking lot. Tyler had his hands on the girl that sat in the front row of his US History class. She looked all around, hoping to catch a glimpse at someone, anyone that could help her. She caught Cody and looked him right in the eye. He could tell she was scared. He didn't blame her. He was scared of Tyler too.
"What are you looking at, Little Burk?" Tyler shouted from across the parking lot.
"Now you've done it," Nick said.
The last thing Cody wanted was a fight. He might have grown a lot since last year but Tyler Tomczak was three years older than him, and way more physically mature. Not mentally, but physically. Still, that girl needed help and Cody started that long walk across the parking lot, even though he knew he'd regret it.
"You got something to say, little Burk?" Tyler asked.
"Tyler, c'mon, man. She's just a girl," Cody said.
"Is this your boyfriend, Abs?" He laughed.
"No," both Cody and Abi said in unison.
"Dude, just let her go," Cody said.
"Mind your business, Cody," Tyler said.
"Yeah, Cody, mind your business," Connor added.
"Shut up, loser," Cody said to his brother.
Cody may have been the younger brother, but he was an inch taller with a much more athletic build than Connor. This was a change that happened over summer break. One that Connor wasn't particularly happy about.
"Who you calling a loser?" Tyler said pushing Cody in the chest.
"C'mon, man. I don't wanna fight," Cody said looking toward the ground.
That wasn't entirely true. Cody spent many nights lying awake in his bed imag
ining the day he would whip Tyler to the floor and punch him over and over again until he made him cry. The same way he saw Tyler make Keegan Peters cry in the launch room last year. He wanted nothing more than to lay this bully out with the right cross his father taught him last year. But that wasn't going to happen. At least not today.
"Your mom's already paid for one funeral this year, Little Burk. Wanna make it two?"
Cody's mouth hung open. He couldn't believe what Tyler said. He expected Connor to say something, but instead his brother just sat there hanging his head in silence. The same way Cody's did just a second ago. Cody couldn't say anything either. He wanted to say something back. He really wanted to hit him, but this was Tyler Tomczak. All Cody was going get out of any of it was a beating.
"Cody! Connor! Time to go!" A voice shouted from across the parking lot. They all turned to find, a beautiful thirty something Asian woman with long black hair and a warm smile leaning out the driver's side window of her 2013 Jeep Liberty.
The boys all smiled. Except for her sons.
"Come on, boys! Time to go!" She shouted.
"Hey, Little Burk, my future wife is calling you."
The arrogant smirk returned to Tyler's face. Cody took a deep breath, reared back, and sent that fist flying right into Tyler's face. Just the way Dad taught him. Except that didn't happen. In reality, Cody hung his head and walked toward his Mom's car. Before opening the back passenger side door, Cody looked back toward that vile smile. The girl was gone. That was good. Cody choked again, but at least the girl got away. All it cost him was a little dignity. Not that there was much of that left anyway.
"Bye bye, Mrs. Burke," Tyler said. "See you soon, Cody."
As they pulled away, Cody looked back toward the group and saw Tyler licking the inside of his index and middle finger.
“I hate that guy," he whispered.
IV
The silence was more than Leah Burk could handle. She'd intentionally left the radio off so that the boys would have no choice but to talk to her, and each other, in the car. Same reason she didn't let them wear their headphones. She figured Cody wouldn't want to talk about what happened with Tyler, at least not in front of his older brother. Leah knew bullying when she saw it, and though it definitely mortified her boys, she wasn't going to let that psycho touch Cody. This summer had been rough enough for all of them and she wanted nothing more than to tell Connor he wasn't allowed to hang out with Tyler Tomczak anymore, but she knew how that would go over. She believed that her oldest was smart enough to know he was nothing but trouble. She had to believe that her boys would do the right thing. It's how they were raised.
Leah was born in Park Ridge, Illinois and grew up in nearby Schaumburg. She played a lot of sports as a child, and took to swimming, which led her to a college scholarship to Mankato State University in Minnesota. At a fraternity party her freshmen year, she met Mike Burk, a strong safety on the Maverick football team. They were married five years later.
It was such a typical suburban story that it bordered on cliché. It was exactly what Lo and Phoung Kim were hoping for when they escaped the Khmer Rouge in 1975. Keeping with tradition, they gave their first American-born child an American name and Phoung chose to name her first daughter after the nurse who stood by an immigrant couple fresh off the boat.
Leah grew up with so many horror stories from her parent's homeland that she was happy to have never visited, but sitting there in her still silent Jeep Liberty, she wondered if this might actually be worse. Connor had his head buried in his phone while Cody gazed out the window with that hundred-yard-stare that he’d developed. Neither one saying a word.
"So, what are you guys in the mood for tonight? Pizza? Tacos?" She asked.
Silence.
"Kentucky Fried Possum?"
Still nothing. They didn't even acknowledge their mom's bad joke.
"You know, it's the first week of September. We started work on the Haunted Hallow. I know the other kids really could use both of your help again this year," she said.
The Haunted Hallow. This was a tough subject for her to broach. When the Burk's moved to Hawk Hallow eight years ago, they inherited part of a hog farm that belonged to Mike's uncle. The family agreed to sell most of the land, but the plot that had the old barn and slaughterhouse Mike decided to keep. He originally wanted to move the family into the nearby farm house, but Leah didn't feel comfortable living so close to the slaughterhouse, even one that hadn't been in use since the 70's. Still, Mike didn't want to give up either building. That's when he had the idea to convert the old slaughterhouse into a commercial haunted house. They already owned the property, and Mike's love of old horror movies and magic shows pushed them to build the first Haunted Hallow. It made him one of the most popular people in town. It also gave the Burk's a nice secondary source of income. For the past eight years, the Burk family would chip in every August through October to put on what the Minneapolis Star Tribune called, "the best Haunted House in the state of Minnesota. Maybe the Midwest." Every year, the house got a little more extravagant, and the budget went a little higher. Mike began hiring a lot of temporary help to the point that he was employing a small army. An army who's only goal was to scare the daylights out of the people of Hawk Hallow. And they loved every minute of it.
That was before the accident. After the funeral, Leah planned to sell the Hallow, but then changed her mind, thinking that maybe this would be the way to bring her family back together. It was still a little less than two months from Halloween, but neither of them had spent a minute in the Hallow, which left Leah to deal with the entire monstrosity.
"I told you, I don't wanna," Cody finally said. His eyes still firmly locked outside the window.
"But you and your dad used to love--"
"I don't wanna do it anymore!"
The intensity in Cody's voice took her back a little. He hadn't yelled at her, but he was so authoritative that it scared her a touch.
"But--"
"God, Mom, how many times do we have to say no? We don't wanna work on the stupid haunted house! We're not goddamn kids anymore!" Connor finally chimed in.
Leah immediately turned to the backseat to verbally discipline her oldest.
"Connor Burk, watch the language, mister!" She yelled.
Leah turned around to shout and took her eyes off the road. It might have only been for a second, but she didn't see the gray 1987 Dodge Astrovan that ran the stop sign at Omega Road.
"You two need to stop acting like a couple little--"
BOOOOMMM!!!!
V
Darkness and silence surrounded them. Then the ringing filled Cody's ears. Light poured into his eyes. He couldn't hear anything but the ring. His head was still spacey. Everything moved in slow motion. He looked down and saw the seatbelt still firmly locking him into place. Turning his head up, he saw Mom and Connor. Both of them looked like they were okay. Maybe everything was going to be fine this time. Then he looked just a bit beyond his mother and brother and saw the heavy-set, middle-aged woman sprawled out on the pavement. Her eyes were open, and her vacant stare looked right through Cody. He'd never seen a dead body before. Sure, there was Dad, but by the time Cody and Connor saw him at the funeral home it didn't look anything like Mike Burk. Thinking, “that's not my dad in that box. It's just an empty body," made the funeral much easier. But sitting trapped inside the Jeep, unable to look away from those empty eyes was different.
The door opened, and an EMT started asking him questions. He still couldn't hear anything other than the ringing. He just nodded his head slowly at the EMT, all the while staring at the old lady. The EMT unhooked the belt and pulled him out. He probably could have stepped out on his own, but he just let him do his job. The EMT shined his light into Cody's eyes, and he instinctively turned away and caught a glimpse of the van driver. At first, he swore that he saw Dad lying there as dead as the old lady, his face tore up from the shattered glass. Cody blinked twice and saw the driver looked nothing
like Dad. He was middle-aged with a hairline that receded in the front but hung below his ears in the back, and a greasy-looking handlebar mustache. The EMT stuck his index finger in Cody's face, motioning for him to follow it with his eyes. Cody obliged and caught a glimpse of the back of the van where he saw a boy who didn't look much older than he and Connor. He was wearing a pair of ratty jeans and an old, hemp poncho, but Cody couldn't see his eyes.
"Cody, I need you to follow my finger," the EMT said.
"Okay."
He could hear again. He still wasn't paying much attention to the EMT trying to treat him. He couldn't look away from the destroyed Astrovan. So much garbage had spilled out of the van, Cody wondered if they actually lived inside there. They killed a homeless family. His mother plowed straight into a homeless family because she had yelled at him and Connor. His selfishness killed somebody again.
This time, three different people.
He wasn't sure why, but the EMT was loading him into the ambulance. They were off to the hospital, all six of them. But Cody knew the family in the van would be heading to a much different floor.
VI
As the last ambulance left the site, the road crews and police were working to clean up the wreckage at the corner of Gable Point and Omega. The Jeep was in surprisingly good shape, having driven straight through the middle of the Astrovan, which was in shambles. The police were wrapping up their investigation when a paunchy, elderly man in a dirty trench coat stepped out of a rusty, mint green 1972 Dodge Coronet.
"Nasty looking accident. Everybody okay?" The old man asked.
"The folks in the Jeep all walked away. Seat belts," a beat cop answered.
The elderly man called himself Blake. He wore a set of wire-rimmed glasses that looked over thirty years old. The shirt under his trench coat was white at one time, but now looked yellow and dingy. Catching a whiff of him made the cop a little nauseous.
