Pocket Wilderness & Other Horrors

by Jason Ingolfsland

  “Greg,” the woman said. “This man said someone’s touching people in the theater. Should we call the police?”

  “What?” Greg asked, looking up from his computer. “What do you mean?”

  “I saw an old man touching a woman in front of him. Touching her hair and smelling it.”

  Greg groaned and then let out a sigh. “Okay, I’ll go ask him to leave.” He looked me in the eye for a moment. “Thank you for letting us know.”

  He shook my hand. As we were walking down the stairs, I felt good, like I had done a good thing, helping the public stop a pervert.

  “Do you want a refund, sir?” Greg asked.

  “Oh, no, no, I’ll just watch the rest of the movie. It’s no problem.”

  “Well, you did the right thing. Just show me who it is.”

  We walked into the theater. A car chase scene blazed on the screen with gun shots and explosions while Greg and the woman marched behind me. I stood where the old man was and pointed. “That’s him,” I said. I didn’t look at the old man.

  Greg looked, squinting, and scratched his mustache while he puckered his lips.

  “Right there,” he said, pointing at the exact spot.

  “Yeah,” I said, nodding.

  At this point, everyone in the theater stared at us. I could feel their irritated eyeballs looking at me.

  Greg nodded and reached out to touch my shoulder. He guided me back up the aisle and out into the lobby.

  “I don’t understand,” I said.

  Greg was pissed. “Sir, there’s no one there. That whole row was empty.”

  “No, no, listen-,” I started, but he shot me down.

  “If this is some kind of prank, or if you’re off your meds or something, I’m going to have to call the police,” Greg snapped.

  I felt a heavy weight on my chest. Then, I looked over and saw Candace flirting with the tall, lanky undertaker at concessions. She glanced over at us.

  “I’m sorry! I’m sorry, okay? I thought I saw someone. It’s not a prank. I honest to god thought I saw someone.”

  “Okay, well, sir, enjoy your movie and, you know, keep to yourself, okay?”

  “Fine. Whatever you say.”

  Greg stormed away and the woman stood there aghast.

  “I’m sorry, sir. Sometimes Greg can get fly off the handle,” she said.

  “No kidding,” I said, scratching the back of my head.

  “You sure you saw someone?” she asked.

  I nodded. “Yeah, I did.”

  “Well, sometimes light can do weird things with your head. The other day I was minding my own business at my house, doing some sewing, and out of the corner of my eye I could have sworn I saw my late husband, looking at me. Of course, he wasn’t there, but you get what I’m saying.”

  “Yeah,” I said.

  Looking at the double doors leading back into the theater, a wave of despair and dread came over me and I didn’t want to go back like waking up from a nightmare and not wanting to go back to sleep. Maybe I should have taken Greg up on the offer for a refund, I thought. It didn’t matter. I knew if I left the theater I’d regret it for the rest of my life. I knew I saw the old man. I had to prove it somehow otherwise it would eat away at me.

  Candace continued to laugh and talk to the lanky guy, and I felt jealous. I wanted to be him, to talk to her, and forget about this stupid theater. Maybe she could help me? Occasionally, she’d look over at me standing by the doors and I’d look back like a helpless puppy. I was such an awkward person. I couldn’t help it.

  Summoning the will within, I went over to Candace and the lanky guy. Part of me wanted to just ask Candace if she wanted to go out to coffee, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t leave. So, instead, I ordered a bag of popcorn to distract the lanky guy.

  “What was that all about with Greg?” she asked me.

  “Oh, uh,” I said, trying to laugh it off. “Nothing. Just a misunderstanding.”

  “Is the movie that bad?”

  “No, it wasn’t that.”

  “What, then?”

  “Well, I thought I saw...” I stopped, hearing myself say the rest of the sentence in my head and not wanting to sound dumb in front of her.

  “Yeah?”

  “I thought I saw an old guy, um, well, touching this woman in front of him.”

  Her mouth dropped. “Are you for real?”

  The lanky guy put the bag of popcorn on the counter and said, “That’ll be four dollars.”

  I snapped my fingers. “Darn, I actually don’t have it.”

  “Seriously, dude?”

  “Yeah, sorry, that’s my fault.”

  “Whatever.”

  “Okay, well, I’ll talk to you later,” I said to Candace.

  Walking up to the theater, I was only moments away from re-entering my nightmare when Candace came up from behind me and tapped me on the shoulder. “Wait up. Can you show me the guy? I want to see him.”

  “No, it’ll be disruptive and-”

  “Tell you what. I’ll take you to the projection room. You can show me from up there.”

  “I’m allowed in there?”

  “Well, no, but no one guards it or anything. Come on.”

  The projection room looked exactly as I had imagined. Three machines tilted at an angle with the large lenses pointing out small windows into the darkened room. It smelled musty like water damage hid behind the walls. The middle projector clicked in rapid rhythm, unleashing a burst of light out of the window. Candace walked over to a small square window, her hips swaying from side to side as she walked. I couldn’t help but stare. She turned to look back at me, her blonde hair swaying to the side. She smiled.

  “Come on, show me this guy,” she said, still smiling.

  I glanced out the window and looked down. It was almost too dark to see anything, but the light from the projector illuminated it just enough to see him. Inviting Candace to come over, I pointed my finger at the window.

  “See to the middle left? He’s a little toward the front behind a brunette,” I said, letting her get a good look.

  She took a long time, squinting, and puckering her lips to the side. Her mouth, something I desperately wanted to lean forward and kiss, hung open for a moment.

  “What?” I asked. “You see him?”

  “Oh my god, I know that guy!”

  “What? Serious?”

  She looked at me. “No!” She laughed and shoved me gently on the shoulder. “There’s no one there.”

  I frowned and glanced out the window, saw the old man, and angrily looked at her. “He’s right there!”

  “I see the girl, but that entire row is empty.”

  “Well, then, I must be crazy.” I pouted and sat down on a metal stool, crossing my arms, and hanging my head.

  “Maybe. I mean, I don’t really know you, so...”

  “Yeah. Thanks.”

  She grabbed another stool and sat down in front of me. “Look, maybe you’re stressed or something? Anytime I get super stressed, I like, totally get paranoid and can’t think straight.”

  “Yeah...”

  “I mean when was the last time you came to the theater with those friends of yours? A year? It’s been a long time.”

  My head shot up and I said, “How do you know about them?”

  “You come to this theater all the time. Did you think I wouldn’t notice when you started coming alone? What happened? They get bored of movies?”

  I shrugged. “Yeah, something like that.”

  She raised an eyebrow and smirked like she wanted me say more.

  “They moved on in their lives and my life kind of stood still. Movies...I mean, I guess I didn’t matter to them much anymore. That’s just how life goes, isn’t it? People grow and change and someone gets left in the dust.”

  “I’m calling bullshit.”

  I chuckled. “What?”

  “You just had bad friends. Chin up. Keep looking. Maybe you’ll find someone who gives a damn for t
he rest of your life.”

  “I guess that’s what I’m looking for,” I said. My heart double thumped inside my chest and my stomach got butterflies. “Maybe I found one.”

  Eye contact was always a struggle for me. I felt like if you stared too long into someone’s eyes, they could see the true you, and I couldn’t let anyone in for that long. I knew they’d hate what they’d see. In this case, I forced myself to let her in, to stare into her eyes, and show her I meant it.

  We looked into each other’s eyes for a solid five seconds before she coughed and stood up, accidently knocking over the stool.

  “Yeah,” she said, elongated, dripping with discomfort. “Look, we just met...”

  “No, yeah, I mean, god, I didn’t mean to-“

  “It’s fine,” she said, holding up her hand, stopping me in my awkward tracks.

  I desperately needed to change the subject, but couldn’t decide how to do it until I just vomited out whatever first came inside my head. “What am I going to do about this old guy?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe mind your own business?”

  “Would you? Could you?”

  “Alright, let’s say you do see something. What would you even do? It’s an old man. You gonna kick his ass?”

  “No,” I said firmly.

  She chortled. “Good, because that’ll totally end up on the news and you’ll get thrown in jail. As much as I’d like to see that happen, I also would rather not.”

  “Good to know you have my back.”

  “You know it.”

  I sighed and placed my hands on my thighs. “Well, I guess I’ll go finish this movie and mind my own business.”

  “Yeah, I should get back to work.”

  I wanted to see her again and had this bad feeling I wouldn’t. When we reached the door to leave, I turned abruptly and looked down. She stood about a foot shorter. Filled with curiosity, her big, vulnerable eyes rose to meet mine.

  “I want to see you again,” I said.

  “Yeah,” she said, “me too. We still have to see a movie together.”

  I nodded. “Right.”

  “So, you going to text me?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Good.”

  Standing in front of the theater double doors, the movie suddenly felt pointless. My senses were so full I didn’t much care about it anymore, but I knew the old man remained and despite what I told Candace, I wasn’t going to mind my damn business. I intended to find out what that thing was and why it decided to visit my theater.

  Entering the theater and finding a new seat two rows back from the old man, I sat and watched the movie, keeping a close eye on him.

  He continued to softly caress the woman’s locks like she belonged to him, but no one seemed to care. No one saw him except me. My skin crawled at the sight of his grin and the boldness in his eyes.

  I leaned forward and stood, mustering the courage, when the old man’s head twisted all the way around and his eyes locked onto me. I froze. What the hell is happening right now? This can’t be happening. I frantically checked to see if anyone else saw what I did, but again, it was just me, alone. Isolated.

  I can’t tell you how badly I wanted to run for my life. It took a tremendous amount of courage to stay put after seeing his nasty head twist like an owl. He continued to stare at me with this creepy, malicious grin, sending chills down my spine. I moved slightly to the right and his eyes followed. He licked his lips and his eyes wouldn’t stop staring like a feral dog giving me a warning not to interfere with its food.

  His head twisted back around. Slowly, he lifted his frail body up to his feet and walked toward the aisle. Under a haze of fear, my legs stiffened. Is he coming for me? Please don’t let him come over here.

  He did.

  Hobbling down my aisle with shadow and light flashing across his wrinkled face, a murderous indignation stared at me. I wanted to bolt. Take off and never look back. It wouldn’t take much for me to out run the old guy. Just get up, Jerold. Get up.

  I didn’t.

  He sat down in a seat to my left and continued to look forward at the screen. For a time, he didn’t say anything, acting as if it wasn’t weird to get up during the movie and sit by me. A deep fight or flight instinct welled inside me, but I tampered them, staying put and hoping he’d go away. My better angels wanted me to lean over and ask, “Can I help you?”, but the darker devils tempted me with violence, giving the old man a good clean punch across the face. In the end I did neither, falling sway to cowardice.

  “Have I seen you before, son?” the old man said. He shot me a quick look.

  “No,” I said in a nervous whisper.

  “Interesting. You seem to have seen me before.”

  “I...I’m just here to see the movie.”

  Without notice his veiny, wrinkled hand reached and gripped my left hand like a vice grip.

  “Can I give you a piece of advice?” he asked, calm as a cucumber.

  I looked at him, swallowed hard, and nodded.

  “Don’t be the hero. These movies they brainwash us into thinking being a hero is a glamorous and righteous vocation, but the truth is, sonny, that the hero doesn’t end up happily ever after. You know what happens to him?”

  I shook my head rapidly, scared out of my gourd.

  He leaned in and whispered in my ear, “The hero ends up alone. Or dead. You pick.”

  Releasing my hand, he patted it twice, stood, and walked back to his prior seat.

  I watched the rest of the movie in a state of panic, my heart beating inside my chest like I just ran a marathon. My fingers squeezed the arm rests so tight I thought I might rip them right off. It became apparent to me in that instant I had a choice to make.

  As the credits rolled and the lights came back on, the old man remained. Movie goers shuffled out of the theater asking each other what they thought of the movie, except the old man, the woman, and me. Even her date had left her behind.

  The old man stood, walked down his aisle, turned, and walked down her aisle. As he walked, his bones cracked and his skin stretched, morphing back into the hideous beast I had seen before. She sat unmoved just waiting for him to take her away. Lifting her lifeless body over his shoulder, her arms and hair dangling behind him helplessly, he briskly walked out the front exit, no one the wiser, but before he left entirely, he glanced at me, grinned, and shot me a playful wink.

  I made my decision. I had to stop that thing. I wasn’t going to let him get away. I bolted down the aisle. My footsteps smacked against the hard floor as I swerved and raced out the exit into the cold, moonless night. A single orange street lamp illuminated the monster’s black Cadillac. What do you know? The devil drives a Cadillac.

  He swung open the back door and flung her lifeless body into the backseat. My hands trembled. I had to do something, but I was paralyzed. How was I going to stop this creature? I had no weapons. Step by step, I approached it. “Hey, you, leave her alone!” I wanted to exclaim, but it sounded so corny in my mind. Instead, I went to the other side of the car, opened the door, and started reaching in to pull the woman out.

  The guttural and hideous shriek from the back of his throat could bring the strongest soldier to tears. Never had I heard such a horrid noise, tearing through my skin, ripping open my rib cage, and gnawing on my heart. I covered my ears and groaned, hoping it would stop. When it finally ceased, I reached back into get the woman, but the beast, tall and hairy appeared to my right and hissed. Long, thick strands of drool hung from its fangs and it lunged, extending its claws.

  I yelped, hopped in the car and frantically closed the door behind me. I’m not safe in here, I thought. No safer than hiding in the lion’s den. I scrambled to open the opposite door and pull the lady out. When I did that and grabbed the woman by her waist, I heard a horrid scream from behind me. At first I thought it was the monster, but instead it was a woman with three children. I saw as she covered her children’s eyes, and I wondered why she would do such a thing, but
then I looked at the position I was in with the woman in red. Her legs spread and her dress riding up, I had my pelvis much too close. Immediately I sprang away, but the woman in red collapsed to the ground instantly.

  The screaming woman pulled up her phone and dialed 911.

  “No! Please! This isn’t what it looks like!” I exclaimed, holding out my hands.

  She, of course, didn’t believe me.

  The jail cell wreaked of vomit and 409 cleaner. Apparently a former inmate shoved a finger down his throat and wretched all over the floor. It sounded like a good strategy to get out of a hell hole, but it was doubtful it would last long. The only one in the jail cell, I sat on bench in the corner, leaning forward with my face in both my hands. Shame and embarrassment covered me like a dark shroud. Of course, I didn’t have money to afford a lawyer, so I waited for the one they appointed me to show up. I had no idea what I would tell him, but I figured he’d tell me to make a deal.

  I couldn’t get the monster out of my mind. I hated him with every inch of my being. It’s his fault, I thought. His fault. The deep, overwhelming feeling of revenge welled inside my belly, fueling my hatred. But, soon after, despair followed. I knew the chances I’d see him again were slim. Hell, next to none.

  Keys rattled from the cell door. I looked up and saw a fat security guard smiling at me with jagged teeth caked in the old remnants of chewing tobacco.

  “You got a visitor,” the guard said.

  “My lawyer?”

  “Nope. Unless your lawyer’s a pretty blonde.”

  Candace entered around the corner, holding her old book in her left hand. My blood rushed a little harder at the sight of her. It’s like I was seeing her for the first time, feeling elated she would even come to visit me. Her curvy frame. Her long, straight blonde hair that went down her back. Her big green eyes. They glistened like an angel in perdition.

  As she entered the cell, she didn’t look happy to see me, almost uncomfortable to be there at all. The guard closed the jail cell behind her and walked away. The silence was unbearable. I felt like we had been an old married couple that didn’t know what to say to each other. But I hardly knew her and didn’t understand why she had come at all. Surely she had heard about my crime. Surely she would be terrified to see me.