Among You

by Jack Wallen

  “I want you out of my way.”

  Skorsdan.

  There was no telling what he would do. The man had ‘unstable’ written all over his masked face.

  Instead of replying, I ran. Though my legs and lungs protested mightily, I made like Scotty on the USS Enterprise and gave it everything I had.

  No matter how fast and far I ran, Skorsdan’s voice was always there, whispering in my ears…

  “Human.”

  I reached a clearing, in what had to be the center of the woods. The large stone pillar stood in the center. At the base of the monolith lay the remnants of a bonfire. From this central location, a wheel of paths extended outward. Twelve paths, to be exact. Everyone knew of the Monolith and had used it for campfires, voyeuristic love retreats, and – rumor has it – sacrificial slaughters.

  The voice returned. “It’s about time you arrived.”

  I tossed caution to every wind it could catch and shouted, “What the hell do you want, Skorsdan?”

  “Who is Skorsdan?” Sally stepped out of the shadows. I rushed to her and gave her a rib-crushing embrace.

  “Wow, Scott, is that a pistol in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?”

  Sally dropped her best Mae West impersonation and returned the hug. Normally I would have joined in on the old west shtick, but there wasn’t time. I grabbed her hand and pulled her on.

  “We need to get out of these woods. Now.”

  Sally resisted, her feet planted firmly to the ground.

  “Scott, you’re scaring me. What’s going on?”

  I gave a gentle tug on Sally’s arm. “Let’s get out of here. I’ll explain everything on the way to your car.”

  She finally relented. We did our best to keep the pace at a jog…even though my out-of-shape body was threatening to revolt. As we rushed away, I filled Sally in on every detail I could recall – between desperate gasps and gulps of air. We reached the car, got in, locked the doors, and Sally finally turned to me to speak.

  “This is crazy, Scott. You don’t know anything about these people. What if…what if they’re some crazy Texas chainsaw family hoping to serve you up at their next cotillion?”

  The idea never occurred to me; which is strange, considering my mind generally defaulted to darker paths. This was once scenario I wanted to keep out of that darkness.

  Sally started the car and drove off into the night. An unfamiliar silence settled between the two of us.

  Finally, I broke the spell. “It’s not like that, Sally.”

  “How do you know, Scott? There are a lot of unanswered questions.”

  “Like what?”

  Sally offered a quick glance my way. Even in the dim light of the car, I could see the glint of concern in her eyes.

  “Seriously? Scott, you don’t know anything about these people other than what you read in a fictitious book. And, hello, the masks? Can you say, Leatherface? I think you can.”

  Three seconds ticked by before we burst out laughing. It dawned on me we were both making a big deal out of what was probably nothing. This wasn’t Romeo and Juliet or, heaven forbid, Twilight. Babbette was just some girl I danced with who happened to cast this crazy spell over either my heart or my libido and I mistakenly let her get the best of me.

  “You’re right, Sally. This is crazy. I need to forget about this whole mess and just get back to my life.”

  “That’s the Scott I know and lust after…”

  Another round of laughter – even though we both knew there was a smattering of truth to her last statement.

  Sally grabbed my hand. “I can’t believe I’m about to say this, Scott; but if you think there’s a chance for something special with this girl, you need to follow through with it. Who knows, she may be the one. If you pass up on something that special, you may never get another chance.”

  The double edged sword of meaning was clear in Sally’s words. She had been convinced, a long time ago, that I was the one for her. When it never happened, I thought the hole in her heart would never heal. But here we were – the best of friends.

  A tiny part of me wanted to say she was right and I should ignore the perceived danger. When I glanced at Sally, my heart flipped in its cage and I realized there was no need to jam that dagger any further into her chest. Instead, I silently reached out, grabbed her hand, and interwove my fingers with hers.

  “Slumber party,” I said. “My house. I won’t take ‘no’ for an answer.”

  Sally and I were fortunate that our parents were both cool with how close we were. There was never any awkwardness with us spending the night, or too much time, together. The only hiccup was the brief period we were dating. Then, it was doors open and one foot on the floor. Once we ended the romance, everything seemed to fall back into place as if it never changed. Either way, Sally and I had always enjoyed a very close relationship that drifted in and out of boundaries most teenagers wouldn’t have the capacity to grasp.

  After a quick call to her parents, Sally pointed her car toward my house and I connected my phone to her stereo and unleashed some tunes.

  “Siouxsie and the Banshees,” Sally squealed.

  We sang along with the Peepshow album until the car came to a stop in my driveway.

  At the moment, life was back to normal. Thoughts of Babbette, Timely, Skorsdan, and the whole of Tyler’s End faded into memory.

  We slipped through the front door to find my mom and dad cozied up to one another on the couch.

  “Scott, is that you?” my mom called out.

  “No, it’s Norman Bates, mother. Can I borrow your dress?”

  That always got a laugh from my dad.

  We walked into the family room to formally announce our plans.

  Mom spotted Sally and held out her hand. Sally grabbed it and said ‘hello’.

  After a quick pit stop in the kitchen for snacks and soda, we climbed the stairs to my room for some horror, some gossip, and some sleep.

  To no surprise, sleep came faster than we expected.

  *

  Something was wrong. Everything around me was off – as if sound and vision had fallen out of sync. I was walking through Tyler’s End; beams of a blistering sun contradicted the leafless trees and children rushing about in costume for trick-or-treating.

  A tiny child, dressed as a vampire walked by, grabbed another child, and ripped the throat from the unsuspecting kid with its fangs. Blood sprayed in a rainbow of scarlet. The child-vampire lifted his fanged mouth from the neck and unleashed a victorious and monstrous laugh.

  Just as the vampire’s celebration reached its peak, a four foot high Godzilla shot a blazing blue beam of fire which roasted the vampire in an instant.

  A bell tolled a dark and ominous sound as an oily shadow stretched out from nowhere. Every child in the vicinity shattered into pieces as if they were made of paper-thin glass.

  I stood, alone, on the street. My feet too heavy to run. No matter how much the urge pulled, I was stuck.

  “Human,” the familiar whisper drifted to my ears.

  Words refused to form in my mouth.

  “Human, you have no business here.” The singular voice turned into a hellish chorus in a hate-filled key that brought me to my knees.

  I pressed the palms of my hands to my ears to keep the noise at bay. Still, the Devil’s song sang out. Just as I was certain my life would end, the sound fell silent. The whole of the world seemed to fall into an absolute silence. A murder of crows exploded from a nearby tree – not a sound was heard. A gust of wind silently blew the bare trees from side to side.

  And then…they appeared. One by one, the inhabitants of Tyler’s End showed themselves in the small area of town. From a few blocks away, it looked as if their faces were nothing more than a blur of skin. As they drew nearer, the site grew far more disturbing. Their faces faded and flickered, in a nightmare theater, between human and monster. At first the shifts were in sync; but as they grew closer, the shifting grew random.


  The first to reach me was Babbette. Her face froze in its monstrous form. She pointed a finger toward me and hissed, “You’re not one of us.” Her human face appeared and she smiled at me. Her human face faded and she reached a clawed hand to my throat. Cold, leathery fingers wrapped around my windpipe and stopped me from sucking down precious air. I struggled against Babbette’s grip. With each slap and tug at her hands, the crushing finger vise grew tighter.

  Babbette looked away from me. I followed her eyes to see Timely move near and lean down to my level. She reached a razor-sharp talon to my face and began to slice through my flesh. A shock wave of terrific pain splashed through my system. Warm blood poured down my neck. I cried out, but my voice was replaced by an infant’s cry.

  “Your mask is complete,” Timely whispered in my ear. She held aloft the flesh, carved from my face.

  My face.

  What Timely held before me was my face…in perfect condition. It looked exactly like the masks hanging in the basement of the Gaultier House – only it was me. I reached up to grab the mask only to have it snatched away by Babbette. She stood and turned to the oncoming horde of masked monsters. Skorsdan approached her and she tore a corner of flesh from my mask and fed it to him. The second the flesh was swallowed, Skorsdan vanished in a puff of black, sulfuric smoke.

  One by one, the monsters were fed until my mask had been completely consumed. I screamed out to Babbette, this time the sound of my voice was that of a squealing pig.

  “Scott,” a disembodied voice called out from nowhere and everywhere.

  My squealing continued.

  “Scott, it’s Sally. You’re having a bad dream.”

  I jerked up. Sweat poured down my back and immediately cooled as it was touched by the stale air of my bedroom. My hands scrambled to my face. The second I felt the flesh whole, I released a sigh.

  “You okay?” Sally asked.

  All I could do was nod. My mind raced to latch on to the memory of the dream. There was something within the nightmare landscape that promised an answer to an unasked question.

  I rolled over and grabbed the notebook that was always within reach of my bed. I scratched out as many notes as I could before the finer detail of the dream disappeared into fragmented memory.

  “Scott, talk to me.”

  Finally, I felt as if enough of the dream had been captured and I turned to Sally to share with her as much of the nightmare as I could put into words. Once I relayed the dream, Sally stared at me, wide-eyed and said, “Holy crap, Scott. You know how I feel about dreams…your soul trying to make you see the truth your mind refuses to accept. We need to go back for another visit.”

  I couldn’t believe what I’d heard. Sally’s natural habitat was comfort and safety. She was never one to venture too far outside of the realm of the normal. I was the craziest thing she usually allowed herself. That meant one thing to me – we did have to go back.

  We agreed to discuss the details of our next outing after we managed to get enough sleep to satisfy our teenage needs.

  As I lay my head on my pillow, I tried to think pleasant thoughts. I knew there was no way to control my dreams; but I’d do anything to prevent from dropping back into that bleak world again.

  sixteen | secrets and crushes

  “We shouldn’t be doing this, Timely.” Babbette’s voice was laced with uncertainty.

  Timely rolled her eyes and replied with her usual over-confidence. “Babs, you worry too much. I told your father we were going to see a movie…a rom com. He’ll not get within a mile of that cinema. We’re safe.”

  Babbette giggled. “Can you imagine? My father sitting through a romantic comedy? Timely, you are brilliant when it comes to being sneaky and underhanded.”

  “I’m not sure how I should take that, Babbette.”

  “Take it as the compliment I intended it to be. A lady never knows when she will need to sneak her way out of a situation.”

  Both girls unleashed a raucous laugh before Babbette returned the conversation back to the moment.

  “So, Timely, what’s the plan?”

  “What do mean? This is all about you and Scott.”

  Babbette huffed. “I know, but I’m horrible at such doings. All I could think of was finding him and watching him from a distance.”

  Timely grinned. “And the purpose of this creeping?”

  “To see what he’s like. The last time ‘Kind took an interest in a human, lives were lost. I have to make sure Scott is someone to be trusted before I decide to continue this adventure.”

  “Then I packed correctly.”

  “Do you think I’m foolish for doing this?” Babbette asked.

  Timely grabbed Babbette’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “Are you kidding me? What we are doing is in the name of love. What greater justification do you need?”

  “But it’s not for the greater good of the ‘Kind,” Babbette replied softly.

  “Pish posh on the greater good. Sometimes you have to do what’s right for you, Babbette. You’re the daughter of the greatest ‘Kind to ever live…you have every right to live a little for yourself.”

  “You’re right…I guess.”

  “I know I’m right.”

  Timely’s car finally crossed into the busiest part of town.

  “Where to now, Babs?”

  “It’s a weekend, so Scott wouldn’t be in school. My first guess is his home.”

  The car came to a stop at a light. Both girls looked to one another and simultaneously rolled their eyes.

  “I guess our planning wasn’t as thorough as it should have been,” sighed Timely.

  Babbette placed a cautious hand on Timely’s arm. “There’s one thing we can do; but you mustn’t ever mention this, especially to father. I have vowed to never let slip this secret to anyone, not even you.”

  “How long have you had this secret? And how did you manage to keep it from me?”

  Babbette wrinkled her brow and bit her lip. “Trust me, it’s not been easy. We’ve shared everything with one another. Holding this secret from you always made me feel, I don’t know, dirty.”

  “Should I be nervous, Babbette? Will you be breaking some sacred oath or something? I don’t want to…”

  “Oh shush,” Babbette interrupted. “You know you want to know this secret as badly as I want to tell it.”

  The slightest smile threaded its way through Babbette’s lips.

  “Now if I can remember how it is done.”

  “How, what is done?” asked Timely.

  “Pull the car into that lot.”

  The light turned green. Timely gave the gas a gentle nudge and spun the wheel enough to turn the car into the parking lot. As soon as the vehicle came to a stop, Babbette opened the passenger door and stepped out.

  The girls stood side by side behind the car. Timely took in a deep breath and whispered, “I can smell them.”

  “Who?”

  “The humans.”

  Babbette inhaled and shook her head. “I don’t smell anything different.”

  Timely breathed in gently. “It’s only the slightest hint of human flesh. Soaps and shampoos that have too long ago stripped the skin of its natural scent.”

  Babbette took another breath – this time with her eyes closed. Her heightened sense of smell caused recognition to dance on her cheeks and lips. “I smell it. It’s not unpleasant, just unnatural; a bit sweet. I think I like it.”

  “Okay, Babs, enough stalling. What is this wicked magic you have to show me, even though you’ve only begun to go through the change? And why have I not known about all these special gifts of yours?”

  Babbette smacked Timely, lightly across the shoulder. “I never said it was wicked, and I never said it was magic.” Babbette looked to Timely, her eyes dark and bristling with mystery. “There are some things you simply cannot know.”

  “So it is said.” Timely spoke the words she’d been taught as a child. The phrase was used when wisdom had been handed down from a
n elder or one superior in intellect or experience. In Babbette’s case, it was out of respect for Gorman and the power of the Gaultier house. Timely grinned and gestured for Babbette to continue.

  “Father taught me this a long time ago. I was to only use it in case of emergencies – like should Steffen disappear.” Babbette’s mood darkened slightly. Timely grabbed her hand and squeezed.

  Not a word was spoken. Both girls understood the pain of such profound loss.

  Babbette nodded once and then raised her hands. “This is a tracer we can use to locate something or someone we care about. It’s very difficult to master, but once you know it, it’s very easy to use.”

  Babbette quickly scanned the area and then, with her hands held before her, sub-vocalized the incantation for the spell. She finally released a gentle puff of air and, from the palms of her hands, a faint, bluish-white light rose and sped off to its destination. In the light’s wake, a glowing thread remained aloft.

  “Babbette,” Timely panicked. “What if someone sees that?”

  “No need to freak out. It is only visible to ‘Kind, dear Timely.”

  Timely stepped out in front of the car and placed her hand in the tracers contrail. An almost imperceptible symphony of glass bells sang out from the glow. Timely laughed.

  “It’s beautiful. I’ve never seen anything like it. Dearest Babbette, there is much to be learned from you.”

  “And much to keep silent,” Babbette added.

  The girls slipped back into the car and Timely drove off, chasing the glowing trail of soft light.

  *

  The car arrived. The tracer ended in the driveway of a modest, two-story home in the middle of a fairly nondescript neighborhood. The car ticked and popped as the engine cooled in the November morning air. Both girls stared at the house in silence. After a moment, Timely squealed.

  “Babs, is this it? Are we at the house of the infamous Scott?”

  Babbette whispered, her voice brimming with a nervous energy. “I think so.”

  “Do we just wait out here? Or do we knock on the door pretending to sell cookies or something?”