by Scott, Zack
With calm in his eyes, he said, “We left a nightmare.”
A lantern on the counter gave the bathroom a sickly orange glow. Cold water fell over Scot’s body as he pressed against tiles, hands outstretched over his head. Dirt washed off his body, cleaning him to his normal slender paleness. He kept his eyes shut, flinching as drops hit his bullet wound. The skin over his skull wrapped into itself, sewing itself, healing itself.
The water died. Ripping the shower curtain open, with trembling feet he stepped on cold floor as he snatched a towel off the closed seat of the toilet. It felt soft against his face, then he wrapped it around his waist. Opening his eyes, he stared at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. His bullet wound had quickly become a fresh, hairless scar. He wrapped a bandage around his skull to block the gruesome scar from Kelsey’s eyes.
After dressing himself with clothes found in the master bedroom, jeans and a collared plaid shirt, Scot went to a guest room. He stood in the doorway, peeking around the corner.
Kelsey sat straight, legs off a bed, facing him. “Everything okay?”
“I think so. All we need now is sleep.”
“I’ve been fighting to stay awake.”
“You didn’t have to wait for me.” He moved into the room.
“I wanted to.” She swung her legs on the bed, eyes following him as he sat on a bed across from her.
“I don’t want to scare you.”
Kelsey made room on the bed, motioning for him to join. “Lie with me.”
Scot’s face was still before his lips shot apart and he shoved off his bed in excitement.
“Did it heal already?” Kelsey was staring at the bandage around his head as he joined her.
“Yeah, I guess.”
“Why the bandage?”
“I look gross. You don’t want to see it.”
“I want to. I was shocked to see you alive, but that doesn’t mean I’m afraid of you.” She started unwrapping it but he stopped her.
“Should we leave it on?”
“You heal so fast, though.”
“I know, but it’s weird. Sometimes I hurt myself and the wound stays forever. But this one,”—lying lower than her, he lifted his head—“I had to get back to you, Kels.”
She touched his cheek, such a warm touch, and she inched closer, giving him the lightest kiss to his forehead. A soothing whisper covered him, “We have forever to talk. Let’s sleep.”
The lantern’s light vanished and Scot lay there wide-awake, even with the comfort of her body close. She had quickly fallen asleep. He’d do the same eventually, he trusted.
His grave had never given him rest during his dead days. He’d been awake, or at least awake with his thoughts, trying to survive in another world, another realm, trying to survive with them.
Alec. Kale. Jeff.
Damn it, they were meant for something greater, and a bullet to the head finally gave Scot that realization. He thought maybe change would come, forming him into the man he should’ve always been.
As his eyes grew heavy, as he rolled over and wrapped around Kelsey, a woman’s silhouette stood in the hallway, staring at him through the dark.
Scot launched forward with outstretched arms, flailing for the lantern. With the light came clear sight, showing an empty hall.
Kelsey woke up from the commotion. “What is it?”
“I—” Scot’s bare chest heaved, his heart speeding.
“Scot?” She sat up, staring at the hall with him.
“Thought I saw something. Must’ve been nothing.”
Kels lowered to her pillow, pulling Scot down with him. “It’s okay to be scared. But you’re not alone anymore.” She whispered, “I’ll keep you safe.”
Grabbing Kelsey’s hand, Scot pressed his back against her, enjoying her as his big spoon. She held him in the dark, giving his eyes the anchors they needed to sink beneath sleep, and the hell they lived in lifted closer to heaven.
five years earlier
THEM
”Tell me something, Scotty. Do you believe in fate?”
The two high school seniors stood at an intersection. School had just ended. Hordes of other students walked in every direction, making their way to their cars, parents, or homes. The afternoon sky was warm, bright. Scot looked down at Kale, standing a couple of inches taller, still growing at the age of seventeen.
Three years had passed since their encounter with the Embracer of Death. The media frenzy, the interviews, the police reports, had all died down. The world was more concerned with the impending apocalypse. The Vault lottery had been announced days earlier. Scot and his friends didn’t know anyone who’d won.
“Fate? Why are you asking me this?” Scot responded.
“I’ve been thinking lately, about, you know—”
Scot pulled his backpack tighter. “You’re talking about it, again. You know I don’t want to. I can’t.”
“Homer talks to me about it.”
“Yeah, well, I’m not Jeff. Neither is Alec. You should respect us and let us be.”
Kale huffed. “Something big happened. I saved your asses, now the least you can do is—”
Scot was shoved from behind. He flailed forward, crashing to the concrete of the road. He lifted his cut face off the ground, swinging his head to the side. No incoming cars. Behind him, he heard Kale yell.
“Damn you, Tug!” He shoved Tug Plowsky: the terrorizing bully who should’ve graduated already but preferred to be a stereotypical mongrel that created a living hell for others.
“Hey, I didn’t know he’d fly that far. Kid is a rail!”
Kale pushed his face up to Tug and shoved him again. “Yeah, well you look like a giant Q-tip, asshole.”
The surrounding crowd laughed at the bully.
Tug’s face flushed red and he grabbed his bleach blonde curly fro. “Not cool, man, you know I have a vitamin deficiency!” He cowered away with his head down, sulking.
Kale pulled Scot to his feet. “You okay?”
Scot’s face was as red as Tug’s. He fought to keep his eyes from the crowd. “He’s going to give it to me harder now. Thanks.”
“Just stand up to him. He’s weak.” Kale swiped dirt off Scot’s sleeve.
“He’s bigger than me.”
“Yeah, well, he’s bigger than me and I got rid of that weasel.”
“I’m going home.”
“Dude, come to the mall with me. Jeff and Alec are there getting smoothies.” His voice turned soft, soothing Scot like a fluffy comforting pillow. “Smoothie will make you feel better, you want?”
Scot quickly nodded twice. “I want a smoothie.”
Outside the smoothie shop, Jeff stared at a plastic table, silent with Alec. Alec was busy replying to a text from Nicole. “You okay, bro?” he asked, even with his eyes focused on his phone.
Jeff shook up. “Huh? Yeah.”
“What’s going on? Why did you want to meet up?”
“I feel...I feel like we’re slipping away from each other.”
Alec gave a half-smile. “I suppose that’s true, but we’ve all been busy figuring out what the hell to do with ourselves after high school. Plus, things with Nicole—”
“Everything okay with her?”
“Yeah, yeah, I just, I’ve never felt like this about someone before.”
“You going to marry her?”
Alec snorted. “I’m only eighteen.”
“Why would age matter if the feelings are there?”
“Damn, Homer, when did you get so wise?”
Might as well tell him now. “I decided to join the Navy after school,” Jeff said in a light voice. “But don’t tell Kale, not yet.”
“Why the secrecy?”
Instead of answering, Jeff looked past Alec. “Here they come.”
Alec turned to see Kale and the scraped-up Scot. “Plowsky get you again?”
Scot silently affirmed this with a nod.
“God, that guy bugs me.” Jeff smacked th
e table.
“I say we egg his house tonight,” said Kale.
They all agreed.
“It’s been a while since we had a nice egging.”
Kale nudged Scot. “You down?”
“Yeah, I’m down to egg the shit out of him. Hang on, I need my smoothie.” Scot entered the store and minutes later, he returned, straw in mouth, happily slurping it down.
Kale offered him his seat but Scot stayed standing.
“All right, so, why are we here? What did you want to talk about, Kale?” Alec asked.
“I’ll cut right to it. The other night Homer and I, along with Jimmy Miller, were drinking out by the cliffs.”
Scot pulled the straw from his mouth. “You guys drink?”
They all stared at him. “Dang, Scotty,” said Kale, “You don’t jack off, you don’t drink, what do you do?”
“Watch The O.C.” He smiled as he sucked his smoothie down.
“Anyway,” Kale started again, but then looked at Jeff, “do you want to tell it?”
“No way.”
“Hey, guys,” interrupted Scot, “I do jack off now, by the way. I’m a late bloomer, is all.”
Kale raised a hand. “Just quietly drink your smoothie, okay?”
Scot complied happily.
Alec leaned closer. “So you guys were out drinking, but wait, why weren’t Scot and I invited?”
Kale grinned. “You were but you were also with your ladies.”
Scot pulled out his phone and glanced at the time. “Speaking of which, I want to go see Kels, so can we wrap this up?”
“You can wrap it up later, now suck on your smoothie and listen.” Kale scooted in his chair. “We were on the cliff, getting tipsy, then—”
He doesn’t want to say it. “Then what?”
“Jeff vanished. He fell off the damn cliff.”
All eyes landed on Jeff.
Bits of blended fruit and yogurt flew from Scot’s mouth as he broke into laughter. He choked a couple times and wiped his lips. “You fell off? If that’s true, then what are you doing here?”
“I-I don’t know.”
“Look,” Kale interrupted, “it took us a good hour or so to find him on the beach. He fell far, guys. But when we found him, he looked fine.”
Alec squinted at Kale, assessing him for any physical damage. “Impossible.”
“Obviously it’s not.”
Scot slammed his smoothie on the table, outraged. “You guys are fucking with us. You guys are trying to get us to believe your fantasies about what you think we are! Nothing happened to us that day. Nothing! We survived some psychopathic murderer and we got lucky. That’s what the world knows. That’s what we should believe.”
The table was silent until Alec said, “I agree with Scot.”
Kale nodded at Jeff. “Show them your back.”
Jeff stood, turned, and lifted his shirt. A long scar ran from his neck, wrapping to his hip.
“From the fall?”
“Yep.”
“How long ago was it?”
“Last weekend.”
Scot held his smoothie out to Kale. “Did you drug this smoothie? Because from what you guys are saying, I think I’m hallucinating.”
“No, I didn’t drug you!” Kale fixed his shirt, clearing his throat to composure. “You guys get what we’re saying though, right?”
Scot shoved the smoothie in a trashcan. “Screw both of you.” He looked at Alec. “Please don’t believe them and their shit.”
Kale stood. “Damn it, Scot! Just look at Jeff’s back!” He realized people in the outdoor mall were noticing their raised voices and looking at him so he calmed down, sinking back in his chair.
They watched as Scot stalked away.
“I think Tug Plowsky really got to him today, huh?” Alec wondered.
“Yeah, we really need to egg that guy later.” Kale tapped the table, his voice morose. “What do you make of all this?”
“I’ll tell you now.” Alec grabbed his backpack from under the table. “I know this is important to you guys, but I’m not going to jump off cliffs, or do other shit to show I’m invincible, I’m not.” He stood and flung the backpack over his shoulder. “I can’t risk losing Nicole again like we almost did at the well.” He picked at his palm. “And I know it’s been three years but they have yet to catch that Embracer guy. Aren’t you worried he’ll come back?”
Kale stared at Jeff. “I don’t think we have to worry about him anymore. As far as the world knows, he was some crazed kidnapper we escaped. Why would he risk coming back for us?”
Alec shrugged. “I need to head home for a bit but let’s meet up later and take care of Plowsky, old-school style.”
Kale and Jeff sat alone, silent, until Kale leaned forward and began babbling. “So I was thinking we could do like a Batman and Robin thing, where you’re the all powerful Batman and I’m Robin. Wait, no, actually I’ll be Nightwing because Robin simply won’t do.”
Jeff smiled, unable to look Kale in the eyes as he thought about his plans to join the Navy. His friend would be left devastated, but this was something Jeff knew he had to do. “Sure thing, buddy.”
“You ready to egg Plowsky tonight?”
Scot read the text message, typed a quick response and shut his phone. He touched Kelsey’s bare leg, stretched out across his bed. “That was Kale.”
“What does he want?”
Scot shrugged and walked his fingers across her smooth skin, “To hang out.”
“Nicole said Alec is hanging out with him tonight.”
“They’re not attached at the hip for once?”
Kelsey smiled, causing a light to beam in Scot.
He grabbed her hand. “I’d rather stay here.”
“No, no. You go hang with the boys. It will give Nicole and I some girl time together. Sadie has been ranting at us to hang out.”
“Ha. Sadie. Let me ask you something about her.”
“She’s not as crazy as she comes off, baby. She didn’t always dress like that.”
“I know. Yeah. Okay.”
Kelsey tightened around his hand and said, “I can’t believe school is almost out.”
Obviously she didn’t want to talk about Sadie, so he followed her lead like a good boyfriend and said, “I know; it’s crazy. Seems like yesterday we had our first date.”
“You better come back and visit a lot.”
“Nothing will ever keep me away from you.”
Later that night, the four friends were in Kale’s truck, parked a few houses down from the Plowsky residence.
“What’s the plan?” Alec asked, sitting in the front.
Kale stretched over the steering wheel. “We go in quick, quiet. Each of us unloads our cartons, then we retreat to the truck.”
Seated next to Scot, Jeff said, “Kale should throw first, run back, start the truck.”
“Good idea, Homer. A quick escape.”
“All right, boys,”—Alec glanced at his friends—“if anything happens, remember—”
“Every man for himself?” smirked Scot.
Alec shook his head. “For reals, we leave as four.”
They piled out of the truck, four silhouettes crouching up a dimly lit street. Scot broke to the left and rushed up grass to a gigantic tree. Eggs rattled inside the carton he held as his hand shook. “Keep cool,” he told himself. He watched as Alec, Jeff, and Kale wrapped around the house. He peeked behind the tree. No lights were on inside.
Scot grabbed the first egg but it fell out of his hand and broke on his shoe. “Shit.” He pulled out another, flipped around, and threw. It cracked on the front door. A second cracked against a window. A third hit a car in the driveway.
A light flashed on inside the home.
Scot saw Alec and Jeff waving at him. He dropped the egg carton, leapt in a sprint off the grass, his feet tumbling over one another in his hurry. He caught himself and flew across pavement, slamming to the truck. Jeff and Alec caught up to him
.
Jeff heaved for air. “Where the hell is Kale?”
“The door is locked. Why is the door locked?” Alec screamed in a loud whisper.
“Hey, you kids!” A voice boomed from the Plowsky house.
“Damn, this went to shit quickly.” Scot stared up the street. “Everyone run!”
Jeff and Alec sprinted for the next street. Scot followed but ended up tripping over himself. His back cracked as he released quiet whimpers in pain, but he rolled on his hands and pushed to his feet. Tug Plowsky and another man, who he figured was the bully’s dad, chased after him.
Scot spotted an alleyway between two houses. A flickering light tried to illuminate his dark path. He threw his hands forward and before he knew it, he hid behind a dumpster. Plowsky voices were far away, and he felt relief in his escape.
“Maybe the fourth stupidest thing we’ve done.” Scot laughed to himself, cleaning his wet palms on his jeans.
Time to get back to Kels—
A dark cloak hung in front of him. Before he could move, steel slid into his gut.
Time froze. Lost. Crouched in shock, he stared at his attacker’s face, which was shrouded by the dark cloak. He gasped, “You?”
The dark figure ripped the knife from his stomach and the cloak vanished.
Scot fell on his side, grabbed at his wound. Blood gushed through his fingers.
Somehow he made it under a flickering light.
His friends stood at the end of the alley. “Scot!”
Collapsed flat on his chest, Scot stretched a bloodied hand for them, even saw a smiling Kelsey. He reached for her.
“Scot! Scot!” Alec and Jeff fell to him.
I escape that well, those black tentacles, only to be stabbed in the gut.
When Kale showed up, Jeff asked where he’d been. Kale didn’t respond, watched as Scot coughed up blood across his chin.
“Kale, where were you?”
Scot’s eyes rolled from side to side.
“Kale.” Alec grabbed him. “Where were you?”
No response.
“Kale? Tell me you didn’t...”
Kale’s dark eyes were helpless. Lost.
five years later
