“Mom left a message last night. She said she’d be stuck in Ohio a few more days.”
I nodded. That was nothing new. All Mom’s hard work paid off. She was now a successful lawyer. Of course that involved a lot of time away from home.
I stuffed the Pop-tart in my mouth and snatched the keys to my truck off the table. A hand-me-down gift from Mom when she got a more business-like Mercedes to show off to clients. Still, I loved my truck, and thanked Mom a lot when I saw her.
“Oh, Mom said I could drive,” Alicia said as we left the house and walked down the sidewalk.
“Like hell she did. You’re lucky I don’t make you ride the bus.”
“Yeah, right. The only reason girls even think you’re alive is because you’re my brother.”
The sad part is I’m sure she was half right.
I picked Cindy up every day ever since I got my license. She only lived a few blocks away from us. I pulled in front of her house and gave my morning two quick honks. I saw her father Mister Marshall poke his head out the front door. I knew I’d grown up since kindergarten, but he still looked like he could crush a watermelon in his hand. He gave a friendly wave and called into the house.
A moment later Cindy hugged her father and trotted down the sidewalk. She looked great, as always. Jean shorts, showing off her runner’s legs, and a white blouse with puffy shoulders. Throughout high school, whenever she happened to be single, guys would bug me all the time about what she liked, what was she in to, could I get her number, blah blah. It annoyed the hell out of me, but I can’t say I blamed them.
“Hey guys,” she said as she opened the rear door. “Come on, Jeeves, let’s get a move on.”
Alicia laughed.
“Ha ha,” I said. It was still too early. I didn’t have a comeback ready yet.
Cindy leaned forward between us from the back seat.
“So, Leese,” Cindy said. Everyone called Alicia Leese. I was the only one who didn’t. “You figure out who you’re going to Homecoming with yet?”
I groaned. I love Alicia and Cindy, but they did have their share of girl conversations.
“I don’t know. Brian’s asked me. So has Todd. But I really want to go with Josh. But he won’t even look at me.”
“I’ll talk to him for you.”
“Nah, don’t worry about it. I can get his attention.” I rolled my eyes. “What are you and Daryl doing?”
Daryl was Cindy’s boyfriend. They’d been going out since the end of junior year. I didn’t have any problem with him, but I could tell he didn’t like me. Was he jealous of Cindy’s friendship with me? I have no idea.
“I thought we’d all go together.”
“Not me,” I said. “No date here.”
“Well, have you asked somebody?”
“Nah.”
I wasn’t that big into school events. I skipped out on junior prom the year before.
“Come on, Alex. It won’t be any fun without you.”
“Don’t worry, Cindy. We’ll get him a girl.”
“Uh, guys, I don’t need a girl.”
They didn’t say anything, but I could sense the two of them looking at each other, making plans with their eyes. I knew I was in for it. I’d have to figure out how to fight them off.
I parked in the senior lot like I did everyday. We took a few final jabs at each other, and then went our separate ways. We didn’t share any classes together. The only time we saw each other during the school day was lunch.
Lunch couldn’t come fast enough. I had a bad day. I was late for three classes, and each teacher let me know about it. I forgot I had a test in physics I hadn’t studied for. Three people asked me if Cindy was going to Homecoming with anyone, and by the third time I told them she had a boyfriend I was ready to attack people.
As I walked to the cafeteria I saw Cindy and Daryl kissing near their locker. He didn’t have lunch when we did, but always stopped for a little public affection before heading off to his next class. He made Cindy happy, and for that I was glad. Her last boyfriend broke up with her in the middle of our junior year. She was crazy about him, a senior named Jay. The bottom line was he found another senior he liked better, and dumped Cindy over the phone. It took a lot of baseball games and pizza to get her mind off of him.
I bought a lunch and headed over to our normal table. We sat with a few of Cindy’s track friends. I sat across from Alicia and gave her a friendly nod.
She took a bite of pizza and nodded in return. There’s nothing like sibling communication.
“I’m still on the hunt for a Homecoming date for you.”
I winced. “Alicia, don’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because. I really don’t want to go anyway. And I don’t want to think I’m so pathetic that I need my little sister to find a date for me.”
“Well, you are, aren’t you?”
“Ha ha.”
“Seriously, Alex. When’s the last time you had a girlfriend? Eleventh grade?”
Tenth, actually, but I felt no need to correct her.
“Yeah. So?”
“Come on. Look. This is the last year I’ll have a chance to do anything like this with you and Cindy. Then I’ll be all alone here.”
I was saved from more torture by Cindy approaching. I saw a good chance to change the subject.
“Cindy. Hey.” She sat next to me. “You still coming over tonight to watch the ballgame?”
One of our favorite pastimes. Baseball.
“Yeah. I’ve gotta go out with Daryl to buy some clothes. But I’ll be over after that.”
Alicia waved her hand around, remembering something.
“Oh, before you two get lazy tonight, I need you to drive me over Tammy’s house. She wants me to hang out with her in her haunted house.”
Tammy just moved into town that year. Alicia and her were pretty good friends. She’d been over our house a few times. But this was the first I’d heard about any haunted house.
“Huh?”
Alicia smiled. “Oh yeah. She tells me she can’t sleep or anything. Noises during the night, all of that. Just like in the movies.”
Cindy laughed at the idea. “Whatever.”
And I agreed. I didn’t give it another thought.
“Have fun with that.”
The rest of the day was normal. Cindy never rode home with us. She stayed after for track, so it was Alicia and I by ourselves. She filled me in on all the potential dates she’d interviewed for Homecoming, along with plans of renting a limousine. That sounded a little too much for Homecoming, but I didn’t argue with her. Alicia was hard to argue with once she set her mind on something.
As the sun started to set I went into the basement for my daily workout. The basement was full of different pieces of workout equipment and weights I’d gathered over the years. I leaned against the wall and did some curls while Alicia ran around upstairs getting ready to go over Tammy’s house. She actually took a shower and changed clothes to do that. I asked her what the big deal was.
“If we happen to bump into any guys I have to look good.”
All I could do was laugh.
I was nearly done my workout when a familiar pair of dark, toned legs walked down the stairs. Cindy put a hand over her eyes.
“Holy Christ! Blinding white skin! Man, Alex, put your shirt on. I haven’t eaten dinner yet.”
I laughed. I always worked out just in a pair of shorts. I talked while I squeezed out a few more reps.
“I will in a second. Can you believe that women everywhere aren’t falling over me?”
“Oh yeah. So hard to believe.”
I stared straight ahead, trying to concentrate. But I swear, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Cindy checking me out. I admit, best friend or not, I stole looks at her myself. But never did I think she did the same.
When I turned to look at her she quickly turned her head. Was she really stealing looks or was I imagining things?
“So you and Da
ryl do your thing?”
“Yeah. We talked about Homecoming. He’s gonna rent a limo tonight for six people. He’ll get a total and we’ll split it however we need to.”
I put the curl bar down and gave Cindy a look.
“Cindy, I don’t think I’ll be going.”
“Yeah you are.”
I sighed. “Cindy.”
She mocked my tone. “Alex.”
“It’s too late now to be asking around for dates.”
“It’s never too late. I know Leese has a list about a mile long right now. Or just go stag. But you have to come.”
“Oh, do I?”
“If you don’t, I won’t go. Then Leese probably won’t go. Then Daryl will blame you and he won’t be happy.”
“You’re serious?”
She nodded. She certainly looked it.
I took a deep breath. Alicia and Cindy both had their ways of getting what they wanted out of me.
“Alright. But tell Leese to call off the search. If I can’t find anyone to go with I’ll just go alone.”
“Good. I knew you’d see it my way.” She flashed that bright smile of hers.
I heard the basement door open at the top of the steps.
“Hey!” Alicia called. “You taking me to Tammy’s or what?”
“Yeah. Hold on a minute. The house ain’t going nowhere.”
I grabbed my shirt and slipped it on.
“Do I look alright?”
The corner of Cindy’s mouth curled up slightly, almost into a smile. I was dying to know what was going on inside that head of hers.
“Yeah, you look good.”
We went upstairs to see Alicia already by the front door. Patience definitely wasn’t one of her better qualities. Tammy’s house was about ten minutes away on the other side of town. Alicia was bouncy when Cindy told her I was going to Homecoming. She started reading off her list. Literally, a list, that she started on during school. Suddenly I didn’t have the heart to tell her I didn’t want her help.
We pulled up in front of Tammy’s house. She was sitting on the front steps, which I thought was weird. It was a little too hot to just hang out on the front porch. Cindy and I got out of the truck along with Alicia to say a quick hello. Tammy stood up and walked toward us.
I was startled as she drew closer.
Tammy was always a cute girl, which is why her appearance caught me off guard. She looked almost sick. Her skin was pale white along with dark circles under her eyes. She tried to smile a little, but it didn’t quite happen. She looked exhausted, like she could pass out at any time.
“Hey Tammy, how you doing?” Cindy asked.
“I’m...okay, thanks.”
Alicia gave me a look and glanced at the time on her cell phone.
“Come get me at ten?”
“Why don’t you guys just hang out here?” Tammy asked. There was something in her voice. It bordered on desperation.
“Eh, I don’t know,” I said. I looked at Cindy. “We were gonna get a pizza and watch some baseball.”
“We can do that here. Come on. It’ll be fun. It’ll be nice to have a cute guy around.”
Cindy laughed. “Alex? Cute? Maybe in an ugly bulldog way.”
Everyone laughed back. I did too, but I wasn’t flattered by Tammy’s comment. She wasn’t trying to flirt. I could see she just really wanted our company. I wasn’t sure why. I shrugged.
“Sound okay to you, Cindy?”
“Yeah. Maybe I’ll call Daryl when he’s done working on his car and get a real cute guy over here.”
“Funny.”
I was the last one to step into the house. I immediately folded my arms. It was like walking into a freezer.
“Jesus, Tammy. You trying to make ice cubes in the living room?”
The girls looked at each other for a moment, then back at me.
“I’m fine.”
“Yeah, Alex. Stop being such a bitch.”
It’s hard to describe what happened next. The girls were chatting, but I wasn’t listening. Cindy and Alicia sat on the couch while Tammy went into the kitchen to get drinks for everyone. I didn’t move an inch from the front door.
Something was wrong.
I didn’t know what the something was. I studied everything I could see. The house looked normal enough. The living room was right in front of me with a TV, couch, and chair. The dining room was to the left, complete with a table and chairs. Through an open archway I could see Tammy in the kitchen. Pictures of Tammy and her parents were on the walls. There was nothing out of the ordinary.
I felt something lightly touch the back of my head. It felt like fingers.
I whirled around. There was only the front door.
Even though I was freezing I could feel the sweat on my forehead.
“Alex? You deaf over there?”
I turned to see Cindy giving me a concerned look.
“Huh? What?”
“You okay?”
No, I wasn’t. But I did manage a nod.
I was terrified, and I didn’t know why. It was just like stepping into a creepy basement, only this was Tammy’s living room. I looked in every direction before I sat down next to Cindy. The only thing I couldn’t see very well was the stairs leading upstairs in the far corner.
Tammy handed me a glass of soda and I smiled graciously. I wiped the sweat from my forehead before taking a drink. She put the ballgame on to satisfy me and Cindy while she and Alicia talked.
“So where’s the folks at tonight?”
“They’re out having dinner. Thanks for coming over.”
“Oh yeah, anytime. Party at your place.”
Everyone laughed but me.
“Come on man, that was at the knees,” Cindy said, shaking her head at the ballgame. “Alex, was that a strike?”
“Huh? Oh yeah.”
I wasn’t paying attention, and Cindy knew it. I felt her eyes on me, trying to figure out what was wrong. I said nothing. We teased each other a lot, but we cared for one another more than words could say, and we knew when something was wrong with the other. But she wouldn’t ask me now, in front of everyone, and I was thankful for that, because I didn’t know myself.
I knew I just wanted to leave.
*****
An hour passed. The sun had set outside. I could see the glow of the streetlight just outside the dining room window. Alicia and Tammy still talked about everything they could think of. Tammy looked much better than she did when we got to her house.
I wish I could say the same for me.
The nightfall made the house creepier. The living room and kitchen lights were on, but that didn’t help any. I stole a glance into the kitchen. There was something there. I didn’t know what it was, but something was in the kitchen watching us. I could feel a set of eyes on us. I could actually tell who it was looking at too. It looked at Cindy for a few seconds. Then to Alicia. Then it stared at Tammy a little longer. It seemed more interested in her. Its eyes fell on everyone as they spoke, but it kept going back to Tammy.
Cindy touched my shoulder. I jumped. I wouldn’t have cared if Alicia or Tammy noticed, but they didn’t.
If I looked like I felt, then I understand the concern in Cindy’s eyes. I felt nauseous, like I could throw up at any second. I was still freezing. The goosebumps on my arms were evidence to that. The back of my shirt was damp with sweat.
“Alex, you look terrible,” she said. There was no sarcasm, no humor in her voice. She was worried about me. “What’s wrong?”
I opened my mouth to say something.
“Get out.”
The voice was quiet, almost a whisper, but still crystal clear. It chilled me to the bone. I couldn’t tell if it was a man or woman. It came from a few feet away to my left, near the kitchen. I spun my head and pressed back a little against Cindy.
There was nothing there.
I could no longer feel the presence of whatever it was in the kitchen, but that didn’t calm me down. Alicia an
d Tammy were still talking behind me, but I didn’t hear a word they said. I could only hear the thumping of my heart and feel the touch of Cindy’s hand on my shoulder.
Tammy noticed me staring. She muted the TV. Alicia stopped talking, curious about what was going on. The house was dead quiet nearly half a minute. Finally, Alicia spoke.
“Uh, guys? Did I miss something?”
I turned and searched each of their faces. They were confused, not frightened.
“You guys didn’t hear that, did you?”
Alicia shrugged for the rest of them. Cindy shook her head. But I saw Tammy’s expression begin to change.
Another whisper behind me. This time closer.
“I will kill you.”
I jumped off the couch and spun around. I knew I wouldn’t see anything, but looked anyway. Cindy jumped up too. Alicia looked annoyed.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” she asked.
A loud thump brought everyone to their feet. It was right above us. It sounded like something fell upstairs.
Then there was a softer thump.
Then another.
Footsteps. There were five or so before they stopped.
“I thought you said your parents were at dinner?” Alicia said. I could hear a little shakiness in her voice.
“They are.”
A creaking noise from the kitchen. We looked in and had a clear view of one of the cabinets opening by itself, revealing a collection of pots and pans. Even after it opened we just stared, not quite sure what else was going to happen.
“It’s the ghost,” Tammy said.
Alicia gave her a look. “The what?”
“I told you, we have a ghost here.”
“I thought you were just kidding.”
Tammy looked irritated. “Oh yeah. Ha ha.”
The kitchen cabinet closed with a loud bang. Then another slowly opened.
I’m not sure if the girls realized it, but they drew closer to me. Ironic, as I was probably more scared than any of them.
“It just makes noise,” Tammy explained. She tried to be calm, but her voice told us otherwise. “Scary as shit. But that’s all it does. It’ll stop in another minute. It doesn’t do anything when other people are over.”
“I guess it likes us,” Cindy said, trying to lighten the mood. I could hear the fear in her voice too.
They couldn’t hear the voice. Apparently I could.
Demonspawn Page 2
