by Milo Abrams
"What the fuck?" Owen squeezed the camera. His brain was unable to process what they were seeing.
"Oh man," Jack sighed and fell back onto the couch.
"We aren't going to be able to see them, are we?" James asked plopping down next to Jack.
"No way, not with that camera. The file formats aren't the same so it can't read them. It'll only let you format the card and if we do that..."
"Bye-bye pictures," Owen said, popping the SD card out. "Bullshit." He took the camera and threw it across the room into the hallway.
"Well what are we going to do now?" James asked.
They just looked at one another. Jack and Owen both had the same thought, the whole idea was just a lost cause. They had put some much time and effort into trying to see the monster with no reward.
"Maybe we should just forget about this and go back to our real lives," Jack suggested.
This squeezed James into a pancake of defeat. He felt flat and deflated, like all the excitement of life had just been squeezed out of him by the weight of repeated hardship. The weight of failure after failure was soul crushing.
"I'm not entirely convinced this thing exists,” Owen said. "Sucks. We should just go out there and look ourselves."
That got the wheels in James's head turning. "You're right," he said, "we should just go back and look."
"But we aren't allowed back at your dad's house. Besides, how would we get there anyway?" Jack asked sitting up.
"Well, we could get your sister to take us," James said. "She seems to like Owen and he could convince her, maybe?"
"What!" Owen jumped, "Nora likes me? Since when? Why didn't anyone tell me this?"
James and Jack looked at each other and laughed. Owen realized they didn't mean it literally, as if somehow Nora had been hiding her secret crush on Owen and had told only them.
"You guys are dicks," Owen yelled, stomping out the front door.
Jack and James ran to catch up and they all started their trek back to Jack's house.
"Okay, so wait. What's our plan going to be? We have to tell our parents something?" Jack asked.
"Oh, that's an easy one," Owen said waving his hand in an elongated circle above him as he walked. Jack and James looked confused at his gesture.
"What?" James asked.
"It's called the circular sleepover deception," Owen explained, "I'll tell my mom I'm staying the night at Jack's house, and you two tell your parents you are spending the night at my house."
Jack's eyebrows slanted, "How is that a circular deception? Where do you come up with these names?"
"It makes sense to me,” Owen said, “and I'm the mastermind here, so it’s circular.”
"Okay so you, the Mastermind, are going to convince my sister to give us a ride out to James's dad's house?"
Owen nodded.
"But what about—
"No more questions!" Owen yelled. "Sometimes you can't plan out the plan, you have to work on the fly."
Jack was intimidated by Owen so he said nothing more. By the time they walked the half an hour walk back to Jack's, Nora's car was nowhere to be seen.
"Oh no," James said, "she's gone. First time I've been upset to see that!"
Jack laughed but Owen looked at him with crossed arms. The Mastermind, however, was already working on a back-up plan while the other two began to accept defeat.
"Ah you see, all hope is not lost!" Owen yelled.
"Are you ever going to stop that annoying voice?" Jack asked.
"Never!" he said, pretending to twist a mustache while making the haughty tone of his voice more obnoxious just to annoy his friends. "The Mastermind has already come up with a plan!"
"What's that?" James asked.
Owen pointed at the Red Rocket which was still sitting in the driveway at James's house.
"No way," James said, "my dad is pretty cool now but there's no way he'll take us back there."
"No, no, no," Owen shook his head, "we’ll be stowaways!"
"Where do you come up with these crazy ideas?" Jack asked, rolling his eyes.
"Internet mostly. Listen, you guys keep on with the original plan. Tell your parents you’re staying at my place and I'll call my mom when we get to ground zero."
"Are you going to talk like this the whole time?" Jack asked.
"Only until the mission is complete. Part one was the heist and part two is the ride. Now go on, I’ll wait out here for you."
Jack ran inside his house to complete his part of the Mastermind's plan. James ran into his and saw his parents in the kitchen still sitting at the table talking. They looked up at him surprised.
"You're back early," Margaret said, "I figured your first day back in town you'd stay at Owen's."
"Actually, I was just going to ask if I could."
His parents looked at each other and then his mother smiled wide. "Of course, sweetie," she said.
"Yeah, you didn't have to come all the way back to tell us," Nolan said. "You're back in civilization where phones replaced telegrams and horse-carried mail."
"Oh I know," James pretended, "I—uh just came back to grab the game camera and so I figured I'd just ask while I was here."
His dad smiled and went back to chatting with his wife. James ignored them and ran to his bedroom. He was on high alert because he had a plan to carry out. He grabbed the game camera off the bed, headed back through the house and waved to his parents as he walked out the door. Jack and Owen were waiting for him when he got outside.
"Well?" Owen asked.
"Well what? I asked and they think I'm staying at your house."
"That's great," Owen said, "but did you find out when your dad is leaving? I mean, I don't know if you noticed, but it's hot as hell out here and inside that truck bed is going to be an even hotter hell the longer we have to wait in there."
Jack pulled out his cell phone and looked at the weather forecast. "Yup," he said, "not getting any cooler any time soon."
"Go on, bro. Get in there and find out when he's leaving, and if he isn't leaving soon, try to figure out when he is leaving!" Owen slapped James on the shoulder.
James ran back up to the house and opened the door, surprising his parents yet again. "Back so soon?" his dad asked.
"Actually, I was wondering when you're leaving?"
His parents looked at him funny.
"I just wanted to say goodbye is all and if you weren't leaving until later, you know, I don't want to come back and get a game or something and then have to say goodbye again. It would be weird."
Nolan smiled. "What a kid," he said. "I mean, yeah, I suppose I have to get going. I have some errands to run."
"Dad? Are you still going stay at your house?"
Nolan scratched his head. "Well I didn't really think about it."
"It probably isn't very safe," Margaret said.
"Yeah, you don't want to be unsafe," James added.
Nolan looked at his son again. James worried that he had blown the entire plan. "You feeling okay, son? You’re asking some pretty odd questions.”
"I'm great," James said, "I just worry about you, too!" Just then, standing in the open doorway, Duffy stuck is head through James's legs.
"Look at that," Margaret said, "Duff jumped over the fence again. We really have to fix that."
"Don't worry, Mom. I'll tie him back up." James looked at his dad, "So, you're leaving soon?"
Nolan laughed. "Yeah, I guess in a few minutes I should." He stood up and stretched.
"Great! Well, see you later!" James said bolting out the door. He lost his grip on Duffy's collar, allowing him to run around Jack and Owen playfully.
"Good?" Owen asked.
"Yes, c'mon we have to hurry, he's leaving in a couple minutes!" James grabbed Duffy by the collar and dragged him to the gate to the backyard at the side of the house. He opened it up and closed Duffy inside and then ran back to the Red Rocket. The three boys piled inside the bed, underneath the tarp cover and instantly began sweating.
/> “Oh my God, it's hot in here," Jack whined.
"Shhh," Owen hissed, "you're going to blow our cover, you baby!"
Two fuzzy paws grabbed the tailgate and then Duffy jumped inside with the boys.
"Oh, what the hell!" James squealed as Duffy pressed against him in the cramped space and began licking his face. "Get out Duff!" But Duffy wouldn't move, he just sat quietly against James, pinning him inside the truck bed.
"Looks like Duff is coming too," Owen whispered.
"How're we going to get out of here?" Jack asked, "you know, if someone closes the tailgate? And if they don't, how're we going to not fall out!" He began to panic.
Owen crawled to the end of the truck, slid half his body out into the open air and unsnapped a couple of the buttons that held the cover down, then slid back inside and closed the tailgate. "There. Just enough room to put an arm through to reach the handle. Now be quiet, I hear someone!"
Nolan walked out of the house with Margaret close behind. They both got into the truck still talking, but their voices were nothing but muffles to the boys in the back. The truck backed out of the driveway and then picked up speed. The rumbling of the Red Rocket was considerably louder inside the bed.
"Did your mom just leave with him?" Owen yelled to James.
"It sounded like it," he said, struggling to move Duffy off him. "Damn Duff, you're making it even hotter in here!"
With each curve the boys slid around inside the bed but tried to stay quiet. Jack crawled toward Owen in the darkness, with the only light coming in from the unsnapped buttons on the truck frame.
"Here's a question. What're we going to do if they don't go back to the house?"
The Mastermind hadn't thought that far ahead, but Owen didn't want to come off as a fool so he tried to play it cool by keeping his voice calm. "We'll just have to take that chance," he said.
Other than the heat and Duffy's hot breath, the ride was bearable. James began to feel like he was on an adventure. He had never disobeyed his parents before and it felt new and strangely fun. Surprisingly for them, the ride didn't seem very long, causing Jack to freak out.
"Oh man guys, I don't think it's been long enough. He's not going to the house. Why would he? What're we going to do? I can't stay in here much longer!"
As Jack’s anxiety-riddled rambling tapered off, the smooth road disappeared and the boys were no longer quietly sitting in the bed of a truck but inside what felt like a violent dryer. The bumps and potholes bounced the truck all over which threw the boys around in the back like laundry. After just a few minutes of tumbling, the truck slowed down and pulled into the driveway of Nolan's house. Nolan killed the engine and James held Duffy close to his chest with his fingers tightly wrapped around his collar so that he wouldn't blow their cover.
Margaret opened her door and stepped out into the driveway. "Oh, wow."
"You’ve got to see the inside," Nolan said, and like giddy schoolchildren they disappeared into the house.
"Okay," Owen said, "it's time to make our move." He slid to the end of the truck bed, reached through the hole and tried to open the tailgate. He struggled.
"Come on, Owen!" Jack whispered. "What if they come back out?"
"I'm—try—ing, asshole..." Owen grunted, and with the next try the tailgate popped down and he fell with it.
As soon as he saw the tailgate open, Duffy broke free of James’s grip and jumped out.
"Shit!" James yelled as the three of them quickly fell out to the ground. They closed the tailgate and ran for the barn, hoping they weren’t spotted.
"Why'd you let go?" Owen yelled at James once they were in the barn.
"I didn't let go! It was a thousand degrees in there and my hands were soaked!"
"Where did he go?" Jack asked.
"Probably running through the backyard," James said, "we have to get him into the barn so they don't see him.”
"I don't see him anywhere," Jack said holding his hand horizontally above his eyes to block the sun.
"Let's go up top so we can get a better view," James waved them along as he walked toward the ladder.
The toolbox was still lying face down on the ground with tools all over but what really caught the boys' eyes was the car. It was leaning against the inside wall of the barn on its side, flipped like it was just a toy. The bottom showed the gaping hole where the large fuel tank used to be, with twisted bits of metal hanging off and a strange fluid pooling on the floor.
"Whoa," Owen whispered.
The three boys left the wreckage behind and climbed up the aluminum ladder that led up to the hayloft.
"Wow, this is cool!" Jack exclaimed as he stuck his head up the top of the ladder.
"Yes, yes," James said impatiently. "I'll give you the grand tour after we get Duffy."
They reached the hay door and peered outside. There they saw Duffy running laps around the backyard like a comet in orbit.
"There he is!" Jack yelled.
"How the hell are we going to get him in here?" Owen asked James.
"I have no idea." He looked at the house but couldn't see his parents in any of the windows. "For all we know, they already saw him."
"Unlikely," Jack said, "I imagine if they did they would be so surprised they would immediately come outside. So, I would say as long as we don't see them come outside, we can assume we're still in the clear."
"Okay, well then I'll head down and try and lead him over and you guys be my lookout, okay?" James headed for the ladder. Once out at the front of the barn he looked up and said, "Where's he at now?"
Owen pointed toward the other side of the house. "Other side. Walk around the back against the house and try calling him!"
James quickly ran across the driveway to the back of the house and stood just beneath the kitchen window. He skirted the side of the house until he reached the corner where he saw Duffy standing in the sun panting.
James could hear the central air humming and knew that the windows were still closed so his parents wouldn't hear him. "DUFF!" he yelled. Duffy's head raised up and as soon as he saw James he rocketed off toward him.
"It's working!" Jack yelled.
But instead of running to James, Duffy blasted right past him and kept running. James grunted then ran back toward the other side of the house.
"James!" Jack called out. James looked up to see him waving. "Hurry and get him toward you, I can see your parents at the kitchen window!"
"Shit!" He yelled as he ran right by the porch on the side of the house, next to the driveway. Duffy was now at the backside of the barn and James tried yelling again. "DUFF DUFF DUFF!" he yelled in loud short bursts. He could hear the door knob click as Nolan turned it.
"Shit!" James uttered under his breath then dove under the porch. Just before Nolan opened the door, Duffy came flying in like a bullet and tackled James. He flew back against the house with a gasping thud and wrapped his arms around Duffy's neck, interlocking his fingers in his collar. Nolan and Margaret stepped out on to the porch above him. He held on to Duffy as tight as he could while he struggled to get free. He stuck his face against the side of his head and shushed him over and over praying that he wouldn't start yelping or barking.
"You have to see this bullshit," Nolan said to her. "He literally ripped the entire tank off!" They walked down the steps and started heading for barn. James couldn't hold Duffy any longer and his grip released, sending Duffy blazing like a fighter jet straight for the barn.
"No!" James whispered between clenched teeth.
Duffy then made a hard left as Owen started throwing bits of jerky like he was skipping stones into a pond. The small dried pieces of meat flew to the side of the barn back toward James and the porch, landing in the driveway. Duffy quickly gobbled them up and James quickly whistled two notes in ascension, then yelled his name in one loud short burst. Duffy turned around and ran for the porch again, but this time James wrapped his arms and legs around him.
"What was that?" Margaret asked.<
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"What?" Nolan said, pulling his head out of from the car. "I didn't hear anything?"
Margaret hunched her shoulders and then looked at her watch. Jack and Owen sat completely still on the second floor hoping no one would hear them.
"You have to see the hayloft of the barn, James really loves it up there," Nolan said walking toward the ladder.
"It’s almost three," she said. "Going to be late."
"Oh, right," Nolan said, as he removed his foot from the ladder.
They turned around and made their way out of the front of the barn, stepping over the tools all over ground. James, meanwhile, continued to struggle to hold a squirming Duffy who was growing severely impatient with being held down.
Duffy was never much of a barker, but when restricted, he had been known to start whining and barking in short little bursts. That’s where he got his name. When Nolan saw him in the tiny cage at the pound he said the dog made a sweet little grunting noise—a pathetic little bark that went, "duff, duff."
Nolan and Margaret walked back toward the truck while James prayed under his breath that they wouldn't see him.
"C'mon, please, don't see us. Duff c'mon, stay still."
James's arms burned and he started wiggling his foot to try and distract himself with a different sensation. Duffy saw this and immediately went at his shoe like it was a toy. James bit his lip as his parents walked by and got back in the truck without noticing him. The Red Rocket roared to life again and they slowly backed out of the driveway and pulled away. James released his grip on Duffy then fell backwards to the ground, his arms aching like a full body Charlie horse. Duffy took off again, shooting around the yard looking for more stray pieces of beef jerky while Owen and Jack climbed down from the hayloft and ran over to James.
“That was too close," Owen said laughing.
Jack helped James up from the ground and he brushed himself off. "All right," James said shaking, "I think the coast is clear."
Jack looked around frantically, he was the only one who wasn't relaxed now that James's parents were gone.
James saw this and raised one eyebrow. "What's wrong? They're gone, it's all good."
"Where's the game camera?" Jack asked.
The boys looked at one another with empty arms. "Oh my God," Owen said, "didn't you grab it out of the truck?" he asked James.
