by Shawn McLain
“Beth, I said stay on the phone so I know you are OK.” He said angrily.
“Wes, you can’t shift and talk. I’ve seen you drive without distractions. Be safe and come to my rescue.” She tried to joke.
“Fine! I’ll hang up but you have to text me every minute then.” He growled. She could tell he was already having trouble driving and talking.
“OK”, she conceded and heard the phone drop. Wes swore, and then hung up.
She stood in the middle of the road trying to figure out what she did to deserve this.
“Corey is such a dick.” She berated herself, “What were you thinking?”
Somewhere off in the distance she heard the moan of the trees in the breeze, the cry of a hawk or maybe it was a cat. Beth wrapped her arms around her shoulders and nervously stared into the darkness. She heard the weird cry again. She couldn’t tell where it came from. With shaking fingers she scrolled to Wes’ number and chastised herself.
“It’s only an animal, nothing to worry about.” She told herself and the surrounding trees.
Beth slowly edged her way off the road and down the bank of the creek. She wasn’t far from the gnome tree, as she and Wes had dubbed it, a huge tree with a hole at the base large enough for a small person to fit in. They had come out here a few weeks ago. She had heard a couple of the girls at school talking about it and asked Wes if he knew it. He had been rather interested in a haunted bridge, and the name Troll Bridge had been the topper.
“Of course those girls came out here,” Beth mentally slapped herself, “for just the reason Corey wanted. Damn it!”
She slipped and almost fell in the soft earth. The creek was swollen from a late autumn rain and the air still clung to the chill and wetness. She looked out over the fast moving water at the moon reflected in it. When she was out here with Wes, it had been to look for ghosts. That night had been a lot more fun.
“How the hell did you let this happen?” She berated herself. “You knew he was an asshole, good looking and popular, but an asshole.”
She sighed again and took a step toward the tree. Her foot caught on a root and she fell forward. Dropping her phone, she threw out her hands in an attempt to catch herself.
“Sploosh!” She fell face first into the cold water. Legs still on the bank, she was covered from her head to halfway down her back. Pulling herself out, her knees sunk into the mud soaking the legs of her jeans. Cold water ran down her back from her long sopping hair. Beth sat there shivering for a moment then burst into tears.
She hated Corey, hated him. Angry, frustrated sobs wracked her body as she shivered in the cold on the muddy banks of the creek. Her cell rang and she searched for it. Finding it several feet away in the grass Beth tried to answer. “Beth! Why haven’t you texted? Are you ok?” Wes shouted into the phone.
“I’m….I’m…..oohhhh godddd…..” Beth wailed.
“Hold on.” Wes cried and she heard the phone drop and the engine whine. Freezing, she crawled to the tree and sat with her back against it. Tears fell thick and fast. This would never happen to her again, she swore it.
Several long minutes later, Beth heard a car flying toward her. She wrapped her arms around herself and headed to the road. As she crested the hill, Wes’ car skidded to a halt. It was barely stopped when he jumped out and ran to her. She was soaked and cold and crying. Wes threw his arms around her and she clung to him and let the tears flow. She felt like such a fool.
Still Hungry
The window shattered. Glass sliced into Dan’s arms and ripped his hands as he clawed through the opening. The woman inside screamed and ran for the front door. Throwing it open, she ran right into Lisa’s grabbing arms and hungry mouth. Blood flowed freely from the fresh wound in the woman’s neck. A gory chunk hit the floor with a splat, falling from Lisa’s open mouth as she lurched for more. The terrified woman struggled to free herself pushing against Lisa’s face while grabbing at the wound on her neck. Blood coated her hand instantly. She stumbled back only to emit a gurgling scream as two fingers parted company from her hand remaining in Lisa’s chewing mouth. More pain and screams as Dan’s teeth sunk into the other side of her neck.
Grey faced, the woman pushed free, dizzy and weak she stumbled across the room. The severed fingers fell from Lisa’s mouth. Cold, the woman was getting cold. The horrid pair slouched ever closer. The woman leaned heavily against the wall, sliding down it. Her hand fell to her side, even as she tried to stem the tide of blood from her throat, the woman’s heart stopped beating. A pool of blood grew around the body. Dan and Lisa stopped, Dan’s head cocked to one side as if asking Lisa a question. Her head bowed and stared at the cooling thickening blood. Dan’s moan was answered by Lisa’s. They’re prey was gone, dead. They moaned, in response the woman’s moan joined them from the floor. Hand still clutching at the wound on her neck, the woman raised herself slowly. The three fingered hand leaving long crimson streaks on the wall as she rose. The three all stared at each other. Their hunger burned. They needed to feed.
Blinded by fear, he ran, ran from the house, from his wife. Those people…Those things attacked her, bit her. Crashing through the underbrush he ran for the road. He had just heard a car skid to a halt. Someone was there. He could get help. Tree limbs smacked and slashed his face. His legs protested. His lungs seared. Years of heavy smoking, fatty foods and watching TV took their toll. Gasping he could see the taillights. His chest burned, he couldn’t breathe. Falling face first down the gully his heart gave out.
Three heads snapped up and all turned toward the door. The skid of tires on the road not far from the house rang like a dinner bell. They only thing that separated them was the woods and the creek and they would find what they needed...
Warm, living, food.
Not all bad, yet…
“Are you ok?” Wes whispered.
“Yeah...now.” Beth hiccupped.
Wes just held her for a moment rubbing her back and to her surprise he kissed the top of her head through her wet hair.
“Come on you’re going to catch cold out here.” He said taking her by the hand and pulling her to the car.
They got to the door when Beth stopped. “I’m going to get the seats all wet and dirty.” She said with a sob.
“I don’t care. I mean look at this thing.” Wes said exasperated. Beth shrugged at him. “Fine, wait a second.” He said holding up a finger and reached in the back and pulled out a hooded sweat shirt. He held it out to Beth. She looked at it and smiled.
They stared at each other for a second until Beth arched an eyebrow at him. Wes jumped quickly turning his back to her and closing his eyes. Beth laughed as she pulled off her soaked shirt. She pulled on the sweatshirt and zipped it up. It was warm and dry.
“I’m sorry.” She muttered.
“For what?” He asked confused.
“For dragging you out here.” She sighed. “It’s just that all Corey wanted was sex and...I don’t know I just thought he would realize that wasn’t going to happen. I thought he would chill out and be cool. I mean why can’t more guys be like you? You never try any of that stuff with me. I mean they start out all nice then it turns out they have other intentions…” She was rambling and starting to cry again then stamped her foot and swiped at her cheeks. “That is enough, Beth!” She chided herself.
Wes took her wet clothes from her hand then pulled her into a hug. “I came here to get my best friend. That was my only intention. ” He swallowed nervously. “So, all Corey wanted was…never mind I…I don’t want to know.” Wes muttered in a hurt voice. He swallowed hard and handed over her soggy shirt. She pushed her wet hair out of her face. She gave Wes a smile and he inclined his head to the car.
“He wanted it; he never got it from me.” Beth stared over the roof of the car while she opened the door. Wes looked at her and smiled.
Closing the door Beth relaxed. It was warm and she was safe. Her legs were still cold but Wes turned up the heat for her.
“You
OK?” He asked.
She nodded, “Thanks.”
“So what happened?” Wes asked looking at her.
Beth sighed. She didn’t really want to tell him. She knew Wes hated Corey and this wasn’t going to help. Once she started to tell the story, she couldn’t stop. Everything that Corey had done, everything he had said, everything. She had been keeping it to herself and it had been driving her crazy. As she finished, she couldn’t meet Wes’ gaze. She felt ashamed and shallow.
She knew his question, “Why are you with him?” But she didn’t know the answer. To her surprise he didn’t ask.
She looked up at Wes and saw the anger and hurt in his eyes. “Just know…” he started then looked away.
“What?” She asked.
“Nothing.” He sighed.
“Wes?” She said taking his face in her hand and pulling him to face her, “Really what?”
Wes shook a little but kept her gaze. “Um…just know…I would…never do that to you…um…you deserve better.” He hesitated, “You know if you are looking for a nice guy um well you know where to find one.” He finished almost in a whisper as he lost his nerve and looked away.
Beth sat for a second and then replied, “I know.”
Wes turned back to look at her. She put her hand on his cheek and leaned forward. Wes leaned in and their lips met.
Something slammed onto the hood of Wes’ car. The two sprang apart and stared at the man standing in front of the car. The headlights illuminating him as he stood reaching toward them, his arms outstretched over the hood. His face just barely visible in the dim light, looked bruised and beaten but pale. The man’s hands came down on the hood again, his nails scratching at the paint. Wes got the message and put the car in reverse. He pulled away quickly leaving the man lurching after them. Shaking hands spun the wheel spinning the car around, Beth squeaked, hanging onto the seat belt she was trying to put on. Wes slammed the car into first gear praying it didn’t stall. The car lurched then caught. He pushed his foot to the floor, leaving the man stumbling after them in the fading red of the taillights.
“Damn.” He said, shaken by the man’s anger. He checked his rearview often. “That dude was pissed.”
Beth placed her hand over his. “Karen said that when she and Dave were out here last week, they were chased off by a crazy old guy. She said he was screaming about kids and music and stuff.” She laughed nervously.
“Yeah, well knowing Karen, old dude had a point.” Wes laughed. “I guess she’ll have to find a new place to…um…hang out?”
Beth sat back in the seat and laughed. “Maybe she should hook up with Corey.”
“I heard she already did.” Wes said.
Beth spun in the seat, “Really? God! That lying bastard.” Beth spat out.
Pulling into their development, Wes glanced sideways at Beth, “What were you thinking?” He asked.
“I wondered when you were going to get there.” Beth sighed. “To answer, I guess I wasn’t.” She shook her head. “I went with looks and popularity over personality. I just hope my new boyfriend will always like me for me and not because I look good with his car.” She finished as Wes pulled into her driveway. “Then again, I’m not sure anyone would look good with this car.” She laughed
“Funny, you were happy to see it earlier.” Wes grumbled as he stopped the car. Beth began to unclasp the seatbelt and reach for the door handle when Wes spoke up. ”“Um hey, Beth?”
‘Yeah?”
“Would you like to….um….Ya know, I just kissed you and stuff….Damn it!” Wes took a deep breath as Beth smiled at him. “Can we start dating? I mean… yeah…I want to be more than…you know freindzoned. ” Wes stumbled. Cringing at himself he looked hopefully at her.
“Wes, I don’t kiss guys I’m not dating, just so you know.” She stated trying to act angry but failing through the laughter. She leaned over and kissed him again laughing through the entire kiss.
“No…No I didn’t think you would.” Wes smiled. He leaned over and kissed her. She reached in the back and grabbed her wet clothes.
“Come over tomorrow to get your hoodie?” She asked as she turned back to face him.
“Yeah, sounds good. What time?” He smiled.
“Come by for lunch. Maybe we can catch the movie tomorrow.” She said and kissed him goodnight. She was barely out of the car and her phone rang. She looked at the number then over at Wes.
“It's my ex. I think I’ll let it go to voice mail. See you tomorrow.” She closed the door and walked to the house. Wes watched her go through the front door then pulled out of the driveway and headed home, a huge smile on his face.
Wes’ head was spinning with the night’s events. He pulled up to his house. He smiled up at the odd angled house. His room was above the garage, an addition that was put on in the sixties and still retained some of that character. Outlines of huge flowers could still be seen in the paint of what Beth had dubbed the Scooby Room. The rest of the house was a small post Second World War ranch. It wasn’t as big, or nice as the houses in Beth’s part of the neighbor hood that was built in the nineties. He had always been slightly embarrassed about the place, but tonight he could only sit and smile at it.
“Finally! Finally she sees me. I can’t believe she likes me!” He told his car, rubbing the faded and cracked dash affectionately.
It wasn’t until the front porch light flicked on that Wes turned the key and listened to the tired engine sputter and die. He leapt out of the car and hurried to the front door. He gave his mom a kiss on the cheek as she moved out of his way to let him in.
“How’s Beth?” Wes’ stepfather, Reggie, asked and gave a small cough. Reggie rubbed his throat and grimaced.
“Great! Just great. I’m gonna call it a night.” Wes bid his mother and stepfather good night.
“What? I thought there was some kind of trouble….” His mother yelled after him as he took the stairs to his room two at a time. He thought about seeing Beth tomorrow and it made him smile all the more.
“There was, but everything is great now.”
More of a Bad Night
Corey’s little red sports car screeched to a halt causing several of the people standing around the parking lot to jump out of the way. Lance slapped Wayne on the back and nodded toward Corey’s car, the outline of a lone occupant silhouetted by the security light of the nearby building.
“Guess she could resist him.” Lance laughed while grabbing a couple of beers from inside his own car.
“So, how was she, studly?” Wayne laughed as Corey slammed his door harder than was necessary. Corey only responded by giving Wayne the finger as Lance pressed a beer into his other hand.
“So, the date ended early? She didn’t even want to come to Linda’s party, huh?” Lance asked while downing his drink.
Corey opened the beer and took a long drink, “Don’t know. I left her ass out at Troll Bridge.”
“Dude! That is cold.” Wayne laughed.
Corey just gave him a disgusted look and continued to drink his beer. Lance cocked his head to one side. “Dude that was uncool, you need to go get her.” He finished his drink and reached for another.
“She made it clear she did not want to be in the car with me.” Corey drained his own beer flicking away the empty can. Wayne continued to laugh but passed him another.
“Come on, man. Let’s go get her. If she doesn’t want to ride with you, I’ll drive her home.” Lance said with a slight slur then burped loudly.
“Or maybe she’ll come to Linda’s and we can change her mind.” Wayne pondered an evil grin spreading across his face.
“Dude, you think she will ride with you? You’re already half drunk.” Corey frowned. “You know how she is about that stuff.”
“Yeah, but only half. So we should do it before too much longer.”
“You guys have fun. I’m heading over to Linda’s.” Wayne gave a wave and got in his car. Soon his thumping music faded away. Corey frowned at the pla
ce where Wayne’s car had been.
Several other people left. The crowd thinned while Lance and Corey opened a bottle of bourbon. After several shots and a couple more beers, the two decided to have one more drink and go back to pick up Beth. Corey figured she would have calmed down and been grateful for a ride. Getting shakily into his car, Corey took the lead and watched Lance weaving slightly in his rearview mirror. He could tell that Lance hadn’t stopped drinking while they were on the way out to the old bridge. Corey was having a little trouble keeping his own car between the lines, a task made harder by changing songs on his Ipod and drinking another beer.
The drive back to where he left Beth only caused Corey’s annoyance to resurface. He had tried to be patient, he thought, but they had been dating long enough. The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. He had been more than patient. He had taken her out, bought her things. He deserved it. The more he thought, the more he blamed her friend Wesley.
“That little geek was always hanging around her.” He yelled at a passing car. “Then there’s her stupid brother. The hell with her!”
He was considering turning around when the thought of Beth’s brother came back to him. The former captain and quarterback of the Football team would not be pleased if anything happened to his baby sister. Corey threw his empty beer can out the window and concentrated on the road.
About a mile from the bridge, Corey swore and swerved across the road. His tires screamed and he nearly lost control. Looking quickly in the mirror, he watched as Lance also barely kept control while narrowly missing the woman who had stumbled out from the woods. Corey was sure it wasn’t Beth but this only annoyed him more. He swore loudly again, punching his steering wheel. “What the hell? Is everything against me tonight?” By the time they reached the bridge, Corey was in a towering temper.
Beth was nowhere to be found. The boys called out for her. They had tramped around near the creek and across the bridge. Corey was inspecting some skid marks when Lance spoke up.
