The Field

by Ian Dawson

  James made eye contact with the young boy. He knew the young kid thought he was as evil and crazy as Austin, but he knew that wasn’t the case. Of course, he had no way to prove to the boy that he wasn’t like Austin.

  He felt a fresh rivulet of blood move down his neck. He wiped it away with the back of his other hand, knowing that his neck was now smeared with dried and wet blood.

  Darkness continued to fall, and James knew, with the way Austin was acting, things were only going to get darker.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  Megan Walters lived in what Kyle considered one of the rich parts of Redding: Two-story homes, lush, green, landscaped lawns, and a large fountain with the name of the Valley Springs subdivision lit-up at night for all to see.

  He and Daniel had once put laundry detergent in the fountain as a practical joke. Too bad Kyle didn’t know at time there were security cameras everywhere. It was one of the few times Daniel had ever been really mad at him. It was also the last time he ever tried to talk Daniel into doing anything like that.

  Kyle pedaled past the fountain and coasted down the newly-paved asphalt street. He could still smell the tar used in the production of the road. The houses were lit up, their porch lights twinkling. He liked the neighborhood and hoped to one day live in an area like it with his own wife and kids. It was populated by the families of doctors, lawyers, and contractors. Megan’s dad was a skilled neurosurgeon who never shook hands, which Kyle always thought was weird.

  Kyle turned into Megan’s driveway. No sign of Daniel’s bike, but it was possible it was in the garage, or the backyard.

  Kyle walked up to the front door, which had a large piece of frosted glass in the center, and rang the doorbell. He heard someone coming down the stairs, saw a tall figure in pink turn toward the door, and open it. It was Megan’s mom, Mrs. Walters.

  “Hello,” she said, a little surprised. She was tall, blonde, and looked more like a college student than someone’s mom. She was wearing pink sweats and a tight pink shirt that made Kyle suddenly wish he were standing behind something, or at least something that hid the lower half of his body. He did his best to remain focused despite the hormones suddenly churning through him.

  He smiled at her. “Hi, I’m Kyle Hanson. I go to school with your daughter, Megan. Is she here?”

  Megan’s mom gave him the once over. He prayed that she didn’t see that he was “excited” at seeing her in such a tight shirt. She finally moved to the side and motioned him in.

  “Megan? Kyle’s here to see you.”

  “Who?” a young girl’s voice echoed from upstairs.

  “Kyle Hanson. You go to school with him.”

  “Oh!” There was a loud crash from above. “I’m okay. Be right down.”

  “Can I get you something?” Megan’s mom asked.

  “Oh, no thanks. Actually, has another guy been here tonight? Some guy named Daniel? Daniel Robinson?”

  “No,” she said. “Just you. You can wait in the living room if you want.”

  “I can wait here. It’s okay.” He heard rapid footsteps lightly tapping down the stairs. Kyle and Megan’s mom looked up. Megan appeared.

  “Hi Kyle!” she said as she made it to the entryway. She was dressed in low-rise jeans, a shirt like her mom’s, and new-looking pink shoes. Her long brown hair made her ice-blue eyes stand out; she wore braces, which sparkled in the shimmer of the entry way light. “You can go now, mom,” Megan said.

  Megan’s mom left them alone in the entryway. “Wanna see my room? It’s really nice.” She grabbed his hand, started to pull him up the stairs.

  “No,” Megan’s mom entered again. “You’re not taking him upstairs. Talk to him in here or in the backyard.”

  Megan’s shoulders slumped. “Fine. Let’s go out in the back.” Still with a tight grip on his hand, Megan led Kyle out to the backyard through a pair of French doors.

  The two sat down on a wooden bench, the in-ground pool lit from below. Garden torches lined the yard. “My parents had a party last night,” she said. “That’s why the torches are here.” She moved closer to him, her mood shifting to one of curiosity. “Why are you here?”

  Uh-oh, Kyle thought. He crossed his legs and shifted away from her, hoping she wouldn’t notice. “Have you seen Daniel tonight?”

  “Who?”

  “Daniel. My best friend. You haven’t seen him?”

  “Why would I want to see him?”

  “I thought you liked him.”

  She let out a small laugh, her hand landing softly on his leg. She moved her hand down his jean shorts to the bare skin of his leg. “I don’t like Daniel like that. He’s a nice guy, but he’s not my type. You know who is?”

  Kyle swallowed hard; sure he knew the answer but didn’t want to. “Who?”

  “You.” She leaned in toward him, her hand suddenly making its way up the inside of his shorts. Kyle jumped off the bench and moved toward the nearest Tiki torch, which he grabbed hold of for dear life.

  His head was spinning. What was going on? Did she really like him? Why hadn’t he noticed? He looked at her. “Megan, I didn’t know you liked me.”

  “Didn’t know? Are you dumb or something? How could you not know? Don’t you like me?”

  “Of course, I do. But I thought you and Daniel...”

  “I already told you, I don’t like Daniel like that.” She moved over to him, put his hand in hers. “I like you like that.”

  This explains why we weren’t allowed to be alone in her room. He moved away again. “I’m not here to make-out with you or do anything else with you. I can’t find Daniel and I thought he might be here.”

  She moved along with him. Kyle could tell she was trying to corner him somewhere in the backyard. “What type of ‘anything else’ did you have in mind?” Megan said seductively as she took a step toward him.

  “Whoa, hold on. Stop.” He held his hands up to stop her, which she proceeded to walk right into with her chest. Kyle recoiled his hands, placed them on her shoulders, and looked her square in the eye. “I don’t have anything else in mind, okay? If you want to slow things down and maybe go on a date or something, that’s great. I’m sure my mom would be happy to drive us. But I’m too young to do whatever you have in mind. Okay?”

  Megan paused. “Can I at least see it?” Megan asked, looking down at his pants. “I know how you like to show it off.”

  He removed his hands from her shoulders. “Who told you that?”

  “Everyone knows. It’s not like it’s some kind of secret.”

  Kyle looked around. Her mother nowhere in sight. “Are you sure you haven’t seen Daniel?”

  “Nope.”

  “And you have no cell phone on you at this time?” The last thing he needed was some picture of his penis circulating around school. Unlike a few of the kids he knew, sexting wasn’t something he had any interest in participating in.

  “Nope.”

  “This doesn’t mean we’re dating. Okay?”

  “Okay.”

  Kyle unzipped his shorts. Megan’s eyes widened. Suddenly, for the first time, he felt some level of guilt about what he was about to do. In the past he had no problem being naked or showing off to others. Was it possible that there was something different about Megan? Some new level of feeling that made him want to keep her innocent?

  He zipped up his fly. “I can’t,” he said.

  “Why not?”

  “It doesn’t feel right.”

  “So, what? You like me too much to show me your thing?” Megan smiled. “That’s the sweetest thing a boy has ever said to me!” She gave him a huge hug.

  Wow. Kyle thought as she continued to embrace him. What types of guys has she been hanging out with? Kyle backed away to the opposite side of the bench and looked over at the French doors. “I should probably go.”

 
“Kyle?” He turned just as she slid across the bench and kissed him on the cheek. “Thanks.”

  “I’m sorry I had to turn this into teachable moment, but I really need to figure out where Daniel is.” He stood. “Who knows, maybe next time I’ll whip it out and surprise you.”

  “Whip what out?” a deep masculine voice said behind him.

  Kyle’s eyes widened as he turned on his heel to see Megan’s dad standing in the doorway. This was the tallest man he had ever seen in his life. It looked as if he had to duck just to get through the doorway. His broad shoulders took up most of the doorframe.

  Kyle felt faint. “Whip out my killer math skills, sir! I heard that Megan didn’t do too well in math last year. Gotta keep those grades up, right?”

  Her father’s face remained as still as a stone statue. His piercing eyes fixed on Kyle.

  “Good night,” her father said to him.

  “See ya,” Kyle said as he squeezed past the tall, imposing man in blue medical scrubs. Kyle made a beeline for the front door, rushed to the driveway, hopped on his bike, and almost lost his balance. Lucky for him he didn’t fall over; he would have landed on Megan’s father’s silver Mercedes.

  As the sprinklers around the Walters’ lawn sprang to life, Kyle flew out of the driveway like a racehorse out of a chute. The trip to Megan’s had been a dead end in his quest to find Daniel.

  Where else could he be? Kyle thought as he made his way through the winding labyrinth of Valley Springs’ streets.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  As Kyle rode around the maze of streets inside Megan’s subdivision, he suddenly felt his chest tighten. He slammed on the brakes, his tires skidding on the freshly paved street. He couldn’t breathe. He started to sweat. His throat was dry.

  He hopped off his bike and paced around in circles for a few seconds, trying his best to calm down. He could hear his heartbeat pounding in his ears. He felt dizzy.

  Kyle closed his eyes, inhaled, then exhaled slowly. He was scared. Scared for Daniel. Terrified of where he might be. Or of whom he might be with.

  Kyle ran through his options. He could go home, wait for Daniel to get back on his own and find out later what happened. There was no way he could do that. If he were out there somewhere, he knew Daniel wouldn’t just stay home waiting for him.

  He could tell Daniel’s mom and his parents what was going on. But he wasn’t really sure what was going on. And what if they called the police? Would the police believe him that Daniel was missing, or would they just think Daniel was doing this to get attention. Kyle knew that Daniel would never try and get anyone’s attention by faking his own disappearance. Daniel was too good a guy to do that.

  The third option was to keep searching. His parents thought he was over at Daniel’s; Daniel’s mom thought he and Daniel were over at Kyle’s. He had bought himself time to keep looking, but how much time? Was Daniel still in the area? Was he still out in the field?

  Kyle sat back down on his bike seat and coasted for a while, allowing the bike to slow on its own. Was there anyone else that Daniel knew around here? Anyone he would have no problem visiting unannounced? Kyle couldn’t think of anyone.

  He was on his own.

  He thought back over the places he had checked in the field and knew there was one place he hadn’t gone yet. Daniel and Kyle had ridden their bikes down the street next to the construction site only a few times. The damaged road was littered with potholes, crumbling asphalt, and trash. It was a dumpsite for old couched, fridges, washing machines, and mattresses. It was definitely not a place you wanted to go after dark.

  Would Daniel have gone down there for some reason to search for him during their game of hide-and-seek? There was only one way to find out. Kyle turned around, found the main road out of Megan’s subdivision, and headed toward the one place he didn’t even like to visit during the day.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

  Daniel’s blood-soaked foot was killing him. The open wound caused by the glass beer bottle was throbbing and he knew if he didn’t get stitches soon, he would bleed to death.

  He had been shivering for a while. James had taken his Batman shirt, shoes, and cargo shorts and bundled them up with the other items Austin had brought with them.

  He noticed that both boys were pointing in the opposite direction of the trail all three had entered from.

  Austin turned toward him. “We’re gonna take a shortcut through the woods, but I don’t want you to try and run off.” He motioned to James who walked over to Daniel, placed his hand on his shoulder, and guided him toward Austin.

  “What are you going to do?” Daniel asked. James moved behind him and pulled Daniel’s arms behind his back.

  Austin placed the flashlight on a tree stump freeing both his hands. Daniel didn’t like where this was heading. “Just to be safe.”

  Austin rocketed his fist at Daniel, smacking hard into his jaw. For an instant, Daniel saw a spark, then darkness. He felt himself get hit again. The second time there was no spark. The darkness grew deeper as he felt himself drift into the void of unconsciousness.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  Kyle Hanson pedaled up the sidewalk to his new destination. He had decided not to go in through the field entrance and had opted for the only other main way in: Rancho Road.

  He rode past a large section of trees across the street from a large open area of farmland. The glow from a street light overhead exposed a section of barbed-wire fence surrounding the vast, flat space.

  He finally arrived at the dark, open mouth of the street he and Daniel usually avoided. He peered down into the blackness, the only visual a lone flickering street lamp hundreds of yards away.

  “I hope you’re not down here, Daniel,” he said. He swallowed hard, took a deep breath, removed his backpack, and took out his flashlight. He checked his watch, 9:12. He zipped up his backpack, slung it back over his shoulders, and felt himself being swallowed by the darkness.

  Kyle’s bike chain rattled as he hit rough patches of asphalt. So much for being quiet. Each time his bike chain made a noise or his tire hit something, he winced. This was not the best place in the city to be seen riding alone this late at night. Still, he knew he was on a mission to find Daniel, even if it meant risking his own safety in the process.

  He could hear crickets in the distance. An occasional dog barking from an unknown location. But there were no people around or any houses as far as he could tell.

  He finally passed by the single working streetlight. It flickered off as he moved past, then, as if on cue, sprang to life again with a buzz when he was out of the amber beam’s range.

  Kyle made it to the end of the long stretch of street. He shined his flashlight out across the construction site, the bridge, and other parts of the field, then turned the flashlight beam up the street he had just traveled. He decided to make one more pass up and down the street before moving on. Wherever Daniel was, he wasn’t here either, but Kyle had to be sure.

  He couldn’t afford to be wrong.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

  Austin walked close behind James – who carried the limp and unconscious body of the spiky-haired boy over his shoulder – down the trail that led from the clearing to Austin’s uncle’s house. He had taken this well-worn path hundreds of times before and knew every rock, bump, and branch on it.

  Before they had set out, Austin had had James hide all three of the bikes in a drainage ditch that had been covered by a fallen tree during a previous rainstorm.

  Austin had decided they should walk with only the moonlight to guide them; he didn’t want anyone to notice flashlights moving around in the woods. No need to make anyone suspicious. Besides, he figured, there had to be people looking for this kid by now. All the more reason to follow James’s plan and get the kid out-of-sight and back to his uncle’s house. It was a good way to keep a low profile.

&
nbsp; A “low profile.” He liked that term. He had heard his uncle use it often, and his father, too, when Austin was a boy. And now he was a proud member of their club.

  What would his father say if he saw him now? What would his uncle think? He could only smile at the prospect of showing off his latest catch; the excitement he felt added fuel to the criminal fire raging inside of him.

  James wasn’t sure if his suggestion had helped or hurt the young boy’s situation, but he was glad to finally be leaving the field. It was hard enough for him to see since he only had sight in one eye, but thanks to the sunglasses he always wore it was even harder to see at night.James could barely see in the dim light. The body of the young boy felt as if it were getting heavier with each step. Beads of sweat trickled down James’s forehead from both the exertion of carrying the boy and out of fear. He was afraid he might trip and drop the boy injuring him further. He wanted to take his time but knew Austin wouldn’t like that. You had to do what Austin wanted or face the consequences. And James had faced those consequences in a big way several months before.

  James had had enough of Austin controlling who he talked to, where he went, and what he did. He lied one Friday afternoon and told Austin that he was going out of town to visit his grandma over the weekend. Austin seemed to buy it, which was good.

  Instead, James went to a bowling party at Shasta Lanes for a longtime friend. The whole time he was there, James was worried that Austin would suddenly appear. He was glad to have no cell phone so Austin couldn’t call him. He decided to enjoy the rest of the party.

  When James arrived home, he could hear his mom getting ready for work. She had the evening shift as a radio producer at KQMS.

  James’s mom came out of the bathroom. She was a heavyset woman with long red hair. Her face dusted with freckles. “Hey, kid,” she said as she gave James a peck on the cheek. “How was the party?”