Fracture After Dark

by Shawn Jolley

  Eden stood up. He wondered what she would think of him if he came back with lunch for all three of them. Dustin was pretending to read and didn't look up. Go to the bathroom and back: that was the best plan.

  Eden walked out of the classroom, pretending his leg was fine even though it still hurt. His crutches were left leaning against his desk. Nobody was in the hallway, and he went as quickly as he could. He could hear what sounded like the entire student body out front. Eden couldn't be sure, but he thought several students were chanting: "Tony. Tony. Tony."

  Eden went to the bathroom. When he returned to the classroom, the first thing he noticed was that Dustin wasn’t there and that Ms. Kozi was still scribbling at her desk.

  "Where is Dustin?" he asked.

  "Checked out," said Ms. Kozi without looking up.

  "Really?" She didn't respond. Her head was twitching slightly, or maybe it was simply the way the air from the vent was blowing on her hair.

  Eden walked back out of the room, but Ms. Kozi said, "If you leave, I won't let you sit next to him for the rest of the year. Can't you wait until you get home, or are you two an item?"

  Eden couldn't believe it. How could a teacher get away with talking to him like that? He glared at her but didn't say anything. He walked over to his desk and put his head down. Anger and confusion rose within him.

  So, Dustin got checked out? He couldn't believe that Heather would check Dustin out, and that Dustin wouldn't mention it beforehand. He supposed it was possible. Maybe Dustin hadn't known it was going to happen, or maybe that's why he was depressed all morning. Either way, Eden wondered why it had happened.

  Ms. Kozi scribbled for the rest of detention. The bell rang and the other kids came back. Nobody mentioned anything about Dustin's absence. Eden didn't pay attention to the rest of the lesson, and when the final bell rang, he slowly got his crutches ready to avoid leaving with everyone else. Besides, the crutches really did help with his leg. He avoided looking at Ms. Kozi as he left.

  Eden walked down the deserted school hallway. Something struck him just then. How had he not made friends with anyone else besides Dustin? In the city, he had known and talked to several students. Then again, he never made the first move there, and nobody had made the first move here. He shook the thought out of his head and continued to pretend he was normal.

  The hallway seemed darker than usual; but, then again, it always seemed darker than usual for whatever reason. Maybe it was just usually dark. Perhaps, the building was simply old and falling to pieces. That was more than likely the explanation.

  He exited the school and walked down the front steps. If walking with crutches on flat ground was painful, walking down stairs was ten times worse. Every time he leaned forward to get to the next step, it seemed like his arms would simply be cut off at his shoulders.

  The parking lot only had two cars left in it: Ms. Kozi’s black coupe and a white truck Eden didn’t recognize. For some reason, he had hoped to see Dustin somewhere around, but nobody was there. Not even his mom's car was left in the parking lot. She must have left right when the bell rang.

  Eden walked out into the snow-covered parking lot and across to the cleared sidewalk. He wanted to go see Dustin and ask him what was going on. He thought about his earlier question on paranoia and felt more anxious than usual.

  Halfway down Main Street, he turned around and noticed the white truck pulling out of the school parking lot. Its metal frame looked old and forgotten against the white snow and darkening clouds.

  At the end of Main Street, he noticed that he could still hear the truck. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw that it was parked farther up the road. On a whim, he turned off the road before the corner of Ardburn Avenue into a narrow alleyway between two boarded-up houses. He listened for the truck, but it was still idling. He followed the fence until he was forced to turn left where he came to a deserted street he had never seen before.

  Stepping out on the street, he noticed another street which was perpendicular to him which led to the gas station. The truck was nowhere in sight. Eden hobbled through the cold snow and wondered if and when he would see the truck again. He turned the corner and saw the gas station not more than two hundred feet away.

  Not a moment later, the sound of the loud engine came from behind him. He hobbled faster, using his crutches to propel himself farther each time. He thought the driver was either toying with him, or they were a lost visitor from out of town.

  He made it to the end of the road and looked back at the truck. It had tinted windows so he couldn’t see inside. It was in the middle of the street, rolling slowly until it roared into life. Eden had no questions about what the driver wanted. Flashbacks from the corn maze flew through his mind. He picked up his crutches and bolted for the gas station. There wasn't a soul in sight.

  The truck came within feet of him when he hopped over a small cement wall surround the vacant lot adjacent to the gas station. The truck swerved and slid back onto the street. Eden's leg hurt and he was afraid, but he wouldn't let himself stop. He ran into the gas station, breathing heavily and slamming the door. He looked back out at the truck. It drove away.

  "You alright?" Sammy asked from behind the counter.

  "That truck was chasing me," said Eden, pointing outside.

  "What? Who was it? Are you sure?"

  "I couldn't see who it was," said Eden, turning around. He saw Sammy's expression, then added, "Why would I make that up?"

  Sammy looked at him for a few more seconds before pulling a closed sign out from under the counter and placing it on the front door. He locked the deadbolt and turned around.

  "I’ll drive you home," he said.

  9

  The following day, dark clouds drifted in from the south and hung over Fracture. There had still been no sign of Dustin at home or at school. When Eden asked his mom about it, she said he and Heather had gone on a trip; and, no, she didn't know why he hadn't mentioned it to Eden before leaving.

  The likelihood of that as a possible explanation was lost on him because he'd heard Heather's ranting and screaming, and she didn't seem like the vacationing sort. That, combined with Dustin's dismal mood which had led up to his leaving, caused Eden to believe that something else was going on.

  The dirt road which led to the trailer park revealed no trace of anyone walking, driving, or running along it since the previous day. Patches of snow dotted the edge of the road, and small pools of water formed, half-frozen, in the muddy depressions.

  And, despite his wishful thinking, there had been no attempts made to get ahold of Eden, either by Dustin or anyone else. Nobody seemed to care or notice that Dustin wasn't there; not to mention the Veres twins who still hadn't turned up after over a month of absence.

  After school, Eden went to Dustin's trailer and knocked on the door. Nobody answered. He knocked again, louder, and nobody answered. The only windows were shut tight and covered so he couldn't see inside, and the door was securely fastened from the other side.

  Going to the back door didn't help as it was locked too. Pressing his ear to the wooden surface of the door, he listened for more than five minutes but heard nothing. When his calves started to burn from holding himself at an awkward angle, he gave up.

  Not knowing what else to do, Eden went to the gas station to talk to Sammy. He walked slowly on his way to see him, secretly hoping he would bump into Dustin who was perhaps walking back from wherever he had been.

  The clouds, which had been threatening to dump snow on the town all day, had begun to drift, it seemed, closer to the ground. A white, black, and orange spotted cat glared at Eden from behind a lonely metal trash can, but other than that, the road was deserted.

  The old and brown gas station looked the same as it always did, except now it had a steady stream of hot air flying from a chrome pipe near one of the gutters. The black roof had what looked like a new patch of shingles covering the northeast corner. It was one of the nicest buildings in town.

  A
s Eden crossed the empty parking lot to the front door snow began to lightly fall from the sky. He was glad to get inside the building; it wasn't until he opened the door and a wave of heat hit him that he realized how cold it had gotten.

  "Hey there, what, no crutch today?" asked Sammy, coming out of the back room. He was wearing a red and black plaid jacket; earmuffs hung from around his neck.

  A new bell tied to the front door's handle rang out, and Eden replied, "Nope, my leg is almost perfect again." He stood on the black welcome mat, letting the door shut behind him. The bell stopped.

  The sound reminded Eden of the coming Christmas holiday, and how miserable it was going to be from him to have to experience it in Fracture. It would be his first Christmas without his dad unless something changed, which seemed more and more doubtful with each passing week.

  "That's great news," said Sammy, smiling like he had never heard a better piece of news in his whole life. He flicked a brown crumb from the countertop and stepped in front of the cash register. Eden stood there, not knowing what to say.

  Staring at the rack of chips, he decided that there was no easy way to ask about Dustin and Heather's absence without sounding like a stalker. He had to ask, though. Trying not to sound too eager, he popped off his first question.

  "So, you know Dustin?" He hated himself for asking it even as he said it. Of course, Sammy knew Dustin. A half brain-dead monkey with a fever would have come up with a better opening question. The monkey would have started by asking about candy bars and things unrelated to what he truly wanted to know.

  Sammy half smiled and bobbed his head a little. "Uh, yeah. I know Dustin." The wind had picked up outside and was now whistling through the crack in the door. Eden stepped off the mat to avoid the icy chill on his neck. He could feel his cheeks filling with blood, and he tried to maintain eye contact with Sammy.

  "Right. Have you seen him lately?" he asked, letting out a deep breath. The question sounded slightly better than the first. The monkey would have been proud.

  "Are you two playing a game or something?" asked Sammy, the smile widening across his face. The question wasn't patronizing, but it was obvious that he didn't think Eden's question had been asked in seriousness.

  Eden didn't say anything and almost turned back toward the front door.

  The smile left Sammy's face, and he looked contemplative for a moment. "Wait. No, I haven’t seen him since you guys came in here together about a week ago." Eden turned back around, hope returning to his cause. "Why? Is he miss—" Sammy cut himself off and looked behind Eden. The bell tied to the door rang again followed by a quick and cold gush of wind. "How are you doing today?" asked Sammy.

  Eden heard a ruffling noise followed by clomping footsteps. Eden turned around to see his mom, bundled in a ridiculously puffy coat, at the entrance to the store. Her hair was disheveled and her face was pale.

  The door closed behind her and she glanced up with a worried look. She smiled, gasped, and stopped fumbling with her fuzzy white gloves when she saw Eden. "What are you doing—" Eden began to ask, but he was cut off.

  "I've been looking everywhere for you!" his mom said, walking over to Eden. She mumbled something which contained the words "worried" and "sick" before stretching her arms out for a hug. "Come here," she said.

  Eden took a step back but she grabbed him tightly. He hid his face from Sammy. His mom almost never hugged him, and certainly not in public.

  After a few seconds of embarrassment and difficulty breathing, Eden said, "Mom, let go. I can't breathe." The last words barely came out because she had started to hug him tighter. Eden forced some more air into his lungs and managed to say, "I was just getting a snack."

  She let go and looked at him like he wasn't really there. "Come home with me." Still holding his shoulder, she turned to exit the gas station. Eden slipped from her grip and stood back defiantly.

  "I’ll be home soon. I was just picking some snacks out." His heart was hammering in his chest. He needed to know if Sammy could help him locate Dustin.

  "Now! It's too cold for you to walk home. And no talking back or else you’re grounded." She met his gaze, her eyebrows raised, her gloved fists clenched tightly. Eden felt his confidence fueled by his anger start to waver.

  "But I—"

  "You’re grounded," she said before he could finish. She turned around and grabbed the door handle; the bell jingled slightly.

  Eden didn’t want it to come to this, but it seemed like he had no other choice. He had to tell her what was going on. "Mom, listen! I’m being followed, stalked, and hunted down. I need you to—"

  "That’s enough!" she said, turning back around. "That imagination of yours is going to get you into serious trouble one day. It's cold and the car is running so come on!" Without looking away from Eden this time, she ripped the door open. The wind picked up some snow and carried it onto the front mat. Eden glared at his mom but took a step forward all the same.

  Sammy was pretending not to watch from the back room. Eden heard him walk behind the counter right before the door closed.

  Eden silently followed his mom into the parking lot and got in the back seat of the car. The engine was still running like she had said, so he warmed up quickly as they drove home. He watched the snow come down in light flurries that barely stuck to the ground. The car pulled into the garage and his stomach growled. He decided he had wanted some food from the gas station after all. His mom opened her door, but he stayed sitting in the back of the car.

  "I want to walk over to Dustin’s place," he said, staring at the back of the center console. One of the cup-holder prongs was broken, and the other was covered in something dark and shiny. Eden thought it looked sticky.

  "You’re grounded," said his mom. She got out of the car.

  "I thought you were joking," he said, leaning forward and catching her eye. She didn't look like she was joking, but she did look like she wanted to add additional chores and punishments to his grounding.

  "You've been over there already today. They left on a trip. Now, get inside." She pointed behind her, but her icy stare never left his for a moment. He unbuckled his seatbelt and opened the back door. Slowly, he got out of the car. When they reached the door which led from the garage into the house he made one more attempt to go looking for Dustin.

  "I just want to check. I haven’t seen him for a while."

  His mom stepped behind him and pushed him toward the door. "I’m sure he’s fine. Now go!" He opened the door to avoid crashing into it and gave up the argument.

  Eden walked through the front room and down the hallway without looking back or saying anything else. When he closed his door, he threw himself onto his bed and cried. It was the first time he had let himself truly cry since his father had been arrested. At first, he hoped his mom couldn't hear him, then, he decided he didn't care anymore. Eventually, he fell asleep.

  The last bit of sun disappeared outside, and the heater went into overdrive.

  "Come out here, honey."

  Eden slowly opened his eyes and registered what his mom had said. "Uh-oh," he muttered. His mom never called him "honey" unless she wanted something. The last time she had called him that, he had ended up at the dentist's office for a root canal.

  "We’re going to the school, so get your shoes on and get in the car." He could hear her footsteps walking away from the door. He threw off his covers and sat up straight.

  "Why are we going to the school?" he called from the bed.

  "Shoes," she said from farther down the hall, as though it was a perfectly fine answer.

  The night was dark and cloudless, and the car wasn’t warm anymore. Luckily, it had stopped snowing since they had driven home from the gas station. Eden was only wearing a jacket, and he started to shiver, even though the drive to the school was a short one. His mom didn't lecture him on wearing warmer clothes; her mind seemed to be somewhere else.

  He followed her up the school's front steps and into the main hallway where it wa
s surprisingly warm. All of the hallway lights were on as though the school day had just started. She went to the open office door and gestured for him to sit down on the sofa just outside against the wall. He sat down where she had indicated and rolled his eyes. She went into the main office, and a door closed a few moments later.

  Eden stayed sitting on the sofa, unsure of why he was in the school at night. He couldn't think of any reason, farfetched or not, for him to be there. The fluorescent lights flickered above him periodically.

  His mom came out of the office a few minutes later and sat down next to him. She didn't have that far off look in her eyes anymore, but she also didn't look happy. Her lips were thin and white. "You can go in now." She almost whispered it.

  Eden pointed into the office and said, "Are you serious?" This resulted in him getting shoved off the couch toward the open door. His mom wasn't looking at him, and she had folded her arms.

  Eden walked into the office but it was empty. The principal's adjoining office was open and the light was on, so he walked in there. The principal wasn't in the room. Nobody was in the room. Eden sat down in the hard metal chair on the opposite side of the principal’s desk. He heard his mom cough from the hallway.

  Suddenly, the big chair in front of him swiveled around, and Eden wasn’t greeted by the principal, but by Ms. Kozi. "Hello, dear. How are you doing?" She was smiling the way she usually did, chewing gum every second or so.

  Eden looked around the room awkwardly and said, "Um, fine." Ms. Kozi pressed a button on top of the desk and the door behind him swung shut. "How'd you…?" Eden began to say as he looked over his shoulder. He looked back at Ms. Kozi, his mouth hanging open. What in the world was his mom having him do in the principal's office with Ms. Kozi?

  "Magnets. We don’t want anyone hearing us. We'll keep this all confidential. Nobody will know what we’re talking about." She stood up and walked to the side of the desk, watching Eden and smiling. She folded her arms and leaned to the side, resting her hip bone against the lip of the desk. "Do you know why you're here?"