3AM.
The moonlight flashed straight into my eyes, piercing through me like my mother checking me every day to see if I wasn't on something.
"Hey James, are you sure this is the place?" I asked while walking down the forest road. We were supposed to meet James at some gas station. I don't remember there being any gas station in Willow Hollow, though I'm often careless and mess things up. At this hour it's dangerous, and there could be many shady, strange people out here who could hurt you.
"I still need to stop by the pawnshop… I… I found some tablet and some toys or whatever shit."
"How?"
"I don't know, they were… they were in some pink backpack, and I thought, well, if it's free, I'll take it."
"Really funny," he said with a laughing tone.
"N-n-no, I'm serious." Behind me, I heard branches snapping. I turned around, but I couldn't see anything in the darkness. "Hey, could you walk a little toward me?"
"Me? Walk toward you? What, are you scared, Joshua?"
"T-t-that's not funny. I feel like something's following me," I whispered.
My shoes were soaked from the wet grass. I nearly slipped. On both sides of the road were slopes, some rocky, some grassy. I started wondering what it would look like—would I die instantly, or would someone save me? Considering no one knew I was here (except James, and I wouldn't count on him), it would've been death on the spot.
Another branch cracked.
"Fuck," I muttered. "Alright, I'm scared. Come here now."
I heard James sigh.
"Alright," he said after a moment.
The same sound again, sharp and clear. Goosebumps crawled up my back. I could feel eyes watching me, heavier with every step.
"Are you on drugs?" he asked me.
"W-what? No, I haven't taken anything yet," I lied.
"Hard to believe. You're a pretty dishonest person."
"Yeah? Funny who taught me that," I said seriously, still glancing over my shoulder. For a second I thought I saw glowing eyes in the distance, but I quickly pushed the thought away.
"… I'll turn on the flashlight," James coughed.
"What?"
"I said it's dark as your ass and I'll turn on the flashlight!" he shouted into the phone.
"Shut up…" I stopped.
It wasn't my imagination this time. Something really was there. Behind me. Now.
"James, I need help," I whispered.
"What are you talking about?"
"Help," I gasped. A moment later I felt… a light touch on my shoulder. I jumped in terror and started running forward. "Something touched me. Something fucking touched me!"
"Joshua?" I could hear uncertainty in his voice.
I kept running, never stopping. I saw no light, only the forest growing darker. I didn't dare look back, knowing it would only slow me down—and give it a chance to catch me.
"Do you see the light?" James asked.
But I didn't see anything. My vision blurred, the only shapes I could make out were the trees swaying above me. They looked like faces smiling down from the night sky.
"Holy shit—do you see the light?" James repeated.
"No!"
I could barely keep running. My lungs were burning, I couldn't catch my breath. Any second I would collapse.
"Joshua."
I heard a voice behind me. Instinctively, I turned.
Not far away stood a figure facing me, dressed in a white shirt, barefoot, no pants. Its legs were covered in massive bruises, its arms fresh with cuts. Black hair, dark eyes.
As I stared longer, the figure tilted its neck, showing deep bruises as if someone had just strangled it. The body looked more like that of a boy than a girl.
I stepped back.
"What the fuck," I whispered to myself.
"Joshua."
The second time, my name came out harsher. I recognized the voice...it was Mike's.
"Mike?" I said. "What are you doing here?"
My foot slipped out from under me. My whole body lurched. "No!" I screamed. I tumbled down the slope, crashing hard. My head slammed against something solid. By the time I rolled to the bottom, swallowed by darkness, I lost consciousness.
"Joshua, wake up."
Someone was holding my head. I slowly opened my eyes. At first, I only saw a blurry shape of a face, which sharpened into focus with every passing second.
"Joshua, you idiot," James scolded me. "What the hell happened to you?"
"I don't remember…" The matter with Mike flashed in my mind. "Where's Mike?"
"At home, I just came back from him."
" What? You were supposed to wait at the gas station."
"Yeah... but I was coming back from his place."
"Really? I thought I saw him…"
"You went the wrong way, idiot," James cut me off and started yelling at me twice as hard. My head was splitting; I started wondering if I had a huge wound in the back. I raised my hand toward the back of my skull.
"Don't touch it," he said.
"Do I have a wound?"
"Yeah, it's bleeding a little, you need to go to the hospital."
I noticed I was lying on some jacket, and suddenly I felt nauseous.
"You need to go to the hospital," he repeated.
"I'm not going to a fucking hospital, I need to get to the pawn shop."
I touched my sweaty forehead. James looked at the tablet lying next to me. It was smashed. He picked it up and turned it around in his hands.
"How long have I been lying here?"
"I don't know," he replied. "I just found you."
"Right."
Suddenly, James's phone buzzed with a notification. He quickly reached for it and opened the message. Then he looked up at me and asked:
"Can you stand?"
***
"So, how was it at Mike's?" I asked James. We were standing by the entrance door of a gas station, leaning against the wall. We were waiting for Ryan, who was supposed to arrive any minute with Cassie.
It got chilly, and I started shivering, but I tried to make it look like I wasn't. (Most of the time I fail, and people keep mocking me for it.)
"We fucked," he answered after a while. I just nodded. After today and the possible strange hallucination, I had this terrifying feeling in my stomach. I didn't want to see him for the next few days.
"And you, are you going out with us on Halloween?" He changed the subject.
I didn't feel like it; I knew Mike would be there, and I'd rather not risk it. I felt an indescribable shame gnawing at my mind, like an endless spiral that never stops.
"Nah, I'll skip," I touched the bandaged wound on my head. James had quickly gone to get some supplies and patched me up with such precision that I was surprised he could even do that.
"Hipster, Halloween's only once a year."
"Yeah…"
"Trust me, it's gonna be fun," he tried to convince me, though I had already given my answer. But then again, wouldn't the group think I was a coward if I didn't go? Would they treat me differently than usual? The truth is, I don't even like drinking that much, and I force down insane amounts of alcohol that my body doesn't even want, puking every time. But it's the safer option to be treated as an equal. I'm not happy about it, but I have to hide somehow, otherwise they won't want to hang out with me.
"I'll see," I whispered.
"That's my boy," James lit a cigarette. A trail of smoke drifted upward.
"So, when is Ryan getting here?" I asked.
"..."
"Hello?"
"..."
James didn't even look at me. He kept taking drag after drag, staring into the void.
It didn't last long, though, because I noticed Ryan's car pulling up. Cassie was in the back seat, looking pissed and desperate. I wasn't even going to ask. They pulled up next to us. Ryan got out, slamming the door so hard it almost broke. Cassie ran after him.
"We need to talk," Ryan started.
"About what?" James flicked his cigarette down at Ryan's feet. "You got the pills?"
Pills?
"Not now," Cassie cut in. I tried not to look her in the eyes.
"Then what?" James smiled and turned his words toward Ryan.
"About Mike."