Page 40 of Dead End

Tears sprung to my eyes as I dropped to my knees in front of the stone. I laid a hand on their names, tracing the scrawl with my fingertip. “I’m so sorry, Mom.” I sniffled. “I’m sorry I made you go out that night... I was so stupid.” The tears were falling harder.

It was my fault for what happened to them. All of it. They’d only been in that car because of my stubbornness. “I should have listened to you and trusted you. I’m so sorry...” I choked on another sob, tasting my tears as they ran down my cheeks and over my lip. “I don’t know what I’m doing here, in this place. I don’t know what you want me to do. I’m so lost, Dad.”

I heard a crack of thunder somewhere in the distance, and instinctively, I shivered, though it was still relatively warm with just a cool breeze wafting through. Looking up, even the twin moons were slightly obscured by dark clouds, while bats flew overhead, probably preparing to dodge the oncoming storm. If I were smart, I’d have waited to come here another day. I never claimed to be a genius, but it did feel amazing to be near my parents again. I lay down on my side, curling up against the headstone, and closed my eyes with my hands pressed beneath my cheek.

I blinked away more tears, wishing so hard that I could talk to them just one more time. During this last year, I’d lay awake at night going over all of the things I’d say to them if I’d been given just one more day, one more minute, or one more second. I’d have told them how much I loved them and thanked them for keeping me safe and giving me a good life. I’d have told them I couldn’t wait to go back home and watch a movie with them and drink Mom’s spiced cider. I’d curl up in my dad’s strong arms and breathe in the scent of tobacco and peppermint that I swear sometimes I could still smell.

There are so many things I never had the chance to say. So I found myself murmuring the words to a tilled patch of earth in the middle of this graveyard. It was growing colder by the second, but for just these short moments, a warmth surrounded me, and I imagined it was their embrace. I allowed myself to imagine, to yearn, and to mourn. I allowed my body to purge the grief because it was the only way I would have the strength to keep going without them.

Imust have dozed off because I snapped awake sometime later, and the clouds had rolled in. My hair was plastered to my skin as raindrops pelted me in the face. Time was so disorienting here, especially with no sun in the sky to guide me.

It made me wonder if I’d ever see another sunrise again. Standing up, I wiped off the graveyard dirt that was quickly turning to mud and said my goodbyes to my parents. I’d come to see them again soon. Scanning the area, I tried to find Jessica, but she wasn't there. I called out for her a few times and expected her to scuttle over, but there was only silence. She’d probably bailed, feeling too creeped out to stay the whole time. I didn’t blame her.

I still had that weird feeling from earlier—the feeling of someone nearby. So, I decided to get back to the aunties’ before this rain turned into a downpour.

Closing the gates behind me, I looked down the road both ways. There was Hangry Forest to my left and Midnight Hollow to my right. I shivered just looking at that dark tree line. I didn’t understand the feeling, but I could have sworn there was something in there with its eyes on me. I needed to get out of here and hoped Jessica somehow found her way back to the aunties’ house.

I started walking, then full-out sprinting as thunder crashed overhead. I had no realistic way of knowing how long I’d been out there, and the others were probably about to send out a search party. I was just passing Farmer Orson’s—or what used to be Farmer Orson’s land—when something shoved me from behind. Tumbling to the asphalt, I caught my fall with my palms, scraping my skin off.

“What the hell?!” I yelped, flipping over and crawling backwards. My eyes scanned the area, but there was nobody there. “Who’s there?!” I shouted. The rain began to fall harder, and a freezing cold wind washed over my neck, almost painfully sharp. “I said, who’s there?”

Scrambling back, I shot to my feet and broke into a run. Just as I picked up speed, the wind did too, bringing with it a heavy rainfall that pelted me in the face and eyes until I was nearly blinded. I was running faster than I’d ever run before when I heard laughter in the wind. The cornfield blurred by as my head whipped left and right, catching a flash of movement. Something was running really fucking fast through the cornstalks, keeping pace with me. Dread pooled in my stomach as the laughter grew louder. It wasn’t a voice I recognized. It was low and maniacal and all around me, even though I was running.

Another shove in the back tried to push me down, but I managed to catch my balance and kept going as if my life depended on it, which I had a feeling it did. This time, though, I veered off the road and barreled my way into the cornstalks. I kept running in the same direction, hoping to make it into town. I had to catch my breath, so I stopped running and bent over at the waist with a stitch in my side.

I could only hear my breathing and the thunder, and that was it. There was no sound of movement in the cornfield I was standing in, except for the slight breeze of the cornstalks rustling with the wind. It was too eerily quiet, and I felt something staring holes into my back. With my breath still in my chest, I looked over my shoulder and let out the loudest scream I’d ever made.

Baggy, weathered clothing hung off his tall, skinny frame with hay sticking out of his dark brown buttoned jacket, and his face was covered in shadows with his wide-brimmed hat obstructing my view.

“Who are y-you?” I couldn’t even talk; my voice was trembling from cold, stark fear.

Lightning struck as he lifted his head, a dirty brown fabric like burlap, and stared at me with crossed Xs for eyes made of black stitching and a mouth sewn shut. Its face was held together by more black thread, and I knew it was one of the scarecrows that I’d seen when we were first heading into town the night of the crash.

He was just standing there motionless, his head tilted to the side. I was terrified to move a muscle until another strike of lightning lit up the sky, and I could see three more scarecrows standing a distance behind him in the cornstalks. All were holding short-handled sickles with a reddish brown coloring rusting on the sharp curved end. I was pretty sure they weren’t for cutting down corn.

I was going to die in a fucking field where no one would ever find me, scattered across it in pieces, perfect for picking food for crows. That’s what got me moving. I knew they weren’t here to invite me to tea. It was a run or die moment.

Cornstalks slapped my face, and the mud was growing thicker as the skies opened up, the floodgates spilling out. Soon, I was covered almost head to toe in it. The laughter kept popping up every few seconds in all different directions, followed by another hard shove to the ground. The scarecrows were attacking, and I was defenseless. I was starting to wish I’d been born a witch like my mother and not a necromancer. What good did it do to supposedly control the dead when what you really needed was to fight back?

Not that I’d even mastered how to control anything since bringing my friends back to life. I was floundering, and my vulnerability was coming back to haunt me. I should have known better than to go out on my own when there was still so much about this world we didn’t understand yet. It was risky, unnecessary, and stupid. I wish more than anything right now that I had one of the guys here with me. Norman with his super vampire speed, Freddy with his macho strength, or Jason and Michael with their strange magic. Even Maddie. She was a real witch, while I was just useless.

Terror clawed at me as I frantically parted the cornstalks, but an ice-cold tingle slipped up my fingers and arms. Glancing down as I ran, I yelped as I watched each and every cornstalk I touched wither and die, turning to little black dust particles.

Holy shit, holy shit! Turn it off!

I was shoved hard again when I came to the edge of the cornfield. The shove sent me flying forward, tumbling to the muddy ground, and all I could do was roll. My body was covered in cuts and bruises, and I was getting bone tired as my energy drained fast.

There was a small road that cut through town, avoiding Main Street. It would bring me to the aunties’ house quicker than going through the usual route. Besides, I’d just create a spectacle if someone saw me like this. I didn’t know why the scarecrows weren’t really attacking me. I had a feeling they were only trying to spook me, and they were doing a bang-up job. I felt like I was the star of Jeepers Creepers, and it was only a matter of time before one of the scarecrows stopped messing around and cut me into little pieces, eating my eyeballs for dinner.

There were tall, flickering lanterns lining the streets as it turned into neighborhoods. I ran for my life down the tree-covered street, in between houses and small shops. Street after street, I tripped, wheezed, and cried until finally, the aunties’ manor was in sight. I cried out, screaming for help. I hadn’t meant to do it; it just came out when I realized safety was so close. My scream echoed down the street, and I watched as every light in the manor flickered on.

I fell to the ground, my legs collapsing under me as my strength to stand completely fled. My knees scraped against the asphalt, and I tried to stifle the whimper that wanted to escape, but it was so painful that it couldn’t be helped. On my hands and knees, I crawled desperately towards the manor. I heard the sound of a wooden door clapping against a doorframe and the sudden stampede of feet. People were shouting, but they sounded so far away through the downpour.

“October!” came a familiar, deep voice. I looked up to see Freddy barreling towards me. “October, what the fuck happened?” He dropped to a squat, hooking his hands under my arms and hauling me up. “Talk to me; what happened?”

Norman came up behind Freddy, eyes as black as the night sky and veins of inky darkness slithering under his skin. His fangs were elongated, but at the sight of my blood, he seemed to be fighting rage rather than hunger. Jason, Michael, and Maddie rushed up behind the two of them, circling me and blocking out the rain.

I looked up at Freddy, who held me tightly in his arms. “Scarecrows!” I choked, trying to suppress a gag. The adrenaline was beginning to fade. “Scarecrows from the fields attacked me... I don't know why. I didn't hang around to find out,” I breathed in a rush.

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