In Their Eyes

-43-

    Beto turns to Izzy. "I'm not talking to you. I'm talking to the team.", Beto says coldly. He turns back to the others.
"The Coach is the reason I am anything, Man!", Beto hisses. Beto's look is a plea to his teammates. He singles out Dante.
"The Coach is the reason any of us are anything!", Beto hisses. He looks right at Dante. "You just gonna leave him out there?", Beto asks.

Dante looks as torn as Beto.

"Beto, what if that thing is just using him?", Izzy asks. Beto glares back at him. "For bait! To see who's gonna step off this bus and go get him.", Izzy adds.

"Izzy is right.", Alex says. All eyes fall on him. "He uses bait tactics. He lures people to their death.", Alex adds.

"Coyotes man. They imitate the sounds of a cat, so dogs will come to them! And when they do, they eat 'em man! They ambush the stupid dog!", Jake hisses.

"Thank you fucking Animal Planet!", Beto hisses. "Think about it, Beto? I know this thing more than anyone else. Why wouldn't you listen to me?", Alex asks Beto.

Beto glares him up and down. "You know so much about it? Who the fuck are you, Man?!", Beto hisses, Challenging Alex.
"Look, I'd love to sit and tell you my life story but that would take a very long time to explain. Just know I know it and it knows me.", Alex says.

   "Is that so?", Beto asks. Everyone starts questioning Alex and who he is.

   "Yes. Maybe one day, I'll be able to tell my story. All I can say is that I was at that church the day it burned down.

    You wanna know why it gave me the look it did when it was picking people? I'll tell you why.", Alex says.

   Everyone now is listening to him. Hanna still screaming from outside.

   "He knows I know him. Have for a very long time. Darry and Trisha Jenner...", Alex says and pauses.

   "Darry was the one who went missing. His sister Trisha was found on the side of the road by the train tracks...", Dante says.
    Alex nods. "They were the closest thing to family. Darry was my dorm mate. All 3 of us were classmates.", Alex continues.
   "He killed Darry. Took his eyes to replenish his old ones. He is what we referred to as The Bat From Hell.", Alex says.

   "How the fuck do you know all this shit?", Double D asks. Alex hesitates. He tries to decided what to do next.

   "Like I said, it was after us just days ago. He was after Darry. I know a lot about it but unfortunately, I can't figure out how to kill it.

    If I knew how to kill him, I would have done it a long time ago.", Alex finishes. His eyes meet with Minxie's.

   She knows but he won't reveal himself just yet. He's afraid to reveal himself in such a crowded area.

    Beto pushes people aside, kneeling on a seat and puts his mouth up to the crack in the window.

    "Coach?!", Beto screams.

   Silence as everyone on the bus wait for an answer. "Who's there?", Coach Hanna calls back.
   "It's me, Beto!", Beto calls back. "Beto?", Hanna calls back. "That really you?", Beto asks.

    "Who the hell you think it is, Beto?", Hanna says. Beto turns and looks at everyone watching him.

    "Can you move?", Beto asks.

   "There's something broken... It hurts really bad...", Hanna says.

The light is still beaming out into the fields. Alex listening. Alex starts to frantically pace. Everyone starts to notice it.

"We don't know how to get out there...", Beto says. "It's gone...", Hanna says. "What?!", Beto asks.

"It's gone! I saw it fly away!", Hanna says. "What if it comes back?", Beto asks. Alex heard him. He tries his best to contain himself.

"Jesus Beto, I can see the whole fucking sky...", Hanna hisses. "Are you sure, Coach? You gotta be real sure!", Beto hisses.

"I swear to fucking Christ! Just please don't leave me out here goddammit! Please don't do that.", Hanna says.

"Just hold on! Just hold on one second!", Beto hisses.

Everyone is still in shock that no one bothers to question what Alex had said earlier.

No one bothered to ask anything more. Alex needs to get free.

Being cooped up drives him mad and with how these kids are, it's making it worse.

Bucky turns the spotlight off. He looks over at Beto breathless at the window. He comes to a quiet resolve that shocks everyone.

"I'll go out.", Beto says.

Everyone stares. It makes Alex turn his head so fast, it would break his neck if he was human.
"But I need help.", He says. He looks at Dante. "Come on. I can't get him back here by myself.", Beto says.
"That thing'll pick you off before you're halfway across the field.", Izzy says.

"He's not your fucking Coach, alright!?", Beto hisses. He looks back to Dante. "Dante's got the gun and plenty of flares.", Beto says.

"I don't know Beto...", Dante says. "Yeah you do.", Beto says.

Dante looks to Scotty. Scotty nods his head. Alex thinks fast. Humans are being sent as runners.

"That thing hasn't been back here in almost an hour! That's the longest it's stayed away. I say we do it. We do it for the Coach.

What do you say?", Scotty says.

"You don't give a shit about the Coach!", Izzy hisses. He looks over to Beto and Dante.
"He's gonna use you as his runner! Like you're some decoy!", Izzy says.

Dante looks at Scotty. "Scotty?", Dante calls to him.

Alex can see Scotty's thought process and immediately thinks he's an idiot. Alex is on edge and ready to explode...