Chermont Street

Chapter 4

"You get a box, wrapped in brown paper, with only your name written on it, and you don't question anything? Sam you're a Moron" Sam shrugged "I didn't think anything of it honestly?" she looked up, Tyler eyed the box with apprehension, Arthur and Jd with fear, Ari with a little bit of curiosity. "Are you going to open it?" they asked. Sam looked at them "Yeah I guess" She ran her thumb under the carefully folded paper breaking the tape seal and opening the small wooden box. Inside were pictures, the first being Ari as they ran into the sunset the day that Sam met them. The next of Tyler a few months ago on his birthday when they all went to an arcade. Then Arthur at one of his Karate competitions, one of Jd skateboarding at the park, one of Sam leaving school and the last of Max packing last night. A red X covered the picture. Sam swallowed, she turned the photo over to see a giant red S, she flipped the rest over. "Corks?" Tyler asked, Sam didn't get either. "No, maybe rocks?" Arthur stared at Jd "Dude seriously?" Sam stared silently "No, Crooks" She moved the pictures around. Jd huffed "Well what's a Crooks?" Sam shrugged "Someone google it" Two minutes later Tyler came up with nothing. Arthur however found something small. "Here, Oliver teal Crooks was a recluse known to dabble in black magic? Lived and died in Havenlake Vermont. Uh, died is in quotation marks" Sam sat back as Jd sighed "That doesn't do anything for us. We still don't know how this thing is related to anything else? Is it even real? What is the thing any way?" Sam shrugged "Dude how would I know?" "We could go to the library" Everyone stared at Arthur. "He's right" Tyler looked back. Sam inhaled "Let me go get my shoes".

Sam pushed the heavy oak door open as quietly as she could. The old library was once a church so Sam grinned as the sunlight cascaded over the shelves in the various colors of the stained glass, the high ceilings and skylights providing all kinds of light, and their footsteps echoed down the hall. Sam walked up to the librarians desk, she cleared her throat as the old lady scowled at her. "Yes? Speak up I can't hear well" Sam smiled "I'm looking for information on Havenlake throughout history. Where could I find that?" The old woman pointed a crooked and wrinkled finger to the front right corner of the building. "Knock yourselves out" Ari made it there first, they took in the massive shelves with wonder. "Uh Sam? Do we have a way to narrow this down?" Sam looked at Arthur who double tapped his phone screen. "Says crooks lived from 1956 to uh, well it doesn't list a death date. Ari grinned "Well we know where to start, we know what we're looking for. Let's go freaks!" They dove towards the shelf as the others shuffled after.

"Sam It's been four hours and we've hardly found anything, come on dude let's go home" Sam ignored Tyler, she was lost in the book she was confident would give her all the answers. Arthur looked over and slowly closed his book. "Hey Sam, I gotta go. I have to go to therapy in an hour and my mom wants me home" He stood up and passed the others. Sam didn't move and Jd shrugged, "You know how she gets" he nodded and walked out the door. The therapy had been a lie, it was a tuesday and he went on Mondays and Fridays. However he needed to go but didn't have enough reason to, but he didn't have enough courage to come up with an excuse. Coward. Despite his fit build and second degree black belt Arthur couldn't protect himself or anyone else. He couldn't during that flood, he can't now. He's just as useless as when his father's hand slipped through his own, and he watched him float down that stream into the gulf. They never found a body, dozens were lost during that hurricane but Arthur could have prevented at least one. If only he was strong enough. Arthur turned down Chermont street and peddled down the dim street lamp it road when he noticed something, right outside his driveway. It turned, and Arthur flew off his bike as he stared himself in the eyes. These weren't his eyes. They were yellow with two seperate pupils, his face pulled his lips into a smile that wasn't his own, at least not anymore. "Arthur" his voice sounded off? Like someone stitched it together with dental floss and radio static. "What, who, what do you want?" Arthur crawled backwards on his hands, the thing stepped closer. "Arthur I know what you were. Who you were" he stood up "What are you? What do you want?" his voice out of the thing's mouth wavered like cello strings under it's bow, and this thing was playing him like a symphony. "Arthur why? Why do you hate me?" Arthur shuddered "I don't? I don't hate myself?" he was genuinely confused, out of all the things he hated about this fucked up world he never hated himself. The thing smiled "How about me?"Arthur blinked and his father stood in front of him. He smiled, but it was fake, plastic. "Oh no Arthur, you hate me. Why do you hate me Arthur? What did I ever do to you?" Arthur looked around, no one was there to help him. It was pitch black, the only light came from the street lamps and even it, seemed to disappear into the void that surrounded the short Asian man in front of him. Chermont street was quiet. "Say it! Say it and I'll let you live!" Arthur shook so badly he started seeing double, which was not helping. "I don't know! I shouldn't! It's not your fault you died!" He stopped, something flashed across his mind. That night on the roof in Louisiana Arthur had a strong grip on his father, but when they met eyes all he could see was defeat. Arthur didn't let go, his father did, he gave up. Arthur looked up at the form of a man he once admired, one he loved, one he saw brake after his mother's third miscarriage. He felt no love, only hate. "I do hate you, I hate you for giving up! I hate you for leaving mom! I hate you for leaving our city! I hate you for leaving me!" Arthur opened his eyes, the thing no longer stood in his driveway, the only noise he could hear was the echo of his own pained yelling. Like a shadow passing a building a force knocked him backwards, pouncing on him, knees pinning his chest. "Oh Arthur I know I said I'd let you live, I told Max that too, she believed me!" The thing laughed. It whipped it's head around and stared deep into Arthur's eyes. "Well I told the truth, but you're not getting away! At least not uncathed" A claw drew a line down his cheek, Arthur froze in panic as the mutilated limb brushed the back of it's hand down his face. "This is going to hurt Arthur, but you already know that" It lifted it's arm above its head and Arthur squeezed his eyes tight. "Hey you freak of nature! Get off my friend!" Arthur opened his eyes to see Jd standing in front of the others, backing her up like her own army. She held a knife in her hand, it glistened in the streetlight. "Jamie Dean! How lovely to see you" Jd scowled "Can't say I feel the same" She threw her arm forward sending the knife spinning through the air, embedding itself into the thing's head. Instead of blood black smoke swam through the air from the wound, the thing bared its teeth at Jd "You're not immune from me girl! I'll be back!" Arthur felt the weight disintegrate off his chest, and a soft thump as the knife fell onto his stomach. He curled into the fetal position and sobbed as his friend's ran to him, cradling him in their arms.