The Field

The Snake's Tail

Robbie didn't know where he was. His head hurt, and he could taste dirt in his mouth. White flashed against the ground, illuminating scattered twigs and what looked like clumps of dried mud. The light moved again, glaring against red metal with white letters. Before he could read the words, the beam pulled his attention away. Particles danced like campfire embers, floating through the light, never falling. He started to sit up, but something pulled at his neck and forced him back down. He tried to move his legs, but something restricted them as well. The flashlight beam moved down the length of his body long enough to reflect on a strand that spiraled and crisscrossed all the way down to his ankles.

"Rick?" he said to the night.

Where the hell was he? The last thing he remembered was going out to the abandoned house where he and his brother would burn shit. His mom had told him to come home right after baseball practice, but screw her. If he had to hear, "How was school today?" one more time, he'd kill himself.

How do you think it was, Mom? It's fucking school. She probably wanted him home so she could point out all the other things she'd found in his room to confiscate.

He moved his legs and winced. Damn pocketknife. He almost had the handle fixed; he just needed a little more super glue. It might not fold closed again, but that was okay. If he tried really hard, he could stay awake long enough to show it to his dad when he came home.

"Rick? Real funny. Get this stuff off me already." He managed to work an arm out of the tangled mess of rope or wire and pushed himself up a little. "You idiot, you didn't even tie this good."

His elbow buckled, sending him back down. "What the—" Pain erupted from his bicep. "Shit, Rick. Knock it off. That fucking hurt." The light was back. It settled on his chest, and, between the harsh shadows, he could see exactly what had wrapped around his body. Barbed wire. Rick wouldn't do this, would he? Robbie struggled, and the sharp knots pierced through his clothes into his skin.

The light went out. Now was his chance. He dug the knife out of his pocket.

That was when the second blow hit, square in the middle of his forehead. His fingers splayed, dropping the knife. Stars went super nova in his vision, and a scream tore through his throat as his head slammed back against the ground.

A blow to his knee. He screamed again, jerking upright, gripping his leg. The pain from the barbed wire was a distant burn compared to this. Something crushed his hand, and he fell back again, his head slamming harder against the ground this time.

A train bellowed in the distance. Something warm pooled on his forehead.

Robbie felt around for the knife, dazed, barely able to distinguish up from down. He clutched the blade, feeling it cut into his flesh. He didn't care. It was as though he had found the key to a prison cell. He sawed at the rope as fast as he could when another blow hit him in the shoulder. But he continued, fighting against his muscles and tendons.

The threads of the rope crackled like a sparkler as the knife cut through. Finally free, he rolled onto his hands and knees, kicking off the rest around his ankles. He stumbled to his feet, pushing himself to run, but was only able to manage a pathetic limp. The light was gone now, and, through his tears, every direction looked the same.

Glowing dots perforated the darkness, shrinking the farther he walked. Then a giant black spider stretched across the ground in front of him, surrounded in a ball of light. The spider's legs connected with his before he realized it was his own shadow.

A stream of warmth ran down his brow, along the inside of his nose, settling into the corner of his eye. Everything around him turned red. So red.

An electric shock struck his spine, forcing the rest of his breath out of his lungs, shoving him farther ahead into the unknown. His next step never found solid ground. Cool air rushed along his face, and he knew he was falling. His shoulder met the ground first, twisting to the side. Rapid breath whistled through the tiny hole in his nostril not yet sealed with snot, his teeth biting into his swollen tongue.

"P-p-please." Robbie looked everywhere. Nothing but darkness. The flashlight's beam was on him again, holding steady. "Stop, I—"

The white-hot source of the flashlight bobbed down closer to him. Metal glinted near the bulb. It flashed again as it came down, landing on his stomach. His body convulsed and twisted, his limbs stretching in different directions, beyond his control. The shine of metal hurtled down again, smashing against his chest this time. His heart pounded against his ribs, feeling closer to the bone than it was supposed to be.

"Mom," Robbie said.

He violently coughed against the rising heat in his throat. What felt like fingers wrapped around his neck, squeezing the liquid fire from his mouth. It splashed on his cheeks, trickling down the sides of his face, finally collecting in his ear cavity. Dirt crunched. His heart hammered. Sobs came from somewhere. Were they his?

As the blackness around him grew even blacker,he wished he could tell his mom how school had been.