It was a cool overcast morning as students languidly funneled into the old brick highschool. Shouts of obscenities, half-conversations and laughs filling the hallways.
The bell rang and the halls slowly went silent till they were empty, save for the few grade eights who still struggled to find their first class.
Ms. Pharnum, the math teacher, stacked some worksheets on her desk neatly before she told the class to keep working on their algebra as she stepped out for a moment.
Of course, once the teacher was gone all the kids immediately started to chat with one another. Not Zach though, who sat at the back of the classroom. He didn't want to have to get slammed with homework this weekend, so he focused on the math problems.
Zach tried to drown out the noise from the classroom. He really wished he had his headphones on at this moment. Sitting next to the window for a brief moment Zach thought he saw something out of the corner of his eye. Not really thinking he glanced towards it.
No... What the hell?
It was the creature he saw in the forest last night.
It was standing just beyond school grounds hiding in a blackberry bush. Zach just stared at it trying to figure out what exactly he was looking at. The door to the classroom shut, and everyone was back in their seats. Zach tore his gaze away from the window to the front of the room. Ms. Pharnum was just going over the math problems in their textbooks. Zach stole another glance out the window.
It was gone.
His mind was in a milky haze as he walked to his next class. The same creature had shown up two more times today. Once when it appeared in the washroom which scared the hell out of him. Next he saw it crouching on top of one of the lockers.
From what he observed the creature just watched him and it didn't seem to want to hurt him. When he tried to approach it or talk to it it'd just back away or vanish.
Zach was also surprised to notice that no one had picked on him today, well not yet.
The bullying he endured never got too physical, but it seemed like he was always the target of jokes or pranks gone too far.
Zach didn't have friends at school.
He'd hang out with his friend Aster, who was homeschooled when he wasn't busy, or go talk to Sawyer but that was pretty much it.
This never bothered him. Zach had convinced himself that he preferred to be alone. People were too complicated to be around anyway, too difficult to build a relationship with. So trudged through the halls with his headphones always over his ears, paying no mind to the people around him.
The school day was nearly over now, and Zach had planned to meet Sawyer at the record shop and tell him about the creature that's been following him all day. Hopefully Sawyer would believe him.
He had a feeling that a guy like him might be more open-minded to the existence of supernatural creatures.
Zach had procured a spot on a bench in one of the school's halls. Perfect space to eat lunch away from everyone. Suddenly a familiar voice called out to him "Hey!"
Zach looked up to see a group of boys about his age walk inside from the courtyard. He recognized the first boy as Robert, but everyone called him 'Rod.' He'd talked to Zach before, asking him to hang out. Zach was well aware of the reputation Rod and his friends had so he politely declined.
Just to make things worse Rod and his gang had recently found out about Zach's brothers 'part-time' job selling drugs.
They became more aggressive at trying to include Zach in their activities which were usually drag racing, underage drinking, and vandalism. Zach wanted nothing to do with them.
"So you heard about the party next week? It's gonna be at Stella's place her parents are out of town that day,"
Zach tried to pretend he knew who Rod was talking about.
"You should stop by," Rod smiled at him, but there was something behind his eyes that made Zach uneasy.
"Oh and make sure to bring some of the stuff" said one of the other boys, Lewis. Rod elbowed him, but kept smiling.
"We're not going to stay at the party very long, just dropping in to see if any of the girls want to come. We're gonna race up to an empty stretch of road near where the mine used to be!"
Zach just returned his smile and nodded.
"You do have a car right?" said a different boy, Mike.
"Of course he does!" said Rod, turning to him.
"With all the money from your brothers.. Um, other job. You've got to have your own car by now right Zach?"
He looked down at his lunch, a peanut butter sandwich and two pickles.
"Well, no. I'm still using my moms Porsche" said Zach.
Mike scowled clearly not buying any of the bullshit Rod was spewing earlier. "This is who you want to invite? The guys a loser man, he's not going to give us anything!" Mike half whispered to him.
Rod glared at him, his persistent smile fading. Mike immediately shrunk into himself, fear present in his face. "Shut up," said Rod harshly.
You probably couldn't tell right away but Rod had been held back a year for flunking 11th grade. It was present in his stubbly face, now that he sported an almost complete mustache. If you looked into his eyes though, you could definitely feel your skin crawl when he stared you down with that dark stilted expression.
The fourth boy standing behind the three finally spoke up.
"Hey, guys. Why don't we just leave him alone? He's clearly not interested in going to some dumb party."
Rod was about to give him a death glare as well, before stopping and looking back at Zach. That smile appeared again.
"You're not interested? That's fine, just have to say it then."
There was an edge in his voice that wasn't there before.
Zach had a strong urge to run from them. All four of the boys were a lot taller than him, especially the guy in the back.
Zach couldn't remember his name.
"What? You forgot to speak English, or something? Cause I sure as hell don't speak Chinese," scoffed Rod. The other boys chuckled.
That just about did it for Zach. Luckily the bell rang and they were all pushed back into the crowds of kids heading to class.
Zach took his things and disappeared into the stream of bodies, before Rod had a chance to grab him.
Walking home from school Zach felt his blood boil.
He was pissed off with Rod and his douchey friends, but he was more pissed off for not standing up to him. He could never act on it.
Because I'm weak... Because I'm indecisive... Because I'm- Fuck.
He kicked a rock on the road, and decided to take a short cut through the woods to get to the main street quicker. The highschool was old and definitely out of the way from the rest of the town.
I should forget about them. Tomorrow I'll eat my lunch at recess and just head to the library right away at lunch. Those idiots wouldn't be caught dead in a place with more than one book. They've probably only read porn magazines, or the back of a cereal box.
Zach grinned to himself as he walked, and started to let his mind wonder as he listened to his CD player.
Maybe if I was 6 foot, I could just intimidate them into leaving me alone. Yeah. How would they like it if I was pushing them around?
A friendless loser like me, punching Mike in the teeth. Kicking Lewis in the shins, and wiping that smug look off Rod's face with my fist.
His expression grew dark, as he let the music be the soundtrack to his fantasies of torturing his bullies. Then he was reminded of those words: 'Hey, guys. Why don't we just leave him alone?'
Zach frowned realizing just how fucked up some of the thoughts he had were. He knew he wanted to be left alone, but at the same time he kind of missed the attention he had today. It felt weird to acknowledge that.
I should call her... When was the last time I swinged by her house?
I feel bad about not talking to Aster, especially since I'm the one who did promise to visit again.
A snap of a branch caused Zach to spin around. He pulled off his headphones. It was the creature. It stood peeking from behind a tree at him. Zach felt his stomach drop before he noticed how it was hiding from him. "It's ok," he said. It peaked its bony head out, looking as though it might approach him.
"Don't worry, I'm not gonna hurt you."
Suddenly the creature disappeared behind the tree as Zach heard the crunch of gravel and some hushed conversation. He turned back to face the path and saw them.
Rod, Lewis, Mike and the tall guy along with a few older kids he didn't recognize were just lumbering out from the woods.
From the cloud of smoke that rose up there was no doubt what they were doing.
Before Zach could even move his feet they quickly approached him.
"Who were you talking to?" said Mike.
"None of your business" growled Zach.
They chuckled giving each other amused looks.
"Oh so you finally decided to talk to us, and not your imaginary friends" Rod got closer, he smelled strongly of weed.
They herded him away from the gravel path.
"How about this: You hook us up with whatever your brother is selling at the party next week, no questions asked. Then you can go play dress up with your imaginary friends or whatever. You don't have to have a real social life like a normal person."
Lewis giggled like an idiot when Rod said this, causing some of the other guys to look at him like he was insane.
"He's not gonna give us anything," Mike said, laughing as he spoke.
"He probably gets high off his brother's stash. Why would he want to give that up?" Rod glared at him again "Mike, if we weren't friends I swear my foot would be up your ass-"
"I won't do it!" all the other boys turned to look at Zach.
"I-I not your fucking drug-mule Rod. Just fuck off and leave me alone, ok?" He already regretted saying anything, once he saw Rod's expression of amusement twist into anger.
Worried that he was about to try something, Zach shoved Rod to the ground without thinking.
The kids around them did not even intervene; they were more excited at the fact that a fight might break out.
"Why you little-" Rod jumped to his feet, the promise of being rational about this now completely out of the window.
He grabbed Zach by the collar of his raincoat.
Zach felt his body go numb, he was afraid of what Rod was capable of. He was more angry at his own actions though.
Look where standing up for himself got him.
Pain. He was on his knees. Zach had been too caught up in his own thoughts he hadn't realized that Rod had haphazardly punched him in the cheek. "Come on Zach, why don't you fight back?" Mike barked at them. A firm hand gripped Rod on his shoulder.
"Hey man, don't you think you're going too far?" It was the tall kid.
Rod shrugged it off, "too far? He started it! You guys all saw.
He pushed me!" The other boys nodded, afraid to disagree with him.
The tall boy frowned at him "isn't he like, way younger than you? You're just picking on someone smaller, it's not worth it Rod."
"Shut up Axel!" he spat. "Why don't you stop being so flaky and try and have some fun-"
"Hey he ran off!" yelled Lewis.
All the boys turned their heads away from Rod and Axel like a group of seagulls.
Zach ran through the forest circling back closer towards the end of the trail. He stopped and listened, no footsteps, no shouts.
They didn't follow him. He sighed, and kept walking down the gravel trail. The bruise on his slowly started to ache.
It didn't take long for Zach to realize someone else was walking up from behind. He spun around this time prepared for another fight.
"Woah, hey! Please don't hit me!" It was the tall boy, Axel.
"I-I'm really sorry about Rod" he said quickly.
Zach just made a deadpan expression.
"Their assholes I know, they don't usually act like that. I'm sorry." He picked at the sleeves of his parka while talking.
"You're sorry?" Zach said. "Yeah" Axel smiled softly.
"Sorry that you let your friend punch me in the face? And that you just stood there?" He snapped.
Axel looked at his feet while Zach turned and strode away.
"Hey wait! Zach!"
He did not stop to listen to him. Axel matched his speed and started talking again. "They're not really my friends. I-I was just forced into hanging out with them cause they were in my shop class. I don't want you to think that I'm a bully, cause I'm not!"
Zach glanced at him, Axel was probably one of the tallest kids in the highschool. He had long curly ginger hair, and always wore a trapper hat. Did Zach think he was a bully?
He definitely doesn't look like one or act like one. He sort of stuck up for me I guess... no one's ever done that.
Zach slowed down.
"No, you're right, I-I don't think you're a bully," he sighed.
"You don't have to feel obligated to be nice to me."
"What? Why would I?" Axel was confused.
Zach grimaced at him. "N-Nevermind." He stammered.
The two of them walked the rest of the way in silence until they came out on the main road just behind a grocery store.
"I'll try to get them to leave you alone," Axel finally said.
Zach scoffed, "not likely."
He just looked at Zach with a sense of unease that the events today were his own fault. "You should put something on that bruise, like a bag of frozen peas." Zach wasn't used to having another kid his age talk to him for this long. "Uh, yeah thanks. I gotta go... Axel. Bye," he awkwardly walked down the street not before he saw Axel wave at him and make that big dumb smile again.
Weirdo.
It had been a slow day at the store for Sawyer. A few people came in to make some purchases, but overall people browsed.
It didn't help that the next shipment of new CDs had been delayed.
Probably because they were so far into the mountains, roads closed down all the time and there was only one highway.
He tried to remind himself that he wasn't still stuck in his home town of Wells. Where there was nothing to do there except work in the mines, or entertain tourists.
Sawyer rested his elbow on the counter and watched a couple people walk by the store. He felt like falling asleep.
Zach quickly pushed through the door letting the bell ring.
He came right up to Sawyer with an intense look in his eyes.
"Hey, how's it going?" he greeted Zach nonchalantly, before noticing the ugly bruise on his left cheek.
"How the hell did you get that?"
Zach was about to speak but stopped when he mentioned the bruise.
He hesitated to tell the truth, but thought better of it.
"Oh, this? Just a couple of guys harassing me when I walked back from school. Anyway, Sawyer, I need to ask you something-"
"What? Who?" He cut him off.
Zach gave him an innocent expression. "Just some assholes that aren't important. Don't worry. I need to talk to you!"
Sawyer put his hands up in defense and nodded "fine, but you're gonna tell me eventually." A foreign feeling of concern for the kid rose up inside Sawyer, he tried to push it away and focused instead on what Zach wanted to ask him.
"Do you believe in ghosts? Or like, supernatural creatures?"
Sawyer wasn't expecting this question.
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
Zach grew very nervous as he explained it.
"It's just. Something weirds been happening to me. I don't really know what it is, or what it wants but-"
The bell at the door dinged and Sawyer immediately stuck his gaze to the front of the store. Zach followed where he was looking.
Two cops approached them. "Beat it." Sawyer whispered harshly to Zach.
He did so and cautiously walked away.
Before leaving he glanced back one more time and saw the cops talking to Sawyer. One of them produced what looked like a CD wrapped in one of those forensics bags. Zach paid no mind to it, putting his headphones on falling back into the music as he started his trek home.
Zach shut the door to his room and sat at his desk. He had grabbed today's copy of the local paper when he got in the door to see if anything relating to the cops had shown up. Nothing.
He tossed the paper on the ground and pulled out his math textbook and notebook, getting ready to start on his homework when the familiar feeling of eyes boring into the back of his head was present.
Zach very slowly turned in his chair to see that his closet door was open. Something was standing just behind there, he knew it.
"Hello? Hey, I know you're in there," he called out.
Almost fading into reality the creature appeared.
It looked at Zach expectantly. He didn't know what else to say.
"Um, you can talk right? I heard you say something when I was in the forest. You want something from me, don't you? What is it?"
The creature bobbed its head, and opened its mouth.
"You're a friend?" it said.
"Are you her friend? You can help me. Please."
Its voice had changed somewhat. It sounded softer and sweeter than before. Zach tightened his grip on the chair.
It bobbed its head back and forth continually.
"She ran away from home. Said that you were Zach, and that Zach was a friend of Asters. She said that-"
"WHAT?" he yelled. The creature jumped and covered its face.
"Aster? What are you talking about? How do you know her name? WHO ARE YOU?" Zach stood up and the creature cowered while crouched on the floor. "Please. Please don't. I'm a friend, I'm her friend. I just want help, please. I-I don't know what happened to her... I wasn't there to help... please help me" it sounded like it was on the verge of tears.
Zach just found that unsettling.
He took a deep breath "ok. What's your name?"
"She named me Sacha," it said.
Sacha? Where have I heard that before? How the hell is Aster related to this?
"You're thinking."
"Hunh?" he met its eyes. "I need your help please" it repeated.
Its voice bordered between male and female.
"Help with what?" he asked.
It hugged its knees to its chest and stared at the ground.
"What? Why won't you just tell me?" Zach was losing patience.
There was a loud knock at the front door.
He cautiously peered out of his room, glancing at Sacha once more.
Marc walked down the hallway towards him and grabbed Zach by his shirt. "There are two fucking cops at the door Zach, and there asking for you" he pushed Marc away from him. "Cops?"
"I swear if you said anything to someone, or messed up somehow-"
"Shut up! I didn't do anything wrong!" he huffed.
Marc rolled his eyes. "I hope not. For your sake."
Zach passed him and went to the door.
Being a pretty tight knit community Zach recognized both officers. "Zach Bowen?" He was a little relieved to hear one of them use his proper name. "Yes? Can I help you?" Zach prayed that this had nothing to do with his incident in the woods last week.
"Your friends with Aster Greenbow right? Her parents informed us that you'd visit her often at her home, am I correct?" she said.
Zach nodded.
"Did you see her at any time this week? Do you know if she came by your house at all?"
"No, I haven't seen Aster at all. I did try to call her a couple times, I think.. Last Tuesday? She never picked up."
A growing pit of discontent traveled into Zach's body.
"Did something happen to her?" he came off more aggressive than he intended to, the male officer eyed him.
The female officer gave him a small smile, but to Zach it felt fake. "Oh, you know, she just ran away from home. It's not uncommon. The parents are a bit worried, but we have a feeling she'll come back on her own," the other officer put a hand on her shoulder and she quickly stopped talking.
"Thank you for your help Zach. If you hear anything else, or know something that might help us don't hesitate to call the police."
The door clicked closed.
Marc had been listening in from the hallway.
He approached Zach, somewhat relieved they weren't here for him.
"What was that about? Wasn't that Aster kid the one you said you had a crush on?" He laughed.
Zach shoved Marc out of the way.
"Hey! You asshole!" he shouted after him.
He ran to his room and slammed the door shut.
His whole body was numb and his legs were shaking. He refused to listen to the sick intrusive thoughts that swarmed him.
He didn't understand this, he didn't understand anything.
Can't be true.. This can't be true. What the hell are you thinking? Why wouldn't she tell me? I-I thought she trusted me..
Tears started to roll down his cheeks, he rubbed his eyes holding back sobs. It was still in his room, watching him.
It sat on his bed and Zach looked into its black starry eyes.
"Sh-She's not..." he began. "She's gone? Really gone?"
The creature nodded slowly, "I saw the police cars and heard the sirens. I wasn't there when it happened. I-I ran away cause she yelled, but I should have been there..." it mumbled.
It took everything he had to pull himself together and not collapse on the floor into a sobbing mess.
"Then why are you here?"
It held its knees and looked at him darkly.
"It was someone. They did it to her, I know it. I-I just don't know why or who did it. That's why I need Zachs help. You're the only one she trusted enough, she would want you to know what happened to her."
Zach took all this in at once, and simply nodded.
"Ok. I'll help you" he said finally letting the tears fall.
The creature raised its head at him as Zach lowered to the ground and held himself. It bobbed its head and made a concerned whine.
Sacha slid from the bed and crouched on the ground copying Zachs position. It hesitantly reached out a hand again.
Something touched Zachs skull gently. He flinched but was too out of it to push Sacha's hand from his head.
"It's ok. It will be ok" it mumbled.
Zach didn't move. He stayed like that for a while.
Until he felt his eyes dry up growing itchy and sore.
He was going to find out what happened to her even if it killed him.