The Walk

The sound of children playing outside roused Adred awake from his summer dream. Sitting up and rubbing groggily at his eyes until the sleep drifted away. He glanced at where the sounds of laughter and chatter came from the window ajar. His thin white curtains billowing in the breeze. Adred stared, and contemplated the sounds.

TINK!

Adred gasped, seeing a small boney hand slap the glass pane of his window, but he relaxed as his friend from the first grade's face flashed under the veil of the curtains.

Malcom smiled, and called as he lifted the window up to stick his head right in. Taking a long look at his blue wall painted bedroom. Decorated with dinosaurs and space ships and even a good ol' Jesus on the cross above his head board.

"So? Are you coming outside or what?".

Adred scoffed at Malcom, scratching at his eyes again as he pushed himself past a yawn,

"I just woke up Malcom, I don't even know what time it is."

Malcom lifted his arm and pulled the sleeve of his older brother's army jacket to reveal his watch,

"12:30. Come on, we just got a ball and a bat from Anton. And we're gonna go play softball at the schoolyard. Saw your window was open so thought I'd see you wanted to tag along?".

Adred stared at his friend, and first he felt excited, and moved as if he were about to get ready. But then he slumped, sighing,

" I don't know Malcom. I'm pretty tired."

Malcom frowned,

"But Addy. You love playing soft ball, and man I haven't seen you in like, weeks it feels like. I mean I know we're starting highschool next year but you don't got to hide away all summer."

Adred snapped, "What does becoming a freshman have to do with anything?"

"It has to do with, it's scares you. I know you Adred. I know your tells, and I know you're super worried about this."

"How?".

"You aren't as spontaneous as you used to be. Have no hobbies, And like, you said last day of school. What if it all changes? Well fuck Addy, it's gonna change if you're there or not! Now get off your ass and come play some softball."

Adred stared at Malcom for a long moment, before he leaned forward enough to catch a glimpse of the couple girls and boy waiting beyond his tall, curly haired and ebony friend. Adred shook his head, before laying back down.

"Just... Not today Malcom."

Malcom's chest deflated like a balloon as his shoulders gave way. Defeated he sighed, and moved his hands to carefully shut Adred's window. Turning back, the boy waiting among the others called out to Malcom,

"He coming?".

Malcom shook his head,

"Nah, he's not feeling too good today. Anyway. Let's go." With bat in hand Malcom lead them off to the schoolyard.

Adred would only wake up to go grab something to eat, then when his mother and father came home late. He lied, telling them how he played with the kids outside while they were gone and forced a smile through and through the entire dinner. See, everything was different in Adred's house. As he glanced over the still left over spot where his older sister once claimed. He realized it had been 6 months now since her passing. 6 months of painfully silent repetition. Three grief-stricken people every breakfast and dinner, and a bitterly lonely Adred every lunch, every day. Whom of which would sit at the soundless table and sometimes just stare across the spots he and his sister stole from their parents while they were away. His sister was just about to go to college when the accident occurred, and Adred had not only lost his closest friend, and enemy in one day, but he lost any sense of a future. He used to see it bright but when his sister was taken so quick, with no warning and no goodbye. Adred realized at the young age of 14, that life is unpredictable. And excruciatingly so. He was angry, but the anxiety over ruled, and the depression came in like swamps of a sickly reprieve. It would take his pain, but also his motivation, and any sort of thrill as it lulled him to grant at least a peaceful slumber. But apparently, even that was bad too.

Adred awoke again, this time to the sound of his cell phone ringing and quickly he sat up and answered. Finding it was Malcom once again.

"Hey, Addy. I have an a cool idea. And like. You can't pass me up this time, please dude. I need you I think this would be good for you."

Adred blinked, scratching his tousled bedhead,

"It's like what? 1 in the morning?".

"So? Lets get some spark back in those bones. Look I found this abandoned house behind the school a little ways after everybody went home and like, I'm showing everybody tonight. The Merediths' are coming and so is her sister, they wanna see it and you need to come out of your nest and see some life again yeah? Yeah. Can't wait to see you. Meet us on Amber ave right behind the school. You'll see us all waiting."

"BUT!".

" You wanna get out of this rut Addy, please fucking come."

Then he hung up, leaving Adred confused and rather bewildered. But as the conversation ran loops inside his head he sighed. Realizing what ever plan Malcom was conjuring up, was going to certainly be reckless... And stupid and Adred groaned, determining he really had no choice. Feeling if anything happened to Malcom... Perhaps like his sister, he would be to blame.

Adred hurried outside, sneaking quietly out of his window that was only a few feet from the ground after having thrown on a pair of blue jeans, boots and his sister's highschool letterman that had a large font A on the shoulders. Then a backpack with some snacks and water and a couple cigarettes and a lighter he stole from his father's glove box. He dropped down into his mother's garden right out front of his window and carefully hopped around the rose bushes towards the side of the small suburban home. It was pitch darkness, and after Adred had located a flashlight and grabbed his bike did he realize the dark clouds above looked full and angry, and the smell of fresh, almost ocean air began to cross over. It was going to rain, and Adred almost turned around to head back inside. But something, something told him to go. Told him to push himself, and for once. Not just go to bed, and sleep everything away.

Malcom, the ginger, and perhaps only ginger in the entirety of the school, Jacob Meredith, then dark, wavy haired Meredith Patch and her sister Joan Patch all stood around one another. Waiting and the three besides Malcom growing impatient.

"Is he ever actually going to show up?", Jacob sneered.

Malcom waved his hand, as if to quiet him down,

"He's coming, I promise."

"Yeah, one of these days he will", Joan chided and Meredith lightly pinched her arm.

"Just give it a break okay. Like, 5 more minutes, or I'm going back to doing something actually productive", she said after getting a fierce glare from her sister after whom was rubbing at her arm overdramatically. Malcom was beginning to lose faith as the clock in his friends ticked, checking his watch every second the bigger hand struck by. Before he was about to explain it all away and proceed. A voice and sound of wet wheels rolling over the cement came raging towards them. It was indeed Adred, and he had made it and Malcom beamed. Running over to greet him as Adred hit the brakes and skidded to a halt before them. He panted, but never the less gave Malcom the first genuine smile, a small one at that but a heartfelt one, in months as he said.

"You made! I knew you would make it! See guys!".

"Did I really have a choice?", Adred teased but chuckled as the other's gathered around. After some catching up Adred finally voiced,

"So? What, is it are we doing exactly, again?".

"Well Malcom says he found this abandoned house behind the school down this trail so he asked if we all wanted to check it out and well. Hell yeah we do. This Summer has been full of shit", Jacob explained,

"Fucking, Covid, fucking the election, fucking James Franco is a pedophile, and your sister getting into a fucking car accident", he said before he even recognized what he had said. Staring back at Adred who was involuntarily frowning.

"I.. Shit, man I didn't it mean it like that", Jacob tried to which Malcom stepped forward,

"That was fucked up Jacob."

"I didn't mean it to come out like that!".

"Just drop it, guys please. Just. Lets see this uh. Abandon house! of sorts", Meredith intervened. Having the boys all agree and both sisters glanced relieved to one another that the tension had resolved. Watching Malcom begin the lead, hopping on his bike and instructing them all to follow. Meredith found her way riding beside Adred, and she called to him,

"I wanted to say, I'm sorry about what happened. And you know, Malcom told me".

"Oh great", Adred rolled his eyes.

Causing Meredith to huff softly,

"You know, it's not your fault you called her..."

Adred glanced at Meredith, thinking hard for a brief moment, before he stared onward. Sighing,

"I appreciate what you're trying to do Meredith. But to be frank. It all just doesn't even matter anymore."

The tension was suddenly back again, and the group grew silent most of the way towards the abandoned house Malcom had spoken of. The road down Amber Ave was a normal neighborhood landscape, with tall, neatly trimmed hedges shrouding every other family complex. Until towards the dead end of the street did Malcom suddenly slow down to where the woods and plant life began. Cutting off the road entirely, and there was a fence having started two houses back, that stopped, and started again to a few other houses but leaving a clear gap that stared at them with a darkness inside. Where the trees, and the bushes were let to grow wild past the houses beyond the school and town. Malcom glanced around, since it was so late in the night seeing no one was around.

"Alright. It's through here", he beckoned before Jacob glanced between everyone, before following after Malcom, whom then the sisters trailed after and last to look back was Adred, feeling something was among them. Something, someone else was watching them, and Adred felt spooked thinking of the cops. Diving into the brush after his friends. His back pack getting snagged and he groaned, after struggling for a moment before getting free and scurrying after the others.

Everyone had hopped off their bikes to now follow behind Malcom on foot, flashlights illuminating their way through the thick wooded path. Barely even visible, Joan said in a hushed tone,

"How did you not get lost in here?".

Malcom glanced back with a smirk, before pointing at the ground, stopping for a moment.

"See look, closely. Stomp even a little bit. Feel that hardness underneath the dirt?".

After watching everyone try out the forest's floor, nodding to one another as if having judged an act and there Malcom knelt down. Beaming his flashlight downward before he started to dig his nails into the rooted grass and there he peeled up the fur of the earth and beneath showed the remnants of a board walkway.

"Just hit your heel and know we're going where ever this goes. And it's only like, a little further. The house is huge!".

Everyone seemed they liked that, and continued onward, but Adred wasn't feeling it. Suddenly a sinking feeling beginning to rise in his gut. Clutching the handle bars of his crimson bike he halted when heard something rustle behind him. As if someone was trailing along and he whirled around. The light casting away the shadows revealing only a tree and long, waving branches that resembled large, skeletal hands reaching out towards him. He felt shivers run up his spine. Turning around he found himself frozen again.

No one was around, and he couldn't hear the sounds of them walking on further as he thought he should have. Finding it as silent as outer space. Not even the trees brushing against one another made a sound, and Adred swallowed thickly. Before he called out,

"Guys? Malcom! Meredith? Joan, Jacob!". He was quiet for a moment. Awaiting some response before he let the panic sink into his heart it loomed over. He called again,

"Malcom! This isn't funny! Hello!".

He bit his lips.

"Anybody!"

Then there was a growl, and Adred spun around again, tripping over the kick stand and toppling over his bike. Splashing into puddle of mushy mud and he groaned. After recovering himself he lifted his head to find his flashlight, casting a glow ahead of him. He gasped with relief, crawling over to grab it, before his gaze wandered towards where the light touched and found two yellow orbs shining beyond a few pines about 10 feet away.

Suddenly Adred's breath hitched as he found the orbs almost blink. Flash away and then right back and he realized these eyes of sorts stood at least half the height of the pines. Adred was frozen in his place.

There was a dark, gutteral moan, and the orbs moved and the sounds of boards creaking moved with it. That's one of the pines barely catching any light off the flashlight bent unnaturally to it's side as if something snapped it like a toothpick and the cracking of the tree's screams startled Adred to his core. There his own frightened shrieks ripped themselves from his throat.

Eyes squeezed shut he felt something touch him and in a act of pure instinct he threw a fist.

"Ow!", Malcom gasped, falling back and rubbing his stomach. Upon opening his eyes he found that everyone surrounded him. But it was still dark, and they were still in the woods beyond the school.

"You guys? Where did you guys go?".

"Well, first of all we made it to the house before we realized you were gone. Then we found you passed out, and uh. You got this scratch on your neck. See".

Jacob explained, showing Adred a picture of his neck on his phone. The scratch there didn't look like much of a scratch at all than it did like a symbol of sorts. The scratch looked almost like the star sign, Pisces. It was odd. Adred pushed the phone away to make it to his feet. Before he said sternly,

"We need to get out of here."

"What the fuck are you talking about?", Jacob scoffed.

"There is something here! I mean look! It fucking bit me or something like what the fuck is that-"

A howl, like the wailing of pained souls struck the silence that once engulfed them besides their own voices, and slowly. Adred turned, as everyone guided their lights to match their gazes. Finding the earth stood still once again as a beast of mangled, rotten flesh and a buck's skeletal head, protrude from the dark wood, and looming over with the hollow sockets that glowed a fierce, striking yellow with snake like slits.

Adred awoke again. Having dozed off in class, glancing around seeing Malcom nudging his arm while everyone else packed up.

"Did you hear what I said?".

Adred shook his head.

"Uh, no, what?"

"You asked me what my favorite hobby is that I think you should get into."

"Oh? yeah? And what was that?".

Malcom sent him a sly smile, long and wide,

"Urban exploring."