The Moon Close

Stacy had reluctantly agreed to travel up the mountain. When Peter and Aaron first pitched the idea, to go up high where the moon would be at its clearest, she had declined. She had thought it was a waste of time, hadn't seen a point in it when she could see it just at well from the plaza. For days they had both talked about the trip non-stop, excited about witnessing something away from the crowd. She had rolled her eyes at them, and everytime they asked she said that she would rather be with her family anyways. Stacy didn't want to be away from them, her little brothers and her mom, not during this. In truth she was frightened, the moon had never been this close to earth before, you had never before been able to see every crater this clearly, Stacy didn't want to look at its glowing surface anymore.

Though after she found out the rest of her family wasn't going to be home for the phenomenon either, she had decided she didn't want to be alone. Stacy had felt embarrassed finally accepting the proposal, letting them win like this, but she had felt it would be better this way. She couldn't stand the idea of being abandoned in that house, while the moon glowed white light through every window.

It seemed to have happened overnight, just a couple weeks prior, it had been announced that the moon was approaching earth. They, the news people, had said there was nothing to worry about, that every few thousand years this happened, all natural, they had even provided historical documentation, dating back to the bible, mesopotamia and so on. They had called it the Moon Close. Stacy didn't believe a word of it, how could they know. Not a single human being had ever experienced anything like this. She was anxious. She wished she could tell Aaron and Peter about it, but they were both so excited. But she could feel deep in her bones that something terrible would happen. Why did she not just speak up? Would they believe her? Would they stay home? Probably not. So she said nothing. But as the days went by, and the big day came closer, she fell sick.

She decided to talk to the boys and tell them about her superstitions.

Aaron and Peter both looked at her, as she literally fell down from the moon. They didn't laugh, but as she resumed, they did not believe her, when she said that the closer the moon appeared for her, the more ill she became. And she has this deep feeling that something terrible would happen. She was scared.

On the day of the Moon Close, Stacy could barely get out of bed, at the slightest turn she felt sick, her stomach knotted. She felt entirely paralyzed by the fear. She had made sure her blinds were closed, so tightly no light would dare come close. She looked at the phone next to her, this object that she hadn't dared use for days, just the slightest mention of the moon and her stomach would turn, it seemed to be all people talked about these days. The phone lit up its screen, an alert, or maybe more a reminder, but Stacy saw it as alert. She clutched it and turned it off completely, but she hadn't done it properly, the screen lit up again. her heart was beating unnaturally fast, she decided to throw the phone. She heard the bump as it hit the wall, and didn't care if the wall or the phone were broken.

Stacy had decided she didn't want to get out of bed. No one was home, and it had always been her own responsibility to get out. It was only when she had heard a knock on the door she thought about moving. She wiggled her dead legs over the edge of the bed, letting her bare feet touch the cold floor.

She felt like she was out of her body as she walked to the door. Outside were Aaron and Peter, they both looked shocked at her. They were nicely dressed og excited. "Why are you so dressed up?" Stacy asked. She hadn't thought of what she was wearing, or her looks at all. Peter said "it's a big day, once in a lifetime, perhaps we would come in the historical books, of course we have to look presentable".

They asked if Stacy was ready, she was not. But she took her jacket og a beanie and then they went off.

The moon was so close to earth, it looked like they could touch it.

They had traveled up the mountain in an old rusty car, it had been Peter's dads, before he passed he gave it to him, told him to take care of it. It was one of those cars that when you got in it you had to hold on to the door, to make sure it didn't fall off. Every seat was completely beat down and stained. Stacy sat in the back, trying to pull her beanie over her eyes, so as to avoid the moonlight. The higher up they got the brighter, and the more sick Stacy felt. In the front the boys were listening to some old song, stored away in the car for decades. Aaron was drumming lightly with his fingers in tact to the beats, humming softly the melody. Every now and again they would cast a glance her way, as if to check she was still there. She felt like the moon could swallow her up anytime. Every bump the car met, shook her entire body, vomit making its way up her throat. Stacy tried to still her breath, making the trip more bearable, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. Whenever she closed her eyes, time seemed to move faster, halving the minutes. More than anything she wanted to jump out of this car, bury herself under thick dirt, never see this burning light again. Before she could open her eyes, the car came to a full stop.

Peter announced they had arrived, letting the motor die at once.

Aaron looked first at Peter, then at Stacy.

He was the first outside, he was smiling and laughing. Stacy and Peter had never seen him like that. Like he was another person. He used to be a quiet type, but at that time, when the moon was nearby, he chanced. "I've been waiting for this moment for so long", he said. Peter and Stacy looked at eachother, why was that, they asked.

Because now he could get home, the only thing he needed was a sacrifice and he looked straight at Stacy with an intense look. She couldn't move, but she heard Peter arguing with Aaron.

They were friends, why would he hurt Stacy. They have known eachother since first grade, so over 10 years. What was wrong with Aaron, that was all Stacy could think about.

In the glow of the serene light, Aaron looked animalistic, like a wolf. The way his eyes flashed a shade of white when the moon hit just right. Aaron was standing in front of them, a cliff behind him, the huge moon making a big circle of light. In the moment Stacy felt that she knew this would happen, she knew something would go wrong.

She felt something grab her, she looked over her shoulder and saw Peter, Stacy could see his mouth move, but it seemed like there was no sound left in the world. She stood rooted to the ground, unmoving, she knew she wasn't leaving tonight.

Stacy ignored Peter's pleading pull, and turned towards Aaron again, looking dead into his moon eyes. His mouth was turned in a crescent smile. From his suit he pulled out a pocket knife, he opened it, Stacy could imagine the clink of the metal. Aaron walked slowly towards her, letting the knife be seen by Stacy and the sky. He seemed to be taking his time, savoring the moment. Stacy stood steadfast, unafraid, knowing now what had been coming, is finally here. Her head pounded the familiar pain.

Aaron stood in front of her, his lips moving at a speed that shouldn't be possible, Stacy couldn't make out the words. Instead she looked down to his hand, where the knife sat. She watched the swift motion of the knife moving towards her, and felt the pain that came with it. The knife was stabbed in her heart, Stacy was ripped out of her trance, she felt as Aaron twisted the knife around, making the pain inhuman. She screamed and kicked, and watched as the bright red blood pooled out of her. Where her body before had been warm, it was now cold, the only warmth left was that of the blood.

Under the moonlight Stacy choked on her own blood, as Aaron chanted a sound, declaring his sacrifice.

The End.