fantasies. Now mine, she has long, shiny dark hair, and the most luscious … eyes.”
I smiled gratefully at him as the others laughed, quickly losing interest in me as they walked out.
“And there she is right now,” Chris sighed, a hand going to his chest. But this time none of us laughed.
Jonathon hesitated as he drew level with me, his eyes dark and haunted. He opened his mouth, but Morgan put a hand on his shoulder, and they continued up the road.
Madison – who enjoyed taunting me at every opportunity – didn’t even seem to see me as she followed them.
“Maybe Chris is right,” Melissa said quietly. “Maybe it is some sort of cult.”
Beck turned worried eyes on me.
They stepped onto the road, and crossed to the other side, stopping just past the Pizza Parlor. Then, their movements perfectly timed, they turned as one, watching us.
A chill crept down my spine.
“Ugh. They’re like robots,” Melissa said.
“I’m going to call it a night,” Mick said uneasily. “Got an early start tomorrow. You coming or staying, Mel?”
“Coming,” she shuddered. “They give me the creeps.”
Melissa linked her arm through Mick’s, giving us a sly smile as she leaned forward to kiss him. “I can think of better things to do right now.”
“Mel, you’re hopeless,” Beck laughed.
Chris couldn’t quite meet Melissa’s eye as he mumbled goodbye.
Across the road, Morgan glanced down at his watch, and said something to the rest of them. All of them except for Jonathon turned then, Madison raising a hand, as though to say goodbye. A horrid knowing smirk on her face.
Then they stared up the road. Their bodies still and unmoving. As though waiting for something.
I heard Mick’s car start as Jonathon stared at me, a strange helpless look on his face.
“What?” I mouthed as we stepped onto the road.
He smiled sadly as Morgan thumped his arm to get his attention, and he too turned away.
All the lights in the street went out then. Every single one of them.
The sign advertising the latest movies. The flashing neon of the pizza parlor across the road. The soft, golden lights of the park beside it.
We still had no idea what was to come.
I stopped, confused, as we were thrust into sudden darkness, the only light coming from Mick’s headlights.
The sense of danger I felt at that moment was complete and overwhelming. Maybe I did have a sense of what was about to happen. Or maybe it was their strange behavior.
Whatever it was, my mind rushed ahead as I realized we’d stopped in the middle of the road, Beck and Chris a few feet ahead of me. That Mick wouldn’t see us until the last minute as his headlights slowly swung toward us, his indicator flashing.
Little did I know the danger was coming from the other direction.
The black car seemed to come from nowhere, the sound of its engine masked by the loud revving of Mick’s car.
I saw the look of horror on Beck’s face.
Chris reaching for her, his frightened eyes on me as he shouted, “Get off the road.”
But it was already too late. It was always too late.
I hesitated, unsure whether to step back or hurry forward.
My brain kicked in, and I moved out of the way. But the dark beast swerved, bearing down on me.
I heard a thump.
A scream.
Then a sudden impact knocked me forward, and the air gushed out of my lungs.
I flew through the air, the dark shadows of the park rushing toward me.
Then I could no longer hear anything. Just the sound of my own breathing as I lay panting on the ground, trying to catch my breath.
There was a heavy weight pinning me down.
Everything felt wrong. Even the air felt different.
I turned my head, and my mouth dropped open as I tried to make sense of what I was seeing.
It was like I was in some sort of other world. Caught between this and the next.
Everything had just stopped.
The black car was on the wrong side of the road, the corner kissing Mick’s bumper.
Glass from the broken headlight hung in the air,
I smiled gratefully at him as the others laughed, quickly losing interest in me as they walked out.
“And there she is right now,” Chris sighed, a hand going to his chest. But this time none of us laughed.
Jonathon hesitated as he drew level with me, his eyes dark and haunted. He opened his mouth, but Morgan put a hand on his shoulder, and they continued up the road.
Madison – who enjoyed taunting me at every opportunity – didn’t even seem to see me as she followed them.
“Maybe Chris is right,” Melissa said quietly. “Maybe it is some sort of cult.”
Beck turned worried eyes on me.
They stepped onto the road, and crossed to the other side, stopping just past the Pizza Parlor. Then, their movements perfectly timed, they turned as one, watching us.
A chill crept down my spine.
“Ugh. They’re like robots,” Melissa said.
“I’m going to call it a night,” Mick said uneasily. “Got an early start tomorrow. You coming or staying, Mel?”
“Coming,” she shuddered. “They give me the creeps.”
Melissa linked her arm through Mick’s, giving us a sly smile as she leaned forward to kiss him. “I can think of better things to do right now.”
“Mel, you’re hopeless,” Beck laughed.
Chris couldn’t quite meet Melissa’s eye as he mumbled goodbye.
Across the road, Morgan glanced down at his watch, and said something to the rest of them. All of them except for Jonathon turned then, Madison raising a hand, as though to say goodbye. A horrid knowing smirk on her face.
Then they stared up the road. Their bodies still and unmoving. As though waiting for something.
I heard Mick’s car start as Jonathon stared at me, a strange helpless look on his face.
“What?” I mouthed as we stepped onto the road.
He smiled sadly as Morgan thumped his arm to get his attention, and he too turned away.
All the lights in the street went out then. Every single one of them.
The sign advertising the latest movies. The flashing neon of the pizza parlor across the road. The soft, golden lights of the park beside it.
We still had no idea what was to come.
I stopped, confused, as we were thrust into sudden darkness, the only light coming from Mick’s headlights.
The sense of danger I felt at that moment was complete and overwhelming. Maybe I did have a sense of what was about to happen. Or maybe it was their strange behavior.
Whatever it was, my mind rushed ahead as I realized we’d stopped in the middle of the road, Beck and Chris a few feet ahead of me. That Mick wouldn’t see us until the last minute as his headlights slowly swung toward us, his indicator flashing.
Little did I know the danger was coming from the other direction.
The black car seemed to come from nowhere, the sound of its engine masked by the loud revving of Mick’s car.
I saw the look of horror on Beck’s face.
Chris reaching for her, his frightened eyes on me as he shouted, “Get off the road.”
But it was already too late. It was always too late.
I hesitated, unsure whether to step back or hurry forward.
My brain kicked in, and I moved out of the way. But the dark beast swerved, bearing down on me.
I heard a thump.
A scream.
Then a sudden impact knocked me forward, and the air gushed out of my lungs.
I flew through the air, the dark shadows of the park rushing toward me.
Then I could no longer hear anything. Just the sound of my own breathing as I lay panting on the ground, trying to catch my breath.
There was a heavy weight pinning me down.
Everything felt wrong. Even the air felt different.
I turned my head, and my mouth dropped open as I tried to make sense of what I was seeing.
It was like I was in some sort of other world. Caught between this and the next.
Everything had just stopped.
The black car was on the wrong side of the road, the corner kissing Mick’s bumper.
Glass from the broken headlight hung in the air,
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