by Z Hanny
They decided that the boys were being hysterical, which was a safe way to call them crazy. People murmured that they must’ve seen Jen disappear, whether someone had grabbed her or not. But they’d obviously seen something horrific. Both of them were forced to see therapists, but the more they explained and the more they tried to persuade others of the truth, the less they were taken seriously.
Jared and Blaine soon stayed silent about it so that they wouldn’t be put in an institution and given unnecessary medicine, which both boys had heard their parents discussing as future options if they didn’t snap out of it. Eventually, they didn’t even mention that night to one another.
*
One year later
Blaine knocked on the front door of Jared’s house, then kicked at the snow piled up on the porch as he waited. Jared opened the door and rubbed at his tired eyes. It was still early.
“It’s been a year, Jared,” Blaine said solemnly. “A year to the day.”
“Yeah, what of it?” Jared asked, not wanting to meet his friend’s eyes.
“I figured we could do some sort of memorial for her,” Blaine said quietly. “Near the building.”
Jared shook his head vehemently. “I’m not going in there ever again,” he bit out.
“Not in,” Blaine corrected, “just near it. Come on, Jared, it’s the least we can do for her. Especially since we’re the only ones who know what actually happened to her.”
Jared said nothing more but closed the door, then reopened it with a jacket on. The two of them took their time walking down to the department store. There was light snow coming down.
They stood across the street from Craig’s and started at the building. Blaine took out some small candles and used the snow to fashion holders for them before pulling out a lighter.
They both stayed quiet, shivering occasionally, as the candles burnt down.
“Maybe she’s alive somewhere,” Blaine said, trying to be hopeful.
“No, Blaine.” Jared’s voice was flat. He turned and started to walk away.
Blaine followed after a moment. As they walked, Jared looked back at the store, to the window they’d broken and fallen from. In the window, a mannequin dressed in the season’s fashion stared out. It shouldn’t have been facing outside – that didn’t make any sense.
Jared shivered at the sight of it and thought to himself that it had features similar to Jennifer’s. But that didn’t make any sense. She was long gone.
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Special Thanks:
I would just like to thank the amazing hard working professionals that made this scary suspenseful story possible. You all are truly the best in the business. Without your hard work and dedication, this book would have never come to life. Thank you for being such a fantastic team. - Z. Hanny
Payton Smith
Debraj Dey
Sai Leigh