Shriekers | Episode 1 | The Scarecrow Man

by Jay, Jess

  About two hours before sundown, Jojo slowed to a stop in front of the ramp to a rest stop. They had come across a few on their journey, though never stayed because they were either completely overgrown or completely trashed. Like most buildings left in the world, the building at the end of the ramp had broken windows. Other than that, it seemed to be intact. It seemed safe.

  Thea stopped behind the girl, weary from her lack of sleep and mental toil and wanting nothing more than to rest for the night. Unfortunately, she knew what Jack would say and pulled up next to Jojo to encourage her to keep going.

  “Maybe we should stop.”

  Thea thought she heard him wrong and looked to see if he was feeling all right. He didn’t return her gaze, jaw clenched with the effort it took to keep from pressing forward.

  “Are you sure?” Thea asked, hoping he didn’t change his mind.

  He turned to her and nodded, though he didn’t look happy about it. For a moment warmth spread through her. He was being considerate and stopping for her sake, but then the warmth was replaced with cold—what if he was stopping because he thought she was a liability? Because her inability to control herself put them in jeopardy? He had said nothing about her episode, but she worried he thought he would be better without her. She worried he was right.

  They parked their bikes in the remains of the parking lot and Thea examined the surrounding area for hints of anything dangerous. When nothing surged from the shadows to rip through their bodies, Jack and Thea dismounted their bikes and drew their guns. Jojo didn’t move, knowing her role was to stay on her bike and be ready if they needed to escape.

  Inside the building, Jack and Thea split up, going their separate ways in the central lobby. After a week of working together there was little need to talk, each knowing what they had to do.

  With her gun and flashlight, Thea passed the securely gated gift shop and ventured into the back. As she combed the rooms for danger or things they could use, she tried to convince herself that Jack and Jojo needed her, that two people checking out dangerous areas were better than one. She wanted to believe her worth outweighed her risk.

  You’re going to regret it.

  “Clear,” she told Jack as they met up back in the lobby.

  “Same.”

  Jojo, hearing the words she had been waiting for, rushed to Jack, holding onto his leg and ignoring Thea. He patted the girl on the head then pried her off so he could bring in their things. Jojo’s expression fell, but only until she saw the gift shop. An enormous smile spread across her face, sparkling as she rushed to the gate and peered through the metal bars at the stuffed animals inside. Thea had never seen so much joy on the girl’s face and it broke through some of the gloom settling in her heart.

  “You coming?” Jack asked from outside, jarring Thea out of the moment.

  “Yeah.” She rushed out to help him with their things.

  When they came back into the lobby with their bikes and wagon, Jojo hadn’t moved, determined to see as much of the gift shop as she could. She looked up at Jack, jumping up and down, rattling the gate and pointing at the stuffed animals. Thea jumped at the noise, hand going for her gun, but nothing moved inside.

  Jack shook his head, knowing they didn’t have space for any other toys, but Jojo didn’t like that answer. She stomped her foot and made a noise Thea had never heard come from the girl: a whine. An annoying, pleading whine.

  After everything the girl had gone through—after being put in danger because of Thea’s incompetence—she deserved to have something good. Thea pulled out her gun to shoot the lock, waving Jack and Jojo back. Wasting one bullet couldn’t hurt. Jack didn’t agree, using his good hand to push down her weapon. She met his gaze and he searched hers, as if trying to read her and coming up short.

  Jojo rattled the gate again in irritation and Jack turned to her, ruffling her hair before squatting down in front of the lock. He took it in his hand and pulled, breaking it free as if the steel was soft clay. Eyebrows raised, Thea fixed Jack with an unspoken question as he stood again.

  “It was rusty,” he answered, dropping the unrusty pieces of metal to the ground and kicking them to the side. Something was off, but as she tried to put her thoughts together the gate retracted, crashing into the ceiling. Jack pulled out his gun and Thea held hers ready, waiting for anything that might have been disturbed by the noise. Nothing. Jojo waited an extra second before rushing into the store and to the pile of stuffed animals, face alight with happiness.

  Temporarily forgetting her suspicions, Thea followed Jack inside, taking in the array of items the store offered: key chains, t-shirts, cups of all kinds, stuffed animals, and figurines lined shelves and racks. Little knick knacks that only meant what you put into them. Pointless but meaningful at the same time.

  Thea wondered what it would have been like to travel with her family, to go on vacation or visit relatives. She glanced over at Jack humoring Jojo as she picked through the stuffed zoo and let herself imagine them on a trip without the threat of death looming over them.

  Jack caught her gaze and she looked away. She wanted to believe the situation in the town was an isolated incident, but she could feel the memories inside her. The next time they came across a trigger she would fracture and break. They had been lucky. She couldn’t believe they’d be as lucky again. If she lost it someone was going to die.

  She felt Jack come up next to her but didn’t look at him. She didn’t want him to see her mental state, to see anymore of her weakness. When he didn’t leave, she turned to him and gasped—he was wearing an overly large pair of heart-shaped sunglasses and a purple fluffy hat. A strange, light sound escaped her mouth and she put her hand over it to stifle her laughter.

  Jack smiled a mischievous smile and Thea looked down, noticing his hands were behind his back. She took a step backward, but he was too fast for her, placing a hot pink baseball cap on her head. It wasn’t what she was expecting, and she stopped, relieved it was a relatively normal, if not obnoxiously colored hat. Guard down, she wasn’t able to block the star-shaped sunglasses he set on her nose and hooked behind her ears.

  “Much better,” he said, and another laugh slipped from Thea’s lips. For a moment she forgot her worries and chased the lightness that spread through her. Stepping around him, she grabbed the matching baseball cap from the rack.

  “Oh, no,” he said, putting his hands up and backing away as she turned to him.

  “Oh, yes,” she said, taking off his ridiculous fuzzy hat and replacing it with the baseball cap. “Much better.”

  He cocked an eyebrow before adjusting the hat, angling his face to show off how good he looked despite the pink hat and heart-shaped glasses. Thea pulled the rim down and laughed, unfamiliar feelings taking hold of her. For a moment she forgot her problems. Warmth filled her as he pushed the rim up again, meeting her eyes with clear affection. Her breath caught in her throat and his smile faded, another emotion filling his gaze—one she wasn’t able to place. One that made her heart beat faster.

  Jojo cleared her throat and they snapped out of the moment, looking down at the small girl. Jealousy bunched her face as she took off the hat Thea had given her and waved it around, demanding a new one. Jack looked to Thea, knowing the hat had been hers, and she shrugged—the hat was old and used. She couldn’t blame the girl for wanting a new one, though it still hurt, if just a little.

  She watched as Jack knelt to Jojo’s level to help her find a new hat. Without hesitation the girl took the bright pink cap from his head and put it on her own despite it being too large. Again, Jack looked to Thea to see her reaction and she shrugged. There were only two bright pink hats and if she wanted the one Thea gave Jack as a joke it was fine, though Thea had a hard time ignoring the dig at her.

  Jack took the cap off Jojo’s head and adjusted it to fit her. She beamed as he put it back in place, adding the heart shaped glasses and a pink fluffy boa to complete the look. Neither were practical and would have to be left behind, but
that didn’t matter as Jojo gave Thea a look of triumph and pranced back to the stuffed animals as if she won. She probably did, though what she won Thea wasn’t sure.

  Mood ruined, Thea didn’t look at Jack as he stood again, but he didn’t walk away.

  “Well? I need a hat.”

  Thea smiled but it was a shadow of her previous smile. Subdued, she picked out a normal looking red baseball cap and placed it on his head, brushing his bangs out of the way.

  “Perfect,” she said, sadness blooming where happiness had been just moments before. As she gazed at him, she saw him for the good, selfless person he was and decided. She cared for him and she cared for Jojo. No matter how she wished she could be strong enough to control her memories and emotions, it was impossible. Instead she would have to be strong enough to leave.

  Her hand lingered by his cheek and he took it in his, worried, as if he read what she was thinking. She masked her emotions, trying to drain the expression from her face. For a moment he looked disappointed, then he glanced over her shoulder and let go of her hand, alarmed—Jojo was trying to walk out of the gift shop under a pile of stuffed animals and he rushed past Thea to stop her.

  Thea watched as he tried to negotiate with Jojo in as few words as possible, telling herself she made the right decision. She just hoped her aunt would understand why she was breaking her promise. She wanted to believe she would be safe, that she could still make it to the Pasture on her own, but she couldn’t fool herself.

  Leaving was a death sentence.

  Chapter Nineteen

  They ate dinner in the food court, sitting at one of the few tables still standing. As they ate, Jack focused on getting Jojo to leave the stuffed animals behind and Jojo focused on keeping them. Thea watched, confident Jack would get Jojo to the Pasture. He was stronger than he should be and he was smart. His drive to keep moving had been reckless, but he learned his lesson that day in the rain. They would be fine.

  They would be fine without her.

  The thought stung and she walked away to keep herself under control. Jack watched her go but didn’t follow. He probably figured she needed space. She did. She didn’t.

  With a sigh, she stopped at the counter of a fast food restaurant and wrestled with the thoughts bombarding her. A week ago, Jack was a stranger she barely trusted. In the short time she knew him she grew to trust him and to care what he thought. He hadn’t mentioned her freaking out, but he had to know she was dangerous to be around. She wasn’t going to wait until he decided he’d be better off without her. She wasn’t going to wait until she put them in danger again. She had to leave that night.

  The pleasant-faced robot behind the counter seemed to understand. She brushed the layer of dust from its face, revealing a familiar one. It was the same model as the one in Town, the one she remembered from her childhood. The one she had forgotten about when distracted by her uncle bringing her toys from behind the counter. In a flash, a solution to the stuffed animal problem came to her, and she hopped behind the counter.

  She came back over to Jack and Jojo with a handful of toys wrapped in plastic and set them on the table in front of Jojo. The girl hesitated, eyeing Thea as if she had been the one to continually play pranks on her and not the other way around. Thea did her best to look neutral, knowing that if she showed any emotion the girl would reject the offering.

  Jojo reached for a toy and pulled it toward herself without breaking eye contact. Once it was in front of her she looked down at the tiny doll with snap on clothes and her eyes lit up. She opened it, snapped on the clothes, then grabbed another toy and another, showing them to Jack as she did. He pretended to be interested and gave Thea a grateful smile.

  Thea didn’t smile back, avoiding his gaze and staring at the now-forgotten stuffed animals across from her. Her heart ached as she thought of them being left behind even though she knew they didn’t have feelings. They weren’t alive. The ache was for herself.

  After they finished eating, they set up camp in one of the backrooms. As Jack and Jojo laid out blankets Thea removed things from her pack they would need. She only took what she had to, leaving everything she could spare. She would try to survive and make it to the Pasture, but she knew her chances. She wasn’t going to waste food on herself if she wasn’t going to need it.

  When they settled down for the night, Thea excused herself. Jack nodded, probably assuming she was going to relieve herself, and Jojo ignored her, not caring what Thea did.

  Without looking back, Thea took her backpack and her bike, and left.

  She didn’t get farther than the Highway, her body stopping without her permission and refusing to proceed. She had to leave. She couldn’t stay, but her brain rebelled. Her heart clenched in her chest as her hands clenched the handlebars of her bike. She had to mount it. She had to move forward, but the simple actions she took every day were too difficult.

  As she stood on the Highway, the sun hung low in the sky, she remembered all the evenings she stood on the uneven pavement near her home. Those nights she wanted nothing more than to find others and form a family. That night she had to leave the people she found—the family she might have formed—behind. She clenched her jaw against her tears. She wouldn’t cry. This was her choice. She was doing it for them.

  That wasn’t true. Not completely.

  A bike clattered to the ground behind her and a hand grabbed her arm, turning her around.

  It was Jack, angry and worried.

  “What are you doing?” he asked, his voice rough like gravel, his brows drawn together.

  Thea stared at him, eyes wide, brain unable to form a coherent thought. She had been so focused on getting the nerve to leave she hadn’t heard him approach. She hadn’t even considered he’d come after her, hadn’t even considered him being upset. It didn’t make sense. He should be relieved.

  “I have to go,” she said, but the words were quiet and uncertain. He searched her face and she searched his, each trying to figure out what the other was thinking.

  For a moment Thea allowed hope to seep into her thoughts, to tell her that he came after her and that meant he wanted her to stay. That he didn’t think she had to leave. But then he shook his head slightly.

  “Why?”

  He hadn’t realized yet. He hadn’t put everything together and figured out what a danger she was. Worse, she was going to have to tell him. She was going to have to see his expression change as he realized she was a burden, see the pity in his eyes as he sent her away. As much as she wanted to, she wasn’t going to be able to escape his rejection.

  “Because I’m dangerous,” she said, the words tumbling from her mouth. “Because I can’t control myself.”

  He narrowed his eyes and shook his head again, as if confused, as if what she said was ridiculous, but then his expression changed as the words sunk in, as he remembered the day before. His eyes trailed off, his thoughts no doubt going to the night she fled the basement in panic. Then his gaze snapped back to her as he realized she was right. That she had to leave.

  “That’s stupid,” he said, his hand still tight on her arm, holding her in place.

  Thea blinked.

  He continued. “You were scared. It happens.”

  Thea shook her head, not knowing how to react. He didn’t think she was dangerous, but that was because he didn’t understand. If she didn’t make him understand she wouldn’t be able to leave. As long as he held onto her—as long as he didn’t let her go—she wouldn’t have the emotional strength to move on. She could have gotten out of his grip, but his grip on her heart wasn’t as easy to escape.

  “It’s more than that,” she said, willing him to believe her, willing him not to. “I can’t control when it happens. It just does, and if it happens when we’re in a dangerous situation again, we might not be so lucky. I can’t do that. I can’t get you guys killed.”

  “So you’ll go. On your own.” It was a statement and his hand falling away was the punctuation.

  “It’
s the right thing to do.” She rubbed her arm where he held her. Not because his grip had been painful, but because him letting go had been.

  “What if it isn’t? What about Jojo?”

  Thea scoffed, looking away. “She’ll be more than happy to have me gone.”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Have you seen the way she treats me?” She looked back in his direction and was surprised to see he was serious. “She doesn’t like me.”

  “She does. She’s just scared.”

  “Of what?”

  “You.”

  Thea didn’t have the mental capacity to handle his riddles. “So she likes me, but she’s scared of me. That doesn’t make sense.”

  Jack shrugged. “She’s seven. She doesn’t make sense.” He cleared his throat, the prolonged conversation taking its toll, but he didn’t relent. “She lost her family. She’s scared.”

  It took a moment for the words to sink in, but when they did Thea’s heart contracted—the girl was scared of being attached to her. She closed her eyes as the realization washed over her. She had been so stupid. Of course, the girl would be cautious. Of course, she would be distant. It was different with Jack because she knew him from before.

  But the only thing that knowledge did was add another layer of regret.

  “It doesn’t matter. You aren’t safe with me.”

  Jack looked away, irritated, then back at Thea as if she was the most stubborn person he met. “You won’t be safe…out there. You’ll die.”

  He was just as stubborn as she was.

  “I can handle it.”

  “Not on your own. There are things…you don’t know.”

  “If I stay, we’ll all die.” Thea didn’t look away, didn’t give in, despite how much she wanted to. “Everything we’ve been through will have been for nothing. I’d rather die than get the two of you killed. Are you really willing to risk your life, and Jojo’s, for someone you just met a week ago?”