Hitchers

by Douglas, P. A.

  “More like being eaten,” Greg demanded, ignoring the comment about himself. He wasn’t getting sucked into anything. His being in this town was a fluke accident.

  “I know…I know,” Teddy sighed. “I tried to deny it for months, but more and more people kept going missin’. The worst part was when the local homeless community started to freak out. The ones that have lived here their entire lives. The ones the town called our own. They started talking about weird things.”

  “You mean, weirder than a freaking portal that makes people vanish? Come on, man.”

  “The monsters. The hitchers. Somehow, someway, they could see them or something. I don’t know.”

  “Of course, they could see them, man! Shit, Teddy, I’ve seen them!”

  “It’s not my fault, okay? None of this is. I didn’t do any of this. My dad and his stupid friends did all this. Not me.”

  “Yeah, but you took me to Doc’s and let him give me the pills,” Greg shouted. “Fuck, dude. You hit me on the back of the head and now you have me cuffed in the back of your patrol car for Christ’s sake.”

  “I know, and I’m sorry ‘bout that. It’s just that I got in too deep. I can’t go back. My dad will kill me. I mean really kill me. He’s gone mad. When I watched them open up that portal at the church, my mind opened to new possibilities. Alternate realms. Other worlds. The possibility that maybe what Doc was doing really could bring back my mom. Bring back the others. I miss her, man. And I would give anything to be with her again. How the hell was I supposed to know that we let a bunch of monsters loose?”

  “So you’d kill somebody to get her back?”

  “No, of course not!”

  “Well, that’s what’s happening, Teddy.”

  “What the hell am I supposed to do now? Huh? It’s too late. The ceremony is in a few hours and they’re gonna go through with this thing, with or without my help.”

  “What’s going to happen tonight?”

  “The first time all they did was open the portal. Tonight, they have to actually summon Obos out. I don’t really know a lot of the details.”

  “Then we have to stop them.” Greg said, beating his cuffed fists against the glass divider.

  “Easier said than…” Teddy shut his mouth in mid-sentence, the commotion in the street up ahead interrupted his train of thought.

  * * *

  Teddy’s words were cut off. A mob of aggravated men were approaching the patrol car from a block and a half down the street. They were carrying guns of all makes and models. The man in the lead was none other than his father, shotgun in hand. They were doing exactly what his old man said they would be doing. A search party on foot to find Greg. But why would they all be armed like this? Isn’t that a little much? Altogether, Teddy’s father had five other men with him, wearing the same aggravated blank stare as their leader. The Sheriff spotted the patrol car and waved at it. As they drew closer, picking up pace, Teddy witnessed the mutilated madness for the first time with newly opened eyes.

  The Hitchers on their backs were hideous. He’d heard about them from people in the homeless community like Elliott and Bonnie, but he never believed a word of it was true. His mind just couldn’t wrap around the reality of such creatures. Even after seeing the withered thing on the kitchen floor in the Chinese restaurant, he had doubts. But now, his doubts had been instantly washed away.

  Not a single man in the group was without one. The monsters were huge, hanging over their heads like giant umbrellas. As they drew closer, he could smell something acidic and rancid. Gritting his teeth, shocked at what he was seeing for the first time, he studied his expression in the side mirror. He needed to keep a straight face.

  “Oh, shit,” Greg said. “They’re going to see me.”

  “Duck down,” Teddy said. “Get as low as you can. Duck down in the floorboard between the seats.”

  “But the windows, they’ll see me in the windows.”

  “No they won’t. Trust me. The windows are tinted and its night time. Just get low and stay quiet.” Teddy grimaced, slightly panicked.

  “But…”

  “Just do it, now,” Teddy said between gritting teeth as he smiled, waving his father and the men over.

  Teddy didn’t even look back to see if Greg was out if sight. His peripheral vision grazed the rearview mirror. Greg wasn’t there.

  “Teddy,” the Sheriff called out, walking up to the driver’s side window. “What the hell you doin’ just sittin’ here in the middle of the dang street, boy? You got a job to do.”

  “I know, Dad, I was,” he said, trying to keep from looking over his father’s head at the thing resting on his shoulders. The thing was slimy and gray. Horrid and pulpy. It slushed and slopped, shifting its weight. Black goo dripped from the meaty tips of its dangly arms.

  “You was, what, boy?” the Sheriff asked, resting his free hand on the hood of the car while looking down at his son. The other held his shotgun at the waist. “We ain’t got time for such nonsense.”

  Teddy looked past his father at the five men with him. “I just came back from Ms. Chan’s. The restaurant was broken into. And she’s…” He swallowed hard. This was it. He was done for. Found out. “She’s missing.”

  A bead of sweat ran down his brow. He wiped it hoping no one noticed.

  “Well, did you find anything?” One of the men behind the Sheriff called out.

  “No,” Teddy said, finding confidence. He thought of Greg in the backseat, and then pushed the thought away. Focus…focus…focus. “I…I didn’t find anything. Whoever was in there did a number on the place. One of the homeless men, Brian, he’s been shot and killed. From what I can tell it looks like it was a gun fight over some food. The homeless people will do anything to get by, I guess.”

  “Well, keep your eyes open, son. I’ll send over a few men to clean up the mess and have them look for Ms. Chan. In the meantime, quit suckin’ your thumb and find that heathen. He’s gonna cause us nothin’ but trouble.”

  “You mean, Greg? Greg Teeter?”

  “I don’t give a damn what his name is. Just find him and bring him to me. Do I make myself clear?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Good,” the Sheriff said, stepping away from the cruiser. He nodded at two of the men with him, waving them on. With firearms in hand, the two men took off down Main Street toward the Chinese restaurant. “Phil, I’m leavin’ you in charge. Continue scoutin’ out the area on foot. This Greg fella couldn’t a gone far. If you find him, shoot to kill. I ain’t playin’ no games with this one. He’s trouble. Caught him tryin’ to rape my little girl.”

  The man the Sheriff referred to as Phil nodded his compliance. He was the Sheriff’s go to guy for everything. Teddy knew that. He was a tough son-of-a-bitch. Led the construction crew that erected the new plaza. Having him around was big business for the entire town. Especially since, he owned Phil’s Feed and Things. It was originally his grandfather’s store, who he happened to be named after. Now days, all he did was sign off on the bills and collect profits, while some of the other locals actually ran the place. Between him, Teddy’s dad, and a few of his other bar buddies, they were the ones that ran this town. If Teddy’s dad said shoot to kill, he meant it. Teddy didn’t think for one second that Phil or any of the other guys with him would think twice about it. They lived for this kind of stuff. They’d gone hunting countless times illegally and if given the opportunity to hunt a human being, Teddy just knew they would be on the top of their game. These guys were immoral down to the core. That was partly why Teddy hated hunting. It wasn’t the sport. It was the company. Phil wasn’t that bad, at least not before his loss. Already a drunk, he decided to drive home with his ten-year-old son in the car. Needless to say, he totaled the car and survived. His son did not. His wife left him and he was never the same after that, and with the Sheriff being his best bud, he only got off with a warning. It wasn’t the last time he was drunk behind the wheel and there was nothing Teddy could do about it. H
e’d tried to bring him in on a DUI last summer and got reprimanded himself. Phil on the other hand, got off easy and was sent home with a slap on the wrist.

  “And as for you,” the Sheriff said, pointing back at Teddy. “Give me one more clean sweep in the cruiser through town and once across the highway. I want to make sure this kid didn’t get away. You got that?”

  “Yes, sir. I can handle that.”

  “Good, and when you get done with that, come by the church. We’re gonna be gettin’ things started here real soon. I’ve been waitin’ too long for this to have some punk kid mess it up. You got that?”

  Teddy nodded. That was just it. Teddy’s dad was way too serious and constantly repeating himself, which only made Teddy feel like his dad thought he was ignorant or something.

  “I got it, Dad, really,” Teddy said, feeling Greg force his seat forward a little as he shifted.

  The Sheriff nodded in return. “Just makin’ sure, boy.” He turned to his men and said, “I’m headed in. If it gets to bein’ too late and he don’t turn up, head back. We don’t want to get started without y’all.”

  The Sheriff tipped his hat and Teddy watched him sling his shotgun over his shoulder. The barrel of the weapon slammed into the creature’s leg that was resting on his arms. It hissed in protest, but neither the Sheriff, Phil, nor any of the other men seemed to hear it. With one last reassuring glance at everyone, his dad walked away from the patrol car in the direction that he had come.

  After a moment of everyone watching the large man walk away, Teddy smiled at the three men. Just as he was reaching up to pull the cruiser out of park to drive off, Phil reached into the car from the open window grabbing Teddy by the wrist. He froze, startled. His mind flashed to Greg still crouched down in the backseat. He swallowed hard, felt his heart racing, leaned back in his seat and calmly smiled.

  “What, Phil?”

  “I’m watchin’ you, kid. Just cause your daddy thinks you ain’t up to somethin’ don’t mean you got us all fooled. You hear me? I been waitin’ on this a long time too. We all have. This is gonna work and now that I got my chance to get my boy back ain’t nothin’ gettin’ in my way. Not even you!”

  Teddy stared back silent, trying to appear ridged. Truth was, he was shaking inside. He just hoped Phil couldn’t tell.

  “That’s right,” Phil said, letting Teddy’s hand go, but not before shoving him away. “I will shoot you dead where you’re standing if you get in my way. And you know what? Your daddy wouldn’t do a damn thing about it. You know why? Cause he cares less for you than the rest of us. That’s why!”

  At this point, he didn’t know where he was headed. He just wanted to get away from these men. Forcing back a tear, he gritted his teeth at Phil and then smiled. He put the car in drive and just before letting off the brake, he waved.

  “You boys have a good night, you hear.” Teddy grinned. “You’re just wastin’ time chattin’ with me. Don’t you have a hellion to find? From what my old man said on the CB earlier, this fag ain’t got on any pants. That should be right up your alley, Phil, cause you roll that way, right? You like the cock, right?”

  Not wanting them to have the last word, Teddy smiled, waved one last time and drove away. As much as it felt good to tell Phil off like that, he was shaking in his boots. He’d never been more afraid in his life. In a way, he half expected the drunk to pull a gun on him right then and there. He was thankful he hadn’t. Once he was out of sight, with his nerves still working against him, he pulled over, putting the car in park.

  Adrenaline and fear raced through his body. Leaning his head out the window, Teddy vomited. The puke splashed across the driver’s side door. When he was done, he wiped his mouth and looked in the rearview mirror. Startled, he jumped, not expecting to see Greg sitting up and staring back at him.

  “Shit, man. You scared me.”

  “Sorry,” Greg said, looking over his shoulder down the dark street. “The coast clear?”

  “Yeah, man. They’re gone.”

  “Thanks. Thanks for saving my life.”

  “It’s the least I can do. I just want to make this thing right. It’s gone way too far.”

  “I’m just glad you came around. Now, I really feel bad for shooting you in the leg.”

  They both laughed and after Teddy stepped out taking off Greg’s cuffs and ushering him to the front seat of the cruiser, they drove off into the night.

  The things that lay in wait would be much worse than anything they had seen so far.

  Chapter 16

  “This is the place.”

  “Talk about a freaking dump,” Greg said, rubbing at his sore wrist.

  “Sorry,” Teddy said, looking down at Greg’s hands. “Trained to put the cuffs on tight. I do have to say, that was the first time I ever really did it.”

  Greg smirked and then went back to looking out the window.

  The patrol car rolled to a stop in the Phil’s Feed and Things parking lot. The small vacant lot was gravel and dirt, rather than paved. A small wooden fence lined the outer edge of the parking lot. The fence resembled one Greg had seen at a horse ranch back when he was a teenager. Only the fence pickets were so small that they were barely taller than the front bumper of Teddy’s cruiser. At the front of the small feed store was one lone gas pump. It was rusted and dented to hell and back, like something out of a past era. Greg wasn’t into vintage things, but from watching shows like Pawn Stars and American Pickers, he had to guess it was new in the early 50’s. The gravel around the pump was much darker, soaked with oil from years of leaking oil pans. To the right, near the front door of the store, were small bundles of hay. To the left was a bench that looked as if it were made entirely of old and new license plates.

  “Are you sure this is gonna work, Greg?”

  “What else do we have, man? You saw that thing on the floor in the kitchen back there. I’m telling you. Salt is what we need. Lots and lots of salt. That thing was controlling you before I did what I did.”

  “I don’t even wanna think about it,” Teddy said, killing the engine and stuffing the keys in his pocket. “I’ve heard a few of the homeless people talkin’ about the monsters and stuff. Knew that they had to be related to that portal, but never in a million years did I think it was real. Seein’ those creatures, those things riding on Dad and his friends’ backs, talk about freakin’ creepy.” Teddy shivered at the thought.

  “Well, I told you once and I’ll tell you again. You had one of those things on you and it controlled you. Tried to make you kill me. The salt was what did it. And yes, I really do think it will work. We just need to come up with a game plan. Personally though, my vote is to take the cop car and just get the hell out of here. Tell somebody and have them deal with it.”

  “We already went over this,” Teddy said, as they both stepped out of the cruiser and began walking toward the storefront.

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Greg rolled his eyes, the rocks and gravel hurt his bare feet. “I hear you, man. If it were my sister in there, I wouldn’t be able to just up and leave. I get it and I got your back, even though I think it’s a stupid, reckless idea. But if we really are going to hit that church, balls to the wall, all or nothing, I’m going to need to get into some shoes and preferably some pants, too.”

  Teddy grinned at Greg. “I’m sure they got somethin’ in here you could put on.”

  “Good.” Both reached the front door at the same time.

  “You really think they’ll do it?” Teddy asked, checking the door and then looking through the window. “Locked. Looks like no one’s home.”

  “Do what?”

  “You know, sacrifice Peggy Ann?” Teddy stood straight and glared at Greg as if waiting intently on his reply.

  “I don’t know, man. It was what was in my vision, dream, whatever you want to call it.”

  “But you said I was the one that was gonna kill her. I could never do a thing like that.”

  “No telling, Teddy. You were sure as he
ll ready to kill me not too long ago.”

  “True,” Teddy said, turning his attention back to the store and a way to get inside. “Is the coast clear?”

  Greg looked around. Aside from the slight popping sounds of the cruiser’s engine still settling down, the parking lot and street beyond were silent. The night air was cool and inviting. Despite all that he had been through in the last two days, something was refreshing about the way it felt against his face and legs. He took a deep breath and exhaled. With all that had happened, breaking and entering was the least of his worries. The last time he had done that to illegally go skateboarding as a kid he was a lot less relaxed. And just when he was about to tell Teddy everything seemed clear, he saw something. A shadow darted in and out down the block between some buildings. He studied it for a second longer and then he heard the sound of glass crashing. He jumped in his skin and then turned to Teddy who was reaching into the shattered window to unlock the door.

  “You scared the crap out of me, man.”

  “Well,” Teddy shrugged. The satisfying click from inside put a smile on his face. “We’re in.”

  “Hang on; I think I saw something out there?”

  “What is it?”

  “Shhh,” Greg demanded, scanning the darkness.

  “I don’t see anything, Greg.”

  “I guess it was nothing. Let’s get in and out as quick as we can.”

  Teddy led them both inside. The bell hanging from the top of the door rattled as the door slammed shut. Greg felt his gut drop at the sound. They both froze for a moment expecting someone to pop out of the darkness at them. A few moments passed and Teddy was the first to break the silence.

  “There should be some pants, overalls, and boots a few aisles down on the right if you want to go find somethin’ to put on. I’m gonna find us a buggy and start loadin’ up.”

  “What all do they sell in this place? It’s a lot bigger than it looked from outside.”

  “Everythin’ from horse feed, farming equipment, clothes, and groceries. This is the one stop shop for the locals. The dairy section is small, but they got the basics. Milk, eggs, cheese, that kind of stuff. Why do you ask?”