by Rae, Alexa
When the show ended, the five guys moved to the front of the stage. The crowd screamed in response to their spectacular performance. The four players bowed and backed away, leaving Ben to bask in the glory with an extra round of applause. He walked backwards, away from the edge of the stage. His eyes slit to the side and found mine. His expression didn't change when he met my gaze, but I watched a muscle in his jaw tighten. He blinked, turned away, and ran off the stage.
Knowing the band members were somewhere behind the stage, people tried to jump over the metal fence just to catch another glimpse of the world famous band. Large bodyguards, four times my size, pushed them back. I felt Adam's hand wrap around my forearm, pulling me away from the crowd. I grabbed Hayley and followed Adam until we made it to the street that was packed with parked cars. We were all flush in the face from the concert and still finding a hard time to breathe normally after pushing our way out of the audience.
"Holy"
"Fucking shit," Hayley finished for Shiloh.
I laughed, "I think that pretty much covers our evening."
Shiloh squealed. "I still can't believe they performed here tonight."
Adam motioned to the stage behind us. "That wasn't enough proof for you?" Shiloh shook her head and leaned into him for comfort. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight against his chest. She smiled and turned her face into his chest for warmth.
Hayley's nose scrunched up, her expression twisting into disgust while she watched them. Adam opened his eyes, noticed the face she was making, and mouthed, "You Jelly?"
She rolled her eyes and turned to me. "Did I see Ben staring at you?"
I froze for a split second, but I managed to answer before she became suspicious. I shrugged, "I guess so. There were so many people, it was hard to tell."
She arched one eyebrow. "I haven't forgotten about last year, Ella."
What you remember is nothing compared to what I recall on that night, I wanted to say, but I couldn't tell them about my encounter with Ben. It was our secret, although I began to wonder if he even remembered saving my life.
"Last year?" Adam questioned.
Shiloh pulled away from his embrace to answer. "That sexy lead singer had a bit of a staring contest with Ella at the concert in Atlanta." She smiled at me, her eyes heavy from exhaustion. "It was really cute."
"So this wasn't the first time he noticed you?" Adam said with a nod of approval. "Go get 'em girl."
Hayley held up her hand, palm facing him. "Please, just don't talk."
"Bite me," he chomped his jaws repeatedly for emphasis.
"I don't think I will be getting anyone, tonight." I smiled.
"I can't say the same for myself," Hayley purred, her eyes on an older, twenty something guy who moved around us to get to his car. Hayley pursed her lips when he looked over his shoulder, but he didn't look at her. His eyes were on me. He was of average height, incredibly good looking, and a pale face that could have been carved out of marble stone. Despite his good looks, there was something dark in his expression. His sinister eyes were slightly narrowed and a chill shot down my spine when his eyes found me.
I shivered just when Hayley turned to me, a scowl on her face. "Well, then."
"Get over yourself," Adam told her.
My eyes flickered between my friends and moved back to the stranger, but when I looked again he was gone. The car I assumed he was driving was still parked by the curb. I frowned, my eyes scanning the street, moving over rowdy teenagers and slaphappy adults with alcoholic beverages in their hands. But the man we saw was gone.
"Where did he go?" I heard Hayley pout.
"Away from you"
"Go home." Hayley shot back at Adam.
"I actually have to go home." Shiloh said with a faint smile on her face. I could see the lingering moments of the concert in her eyes. Adam pressed his lips against the side of her face. Her smile grew in response.
"I'll take you home, babe." He turned to me. "Ella do you need a ride?"
I shook my head, holding my keys in front of him. "New car, remember?"
"Shit yeah," he muttered. "I miss driving you around places."
I crossed my arms over my chest in an attempt to shield myself from the cold. "I don't to be completely honest." I liked having a car now. Depending on people for transportation only made me feel like a Mooch. I resorted to walking most of the time until my mom surprised me with a car before school started. Apparently she and my grandmother had been putting money aside for my car fund that I didn't know existed. I couldn't have been happier when I found it sitting in the driveway.
"Yeah, I know you like it."
I smiled. "I'll see you guys tomorrow." I blew kisses to the three of them before I turned and headed down the side street behind the diner. I usually parked in a spot in front of the square, but the Devil's Night festivities made that a nearly impossible task. I neared the corner and hopped onto the sidewalk, twirling my keys around my index finger as I walked.
My black 2005 Jetta was the last car parked at the end of the strip. When I neared it I had to move around the hood of the car because I pulled it too close to the curb. I skipped off the sidewalk and when I turned to unlock my driver's side door my eyes registered something in front of me. I gasped, feeling my heart attempt to spring from my chest while I whirled to the side, my keys slipping out of my hands.
A little girl, no older than six, stood by the end of my car. Her brown hair was pulled into two pigtails with baby blue ribbons holding her hair together. She wore a blue and white cross pattern dress with shimmering red flats that made me sure she had come from some sort of costume party.
"You scared me!" I tried to laugh.
The girl made no sign of a response to my comment. She continued to stare at me with wide Bambi eyes. I pressed my hand to my stomach as though it could ease the knots that formed. With a shake of my head, I smiled hoping to avoid freaking the little girl out and bent down to be eye level with her.
"You know I thought you were really Dorothy for a second." I put my hands to my hips while squatting. "You must be related to her!"
She shook her head. "I'm not Dorothy."
My smile faltered. "Oh," my gaze fell to her ruby red shoes. "Well, who are you?"
"I'm dead." She said, her voice monotone. "Are you dead too?"
A sharp chill shot up my spine and I cringed in reaction. I eyed the little girl warily. "Sweetie," I began, trying to soothe my own voice. "Where's your mommy?"
Her head turned to the side, watching me curiously. Slowly, her hand rose to her stomach and moved in circular motions over it. My frown made her blank expression twist into a smile, a smile so sinister my stomach nearly convulsed. I suddenly felt nauseous. The idea of a strange little girl causing such a reaction within me seemed silly, but in the moment I was terrified. Of what, I couldn't explain.
I straightened, stretching my legs, with my hands shaking. The little girl took a step back, eyeing me with the same tantalizing smile that made me want to smack it off her face. I swallowed and turned to my left hoping to see the girl's mother trotting down the street in search of her daughter. There was no one.
I turned back to the little girl only to find she had vanished. I blinked for confirmation. She was gone. I frowned and moved to the end of my car while my eyes scanned the street for the girl. Nothing. I was alone.
I ran my hands down the sides of my legs to control the shaking. I shouldn't have been frightened. I used to babysit all the time. Kids always say strange things, yet something wasn't right about her. It wasn't her disappearing act. It was her eyes. They were black, empty and lacking the life that should be found in any child's eyes.
The shrill of crow's detached cry from above made me jump. When my mind registered the noise I exhaled. I shook my shoulders trying to relax, but my wandering thoughts kept me on edge. I rarely felt this unhinged. "It's devil's night Ella," I mumbled to myself. "Everybody and his mother are out pranking someone right now."
>
I backtracked to my car door, pulled it open quickly, and lunged myself inside as though I was being chased by a serial killer from a slasher film. I locked the doors immediately and checked the backseat, just in case. I was alone in the car, but didn't feel any more comforted. I needed to get home. I brought my car to life and flew out of the parking spot without checking my mirrors. I wasn't in the mood for safety precautions. I just wanted to go home.
Thirteen
"You're doing what?"
I sighed. "Mom, it's not that big of a deal."
"Running through the woods with zombies chasing you is a pretty big deal, Ella Grace Moore." She used my full name, which was never a good sign. I grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl and pushed myself up onto the kitchen counter.
"If I get picked, I may be a zombie doing the chasing." I said with a smile. The look on her face told me she wasn't going to bite.
"Because that makes it so much better!"
"We're not doing anything wrong. It's just a bunch of teenagers playing freeze tag in costume. The 'zombies' are the chasers and the humans are the runners. It's like cops and robbers." She raised a suspicious eyebrow.
"I don't feel comfortable knowing you're running through the woods at night with people chasing you."
"They're not strangers, mom. Most of them are from school or around town. We know all of them." I took a bite out of my apple in our pause, swallowed, and decided to beg. "Please, mom. Adam, Shiloh, and Hayley are going. I won't be alone. We will stick together."
I decided not to pull the 'I'm eighteen I can do whatever I want,' card. I wasn't free to do whatever I wanted until I was off payroll. That was the law. Until then, I intended to respect my mother's decisions, even if I despised them.
"It's Halloween, El. The freaks are out."
"We're all freaks, momma." I said with a wink.
She rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean, the real freaks."
"I'm going to be okay mom. Adam will be with me."
"Oh, that makes a huge difference." She said sarcastically.
I shook my head, laughing at her. I knew she was going to let me go. "I'll be fine mom." The doorbell rang. My mom exhaled and looked away. I tossed the apple into the trash and wrapped my arms around her. "I'm going to come home." I promised her. She hugged me back tightly without saying anything. When the doorbell rang again I dropped my arms and ran into the front hall. When I reached the door, the bell rang a third time. I pulled the door open and found Adam waiting impatiently underneath the porch light.
"Time is money you know."
I chuckled, pushed him to the side, and walked out the door. I heard my mom's voice behind me. "Be careful, honey."
"I will, thanks mom." Adam screeched in his best girlie impersonation. My mom shook her head and bit down on her lip to suppress her laugh.
"I'll watch over him, Mrs. Moore. Don't worry." I said, adding the cute smile I learned to master when I was little to get what I wanted from my older brother. He was a sucker for the cute innocence of a six-year-old girl.
"Bring her," my mom pointed to Adam, "home by twelve."
He threw his hands up. "Alright, I just turned into a female. I'm out."
We laughed. I exchanged a promising glance with my mom to be careful. She nodded once, watching as I turned with Adam and walked down the street to his car. Adam and I were going to meet Hayley and Shiloh at the clearing where all of the participating players were showing up. A girl who graduated from Eastside High School and a group of undergrad art students, who worked on the set of The Walking Dead in the make up department, were there to decorate the faces of those who got picked as zombies. This Halloween night was going to be epic. Especially after last night.
.
"What do you mean I'm a human? I want to be a zombie."
The guy with huge gauges barely gave Hayley a second glance. "Humans go to the left, zombies go to the right for make up."
Hayley glowered at him. I tugged her arm and pulled her with me to the human section. I noticed people from my school right away. A few of them looked at me, stuck their noses up at Hayley, and turned away.
My friends and I weren't exactly favorites at school. After Adam wore the band t-shirt to school once, we were pegged as the Misfit losers. Whatever. My mom didn't understand why they looked down on us as troublemakers. We were just different. We caused a commotion with our loud music and nothing more.
"Something slutty this way comes." I heard one of the juniors whisper to her friend. Hayley's eyes flashed to the girl. Mistake number one: don't make fun of your elders.
"Is that you, Chlamydia?"
"It's Claudia." She retorted.
"Not what I've heard."
"Stop, Claudia, it's not worth it. She's not even that pretty." Her friend, whom I recognized as Anne, said to her.
Hayley smirked. "That's not what your boyfriend said last night."
"Okay, we'll stand over here." I said, pulling Hayley's arm as I moved to stand outside the group of people, furthest from the girls. I looked over my shoulder and noticed Adam and Shiloh were in line to get their makeup done. Hayley followed my gaze, a frown set on her face.
"I wanted to be a zombie." She looked down with a 5 year old pout covering her face.
I shrugged. "Maybe a few hot guys will end up chasing us."
"In that case, I'll let them catch me." She quipped, already perked up.
After thirty minutes passed, all of the zombies were ready and in costume. The group of undergraduates, who organized the event, brought us into the open field and spread us out. The zombies lined up together on one side of the field and the humans spread out on the other. I stood beside Hayley, rocking back and forth on the heels of my feet in excitement.
The guy with the gauges, who assigned us into the teams, stood in the middle of the field, shouting directions. "Tonight, you as humans will be tested to see if you can survive a zombie apocalypse." He began as though reading a segment of Shakespeare. "As long as it's outside, there are no boundaries. Zombies will chase the humans," he turned to look at us, "if a zombie tags you, you are wounded. You have to remain in the spot of your attack until another human tags you. Zombies," he turned. "You are not actually going to bite anyone, so don't even try it. Do that on your own time." Everyone laughed in response, but he shook his head. "Any violence actual violence, you will be escorted elsewhere. When we call time after twenty minutes, the humans left standing will make it to the next round. The humans who are still frozen or 'infected' will come back as zombies for round two."
While he continued to rattle on the rules, my eyes wandered over the line of zombies. There were maybe fifty of them and close to two hundred humans. I knew most of the people who were chosen as zombies and they were hardly recognizable with their faces painted in gore. Half of one girls face even looked like the skin had been torn from her flesh. I watched when Adam was getting his face done. They gave him light blue colored contacts in one eye while the makeup artist worked on his forehead. He had a large gash slicing through the middle. Shiloh wore a different shirt that was spattered with fake blood. The corners of her lips were extended with bloody, cut open scars. She had Hayley take a bunch of pictures of her and Adam together. They were the cutest/grossest couple I'd ever seen.
A girl, who I noticed doing some of the makeup earlier, stood beside the guy shouting the rules. "Humans if you are tagged, be honest, and stay frozen. If you cheat then we will sick the zombies on you to eat your flesh. Then, and only then, is biting fair."
"Any questions?" The other guy said.
No one said anything. I wondered if the no boundaries rule really meant anywhere because I knew Adam and a group of his friends from the skate park were planning on running through the town square to terrorize a few innocent bystanders.
"Ready!" He shouted.
I spotted Shiloh and Adam on the other side of the field. Adam's eyes were on Hayley. He brought his hand and cut it horizontally across his throat. Hayle
y rolled her eyes.
"Set!"
Shiloh caught my gaze and made the, I'm watching you gesture with her two fingers. I shook my head, unable to conceal my smile. I was too excited to mock any threatening gestures. My eyes did another scan across the row of zombies. There was something that struck me about them and the way we were lined up. Before I had much time to think, the guy with the massive gauges roared.
"Go!"
Everyone dressed as a zombie lurched forward. The group of humans around us scattered. Hayley gripped my forearm while I began to backtrack. Together we turned around and ran away from the collision of humans and zombies.
Someone from the side ran in front of us, stopping us in our tracks. I noticed his bloody face right away and screamed to Hayley, "Run left!" With a look of determination he stopped me from running with her and slammed his hand against my shoulder.
I stopped, let out a grunt, and shot a glare to the kid who tagged me. He ran after Hayley. She made a circle, as he chased her from behind, and ran back to me. I held out my hand before she quickly high fived it. The zombie who tagged me ran after the two junior girls from before in another direction.
"Oh, Hayley!" Adam's voice sang behind me.
While running, I looked back and found Adam gaining on us. "Run!" I screamed, but it was cut off by my own laughter. It was hard to take Adam seriously with his high pitched taunts.
Hayley threw a glance over her shoulder. "Go home, Adam!" She shouted just before he pounced on her. My hand lost grip of her arm when he knocked her off her feet. They both fell to the ground. Hayley shrieked with rage and pushed Adam off her. He rolled to the side of her on the grass, overcome by his own laughter.
"You're down, bitch." He leaped to his feet.
She scoffed and looked at me for help. I made an attempt to heal her, but Adam blocked my move and lunged forward to tag me. I bounced back to avoid his touch and ran in the opposite direction. I heard him behind me. I planned to make a circle in the way that Hayley had, but another zombie cut off my path. I stopped and ran right rather than turning left to help Hayley.