Fright Files: The Broken Thing

by Peter Swift

21.

  Stevie whipped around just in time to see Angie's pink-gloved hand disappear through the front door. With a heavy thud, the door slammed shut.

  Stevie ran toward the house, but Mr. Stark was closer. He dropped his clipboard on the porch and reached for the doorknob. The doorknob, Stevie thought. Hadn't Angie broken it yesterday?

  "Angie!" Mr. Stark shouted. He twisted the knob, and when that didn't work, he slammed his shoulder against the door, trying to force it open.

  Stevie was halfway to the porch when the door flew open again. Mr. Stark stumbled just inside the entrance and nearly fell. Glowing, broken fingers reached out from the darkness. Surprised, Mr. Stark tried to knock them away, but when his frantic swing touched the fingers, he screamed out in pain and his arm dropped limply to his side. The claw-like fingers wrapped around Mr. Stark's neck.

  Stevie skidded to a stop. Angie was nowhere to be seen, but the broken girl from Stevie's driveway limped from the shadows. A loud howl came from her mouth, and as it did, she lifted Mr. Stark into the air! Stevie thought the creature would strangle him, but as he watched, Virginia Harcourt disappeared into Mr. Stark!

  When the broken girl was gone, Mr. Stark dropped to his feet. He turned to Stevie and leveled dark eyes on him. His mouth opened, but when he spoke, Stevie didn't hear the words. Punching directly into his mind was the raspy voice of the broken girl.

  RETURN THAT WHICH WAS STOLEN!

  The thing inside of Mr. Stark slammed the door closed.

  Stevie was unable to move. It felt like Virginia Harcourt had reached into his chest and wrapped her broken fingers around his heart. He turned and ran, but instead of running down the driveway from which they'd come—the path that would take him home—he ran toward the steep slope that he'd fallen down two days ago. Stevie's thoughts came surprisingly clearly. He knew what must be done, and while he was terrified, he didn't hesitate.

  The key was the toy that Victor Plott's had stolen. It had to be!

  Quickly, he checked his cell phone. No reception. Figures. Who would he call anyway? What would he say? Hello, please help me! My teacher was possessed by the ghost of Virginia Harcourt, and he kidnapped my best friend! No one would believe him. He barely believed it himself!

  The difficult physical climb up the hill kept his fear in check.

  "This... can't be... happening," Stevie grunted as he worked his way to the top. These things only happened in B-movies and scary books, right? How could this kind of horror really exist? Maybe I'm losing my mind!

  A long, horrible wail erupted from the house, and Stevie knew that it wasn't his mind he would lose if he didn't hurry. What had that thing done to Mr. Stark? What would it do to Angie?

  When he finally made it to the top, he turned up the path, ran full speed through The Grove, and eventually out into the streets of Newhope.

  This was his battle. For some reason, Virginia Harcourt had chosen him.

  "It's dark," Stevie said to himself. "Why is it so dark?" He checked his watch. Three thirty-seven, which was about what he expected. But when he ran past the First Union Bank, the clock on the sign showed seven forty-five. Many kids were out trick-or-treating in their costumes, carrying bags, molded plastic jack-o-lanterns, or the occasional pillowcase. All ages enjoyed the night, from teens dressed in horrible masks depicting violent deaths, to infants dressed as pumpkins or fluffy animals and carried by their adoring parents.

  "This is wrong," Stevie muttered as he ran. "It should be daytime! There's no way so much time could have passed."

  Stevie's mind flashed back to what Elijah Stark had said. Perhaps the evil entered the Harcourt house every Halloween before that night, and every Halloween since. Time is not always a straight line, especially in The Grove!

  Stevie knew where Victor Plotts and all of his friends lived, mainly for survival purposes. Those were streets that under normal circumstances he did all he could to avoid. Tonight he was running into the mouth of the lion. He knew that if Victor found him first, he'd have no chance of getting the toy. His only chance was to steal it back!

  Stevie followed the sidewalk up to Victor's house. It was completely dark. There was an empty bowl with a sign that said "Take One!" on the front step, and the occasional child would go to the front of the house, look in the bowl, and sadly walk away with slumped shoulders.

  Stevie slowed to a walk to avoid suspicion and tried to blend in. A few of Victor's neighbors were outside watching the kids walk past in their costumes. Two women had flashlights and were keeping an eye on the festivities and the traffic.

  "The Plotts never stay home for Halloween," one of the adults said. "They just put that bowl on the front step and take off. The mother told me she doesn't really like kids."

  "Can't blame them, with that one they've got," the other woman said. "I saw him and his friends empty that candy bowl into a paper bag and then pedal off on their bikes!"

  "My kids are afraid of them," the first lady said.

  "My husband is afraid of them!" said the other, and they both laughed.

  Stevie walked around behind the row of houses and was happy to find a small alleyway. The alleyway was dark, and he ducked into it, quickly breaking into a run. When he reached Victor's house, he turned and crossed the yard. The grass was high. It didn't look like it had been cut the entire summer. Empty aluminum cans and other trash were tangled in the weeds, and two large overflowing garbage cans stood in the shadows against the house.

  Good place to keep out of sight Stevie thought, holding his breath and ducking behind the garbage cans. Probably the last place Victor would look. Just hope I don't have to touch anything. I'll need a tetanus shot!

  From his hiding spot, Stevie saw some windows on the side of the house. They were partially open with just screens across, and he was sure he could get in that way. He didn't want to break into someone's house. He'd never done anything even remotely illegal before, but people's lives were at risk. People he loved. He was about to move a trashcan under one of the windows so he could stand on it and boost himself in when he saw Victor's motorcycle leaning up against the side of the house.

  Could it be this easy? he wondered.

  Staying in the shadows, he crept over to the yellow bike and grabbed the black plastic cushioned seat. It was the same make as his own motorcycle, so he knew how the seat opened.

  It was that easy! Under the seat was the creepy toy. Victor must have forgotten all about it!

  He grabbed it up quickly, and again it wiggled in his grip. The gears grinded and after a moment came the screeching laughter. He wondered briefly if it really were the mechanical parts making it feel alive, or something more sinister. Now it felt more like flesh under the striped suit. Like an animal trying to get away.

  He jammed it deep inside his jacket to try and cover the sound, and then started back through the yard. He only ran two steps when a tempting thought occurred to him. He went back to the motorcycle, slammed down the seat, and with only the tiniest twinge of guilt, hopped on top.

  "Well, Victor, you're gonna pound me sooner or later anyway," Stevie said aloud. "Might as well give you a good reason!"

  He jumped on the kick-starter and the engine screamed to life! Stevie slammed the pedal down into first gear, popped the clutch, and twisted the accelerator. The front wheel went up as he raced the motorcycle up the driveway.

  Victor Plotts stood on the sidewalk. He straddled his bmx bicycle and, despite not wearing a costume, held a bag of candy in a clenched fist.

  He doesn't need a costume, Stevie thought. Plenty ugly already!

  "I'll get you for this, Barton!" Victor yelled. He waved a fist helplessly as Stevie flew past him. Stevie gave him a quick two-fingered salute, and gunned it down the road toward The Grove. The engine screamed with force. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Victor giving chase, but there was no way he'd catch up on a bicycle.

  Stevie rode hard and fast. He had a date that he couldn't miss. A date with the broken girl! />