The Tear Collector

by Shawn Burgess

  “What the hell?”

  I lift my widening eyes to Robby’s. “You ever seen it do this?”

  “Never.”

  Tee frowns as the needle whirls like a propeller. “Thing’s broke, man.”

  A rustling of leaves near the top of the steep embankment grabs our attention. We hoist our heads like a group of startled deer. Cam Givers scampers the hill, his complexion ghastly white. He descends the steep hill with far too much speed, his rapid steps turning into momentary slides before regaining his footing. In a flash, he goes from upright to a treacherous tumble. We start running to intersect him. I wince at his uncontrolled fall, his limbs flailing as he spins. Cam yelps as parts of his body thud on the hard earth. He nearly collides with a large oak tree, but he tumbles past it before his momentum finally stalls.

  Cam’s pitiful sobs echo through the quiet forest. He clutches his body in the fetal position, clothes torn and bloodied. A trickle of blood drips from his nostril, and a swollen knot high on his cheekbone suggests he struck a rock during his fall.

  “Cam, are you all right?” It’s as if my words are razor-tipped arrows slicing into the ground around him.

  He rolls sideways onto his knees, and his head and eyes shoot up. As if by instinct, his hands grab some earth in an animalistic stance, ready to thrust his body into action and resume his retreat.

  Tee’s wide eyes settle on his trembling body. “Cam, you almost killed yourself.”

  Robby offers his hand. “You okay, man?”

  “Myron’s here! Oh my God! He’s got Seth and Shane!” The words explode from his lips.

  Chiming alarm bells fill my head. My last encounter with Myron wasn’t one I’d soon like to repeat.

  A shivering twitch passes through Tee. “Did you see Sammy and Bo?”

  “No, Myron. It’s just Myron. But something’s wrong with him!” The pitch of Cam’s voice rises, his hands frantic in expression.

  Tee smirks. “No shit something’s wrong with him. Kid’s a mutant.”

  “No. Something’s wrong! Really wrong!” Cam flashes fear-bulged eyes.

  I tilt my head at him. “What do you mean?”

  “We gotta get out of here. We can’t stay here. He’ll kill us all!” The shrill alarm in Cam’s voice sends a parade of tingles to my spine.

  Tee levels his eyes on Cam’s. “Where is he? Where’s Shane and Seth?”

  “There. Over the ridge, on the next hill.”

  Devin’s eyes follow the direction of Cam’s shaky pointing finger. “Can you show us?”

  “No, you don’t understand. We can’t stay here. I’ve got to get out of here. You need to get out of here. I think he killed Seth, and he was going after Shane. I ran as fast as I could.” Cam’s nearly hyperventilating as he spews his frantic words. He pulls out his asthma inhaler and takes a few quick puffs.

  Robby places a steadying hand on Cam’s trembling shoulder. “You mean he punched Seth or something?”

  “No, I think he killed him. He picked him up by his throat and smashed the back of his head over and over into a tree. There was so much blood! Oh my God! So much blood.” Tears stream from Cam’s eyes.

  Devin shakes his head. “That can’t be right. How big is this kid?”

  “He’s pretty big.” My voice cracks.

  “He ain’t that big. Not to do that. Cam, you sure about what you saw?” Robby locks eyes with Cam. “I mean, you said you were running away. Maybe you didn’t see it right.”

  “Honest, I seen it all. He picked Seth up by the throat with one hand, lifted him into the air and started smashing his head into the tree.”

  “What’d you do?” Devin asks.

  “I screamed. He turned his head all the way around and glared at me. And he kept smashing Seth’s head into the tree while he stared at me and grinned. And I ran. I ran as fast as I could.”

  Robby’s facial muscles tense, and the skin around his nose crinkles. “We gotta go help Seth and Shane.”

  “Didn’t you listen to me? He killed them! He’ll kill you too! Something’s wrong with him.” Cam’s voice trembles, a wailing alarm.

  “You bastard!” A scream echoes through the trees from the adjacent ridgeline.

  Tee’s eyes bounce wide. “That’s Shane!”

  “Let’s go!” Robby takes off in a sprint.

  Devin falls in pursuit behind Robby and, as if adjoined to the other boys by an invisible rope, Tee swivels around in a fluid, running-start movement, joining the chase. Tears stream Cam’s face, his eyes bursting wide. I hesitate for a moment. Cam shakes his head as if to tell me, don’t do it.

  “Go get the cops, Cam.”

  I turn around and chase after the other boys. Shane’s scream echoes through the trees as we storm the ridge. We’re moving at full speed, leaping fallen logs and semi-exposed boulders like Olympic hurdlers. My adrenaline surges as we charge ahead to save our friends.

  Robby reaches the top of the ridge first and bounds it, descending into the valley below. Devin, on a different route than Robby, swivels his body over a partially fallen tree in one fluid movement, his feet striking the forest floor midstride. Tee and I give chase behind, our legs locking into occasional decaying leaf-matter slides as we charge ever forward.

  “No, nooooooo!” Shane’s desperate voice breaks through the trees.

  We race through the trees, approximating the origin of his scream. The forest falls quiet, except for the stamping of our own feet. As we reach the ridgetop, we unwind our sprints and come to a stop where the ground plateaus. But there’s no sign of Shane, Seth, or Myron.

  “Look.” Tee’s voice trails off. He points to a large oak tree.

  An oblong, thick patch of dark liquid sheen six feet high on the tree trunk draws our eyes. Is that blood? Is Cam right? Did Myron really kill Seth? I take a couple of slow steps forward, examining it. The dark red fluid flows with the consistency of honey, trickling between the valleys in the bark like small streams on divergent paths meandering to the ocean. My eyes trace a rivulet of the fluid to the forest floor where a small amount rolls over the top of a gnarled root and pools on a fallen maple leaf. My heart skips at the discernible scarlet hue. And my vagrant eyes wander my surroundings, never staying in one spot long.

  “Shane,” Robby bellows out, his voice echoing through the trees and hills.

  “We need to get the cops.” My voice passes right through Devin. He stands there, slack-jawed, eyes at five-alarm.

  “Seth!” Tee’s frantic shout ricochets off the trees.

  A sudden crackle of sticks yanks our heads as if tethered together. Myron trudges by a thicket of trees, oblivious to us. Tee’s mouth falls open, and I retreat a step, a chill settling deep into my bones. Myron’s shoulders hunch and his gaze scrapes the ground. Robby pulls his paintball rifle off his shoulder into a ready position.

  “Myron!” The intensity of Robby’s yell carries an implicit warning.

  Myron freezes in his tracks a couple of steps away from the thicket of hardwood trees. He rotates his head, his face devoid of expression, eyes lost in some perpetual vacuum of time and space.

  “What did you do to Seth and Shane?” Robby raises his rifle and points it at Myron.

  A glimmer of life pulses into Myron’s face. He glares at us from underneath his raised brows. His thin lips curl into a menacing grin.

  “Something’s wrong with him,” Tee frets.

  Devin pulls his paintball rifle off his shoulder and takes aim. Tee retreats a step and positions his body for a quick escape. I’m frozen, locked on Myron’s eyes. He starts walking again, and I catch a glimpse of that familiar blue swirl flash in his eyes. Oh shit! The momentary flicker steals the breath from my lungs and sends a cold chill charging my spine. It’s the same as I saw in Mysterious Margo’s eyes in my bathroom.

  “Jesus.” Tee’s body erupts in a cringing shiver.

  “Stop!” Robby yells in Myron’s direction.

  My heart thuds in my chest as Myron disappears b
ehind the thicket of trees. “Did you just see that? The swirl! It’s the blue swirl.”

  Devin’s mouth hangs ajar. “What the hell was that?” The words fall from his mouth. His eyes balloon and his body trembles.

  Oh shit. Oh shit—oh shit—oh shit. If he’s scared, we should be really scared. A rolling tremor roars through my body. I expel the ascending tingles, shivering them out of my neck and head.

  A steady whirring noise draws my eyes. The compass needle on Robby’s canteen hums with ferocity, the needle vanishing like the spinning prop of an airplane. What the hell’s going on?

  Tee’s eyes dart around. “What’s he doing?”

  I shake my head. “I don’t know. This is not good.”

  “I think he’s hiding. Hiding behind those trees.” Devin’s voice quavers.

  “Come out, Myron!” Robby’s yell bounds through the trees but goes unanswered. “What’d you do with Seth and Shane?”

  We stand yards from the thicket of trees, huddled close together, each one of us too unnerved to investigate. Tee shifts his weight from one foot to the other, eyes sprinting about. Devin’s rolling his bottom lip inside his mouth and biting it with his teeth. Robby grinds his, clenching his jaw.

  A rustle of leaves behind the thicket of trees breaks the silence. Robby and Devin hoist their rifles to their shoulders and take aim. A tall figure emerges from behind the trees.

  “Robby.” The voice rings familiar.

  Robby’s mouth drops. His hands fall away, the rifle sliding to a rest on its shoulder strap. His eyes glisten.

  “Dad?” A tear traverses his cheek.

  “Son, I’ve missed you so much.” The man lifts his face, a warm smile emerging on his lips.

  “Holy shit!” Tee’s eyes pop wide.

  There’s no mistaking the man. It’s Robby’s dad. He looks just like I remember him. Not possible! I cringe. Tee’s lower jaw lunges.

  “But how are you…How could you…You…”

  “I don’t know, son, but I love you. I’ve missed you so much. You and your mom.”

  “I miss you too, Dad.” Robby takes a couple of steps forward.

  “That’s not your dad, Robby.” Tee launches the words at Robby.

  “Tee, thanks so much for looking after Robby.” The man’s eyes land on Tee. Tee’s shoulders jump for his neck, and he averts his eyes from the man’s gaze. The man smiles at Robby. “Come and give your dad a big hug, Robby.”

  Robby takes a few more steps forward.

  “Your dad’s dead, Robby. It’s not him! Stop!” Tee’s shout grinds Robby to a stop like a failing gear.

  “I’m not, Tee.” The man crosses his arms and pats his shoulders as if to say, here I am, right here in the flesh.

  “Come and give your old man a hug, and we can go home together.” The man outstretches awaiting arms.

  Devin trains his paintball rifle on the man and screams. “Don’t do it, Robby!”

  “Don’t shoot him, Dev.” There’s an underpinning of emphatic urgency in Robby’s voice.

  I shake my head at Robby, my eyes glistening. “Robby, it’s not your dad. It’s something else. He just came from where Myron disappeared.”

  “It’s me, son. I love you.” The man takes a couple of measured steps forward. Moving closer. Ever closer.

  Devin’s eyes grow wider. “We need to go, now!”

  “Robby!” Tee’s scream halts Robby’s progress for a moment.

  “Guys, it’s my dad. Look at him. I don’t know how, but it’s him.” Tears wobble from Robby’s eyes and his body trembles.

  “Come home, Robby. Let’s go home.” The man kneels and opens his arms wide to receive a hug.

  Robby runs forward and embraces his father in a tight hug. Tears stream from his eyes, and his body trembles in the power of the moment. Robby’s lips climb into a cathartic smile as he drowns in his father’s long-absent embrace. The two meld, Robby’s chest heaving with raw emotion. I shake my head as my body trembles. This isn’t possible! Everything about this…everything…it’s not right!

  Robby’s dad pats his back with tenderness as they hug in a warm embrace. He closes his eyes, a soft smile on his face. But a moment later, the patting turns into sequential finger strumming on Robby’s back. The man’s eyes shoot open. Something’s wrong! His lips thin as they curl into an odious grin. A flicker of blue swivels around his irises.

  Devin takes two steps forward, drops to his knee, raises his paintball rifle and pulls the trigger. The rifle hisses, and the paintball strikes the man in the shoulder. The man recoils, releasing his grasp on Robby and lets out a furious, animalistic growl.

  “You will all come home!” the man booms as he rises to his feet. He whips his arm forward, and his fingertips rake across Robby’s arm. Hot blood wells from the broken skin.

  Robby staggers backward. The man’s warm, soft face transforms into a rigid glare in an instant. His lips snarl, exposing a top row of jagged teeth. The fleshy color of his pallor retreats, leaving the dullish-gray hue of death in its wake. His puffy cheeks shrivel into his face, creating cavernous valleys that sharpen the outlines of his facial bones. His smooth skin crinkles before pulling taut against the underlying bones. His eyes sink into his skull and halo with dark rings. His bony fingers elongate, his dirty fingernails growing thicker and pointed, resembling claws.

  “RUN!” Tee screams as he bursts into a sprint on the steep decline.

  My legs carry me away before I even understand what’s happening. Paralyzed in shock, Robby stares at the thing, which moments before mimicked the appearance of his late father. With blank eyes, his brows furrow, renewed tears streaming his cheeks. As it continues making its hideous transformation, Devin runs and grabs Robby, shaking him for a moment until he comes to.

  “Let’s go! Run, Robby, run!” Devin screams as the creature rises even taller.

  “You’re all coming home!” It hisses, a forked, serpentine tongue spilling out of its mouth as it speaks.

  Branches and underbrush slice at our shins as Tee and I make a sprinting escape. We’re racing down the steep ridge as Robby and Devin come surging over the top of the hill kicking up showers of dirt, eyes glazed with terror. The creature follows behind them, moving on all fours, snarling as it gives chase.

  “Runnnn! Run faster!” I scream as blasts of terror-induced adrenaline course through my veins.

  Tee lets out half screams with each retreating step. Fear pumps shots of hot blood through my body like a fuel injector, powering my retreat. I catch Tee, something I’ve never done. The menacing creature trounces on all fours behind Robby and Devin. Their legs motor beneath them, feet kicking high into the air with every stride. Even though we’re racing at full speed, the creature’s closing on us. It’s still accelerating its forward speed, its movements more akin to a charging bear than a human. The creature closes the gap on Robby and Devin. This is going to be bad! Real bad!

  Devin trips and tumbles to the ground. He comes rolling to a stop. The creature slows from full speed, the protruding bones of its shoulder joints projecting upward and pushing against its creased skin as it lurches forward.

  Robby screams. “Dev! Get up! Run! Run!”

  It’s too late. The creature stands over him, snarling, its breath lashing Devin’s face, strands of his wavy hair feathering with each of its exhales, the air all around us ripe with the stench of rotting flesh. Thick saliva rolls off its fangs as its bony leg presses on Devin’s shoulder, anchoring his body to earth. Devin’s frozen, his eyes screaming. The creature lowers its head, its mouth and razor-sharp fangs inches away from his face, ready to devour him at any moment. Devin whimpers, tears trickling on his cheeks. The creature sniffs his face and hair, drawing in rapid, shallow breaths through its bristle-haired snout, before its long tongue uncoils from its mouth. Devin closes his eyes, unable to watch his own undoing. Devin winces as the beast’s serpentine tongue traces his cheek. He curls his limbs toward his stomach like a dying spider, all the fight havi
ng abandoned him. I shake my head, my lips quivering and eyes glistening. Get up, Devin! Try to get up! But he’s bracing himself for the unbelievable pain that’s sure to follow, accepting his inevitable fate.

  The creature’s tongue coils back into its mouth and its head springboards. It takes a deep breath in through its nose in the direction of Robby and rises, releasing Devin from the grip of its powerful paw.

  Before any of us can process what’s happening, it’s moving again. And it’s zeroed in on Robby. Devin lies in the fetal position in the creature’s wake, trembling, tears saturating his cheeks. Robby takes off in a full sprint, but his delayed reaction costs him valuable time and distance. The creature’s already at full speed and closing fast.

  From the corner of my eye, I catch a glimpse of something dart out from a tangle of trees. I let out a stifled scream before realizing it’s Brady Palmer. He’s running in the opposite direction as us, into the oncoming danger. Robby screams as the wiry-haired creature readies to pounce. It launches itself airborne, claws outstretched, ready to deliver him a death blow. Brady sends a glass vial hurtling through the air. It shatters on the menacing creature’s face, splattering its green liquid contents. It lets out a horrible groan, like a dying elk, as it tumbles to the earth. Robby ducks and the creature’s body grazes his before plummeting to the earth and tumbling forward, carried by its own powerful momentum.

  The creature rolls to a stop ten yards past Robby, groaning in pain. Its skin pulsates like the top of a bubbling cauldron, bits of its elastic hide rising from the surface. Brady rushes to Robby and pulls him from the ground. Robby inspects himself, his eyelids tacked wide, but he lacks any gaping wounds. Devin’s impulse for flight activates. He jumps to his feet and runs to us.

  The creature lifts on its haunches and begins to drag itself to a cluster of trees several yards away. Its body undulates, getting smaller. I’m frozen, slack-jawed. As it reaches the tree line, it gives us a blood-thirsty glare before dragging itself behind the cover of the trees.

  “What the fuck is that thing?” Devin’s frantic scream breaks the stunned silence.

  “It worked! I can’t believe it works!” Brady pumps a fist.