Present Day: Joel
I walk to my car.
I stand next to my car door for a moment. I see all my friends get in their cars.
I then get in mine and grab my keys out of my pocket to start the engine.
I open my messages and scroll until I find Clover's thread.
"Any idea how you're going to ask her to hang out?" I ask.
I plug my phone into my car, then set it down.
I hit the play button on my car. My music started playing, then I drive off.
It had probably been about an extra thirty to forty minutes after school ended before I left. Talking took longer than I thought.
Then I saw it.
A speeding car coming up behind me.
"What the heck?" I said.
The car got closer, allowing me to get a better look.
It was Conner's car.
He flew past me.
He had to have been going twenty over at least.
Something was wrong.
He never drives like that.
He kept gaining distance before turning and driving out of sight.
I pull into my driveway, then head inside and up to my room.
"What the heck was he doing?" I said.
I then feel my phone buzz.
Conner had sent a message to our group chat.
"EVERYONE TO JOEL'S HOUSE WITHIN THE NEXT HOUR."
It said.
"Why?" I replied.
"I'LL TELL YOU WHEN EVERYONE IS THERE."
His response was instant.
What could be going on that was so urgent?
I then noticed Clover had responded while I was driving.
"No clue. I'm probably just going to send a basic text," she said.
I liked the message.
"You see Conner's text?" I said.
She replied instantly.
"Yeah. I'm gonna head over there soon."
I sent a thumbs up, then set my phone down.
I walk downstairs, checking to see if anyone was home, but the house was empty.
My parents were at work, and my brother was probably at his friend's house.
I sit down at the dining room table and wait.
After twenty minutes, I hear a knock at the door.
I walk over to the door and open it.
Ken and Adrian were both there.
"What's all this about?" Adrian asks.
I shrug.
"I have no clue."
They come inside, and we all wait.
A few minutes later, Clover pulls in the driveway and comes inside.
Now it was only Conner who wasn't here.
We all sat at the dining room table waiting for Conner.
"What's taking him so long?" Clover asks.
"Maybe he lost track of time," Ken said.
Suddenly, my front door swings open.
Conner was standing in the doorway.
"Is everyone here?" he says.
He sees that we were, and he starts to go upstairs.
"Follow me. Hurry."
We all follow.
Once inside my room, we all take a seat.
Ken and Adrian sat on the floor, while Clover and I sat on my bed.
Conner sat across from us on a desk chair, his leg bouncing up and down over and over.
He was nervous.
"So what happened?" I asked.
His leg stopped.
His eyes lock with mine.
They were wide open.
"I saw it," he said.
It was almost a whisper.
The vibe of the room shifted.
Something Clover felt too.
"You saw what?" Clover asked.
Conner stands up.
"I don't know what exactly it was, but—"
His voice starting to raise.
He stands up.
"What was that thing, Joel?!" his voice now just barely below a shout.
"Did it look like a puppet?" I ask.
"I don't know. I think so. It looked wooden, but also wrong. And it was tall, like really tall," he said.
"Did you see its face?" Clover asks.
"Yeah, well kind of. It turned back to look at me, but I only saw half of it, and it was just for a second," he said.
"Wait, it turned back to look at you? What was it doing?" I said.
He paused.
"It was cutting Bryan's tongue out…" he said.
The room went silent.
"Wait, wait, wait," Adrian says. "You're saying it was in school, and it cut Bryan—like the jerk Bryan's—tongue out?"
"Yeah," Conner said. "I know it's crazy, but y'all have to believe me."
"We believe you," I said. "Well, at least Clover and I do."
She nods in response to me.
"I say we go back there," Adrian said.
Conner's eyes widen.
"What? No," he said.
What he was saying was the truth.
There was genuine fear in his eyes.
"Well, I have to see it to believe it," Adrian said as he walks to the door.
We all follow him.
We walk out the front door and see a cop car speeding by.
"How much you want to bet that's heading to school?" I say.
We all get in Adrian's car.
He pulls out of the driveway and heads towards school.
As we approach, we start to see flashing red and blue lights.
"Uh oh," Ken says.
"This can't be good."
We make it to the parking lot.
There were cop cars everywhere.
Clover points towards the gym.
"Guys, look," she said.
There was an ambulance there.
There were people standing around it.
It looked like they were waiting for something.
Then the gym doors swung open.
Out came Bryan on a stretcher.
"Oh shoot," Adrian said.
"We have to get in there," I said.
"Are you crazy?" Conner said. "We need to get out of here now. What if it comes back?"
Everyone was looking at him.
"It's fine. There are so many cops around. It's long gone by now," Clover said.
"Fine," Conner said.
Clover got out of the car.
"We just have to wait for the cops to leave," she said. "After that, we sneak in."
We all nod except Conner.
He still looks worried.
I spot my dad walking out of the school.
"Shoot. Everyone hide," I say.
He walks to his car and gets in, driving off towards the police station.
We wait for an hour.
Eventually, the cops start to leave.
"Now's our chance," I say.