Afterlife Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The night was clean and crisp, with a full view of the sky - dark black with bits of light sparkling through so clearly that it looked like dust thrown against a velvet curtain. A full moon was out, although it lost its red tint, and it filled the world with dim white light, chasing the darker of the shadows to bay. That and the slight breeze was enough to make for a perfect outing. Oz and Zig had joined Mark for pizza and soda, witnessed the awesomeness that was the first three Friday The 13th movies, and then set up camp outside for ghost stories. Halloween was a ways off yet, but hey, why not start celebrating early?

The tent was a full four person tent, and they used the extra space to hold a large bowl of purchased candy as well as a TV and the Playstation 2. They had all the best candy brands: Nerds, Sweet tarts, Butterfingers, Smartees, and even Twizzlers - though they weren’t quite as good as the old red licorice sticks. It was a dentist’s dream. Zig, being the connoisseur, had chosen the candy, and it was concluded by all that he had done so wisely. They stared into the TV as the video game intro started up, and oohed and awed over the graphics. No sleepover was complete without the electrically charged colors and digital audio tracks of the most recently released ‘Slasher Brothers 4: Grocery Store Massacres’.

Oz played first, as he was the expert with this particular game, while Zig and Mark watched intensely. The game was about an entire town that had been over run by zombies created by some sort of genetically engineered virus. He was in a really intense part, where the whole game was silent, and somewhere, deep in the pixilated shadows of video game cyber space, a monster was lurking, hunting them. They all moved closer to the screen, their eyes wide, waiting, anticipating, knowing that there would be a jump-out-at-ya part soon. Finally it came - a crash of a brick through a virtual game window, and all three jumped, then started laughing, pointing at each other.

"Ah ha ha you jumped!" Zig pointed at Mark laughing.

"So did you! Dude I think you farted too," Mark said, holding his nose. Zig laughed harder, and sure enough, there was another small explosion - not from the game, but from beneath Zig.

"Oh dude! Nasty!" Oz yelled, holding his nose. Zig laughed harder, and fanned the blankets, making the fumes waft up.

"Don't do that! Aw man, that's rank! Seriously man, no more pizza-with-everything-on-it for you," Mark said, moving to unzip one of the tent's 'windows'. The tent had two of them - a hatch that opened up to a white screen mesh that was fine enough to keep bugs out and let air in.

"Oh god, I never wanted air so bad in my life, " Oz said, pausing his game and moving towards the window that Mark crouched at, pulling the air in as fast as he could.

"It wasn't that bad!"

"Of course it's not that bad to you - everyone likes their own brand," Oz said.

"Watch enough Austin Powers lately?" Zig said.

"Yeah I just saw - " Oz started to say but stopped when there was a loud crack out in the woods just a mere twenty feet away from their tent. Oz's eyes grew wide, and he looked at Mark.

"Did you hear that?"

"Yeah, I think it came from the woods by the river," Mark said.

"Yeah no kidding- " Oz said, and another snap echoed harshly through the trees. Mark and Oz held each other's gaze, holding their breath, waiting to hear another snap, when something brushed the side wall of the tent that they leaned near. Oz yelped and jumped back away from the wall. No one moved for a moment, and all was still and silent.

"Get off of me or I am going to fart again," Zig said, pushing Oz.

"What the heck was that? I mean, something touched the tent, man. I didn't imagine that," Oz said, looking at Mark for an explanation. Mark shrugged.

"I don't know. It could have been an animal or something. Zig's fart might have been something like the same smell as some mating juices for a squirrel or something," Mark said.

"Watch it, or you will get another chance to smell it," Zig said, smirking.

"I didn't think squirrels could break big sticks like that," Oz said.

"How do you know it was a big stick?" Zig asked.

"Well, it sounded loud, a big snap like that. It sounded like a freaking branch," Oz said.

"We should go check it out," Mark said, moving towards the entrance of the tent and reaching for the zipper.

"Yeah! Only wait, we need some kind of weapon. Zig, head out in front of us, butt first," Oz said, laughing. Zig threw a Smartee at him.

"Hey watch it stink-meister you don’t want me to rip a big ole juicy -" Oz started to say, but stopped when something else brushed the opposite side of the tent wall again. For a moment they all sat in silence, staring at the wall, waiting. Mark swallowed hard and moved away from the entrance of the tent.

Something grabbed the spine that went through the top of the tent and started pulling it up and down quickly, making the walls and the ceiling billow in and out. It was violent and hard - nothing a mere squirrel could do. All three boys screamed, and raced over each other to get to the entrance. Mark was first, bursting out in to the dark, wet, grass, running full speed toward the house. Oz and Zig stumbled out next, also running at full speed, screaming from behind Mark.

The sound of laughter stopped them, and they spun around. Standing there, next to the tent with her hand on the top of it, was Kate, dressed for bed, laughing so hard she that was doubled over. She wore white footed pajamas with small orange rabbits all over it. They all looked at each other, then back at her, not sure what to make of it.

"HEY!" Zig yelled and started to stomp towards her, his fists balled up at his sides, "That wasn’t funny!"

"Are… you... kidding... me?" Kate said, regaining herself slowly, "That was hilarious! I never thought I would ever see three older boys scream like little girls. All that because of little old me."

"You could have given us a heart attack!" Oz yelled.

"Well, just consider that payback," she said and stuck out her hand. "Truce? We’re even now." Oz stared at her incredulously, and turned his head away from her, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"Aw come on, at least I rescued you from the smell in there. I heard Zig's fart all the way out here," she said, smiling.

"How did you know it was me?" Zig said. She gave him the do-I-look-like-I’m-stupid look.

"Oh come on Zig, just cuz I am a girl doesn't mean I’m slow," she said.

"Uh huh, well you never told us your name," Zig said, in some kind of strange and weak defense.

"I told Mark. And I remembered all of your names," Kate said. The two boys looked at Mark like he had just given away their position to the enemy and had accepted a bribe of bananas for it.

"Her name is Kate. She shouted it out to me after you guys left," Mark said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Aren't you supposed to be in bed?" Oz asked.

"Aren't you?" Kate responded.

"We are on a camp out," Zig said.

"Well now I am on a camp out with you," Kate said, smiling.

"No way, no girls allowed!" Oz said. Mark turned and looked at him.

“Since when?”

“Since… forever. We’ve never had girls over before,” Oz said.

“That’s because no girl ever wanted to hang out with us,” Mark said. Oz opened his mouth to protest, then closed it abruptly, realizing he was right.

“But, I don’t think my mom would be cool with a chick staying in the tent with us,“ Mark said.

"Come on be fair - she put up with my fart, and she actually scared us enough to make us scream. I'd say she’s passed the tests," Zig said.

“It’s cool with me, as long as my mom doesn’t find out,” Mark said, glancing up at the darkened house.

"Oh, and no girlie crap. That’s just too weird," Oz said.

"Like what?" Kate asked.

"Like... I don't know, anything girlie. You know. Girlie stuff," Oz said.

"Uh… Ok. I guess. So what's with the extension cord?" Kate asked sticking her head inside the tent. She saw the TV and the PS2 and started to laugh.

"Really roughing it out here, aren't you?" she said over her shoulder to them.

"Hey, a man's got to have his video games and candy," Zig said.

"I see. Well, what are you playing?" Kate asked. Mark started to walk towards her, intent on showing her the games they had. No matter what, no girl was cool enough to like video games and scary ones at that. Girls simply weren’t cool enough. Had he ever gotten the chance to say so, he would have learned that he was wrong - Kate loved scary games, and action games, and most games that boys would like. But before he could take more than two steps towards her, a bright square of light lit up the grass at his feet. He stopped and stared at the light on the ground as it flickered and danced before he realized that the source of the light was above him.

He glanced up and saw his Uncle Saul's bedroom beaming so much white light it looked like it was trying to direct ships at sea. The light would flicker, sometimes completely going out, and then coming right back up. There was nothing in Uncle Saul's room that could have made such a bright light, not that Mark knew of. He stared for a few moments, when the terrified face of his Uncle appeared at the window. His Uncle screamed - not a play scream, but a real blood-boiling scream, and then something fast and strong ripped his Uncle away from the window.

"Oh-my-God," Mark said in one fast breath and ran towards the house.

"What the hell?" Zig said

“Something’s happening to my Uncle Saul up there!” Mark screamed as he reached the back door to the house. The others looked up to the window just in time to see Uncle Saul’s hand land on the glass of the window, then get pulled away. Zig shot up like a sprinter, almost slipping in the grass, and reached the patio with Oz and Kate following.

They burst through the door, ignoring its jarring slam into the wall and pounded their way through the kitchen and into the living room. They went up the stairs like a pack of stampeding elephants, causing a lot of noise. Mark couldn't believe that his mom hadn't awoken. The screams were horrible, like the ones in the movies they had watched earlier, but far more real. They made Mark wince each time one came bleating down the hallway. When they reached the landing, they stopped. Down the hall, under the door way of his Uncle's room, Mark saw the flickering light.

"Uncle Saul!" Mark yelled and ran down the hall way.

"Mark! What in God's name – “ Mark’s mom said, bursting from her bedroom, catching him midway to his uncle’s door. She was mad, but sharp as ever for someone who had just awoken from sleep.

"Something’s wrong with Uncle Saul!" he said, cutting her off.

"What do you mean?" she asked, just as one of the screams echoed down the hallway.

"Something crazy is going on in his room Mrs. Stone - There is something in the room struggling with Uncle Saul, and there is a bunch of -" Oz blurted out, but was stopped by Mark saying "I don't have time for this!" and tearing aware from his mom's grasp.

"Mark, come back here!" his mom yelled, running after Mark. Her eyes grew wide when she saw the light and heard the crashing from Uncle Saul's room.

"What in holy heaven is going on here?" she asked, mostly to herself, as the rest of the crew followed Mark to the door. Mark frantically turned the handle and pounded on the door to his uncle’s room, calling his name at the same time. The door was locked from the inside, and the handle wouldn’t budge.

"I'm calling the police Mark, don't worry!" his mom said and scuttled off into her room. Mark didn't even hear her as he continued his regiment of pounding on his Uncle's door.

"Let me in! Uncle Saul, unlock the door!" Mark yelled, then backed up.

"Look out guys, I am going through it," Mark said readying himself.

"Uh no. Let me," Zig said and moved Mark out of the way. Oz flanked the side of the doorframe, ready to pounce in when it was open, while Kate said something about going to check on his mom. Mark’s mother ran back out into the hallway, phone to her ear, just as Zig hit the door. The brittle door frame exploded inwards, showering splinters and sending the door flying into the room. The large kid fell flat on his stomach as Mark and Oz ran in. The sight that greeted them was of complete and total chaos.

The bed was flipped upside down, lamps on the floor were sparking threateningly, and feathers were blowing through the air like a pre-winter snow storm in the unnatural wind that was raging in the room. Uncle Saul's chest of drawers was missing every drawer - their contents strewn about the room like a bomb had gone off. Wooden splinters were everywhere, some impaled into the plaster walls like arrow shafts in a target, but among all of this, it was the full length mirror that had sat opposite of Uncle Saul's bed for ten years that captured Mark’s attention.

It still stood upright, in all of its beautiful and ornate design. Out of the center of the mirror came the body of a woman, half in, and half inside the mirror. She was a living nightmare – something that had crawled out of every one of their horror movies and materialized in real life. She had skin the color of paper. Her long black hair was matted and stringy, covering portions of her face and back. Her ribs showed through her thin body, like a starving dog. But it was her face that was worst of all. Bruised and battered, with deep dark circles around the eyes, she was no beauty queen. Her lips were split and through the deeply sunken cheeks, oozing and dripping black blood. Her tongue was extraordinarily long and stuck out between two sets of rotted pointed teeth. The eyes were the worst, with a solid black iris, and a reddish-orange pupil. The rest of the eye was white and lined with blue veins.

Upon their arrival into the door, the face turned and stared at Mark, hissing. In one outstretched and dangerously talon-tipped hand, she held Uncle Saul by his throat, two feet above the floorboards. He kicked and tried to grab the claws that wrapped around his neck, but it looked like it was useless.

"Let go of him!" Mark blurted out. Oz and Zig looked at Mark, mouths open, frozen to the spot, then back at the mirror.

Mark stomped towards the creature. He had to do something but in his blind fear he didn’t know what. Uncle Saul's face was turning purple and his eyes were rolling into the back of his head – Mark had to act now. He moved forward and grabbed the woman’s arm. It was slick and cold – clammy like a gallon of milk that had just come out of the fridge. He struggled but couldn’t budge her grip on his uncle.

At that moment, Mark's mother stepped into the doorway along with Kate, still holding the phone to her ear. When she saw Uncle Saul, she shrieked and dropped the phone. Kate stood as did Oz and Zig, rooted to the ground staring at the scene before them.

"Help me!" Mark screamed over his shoulder, "Help me get her off of him!" Mark sent a kick towards the creature’s exposed ribs when another talon-tipped claw came out of the mirror. Suddenly Mark was sent flying into the thin doors of Uncle Saul's closet. The two boys moved in, and grabbed Uncle Saul's middle, trying to pull him down. They didn’t seem to see the same thing in the mirror that Mark saw.

"It's not working, something is holding him up!" Oz screamed over the power of the wind that seemed to be everywhere in the room, but no where else. Mark was recovering from the blow and trying to stand when the thing in the mirror slammed its free hand into Uncle Saul's chest. Uncle Saul's eyes closed and his head tilted back as the creature ripped her hand back out. But instead of a bloody heart, like Mark expected to see, out came a bluish white light. It was a sphere, held in the center of the creature’s hand – twirling and twisting. She dropped Uncle Saul's limp body on Oz and Zig, and began to retract into the mirror.

"No!" Mark screamed, and lunged for the mirror. He gripped the creature's hand just as most of the face disappeared, but the eyes stared back, the red pupils moving within their dark irises. There was a moment of surprise on its face when Mark touched it, then with a high pitched laugh, it jerked free and slid beneath the water-like, rippling surface of the mirror.

At once, the wind stopped, the light went away, and all was still. Mark stood, staring at his own reflection in the now-solidified mirror. Somewhere in the distance, as the feathers floated down to the floor, sirens rang out.