Legion (An Apocalyptic Horror Novel) (Hell on Earth Book 2) (30 page)

S
tuart Keane is a person who
, at a very young age, fell in love with the written word.

You can get in touch with Stuart at
StuartKeane/Facebook
.

“
W
hat's the time
?"

Alex flicked his wrist, checked his watch, a gold Rolex, and smirked. "Just after eight. We've got hours yet."

"We have class in the morning," replied Mike, a hint of trepidation in his voice.

"You're telling me you
need
to attend? I can guarantee those scholarships, my Dad's money will see to that. Chill out a little, have another beer." Alex held two fingers outstretched with a fresh bottle between them.

"No thanks, I'm driving. Or did that skip your attention?"

"Okay, chill. Man, you can be a downright pussy sometimes."

"A downright pussy who drives sensibly and doesn’t get a DUI in the middle of a scholarship…I don’t see the issue here."

Both boys remained silent. The car rolled smoothly on. Outside the Mercedes, the dusk passed them quietly, the purple and orange clouds casting a somber, but beautiful glow on the earth below it. Mike turned the vehicle around a gradual bend. The silhouettes of several unidentified trees scratched at the night sky, passing silently.

"Fancy a six pack?" Mike asked, darting his eyes from the road to the rearview mirror and back again.

"We have one here. You just said you didn’t want any beer."

"No, not beer. I mean from Donut Diner. I could murder one of their six treat boxes. Some coffee would be good too, since we're going to be up late."

"I didn’t bring my wallet," Alex lied.

"No worries. It's my idea. My treat."

"I'm so in," Alex smiled.

The Mercedes steered into a second bend. The foliage started to thin out until hardly any greenery remained and the tree line gave way to the beautiful night sky. The boys could see down into the canyon, protected by only a road barrier and common sense.

Something caught Alex's attention.

"Hey, Mike?"

"Yep?"

"Pull over here."

Mike nodded and did as instructed, bringing the car to a slow. The vehicle halted on the loose gravel layby, its tires crunching loudly in the silent, evening air. He put the car in park and turned to his friend. "What is it?"

"I just wanted to stop for a second."

"Why?"

"Don’t you recognise this place, this road?"

"They all look the same to me."

"Man, you're such a loser."

"Unless you explain why, I'm going to smack you in the teeth and leave you on the road."

"Whoa, whoa. Okay. Hold this." Alex handed his half-empty beer to Mike and unbuckled his seatbelt. "Come on, put the beer in a cup holder or something and get!"

Mike sighed.
Asshole.

Both boys climbed from the car, smooth clunks sounded as both doors opened and let in the cool, chilly air. Alex's loafers crunched gravel once more as he rounded the Mercedes and placed a hand on the warm hood. His other hand lifted into the gloom and pointed. "Over there…that's where it happened."

Mike walked to his friend and squinted, gazing into the blackness. The purple and orange clouds had subsided now, leaving them in near darkness. As he squinted, a streetlight flickered to life, barely breaking a streak through the gloom. Mike returned to the car and leaned in the driver door. Alex chuckled. "You pussy."

The headlights illuminated the sight before them, sending stark rays of brightness onto the road and its surrounding features. Mike returned with a smirk on his face. "At least we can see…now, what was you saying?"

Alex nodded. "Over there, that's where it happened."

"What happened?"

"Sadie."

"Sadie Barker?"

"The one and only."

"No way. You're lying."

"Why would I lie? You know me…I'd do anything for a sick joke."

Mike nodded. "True. You sick fuck."

Alex stepped away from the hood. "Sadie Barker, seventeen years of age, broke down in her clapped out Ford, right over there." He pointed. Following the finger, Mike noticed a bend in the road, skirted by a gravel layby into a makeshift corner. At the corner, was a tree; behind the guardrail, twisted and wilted from years of weather abuse. It rustled patiently in the wind, moving gently. Mike could see several scratches and dents on the guardrail, no doubt from multiple collisions over the years. Alex stepped forward again. "Her car broke down and she called for help. However, this is Widows Peak. There isn't any phone signal here. Not even one bar. Go ahead - check it for yourself. I'll wait."

"What a story teller you are." Mike rolled his eyes and lifted his phone from his front pocket. He glanced at the screen. There was no signal. Alex was right. "Well, when you’re right, you're right."

"I'm always right. You know this," Alex chuckled. "Anyway, so Sadie had no signal and she was stranded. All she could do was wait in her car and hope someone stopped to help. And…well, you know the rest."

"I actually don’t…and I don’t want to know," Mike said and then groaned, realising his mistake. This was Alex, after all.

"Well, let me enlighten you. This story will go down in our town's history. Not much does. Every resident should know its history."

"I don’t give a shit. You know I'm not good with –"

"– Two hours later," Alex interrupted, "A van pulled up with two men in it. Sadie, from what I heard anyway, was only too happy to let them help her. Desperation makes people do stupid things. That was her first mistake. She got out of the car."

Mike rubbed his face, his dry lips stuck to the palm of his hand, and he groaned again. "I don’t want to hear this."

"Well, you're gonna! So, she gets out of the car and the two men stay put. She approached the passenger side and asked for a jump-start or a lift back home. She doesn’t care; she could come and collect her heap of shit the next day. So, she asks for help. And one of the guys turns to her and says, 'What's it worth?' At this point, Sadie is desperate in all the wrong ways. She offers them the total amount of money in her purse, which was seventeen dollars. They scoff and don’t reply; they simply drive off and leave her there. Sadie, rejected and scared, not to mention upset, returns to her car."

"Assholes."

"Indeed." Alex scratched his stubble-mottled jaw, curing an itch. "Then, it gets interesting."

"I don’t want to know the rest. I read the story, the cliff notes, that's enough."

Alex ignored his friend. "The van reverses back to the car and Sadie, caught off guard, wipes the tears away and exits the vehicle once more. Big mistake number two. You see, when the men climb out of the car, they're wearing sacks over their heads. Neither are armed, but both are primed for a fight or something worse. In this light, with her heightened fear, to a defenseless woman, you can imagine the reaction."

Mike crossed his arms. "I can
only
imagine…"

"No, you can't," Alex replied curtly.

Mike rolled his eyes and let Alex continue. "From what I heard, she was petrified and froze, not moving from the spot. At this point, she was in the middle of the left lane. When the first guy reached her and punched her in the face, breaking her nose, she hit the deck hard. Her head bounced off the concrete and, I heard, it ruptured both eyes."

"How can you even know that?"

"I read the papers…I
am
cultured, you know?"

Mike rolled his eyes.

"Anyway, where was I…oh yes, her eyes. They were immediately bloodshot which left her defenseless. The second guy picked her up and shoved her over the hood of her car. He ripped her panties off, tore her skirt aside and fucked her there and then. Hard. His accomplice simply watched, awaiting his turn. Sadie screamed and struggled, but they were too strong for her. When done, he switched and the other took his turn. Sloppy seconds. This went on for an hour. Apparently, not one vehicle passed during this entire time."

"Scum does exist. That's horrible," Mike stuttered. He was looking at the tree on the corner. The shape and shadow of it sent a shiver up his spine. The thought of what had happened here was starting to make him uncomfortable. He took a step back. He swallowed and closed his eyes, choosing his next question carefully.

"So what happened next?"

"Mickey boy, you
are
curious. But, I'm glad you asked. When they finished with her, they slit her throat, groped her a little more as she bled out, smearing her tits and stomach and pussy with blood, and tossed her over the barrier right there. Apparently – I say that a lot don’t I, oh well, when a word is appropriate – her blood splashed and soaked the barrier and the gravel, not to mention the tree. If you go over there, I bet you can still see the splash marks."

"Bullshit."

"Oh yeah? Go and check."

"The rain would have washed it away."

"Only one way to know for sure."

"Fuck you man, I'm not going over there…"

Silence settled between them. Alex finished his beer and tossed the bottle to the ground, smashing it. He kicked the glass away from the wheels of the Mercedes. Mike rubbed his temples between his fingers. "Did they find her?"

"Nope. You have seen the incline over that barrier, right. It's called Widow's Peak for a reason."

Mike nodded. "She would have been a pulp before she even came to a rest."

Alex chuckled. Mike frowned and glanced at his friend. "That's hardly funny."

"I wasn’t laughing at that. Have you heard the tale of Sadie Barker?"

"You just told me, in more detail than I care for. But yes, I'm now familiar with it. Rape, murder, debauchery, the normal."

"That’s the story, fact, truth. I mean the tale, the urban legend. The interesting part."

"You mean the bullshit that spreads on social networking and via people's texts. No, but I'm sure you'll enlighten me."

"Such a negative Nancy. Well, it turns out, it has some significance."

"How?"

"You know this was four years ago?"

"So?"

"They say, that on the anniversary of her death - well, her murder - that she appears on this very spot and wreaks revenge on whomever is standing here. Her red eyes mesmerize the person, before drawing them into a violent and bloody death."

"So, you’ve gone from fantasy to a fucking ghost story now?"

"They never found her body…who says it’s a ghost?"

"Now I
know
you're high. Fucking moron. What does she do…actually, scratch that, I don’t want to know."

"Aren't you a little curious?"

"Not even a little bit. Not. One. Bit." Mike staggered his words, emphasizing his point. "This is sick, and I want to go home."

"You drove us out here, you only have yourself to blame."

"I drove us…not here, not anywhere, just drove. You stopped us here. I didn’t have a destination in mind when I got behind the wheel…wish I'd never fucking bothered now. You always pull shit like this."

"Makes life exciting, doesn’t it?"

"That's one, if slightly untrue word. Get in the car."

"You realise the four year anniversary is tonight, right?"

"What?"

"Sadie's death. It was four years ago tonight." Alex checked his Rolex again. "In about fifteen minutes to be exact."

Mike laughed, anger filtering through his veins. "You’re a fucking whack job. Get in the car."

"I want to see what happens," Alex uttered, stepping into the road.

"
Get in the fucking car
," Mike roared.

"Calm down…fuck me, anyone would think you have a problem with this."

"I
do
have a problem with this. You know full well that…"

"I'm going over there. With or without you, I'm going. I'm not afraid."

"Be my guest. I'll wait here. Oh, and I'm turning off the headlights. Good luck on your own." Mike climbed into the car and turned the vehicle off, sitting in the dark. Alex paused, grinned, and began walking towards the tree. He stopped a few seconds later and retreated. He scooted back to the car, climbed in and breathed out heavily.

"Not afraid, huh?"

"I'm not. Just…well, I'm not standing in the dark for fifteen minutes…fourteen now. I'll wait for a bit."

"You do that."

Neither boy did anything for a moment. Alex looked across at Mike. He was staring out of the windshield, focusing. His jaw knotted with subtle fury. His eyes were slits, narrowed. Alex smiled and grabbed another beer from his six-pack. "Want one?"

Mike said nothing and simply ignored his friend.

"Suit yourself."

Silence took over once more. Darkness consumed them. Alex swigged his beer and watched the empty road before them. Mike was still staring ahead. Every few seconds brought a sloshing noise into the car as Alex drank. The noise seemed exaggerated, put on.

I bet he's doing it on purpose
, thought Mike. He checked the dashboard and sighed.
Right now, I could be in the Donut Diner, eating one of their six packs with some coffee
.

Only one way to end this.

"Let's do it."

Alex glanced at his friend and smiled. "I knew you weren’t a pussy."

"C'mon, before I change my mind." Mike flicked the headlights on.

"Alright!"

Alex was the first out of the car. Mike was a second or so behind him. As he exited the vehicle, Alex tossed his beer bottle over the barrier at the side of the road. Mike heard it chink faintly on the rocks of Widow's Peak.

He composed himself and started walking to the tree. Alex followed him closely. Their shadows grew as they distanced themselves in the beam of the headlights. Their feet left the gravel and slapped the dry asphalt. Within seconds, they were at the base of the tree. Gentle whispers of leaves on wind filled the air around them.

Ghostly whispers
, thought Mike. He shivered.

Both boys looked around, waiting for something to happen.

Nothing did.

"Well, this was fun," Mike moaned.

"Give it a fucking chance."

"For what? Some ghost story to come true? You need to stop watching all of those shitty movies, mate."

"As opposed to reality TV?"

"Fuck you."

"I can't believe you watch that shit. Of all the –"

The headlights on the car went off. Alex and Mike jumped in unison, turning to view the Mercedes, now shrouded in darkness. Silence filled the tense air.