Devil’s Night

Screams could be heard from the cold, silver bleachers. Cheering came from everywhere as the player on the field sprinted to the end.

“Aye, we got another point,” said my friend Jackie. I had no idea what was going. Football wasn’t something I could understand as easily as Jackie and Pamela. Kids wearing their Fluco shirts flooded the sidewalk, the concession stand line was as long as the lines at Kings Dominion, and footballs flew over our heads from kids passing them around.

“Hey, I see Lucas,” said Jackie. Lucas was a mixed boy with little hair on his head, but crystal blue eyes that stuck out like diamonds under a light.

“Oh my gosh, he’s cute!” Jackie said, her squealing mimicking the sound of chalk rubbing against a chalkboard. We walked over to him quickly, hoping to get the chance to talk him.

“Hey, Lucas,” I said first. I could feel Jackie’s piercing stare as she looked at me from the corner of her eye.

“Hey, Kyra,” he said with a smile that wasn’t perfect, but was perfect on him.

“How are yo-” I stopped. My breath became a bubble in my throat and wouldn’t come out. His crystal blue eyes had shifted to a deep shade of red in seconds, and my heart plunged into my stomach.

“Are you okay, Kyra?” he said, his red eyes still staring into my soul as if it could see the fear filling up inside me. He put his arm on my shoulder to calm my violent shaking, but all I did was smack his hand away. I’d never been so scared, nor had I ever been looked at like a crazy person by my friends.

“Umm… Kyra?” said Pamela. I turned to find comfort in her arms but instead, come face to face to another pair of red eyes. Pamela’s eyes glowed, even under the pale light of the field lights.

“Please, don’t have red eyes, too,” I said to myself over and over like a prayer. I turned slowly to Jackie and there they were. The flaming red looked back at me with a hint of the devil waiting to consume my soul. Her once placid smile had flipped to a demonic one. Was I going crazy? Was I finally being set off the rails? I finally opened my mouth, letting out a terrifying scream that I thought I could never make. I looked around the whole field and every player, every parent, every little kid just throwing a football was staring at me.

“This is mainly the part where you run,” said the distorted voice of Jackie coming from behind me. Without a second of hesitation, I took off running. My Converse clapped against the ground as I made my way into the dark parking lot. I hid behind the car that was furthest away from the field, but I could still hear the undying sound of the footsteps from those things. My hands were shaking uncontrollably and my mind was running wild, thinking of plausible explanations for this.

“Maybe this is a prank since it’s Mischief Night, or maybe this is just some sick joke from my brother,” I told myself.

“Nah, we just want to kill you,” said an adult who suddenly appeared on top of the car, smiling down upon me.

“Aghhh!” I screamed with as much force as I could. The man covered his ears as the sound shattered its eardrums. It fell back in defeat, and the red glow he had in his eyes turned back to a simple brown. My throat felt like I had just downed a bottle of liquor, and the burning sensation stayed in my windpipe. I looked at the oncoming herd of raging people as my life flashed before my eyes. I hadn’t had a boyfriend, I hadn’t traveled the world, I hadn’t even kissed a boy.

“I don’t wanna die,” I said, tears spilling over and leaving behind a streak on my cheek. I stood up and ran into the school, moving a lot faster than the mini devils. The band room sat in front of me, and idea upon idea came rushing into my mind. Remembering how my scream seemed to ward off the evil creature by the car, I plugged the guitar into the speakers and made it as loud as possible. I grabbed the headphones off the music stand, ready to strum and create a deafening sensation that would probably injure a normal person.

“C’mon you little sh**s…COME ON!” I screamed, still shaking in intense fear. I could hear their feet as they ran like a pack of dogs into the music room. I fixed my eyes on the person in front, and strummed the guitar, sending the noise through the speakers. They all stopped in response. And for split second, I saw Jackie, Lucas, and Pamela in the crowd.

“Wait…wait no…no, no, no, no,” I threw the guitar down, breaking it in the process and ran to them. The red glow in their eyes diminished like the flame of a candle and they fell to the floor.

“No, no… please, please get back up,” I was sobbing at this point. The friends that I was just with, the friends who only moments before had been laughing and smiling, now lay in a pile of strangers.

“I-I’m so so-sorry.” I backed up from them, no longer being able to look at their faces. I was catatonic. I felt like I couldn’t move and all I did was stare at the dingy carpet. Why me? Why did everyone go after me? I walked out of the school, the thought of my friends’ deaths still fresh in my mind. The street was empty and there were no lights to show me the way back home. All I did was walk.

I got home at 11:27 pm. My parents were on the couch watching Friends and eating popcorn. I could barely talk, but I attempted to speak.

“I-I’m h-home,” I told them.

Silence.

“Umm… Mom? Dad?”

Dead. Silence.

I walked to the couch to see what the hell was going on.

“No…please no,” I said when I looked at them and saw the fiery red in their normally brown eyes.

“Hey, kiddo,” my dad said, “you ready to die?”