The bell rang loudly through the halls, signaling the end of another grueling school day. Slamming his locker shut behind him, Derick Jeter slung his backpack over his shoulder and filed toward the front of the building with the rest of the students. Moving with the mass of bodies, he pushed his way through the glass doors, emerging into the brisk autumn air.
"Hey, Derick!" Stepping onto the pavement, his attention was quickly drawn by one of his friends, waving him down from the side of the building. Putting a hustle in his movement, Derick started toward them on the sidewalk, jogging lightly.
Hey, guys." Greeted Derick, folding his arms to defend against the light breeze blowing past them. "What's up?"
Carrie was the first to speak. "We were thinking about going to grab a slice in town, wanna tag along?" she asked, a strand of her red hair falling in her face.
Derick shook his head. "Sorry, my mom is busy with work, so she needs me to pick up my brother."
Alvin chuckled lightly. "Man, you two get along so great, I'm so envious; all I and my brother do is argue like there's no tomorrow, we can't agree on a single thing. If petty sibling rivalry was a game in the Olympics, we'd take gold for sure." he smiled. "What you two have, it's really something special."
Derick smiled back. "Yeah, I can't remember a time we've ever been at odds with each other, I guess we're pretty lucky."
"Hey," Carrie began. "Did you hear about that big commotion on the other side of town, about the animal attack?"
Derick adopted an inquisitive look on his face, before nodding lightly. "Yeah, yeah I think I recall seeing something about that?" Just the previous day, the whole town was pulled into a frenzy when a strange creature was spotted at a local farm. Nobody was able to get a good look at it, so it wasn't identified. But not far from where it was seen, a pig was found dead; now it wasn't the hog being deceased that freaked people out, but rather, the way it had been killed. The pig was found away from all the others, shriveled up like a raisin, and all dried out.
"We were just talking about it," she said. "The whole thing was really unsettling. I really hope they catch this thing before it strikes again - I pray that it doesn't attack anybody before then," she added as an afterthought, a concerned look in her eyes.
Derick shook his head, dismissing the idea to his friend. "I don't think we have to worry about that, that kind of thing never happens in this town," he said with reassurance. "I'm sure they'll catch whatever it is with no fuss."
Carrie shrugged her shoulders. "If you say so."
"Well, I better be off now, need to pick up my brother still. Catch you guys later," he waved to them as he stepped off the sidewalk and into the parking lot.
Taking his keys out of his pocket, he approached an old, rusty truck and undid the lock. Getting in the driver's seat, he put the key in the ignition and turned, listening to the vehicle sputter violently before finally erupting to life. Pulling out of his space, he slowly followed the road off the school grounds, taking care to give nearby students a wide berth.
Taking to the street, Derick began making his way to his brother's school. The drive through town was uneventful, but then again, so was everything here in Glacier Creek. Don't get him wrong, he loved this place, and it would always be his home, but nothing ever happened here. It was a sleepy town, the kind that most people have never heard of, and would just as soon forget existed. To put it bluntly, Glacier Creek didn't matter to the world in the grand scheme of things - it was unimportant, and overlooked.
Pulling up to the East Glacier Creek middle school, Derick parked his car out front. For the next few minutes, he waited there calmly, watching as all the students filed out of the building just as the older kids had done back at the high school. As time went on, however, he became confused when his brother didn't come out. It got to the point where, after seeing no sign of his sibling having yet exited the building, he decided to get out and see what was taking him.
Shutting the car door behind him, Derick turned towards the school and made his way towards the sidewalk. Fighting his way through a tide of children on their way home, the teen pushed through the large glass doors that led into the educational facility. Walking down the halls, he found them to be mostly empty, with the majority of the students having left, leaving behind only the teachers and a few kids. Derick started asking around about the whereabouts of his brother, and if anyone had seen him. Eventually, someone pointed him in the direction of the school playground, mentioning how some bullies had been picking on him. Not liking the sound of that at all, he quickly went to see how his little brother was holding up.
Stepping out of the school, Derick immediately spotted him alone on the playground. He was sitting on the swing, staring down at his feet as he slumped over in dejection. Hating seeing his brother like this, Derick quickly made his way over, in a bid to cheer him up.
"Hey Toby, how're you doing?" he asked as he approached, a smile plastered on his face.
"Lousy," Toby replied, barely bothering to look up as he continued to wallow about on the swing. The chains creaked eerily as he swung back and forth, giving off a sound that would fit perfectly in a horror movie.
"Yeah, I heard. Are those bullies giving you a hard time again?"
Toby sniffed, using his sweater sleeve to wipe away the snot leaking from his nose. "A kid named Lily dropped her lunch on the floor, and I didn't want her to go hungry so I split mine with her. Then this bully, Eric Bartholomew sees it and starts saying that I'm too nice and that it makes me an easy target.
Derick shook his head in disbelief at what he was hearing. "Hey, look at me," he said, putting a comforting hand on his brother's shoulder. "Don't let that bully get to you, you're one of the most kind-hearted people I've ever met. There is nothing wrong with being nice, it's a quality that there unfortunately just isn't enough of in this world - never let anyone tell you otherwise."
A soft smile began to creep onto Toby's face. "Thanks, I needed that," he replied gratefully, gazing up at his brother with those brown eyes. He wiped away the tears that had been streaming from said eyes. All at once, Toby's demeanor began to improve considerably. It was as if his face had been a painting, and with a few simple brushstrokes, turned a sad image into a joyful one.
"Come on, " Derick said, patting his brother lightly on the back. "Let's get going."
"Okay, I'm coming," said Toby in response. He was about to stand up when something suddenly stopped him.
"Toby?" Derick asked in concern. "Is everything okay?"
His brother had grown deathly silent, not moving an inch as he stood there like a statue. His hands clung to the swing's chains tightly, as if they were a lifeline. His face had become pale and pasty, all the color had drained from his features, and his eyes were stiff and unmoving. Following his gaze, Derick found Toby staring at the nearby treeline at the edge of the property.
"Toby!" Derick tried again, being more forceful this time as he shook his brother. "Toby, listen to me!"
Toby finally seemed to snap out of whatever had held him in such a trance, looking panicked as he came back to the waking world.
"Toby, what's wrong?"
"Oh uh, nothing," he said evenly. "I just thought I saw something is all, it's fine." Despite him saying this, Derick couldn't help but get the feeling that his brother wasn't being entirely honest with him.
Walking side by side, the two made their way back through the school and out into the parking lot. The front of the building was now crowded with kids as students got onto buses, or were picked up by their parents or guardians. Stepping up to his truck, Derick opened the door for Toby to climb in, before closing it shut behind him and making his way over to the driver's seat. He fastened his seat belt and made sure his brother was secure as well, before starting up the engine.
Before Derick had a chance to pull out, he was suddenly stopped when a girl knocked at his window. She was dressed in what appeared to be designer clothing, a faux leopard-print scarf flapping lightly in the breeze. In the back, Toby let out a nervous gasp as he tried to make himself as small as possible.
Rolling down the window, Derick was greeted by a warm smile from the girl, as well as subtle hints of perfume.
"Hello." The girl said sweetly. "The school is hosting a bakesale later this weekend," she said, offering him a flyer. "It's a fundraiser to stop deforestation and help grow awareness of the damage society is having on the world's ecosystem. Would you be interested in attending?"
Derick took the flyer from her grasp, giving a little thoughtful nod. "Hmm, well see."
"We hope to see you there, every person who pitches in, is the closer we get to reaching our goal." she glanced at the backseat of the car, and her eyes lit up like fireworks when she spotted his brother. "Oh, hi Toby," she waved.
Toby nervously raised his hand and gave a shaky wave of his own. "H-hi Rachel," he replied meekly, his cheeks turning cherry red.
"Well, you take care now, I still have work to do. See you later Toby." The girl apparently named Rachel waved again as she walked away.
Derick looked at his brother quizzically, a curious look on his face. "Who was that?" he asked, indicating the well-dressed girl as he watched her approach more people with flyers.
"That's Rachel Mayweather," Toby answered. "Her mother is head of the school committee, so she helps out with all kinds of projects."
"You like her, don't you?" Derick asked with an inquisitive look in his eye. "I saw the way you looked at her, you could hardly keep a straight face."
He smiled sheepishly. "Yeah. She's really pretty, she's sweet, and...I like the way her hair smells," he added with embarrassment.
Derick whistled. "Wow, my brother, a player, I never thought I'd see the day."
"Ugg, stop." Groaned out Toby with a laugh.
"Okay, okay," he laughed along. "So, have you tried talking to her?" he asked as he backed out of his space.
"I mean, I've tried," he said. "But any time I do I end up getting really nervous, and I can't think straight. It always seems fine at first, but whenever she gives me her attention, I always clam up; my palms get sweaty, my breath catches in my throat, and my tongue feels like it's made of lead."
Derick nodded his head in understanding. "Yep, talking to girls will do that to ya, trust me I should know."
"Does it get any easier?"
"Well, it depends on who you're talking to, if you're a jock, or a suave ladies' man, then getting the girls is no problem at all; but if you're like me...then forget it," he finished in a joking manner as he roasted himself. However, looking back in the mirror told him his attempt at humor, hadn't had the effect he wanted as he watched his brother slump downwards in dejection.
"Hey, look," he began, in an attempt to cheer Toby up again. 'If you really like this girl, then you just need to go up and talk to her. Don't worry about clamming up, or striking out; just be brave, and don't show any fear. Here, do this for me," he began. "Next time you see her, just walk up and say, hi Rachel, how're you doing? Okay, just start off small - baby steps, okay man, baby steps."
"Alright, I'll try," Toby conceded.
After that, the two sat in silence for a while, the only sound being that of the car as it drove down the road. Eventually, Toby broke the quiet. "Derick?" he began hesitantly. "Can I ask you a question?"
"Sure," his brother replied, breaking his eyes from the road to cast him a quick glance.
"Have you ever felt like... you're being watched?"
Derick shrugged. "Sure, all the time: when I'm in PE, whenever I'm asked by the teacher to come up to the desk, those nightmares where you come to school in your underwear..."
"Not like that!" Toby interrupted shaking his head. He looked out the window, at the treelines as they sped by outside. "Like, someone is spying on you, watching you with ill intentions."
A concerned look appeared on Derick's face. "Toby, is everything okay?" he asked. "Have the bullies at school been threatening you?"
Toby shook his head again. "No, it's just..." he sighed. "For the past couple of days, I've been feeling as if I'm being watched, like someone's there, just in the shadows keeping an eye on me. That's why I froze up back at the school, I thought I sensed them watching me again.
After hearing what his brother had to say, Derick started chewing his lip as he nodded his head. "Yeah. You know what I think is going on, I think you're just stressed. All this talk about animal sightings has the whole town on edge, everything's fine okay, there's nothing to worry about," Derick finished, trying to give his brother some comfort.
Toby continued to look worried, however, Derick's words appeared to have no effect."
"Hey," Derick tried again, meeting his brother's eyes through the mirror. "Everything's going to be alight, understand me?"
"Okay," Toby said, at last, shifting his gaze to stare out the window as the world rushed by. While not entirely sure he was convinced, Derick decided to leave it alone for now, and focus on his driving.
A little while later, Derick pulled onto their street. Approaching a typical suburban home, he entered their driveway and parked, turning off the engine before stepping out of the car. Closing the car door, Derick was joined by his brother as they made their way toward the house.
Leaves from the nearby trees had fallen all over the driveway and lawn, creating a satisfying crunch when they were stepped on. Walking up to the porch, Derick pulled out his house key and proceeded to unlock the door.
"Hey, there's a package." Exclaimed Toby as he walked up to a table just off to the side, upon which lay a small parcel. "I bet it's the comic I ordered," he postulated as he looked it over.
"What, you mean the Transformers-My Little Pony one?" he asked as he stepped inside the house, Toby right behind him.
"Yeah."
"Great! I've been wanting to check that out! Now, all we need is a crossover where Deadpool meets Pinkie Pie," he kissed his fingers, miming fancy high-class chefs. "Once that happens, I can die happy."
Taking off their sweaters, the two made themselves at home, relaxing, watching TV, playing video games, you name it. Derick had made the two of them sandwiches, placing the food on some plates. Over in the living room, Toby had put on The Avengers for them to watch. Taking the edibles, Derick went and joined his brother by the TV, setting the food down on the coffee table.
But however, just as Derick was about to sit down and watch the movie, he could all but swear he spotted movement out of the corner of his eye from the backyard.
Curious as to what he saw, Derick decided to check it out. Moving toward where he saw the movement, he stepped up to the back door and stared through the clear glass.
"Derick, is everything okay?" Toby asked with concern.
Derick put out a hand to stop his brother from moving. "Stay here, I'll be right back," he told his brother as he unlocked the door and stepped outside. Entering the cold autumn air once again, Derick stood on the porch as he scanned the backyard. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, just the same area he'd known all his life. Probably just a bird, or a squirrel, he surmised, nothing to worry about...
...Something moved in the bushes, something furry dashing in his vision. It moved too fast for him to make out what it was, but there had definitely been something there. Nearing the shrubs, he cautiously approached where he saw the creature. He felt his heart beating in his chest as he got closer, preparing for just about anything, he nervously grabbed the foliage and ripped it away to reveal....nothing.
Well, almost nothing that was.
While there luckily wasn't some kind of wild animal lurking in the bushes, what he did find was sort of odd. Right where he had spotted the creature, were odd patches of dead grass and shrubs, which he found pretty abnormal. Now, this wasn't the natural result of plants losing their leaves when fall hit, no this was different. The vegetation here was all decayed and rotting, while stuff around the strange patches still had life. Plus, there was a weird smell in the air, Derick couldn't place what it was, but it was foul, like raw meat that had been left out in the sun.
Derick didn't know what to make of what he'd just found, it was strange and unnatural, and he didn't like it.
"Derick, is everything okay out there?" he heard Toby call from inside the house.
"Yeah, everything's fine!" he called back, turning his attention away from the scene in front of him.
"Well, hurry on inside then, I wanna start the movie!"
"Okay, I'm coming!" he gave the bushes one last, peculiar glance, before turning around and making his way inside.
From the safety of the woods, the being watched as the older human retreated back within its dwelling. It had been watching them for some time, and now that it had the information it'd been sent for, it was time to head back.
Turning away from the human's home, the being ran through the woods, away from the nearby settlements. Their lungs panted for air, as their hooves pounded against the ground, drumming with every step. After sprinting for some time, the being soon found itself in a small clearing, where others of its kind waited for it.
"Well, what did ya find?" Asked one of the others. "Is it him?"
The being nodded its head. "He is, I've been studying him, watching him. He is definitely the one, of this I'm sure." The being replied in absolute certainty.
"Then we'll need to let them know." Said another of the group, their well-groomed mane billowing softly in the breeze. "They'll want to begin the ritual as soon as possible."
With that, the group began to set off, dispersing to tell their superiors what they'd learned here. However, one of them didn't follow and stayed rooted to the spot where they were.
"Aren't ya coming?" Asked the first one.
"I'll be along soon." The being replied. "I'm just going to grab a bite to eat first."
"Alright, don't take too long then, a'h'm sure they'll want to see ya."
Giving a simple nod, the being separated from the others, leaving them behind as they ran back through the woods, in the direction of what the locals called Glacier Creek.
By the time the being had reached the small town, the sun had sunk below the horizon, bathing them in darkness. The reduced level of light would make it easier to sneak around undetected. The being cautiously stepped out onto the streets of the town, while activity from the locals had decreased around this time, there were still some of them lingering around.
They stuck to the shadows, stepping silently and keeping from drawing attention.
When a large vehicle started lumbering by on the road, the being knew it needed to take cover and quickly dove into a nearby alleyway. They waited until the automotive had passed before they allowed themselves to relax.
As they stood there, they felt their hunger grow ever more powerful, demanding to be sated. And that's when they heard it, a sharp clatter deeper in the alley, as bottles and other things clattered to the hard ground. Turning their attention to the noise, they found the source to be a heavily drunken man, stumbling around in a daze.
As the being stood there, they couldn't help but feel their mouth water as they stared at the man. They could feel the energy flowing through his veins, pumping through his entire body.
It would be theirs.
As the man finally caught sight of the entity, he stopped in his tracks and seemed to regain some sense of clarity. He stared at what was in front of him dumbfounded, trying to understand what he was seeing. "What the fu-"
The man didn't get a chance to finish that thought, for before he knew what was happening, the being pounced.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
Author's Note
Just a little something I came up with recently. Let me know your thoughts.
The first thing Derick heard that morning was the incessant blaring of his alarm clock on his nightstand. Without looking, he reached his arm out of bed and attempted to hit the snooze button, failing repeatedly. As his frustration peaked, he finally brought his hand down on the clock, ending its assault on his ears. He lay there in bed for a moment, his state of blissful sleep broken by that tormenting symphony.
With a groan, he turned over in his bed and wearily opened his eyes. The light from the morning sun filtered in through the window, giving his room a bright, golden glow that made him squint. Rubbing away the last traces of sleep, Derick reluctantly sat up in bed and threw off the covers. Setting his feet down on the hardwood floor, he recoiled at the chill before getting up and making his way to the bathroom across the hall. After relieving himself, and performing his other morning routines, he returned to his room to change into fresh clothes.
Leaving his personal domain, he went down the stairs and prepared to start yet another brand-new day. Entering the kitchen, he found his mother eating a banana as she scrolled through the news feeds on her phone.
"Good morning, honey," she greeted him warmly.
"Morning mom," Derick replied as he grabbed a bowl from the cupboard and poured some cereal.
"Did you sleep well?" she asked.
"Yeah."
"I'm glad to hear that. Do you have any plans for today?" she asked as she took a bite out of her banana.
Derick shrugged as he sat down at the table. "I don't know, I might head out later with Alvin and Carrie, do some stuff around town, maybe catch a movie or something, I don't know?" he shrugged again as he took a bite of his cereal.
They sat in silence after that, both mother and son quietly eating their breakfast. Drinking the last drops of milk from his bowl, Derick stood up and went to deposit his dirty dishes in the sink.
Derick was rinsing off his hands when his mother spoke from behind him. "Derick, can you go check on your brother? I want to make sure that he's awake and not still in bed."
Derick nodded in response. "Sure mom."
Heading back upstairs, Derick walked down the hall and approached the door just after his. Giving a quick knock, he waited for a reply.
"Come in," he heard Toby call out from the confines of his room.
Turning the knob, Derick opened the door and stepped inside. Toby was an absolute, massive cartoon fan; that fact was further supported by the sheer amount of posters adorning his walls. Phineas and Ferb, Spongbob, My Litte Pony, Gravity Falls, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Adventure time, you name it, they were all up there.
Toby himself sat over at a desk in the corner of the room, typing away at his computer.
"Mom wanted me to come up and check on you, are you going to come down for breakfast?" Derick asked as he walked up to stand next to his brother.
"Soon," Toby replied, eyes never straying from the screen as if they were glued. "Just let me finish this chapter, I'm almost done."
Another thing to know about Toby, he was really into fan fiction. He had quite a knack when it came to writing; his skill with words wasn't something to gawk at. So much so, that he could easily write up a ten-thousand-word story, in just a couple of days. And his published works online received all kinds of praise from those who read them, netting him countless new fans.
"What are you writing?" Derick asked, leaning in to see what his brother was doing. "Is this a new chapter for that Star Wars fic you're doing?"
Toby shook his head. "Nah, I'm updating that on Thursday. No, this is a new story, it's a crossover between My Little Pony and The Dragon Prince. Basically, it just introduces Equestria into the world of the show, adding a whole host of new opportunities."
Derick's eyebrows hiked up his face as he gave an approving nod. "Sounds interesting, I'll have to check it out. What's it called"
"I haven't worked out the title just yet."
"Okay, well, come downstairs when you're ready then," Derick said in departure, giving his brother a light pat on the back as he turned and left the room.
The being gathered with the others in a grand hall, the leaders of their nation standing before them. Their ruler stared down at the being from a grand throne, their mane flowing in a non-existent breeze.
"So it is him, he is the one, yes?"
The being replied. "Yes, he is who we've been waiting for; I am without a doubt, that this young human is the pure soul we seek."
The ruler gave a sigh of relief, the features on their alabaster face softening. "Good, I was beginning to grow worried that we wouldn't find them in time. Now that the pure one has been discovered, it is imperative that we begin the necessary preparations at once." They looked down at the group assembled before them with a grave expression in their eyes. "We are almost out of time, the deadline is nearly upon us, and if we can't finish the ritual as soon as possible..." They trailed off, the others all too aware of the stakes.
"Don't worry your majesty, we'll have this ritual underway all quick like." One of the being's companions said with determination, an emotion that all the rest of their group shared.
"Yeah, and once we're done, we'll throw a party to celebrate!"
The leader's face grew relieved once again. "It makes me very happy to hear you all say that. We don't have much time left, so we need to get moving as fast as possible, can I trust you all with this?"
"You can count on us, your majesty." The being said with confidence.
"Good, then I need you all to go and prepare for the ritual to come, it must be ready in time." The group nodded at the leader's words before going off to get ready.
The being was the only one to stay behind, waiting back to speak with the leader in private.
"Is there something more you wished to discuss?" The leader asked.
"Yes," they replied, nodding their head in affirmation. "I'm worried that the old man may try to interfere with our plans again, what with the ritual for the deadline coming up. After all, it was because of him that we failed the first time. And he's no doubt been preparing for our return, he'll do everything he can to stop us." The being asked with concern.
The ruler pursed their lips. "You bring up a good point, my once student. After what happened last time, we must take every precaution; we need to take great care to ensure that he does not catch wind of our plans."
"What if he knows we've chosen a new pure one, he may try to stop us from taking him."
"I appreciate your concerns, but I doubt he knows; even if he does, he would never be able to keep that boy out of our reach for long.
"I'm heading out now," Derick called out, slipping on his sweater as he notified his mom and brother.
"Okay, stay safe honey," his mother replied.
Derick started towards the door before Toby stopped him. "Hey, can you drop me off at the school, I want to help Rachel out with the bakesale fundraiser they're doing. And before you say anything, I already asked Mom, and she's okay with it - she thinks me helping out is a great idea."
"Alright," Derick said simply. "Get your stuff on and meet me outside by the car.
"Got it." Said Toby as he went to get dressed.
With his brother getting ready, Derick opened up the door and went outside. Stepping down the porch and walking up to his car, he got in the driver's seat and put the key in the ignition. Hearing the engine roar to life like some beast, he left the vehicle to warm up while he went to check the mail.
Opening their mailbox, he reached in to pull out several letters. Going through them, he found most to be addressed to his mom, most likely just bills and other things. But as he looked, he came to discover that the names on a couple of them were wrong, and weren't for anyone in their household. Derick gave out a groan as he knew what this meant, the delivery guy had made a mistake and given them their neighbor's mail again. Normally, this wouldn't be that big of a deal, except that this neighbor was a bit odd and unpleasant, so he wasn't too thrilled to have to take his mail over.
As Derick was busy obsessing over this news, it was at that moment that Toby exited the house. "What's wrong," Toby asked his older brother as he approached the teen.
"Nothing," Derick said in reply. "It's just.. they gave us Mr. Abernathys mail again," he sighed in defeat.
"Oh," Toby said in understanding, knowing full well about their neighbor.
"You go wait in the car," Derick told Toby as he put their own mail back for the time being. "I'll go and take this over," he said as he turned down the sidewalk.
"Wait, hold on!" Toby cried in objection, catching up with his brother instead of doing as he was told. "You don't have to do this alone, what if something bad happens?"
Derick chuckled dryly. "I appreciate the concern Toby, but it's not necessary; Mr. Abernathy might be a bit grouchy, but he's not dangerous, I'll be fine."
"Alight, but I'd still feel better not letting you go alone," Toby said.
"Okay, if you insist," Derick sighed with reluctance.
The pair of brothers walked down the sidewalk, passing by a couple of other houses, before finally coming upon the last residency on the street. The building was old and in disrepair, and the lack of upkeep was very noticeable.
Derick cautiously parted the gate that barred access to the house, creating an unsettling creak as if the gate was haunted. The yard was overgrown with weeds and the paint that had adorned the home had long since faded, leaving it a depressing gray. Looking up at the foreboding homestead, he couldn't help but feel a shiver come over him. This house was a bit of a local legend among the people of Glacier Creek; rumor had it, that many years ago Mr. Abernathys family died under mysterious circumstances. Some people thought that they had contracted some deadly disease, while some suspected Mr. Abernathy had gone crazy and murdered them. Yet there were some people who had even more radical explanations, such as how they became the target of the devil or some other hostile entity. Ultimately, however, none of these were ever proven and were left as pure speculation among the town's denizens.
Stepping up to the door, Derick felt uneasy as the old wooden floorboards creaked under his weight. Mr. Ambernathy was a shut-in, only ever leaving his home to stock up on food and other amenities. He rarely spoke to anyone, and only interacted with other people if they approached him first; The man gave off a gruff, unwelcoming persona, making it clear he didn't want to be bothered.
Taking a deep breath, Derick feebly attempted to calm his erratically beating heart, the organ pounding in his chest as if it was about to burst. Beside him, he could sense his brother tensing up as well, a nervous air about him as he stood there. Sucking up his anxieties, Derick balled his hand into a fist and rapped his knuckles on the old weathered door.
It took a few moments, but soon, activity could be heard on the other side of the door, as multiple locks were undone.
"What do you want?" Snapped a withered old man as he opened the door. His face was covered in a thin beard that had gone white with age, and his black, wrinkled skin seemed to soak up the sun's rays.
"Hi, Mr. Abernanty," Derick swallowed nervously under the man's searing glare. "Um, my name is Derick Jeter, I don't know if you remember me. I live down the way from you, we've been your neighbors for years actually," Derick started in an effort to be friendly, but when the man's attitude didn't change, he continued. "As I'm sure you're wondering, the reason I'm here is the mail guy accidentally delivered mail addressed to you at our house, so I came to bring it to you," he finished, holding out the letters for the man to take.
The man stared at Derick for a moment, his face unreadable. Finally, he reached up and snatched the documents from Derick's hand. "There, you delivered them, now get lost!" he said gruffly as he turned away from them and prepared to close the door. "I want to be left alone, and I can't do that if people keep-"
Just as he was about to shut the door in their faces, he froze when his eyes landed on Toby for the first time. For once something other than anger, or distrust could be seen on his face. Mr. Abernathy stared at Derick's little brother with a dumbfound expression, a look in the man's eyes as if he had seen a ghost.
"You, you're the ones who live three houses down, right?" He asked suddenly, what sounded to be a quiver of fear in his voice.
Derick raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, that's us. Why?" he asked with curiosity.
The man looked at Toby, that to Derick, then Toby again, before shaking his head. "Oh it's nothing," he said like nothing was wrong, even though something was clearly bothering him. "Uh, there's something I need to tend to," he said hastily as he retreated back into his home. "You two take care now," he finished as he closed the door behind him, bringing their conversation to an end.
Derick and Toby could only stand there in shock, baffled at the strange turn that had taken. "Well, that was...odd?" Derick said as he cast a look at his brother.
Toby nodded his head. "Yeah, what do you think that was about?"
"I really don't know," Derick shook his head, at a loss for words. "But standing here wondering isn't going to do anything, come on, let's get going," he said, putting a hand on his brother's back as he guided him down the steps, away from the house and its strange owner.
Author's Note
Here's the next chapter everyone, I hope you're all enjoying it so far. I don't know about you all, but I for one would love to have Toby's level of writing skills, sigh maybe one day.
The next part is where things are going to start picking up a little, so stay tuned.
