“What was that?” Avery yelped as the door slammed shut behind us.
“Well, there’s no turning back now” I said, “We can only go forward from here.” The only problem was that I couldn’t even see the end of my nose. The darkness was like a blanket over my eyes and the air was stuffy and reeked of mold and burnt wood. As I walked I felt cobwebs brushing against my face and neck, which caused me to shiver. I heard a whisper coming from further ahead of us; it sounded as if it were calling us towards it. “Let’s follow that voice,” I declared trying to sound brave, if for no one but myself.
“Are you joking?  No way in hell I’m going towards that voice! What if it’s Derek? What if he’s down here right now and it’s our turn… I can’t do it Frankie.” Avery was in tears, I heard her voice break “I don’t want to.”
Three weeks ago.
Derek had always been very sly. He was unpredictable, the life of every party, and he could get you to do anything. The old Derek would never use this “superpower” as he called it for evil. All of a sudden the “old Derek” was gone. No one knows what happened but that young man whom we called our best friend was gone and we were left with a monstrosity of a human being. This new Derek showed up on Avery’s doorstep in the pouring rain three weeks ago.
“Come out with me Avery, I want to show you something” he said to her, “It’ll only take a second.” He took her by the hand and guided her out onto the porch. There was a difference in his gait that Avery was unsure of, and he was talking differently, calmer than his usual tone, too calm.
“What do you want to show me?” Avery asked somewhat hesitant to be alone with her friend. Outside a bolt of lightening lit up the sky and Avery realized the smile that had been lurking on Derek’s face; she pulled her hand away.
“You don’t want to hold my hand?” he asked her, “That’s okay, look it’s about to start,” he referenced to an old garden shed. The paint was chipped and peeling off the side. There was ivy growing around it in spirals, and spiders lived within the corners of the roof. It looked as if it could collapse any second. “Watch. Three…” a smile started to curl around his lips “two…” his eyes lit up sinisterly “one…” and on one he laughed as the garden shed burst into flames.
The red and yellow flames lit up to the sky as Avery stood there, watching the roof of the old shed cave in.
“Who is screaming?! Who is in there Derek? Frankie! Frankie get out here right now” she cried.
“No!” Derek said perfectly calm “Frankie would ruin all the fun. I asked Alyssa to hide in the shed, so she went in the shed. It was a surprise! Do you want to go in the shed Avery?”
In the basement I knew that Derek was waiting for us, and I knew we were going to be the next ones screaming.
“Come on,” I whispered, “Even if he is down here, I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“I’m so scared Frankie, I saw what he does, he watches and laughs, I can’t see him, I don’t want to see him. I’m shaking.”
“Stop.” I said, “ Avery, come closer to me, I don’t want to lose you.” I pulled her close to me. Avery was my best friend and I wouldn’t let anything happen to her. I felt her head on my shoulder
“Okay, I’m shaking, I can already feel flames on my back. I know he’s down here.”
We hadn’t seen Derek for two weeks after the fire at the shed. Alyssa was Derek’s younger sister. She was to graduate elementary school this year. She was beautiful, with her long brown hair and deep brown eyes. She was always so happy and all she ever wanted to do was play hide and seek.
Last week.
I was walking into the kitchen and Derek was there, sitting at the head of the kitchen table staring at floor.
“Hey Frankie, how’ve you been, I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever.” He said smoothly.
“Are you kidding me? The last time I saw you…I don’t even know what you did but I don’t want you any where near me.” I growled. It was the truth. I had no idea how he started that fire. The light streaming in from the big bay window seemed to make the conversation lighter, but this was one of the darkest conversations I had ever had.
“Wait hold on look out the window, see that guy right there?” outside a guy was getting in his car. I recognized him from school, I’m pretty sure he was my lab partner the year prior. He looked frustrated, slamming the door shut behind him. “Three…two” he smiled “one”. The car burst into flames and Derek started cackling. His laugh ripped out my eardrums and made me want to crawl under my bed and hide.
Avery’s whisper brought me back to reality.
“I don’t want to go any further. He’s close I can feel it” she said quietly. I knew what she meant. My skin was crawling and I had chills on the back of my neck.
“Avery. Maybe you don’t want to do this but this is Derek we’re talking about. He’s still here” I took her hand in mine “We are going to find him and bring him back. This isn’t Derek, but he’s still there. Either you are with me or you are against me.” She pulled her hand way. “ I’m sorry Ave, I didn’t mean that I’m just so confused right now.”
24 hours ago.
Derek walked down the street, laughing to himself. I watched him out my window with Avery. We watched him dance in the rain; even though it was thundering out he didn’t care. A bolt of lightening hit a tree and we watched it ricochet unto him. Derek didn’t flinch. He walked up to his house and all three cars were in the driveway. We saw him turn around and I made eye contact with him. He knew we were watching him. He held up his fingers, three, he smiled, two, he laughed, one. As he turned his head back around, Derek’s house burst into flames. We saw his mother’s shadow drop to the floor, his father running across the dining room, and of course, we never saw his sister.
“Avery I promise I won’t let anything happen to you,” I told her, “and we’ll get him back, we will.” I reached for her hand. “Come here give me your hand,” I said but to no response. “Ave I’m over here give me your hand, I need to know that you’re safe.”
“Avery doesn’t want to hold your hand.” A voice said from behind me. I recognized Derek’s casual, laidback voice, that voice that could get you to do anything. As I turned around one single flame from a candle illuminated the entire basement and I saw her. There was Avery, on the cold, roach infested wooden floorboards lying completely still.
“What did you…?” I started to say, but then everything went black, and I was on the floor, right next to Avery.
“Lay down” Derek whispered, and as he walked up the stairs; three, and out of the basement; two, he laughed; one, and it burst into flames right behind him.