Devoured

Our breath fogged up the windows as the car lurched through the dreary weather. The silence say more than our words ever could as Alex stared straight ahead, knuckles white from gripping the steering wheel. This was going to be a long ride. I put my bag in the back seat behind me and leaned against the window, noticing Alex's concerned glances.

I felt myself drifting off into a fitful sleep, something I had been doing at random since I got put on an array of medications. Just as my eyes started closing, I sat up screaming. I felt the car jerk hard to the right, tires squealing as Alex slammed on the brakes. "What the fuck, Kate!"

"There's a man!" I opened the car door and jumped into the soggy grass.

Alex followed quickly behind me, grabbing my arm. "What? Get back in the car! This is why I told Mom I was not picking you up!"

I jerked away from him. "No! There's a man, he was hit!" I walked around the car as my brother followed on my heels.

"You almost caused an accident!"

"We have to help him! Stop!" I screamed in response, feeling the tears stream down my face.

Lightning struck overhead causing me to jump and scream. Alex looked at me as though that was proof of something. He stared at me queerly as I insisted, "I'm not crazy. I was, but not any more."

I looked at him, his head in his hands, completely frustrated. "Look, I feel for you. I do. I'm in college, okay? I have shit to do that does not involve babysitting you. Do you get that?"

I walked up to him, the sound of traffic causing me to shout. "I saw a dying man. He was right here. I am on medication. I am not hallucinating. Please, help me, for once in your life."

I saw him concede, but he still had his hands defiantly on his hips. "Okay, and when we find nothing, I'm taking you to Mom's house. I have done my part."

We looked under the car, in the grass on the side of the road, I even ran a few yards back and checked there. "Please, can we just go? This is embarrassing!" Alex complained.

Just as I was about to give up, I saw that there was a small ditch beyond the mangled metal guardrail. I hopped over it, ignoring Alex's cries for me to stop. I walked through the thick wheat, feeling it prick my legs. "There is nothing down there!" Alex screamed, leaning over the railing.

I shrugged. Maybe the medicine wasn't working. I took a step up the hill, when I felt something grab my ankle. I screamed and fell to the ground, turning quickly to find myself face-to-face with a monster. It was the man all right. Half of his face was missing, as though it had been burned off. His teeth and jawbone showed. There were black holes where his eyes should be. He tried to say something as I backed away on my hands, but he had a hold of my ankle. "YOU WILL DIE!" he growled, and it was like a demon's voice.

"Please! Somebody help me!" I heard myself crying, but it wasn't loud enough for anyone to hear.

I felt something around my foot and looked down to see the man with my whole foot in his mouth. His jaw was unhinged, like a snake's as he devoured my leg. He didn't have arms and just writhed around as he consumed my lower half. He reached over my stomach, then my chest. The last thing I saw was the black of his mouth closing around my eyes.

"Kate! Please, wake up!"

I looked up to see Alex standing over me, and felt the water soaking my clothes. "What are you doing down here? What is happening?" I saw his tears falling, even in the rain. "What is happening?" he asked, falling to his knees. "Did you fall?"

"The man ate me!" I screamed, and Alex shook his head sadly.

"I told Mom you weren't ready. Come on," he pulled me up from my swamp-like grave. "Let's go see Dr. Wallace."

705 Words