The Predator

It started when I was twelve, but I think that day may have just fed the evil that was already inside.

I was trying to avoid the neighborhood bully who was walking up the sidewalk. I was a small kid with glasses so that made me an easy target. I would have tried to just outrun him, but that never worked since he was so much bigger than me. I saw a bush, along the side of the house I was in front of, and I decided to hide. I pressed my back against the wall and crouched behind the bush. I thought he might have seen me run into the yard, but I was hoping he wasn’t paying attention. I was wrong.

The first thing I heard was his voice yelling “Hey, dork…I saw you.” I just held my breath and ducked lower.

“Why don’t you come out and play?” He said sarcastically. I could tell the voice was getting closer.

“You’re only making it worse.” His voice was angry. I started to get ready to run. I knew he would probably catch me, but I had to try. I looked around and realized that the wall at the back of the house was to the park. The park was not very big with just a few swings, a slide, and some areas for picnicking. It might buy me enough time to get away if I could get over the wall fast enough. I heard his feet and knew he was running toward me. I had to make my move.

I got as far as the wall before he grabbed me.

“Where do you think your going?” He slapped me in the back of my head. It was strange because I didn’t mind when he slapped me in the head. I just didn’t want him to punch me in the arm that really hurt. I knew not to say anything because that always made it worse.

“Why don’t you answer me, four eyes?” He never was that original, always calling me “four eyes”. He pushed me into the wall. I heard a voice.

“Hey! What are you doing?” It was the owner of the house’s voice. A large man stood at the back of a porch in a white t-shirt and blue jeans.

The bully game was over and now we both were climbing over the wall. When I landed I could tell that Butch, the bully was standing over me. He grabbed me and picked me up. I thought he was going to slam me on the ground; it wouldn’t have been the first time. I caught a glimpse of where he was taking me. The black lids of the dumpster were hanging out from a small, square room next to the bathrooms in the park. I knew what he had in mind and I did my best to squirm my way out of his grasp. It was no good.

The dumpster actually did not stink as much as I was expecting. Yes, it smelled like a dumpster. But the cool weather and the breeze must have kept it from being unbearable. Butch was pointing and laughing at me. ”Hey everyone look at stinky…back in his home.” I don’t know why he always felt the need to talk to “everyone” when no one was around.

“I want you to count to a hundred.” Butch said holding his fist at me. I knew what that meant. I didn’t have much of an option.

“1…2…3…4…5…” I started to count. I knew that he wouldn’t wait around for me to finish so I kept going until I thought he was far enough away. I got to “25” before I stopped. I looked out to see if he was still around. He was sitting on a swing far enough away so he couldn’t hear me but close enough to still catch me if I tried to escape. I decided to rummage through the trash bags that were sitting around me.

A bag full of old magazines grabbed my attention. It was filled with a lot of car magazines as I lifted each one I flipped through the pages looking for something interesting. I wasn’t having much luck. I was about to just give up and try to get out of the dumpster again when my eyes saw a magazine I knew was “not appropriate for young boys” as my Mom was always telling me.

My hands were sweating even with the cool air. I peaked out of the dumpster again, this time to check if Butch was far enough away. He was still sitting on the swing, not waiting for me but for any other kid that came to the park unsuspecting. I fumbled through the pages, my heart racing, me eyes searching. I felt excited and exhilarated when I saw my first naked women. I was certainly too young to fully understand what I was seeing, but I felt like I was getting away with a crime. I was seeing something that I was not supposed to see, a raw form of beauty that was reserved for adults. It was my first decent into evil. I raced through more of the pages staring, even studying the images.

“Trash man, come out and play!” Butch's voice broke my stare. I jumped and fumbled the magazine back into the garbage bag. Fortunately, He was still sitting on the swing, obviously getting bored because no other kids had come by. I heard him walking toward me. He couldn’t have snuck up on someone even if they were unconscious.

“Climb out or I’ll come in after you.” I did what he said. He punched me in the arm. Ouch! I rubbed my arm trying to ease the pain, and he punched me in the stomach. I fell to the ground. I saw his foot as it left the ground and lifted my hands just in time to shield my face. The back of my hand still caught me in the mouth, and I tasted blood.

“Don’t try to hide from me next time…four eyes.” He said as he walked away.

It wasn’t the worst beating he had ever given me, but it was up there near the top. I felt my lip getting fat and my stomach ached, but I still grinned. I had seen something I was not allowed to see, and I wanted to see more. I climbed back into the dumpster and grabbed the magazine. I searched for more, but I only found the one. I had been out too long and Mom would start worrying if I didn’t get back soon. I wouldn’t dare take the magazine home. I wouldn’t want to risk the wrath of my Mom if she ever found it. I took the garbage bag it came in and wrapped it up. I found a hollowed out tree stump in the park and pushed it in as far as I could get it.

I felt guilty, but it felt good.