Short Story Of the Month: September 2019

Umbrella

By Marché Byrd

Thrumming sounds of rain flustered Danny and Chase walking through their neighborhood for another high school party. Ambling along… fussy drains spat back up half-eaten leaves and foamy water. Further… Danny reluctantly continued with Chase to their imminent destination.

“You think there’s going to be a bunch of girls ?” Chase shouted.

“Not nearly enough for how drenched I am.” Danny curmudgeonly replied.

“I think we need to go back… Let me change.”

Chase produced a disdained look… “Are you serious? I think you should have prepared for the weather more; like me.”

“Oh, please excuse me for not wanting to show up to a party looking like a neon condom.”

Chase without a blink, began to walk again.

“You’re jealous.”

“Of What!?”

“My Poncho…you crave my sense of style. I tried to offer you my spare, but nope!”

There stood a silence as both boys looked at each other contemplating their scenario. Danny scanned Chase’s attire, then fixed his eyes down and away at a peculiar angle. He began to imagine the umbrella in the corner of the entree way of Chase’s house.

“I should’ve grabbed that umbrella.”

“Stop with that umbrella shit. There was no time to get it. We leaped from a two-story window; that’s not your fault, what is your fault, is not twinning me with this poncho! You should’ve known it was going to rain hence the garb.”

“Hence why I didn’t want to look re-donky-lips.”

“Well rain gear always look “re-donky-lips”, as you put it, so there’s no way around it!”

“That’s the whole point of an umbrella!” Danny blurted and proceeded to laugh.

“I’m going back, are you coming?”

“But…the party…we’ll miss out, and you know we are both not cool enough to be fashionably late; I don’t want to get scolded, I’m tired of explaining to you what peer pressure does to me, let’s just say….fuck it! OR schooch in, I got room in here!” Chase began to squat down.

“​Get your ass out of here! Wait why are you wearing shorts, and a poncho? I never notice how long that thing is. You look like one of those Niagra Falls tour guides.”

Chase sung with a high pitch tone, “Jeeeeaaaaloouusssss”

With a sigh, Danny began his trek alone.

“I’ll meet you at the party.”

Chase whispered under his breath a long-drawn-out hissing yes and took off in the opposite direction walking backwards.

“Oh no…please, I really want you to come”

“​Loud rain doesn’t hide your patronizing tone”

“Me? Patronizing? Never.”

“​Wait Danny? What do I tell them, as your reason for being so rudely late?”

“​That I went to change, duh”

“​Peed your pants and had to change… Right got it!”

“A that my friend Chase, such a fun spirit. That’s fine tell them that, I’’ll just have to tell everybody that you like JennyI Thomas when I get there!” i get there. I’ll just have to tell everybody that you like Jenny Thomas when I get there!”

“You won’t!”

“Danny…”

“Hey! Danny!”

“I’m serious…don’t do that!”

2

The wind rushed through the damp leaves creating a second rain that pitter-pattered around Chase. He was nearly skipping as the pure enjoyment of another high school party filtered into his imagination. Quickly he gained speed until suddenly he stopped, nearly slipping.

In the distance, a sound started to gain weight. No direction was able to be located; Chase stalled to hear the noise again, but alas nothing. Slowly he began to walk again this time taking lighter steps about not distract him from such a sinister noise. Chills impeded his posture leaving him hunched and paranoid completely lost to who or what was making the corpulent sound.

In the distance, he heard the noise again.

THUMP THUMP.

Once again Chase stopped; his curiosity turned to fear leading into a strong sensation of flight.

THUMP!! THUMP!!

With a loud crash the noise lingered behind him! With a quick jump Chase turned around to find a vacant space. Chase knew or at least felt the overcrowding sized of whatever monstrosity still lurking around him, watching him. The presence left a vortex of dead space and sound; proximate and extremely brash, it left a ringing in Chase’s ears, as he tried to gain some perspective of his situation.

After standing for five long minutes in a desolate neighborhood road, Chase decided to walk again. Every ten seconds, he looked back unsure and terrified if the fearful noise would ever return.

Or if it would return.

THUMP THUMP THUMP

Chase looked back and saw only the shadow of something running towards him.

Chase too scared to run froze.

Running and running…dashing from side to side the shadow gained speed, and size.

The sound got closer.

It got closer.

THUMP THUMP THUMP

“Hey! Stop!! …please?”

​ “W-wa-wwait, please don’t come near me!”

THUMP THUMP

“Ahhhhhhhhhhh”

3

Danny rolled and tumbled as he clumsily tried to sneak in from the second-floor window. He paused, listening making sure to not alert the Toliver’s. Soaked, Danny reached for the towel hooked to the door. He wiped his face when the door knob began to unexpectedly turn. In a dash, Danny started for the bed; lunging under the covers pretending to be asleep, the door slowly creaked. A heavy beastly breath leaked through the half-cocked open door.

That is not Chase’s parents, Danny thought to himself as he hugged the covers closer to his body.

The door slammed shut and Danny waited unsure if it truly was safe to get up.

“What the fuck was that?” Whispered Danny.

Danny looked at the door…then the window…then the door again. Slowly he began to walk and opened the door. The hallway was desolate, shadows consumed the street light from coming in through the giant glass windows. At the end of the upstairs hall planted a great antique mirror, and below it rested a small round object on the ground. Too dark to make out, Danny squinted taking slow careful steps across the hall making sure not to wake up Chase’s parents. The object stayed consistent in size; it started to shine as if reflecting from some outside light.

He began to walk quicker and quicker, soon the object became distinct.

He touched it, not realizing his foot was pressing against the mirror!

Quickly he turned around to see the bloody face of Chase as he crawled up the back stairs.

“Runnnnn!” Chase yelled as he gargled blood.

THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP

The walls of the stairs shook, and paintings crumbled, Chase trembled, cried, and screamed.

Danny began to run towards Chase only to see him get dragged down the stairs.

“Oh…god…DANNY PLEASE RUN!”

Danny dashed for the room and manically tried for the window.

THUMP THUMP THUMP

The window wouldn’t budge! He shoved and shoved with all his might.

THUMP THUMP THUMP!

Struggling to push, suddenly with an effervescent pop, the window snapped open gushing heavy rain and wind into Chase’s room.

THUMP THUMP THUMP

The Door busted open. Danny to scared to look back, leaped through the window.

4

HONNKKKK!!!!!

A rush of wind swooshed by Chase as a car with high beams on zoomed by. Chase opened his eyes to realize he was clinched half-way in the road. Whatever creature that was following, no, chasing — NO, hunting him had vanished, but still he was ambiguous if its demon presence truly had disappeared. As he began to walk, this time backwards reassuring nothing could sneak up on him, Chase grew a suspicion that Danny was fucking him.

He paused, and double flipped-off the dark air, and churned a barrel of laughter. “Okay, Okay, Okay, you got me you must think you are truly hilarious…but I’m not buying it! Oh, I’m wet… I need to change… good, let’s just get this over with, come on out.”

A bush that rested in a neighbor’s front lawn began to gently crunch, constantly shifting its weight lateral to medial. Chase’s eyes fixated as he gradually made his way there. Rounding the bush gaining proximity with every step, he halted to speak.

“Danny….” Chase hesitantly asked.

The bush crackled and shifted.

THUMP THUMP THUMP!

From the other side of the road, the creature rose from the shadows sprinting after Chase.

With a dash as if stealing home base, Chase took off, hopping fences of unknown neighbors, broad jumping Koi ponds, and eluding unsociable backyard pets. The sound of ceramic splatting against hard wet cement boomed in Chase’s ears, whatever was chasing him effortlessly kept pace.

Hot breath weighed heavy on Chase’s back.

The beast let out a berserk grunt, and the boy went flying over a neighborhood fence landing into another road. In incinerating pain, Chase glanced over the forest before him and oddly cracked a smile.

Chase at once jumped up then proceeded to fall right back down. His left ankle was obtuse, twisted tremendously, and his crisp white sock was dipped red. Once again, he attempted to stand, this time slowly. The young boy was fortunate to be knocked right next to the shortcut trail to his home. He could see the sliding glass door through the far trees. Rarely putting weight on his leg, Chase took off for the tree line. The sounds of the beast grew distant, but Chase knew there was no time to spare.

Chase whipped open the sliding glass door sobbing, yelling for his parents.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, we sneaked-out…we’ll never do it again.”

The upstairs hallway light clicked on, rushing out his mom.

“Oh no…oh shit; Mike! Oh, Please Mike get out here, call the ambulance, call the police, call someone!”

Chase curled up at the foot of the stairs, sweaty and bruised, he rested in his mother’s lap.

“W-Where’s Danny? Did he already come back and change? I gotta warn him… I gotta…”

Chase’s mom appeared puzzled. “No…we didn’t even know you guys left. If you weren’t so hurt, you would be in big trouble mister. Tell me who did this to you?”

“Not who…what.”

THUMP THUMP THUMP

The house rattled.

“EARTHQUAKE!” Yelled Chase’s father.

“Oh god… it followed me!”

“What do you mean it followed you!” Chase’s father yelled from the front stairs balcony.

Chase slowly turned and before he was able to deliver one syllable, like the suction of space, his dad was ripped from the view of the stairs balcony. Being pulled down the back stairs. All Chase could hear was the yells of his father, the rumbling of the house…then silence.

THUMP…THUMP…THUMP…THUMP…

“Mom… Mom. We got to go!”

“But your father?”

THUMP. THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.

“MOM!”

As Chase’s mom acted as his personal crutches, they limped for the door. The sound of furniture in a tornado flooded the second floor. They trembled struggling to turn the door, with their sweat and blood infused hands they grasped and fumbled. Then in a flash; Chase’s mother was plucked from his grip. Chase turned and saw the gigantic creature; massive and atrocious it held his mom with one hand. Its sharp claws pierced the dry wall as it anchored itself in the ceiling corner. Drool leaked from its lips showering Mrs. Toliver.

Shaking herself dry she let out murderous cry.

“Chase, get your father, run… go now!”

Chase took off sloppily trying not to put weight on his ankle; he crashed into hallway paintings and priceless vases. The monster tossed his mom and now perused him. As he ran, he viewed the bloody remains of his father’s body in the kitchen at the bottom of the back stairs.

The creature bashed Chase into cabinets while it slipped into the dining room, taking the family table with it. Dazed, Chase searched for his mom, but she was not of view. The front door rested open, and from down the drive way he saw Danny trying to sneak back into the house.

“Oh shit.”

5

Danny stood frozen at a street light a mile down from the Toliver’s. He shivered from both the weather and from the partially torn off sock on his right foot. Petrified; whatever it was come so close, he thought, I could be dead, for a while he sat there before he remembered about Chase.

Danny pulled out his phone, wiped it twice, and proceeded to dial.

“9–1–1 What’s your emergency”

“There’s uhh..there’s a monster at the Toliver’s you-you need to send the S.W.A. T team, Army, or something!”

“Okay, first off kid this is the emergency dispatch; keyword emergency, a serious department for serious situations. We do not have time for prank calls.”

“Who’s going to prank call a police station? Are you serious? How does one do that? Can you just send officers to 2126 181st Stevens street there’s a very SERIOUS domestic abuse situation going on there?”

The dispatch officer let out a soft sigh. “Two officers are on their way should be there in 5 to 10 minutes.”

“Thank you Please hurry!”

Danny glanced in the direction of Chase’s house. He waited to hear sirens, then reluctantly dragged his feet back to the Toliver’s. Sirens cultivated and inspired Danny to start running. Eventually patrol cars gusted pass Danny, and when he finally reached Chase’s house, there were no police cars… no S.W.A.T…no national guard.

Danny, assuming to be late to the party, proceeded to walk back into the house.

“Hello? Chase? I saw a couple police cars come down this street; but they’re not here anymore, I didn’t know if that means they are tak — ”

Danny paused for the sound of crunching and snapping consumed his ear drums. In a dim corner, rested a blob of an object chomping away. It stopped, sniffed the air, and turned around. Danny locked eyes with the animal, then Chase’s, Chase’s mom’s, and then Chase’s father’s. Their heads laid in a pile next to each other separated from their bodies, limbs dangled from the creature’s mouth, whatever was left of the Toliver’s was displayed in front of Danny. The beast wiped its mouth with its furry forearm then lunged for Danny.

Danny dashed up stairs and for the second-floor window again, he hopped out only to have the creature bust through the window and continue to chase him.

Five minutes later a patrol car with two officers in it rolled up to the Toliver’s residence. With a heavy knock, the door unwilling gaped open.

“Police. We are responding to a domestic abuse call. Hello? Is anybody here?”

6

The overhead oven light flickered on and off, and so too the dining room light; like a round of applause other lights joined in. Not a second sooner, the lights went out like a punished candle. The house was crippled; the lower level eroded by broken pipes and drainage over spill, while leaves and pine needles dressed Mrs. Toliver. Badly bruised she managed to lock eyes with her boy, she mouthed off I love you, before being snatched by the berserk creature. Screams filled the atrium; while occupied with his mom, Chase reluctantly dashed for the back stairs hopefully being able to reach his room and warn his best friend.

He ached and bled but bit his lip to ignore the pain.

Chase eyed the stairs knowing unfortunately his mom would stall the monster. At the base of the stairs an unsettling collection of tumbles from his room paused the Toliver house.

An unlikely stillness entered the house on 181st street the same time the clumsy Danny did. Chase took the first step and was able to see his door, undesirably, the beast stood tall next to it.

Chase crouched holding his best statue pose, as the creature used its grubby hands to twist and turn the door knob. Chase winced and expected a blood bath but was rather delivered with a swift slam of a door, and the most disgusting slink away.

Moments later, the door creaked open, Danny’s head peeked out, and he began to look down the hallway. Chase, encouraged, started to climb faster. He then paused as if to mimic the paused Danny looking in the opposite direction. Danny took off for the mirror, and with a quick turnaround, Chase started to speak, when he was pierced in calf by the beast’s hellish teeth.

Being dragged down the stairs, the only word that was allowed out Chase’s mouth was…

“RUNNNN!”

No control, no awareness, Chase was thrashed; like a dog playing with his favorite rope toy.

Then…snap.

His legs lacked movement, his other limbs weren’t far behind. Tossed like a rag-doll, Chase gazed in fear, at the beast before him. In his living room attempting to feel his legs to no avail, the beast blitzed the stairs. The sounds that leaked from the retched creature’s feet step after step weighed heavy on Chase.

Quickly there was stillness again, Chase paused from his crawling praying Danny escaped.

The creature roared explosive enough to rival thunder, proceeded to thrash Chase’s room cultivating the most massive of tantrums.

Chase let out a liberating sigh.

An unsettling hush again flooded the Toliver house.

THUMP. THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.

The slow disappointed steps of the creature made Chases heart sink. He tried to get up, crawl away, but his legs protested. The shadow of the beast grew bigger and bigger as it went down the stairs.

THUMP. THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.