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What was the issue here, really? It was just supposed to be a simple thing, yet standing in front of it felt actually scarier than what was initially considered.
Perhaps Jamie had miscalculated, his head was a buzz from the alcohol previously consumed so why on earth did it feel so wrong? His gut was clenching from the idea of taking it and strangely enough, he felt watched. As if something was shifting through the cornfields and stalking them.
God, he could feel a bead of sweat, from his excessive fear, run down the side of his head, eventually bothering him in the corner of his eye. He wiped it way with a shaking hand, still watching as one of his friends took the hat of the scarecrow.
That damned scarecrow looked creepier than it should and in the further dimming evening it just added to its looks. The thing was old and hanging on just barely, slightly swinging in the soft, warm summer breeze and also adding uncomfortable sounds to the whole atmosphere.
It didn’t help at all that the surrounding crops were also silently singing along to this thing, making everything around him feel off. It was quiet, far too quiet for his liking. The scarecrow flapped back against its pole, the painted face looking off as it bore its lifeless eyes directly into his own. Why did he look? Why did he have to take in its features? There was some straw sticking out of its arms and legs, with tattered brown and red clothes dressing its form.
He swore he saw those eyes move when the hat was finally lifted and one of his friends, from collage, waved triumphantly in the warm breeze, looking both terrified and glad that the bet was finally fulfilled. Though it didn’t really feel like a dare complete in victory. More like a challenge to a puppet of terror. And Jamie wasn’t that drunk to imagine things! He saw those eyes move!
They were staring at the hat and then at his friend as if that thing was just insulted in the most cruel way possible! How had this even come to pass? How was it that he found himself here, in the middle of a cornfield staring at a scarecrow that wasn’t just there to chase the birds away.
And of all things that the evening could have turned out to be. And it had started so nicely. Him and his friend had just graduated from college and were now out of town, having rented a little house in the middle of the woods, to celebrate their accomplishment in relative peace and without the complaints of pesky adults, trying to ruin their fun.
The house however was somewhat on the scary side itself, having seen the death of a family three years prior. The victims had been found mutilated and with parts of their organs missing as well as having been dismantled rather brutally. The murderer had never been found, neither had he left fingerprints nor any other evidence behind so the case was closed not a year later due to a lack of a suspect.
It had been debated that perhaps their missing organs had been sold on the market, but neither was the police sure nor was there any given hint to it. There were though, and that was later found by the autopsy, organs that had been apparently half eaten and then discarded back into the body. It was as if an animal had not liked the taste of them and spit them back out. But there was no trace of an animal breaking in and tearing the family apart, so to speak, so that thought was dismissed as soon as it surfaced.
The death of the family remained a mystery and since then only a few times would people dare to stay in that house. Rumours spread around that the ghosts of the family were haunting the walls of the building but never once did such activity come to pass. The house stayed quiet and soon people forgot about it, had it not been for a group of celebrating teenagers.
So the bet they came up with consisted of stealing a piece of clothing from the, rather inhuman looking, scarecrow deep in the cornfield near the house and returning with said piece. It would have been a rather easy task if the thing didn’t give off such a strange feeling.
It almost felt like a chill spread to each bone and made him rooted to the ground. That thing was creepy and by no means normal. At least that was what Jamie thought as he retreated. And again those eyes followed! He was so sure! More so the walk back seemed longer than when they had gotten to it.
It was stretching like a used piece of gum and for now the edge was not coming any closer. Jamie heard the crobs rustle again but this time it wasn’t the wind that made the unripe vegetables softly scrape against each other. Something, or someone, was moving through them and it sent a very unpleasant chill down his spine. Again he felt watched, stalked like pray about to be snatched by a big scary predator.
His friend felt it too, he could tell how their pace quickened until each and everyone of them was sprinting down the long rows of plants. More than not Jamie would look back, being the last in line, looking for something to spring out at him from the crops. There was a growing unease, paranoia and mostly fear gnawing at his insides. Whatever was in the field was chasing them and he could feel it either behind or beside himself.
His heart rate picked up, his breath coming out uneven, hitched, panicked and his legs complied to his fear. They carried him after the others with the hope of just getting out of here. He picked up rustling from behind him, close, far too close for his liking and again did a pearl of fearful sweat make his way down his face. In his fear he turned, knowing full well that it was the dumbest idea in the books.
His reason had abandoned him, he felt like a trapped animal acting purely on instinct. He was scared and his whole body could only think with just this one emotion. In his haste and panic he almost tripped over his own feet, stumbling but catching himself just in time to stagger on. His friends weren’t off much better, someone at the front was screaming in panic when a shadow flew past him.
Jamie couldn’t blame him. He too would scream if something were to suddenly fly past him in this situation. And as he looked back again he thought to see pale blue eyes glimmering between the dark stems of corn, sparking his fear and making him run faster than he ever had.
But as soon as the horrors had began, they suddenly ended. He stumbled out of the cornfield, his feet having caught on something and having him fall face first into the dirt. He heaved in his still lingering panic, scrambling away from the field as quickly as his shaking limbs allowed. With wide eyes he stared down and swore that these eyes stared back right into his soul.
His breath caught and he scrambled to his feet again, fleeing after his friends to the supposed save haven of the house.
Jamie was still filled with terror when the door finally fell shut behind him, shutting, whatever had lurked in the field, out for good, or so he thought. His breath was still short and it took him a couple of minutes to calm down again and clear his head.
Maybe his imagination had just played tricks on him but if so, then why had the others ran?
“Bro, I’m never doing that again!”
Breathed one of his friends nearby, her back had collided with the floor the scarecrows hat not far off.
“Yea no shit! Whatever that was, I don’t want to have it on my ass again.”
He couldn’t bring himself to laugh, nor snort when he quipped in. The incident left him feeling rather sober.
“But at least we completed the bet.”
But at what cost? Jamie glanced at the teen, who had stooped down to snatch the hat from the floor. There was a slight tremor in all of their legs as they carried themselves to the rest of their group to, if it was proudly then poorly masked, present the desired object.
The accomplishment was met with another round of drinks that washed the horror away only slightly. And neither of them could muster up the strength to tell what had happened in that retched field. It was as if their mouthes were glued shut, too afraid that, whatever had stalked them, would catch them even here.
And so the silently went back to their marry making, resulting in ridiculous games and even more alcohol. The night was progressing and for a bit the horror was slightly forgotten, even if it was due to the alcohol in their system.
It was shortly after their recent game of cards that a knock came from the front door. Everyone paused, Jamie freezing in his seat as if some cold had frozen his muscles stiff. Was that thing back? Had it followed them to this house?
He wasn’t the only one thinking this, as the ones from the field had an equal thought. Slowly he turned in the general direction of the door, a second set of knocks coming from the door as no one had opened yet. It echoed through the silence like a scream, somehow too shrill for a knock.
“Are we expecting someone?”
Someone asked who hadn’t encountered the field’s monster.
“No.”
Someone else answered, still glancing towards the door. Who would come all the way out here? This place was rarely visited. One by one the group rose to their feet and shuffled towards the door, curious and simultaneously scared to open that door. There was only one chilling thought that ran through Jamie’s mind and neither did he like to say it, nor hinder the others from opening the door.
When it swang open with an unsettling creak the party was met with a teenager about their age. He was standing on the front porch with a helmet under one of his arms. His light brown eyes took in the group in front of him, studying them as if criticising their general appearance.
He didn’t appear to be a threat though. Besides his helmet, he wore a blue biker jacket made of leather, gloves and tight fitting jeans. His features were sharp, just like the blue eyeliner adoring his eyes, and a deep frown set upon his features, somewhat making him look grim.
He sure was pretty, or so Jamie thought. Strange…the man had a calmness about him that somewhat unsettled him but also put him rather at ease.
“Em…hello.”
The one who had opened the door, rather awkward to his words, greeted, his hand fumbling with the doorknob.
“Hello.”
The stranger greeted. His voice was smooth and cool, making a shiver run down Jamie’s back. It wasn’t an unpleasant shiver, it was one that he rather welcomed. He couldn’t place why he liked the sound of it even if the stranger had just mumbled one word.
“What can we do for you?”
The question fell between them rather shakily, or was it uncertainty? Jamie couldn’t tell. He was rather focused on that stunning stranger, feeling how his heart leaped when light brown eyes met his own. Damn! He knew he crushed fast on other people, especially when they met his criteria, but that guy had him going for a loop!
“My bike broke down nearby and I’m not very fond of walking back while it’s dark.”
What a nice accent! It was endearing how the strangers lips moved while he spoke or how he pronounced the ‘r’ in some of the words. He was definitely asian. Jamie found himself pushing forward, trying to get closer and having a better look at the stranger. The unspoken question, that the stranger had clearly asked, hang in the air, his friend too unsure to answer.
“Sure you can stay till morning. Come in!”
Jamie was more than welcome to invite the guy in, receiving rather unpleased looks from his friends.
“You can eat and drink with us, we have enough.”
The man mustered him with his sharp, endearing eyes and Jamie couldn’t help but flash him a charming smile. With a soft click the door shut close behind the stranger and he heard his friends mumble something along the lines of: “not again”. But Jamie couldn’t care less.
So what if he liked to flirt with good looking people. It wasn’t a crime. The stranger however just placed down his helmet and then bowed slightly as a form of formal greeting. He didn’t say thank you, not per se.
“Yoru.”
He just states glancing at each of them. They each respectfully gave their names but if he cared, he didn’t really show it. Jamie watched as his friends criticised the stranger with a strange expression, like he was some rat that had crawled in from somewhere dark and nasty. Why though? There was nothing strange about the man, just that he seemed a bit gruff but by no means really unfriendly.
Perhaps it was the late hour and most of them hadn’t eaten dinner yet. Alcohol on a stomach only filled with chips and other snacks isn’t really sufficient when it comes to drinking. Perhaps it was that.
Jamie watched his friends slowly walk back to the living room, some disappearing indeed into the kitchen. He sighed and turned towards the strange man.
“Sorry about that fam. They aren’t usually that…unfriendly.”
He tried to smile, perhaps it ment to be comforting, but in the end it was just unsure, if even a bit apologetic. Yoru huffed, glancing towards the kitchen with a glint in his eyes that reminded Jamie of the faint blue he had seen in the fields. He shivered. Nah! That couldn’t be. Maybe a trick of the light…yea, probably.
“Doesn’t matter. They aren’t the first this evening to be a bit disrespectful towards my person.”
Strange way to phrase that but Jamie just brushed it off. Yoru had probably studied something along the lines of poetry or maybe literature?
“Really?! Nah, that’s not right. Nobody should be treated like that.”
This time he managed to smile comfortingly, though Yoru just threw him a glance with flowing light brown eyes. God, Jamie could loose himself in them. They were so pretty and deep and somehow pulled him in. It felt to him like he was quickly sinking deeper, as if his feet were planted upon quick sand.
He would’ve run his mouth at just how pretty the strangers eyes were if it hadn’t been for the sudden scream. The noise startled him down to his very bones and before he could think about it, his feet already carried him towards the kitchen.
“Cassie? What’s wrong?”
The girl was standing in front of the cupboard where a glass had fallen down, shattering into pieces, but also freeing various little critters, them now crawling along the floor and counter. She stood in a mess of glass shards, bugs, worms and even some spiders.
The heck did they end up here? Jamie stared, not the only one perplexed about their appearance.
“What the fuck?”
Another of his friends, who had been still lingering in the kitchen, moved first, grabbing a broom to brush everything aside.
“How did that glass end up there? Hey, someone playing a prank on us?”
Jamie wasn’t sure if it was a prank. He led Cassie out of the kitchen and seated her down on a stool in the living room. No one responded to the accusation of it being a planned prank. Neither had they smuggled that glass in nor had the idea come to their mind.
Someone had passed it off as just a coincidence, that animals like that often clustered in places like that. But worms? They didn’t exactly call a cupboard their home. Someone was playing a prank on them. And either they had a very terrible sense of humour or were just messed up. But would any of his friends even pull a stunt like that?
He looked back towards the kitchen, seeing Yoru kindly throw out the animals through one of the windows. The motion came off as kind and Jamie found himself blinded by the act. He missed to see with just how much care the man placed the animals back outside, almost with a tender softness.
All he did was throw a greatfull smile towards Yoru as he approached, seeming to care about the slight shock Cassie was in.
“How strange.”
Yoru muttered and sat down at the table, his eyes focused only faintly on the woman beside Jamie. It was indeed very strange.
“H-How about we play another game until Jack is finished with dinner.”
The suggestion was not unwelcome, even if it had been muttered with great unease, and the others welcomed it, even if Cassie refused to play along. She had suggested to cook for them but now, because of her shock, Jack was now doing it for her.
“What kind of game is this?”
Yoru asked as he studied the cards in front of him, clearly confused. How could he not know? Everyone Jamie’s age knew the game, all but Yoru. Had he never played it before? Jamie traded places and sat down beside the asian with a warm smile.
“Don’t ya worry your pretty little head mate! I’ll explain it to you.”
In hindsight Jamie felt really awkward for saying that and his friends threw him knowing glances that also felt too much like teasing. They knew he was easily swooned and it was always a thing to tease him for.
“Jamie you can’t fall for every good looking person.”
One finally teased and he just hung his head, groaning as his face heated from blood rushing excessively through it. Yoru looked amused and even pleased that Jamie felt like this.
“Stop it man! I’m just trying to explain the game to him.”
Of course they further teased him and Jamie felt excessively more flustered but also slightly insulted. He didn’t swoon over every pretty person! He sure liked to announce the fact but never would he flirt with them unless it was alright for the other. Sometimes he just wanted for his friends to just leave him alone. They could be pretty annoying!
Especially when he had had that longtime crush on one of his classmates. She was almost like himself in spirit and the two had just clicked so perfectly. Never came it to mind to just outright flirt with her! He had something special there and didn’t want to ruin it. Sadly she had to return to Korea and help her family with running a fancy restaurant but what could he have done, honestly?
He surly missed her but he could still call her, so she wasn’t completely gone. Still his friends couldn’t just stop to tease him about his quick crushes.
Deeply he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance. Silently he mumbled something under his breath: “sometimes wish they would just leave me alone”.
A hand smoothed over his thigh, startling him, seeing brown eyes fixed onto his own, almost asking him a silent permission. But for what? Yoru’s palm was so cold that it seeped right through the material of his jeans and down into his flesh. The touch was chilling but also so grounding and strangely comfortable.
“What is this game about, Jamie?”
The man found himself caught in a moment of absolute silence. The voices of his friends drowned out completely only to hear how Yoru pronounced his name so nicely, so right. What a nice voice. He saw Yoru’s lips move, saying his name once more as if it was the most holy word in the universe.
“Right…”
He breathed in a state of compleat absence, scooting only closer to Yoru, until their shoulders touched, and leaned in to explain the game with still rosy cheeks. Yoru’s hand didn’t leave his thigh after that, it stayed as if to comfort him in a very strange way. His friends remarks still didn’t register, he could only focus on this man. Damn, he was crushing hard!
Also he found himself needing to explain many more games to Yoru as the man had absolutely no knowledge about any of them. His friends began to suddenly act more and more hostile towards Yoru, as if something compelled them to be this way towards him.
Jamie couldn’t fathom why. Yea he was an ass, especially with his replies, but that didn’t mean you had to be mean too. Why the hell were his friends acting so strange?
As the evening rolled by more and more strange things happened. It started with someone almost swallowing a shard of glass, to having fucking razor blades cut deep into flesh. This wasn’t just some light joke one of friends would pull and if so it was very ill placed and cruel.
And it wasn’t just that! More bugs appeared out of absolut nowhere, scaring the living shit out of most of them. Also reaching the police and ambulance proved to be rather fruitless since, for some god forsaken reason, they couldn’t reach them! This evening began to make no sense and all of a sudden his friends started to call out that Yoru was at fault for all of this.
That he was the one doing this shit! Their arguments held no reason, just pure nonsense and Jamie believed neither of them.
“Seriously?! If he would then how? He was with me the whole time. Maybe one of us just playing some dumb joke!”
He shouldn’t have said that, because it only cause more chaos amongst them. Some of his friends retreated to other rooms, seeing after the injured or just wanting to be alone. Jamie plopped down onto the sofa with an annoyed huff, his hand raked through his dreadlocks as if they could help him calm down somehow.
“I’m sorry for my friends. I have no idea what has gotten into them.”
He breathed as he felt Yoru sit down beside him. The man glanced his way, not a word leaving his lips. Maybe he was waiting for Jamie to say something or he simply hadn’t something to say to all of this.
“Seriously! Someone is pulling some dumb prank on us but it’s not very funny. Who the fuck puts razor blades and glass shards into the food and drinks?”
He threw his arms up frustrated with what was going on, though his insides also slightly churned with fear. Nothing had yet happened to him and who knew how long that would last.
“This damn place is probably haunted.”
It couldn’t be, right? Nah, that couldn’t be. His friends were really just playing pranks, though not good ones.
Yoru’s cold hand found his thigh again and he looked at the, slightly, shorter man. Cool brown eyes met his for what felt like the hundredth time this night and again he felt so drawn in.
“They are probably playing with you.”
Yoru said and Jamie could just nod. He felt so strangely comfortable with this man, their banter felt not forced but natural. As if Yoru was ment to be here with him, at his side, looking at him with deep pools of swirling caramel.
“Hey Yoru.”
Jamie silently called out, having Yoru’s undivided attention on him for what his next words were going to be. He was about to say something really stupid if the loud noise hadn’t stopped him. With a surprised yelp he jumped up, hearing a terrible cracking sound resonate through the house.
Something in Jamie told him that that noise wasn’t good. He rushed towards the stairs finding one of his friends there.
He lay there, eyes wide open, terror still seen in them, with his mouth open as if to spit for some unheard plea. But the way his head was positioned gave it away far too easily. Someone beside him screamed in terror, seeing the young man distorted before the stairs.
“He’s dead!”
Someone else shouted, reaching for a phone to once again call for authorities. Jamie could just stare, his own eyes were filled with horror. He had never seen a dead body before and the sight now was just too much! With shaking legs he stumbled back against someone, their cold hands grasped his shoulders in a steadying hold.
Something was not right here! This was no longer some stupid prank. Someone or something was after them and Jamie really feared that the ghosts of the previous family were at fault.
“It’s his fault!”
Another shouted, pointing again at Yoru who, still holding a panicking Jamie, only shook his head stating that he had been with said man. All hell broke loose after that. One of Jamie’s friends, in pure and utter fear, claimed it on the ghosts, fleeing from the house. Two more followed, desperate to drag them back but they never returned.
The cornfield ate them like a hungry biest. Only their mutulated cries carried over the wind towards them. Jamie’s panic rose and he would’ve followed if Yoru hadn’t held him back.
“Don’t! Something’s not right with that field.”
He had shouted, grabbing Jamie’s arm and pulling him back. The poor and frightened man hadn’t even realised that he had followed, desperate to get his friends back.
He couldn’t find any words, not when his eyes watched the corn laugh at him in a silent, mean whisper.
‘They are mine!’
The wind whispered, howling their screams towards Jamie’s ears once more. His knees shook and he could just stare. What was happening? What had he done?
Yoru tugged on his sleeve again, shouting something but Jamie couldn’t hear it.
“The house! Jamie!”
A slap to his face. It stung and it brought tears to his eyes.
“We have to get back! I heard screams coming from the house.”
Yoru shouted, even if it wasn’t necessary. All he could do was just stammer and blink dumbly. Yoru was right, there were screams coming from the house and they were downright terrifying. Fear rooted his legs to the ground, not letting him do a step forward but Yoru beat him to it.
Forcefully he dragged the poor teen back to the house, finding frightened teens scramble about frantically.
“The house has swallowed her! She’s gone! Gone!”
Jamie saw Jacke cowering in a corner of the living room, seeing him shake from terror and fear. Apparently the walls of the house had swallowed up Gwen right before his eyes, never to be seen again. This place had a mind of its own, this much was for certain now.
Jamie couldn’t believe that this merry evening had turned into such a horrifying night. He felt sorry for Yoru being dragged into this mess. The poor man was just a stranger who needed shelter and now this was happening, he was not supposed to be here at all!
He worried that something horrible would happen to Yoru as well. Jamie couldn’t tell how many of his friends had gone missing by now, his terrified mind not keeping up with anything anymore.
“I don’t believe it!”
Yoru sneered, freeing himself from Jamie’s side and stomping up the stairs.
“Yoru no!”
He desperately screamed, seeing the man disappear from his sight. By this point the last remaining three had gotten up to flee, either out, and foolishly into the cornfield, or into deeper parts of the house.
Suddenly Jamie was all alone, left standing in the living room like a forgotten puppet before a display window. Everything turned silent, his heartbeat and heavy breath the only noise in the house. This was supposed to be a night to remember now it had ended in a disaster! And worst of all he had dragged an innocent man into all of this!
And then a chilling thought took him. He was the only one left, the only one still here and that, whatever was after them, would take him next. Jamie never felt as scared as he did then, his legs going on autopilot and frantically carrying him through the house in hopes of finding at least one of his friends still alive.
Someone, please! This couldn’t end like this. The night was almost over, the sun would soon illuminate the world again and chase away this horrid night. Someone, just someone!
Jamie frantically searched the house, sweat pooling down his forehead and more so than before. His eyes darted around in a frantic motion, hoping to spot just one of his friends. There was no one!
He burst into the next room that was just as empty as the next, feeling his hope slip more and more. He was all alone!
Jamie wanted to just huddle down in some corner and pray for the light to find him, for this to just end! Please let it end!
His feet halted, frozen by a weird noise that came from a room further down the hallway. Slowly his head turned, wide eyes staring at the door just at the end of it. What compelled him to slowly walk closer?
What kind of mad thought went through his head to see what was there? Maybe he hoped for his friends to be there, that they would jump him, scream and scare him telling him that all this was just a joke.
But at the same time cold fear began to choke him, making him feel like all warmth just left the place. His legs shook as he slowly approached the door, pushing it open with a shaking hand.
“G-Guys?”
The sound of his voice was thin and so much layered with fear that you could clearly hear it. And what greeted him inside the room just left him with a horrid feeling.
Jamie’s eyes widened in shock and horror, darting to the absolute gore inside the room. Deep brown eyes fell upon faces twisted in fear, their mouthes screaming for help still but not given the chance to say it.
Blood splattered their usually cheerful cheeks, giving them gruesome freckles. Their limbs, if attached at all, ley scattered about the room, organs spilling alongside and in the midst of all sat a man he did not expect to be there at all.
Admits the slaughterhouse hocking next to one of his friends was Yoru, his hand reaching deep inside their corps and pulling out an organ eating it as if it was a delicacy.
Jamie could just stare in horror, his insides clenching making him feel sick. This wasn’t happening! Of all the people!
Yoru froze, feeling Jamie’s presence in the room. Slowly he turned around, organ still in hand, and stared at Jamie, his blood stained lips slowly pulling into a wide grin.
Sharp bloody teeth glared back at him, the grin wider than what could humanly be possible. His wonderful brown eyes shimmered faintly blue in the dim light, both inhuman and scary at the same time.
In this moment of absolute horror Jamie wondered if his eyes had looked like that the whole time, that he had been too dumb to notice. Or had something perhaps changed?
Had his friends noticed? Had they tried to drive away this man? Was he even human?
“Ups!”
Yoru drawled, slowly getting up as he stepped over the corpses of his friends. Jamie fled, his feet taking him in the opposite direction of this-this thing! His mind acting on the impulse to just flee.
But he wasn’t fast enough for bloody hands engulfed him, dragging him into darkness while his scream echoed through empty halls never to be heard by anyone.
——-
When the police finally got to the house in the morning they could just find a room full of corpses. There was no trace of the informed stranger, neither his bike and neither Jamie himself.
The disappearance of the teenager remained a mystery but at least the scarecrow had its hat back.