Tears Of Red. Tears of Blood. A short story by Julie. The nurse firmly strapped the writhing, and sputtering girl into the wheelchair. She shook her head and spoke to the air, “So young, to lose a mind to something so trivial.” Meanwhile the girl strained futilely against the straps. She gasped in a pleading voice, “It’s here, let me out, please. Before it comes!” Soon after, her speech was reduced to grunts and mumbles as she labored against her confinement. The nurse slowly wheeled the demented girl into the white van and shut the doors behind her, still shaking her head sadly. 2 Weeks Earlier Lorin scooted into a desk, and clumsily set her books under it. She smiled cheerfully and greeted people who passed and gave her a glance. Being the new girl, she was going to make a lasting impression on her peers, and it would help if it were a positive one. She sighed deeply and turned her attention to the front of the room as the tardy bell rang. She squinted at the front of the room and was able to make out the teacher’s features. A short, slightly overweight woman, of indeterminable age was introducing herself as Ms. Tuin. Lorin scooted uncomfortably in her chair and relaxed her eyes. She let them wander and scan the room for any friendly faces, but all she could see was a blank sea staring back. Ms. Tuin announced enthusiastically, “I want to get to know each and every one of you as individuals. So we’ll go around the room and say our name, and something not so obvious about yourself, starting here.” Ms. Tuin pointed a manicured nail at Lorin’s head. Lorin stood up, her mind frantically scrambling for something to impress her fellow students, “Well, er, my name is Lorin. And…uh…I’ll never ever sit on the end in the rest of my classes so I won’t go first.” Lorin sat down quickly, her face bright red from embarrassment, Couldn’t I have thought of something better to say? They must think I’m a total dork. Her eyes shifted across the room to get the reaction. There were a couple of smiles, but the collective feeling was still neutral, she sighed. Ms. Tuin shot Lorin a disapproving but moved on. Lorin couldn’t stop her mind from wandering, because she didn’t particularly care about anyone’s name or what was so interesting about them. She shifted again in her chair, she couldn’t seem to get comfortable suddenly. She shot a quick look around and dove her hand towards the seat of her pants. She latched onto a thin piece of folded paper, and pulled away quickly. All I need is the whole class to think I have a wedgie, and I’m just digging for gold, she thought unhappily. She opened the piece curious about its contents. She read: Since you’re new here, maybe we could be friends. Meet me after class. - the one in the red t-shirt. Lorin looked around the room again and dismissed every person without a red shirt. There were three people with red t-shirts on. Red T-shirt, so I guess, um, well, it’s a T-shirt so the girl in the blouse doesn’t count. And um, that girl has paper on her desk so probably its her. Lorin looked up to see a girl with short brown hair, cut into a style that suited her immensely. She had an overly round face and everything seemed to be made in circles on her face including her nose. Still, she wanted to be her friend and that was enough for Lorin. A voice barked into Lorin’s mental conversation, “Locker assignments for those who brought their combination locks.” Lorin shuffled around inside her near emptied bag and pulled out her lock. She waited patiently fiddling with the dial until the teacher came over and retrieved her combination. Ms. Tuin said, “Locker 666.” “Yes, ma’am. Thank you, ma’am.” “Don’t be smart.” Lorin reeled back in surprise. She stuck her tongue out at the teacher’s retreating back and whispered defiantly, “What crawled up your butt and died?” Ms. Tuin spun around on her heel, “What was that? You may be new here, and whatever school you went to before they took whatever mess you threw at them, but not here in my classroom. Do it again, and you’ll be in the office.” Lorin glared at the teacher, and fumed the rest of the period. The dismissing bell rang and Lorin couldn’t have gotten out of that classroom any faster. As soon as Lorin set foot outside the classroom she felt physically better, hurrying along the corridors, she came to a full-stop when she remembered the note. She spun around and hurried back to the classroom to see the same girl glancing at the clock and staring anxiously around. Lorin embarrassed that she had stood up the one person interested in knowing her introduced herself quietly and was quick to apologize. The girl’s eyes brimmed with laughter, which Lorin couldn’t seem to understand why. “Well Lorin, apology accepted. I’m Zoë, it’s really Autumn, but if you ever call me that I’d have to kill you.” She smiled in good humor and when she saw Lorin’s grim face she was quick to recall her hasty words, “I didn’t mean it. It’s just something I say. You need to learn to loosen up. Come on, lets skip, we’ll wait in the girls’ bathroom until a little while after the bell rings.” With that she tugged on Lorin’s sleeve and led her through a crowd of scurrying seventh and eight graders. When they got in the bathroom the strong gust of wind enveloped her. She suddenly felt freezing. Zoë looked over and smiled, “You get used to it.” Zoë took off her messenger backpack and set it on the ground. She breathed deeply and said lazily, “Never done this before?” “N-n-no. Maybe we shouldn’t skip this period,” Lorin answered feeling nervous, “Not that I’m scared or anything it’s just that it’s the first day of school and all. We have to get to know each other and all.” “No thanks, I don’t do the touchy-feely thing with getting to know your teachers. Don’t worry you’re not missing anything. And if you are, you can thank me.” When Zoë had finished her short speech, the tardy bell rang. She pushed off from the bathroom wall and listened against the door. “Lorin, it’s now or never.” Lorin wanted to say never, but why spoil a good thing. Zoë seemed cool, friendly and willing. They stepped out of the bathroom. Zoë turned to Lorin and looked her up and down. “Okay, we’re going to you’re locker first so you can get rid of those books, what’s your number?” “Six, six, six.” “Seriously.” “I am. Where is that?” Zoë sighed and led Lorin to the far part of the building. They went down a row of identical lockers except for their steel plated numbers. They stopped in front of the most defiled locker in the hallway. It was dented, covered in chewed pieces of gum, graffiti, and some unidentifiable stench was seeping from the inside. “You’re not serious, Zoë.” “But I am.” Zoë pulled a pencil from her backpack and snapped it into. She began working at a piece of gum until it came all the way off. She threw the gum covered pencil across the hallway and pointed at the rusted steel plated number. 666. “No way,” Lorin breathed, “I’m not sticking my stuff in there, I might get robbed.” Even as Lorin said that she was opening the locker. Inside the gray paint was chipped and old musty clippings were scattered everywhere. The smell was coming from a brown paper bag on the floor of the locker which Lorin instinctively drew back from. Zoë rolled her eyes and kicked it away. “Put your stuff in, and come on!” Zoë was getting restless and she shifted from one foot to the other as Lorin placed her bags carefully in there and clicked on the lock. Lorin began walking away, but she felt as if she was being pulled back to it. She then remembered, “My notepad! Sorry Zo’, but I never leave it behind.” Lorin hurried back to her locker and spun the dial for her combination. She tugged, but nothing happened. She shrugged, and tried again, but it returned fruitlessly. Frustrated she began jerking at it, yet still nothing happened. She kicked the locker but only managed to stub her toe. She smacked the degraded locker with her hand, and surprisingly it creaked open slowly. Lorin’s eyebrows raised, she was stunned. She reached in the locker and was rifling through her backpack for her notepad. As she was doing this the locker slammed shut painfully on her back. Lorin yelped in surprise and fell back on the hard tile. She looked around for the culprit, half expecting to see Zoë smirking, although the hallway was empty. She shrugged and dismissed it reluctantly. She plowed her hand into her bag, careful to leave her body out of harm’s way, and rested her hand on her notepad. When she was about to pull it from there, she heard a whoosh of wind and she screamed in pain. The door had closed yet again, unexplainably, on her elbow. Her arm was experiencing excruciating pain, and she was screaming uncontrollably. Her arm was hanging at an odd angle from her elbow, the sharp bone protruding through the skin. The muscle and tissue looked mutilated, as the blood gushed from the wound. Lorin heard a distant cackling and looked around. The hallway remained empty except for the pattering feet she heard coming her way. She moved away from the locker with much difficulty and shoved the door closed with her foot. Then she lay herself on the floor and waited while she shrieked in pain, trying to control it. Zoë came around the corner top speed and her breath caught in her throat at the sight on the floor. Lorin’s arm looked mangled and she was limp on the floor. Zoë dropped to her haunches in front of Lorin and tapped her face, “What the heck happened? Don’t tell me you fell, I won’t believe you.” “I swear… it’s…not my…fault. The locker…get help…” Zoë rose and was about to leave when Lorin gasped again, “Don’t leave me alone with it.” She tried to rise, but collapsed back on the floor, and keening deep in her throat. Zoë honoring Lorin’s request began to scream for help from her place. Eventually two teachers disturbed from the yelling in the halls, came out and saw the mess. One of them left to go to the office while the other stayed with the hysterical Lorin. An ambulance came soon after to take her away. By the end of the day it was all over school that Lorin had broken her arm, and gone insane, blaming it on a locker. Almost a Week and a Half Later (October 27)… Lorin had gotten use to the frequent calls of nutcase, psycho and freak in the hallways and during classes. Zoë had begun to stop hanging around her, but fortunately did not join in the taunting and teasing of her peers. Lorin had avoided going in her locker, and her grades were starting to suffer for it. She was using Zoë’s things as her own, until Zoë had started playing dumb to her existence. Lorin tossed her head and made her way to the locker. She faced it off and was vaguely reminded of a western movie. The incident played over and over in her mind. She took a step forward, and began her combination. It didn’t work, but then again Lorin didn’t expect it too. She tried again and again, even when she was on her fifth time. She remained the epitome of patience. I won’t get angry, I won’t slap or kick the locker. I don’t want to get it mad again, she thought calmly. She glanced at her arm. It was in a cast, but the compound fracture had been painful and sore even up to this point. A bitter reminder not to cross the locker a second time. The tardy bell sounded off, and echoed off the walls. Lorin sighed and stepped away from the locker, she didn’t want to be alone with it. As if by magic the door creaked open. Lorin stared into the space that suddenly seemed cavernous, suspiciously. She silently planted her body in the space between the door and the locker itself. She pulled out her backpack and began piling all her books inside the bag. She threw another smelly paper bag from the locker across the hall with her good arm and swept out the pieces of paper. The door shuddered on its hinges as it slapped against her back. Lorin sprung into an awkward jump, which failed miserably because her foot had caught in the bag strap. The door slammed shut barely missing the heel of her foot. A voice emanated from the locker in rasping sounds. The voice was neither male nor female yet distinctly angered, “So, you dare to remove my sacrifice?” Lorin was shocked. She stared dumbfounded at the locker. It continued, “Put it back.” Lorin stumbled across the floor. She grabbed her bag and staggered through the hall. A bone-chilling cackle reached her ears. She shuddered, and made her way to the next class. All Hallows Eve (October 30) Lorin sat down at the lunch table and ate in an uniformed fashion. She glanced up when Zoë, walked towards the table cautiously. She sat down opposite of Lorin and whispered while looking around. “You don’t really think the locker is haunted, right?” “No, I’m just saying that to get attention,” Lorin answered sarcastically. “Well I’m serious! People think you’re nuts.” “What’s new? Everyone, note, everyone thinks I’ve gone off the deep end. I’m going to do something though. I’m going to get proof. All I need is a tape recorder or a video camera or something, and perhaps another person. I don’t think it will talk if it sees me with recording equipment.” Zoë gaped at Lorin. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Lorin stared resentfully at her former friend. She decided to change the subject slightly, “There is something that reeks in there.” “Still?” “It’s there every time I go to my locker.” “The smell?” “No, the paper bag.” “The smell is from the paper bag?” Lorin nodded, “Yeah.” “What’s in the bag?” “I don’t know.” “You haven’t checked?” “Why the last thing I need is some moldy half-chicken-half-kitten-freak-of-nature jumping out at me and using its acid saliva to melt the flesh off my body. Zoë looked at Lorin horrified, “You’re one sick child.” “We should do something—” “Like find that paper bag and see what’s inside, and pray that it’s not what you said.” Lorin agreed and they left the cafeteria all eyes on the two comrades in arms. Zoë approached the locker with an air of disbelief. It seemed to swept clean of all years of filth that had plagued its front. Lorin was muttering darkly under her breath about demons at work. Zoë reached her hand out and stroked the front quietly saying to Lorin, “Who did this?” Lorin shot a dark look at Zoë. “It can do it itself. It’s not asleep anymore. Can’t you smell the very alive stench coming from it?” The locker shuddered. Lorin cast look of intense disgust at the door and kicked it with the heel of her foot, no mean feat considering she was off balance with her broken arm. The locker swung open. Zoë jumped when she heard Lorin screaming at the locker, “You think I’m dumb enough to reach in there?” And Zoë then very nearly wet her pants when the locker replied, “Yes.” Zoë called in a reverent tone, “We just want to see what’s in the bag.” “One peek, human child.” Zoë felt almost delighted that she was chosen for the possible the ‘peek’. She scuttled forward and kneeled before the locker out of its way. She reached forward carefully and opened the bag. The disgusting odor that assaulted her nose was unexpected and she hit the floor as a wave of nausea swept over her. Inside was a decaying human head. The eyes had rotted in the skull and caved in. The skin was stretched tight over the bone was decaying, with maggots writhing in and out of holes on the tissue. The mouth gaped open in an undying scream that seemed to pierce her ears even though there was no sound. The sparse hair that covered the mottled scalp was crawling with spiders. Zoë threw the bag aside when she saw a roach crawl from between the rotted teeth. Zoë swung around and was ready to skid away from the repugnant aberration in the bag, but was hit with a searing pain in her face. Lorin watched in horror as the door crashed into Zoë’s head, blood instantly pouring from her crushednose. Zoë fell back in the locker her head resting on the ledge of from the ground to the locker. Lorin turned away sharply as the door slammed shut again with a sickening crunch. Tears streamed from her eyes as she stumbled from the hallway. She screamed, “The locker, it cut off Zoë’s head. It’s going to use it as its sacrifice. She’s dead. She died.” And she broke down wailing on the tile. Teachers emerged from their classroom to see the racket. She refused to be led back to the locker, but the teacher’s saw nothing. Lorin opened her tightly closed lids and stared around the area not believing. “No! There was blood here, right there in front of my locker! Look at it my locker, wasn’t that clean before, and smell it!” One teacher, turned out to be Ms. Tuin, “Are you sure you a janitor did not do you a favor?’ The teachers shook their heads at her, and tried to comfort the frenzied Lorin but nothing could pacify the hysterical girl. In the end they called her mother to come for her, but by then Lorin had a plan. She would be rid of the locker once and for all. Halloween Night All during school, Lorin had worked the kinks out of her plan. I’m doing this for Zoë, who finally believed in me, too late. I should have kept it to myself. Zoë would still be alive. Her eyes swelled with tears as she pushed past other students as she thought about it. Lorin turned and stared down the long hallway. She could reach the locker in her sleep if need be, but why would she want to? She walked over and faced off the locker. “So you think you’re so tough now, eh, murderer?” She pulled an aluminum jar from her bag. She smiled devilishly. The locker’s door as always opened, but it revealed the most gruesome sight Lorin had seen in her life. Inside Zoë’s head hanging by her short, now tangled hair from a hook inside the locker. The tendons and muscles were exposed where the neck was supposed to be. Her eyes were wide in a eternal look of surprise. Her mouth formed a perfect pink ‘o’. Zoë’s mouth began to work, “Get away...away…far…” the disembodied head rasped. Then the head was silenced and began to cry tears of red. Tears of Blood. Lorin suddenly felt sick and she leaned against a locker opposite of the evil before her eyes. With a trembling hand she raised the jar, it’s contents swished inside in response. Her voice quavered, “I can destroy you, for what you have done.” The neither male nor female voice said in an ominous tone, “And how do you plan to destroy me dear human child?” “This liquid will melt you down until you’re good and gone!” Lorin took a step towards the evil. “Wait! I can bring back your friend…If you kill me, who will be the murderer?” It said in a strangely pleased tone. Lorin hesitated for a split-second. She opened the jar and threw the contents, nitric acid, on the locker. A deafening scream rose from the evil tool. She watched as it melted down. Zoë’s head was robbed of its skin and the sobbing and screeching skull was the last to dissolve into the liquidated mass. Lorin shook her head regretfully and turned to leave with her bag in hand, at the end of the hall she turned, “I did it for you Zoë…and for me.” As she walked away the familiar cackle echoed through the halls. She slowly twisted her head around and cried out. There in the middle of the hall was the locker. The three numbers, six, six, six, blazoned in bright red letters on the steel plate, and etched in blood down the front of the locker. She turned and ran unbeknownst of her final destination. She shrieked and howled that it was coming to destroy them all. Three teachers held her down in a chair until a big white truck with barred windows came for her.
Copyright © 2002 Julissa Gayle Raven |