Olympus Drive Book 1: Everything is Fine

Chapter 16

Luke---Blood

"How was school today?"

"It was okay," it's just my dad and I having dinner. That means it takes longer because he tries extra to talk to me and stuff. I don't mind, but I usually call Basil by now and he helps me with my homework.

"The other children don't bother you do they?" he asks, frowning.

"No. They don't really talk to me that much," I don't especially care to talk to them that much.

"How's the pizza?"

"It's fine," it's really greasy and doesn't at all taste like Basil or our dad used to make it. That said our dad never made anything very well, but he tried.

"Do you want to stay up and watch something till your mom gets home?"

"No I'm—I'm kind a tired," I just heard something outside, "I think I'm going to go walk around the back yard quietly—by myself—and then go to bed."

"Oh, okay," a little disappointed. Then he hears it too. "Did you hear something?"

"I definitely did not."

"I heard something outside, maybe the neighbor's Huskey jumped into our yard again," going to the sliding glass door fully prepared to just walk out there, himself, unarmed.

"No Dad---wait," I wedge myself between him and the door, "Wait—don't go out there."

"Why—it's fine, Luke, the neighbor's dog just jumps in our yard now and then, it's friendly," he says, calmly.

"Okay then---Dad, I'm asking you to trust me. You need to let me go out there, alone, and in five minutes I will come back in, I promise," I say, holding up my hands.

"Luke, what are you talking about?"

"I can't explain but, please, Dad, I promise, I will come back in in five minutes, but I need to go out there alone," there's more noises of something much bigger than a dog.

"Let me turn on the light—'

"No, leave the lights, off, go in the kitchen, then I'll come back in and help you clean up okay? And whatever you hear don't look outside, can you do that for me?"

"Why? Why is this so important to you?"

"It just is. If you love me, sit in the kitchen, do not look outside, and do not ever, ever tell mom about this okay?" I ask, still pressed against the door.

"In five minutes I'm coming outside," he says, slowly.

"And that should be completely fine—okay, now wait for me," I say, slowly opening the door.

"Okay," he backs up, slowly.

I step out on the smooth concrete patio. Nothing. It's dark out, clouds over the moon just great. I walk slowly around the pool, towards the grassy part of the yard, and the bushes. Nothing. Maybe it left.

I'm knocked to the ground so quickly I lose my breath, the dark shape is upon me, and I feel hot spittle dripping onto my face as it bars its teeth, inhaling my scent, ensuring it got its desired pray. I gasp, resisting the urge to scream as the monster's claws trap both of my shoulders.

 I take as deep a breath as I can, forcing my eyes to stay open, as I pull the water from the pool up and around the monster, dragging it off of me and slamming it back into the bottom of the pool. The water crushes down around it, until the monster itself is nothing but blood and pits of skin and fur, drifting in the water.

I kneel on the cement, panting, soaking wet of course from pool water and my own sweat. I wring out as much of that as I can, standing up slowly. They shouldn't be able to see it, so they probably can't see the mess in the water. That's what I'm hoping anyway.

I walk back inside.

"What did---did you jump in the pool---?"

"Tripped actually. Night now," I head to my room. I need to ask Basil he thinks it'll stay dead or not. It's head is technically off? So it should? I don't know I'm not good at this stuff.

"Are you okay?" my dad follows me a little.

"Yeah I'm fine ---you know I'm a good swimmer. Anyway I should really get some rest." I basically close the door in his face, sighing. That was close. I think I handled that well.

"LUKE GET DOWN HERE THE POOL IS FILLED WITH---BLOOD???"

Or not.