Book of Faith

Chapter 3: An Imaginary Friend

Brody had not told either of his friends why he had looked so shaken. Despite having been deeply unsettled by his newest session with Miss Smith, what she had said still resonated with him. He knew what she had said was crazy, but — just as she had suggested — the more he thought about it, the more his mind attempted to convince him that there was truth in her words.

Shaking his head, he wiped the sweat that was still forming on his forehead onto his sleeve. He would need a shower when he got home, not only to freshen himself up but to distract him from his thoughts which he felt were becoming more and more fantasized.

"You sure you don't want to talk about it?" Seth asked Brody concernedly. "You look really pale."

Brody mumbled his affirmation. "I feel fine. Just have a bit of a headache. I'll feel better once I'm home."

Seth and Haley exchanged dubious looks, but neither argued. Brody knew they only wanted to help, but he had never been truly great at sharing his problems. He didn't like having people dote on him like a wounded dog, no matter how much he appreciated it at heart.

They were a little over halfway in the drive when something began to feel off. The feeling at the nape of his neck appeared so suddenly that it made his skin crawl. His head spun with wooziness as goose bumps covered his arms and his hair stood on edge. Before he even had time to process this feeling, a sudden light emerged dead ahead of the car.

What happened next seemed like a blur of events. It felt as though they had driven straight into a wall, lurching their bodies forwards. Seth hit his head against his steering wheel, effectively knocking him out. Meanwhile, both Brody and Haley were tossed around in their seats as the vehicle vaulted through the air and landed with a definite thud just off the road. There was a ringing in their ears, and it took them a moment to get their bearings.

"W-what happened?" Haley asked, disoriented.

"I think we hit something," Brody followed, wincing at a dull pain on the side of his head. He must have hit it against the window when the car landed. "Did you see what it was?"

"No," Haley responded. "Just that light."

Brody looked back at the road, his head pounding as he did so, and was astonished to see no other signs of an accident. No second vehicle, no roadkill. Just an empty road.

"Seth!" Haley exclaimed, seeing his unconscious brother. "Oh god! Is he alright?"

Everything felt like it was happening in slow motion. Brody's vision was blurred, undoubtedly from a concussion. He blinked with difficulty a few times in an attempt to shake the fogginess.

"We need to call 911," he said slowly.

It was then that he noticed someone standing in the road a few feet in front of the car. At first, he was going to flag them down and ask for help, but he steadily realized that the feeling in his neck was still present. Why was the person just standing there staring at them? They weren't on the phone, so they couldn't have been calling for help. And they were making no attempts to assist the boys whatsoever. They simply stood, outwardly observing the debilitated teenagers.

"My phone is dead," Haley said. "It shouldn't be. I was over half-battery a few minutes ago."

He continued to try turning his device on, but to no avail. Brody in turn checked his own and was horrified to find his phone too was unresponsive. Looking back up, his heart caught in his throat at the sight of the person in the road steadily making their way towards the car.

"Haley, lock the doors," he said sternly.

"What? Why?"

"That person is coming towards the car," he said, pointing shakily at the figure.