Watch Your Step

Backpack IV

The only things I brought were the keys and the bag of money. It might be illegal but I didn't turn in the spare keys to the school. Of course, where else would I find him but there? I walked around for a bit until the sun was going down. I almost had a bit of relief that he wasn't there. But as he always did, my hair stood up at the sound of his voice, "Hi, Mr. Melon." From that, I could say he was the same kid I know, the same kind perhaps lovable one where nothing still weird was connected to him. "I'm just here to return this, Jim," I responded, lowering the bag of money on the floor, like giving a ransom, except I was also the hostage.

Then he looked mad when I kicked it to him, no not mad, livid. His expression darkened. All of a sudden, he was like a different kid, like I don't know him anymore. I asked myself, Did I even know him in the first place? He's a different person now, no, a different being.

"Say, Martin, didn't you like what I gave you?"

I backed away. This time you could actually see his aura, the intent to hurt someone, to hurt me.

"Sorry, Jim, I couldn't take it."

"Why?" He questioned as he approached me, "Because it stinks?"

"It's not that," I muttered, taking little steps backward.

"No one ever likes me, no one ever wants to be friends with me."

"That's not true, Jimmy, I, I can be your friend."

"Really? Would you still be friends with me if you saw this?"

"Let me cut you right there," the policeman said, "You have been arrested for dealing drugs, you sure you weren't high on anything when this all happened?"

"No," Merlon denied.

"But you had a record."

"I was framed that time, I swear! I'm not high on anything but I know I'm high on fear. This was no hallucination. My nightmare came to life, and it was worse.

I almost begged him, "Not again." As his complexion turned into a deep purple, veins throbbed on his neck and forehead. He was getting big and his skin was tearing apart. His blood-rimmed eyes were no longer blue, such a terminal horror that it was bulging with puss. I wanted to help him and ask him what I could do, at the same time, I wanted to run so badly. I nearly collapsed when his back bent at an impossible angle. He was struggling, that little kid," Merlon started crying, "other-worldly tentacles tore out his shirt as they were coming out of his back! Voluminous, when I say voluminous, I mean it was filling up the entire hallway!

I finally had the courage to turn around but it made an earsplitting sound. A very high-pitched scream like a hundred little girls were screaming. I covered my ears, without looking back, I ran away. Thinking I betrayed him, and I can never make it up, I really don't want to. So that's it. That's the last time I ever saw him."

"And fifteen kids have been missing from that day."

"I told you I don't know what happened to them. Of course, I got sad, and terrified even more. I, I knew those kids. But what can I do? I couldn't take it anymore, my little brain can't. I wanted to run away from this place. Again, what can I do? I ain't got money to go to another place. I wish I could just forget about it. But I can't!"

"We can arrange that."

The door of the investigation room opened and suddenly the place got even darker. The lamplight flickered as two men came in, one carrying a piece of equipment, some kind of camera.

"Funny story you got there," one of them said but Merlon talked to the policeman. "Is this where you take my picture?" His tone quivering, "Nah, man I ain't done nothing wrong."

"No, Mr. Merlon, calm down, this isn't your first time," the policeman replied.

The one who's been talking to him fiddled with the equipment and said, "Of course, he doesn't remember that."

"Hey, I know you," Merlon exclaimed, "you're the doctor! He should be the one you're asking, chief!" Merlon said to the officer. Then he turned to the doctor, "You were Jim's father, right? Where is he? What happened to him?

"You're wrong about one thing Mr. Merlon. It wasn't my child," he smiled, "but it was a thing I created."

"What?"

"Just look on to the light and don't blink." He had the same ordering voice Merlon knew he couldn't disobey. "Now repeat after me: You're a janitor."

"I'm a janitor," Merlon unconsciously repeated.

"You know nothing of the child named Jimmy Adams."

"I know nothing of the child called Jimmy Adams."

"Those are the only things you have to remember."

"Wait...wait..."

The doctor pushed a button and the equipment started whirring. It flashed a blinding light directly at Merlon's face. "Now kindly look forward and don't blink," he said, "Everything will be out of your mind in no time."