Smile Part 1

Peter

Hi. I'm stuck in here. It's dark. Where'd they all go. My friends were just with me. My friends? Don't be stupid Peter you've known most of them a week. Where am I exactly? A cave, tunnel? Max saw the hole in the ground. It could be either.

But where did everyone else go. We all followed him in. We walked through and then saw that, that stone. It's like a gravestone but slightly taller. It had this mark on it. A star with seven points. Max was betting us we couldn't touch it, or maybe Charlotte was? I don't remember, stupid bet anyway, so I just touched it.

Now I'm just trotting through pitch black passages. Alone. As far as I know, I'm not even in a cave. It's too dark to see the stone walls, but my hands shiver up against them, there cold. Am I gonna get out of here.

*Crash*

That's when I hear it. The crashes and ripples of waves on rock. Echoing through the tunnel. It could lead me out. But it could also flood the tunnels. I don't know if I could end up blocked by water. I have to try something anyway, so I push further on, and with luck, I see the drifting moonlight hit the once unseen stone just slightly further ahead. As I squeeze through the end of the tunnel, my vision is finally restored. The moonlight lines the walls of a large gaping cave entrance. It spans deep, and as I reach its mouth, I'm met with an expansive look of the sea. The cave mouth gapes out the side of the towns mountains that line the beach.

A stroke of luck once again, a staircase. Old steel or maybe tin, I can't tell the difference. It's gone brown and flaky, but it was built down from the edge of the cliff to this cave entrance, and it seems to be my only way up to safety.

No hand bars or rails either. The wind blows strong, and I rock with every step I take, staying close to the cliff side so as not to fall. The views of the ocean are little in my mind as I reach the top and take a small jump into safety.

I look up to my surroundings. I'm in a field. In that field is a house, and surrounding the small clearing of grass is endless trees. Thick forest to track through to reach home. But it should lead home. But what is this house here. So secluded. It's old as well, worn down, and the windows are boarded up. It doesn't matter. It's late. My uncle is going to kill me, rip me apart.

I had to be home by nine. It's definitely later than that. I don't know what time exactly but I know it's later. Wait, where did my friends go, Zoey and Max wouldn't have just left. The others. Shit but my uncle. What do I do. I need my uncle off my back first.

I start trekking through the forest. The tunnel we went through shouldn't be far. We went in from the top. So my cul-de-sac shouldn't be much further either. We were at Tommy's party, that's right. My neighbour. I hate him. Why was I there. That's right, they dragged me along, just like the tunnel. Tommy didn't come with us, I remember that. But there were a bunch.

I see it! The sides of the houses and the small lamp post that illuminates the forest entrance. I actually made it home. God, I hope everyone else is home right now too. But, then that would mean they all just left me. I jog the last stretch home and get to my curbside. My lawns are dead and brown, the weather is getting hotter, and my uncle hardly cares for the house. I get to the front door and creak it open quietly. Only for it to be grabbed from the other end and swung open with force. My uncle stood in the doorway seemingly waiting for me.

His gut sticks out from his shirt, and his thin blonde hair is long but barely covers his head with its patchiness. His facial hair is poorly shaved, still patchy as well. He grabbed my wrist, aggressively pulling me into the house.

"Where the fuck have you been!" He shouts spitting into my face as he does.

"I was just at a party with friends that's all."

"You little fucking liar. It's past twelve your dad has been worried."

When he says that I peak behind him into Dad's room. I can't see him in bed from here. Just the machines and tubes.

"Dad can't be worried he's in a fucking coma!" I can't help myself but shout in the moment. Then I feel my uncles hard knuckles crack against the side of my jaw as he backhands me for my words.

"Don't you dare speak about your father like that. Get to your fucking room." My uncle ends it there. He's always the bigger man. He knows I'm defeated cause I haven't moved. Don't cry Peter. Uncle simply steps away after that. walking into our lounge to sit at the T.V.

I shuffle myself around and step through the hallway. My face hurts can't help but rub it. I crack open my bedroom door and shut it, locking it behind me. My rooms messy as shit. Left from when I got ready for the party. My notepad full of drawings sprawled out over my bed.

I move the notepad and slam my body down into bed. Checking my phone once more to nothing. Should I call them, or should I sleep. Should I call them or should I s. s ......

*RINNNNNGGGG*

My head swings up. Fuck I fell asleep. My phones going off. I answer it as soon as I can.

"Peter holy shit are you ok!" Its Max's voice on the other end shouting.

"Yeah yeah I'm ok is everyone else ok?" I can't believe I fell asleep without checking on them. Max just checked on me. So does that mean he didn't just leave me?

"Yeah were all at school talking about the weird shit going on! Were are you?!" I look to my bedside analog clock as he says that. 8:25. Five minutes to school. Fuck.

"I'm on my way."

"Then hurry up!"

I hang up jumping out of bed and grabbing clothes as fast as I can. Now is time. To find out what the fuck happened last night.