The Boy Next Door

Chapter Ten

I wake to a rumble and a crackling. I look around and see horse men gathered in a semi-circle. I see it's dark and feel the boy next to me. I look at his sleeping form and shake him. He wakes and looks at me.

"Oh yer awake! You was out for almost four days. I thought you was dead, Jamie saved ya though. I was so . . ." he sees the horse men and trails off.

The meanest looking one moves his horse a few steps toward us. His voice booms in the empty forest. "We have come for the boy. Come slowly and maybe we won't use force." He points to me. I don't even know this guy!

I scramble for an answer as he comes closer, grabbing my arm and pulling me on the horse. The boy looks frightened, as though he seen a ghost. Then he smirks.

"Ya thought I would care for ya. Ha! You thought someone could love you. Stupid boy!"

The horsemen take me away. As we near our destination, which is a boiling pot of water, he picks me up and tosses me in carelessly. Before I hit the water the world goes black.

I gasp and open my eyes. The boy is cooking and Jamie screeches next to me. The boy looks back and sees me. "Yer awake!! Good thing too; I've been worried. You was out the rest of winter. I thought you was dead. Jamie wouldn't let me get near ya with that thought in mind."

I look at him then at my stomach. It is bandaged in a shirt and without a trace of pain. I sit up and wince at the sharp sting that follows. Nevermind. He comes over to me and helps me up. He props a bag under my lower back to keep me up. "Want some soup?" I nod. He gets a real bowl and pours some soup into it. I look at it, it has noodles and meat swirling in the yellowish liquid. I try it and instantly love it.

"I didn't take ya to the hospital, I tried to fix ya best I could, though you'll have a nasty scar. It'll look cool though."

I nod and continue eating. Did my dream mean something? Or was I just being paranoid? Is the boy plotting to get me? To take me to a horrible place? Who are those men? Those horses they ride on are not like the usual horses from my books. Their hooves seem to be connected to the ground as if the horse rose from the mud. Their backs are spaced and wider than usual too. The men on them seem like demons. They ride the horses with straight backs, too straight to be a human, and devilish grins. I couldn't see their eyes, that's what scares me. They don't have souls if they don't have eyes. The boy told me that eyes are doors to your soul.

I finish the soup and give him the bowl. Did he see them or was it a dream? I shake my head to clear the thoughts. I grab Jamie and hold her, she coos as she touches my scarred face. I stroke the back of her neck where that muscle is. She leans back and falls asleep. I lay her down and cover her up with the bear skin on my legs.

"Ya knocked 'er out, didn't ya? Well good thing too, she ain't sleep in weeks. I haven't much either, we've been worried. Sorry I hit ya with the arrow. I didn't mean to. I'm so sorry." I nod, forgiving him and turn to Jamie. She turns over in her sleep.

I get up and slowly walk to the creek. The boy follows me. I slowly peel the bloody shirt off. It sticks to some dried blood, but I don't feel it. I finally get it off and examine the cut. Its red around the edges and is purple around the very outer rim. I clean off the dry blood and look again. It sags in a little bit while the skin puffs up on the edges. Like an innie bellybutton. Its ugly.

"I'm so very sorry. I really didn't mean to. If the damn bear didn't move you wouldn't be hurt." He hands me a clean shirt. I wipe of the dried blood and new blood coming. I nod a thanks and start heading toward camp.

Once we get there I see two things. Jamie is awake while being held against a tree and about ten men around her. The nine men not holding Jamie are standing around her or looking through our stuff. One of them comments on my bed and blanket. Says it's old and who would want to sleep on this. I feel my blood begin to boil. No one talks about them like that.