The thing in my backyard

CHAPTER 1: THE BEHEADING I

"Come on, just jump!" My brother screamed at me with embarrassment. I looked down at the deep end of the pool, it was darker than I remembered. Fear took over as I stood there on the white diving board, the bumps of the board beginning to engrave themselves into my feet. Shaking, wet, and cold from being shoved into the shallow end added to the humiliation.

"I can't!" I yelled back at my visibly upset older brother.

His friends started to snicker and loudly make crude comments about my lack of confidence, and I started to crumble when they mentioned my weight.

The donut print on my swim trunks hugged together as I ran inside. I barely got dried off before I walked through the sliding door, bare, wet feet meeting the soft carpet. As I entered the living room, I could smell a strong scent of lavender and chicken. "Odd combination," I whispered to myself. "Mikey!" My mother yelled in an excited tone, like she hadn't seen me for weeks.

"Hey mom, what's for dinner?" I asked, shivering even more from the cold temperature of the house and the breeze from the vents meeting my wet torso.

"Lemon chicken, green beans, and corn," she replied.

"Okay, I'll be back for food, I'm going to get dressed."

"Okay sweetie, just try not to leak water on the floor."

"Okay, mom."

I walked to my room, through the long and seemingly endless hallway. My room was right across from the bathroom, I turned to enter my room to find the light on and door open.

"I could have sworn I closed that door." I entered without a care, thinking my dog had just pushed it without me realizing. I started to get dressed when I heard something, I turned around to see nothing. I quickly put my clothes on. I exited my room and walked down the hall, into the living room, and then the dining room. My older brother and all 6 of his friends were scarfing down food like their lives depended on it. I looked at the long, oval-shaped table to see about half a chicken leg, 4 green beans, and 2 spoonfuls of corn.
"Thanks for leaving some for me," I whisper under my breath. "What was that?" my mother asked in a tone so sweet you'd get a stomach ache. "Love you mom," I replied. "I love you too, sweetie." My brother's friends slightly snicker.

"Okay my lovelies, I'm leaving to go get some groceries, I'll be back in a few. Don't burn down the house!"

My mother and her sweet aroma left the house, all I felt was a sense of danger. She knows my brother and I fight, she knows his friends aren't any better... So, why would she leave them with me? Why would she leave me alone with the monsters...

I stood there on the cold tile floor, about 4 feet away from the table. My blue sweater, and tan-ish pants that just barely hit the floor, swayed with the cold gentle breeze of my demise. I stood there, planning how to escape or at least how to get to my room. They all watched as I stood there, they all watched and waited until I made any slight movement. I just stayed stationary, waiting, waiting for the beating of my life. They all sat there, chicken falling from their frozen jaws. Some part of me thought if I didn't move they couldn't do anything.

My stomach rumbled at the sight of the food that my brother hasn't devoured yet. I haven't eaten in at least 3 days, due to my brother 'bulking'. Personally, I don't think he actually intended on doing anything at the gym but check out girls and take pictures of himself in the mirror.

I take a step forward, now 3 feet away from the table. I open my eyes which were tightly forced shut, I hadn't realized how badly I flinched until I relaxed. They all sat there, frozen... I took another step forward, 2 feet, then another, 1 foot. Nothing? They all sit there, frozen. I quickly grab some chicken and run around the table, and turn into the living room. They don't even turn around. I take a bite of the chicken, confused.
I open the door to the outside, stepping onto the wet spot I left from the pool. Walking outside into the shaded patio, I step out into the warm sun, gazing at the glistening pool. I walk towards the pool and see no water ripples, moving around the back of the pool, the deep end, stepping onto the diving board and standing there.

"Boy?" I hear from my left, turning around to catch a glimpse of something, not human. Falling backward into the pool, or so I thought. The pool didn't move, my back ached, my clothes slightly wet. My tailbone feels broken, my eyes blurry as I try to faintly make out what I had seen. Staring at the golden sun, looking all around to see nothing. Sitting on the terrifyingly deep, still, motionless pool. Without looking down, I attempt to stand up and get out of the pool. Suddenly, the water from the pool is less solid and pulls me down. "HELP!" I scream, hoping to catch any air possible. Struggling to move and breathe, the water making my clothes heavy, shoes feeling like lead and clothes like iron. I can't breathe, this is the end, this is how I die. This is how it all ends.

"Mom will be home soon," I hear faintly, my brother says. I jolt up, tears running down my face, breathing for the first time. The air is crisp, clean, perfectly clear. It's cold, and at the same time warm, the most comfort I've felt. I was alive.

I see my brother talking to his friends. I walk outside again, staying away from the pool. "I need to know what that thing was," I say to myself frantically. As I walk towards the trees, I see something moving, swaying differently than the rest of the trees. I approach whatever it was or is, I stand up straight and move head on before hesitating. "What if I find the creature and it eats me?" I look down to find a long stick that looks like a sword, I pick it up to defend myself. "Boy," I hear from behind the trees.

"Is it you?" I ask. "The one I heard before?" I stand there frightened. "Yes," the thing answers with a twitchy, congested tone of voice. "What do you need from me?" I stand there still with my sword pointed at nothing. "Come closer," the thing demands. "Where are you?" I look around to see nothing but endless trees.

"Do you see the big oak tree behind you?" it asks. "The one with lemons hanging from it?" I spin around and see the tree. I wait for a response but I don't get one. I turn back around to see if I was being messed with or had missed something. "Boy..." "My name is Michael! Not 'boy'!" I snap back. The ground begins to shake and I fall to my knees from impact. The roots of what sounds like a tree start to crack and break from the ground. I attempt to stand up, I turn around quickly to see it.

"What are you?"