SKYFALL, Johnny Kavanagh

Home invasions and horror films

Maeve's Point of View

The park was quiet, save for the crunch of leaves underfoot and the occasional bark from some overexcited dog chasing a stick.

I took another bite of my sandwich, chewing slowly as Johnny walked beside me, hands tucked in his jacket pockets, his own sandwich already demolished.

"You eat like a bird." He said, glancing at me.

"You eat like a caveman."

He grinned. "Efficiently, you mean."

I rolled my eyes, swallowing the last bite before crumpling the paper bag and stuffing it into my coat pocket.

I was about to suggest heading back to his house when my phone buzzed in my coat pocket.
I pulled it out without thinking, glancing down at the screen.

Joey
He saw the picture. Don't go back tonight.

The words hit like a punch to the ribs.
I stopped walking.

Everything around me blurred slightly, my fingers tightening around the phone as my stomach curled into knots.

Teddy saw the picture.
Of course he did.

My mind started spinning through the possibilities – what he'd say, what he'd do, what mood he was in when he saw it.

I exhaled sharply and shoved my phone back into my pocket before Johnny could notice.

I needed time.
I needed space.
I needed a distraction.

Johnny had stopped a few steps ahead, frowning slightly.

I glanced up at him. "Let's go to the cinema."

Johnny blinked. "The cinema?"

"Yeah." I said, already walking ahead before I could overthink it. "Pick a film, any film, I don't care. I just don't want to go back yet."

I half-expected him to question it, but instead, he just fell into step beside me.

"Alright." He said easily. "Cinema it is."

The cinema wasn't far, just a ten-minute walk from the park, but it felt further with my nerves still twisted tight in my chest.

The cinema came into view at the end of the street, its old neon sign flickering faintly in the weak afternoon light.
It wasn't one of those big, glossy multiplexes – it was smaller, older, the kind of place that still smelled like popcorn and decades of spilled Coke, with those deep red velvet seats that had probably been there since the seventies.

Johnny pulled open the door, and I stepped inside, already scanning the film listings.

"Alright." He said, rubbing his hands together. "What's the plan? What are we watching?"

I scanned the posters, my eyes immediately landing on the horror section.
One title jumped out at me.
The Ring Two.

I grinned, pointing at it. "That one."

Johnny followed my gaze, and his expression immediately soured. "Oh, absolutely not."

"Absolutely yes."

"That's the one with the creepy well girl, isn't it?"

I smirked. "Scared?"

"No." He said quickly, but the way he immediately looked away betrayed him.

I turned fully to face him, crossing my arms. "You're scared."

"I'm not scared, I just." He exhaled sharply, raking a hand through his hair. "I just don't see the point in voluntarily scaring yourself half to death for fun."