Nightmares Never Go Away

Chapter Eight: Blue Eyed Scarecrow

October 28th

I am dragged into memories constantly, drenched into a sea of uncertainty because of a house I hate to a core. But here I am standing right before another house, holding no connection to me.

The house is presented as creepy and disturbing from the outward appearance and inside too. A darkening sky has the house's reflection casted by lights hanging up leading to the entrance a little more eerie. Decorations are set up to terrify kids and teenagers during the month of October until Halloween night on the corner of this street. Surprisingly none of the neighbors mind on the block when the rest of the houses are as dark and scary a few days short of Halloween on Monday night.

Today is one of the last few days people will be dressed up as monsters and ax killers hiding behind hidden corners to frighten anyone who walks through the house because not many are planning on being out on a weekday. Halloween landing on a weekday takes the fun out of a night to stay up because of school the next morning.

As for me, I'm not putting much thought into the night or choosing to stay out late. I'm having my fun today and little as possible on a night I don't care about. I've dealt with my share of monsters in real life and Jared is a monster in my eyes none of these made up dressed up people can manage to crawl under my skin.

I don't need to think about it. I don't want to think about the depressing house of horrors I lived in. I promised I wouldn't. I told myself I have no reason to.

"Are you scared?" Vivian asks as I stand with her on the sidewalk near the fence waiting for Duncan to arrive. He said he would meet us here with his sister but that was at an earlier time not late like I arrived.

"Scared of the house?" I chuckle watching a few people wander by to the inside of the house down the short path. Fake gravestones are in the front yard and a scarecrow is set up on a plank on the opposite side with his head hanging down. His arms are placed over and underneath the plank keeping him in place as a fake crow is resting on his shoulder. He looks too fake to scare me. "No, I'm not scared." I shake my head while I try not to think of sinister thoughts.

I'm glad Vivian doesn't know. I'm too scarred and traumatized as it is I don't want to imagine what an upbringing there for her would have brought her and I together never leaving. Dad surely wouldn't have smiled through the years like he has out of the house. "Lets go in then." she says in a hurry to walk through and be scared.

"Duncan said he would meet us we should probably wait for him." I say taking my phone out and checking the time.

"Why? We can meet up with him later." she's persistent on not waiting and I can understand why. He's late. He said he would meet us with his sister at least twenty minutes ago.

"I already told him we would wait." I tell her, knowing well enough he's late because I kept changing the time to meet up. I was too distracted at Blaine's than spending time with a friend and my sister.

"Can I ask you something Jayden?" she asks as people walk past us and I put my phone away.

"Yeah anything."

"Are you and Duncan more than friends?" she says out of the blue.

"More than friends? No, why would you think that?" I reply.

Duncan and I have been friends since we were younger. We always hang out but I don't like him more than a friend. I don't know why Vivian would think I did.

"I don't know." she shrugs, "You're always with him. I thought you liked him since he likes you."

"Duncan doesn't like me Vivian. We're friends."

"It doesn't seem that way." she says and before I can say another word I catch sight of Duncan, walking over with his sister, down the sidewalk. They are just far enough away not to have heard a word of what was said but it doesn't take them long to stop in front of us.

"Hey, sorry we're late. I figured it was better to be late than early since you kept changing the time." he says.

"Yeah I'm sorry." I apologize.

"Yeah well I wasn't in the mood to wait here any longer than I had to." he says looking past me. Barely able to meet my eyes and I suddenly wonder for the first time the idea of Duncan actually liking me more than a friend. "You wanna go in now?" he asks.

"Yeah." Vivian and Duncan's sister say instantaneously taking off ahead.

"Guess we're left by ourselves?" he says a half-hearted smile he is trying to suppress on his face.

"This isn't going to be much fun." I whisper under my breath walking down the path to the front of the house Duncan close by.

"We don't have to go in after them. We can wait outside." he offers a option out of the haunted house but I don't take it.

Another look at the scarecrow I go forward, "What would the fun be in that?" I reply as the thought of what Vivian put into my head a moment ago bounces around in my head about the way Duncan thinks about me. The way he acts and the concern about me he has when I'm not with him begins to add up little by little. Every little thing he brought up wanting to make sure I'm okay and noticing how I have changed. How many people besides someone who pays close attention to me would notice? Maybe he does like me more than a friend but I don't like him that way. I like Blaine, I love Blaine and I don't see anyone or anything that can present itself in the way to change my feelings.

Walking in, the hallway is dark with limited light to guide through the darkness. I'm half expecting something to pop out of nowhere any second but it doesn't happen. Instead we are surrounded by mirrors on both sides of us and the mirrors alone distorting our image is a bit haunting itself.

Mirrors have always been my downfall of hate and anger. Forced to stare into familiar eyes and a face I can't stand. "Jayden, you coming?" Duncan asks a few feet ahead and I tear my eyes away from the mirrors. Continuing to walk further into the house with regret of stepping into the house to begin with. Not because the house is scary but the thoughts it is causing to form in my head. I am ready to escape this house. Hurry out and shove the past deep down. Rush out of the house and breathe in fresh air out of the grasp of a house that is beginning to give me flashbacks from the past.

Halloween has never been my favorite holiday. I am far from loving the monsters and nightmares walking around for a night let alone a month people anticipate the night they love I don't. All I can think about is what my dad went through and everyone else who trusted Jared before he decided to kill them.

In the living room, what I assume is the living room, I try to take a breath. Reminding myself, None of this is real. None of this has anything to do with Jared and death.

Just as I calm my nerves and thoughts staring back up to look around I'm pushed to the wall. Heart pounding into my throat in the dark. Staring face to face with the scarecrow I had seen outside. Bright blue piercing eyes staring into me. A crazy smile as the person tilts their head to the side with a sickening smile.

This is suppose to be a haunted house. This is suppose to scare me and not be real. I tell myself as the scarecrow, after what feels like minutes, takes a few steps back and leaves me frozen in place against the wall to scare the next person walking into the house.