The Bystander Effect

Chapter 15 - Number 25

Britney sat in her mom's squeaky-clean navy blue Suburban. The inside smelled like some fruity drink her mom ordered once when they were on vacation in Florida. Hayden had been with them on that occasion. They were twelve and when Britney had been stung by a jellyfish, Hayden ran for help. It was one thing Britney kept replaying, as she sat outside the police station, watching the sun go down as people walk in and out of the building. She even envied those people walking, because it seemed so easy for them to walk inside. She wanted to run in there for Hayden, but she was scared. A dim orangish glow radiated from the back seat, where a fiery Hayden dwelt. She sat in the center of the back seat, quietly watching Britney.

Britney, oblivious that she wasn't the only one in the vehicle, chewed the nail of her index finger. If she went in there, would it change things? Hayden wouldn't come back. That could never change. But this guilt that Britney felt, would it go away? Would this person that's out to get them stop killing? What if nothing changed? Her eyes swam in tears that didn't spill over. Hayden's irises were full of magma, but she could see perfectly clear. She saw Britney's suffering, but couldn't feel it. Inside Hayden, there was nothing. Emotion was a human thing, something she would never experience again. Sadness. That was sadness, she knew it, but couldn't understand it. The only thing that really spoke to Hayden was the blood. A tear spilled over, trailing down Britney's cheek and Hayden reached out her fiery finger. The tear sizzled and evaporated at the contact.

"Ouch!" Britney yelped.

She wiped the remanding tears away and inspected her face. It stung, but nothing was there. She couldn't see the number burning on her cheek. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw an officer lead someone in handcuffs out of the police station, toward one of their patrol cars. As the officer put them into the back of the car, she panicked. Kelly could turn everything around on her if she tells. That person in handcuffs could be her next. And every one would know her secret.

With a  heavy heart, she started the Suburban and pulled away.

Hayden left the vehicle in a blink. She was there, and then there was only light smoke, gently radiating from the back where she'd been.

---

Wendy Longbaum was jogging down an old trail. Her long legs pumped at the paved footpath, music flooded from her earphones. She liked it so loud that she couldn't think. All she could do was feel the beat and the pounding in her feet as she pressed onward. The tall ash-blonde barely noticed the heat radiating from Hayden as she passed her, but she soon noticed as the heat seemed to stick to her.

Breathing deeply, Wendy slowed. Her back was practically burning up. She saw the sun high in the sky and decided it must just be an extra hot day. Downhill, through trees, Wendy could see a few other team members from the track team on the loop of trail that she'd just come from. They were slower than her, but they would catch up soon. If she wanted to stay ahead she better get a move on. As she turned, that warmth stood in place to meet her face to face.

Wendy's eyes popped wide at the sight of Hayden in her monstrous state. The shape was of Hayden, but the skin was burned to a crisp. Lava-filled cracks swirled all over her. And, oh, her fiery eyes. Wendy couldn't stand to look into them. They burned her retinas. She cried out and stumbled backward. The ground broke as a large root from a nearby tree burst through, catching Wendy's foot. She tumbled down the hill, smacking trees and rocks with sickening thuds on the way, her body contorting unnaturally several times, until she finally landed at the bottom. Her teammates stared on in terror. One had to sidestep to keep from being plowed by Wendy's body as it came to rest at her feet. Wendy's head was twisted and even though music still spilled from the one earbud still stuck in her ear, Wendy didn't hear it. Her cerulean eyes remained full of the fear from facing Hayden. Screams and cries filled the air as Wendy's teammates soaked in the horror of her broken body.

While everyone shouted and hid their eyes, the hot blood that flowed from Wendy's broken nose and unhinged mouth slithered uphill toward Hayden. She took it all in. The aftermath wasn't important to her. She only needed them to suffer. She didn't need the pain of the others. With nothing else there for her, she left. She was already being called elsewhere.