Frights (Scary Stories)

5. Slither

      Sweat dripped off the boy's nose as he ran to catch the ball. The two teams were tied 4-4, and if he caught the ball they won. The flying ball just grazed the mit, then fell to the ground.

"Oh come on!" Olivia shouted, she was the best player out of the two teams.

The three from the other team shouted with joy.

"It's fine. we'll win another day," Matt said.

Luke, Emma, and Makaya walked over to them.

"Well. A bet is a bet." Luke said tapping his thumb to his other fingers.

The three each pulled out five dollars from their pocket and handed it to someone on the other team. They decided it was time to call it a day, and the six friends started their way back to Luke's house. Playing on the old baseball field, that sat just down the road from Luke's house, was the only thing keeping them from summer-long boredom. Xander stayed quiet for most of the walk back, he felt like Olivia was holding a grudge against him. She was the most competitive of the six, considering she played softball for 11 years. Even if he was never good at playing baseball, or any sport for that matter, he played so they would have equal teams. He had only played on a team with Olivia twice, and it was dreadful how competitive she was. If he messed up once, he would get scolded. Her being over competitive made the game not fun for anyone. The others talked while Xander walked near to the side of the road thinking about anything and everything. Then Matt came back there with him.
"Don't listen to Olivia," he said.
Matt continued, "She's not as good as she thinks, she's actually on the bench most of the time."
Xander laughed and began to talk back when Emma cut him off, "What the hell is that?"
The six of them stopped walked and looked at the long black object moving across the road.
"It's a black snake." Luke said.
Emma stepped back and covered her mouth, "I hate those damned things!"
All the others, except Emma, walked closer to it.
Luke looked at it, "It's just a black snake, they aren't poisonous."
The snake curled up as the teenagers stood close to it.
"When it bites one of your asses, I'll be laughing."
Everyone stared at the snake, it wasn't common around their town to find snakes. Luke looked back at Emma then back at the snake, "I'll make sure it doesn't bite you."
And before anyone could say anything else, he raised the bat in his hand and smashed it down on the snakes head with force. Everyone gasped. The snake twitched and flopped around in the road as Luke watched it struggle.
"What the heck Luke?" Matt was irritated.
Xander said barley enough for anyone to hear, "Your not supposed to kill black snakes, they keep away poisonous ones."
Olivia walked to Luke and took the bat from him. Luke stepper back as Olivia then put the bat behind her shoulders and swung down on the snake. It continued to flop in the road.
"Come on guys! It's just one snake. There's plenty more," she laughed while saying. Emma smiled and took the bat from her hand, "Yea you're right."
WACK!
Blood squirted from the snakes head as it flopped like a fish out of water.
Matt looked at Xander, then back to the snake. He then took the bat from Emma's hand.
WACK!
He handed it back to Luke.
WACK!
The circle continued as the five of them laughed.
WACK!
WACK!
WACK!
The snakes blood made a small puddle in the road. When it was Matt's turn again Olivia stopped him.
"Wait," she said, "Xander hasn't gone." She took the blood covered bat from him and walked over to him.
Xander with a trembling voice said, "I- I can't."
Olivia had a wild glare in her eyes as she stared into his, "Do it." She said pushing the bat against his chest, some of the blood staining his shirt. He looked down at the bat, then to Olivia and everyone else. Everyone had this judgmental look that told Xander he had better do it. He sighed and took the bat from Olivia's hands, she smiled and stepped back. Everyone impatiently waited for him to do it. He slowly walked to the wiggly snake in the road and put the bat over his head, closed his eyes, then WACK!
He opened his eyes.
"Great job! You missed!" Luke yelled. Xander looked back at the snake, he missed it's head and instead there was a dent in the snakes middle body. He stepped back and looked at the snake, then something at the end of the snake caught his eye. What he saw next was horrid. Multiple eggs started making their way out of the snake. Everyone gasped and gagged, except Olivia. Olivia laughed. She jerked the back from Xander and smashed the eggs while laughing with joy. Everyone looked at her in dismay. She then finally finished off the mother snake that was still struggling in the road. Everyone was mostly silent for the walk back. No one talking. No one knowing what to say. Xander felt like he was the only one who knew what they had done was wrong. He looked at Olivia, she seemed fine, happy even. She seemed proud of what she had just done.
Once returning to Luke's house, Xander saw his mom was already waiting to pick him up. He rushed to say goodbye to everyone and hopped in his mothers car. He didn't talk much on the car ride back to his house, or during dinner with his family. When asked if something was wrong, he simply said no. But something was wrong, very wrong. The guilt from what he had done was taking over his entire body.
After dinner, Xander walked upstairs and began to run himself a bath. He usually took showers, but the faucet was broke. He undressed and got in the bathtub as the water was still running. He was so tired he felt like he was going to pass out. He sat back in the bath and closed his eyes. The thoughts of the bloody snake filled his mind. Seeing those baby snakes being smashed in the eggs haunted him. The water stopped coming out of the faucet.
He leaned up and turned the knob to make the water come out. Nothing. Banging on the side of it didn't help either.
"This damned things broke too!" Xander said getting irritated.
A gurgling noise came from the faucet, he squinted at it trying to figure out what it was. He leaned closer in confusion. Then, a black head poked out. The black head of a snake. Xander threw himself back against the tub. A wave of nausea and dizziness surrounded him. Even after closing and opening his eyes the snake was still there. It began to slither out of the faucet more and more. Until finally it dropped into the bath with Xander. He struggled to stand up in the bath. He tried to scream but couldn't. It was like something was stuck in his throat. Once standing he rushed to get out of the tub, then fell back into it. His head slammed against the side of the tub. His consciousness blurred in and out as his world spun and his vision became blurry. The snake slithered on him and all around in the bath tub. Once his vision cleared he looked back to the faucet. The water began to run again, but it wasn't water. What came out of the faucet was a light red substance that filled the tub. Xander tried standing but slipped back in. Objects started running out of the faucet mixed in with the water. The objects that were filling the bathtub were baby snakes. Multiple baby snakes filled the tub running from the faucet. They slithered across his body, and fell off of him into the water as he stood. Xander then threw himself out of the bath and landed on his back. Once on the ground, he was finally able to get out the scream that was being held back by fear. He stood fast and looked back into the tub. Nothing. Nothing was there except a bath full of crystal clear water. His parents knocked on the door asking what was wrong. He replied saying that he fell in the bath, he couldn't tell what had really just happened. What had really happened was something a mad man wouldn't even believe. Xander got dressed and rushed out of the bathroom and into his bedroom. That night in bed he didn't sleep at all. He felt like he was going insane.
In the morning while he was eating breakfast, Xander's mom sat down in front of him.
"Xander I have to tell you something." She said holding his hand.
He began to get nervous, "What is it?"
She hesitated to speak, "Your friend Olivia. She was bit by a copperhead. I heard that it was on her walk home right after you had left. Anyway, they couldn't get her to a hospital in time. They had to amputate her left leg."
Xander ran to the trash can and vomited. They were all just hanging out yesterday. Everyone was fine, not a care in the world. Now Olivia can never play softball the same. She could try at least. Anyone could at least try to get better after going through what Olivia had. But some just can't handle it. Olivia is one of those people. Because that "Sweet girl" everyone one had known so well, slit her own throat with a piece of broken glass not even a year after having her leg amputated. Like Xander said, black snakes keep away the venomous ones.