Forlot: The Thanksgiving Horror - Book Fourteen

Chapter Three

"Bleh." I lifted my foot before I slipped and examined the gunk that was now all over the bottom of my shoe. I was furious - and concerned. I was furious because one of my new shoes was ruined and concerned because it resembled that of blood.

Whose was it? And why was it near my house?

I was glad that my school friend came for me.

"Ew. That is disgusting."

I recognized the female voice and looked up from my poor shoe. It was Emily Hickerson. She is my one and only friend and stood on the sidewalk.

"I thought that you were not going to get your shoes dirty until you wanted another pair of new shoes," Emily said.

"Duh. Does it look like that I planted blood by my home and purposely stepped into it?"

"Hold up. Blood?"

"I am afraid so. At least, that is what it seems like." I skipped to the porch with one leg and plopped down. "Do you have something, like a cloth or napkin, that will wipe the blood off my shoe?"

"Yes. You can have my extra napkins." She strolled up to me and took off her backpack. She reached in and took out some napkins. "Here, Steven. But before you clean it off, could I take a good look at the goo?"

"Be my guest. And it is blood, not goo."

"I would not be so sure about that."

Emily is smart for her age. She is fifteen years old and has great memory skills. When she was younger, around four or five, she started playing the violin and is considered, in my opinion, the best violinist.

Emily had strands of blonde and brown hair and wore a pink jacket, jeans, and black sneakers. As usual, she had her violin with her.

"My, my, my," she said, scraping off some of the goo with her finger. "The texture does not feel like blood. And I should know."

"You fractured your arm, and blood spilled out from it," I finished for her. "I know, I know."

She let me wipe the red stuff, and I quickly did so. "Steven, it is just red goo. You know. The goo that is used to play with."

"You mean slime?"

"Exactly."

When I was done, I handed the dirty napkins to her, and Emily held out her hand and helped me up. I straightened out my clothes and looked at her funny.

"Why would some kid put slime on my property?"

"Hard to tell, Steven. Maybe whoever had the slime was playing with it."

"By my home?"

She shrugged. "It is possible."

I brush strands of my hair from my eyes. "Or maybe it was a prankster."

Emily grabbed her backpack and swung one of the straps over her shoulder. "Come on. We are going to be late for school."

We walked down the sidewalk, crossed a couple of roads, and soon arrived to school. Kids from all over Forlot were rushing into the building, for school was about to start.

I thought that today was going to be a good day. I actually assumed that both the students and teachers would talk about what they wanted to get on Black Friday. I was that naive!

Instead, what did I find? Decorations. Decorations of pumpkins. Turkeys. Leaves. These...these were Thanksgiving decorations!

"The heck?" I blurted out. I was fuming!

"What is the matter, Steven?" Emily asked. "Do not tell me that you are offended again."

"Offended? Me? Please, Emily. I am just amazed by the fools that we have to deal with."

"Fools, you say? What fools?"

"These idiots who celebrate Thanksgiving. Do they not know what occurred on the first Thanksgiving? How Thanksgiving came to be?"

"Steven, Thanksgiving is about family and friends and being thankful. The first Thanksgiving was when two people of different colors joined together. It is also about unity."

"No. Thanksgiving is about slavery. People who celebrate Thanksgiving encourage others to be slaves."

"Uh..." She raised her hand. "...I believe that slavery of any kind is evil. But I still celebrate it."

I glared at her. "What? Slavery?"

"No! Thanksgiving. I am so thankful that I am alive, healthy, and friends with you."

"I am glad that you are happy to be my friend. And I forgive you for celebrating the evil holiday that is Thanksgiving."

Emily tossed back her hair. "Are you thankful for anything?"

"I am thankful that football happens around Thanksgiving. I am also thankful that Black Friday overshadows Thanksgiving."

"Yuck!" She stuck out her tongue. "Do not mention Black Friday. I hate it."

"Why do you hate Black Friday? You can buy Christmas presents early that are inexpensive."

"I would rather celebrate an important holiday than some other 'holiday' that gets people killed."

"You cannot get killed if you are careful."

Emily got in front of me and pointed an accusing finger at me. "If you attend the Black Friday sales, I will not be shocked if you die."

"Relax. I have it covered. I stayed up all night last night and devised a plan to get in and out of the stores with my stuff safely."

"You are going to take a gun and threaten customers with it."

"I cannot do that. I do not own a gun."

"Do not say that I warned you, Steven." She waved me goodbye and dashed to her class.

After visiting my locker and unpacking my school stuff, I went to my class and sat in my seat. I set my notebooks and pencils on my desk and glanced up at the whiteboard - and gasped.

Something was written on the board. It was not an assignment. It was much, much worse. Well, according to me.

In black and bold letters, this is what it read:

BLACK FRIDAY IS CANCELLED!

I pressed my hands against my cheeks. "No!"

Underneath that was red writing. I squinted and read it.

YOU WILL CELEBRATE THANKSGIVING! OR YOU WILL BE EATEN!