In Their Eyes

-32-

   What Addison saw in the back of the bus, waving at her, was one of the creatures.
   Alex blended in with the kids on the bus. She only knew it was him because of his eyes and the fact he waved at her.
     It was too late. The bus was gone and Addison couldnt do anything about it. Alex decided to turn his target somewhere else.

     He went to the basketball game with the others. No one suspects him nor questioned his presence.

    During the game, theres a new target that the creature is after.

    A cornfield in an evening breeze. A lone wooden cross pressed against the dusty sky.

    A scarecrow is suddenly thrown against it. Sloppy looking. Overalls. Pillow sack head. Hat stitched on.
    Fourteen year old Billy Taggart stands on wooden steps at the foot of the post so he can reach this high.
    He takes a length of bailing wire and reaches around the straw man. He finds himself nose to nose with its a sewn on face.

    "You get number three up and dont come in to eat until you do!", a voice calls from across the field.

   The boy looks back. His dad, Jack Taggart, is a weathered looking forty, working the post puncher.

    He slides a long wooden post with a pointed tip into the loader and then jumps back onto the seat of the fencing machine.
    With a loud bang, the wooden post is fired deep into the earth, by the small cannon of the puncher pointing directly into the ground.
     "And check the other two. Make sure they're wired up good, i don't want 'em blowing down again if theres a big wind.", Jack yells.

   Billy stares across the field at two more scarecrows. Already on their crosses.

   A crown lands on the most distant. It caws mawkishly.

   "Lot of good they're doing.", Billy says to himself.

   The boy turns to dad to protest, but Jack is hopping off the post puncher now. It has misfired.
   "You been messing with this post puncher?", Jack yells. "No!", Billy says.
    "I told you what'd happen if you screwed around with this thing.", Jack hisses.

    Billy now struggling to secure the first scarecrow. "I said i didnt!", he yells back.

   Jack throws a rag at the post puncher. He moves back towards their small farmhouse.

    "Jacky!", Jack yells.

   Billy's older brother Jack Jr. 17. He sticks his head out the kitchen door.

    "You messin around with that goddamned post puncher again?", Jack hisses. "No!", Jacky says. Jack throws a look back to Billy.
   "Billy, you little asshole! Why don't you fink on yourself for a change!", Jacky yells.
   "Dont use that kind of mouth on your brother. What did i tell you?", Jack hisses at Jacky.

    Jack disappears inside the barn. Jacky glares at his little brother. He turns to go back into the kitchen.

   Hes halted by Butch, their black Labrador retriever, growling in the direction of the cornfield.

    "Go get him. Go bite him in the ass, Butchy-boy.", Jacky says.

    Jacky then disappears back inside the kitchen. Butch barks now, excitedly.
    He stares out into the corn where Billy grumbles to himself on his way to scarecrow number two.

    "'Dont want 'em blowing down again'... Big wind my ass.", Billy says to himself.

    He can hear the dog barking in the distance.

    "Youre the only big wind out here.", Billy says to himself.

    Billy arrives at the next scarecrow. He walks behind it and checks the bailing wire that holds it in place.

Down the line of scarecrows, at the very end. The last scarecrow only some yards away.

It moves.

It turns its head to look at Billy, scattering the crows on its head and shoulders.

Billy turns to look.

It looks away at the same instant. Billy wondering what he had just saw.
Did the scarecrow move? Or has he just been out in the heat too long?
Butch still at the outskirts of the corn rows. Hes yelping now. A clear warning to the boy.

The boy moves towards the last scarecrow. Butch's barks build in intensity, wanting to go after his master.

He wants to run to him but wont. Hes too afraid.

"Will you shut up?", Billy calls back at Butch. Billy glares out at his dog.

He soon realizes something. He turns toward the last scarecrow, only a few yards or so away.

    Are his eyes playing tricks on him?

    This scarecrow isnt one of the sloppy ones he made himself.

    This one is wearing a strange hate and a thick, long coat...

    Butch begins barking insanely again. This doesnt look like a scarecrow at all.

    Billy looks the scarecrow up and down. He looks to his feet and sees razor sharp claws.
   He freezes in fear at what hes seeing. The creature moves his claws.
    Billy turns and starts running towards the farm house. See it move and the fact it has claws frightens Billy.

     He sprints through the corn. It slaps at him because of how fast hes running.

    The scarecrow blasts from the post it was resting on. He chases after Billy.

    Its not running, but its flying after him. A big dark shape rocketing over the stalks of corn.

    Before he can even think what kind of nightmare it must be, it comes crashijg towards Billy.

    It takes Billy down with a flying tackle.

    The corn shakes violently where they hit the ground. Butch still barking insanely.
    Both Jacky and Jack hear the commotion and Billy's scream. Jack burst from the barn with a double barrel shotgun.
     Jacky scrambles out of the kitchen door in his bare feet. The corn still shaking violently.

   Jack runs into the field towards it. "Billy!?", Jack yells. Billy screams for help.

    Something is moving through the corn away from the 2 with incredible speed.

     Jack filled with fear as he runs faster. Butch follows with Jacky.

    "BILLY?!", Jack yells out for his son. Hearing Billy's screams makes Jack move faster.

    They are gaining on it. Something big is dragging something not so big. Drags them deeper into the field.

    Both men and Butch in the trail of broken stalks now. They soon come and run over one of Billy's tennis shoes.

     "Billy?!", Jack continues to scream for his son.

    Something big breaks out of the corn ahead, startling both Jack and Jacky. It rockets out of the stalks into the night.
    It wears a scarecrow's ragged coat and from it. Great wings that rise and fall , blasting skyward.

     A horrid shape that clutches another. Its prey dangling from its talons.

    There can be no mistaking that its Billy being raced into the cloudy night sky.

     Billy's screams fade as he gets higher into the sky.

    Jack stares completely transfixed. Shot gun leveled but unable to shoot. It might hit Billy.

    Butch barks wildly up at the horrible thing that is now a distant shape streaking past the cloudy moon.

   As it disappears, there comes a sound so eerie and forlorn it could almost be the voice Jack's horror and sorrow.

    A howling sound. The dog. It howls up at the moon.

   Both men stare up nullified at the moon that looks down on them...