THE RITUAL ~ Chapter 5, cont.

Welcome to the conclusion of Chapter 5!

Got here without reading what led up to this point? Use the landing page here to navigate to where you left off.

What happened last:

The dance is on. Denise is stuck babysitting her brother. Alex is home alone.

And someone is lurking in the shadows…

Chapter 5: June 30th: Night, Part Two

Denise watched her brother eat popcorn while he watched the television. He wasn’t a bad kid, really; just an occasional pain in the ass. But it could be worse. Denise’s mind wandered to the school gymnasium where the dance would just be getting under way. Suddenly, she thought of Peter-in-row-three. What if he went stag? What if he met someone else there? What if he caught the eye of Carla—the new head cheerleader who not only headed the cheers for the football players, but cheered all the heads of the football players as well? Or so the rumors went.

The more she thought about it, the more convinced Denise became only she could save Peter from the clutches of that peroxide slut. And if Michael went to bed soon, there would still be two hours before Mom and Dad came home…

***

“Let’s PARTY!” the band’s vocalist yelled into the microphone as a few hundred teenage kids yelled in response. The music started again and the gym became as close as it could to dance club.

Robert and Randy walked in and simultaneously thought: “Well, all right!” Billy Eikerman, class cretin, came up to them out of nowhere and said “You’re just in time; I just spiked the punch” before bouncing off to tell the rest of the world.

“What an asshole,” Robert editorialized.

“Yeah,” Randy agreed.

***

“A hundred something channels and there’s still nothing to watch,” Alex muttered. Jynx jumped onto his lap, purring for attention.

“Hey, you.”

The cat just rubbed his face against the boy’s chest.

“All right, all right.” He began to rub the cat’s head and the purring got louder.

“Yes, you’re a good boy,” Alex said. The cat settled in and lay down on his lap. Alex looked at the television and was reminded there was nothing on.

“Great. Now I’m trapped.”

***

The dark figure moved quietly in the shadows.

***

“So that’s two Jumbo Jacks, two orders of fries, a chocolate shake and a diet soda.”

“Right,” Scott said.

“That’ll be six-oh-four. Please drive forward”.

Well, he thought. It’s better than nothing. Scott put the car in gear and drove toward the take-out window.

A.J. was twiddling her thumbs, nervous. Scott had told her he was happy to pay for dinner. In fact, he had insisted on it. But A.J. had insisted they go Dutch as always and she couldn’t afford the place where Scott had made reservations. Of course, this had all happened before she was gifted the free hairdo. But by then, the table was long gone.

Scott had his own inner monologue running through his head. He respected A.J.’s independence and her steadfast stance on equality. But why did she have to be so darned stubborn? Why did she have to be the exception? Why couldn’t she be like other girls? Then he realized: he liked her because she wasn’t like other girls. That’s what it was all about. That’s why they were together. Scott got a smile.

“Hey,” he said as they approached the pick-up window.

She turned to him. “What?

“I’m glad you’re here.”

She smiled back at him, loving him more than ever.

“Six-oh-four, please.”

***

Mrs. Curson ambled through the backwoods. Now that she was exerting herself, she realized she was much drunker than she had thought. But she didn’t care. She had a mission. Her face was like stone.

***

“Goodnight,” Denise said, closing Michael’s door. Then, softer: “Okay dance, here I come!”

***

“Okay dance, here we are!” Scott said as he and A.J. crossed the parking lot, which smelled faintly of marijuana. They entered the gym and looked around.

“Pretty nice, huh?”

“Yeah.”

“So, “Scott said. “You wanna show these geeks how to dance?”

A.J. grinned. “Hell, yeah.”

And they walked into the middle of the dance floor.

Robert and Randy stood at the punch bowl getting soused when Randy nudged Robert and said, “There’s Scott and A.J.”

Robert looked up and struggled to see where Randy’s eyes focused. He found Scott dancing with some strange girl.

“That’s not A.J.,” Robert said, forehead wrinkling. “That girl’s hot!”

Scott saw the guys and nudged A.J. He pointed and they both waved. Robert’s face slackened into a dumfounded surprise.

“Jesus,” he said. “It is A.J.!”

***

Alex thought he heard a noise outside. Moving a mostly unconscious Jynx off his lap, he went to the window and looked out. He couldn’t see anything. So, he turned and went to the front door. He flipped on the porch light, reached for the door, and pulled it open.

Alex peered out onto the porch.

“Hello?”

No answer. Alex stuck his neck out and scanned to the right. A twig snapped and Alex jerked his head back the other way.

Nothing.

“Is someone there?”

No answer. Alex looked around a bit more. Then, satisfied, he stepped back inside and closed the door, locking it behind him.

The porch light went out.

***

The dark figure stood still, waiting. Then, it began to move forward again.

***

Denise locked the door behind her. She had gotten ready in record time, leaving a good hour and a half to enjoy the dance and—hopefully—Peter-in-row-three. She marched in the direction of the school, her desire to get to the gym growing more fierce by the minute. Her heart was pounding, her body high on adrenaline and a strange mix of excitement and fear. She had never disobeyed her parents so blatantly. But if Peter was at the dance, it would all be worth it. She had already determined the path she was traveling. It would involve Grass Alley, which wasn’t much by day but—without any streetlights—was a pitch black fright-by-night. But it would save an easy five minutes at least.

And time was of the essence.

***

Mrs. Curson wavered from side to side slightly as she stood on the bluff. She was so intently focused, anyone could have come up behind her. It would have been easy. But she didn’t need anyone. She never had. Or so she thought. Leaves rustled behind her.

***

The dark figure moved slowly, readying itself for the attack.

***

In his bedroom, Alex cried out, his fantasy of the swimmer ripping a climax out of him. When he caught his breath, he grabbed a towel and wiped his belly dry. Then he pulled the sheets up, a wave of sadness coming over him. Only his momentary physical need had been fulfilled. Everything else was empty. He felt so alone. A tear burned its way down his cheek. He rolled over, his back facing the window which lay open, forgotten, the night sneaking its way in.

***

The dark figure waited, ready. Any minute now…

***

“Here goes,” Denise said and she disappeared into the shadows of the alley.

***

Mrs. Curson was amazed in that instant how relieved she felt. It was all so simple. Just one step and now she was flying free. She was even smiling by the time she hit the rocks below.

***

Alex Carter fell asleep and dreamed good dreams.

***

Denise McFarland was never seen again.

End of Part One