THIRTEEN

I WAS STILL MAD AT JESS, and my friendship with Lance was definitely strained, but I tossed my backpack on the sofa and texted each of them anyway: Can you come over?

I felt compelled to tell them about my latest finding. I knew they weren’t likely to believe any of it, and I was probably making a huge mistake, but I wanted them to see the picture of the Creeper note. Maybe this time they’d at least give my claims some thought.

Lance replied: Coming.

I didn’t hear from Jess, but fifteen minutes later, they both pulled up at my house.

They sat across from me, and I made my case like a trial lawyer pleading with a jury. “I told you both that I’ve been seeing some very strange and freaky things lately. Neither of you believed me, but I understand. I’d have a hard time believing me too. Jess, yesterday you called me psychotic.” I acted like it didn’t infuriate me. “I want to show you guys something —proof that I’m not crazy.”

I pulled up the picture of the Creeper note. “See that?”

Jess took a look. “What is it?” She passed the phone to Lance.

“It’s a note. But not just any note.” I wiped my sweaty palms on my jeans and exhaled. “Look, this is gonna sound like something out of a sci-fi movie, but it’s not. It’s real, and I need you to take me seriously this time. Okay?”

They nodded, but I doubted their sincerity. I was about to make a fool of myself again. I had to try, though.

“So there are these creepy, huge things that walk around our school —everywhere really, but there’s tons at our school. They latch onto people and try to brainwash them or something. I don’t know why I can see them and you can’t, but I saw three Creepers —that’s what I call them —grouped together today in the hallway, and one of them wrote this note, then tossed it to the floor.” I left out that it used its fingernail to etch the message on its palm. No way I was going there.

“I chased the note down and took a picture of it, and I wanted to show you guys so you’d know I’m not making all this stuff up.” I cut my eyes to Jess. “I’m not psychotic.”

Lance stared at the phone again, then passed it back to Jess. She zoomed in, then gave it back to him. This back-and-forth went on for a while, like a stupid game of hot potato.

I forced myself to stay calm. “So?”

Lance cleared his throat. “Owen —” He paused for an eternity. “I’m really, really worried about you. This isn’t funny. You need help, dude.”

Jess nodded. “You do. This is scary.”

“But what about the picture? That’s proof that this isn’t all in my mind. I wouldn’t lie about this.”

“You want us to believe that some invisible creature-thing wrote this?” Jess shook her head. “That’s so crazy.”

This was going nowhere. “Just forget it. Seriously. Don’t worry about it.” I stood and reached for my phone. “Thanks for stopping by. It’s all good.” Not really, but I wanted them and their metal appendages to leave.

I walked them to the door, hoping they would drive off and forget everything I’d just said. Unfortunately, Lance wasn’t done. “Owen, promise me you’ll go talk to someone, a doctor or counselor or something.” I nodded, then shut the door and did the only thing I knew to do —flip on the TV and try to escape my distorted world for a while.

I fully believed by now that what I was seeing was real, but I had my moments —like this one —when I second-guessed everything.

Jess sent me a text: I wish I could help you but I don’t know what to think of your stories.

I texted back: I really don’t either.

My mother’s new boyfriend dropped her off, and she barricaded herself in her bedroom with a bottle of wine. She’d been avoiding me ever since I’d tried to tell her about the Creeper two nights ago.

I did the best I could to finish some homework, but it was super hard to focus on anything other than the supernatural. I decided to type up a timeline of events, beginning with the day that I drank the water and developed a nonstop belly freeze. It was unbelievable how much had happened in just ten days.

On Thursday morning, I planned to stay home —but then Daisy stood outside my mother’s bedroom door growling. I could handle seeing Creepers in public better than dealing with them in my house. I decided to go to school, and on the drive there, I analyzed how to play my cards right the next night with Ray Anne. I needed to get information from her without scaring her off.

I wasn’t looking forward to Jess finding out that I was going out with someone —and she would find out. Ray Anne was on the drill team. Gossip among those girls spread around the school like mold on stale bread. It didn’t matter that Jess was on the fast track with Dan. She was going to freak.

Odd —one minute I was worrying about endangered souls, and the next, about petty rumors.

Walking the hallways was extra challenging today. There were more of the vicious words scribbled all over the place this week than last, marking up lockers, bathroom stalls, ceiling tiles —you name it. Some appeared to be fading, while others looked fresh.

Finally, on my way to third period, I solved the mystery of the graffiti. I saw a Creeper raise its skin-and-bones arm and use its grimy finger to write the word hate above the entrance to the library.

For reasons beyond me, words were obviously significant to Creepers.

My moods were all over the place, but as I made my way to the cafeteria for lunch, I was boiling over with a sense of injustice. Everything about this was unfair. The way I saw it, humans were defenseless prey, sitting ducks with no camouflage or refuge.

Which was worse? Witnessing evil at work or being ignorant of it? Both felt like a death sentence.

I collapsed into a chair at my lunch table, a few seats down and across from Jess. Here came Dan, grinning, holding his new purchase up to his chest —one of those yellow “I survived Masonville High” shirts.

He lowered into a chair next to Jess. She rolled her eyes the second she saw him. “That’s not funny, Dan.”

She got up and started to walk away, but he grabbed her arm. “Sit down.”

I thought for sure she was gonna deck him. Instead she swallowed hard, then sat. He didn’t let go of her.

I’d had enough of this punk. I was already popping my knuckles when Dan clamped down harder on Jess’s arm, and she winced. That was it. I shot out of my seat. “Let her go.”

Dan looked me up and down, then huffed. “Or what?”

My fingers curled into tight fists. “Or I’ll make you.”

There was a collective gasp around us. I guess Principal Harding noticed. She came charging over to our table. “What’s going on here?”

Dan had escaped to another table and was chatting with friends like he’d done nothing wrong. The principal looked at me. “Owen?”

Jess stared a hole through me, pleading with her eyes to let it go. I sat down. “Everything’s fine.”

Harding scanned the table, then finally left.

Jess dug through her purse and pulled out her inhaler, then took a hit.

I walked over to her and leaned down, speaking into her ear. “You have no business covering for that lowlife. And please, don’t ask me to keep quiet like that ever again. You deserve way better, Jess.” She took a second hit from her inhaler. “You all right?”

She nodded, her eyes pooling.

I rubbed a gentle hand over her arm where he’d grabbed ahold of her. There was no Creeper attached to Dan, provoking him. No excuse for what he’d just done.

As I went back to my seat, I seriously considered walking over and breaking Dan’s nose, ruining his GQ face. But right then, Meagan approached Jess, dressed in her cheer uniform. A Creeper followed behind Meagan like an oppressive shadow. It motioned toward another Creeper.

I clenched my jaws. Two at once?

Not on your life.

I had no action plan, just charged over to Meagan. The accomplice’s name stood out, a wound stretched across its forehead:

demise

I must have said it out loud. The snarly thing contorted its head and peered down at me for a heart-stopping moment, then went to work with its putrid partner. They shrank to the floor and shoved their wrists into two open cuffs. The sound of the cuffs snapping shut was like the slamming of massive metal doors.

I couldn’t separate the visible from the invisible. “Stop it! Leave her alone!” A hush fell over the whole cafeteria, but I didn’t stop. “You have no right to do this! Stop it!”

Meagan’s eyelids went wide, and her cheeks flashed red. Jess stood up. “Owen, what are you doing?”

I heard Dan laughing, but it didn’t matter. I grabbed a soda can off the lunch table and hurled it at the beasts. Sprite flew everywhere, but the can passed right through the Creepers. Meagan probably thought I was aiming for her —she started crying.

Words flew out of my mouth machine-gun style, aimed at thin air as far as everyone else was concerned.

The dark ritual continued as the Creepers moved in perfect sync. They thumbed through the cords drooping from Meagan’s head and made their strategic selections.

But suddenly, the Creepers looked up, tilting their heads back, fear all over their mutilated faces. What could they possibly be afraid of?

I looked around . . .

And found my answer.