Ill intentions bled off each and every one.
"Run?" Whisper asked in a meek voice.
"Run," Josh answered.
They took off towards his car, and didn't look back. Ghosts popped up in the fields and shot forward, but none touched them. Josh, being a wide receiver on the football team, had no doubt about his own running abilities, but he was impressed by Whisper, who kept up with him stride for stride. By the time they rounded the corner of the farm buildings and hit the driveway, the unnatural feelings of terror faded, and both ventured a look back.
"Nothing," she said between gasps for breath. "It's like they vanished."
"I don't think they can't pass out of the fields. Around this corner is a safe zone." He led her to his car. "Let's get out of here."
She glanced back towards the fields, and then nodded. "Do you suppose they're okay? Kendra and Zach?"
"I don't know. I hope so. If they couldn't feel the evil on her, maybe they're immune. Besides, I don't think we'd be allowed back right now."
She bit her lower lip and nodded. They climbed into the car and sped away.
*****
Josh listened to Zach's voicemail greeting and hung up. Whisper did the same with her phone. "Voicemail?" he asked, and she nodded.
"I almost left a message, and then I figured it'd be better to just text her. How about you?"
"Yeah, I figured the same thing." He sighed. "I feel bad about bailing on them, but how dumb were they to go in the house with her?"
"I know. Nothing we can do about it now. I don't want to think about what would have happened if we stayed." She took a deep breath. "It was all I could do to not throw up I was so scared."
Josh snickered. "I wonder if the ghosts would've slipped in it."
"The floating ones wouldn't," she said, trying to keep a straight face, "but some looked like they were actually running on the ground. Maybe they would've, and then tripped the others up."
"Now that I would have wanted a picture of."
They both lost it and started laughing hard. It felt good after the afternoon they had. When they wound down, he reached over and squeezed her hand. He did it so fast, he didn't even realize what he had done until they touched. Though it felt right, what would she think? To his delight, she squeezed back.
He started to ask her out, but before he could, she said, "We should probably exchange phone numbers. I'll call you if I hear from them, and you do the same."
"Yeah," he said. "Good idea."
They saved each other's number in their phones, and he told himself to ask, but the moment had passed. Whisper said goodbye, and hopped out of the car. He watched her walk up to her front door, and after she turned and waved, he drove off. Crap, why had he chickened out? She squeezed back. She'd say yes. But some girls did that sort of stuff with their friends, right? Damn, why did this girl stuff have to be so complicated? Why couldn't he understand them half as well as Zach?
As he entered his house, he could tell Mom wasn't home, but had been. She must've traded for a later shift at the store. He walked into the kitchen and found a note confirming that. She wouldn't be home until after ten. He groaned when she reminded him to look for a job this weekend. He'd hoped she'd forgotten about that. When he opened the fridge to find something for dinner, he got a pleasant surprise. She'd gone on a full-fledged grocery shopping trip. He inspected the freezer and cabinets, too, and found plenty of choices for dinner.
As he popped a frozen pizza into the oven, his phone buzzed. He found a text from Zach. He and Kendra were home safe and they'd see him on Monday. He sent back a quick reply, and as he put the phone in his pocket, his ringtone fired up. He checked it, and his heart started racing. Whisper.
"Hi," he said, hoping he sounded casual.
"Hey. I just wanted to let you know I got a text from Kendra. She says she and Zach are home and fine."
"Yeah. I just got the same message from Zach. I was about to call you."
She giggled.
"Run?" Whisper asked in a meek voice.
"Run," Josh answered.
They took off towards his car, and didn't look back. Ghosts popped up in the fields and shot forward, but none touched them. Josh, being a wide receiver on the football team, had no doubt about his own running abilities, but he was impressed by Whisper, who kept up with him stride for stride. By the time they rounded the corner of the farm buildings and hit the driveway, the unnatural feelings of terror faded, and both ventured a look back.
"Nothing," she said between gasps for breath. "It's like they vanished."
"I don't think they can't pass out of the fields. Around this corner is a safe zone." He led her to his car. "Let's get out of here."
She glanced back towards the fields, and then nodded. "Do you suppose they're okay? Kendra and Zach?"
"I don't know. I hope so. If they couldn't feel the evil on her, maybe they're immune. Besides, I don't think we'd be allowed back right now."
She bit her lower lip and nodded. They climbed into the car and sped away.
*****
Josh listened to Zach's voicemail greeting and hung up. Whisper did the same with her phone. "Voicemail?" he asked, and she nodded.
"I almost left a message, and then I figured it'd be better to just text her. How about you?"
"Yeah, I figured the same thing." He sighed. "I feel bad about bailing on them, but how dumb were they to go in the house with her?"
"I know. Nothing we can do about it now. I don't want to think about what would have happened if we stayed." She took a deep breath. "It was all I could do to not throw up I was so scared."
Josh snickered. "I wonder if the ghosts would've slipped in it."
"The floating ones wouldn't," she said, trying to keep a straight face, "but some looked like they were actually running on the ground. Maybe they would've, and then tripped the others up."
"Now that I would have wanted a picture of."
They both lost it and started laughing hard. It felt good after the afternoon they had. When they wound down, he reached over and squeezed her hand. He did it so fast, he didn't even realize what he had done until they touched. Though it felt right, what would she think? To his delight, she squeezed back.
He started to ask her out, but before he could, she said, "We should probably exchange phone numbers. I'll call you if I hear from them, and you do the same."
"Yeah," he said. "Good idea."
They saved each other's number in their phones, and he told himself to ask, but the moment had passed. Whisper said goodbye, and hopped out of the car. He watched her walk up to her front door, and after she turned and waved, he drove off. Crap, why had he chickened out? She squeezed back. She'd say yes. But some girls did that sort of stuff with their friends, right? Damn, why did this girl stuff have to be so complicated? Why couldn't he understand them half as well as Zach?
As he entered his house, he could tell Mom wasn't home, but had been. She must've traded for a later shift at the store. He walked into the kitchen and found a note confirming that. She wouldn't be home until after ten. He groaned when she reminded him to look for a job this weekend. He'd hoped she'd forgotten about that. When he opened the fridge to find something for dinner, he got a pleasant surprise. She'd gone on a full-fledged grocery shopping trip. He inspected the freezer and cabinets, too, and found plenty of choices for dinner.
As he popped a frozen pizza into the oven, his phone buzzed. He found a text from Zach. He and Kendra were home safe and they'd see him on Monday. He sent back a quick reply, and as he put the phone in his pocket, his ringtone fired up. He checked it, and his heart started racing. Whisper.
"Hi," he said, hoping he sounded casual.
"Hey. I just wanted to let you know I got a text from Kendra. She says she and Zach are home and fine."
"Yeah. I just got the same message from Zach. I was about to call you."
She giggled.
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