The Harvest

Chapter Two

Killian stood in the doorway that led to Alex's garden, cigarette in hand. Suddenly, the clang of metal pots hitting the ground and Alex yelping like an injured dog snapped him out of his dream-like trance. "Are you alright? I thought you had already cleared everything out," Killian asked, reaching out to lend a hand to help Alex up, stifling a laugh in the process.

"Yeah, I just wanted to use the wok today, and I didn't realize how many things were in its way," Alex replied as he dusted himself off and quickly reorganized the cupboard with Killian's assistance, making it much easier to access and replace items.

As Killian walked back to the door, Alex grabbed his arm and swiped the cigarette. He tried to snatch it back, but it was too late; Alex had already taken a drag. "I just experienced a traumatic event; I need this," he muttered, walking away, with Killian following closely behind. "You don't need it; you fell and got hit by a wok, calm down."

Noticing the sofa just behind Alex, Killian swiped his foot under his leg, grabbing the cigarette from him as he fell. Alex grunted when he hit the soft cushion, slowly rolling off and crawling into the kitchen.

Several minutes passed, and the two boys stood talking while cooking dinner, engaging in casual banter and discussing future plans. Eventually, the topic of friends came up, and Killian spoke up, "Do you ever feel uncomfortable around James and Christine? Something just feels off, and I can't quite put my finger on it."

An awkward silence followed, with only the sound of chicken frying filling the space. "Are you sure it's not just that you're jealous of them? Are you secretly longing for a relationship?" Alex teased. "There's nothing to worry about. If there were, James would have told either of us. We've been friends since reception. I think it's normal for things to feel different now, especially with them planning to move away. The group is breaking up, so it's probably just anxiety over that. Even if it's jealousy, I wouldn't worry too much; you'll find someone, and they'll be lucky to have you," he said, smirking a little towards the end. Killian mumbled to himself and grabbed a spoon, heading to the stove to taste the curry, which exploded with flavour.

"As annoying as you are, you can cook well. How about we watch something while we eat?" Killian suggested as Alex reached for two bowls. "Sounds like a good idea. I get to choose this time, though!" Alex replied with a grin. The two boys headed up and spent the night gaming with a few drinks between them. A night of joyous laughter and screaming when one would lose, the last normal night anyone in this town will remember.

Alex slowly opened his eyes to the sun streaming into his room. As he stretched, he heard the crunching of cans and a thud as they fell, followed by a groaning sound on the floor.

"I'm up, I'm up. Why did you have to do that?" A groggy Killian mumbled, slowly pushing himself off the floor.

"I didn't mean to. I didn't know there were cans on the bed. I'm going to go shower and then get ready. You can do the same. We'll grab breakfast on the way," Alex yawned as he stood up, walking to the bathroom, not realizing that he had no clothes on until Killian whistled at him.

"Take your time getting to the bathroom; I'm enjoying the view," he smirked. Alex flipped him off as he continued walking.

As the two boys got into the car, they noticed how unusually quiet the street was. Without much thought, Killian put on his Spotify, and off they went. However, as they rounded the corner, the car had to come to a halt. Barricades surrounded the town square, and people in PPE roamed around, leaving them both confused. They got out of the car to investigate.

"Excuse me, officer," Alex said to a rather portly-looking man by the first set of barriers. The man, with the lingering smell of old tobacco, looked them up and down.

"Yes, how can I help?" he replied.

"We were just wondering what's going on as we're on our way to an appointment and were unaware of anything happening that would require us to take a longer route," Alex explained.

The officer sighed, a look of sadness washing over his face. "Unfortunately, this is a crime scene. A young woman was found here in the early hours of the morning. You'll have to go around town for now." As the officer spoke, Killian looked over his shoulder and saw a blonde woman hanging from the flagpole in the town square, her large intestine protruding from her stomach, and a rope tied around her neck.

"Hey, you all right?" a voice said to Killian, snapping him out of his trance. It was Alex, done speaking to the officer. "Yeah, I'm all right, I guess. Just slightly hungover from last night," Killian replied, laughing a little and throwing his arm over Alex's shoulder as they walked back to the car.

Once inside, he finally spoke up. "I saw the body, just hanging from the flagpole. It was Jess from college. How could anyone do this? I know we barely spoke, but she was one of the kindest people I ever met. Even now, four years after we left, she'd say hi to me when we passed each other in the street." Killian stuttered, going pale as a ghost, just remembering what he saw. Alex reached over, putting a hand on his thigh.

"Hey, it's all right. I can't believe you managed to see anything, but that's horrific. If you'd like, I can go to the appointment myself if you just want to process what you saw," Alex suggested. Killian shook his head, patting Alex's hand.

"No, I'd rather not be alone. That was a horrific sight to see. I just hope she didn't suffer for long." Looking up at his friend, he couldn't help but feel safe and comforted.

Starting up the car engine, they drove past Alex's house to leave the town. As they approached the wooded country road, Alex yelped. "What? What is it?!" Killian exclaimed, startled by the sudden noise.

"I... I thought I saw someone standing among the trees in all black. It got me thinking about the Harvest story, is all. Sorry," Alex stammered, trying to steady his breathing.

Killian sighed and chuckled to himself. "It's all right. It is that time of year, and after what we just found out, it's understandable. At least it's just a story; The Reaper isn't real. If you'd like, I've still got some cigarettes in the compartment on your door. Just hand me one, and we can calm down as well as discuss just how badly I beat you in Halo last night." Alex smacked his arm, followed by some playful banter. They continued like that for 30 minutes, laughing and teasing each other, allowing the events of the morning to fade into the background as if they had never happened.