Midnight: A Foxvalley Thriller (First Draft)✔

Chapter IX: The Survivor Who Spoke

Foxvalley, Colorado

May 28, 9:21 A.M.

The front door of Benjamin's house flung open. For Ben the night seemed almost like it'd never end. His bother was gone and he didn't get a blink of sleep from it. The driveway leading up to the house from the side still remained vacant. Alarm shot through his spine when he remembered his mother went to Canon City last night looking for her son, and even though he called her, she never returned throughout he night. Maybe she stayed the night, but that could help keep the terrifying image of the remaining half of his brother's body lying in a puddle of blood on the foot of the hill from haunting him.

Barely a car drove by on the street ahead of the house, which to Ben seemed strange, most people in Foxvalley left for work anywhere between nine and ten o'clock. The sky shined a bright white in the cloudless sky. The weather channel of the news announced earlier that day that it was supposed to rain tonight, but the sky looked more cloudless than he could ever remember. It didn't really surprise him much, just another strange thing about this small secretive town.

Ben found the time being back from finding half his brother's tough. The sickening feeling rotting in his stomach made him feel ill. His mind boggled, wonder what to do to possibly get his mind off his brother. He finally concluded that a walk would help him to convince himself not to tie a rope around the ceiling fan and kick a chair out from under him. If his brother just would've died it might've been easier to handle, but he saw his dead body. Well, part of it anyway. His depression only seemed to worsen without his mother home to comfort him, hug him and say, "It's going to be alright." Ben headed down the sidewalk of the street ahead of his house, Hemfield rd.

The world seemed bright on this day, yet as always a lurking darkness still stalked all the town residence. A group of younger children, around maybe eight to nine years of age played tag in the front yard of the house next door. They played and slapped each other on the backs, only to speed off running and giggling. They continued naively, unaware of the spirits of darkness following close behind them, or the tired zombie eyes stalking them from an upstairs window of the house next door. Weeds and grass grew out of cracks in the sidewalk, bending over from their own burden. The sun casted its rays down onto the town streets, dispelling as much of the dark that it could, but Ben already all knew, not even the sun can expel all the evil of the universe. A vehicle flashed down beside the road, leaving behind a fit of dust. The brown, dying weeds planted into the sidewalk weaved in the wind as the car flashed by in a fit of golden yellow dust clouds.

The roar of a lawnmower arose over the sound of the birds singing their songs of innocence. An older man from across the street began pushing the mower around. He looked tired. Those bags hanging from below his eyes indicated he wasn't only tired from a lack of sleep but tired of his growing-old lifestyle. Ben continued down the street. The memory of his brother haunting his mind, all the way from times in the past of him as his brother throwing softballs to each other. Most days during his elementary years appeared much like that. Ben's older Brother, Kevin, was only a year older than him. His last year alive he was quarterback of the Foxvalley football team. Kevin loved sports, and wanted his brother to also be just as much into sports just as much as him.

Unfortunate for Kevin, Ben never really did get all that much into sports. Ben couldn't count all the times his big brother asked him to come and see him at one of the school football competitions. "C'mon Ben, it'll be great. You can watch us beat other schools, and then I'll teach you some of my moves." He'd say just about every few months when the football team would go to a competition. Ben couldn't count how many times he turned down his brother's offer. Now he regretted all those time he lied saying, "No, I have way too much homework tonight, maybe next week." Ben had hoped giving that tennis ball to FBI agent Budsworth would help him forget about what happened to his brother quicker, but that isn't just something you forget. It didn't even ease his pain, but at least it didn't make it any worse.