Chermont Street

Chapter 3

Max stepped out into the cool summer air, she looked around. She'd finished packing an hour ago, and Sam should have been back before that. She stood at the end of her little street, turning to face the unmowed field that led into the woods she squinted, but turned once again.

Something stood at the opposite end of the road something that wasn't there before. It looked human, at least except for it's face, she blinked. Max knew she must've been going crazy. Katherine stood where the thing was, she smiled at her. "Katherine? What are you doing?" The girl walked closer, no. Gilded slowly and gracefully over the black asphalt, only the front of her sneakers dragging on the asphalt. "Max" her voice was distorted, almost like it was coming out of a radio on the other side of the world. Max backed up. "What the fuck" Katherine blinked, and grinned again repeating her name. "Max" it was deeper distortion this time. Max took another step back, now in the field. Katherine, no the thing started speeding up, a laugh shook the girl to her core. "Max I know why you hate me" The girl turned running deeper into the field. "Stay the hell away from me!" it sped up, it definitely wasn't human, it's eyes offered nothing more than a dead stare. "Max I know everything" the distortion stressed every syllable of the last word. "I know. Do you? Why do you hate me Maxine? What did I ever do to you?" Max ran until she felt something catch her foot. She screamed as the hand yanked her back and a body pinned her to the ground. "Just tell me Max, tell me and I'll let you live" the thing grinned, it's smile quite literally moving up to her cheeks like slits in paper. Max struggled "I don't know what you're talking about!" The hand snapped back and grabbed at her throat. The voice now alien, it screamed in her face. "SAY IT SAY IT SAY IT SAY IT" Max felt the blood in her veins, roaring in her ears. "I Like you! I like you and I fucking hate myself for it! So-so, I hate you I'm sorry. Good god I'm sorry please don't fucking kill me" Max was sobbing, Katherine's face came closer to hers, the smile shrinking back to it's normal place on any normal human face. The voice forced itself between her lips and laughed. Max felt the weight leave her body. She drug her knees into her chest as sobs racked her entire body. She sat in the overgrown field until she wasn't crying anymore, just shaking and rocking back and forth. Finally she stood up, one foot in front of the other Maxine pick yourself up and go home. She heard a stick snap and whipped around. Katherine stood behind her, except her entire right arm was mutilated, grafted skin was grey and lumpy, old scars lined where flesh collided with other flesh. At the bottom 5 inch long claws protruded from the mess of a hand. Max stood still, paralyzed in fear. Katherine's face contorted into a smile once again, "Run" it whispered.

Max didn't get but two steps onto the street when the thing's claws tore through her back. Once, twice, three times. Warm liquid leaked through her burning body and soaked her now tattered clothes. The pain was nothing she'd felt before but she was already blacking out. Too tired to scream she felt something drag her by her shirt collar, then she hit the ground, falling right through it into a spiral of pain and inky black nothingness.

Sam looked around, she'd now been at this stupid clinic twice in a 24 hour period and was beginning to feel pathetic. Looking inside the room Ari didn't even flinch as Dr. Miller weaved the string in and out of their face, trying carefully to piece it back together. Sam shuddered, the cuts on her own face had only just began to heal themselves but Ari? That was going to scar. Sam felt a wave a deja vu hit her when she forced the dollar bill into the soda machine. This time however the can hit the floor when she saw who was rushing through the door. Sam ran towards the stretcher yelling "That's my sister! What the hell happened to her?" Max was lying on her stomach, her back a bloody mess, claw marks decorated her skin like a highway under construction, blood trickling from the wounds like the cars forced on a detour. "Kid back up she needs a doctor now" Sam ignored him "That's my sister! What happened? Let me see her!" She shoved past one of the paramedics to stunned to do anything more than blink. "Who did this?" Tears mixed with rage and was stirred with a dash of fear topped off by panic. The perfect cocktail of the worst feelings in the universe, but the glass was too small for grief. At least for now. Sam was screaming now "Who did this? Why won't you say anything? Someone say something please!" Dr. Muller ran into the lobby "Call St. Peter's, get a chopper. We can't do anything for here. Bring her into this room" One of the paramedics wrapped his arms around Sam, she fought him hard. "You can't go with her, she could have diseases and you have open wounds" Sam kicked him, punched him, fought like her life depended on it but he never let go. "I'm sorry"

An hour later Sam watched her sister be flown off to the next two towns over in a helicopter with her dad. He told her to be good, and stay at home. She sat in one of the benches at the clinic waiting for the doctor to finally finish stitching up Ari. She stood up when they all walked out, Jd smiled at her "Hey it's going to be ok. Max, she's strong she'll be fine" Sam sighed "Yeah, I know" Tyler checked his watch. "C'mon guys let's go home. It's almost 2 am" Sam sighed, Ari looked over "Hey you can come stay with me" Sam shook her head. Taking her bike she rode back down Chermont street. What she didn't expect to see was a small box, wrapped in brown paper on her doorstep. All that was written on it was "Samantha" Sam frowned, threw it on the table, climbed to the second floor, and fell asleep on the upstairs couch.