Cornfield

Jugement

I opened it and walked outside. When I closed the door, Kaitlyn looked up at me.

'Go back inside,' Kaitlyn commanded.

'Kaitlyn,' I said.

'No! You're just going to sing that song again.'

I took a step towards her. 'Kaitlyn.'

She pointed a finger at me. 'Don't you dare come any closer.'

'Kaitlyn, I didn't do it on purpose. I didn't know what was happening.'

Kaitlyn looked into my eyes.

I walked closer to her, until I was close enough to grab her hand and stop her from pointing at me. 'This isn't the time to start turning on each other,' I whispered. 'There are only four of us and one of us is injured. We need to band together.'

Kaitlyn took a breath. The features on her face softened in the moonlight. She looked more youthful, almost like a child. A slight breeze came in. Kaitlyn flinched, but I kept my eyes on her.

I felt the cold air hitting my cheeks. Air smelled like grass that was recently cut. Grasshoppers and cicadas could be heard, inching through the grass. I wondered how many of them came from Kaitlyn's room. I looked over at the fence. Griffin's body was no longer hanging across it, but the blood streaks were prominent along the fence. I wrapped my arms around myself, thinking about the hours before Cornfield. All of my friends making jokes. Happiness filling the room. Feeling like I was at home. I didn't know what that feeling was anymore.

I looked back over at Kaitlyn, as she looked up at me.

'Scarlett...I'm fucking scared,' Kaitlyn chuckled, but it quickly turned to a sob.

I walked up to her and held her in my arms. I ran my hand up and down her back. 'It's okay. Let it out.'

'I keep seeing death. I see Macey's body. Caiden's. Natalie's. And Cornfield is there smiling as Rockabye baby plays. I can't get it out of my head. It's all I hear. And down will come baby, cradle and all.' Kaitlyn sobbed.

'Sh! Sh! It's okay. I'm here for you.'

'I can't do it anymore, babe. I can't.'

'It's okay.' I pulled away and looked into her eyes. I cupped her cheeks with my hands. 'I think it's best if we leave now. The police aren't coming to us, so we should go to them.'

Kaitlyn slowly nodded.

I didn't let her go, until her breathing slowed.

Kaitlyn closed her eyes and quickly opened them. 'I fucking love you, Scarlett.'

I smiled. 'I love you, too, Kaitlyn.' I paused. 'Are you better now?'

Kaitlyn nodded. She reached out for my hand.

I grabbed it and kissed the back of her palm before walking back inside. Making sure she was okay enough to go on was my biggest priority, no matter how scared I was.

Danny was wrapping gauze around Roxanne's leg. He looked up at Kaitlyn and me, as we walked in.

'Roxanne should go to a hospital,' I said.

'Yeah, I know,' Danny said. 'I was hoping the police would be here by now, but they're not. I'm not going to wait around for another causality.'

I flinched.

'Sorry.'

'Then, let's go,' Kaitlyn said, quickly. 'I can't be here any longer.'

Danny helped Roxanne to her feet.

The four of us walked to the garage. Inside, I noticed the hood of Kaitlyn's mom's van was up. The doors were opened as well. I assumed her dad was working on it again before they had left for the night and I just didn't notice the first time we were here.

Danny helped Roxanne sit in the backseat. She spread out her legs, so that they could stay elevated.

'Should we take the van, then?' Danny asked.

'Is the van okay enough for that?' I asked.

'My dad didn't say anything against using it,' Kaitlyn said. She paused. 'Do you feel better laid out that way?'

Roxanne nodded.

'We'll take the van.'

As Kaitlyn moved to grab the keys that were hanging from the hook across the room, the door to the garage busted open.

Cornfield stood in the doorway.

Kaitlyn immediately started screaming.

I crouched down and covered my ear as Kaitlyn's scream rushed through me.

Cornfield threw his scythe at the propane tank closest to the grill and car.

'Everyone duck away!' Danny cried, as he jumped for the corner.

Everyone else followed suit, except one.

'Roxanne!' I cried. Tears brimmed my eyes.

At this moment, she was able to drag herself out of the car. She didn't move far, though. She was holding onto the car mirror for support, when she looked at me. She smiled.

Cornfield snapped his fingers. The propane tank exploded. Danny, Kaitlyn and I ducked down and hid our faces from the blast.

I coughed and gasped for air as smoke filled my lungs. It smelled like wood and metal was burning nearby. When enough of the smoke cleared, I lifted up my head to survey the scene. Cornfield and his scythe were no longer where they previously were. I looked towards the ground and froze.

Roxanne lay there looking up at the ceiling with the same smile she gave me before the explosion. Most of her body was charred, while the other parts were bloody. Some parts were still bleeding. The car mirror ended up lodging itself into Roxanne's chest as well as other pieces of metal and glass. I noticed that she had a burn that burned all the way to the bone in her arm.

Slowly, Kaitlyn and Danny looked up at the aftermath.

Kaitlyn turned and threw up beside her. It quickly turned to dry heaves.

The sound drilled into my head. I kept imagining the explosion over and over again. Roxanne's smile. Cornfield's eyes. Natalie's screams. Caiden's crushed head. Macey's blood. Isaiah's screams. Griffin's corpse. All behind the sounds of Kaitlyn's heaves.

'Scarlett!' Danny cried.

I blinked. I turned around and looked at him.

'Wherever you have been going in your head, you need to cut it out.'

I stared blankly at him.

Danny sighed. He ran his hand over his face. 'Scar...I'm sorry.'

I shook my head. 'No, it's my fault. I'm too in my head.'

'You should be...after tonight.'

I paused. I looked around the room. 'Where's Kaitlyn?'

'She walked out of the garage. Did you not hear the door open?'

I looked over and noticed the field, the sky, and the street. I shook my head. 'All I could hear was Kaitlyn's heaves and Natalie and Isaiah's screams.'

Danny hesitated. 'Maybe you should take a moment." He stood up. "I'll go check on Kaitlyn.'

I shook my head. 'You won't be able to help her.' I stood up. 'I'll be fine. I made it this long.'

Danny grimaced. 'Please, don't talk like that. Wait until we're safe.'

I passed him as I started walking outside. 'You are foolish to think that we'll ever be safe again.'