Playing Catch With a Monster

Kali and Fred find themselves in the middle of barbaric cannibalistic attacks in their neighborhood.

“Move!” Frey shouted, jumping over a tiny rock as though it were a hurdle. “IF YOU WANT TO STAY ALIVE KEEP RUNNING!”

          Kali gasped for air, but it felt as if a basketball was pressed up against his chest and his lungs weren’t getting quite enough oxygen. “Damn it,” said Kali in between long, forceful breaths, “Frey,” he inhaled, “I can’t.”

          Kali couldn’t feel his legs anymore, but somehow he was still moving forward, following the shadow of his best friend, who was now more than twenty feet away.

          Frey looked back, slowing down significantly. He, too, seemed exhausted, though not as much as Kali felt. Although, if Kali were to be fair, Frey didn’t have a few extra pounds, nor spent the majority of his day watching Netflix. No, the m**********r actually did an extremely odd thing that’s rarely ever heard of…exercise. If anyone had ever warned Kali that there was a cannibalistic savage on the loose, then maybe he would have joined his dear friend on one of his morning jogs.

          “Come on,” Frey urged, signaling with his hands as if that would give Kali a certain super strength to fuel his weary legs. “We’re almost there.”

          Kali wanted to ask if the person they’d seen devouring their high school teacher on the parking lot was still following them, but he didn’t think it would be wise to waste his few breaths.

          Frey waited until they were together again to keep running. This time, he moved at Kali’s pace instead. Kali was grateful. If my fate is to become a cannibal’s meal, Kali thought, at least my friend will be dessert.

          Of course, his biggest wish was that neither of their delicious human bodies ended up in another human’s stomach.

          Kali spared a look behind him to check how close he was to his death. He had to do a double-take to make sure his eyes weren’t lying to him. Kali looked again, and no, his eyes had been right the first time.

          No one was following them.

          Except it couldn’t be that easy. It never was that easy. Kali had seen enough horror movies to prove this. He knew better.

          “Frey, look, he’s gone,” Kali said, but not at all relieved. In fact, he recognized the feeling in the pit of his overstretched stomach that told him he wasn’t safe. But he was alone.

          “Frey?” Kali asked, finding a stopping point to turn around and search for his appropriately athletic friend.

          The cold wind blew hard against his sweaty face, and the leafless branches of the trees around him moved quietly. The cloudy afternoon made it feel like nighttime. He was no meteorologist, but there was definitely some rain on the way.

          Kali took a deep breath, relishing on the feeling of the oxygen filling up his lungs fully at last. It already smelled of rain. He noticed a few small drops of water descending from the gray sky, landing on the dirt below his feet.

          No one was approaching them anymore. Perhaps no one had ever been following them in the first place. There had to be a logical explanation for all of this.

          Kali indulged himself with a few more easy breaths before he continued on his path, this time walking. He moved towards the street in which he suspected Frey had turned to. Frey was probably home by now, laughing over the whole thing. They were going to look back at all of this a few years from now and just laugh at their stupidity. They were known for overreacting and fearing dumb little things (like clowns and spiders. “Have you not seen Stephen King’s It before, Kali?” Yes, he had, but he was the one with arachnophobia).

          As Kali rounded the corner, he found his lifelong friend lying on the pavement, bleeding considerably. His attacker was a woman, not much older than they were. She’d look normal if she hadn’t been chewing on Frey’s heart.

          Kali realized he had two options as he stood frozen in fear. 1) He could lose his s**t and mourn his best friend because what a f*****g terrible way to die, and they had so many plans together, and Frey was seriously going to do something great with his life. 2) He could turn and run the other way until he found a moderately safe place to catch his breath and then proceed to mourn his best friend (because what a f*****g terrible way to die).

          Kali opted for the latter, because Frey died alone and now his most beloved body organ was in another human’s stomach, and Kali wouldn’t allow his friend to go in vain.

          The girl who was much literally breaking Frey’s heart noticed Kali"most likely his beating heart in particular"and took off running after him.

          Kali tried to watch his feet and maintain his speed, but he felt so weak and thirsty. In the back of his mind, there was a dimming voice telling him to just give up. To fall down and let himself be murdered viciously. But there was a Kroger store just a block away, so he focused on that as he bounced on his numbing legs.

          Kroger appeared to be normal. Everyone shopping around in here was entirely oblivious to the upcoming danger, but Kali couldn’t speak as he entered the store. As he attempted to restore his breath yet again, he saw the girl approaching him. Hey, look at that, he thought, she finished Frey’s heart. Kali reached up his hand to signal for help, but people were being people, and all they were good for was staring.

          “KILLER!” Kali managed to shout. “Killer! Someone. Someone please. Shut. The door.” And with his last bit of energy left, he stumbled to the floor.