Scarecrow (Part 3/3)

For Part 1

For Part 2

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The rain started to slow down as we drive through the darkness. The storm must’ve caused the blackout making the situation more ominous. The car’s lights were the only thing that illuminated the area around us. Mr. Cuevas already called the police on his cellphone.

“I hope she’s okay” I said.

“She’ll be fine, lad” Mr. Cuevas replied. “We’ll be there in no ti—“

Mr. Cuevas made a full stop. The seatbelt painfully pinned me back to my seat. I looked up front. Before us was a scarecrow walking across the street. It limped forward with a twisted leg then tripped.

We didn’t speak. Mr. Cuevas continued to drive passing by the fallen scarecrow. The empty field at my side looked oddly familiar. Then I realize that the scarecrows I always see here weren’t present.

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I didn’t feel easy as we approached the foot of Mt. Torres. By now the rain had stopped and some moonlight shone. From the car I could see a figure walking towards the mountain.

“There!” I pointed. “It’s Glena!”

Mr. Cuevas stopped the car. We got out and ran to her. I called out her name and she stopped on her tracks.

“Glena!” I grabbed her arm.

“Jake” she faced the mountain. “Ray told me that my parents are up there.”

“Listen, Glena” I told her. “Don’t listen to Ray. There’s something up there that takes people away and are trying to get you next.”

She turned around and gave me that awful stare.

“Guys” Mr. Cuevas interrupted. “We better get back in the car. And fast.”

I turned around. Scarecrows emerged from the surrounding woods slowly walking towards us. We ran back to the car. I held on to Glena’s hand. I can’t help but notice the despair in her face.

We got in. Mr. Cuevas hastily started the car and we were off. I looked at the mirror seeing the scarecrows fading in the background. Glena sat at the back still dazed.

“He can see you” she murmured.

Mr. Cuevas took an alternate route presumably to hide from them. We passed by a couple of farms away from Mt. Torres and reached rather distant parts of town. Mr. Cuevas sped up. Something’s not right.

“Mr. Cuevas, we better be careful” I spoke. “There’s a cliff somewhere here.”

He didn’t say anything. I repeated his name to no avail. I looked at the upper mirror and saw someone at the backseat with Glena. It was Ray. And he had a mischievous smile on his face.

“Stop the car!” I grabbed the wheels from Mr. Cuevas’s hands making us crash unto a tree. Mr. Cuevas was knocked out. I could hear the sea nearby accompanied by a howling wind.

Ray vanished from the back. Me and Glena got out immediately. I removed Mr. Cuevas’s seatbelt and attempted to help him off the car.

“Hello, Jake” I heard a voice that made me stop on my track.

“Ray” I angrily said.

“Come along now, Glena” he said. “Your parents are waiting for you.”

As Glena stepped forward, I blocked her with an arm and gestured her to hide behind me. I glared at Ray. I would’ve been afraid but anger took over. Ray stepped forward. Impulsively, I smacked him right at his face.

Ray stood still with his head slightly turned from the punch. He looked at us then laughed.

“What’s so funny!?” I yelled at him.

“I guess you wouldn’t be my friend” he smirked.

That line... It was from The Little Monster, the book I used to read for Glena. I looked at her. She wasn’t afraid. Rather than hide behind me, she watched what was going on. I know that she’s seeing Ray as he is: not as her innocent puppy, but a mockery of the dead.

Ray grabbed me by the collar then threw me hitting the car behind me. Ray approached Glena.

“Follow me, Glena. Jake’s not your friend anymore. Besides, he will leave you soon.  I’ll be your friend. I can even take you to your family right now.”

Glena walked towards Ray. She looked back at me then followed him. I struggled to stand and catch up with them.

“Glena!” I shouted. “Glena, wait!”

She stopped then turned around. “Ray kept telling me things, Jake. That you weren’t my friend.”

“Glena, that isn’t true!”

“Then why, Jake? Why don’t you have time to read me stories anymore? Why do you try to get rid of me so easily? It’s like you wouldn’t mind if I was gone!”

Tears dropped from her eyes. I cried as well.

“Glena, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I didn’t realize how badly you felt.”

Her head hanged low as she heard my words. “But listen, Glena. After all this, I can read you stories again just like before. And maybe share some interesting stuff with you. I promise not to neglect you anymore.”

“Tsk tsk” Ray interrupted. “C’mon now, Glena. You know that Jake can’t handle having you around. To him, you’re just a nuisance.”

“Maybe I am” Glena said. “Jake, I’m sorry if I annoyed you. I promise not to disturb you anymore.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself” I told her. “You didn’t do anything wrong. C’mon, let’s go home now.”

Glena rushed towards me but Ray grabbed her.

“How dare you run away from me!?” Ray screamed at her.

With my remaining strength, I rammed Ray knocking him unto the ground. He started cursing at me but couldn’t get back up. I saw his features beginning to fade away. As his form dissolved, he gasped as if meaning to scream.

An inanimate scarecrow that was Ray now stayed on the ground. I embraced Glena after the ordeal and helped Mr. Cuevas out of the car. Police later found us and had us treated at the hospital. Ray’s remains were never found.

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“The remains of the missing people have finally been discovered high above Mt. Torres. The meteorite in question struck a long abandoned military laboratory containing massive amounts of hallucinogenic chemicals that spread throughout town by air. The strange chemical, which also had addictive properties, may have lured the victims. So far, the effect has been neutralized.”

Officially, everything that happened in my town was caused by hallucinations. I don’t know, it all felt real to me. My parents adopted Glena making her my little sister now. I stuck to my word reading her favourite stories and spending more time with her. Mr. Cuevas and his wife recently visited their son’s grave.

Eventually, I left for college. But I kept in touch with my family and promised to visit whenever I can.

Before I left, I’ve decided to pass by the scarecrow field. I looked at the place and admired the scarecrows that just stood there. It occurred to me that I thought they were gone when we went to save Glena. Maybe it was all just a hallucination.

I walked on through the road and noticed one of them near the side. It had a twisted leg. I went on with my path but not before noticing it twitch.