NIGHT WATCHERS (An original story by Lawrence A. LeBlond)

-Chapter One-

Zane wasn’t always a loner. Growing up he was usually found with the “in” crowd and had a very outgoing lifestyle. Living life quite normally, Zane would frequently be found at the Fun Zone, mixing it up with his peers and doing what most typical teens do. He had a steady girlfriend and a decent after-school job. He was even pleasant and respectful to his elders and was always willing to lend a helping hand.

Things began to change for Zane, however, as graduation day approached that mid-June in 1989.

It was an eerily chilly evening in Wayport, Maine with dark clouds looming over the horizon. A slight breeze meandered down the street, brushing up against Zane and his girlfriend, Tabitha, as they walked home from an interesting afternoon at the Fun Zone.

“Can you believe Dylan nailed that shot?” Zane excitedly directed his attention toward Tabitha, jumping up and tossing an air ball into an air hoop. “I mean, that guy is a killer.”

“Yeah,” Tabitha smiled, rubbing her crossed arms. “He definitely killed it.”

Zach, noticing that the evening air was beginning to get to his sweetheart, closed up against her, hugging her close to him. He looked up ahead at the impending darkness. “Those clouds look ominous. It seems like it is colder than usual.”

Tabitha brushed up closer to Zane. “Look!” Tabitha breathed in and out. “I can see my breath.”

They had not expected to encounter such chilling temperatures that evening and were still close to a mile from Tabitha’s home in only t-shirts and shorts. The temperatures had been falling steadily since their departure from the fun center.

“Why is it so cold?” Zane seemingly searched the dark skies for an answer. “Maybe we should pick up the pace a little.”

The walk hastened to a slight jog as they made the journey home. Just as they reached the doorstep of Tabitha’s Victorian-style home, the sky opened up and a cold, hard rain began to fall.

“Maybe you should come inside,” Tabitha uttered as she tugged at his arm.

“Nah. I can make it home in just a few minutes if I run really fast.” Zach reached in and gave Tabitha a soft kiss on the lips. He smiled and stepped back into the chilly rain. He could tell Tabitha was quite displeased with this decision, but he was quite confident he could make it home in one piece.

As Zane raced the half-mile stretch of road to his house, the rain’s intensity slowed to a fine mist. This would have been fine except for the fact that the air surrounding him was starting to become like an icy fog. Zane slowed to a halt and tried to peer through the thickening veil of air. He knew he was close to home, but the thick fog reduced his visibility to mere feet in front of him. He picked a spot on the curbing and followed along, believing it would be six more driveways until he reached his.

As he followed the curb, it was apparent that he was not going to find his way home by sight. The thickness only grew deeper and the iciness of the night air chilled him to the bone. His pace slowed to a crawl and he now did not know if he was any closer to home or maybe had passed it. His parents were likely in the living room watching TV and he thought maybe if he screamed loud enough they may hear him.

The first two attempts failed to penetrate the wall of fog. He took in a deep breath and hollered out once more, but the sound only resonated around his ears. Being unsteady on his feet, he dropped to his hands and knees and felt his way onto the soft grass over the curb. He believed his only chance would be to feel his way to home. Scared and cold, he meandered on all fours across the chilly lawn.

Stumbling over a block of wood, Zane stopped and looked around. Still in a complete darkness of fog, he took a little solace knowing he was at his neighbor’s house. The block of wood was left there from the previous fall, when Mr. Hamlin was out cutting his firewood for the winter. He picked himself up and sat on the stump. Without any visible clues around him, Zane was unsure which direction home was. He sat on the stump, shivering and unable to go on.

Just as quickly as the coldness settled in and the fog rolled through town, it lifted. Zane, who had eyes closed, slowly opened them to perfect clarity. The coolness in the air had vanished and the warmth began to race back into him. Still shivering, he saw his front porch just fifty feet away. He began to laugh nervously, unsure of what had just happened. He glanced upward. The dark clouds had mysteriously dissipated and the clear night sky pushed through. 

Chapter 2 to be posted Friday Sept. 18, 2015