CreepsMcPasta Creepypasta Radio - "When I was in high school, two of my classmates mysteriously died" Creepypasta

Episode Date: October 22, 2020

What a tragedy. CREEPYPASTA STORY►by SirUlrichVonLichten: https://www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/comm...Creepypastas are the campfire tales of the internet. Horror stories spread through Reddit r/nosleep, forums and blogs, rather than word of mouth. Whether you believe these scary stories to be true or not is left to your own discretion and imagination. LISTEN TO CREEPYPASTAS ON THE GO-SPOTIFY► https://open.spotify.com/show/7l0iRPd...iTUNES► https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast...CREEPY THUMBNAIL ART BY►michalivan: https://www.deviantart.com/michalivan...SUGGESTED CREEPYPASTA PLAYLISTS-►"Good Places to Start"- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7YCb...►"Personal Favourites"- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEa2R...►"Written by me"- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gX6RA...►"Long Stories"- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list...FOLLOW ME ON-►Twitter: https://twitter.com/Creeps_McPasta►Instagram: https://instagram.com/creepsmcpasta/►Twitch: http://www.twitch.tv/creepsmcpasta►Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CreepsMcPastaCREEPYPASTA MUSIC/ SFX- ►http://bit.ly/Audionic ♪►http://bit.ly/Myuusic ♪►http://bit.ly/incompt ♪►http://bit.ly/EpidemicM ♪-This creepypasta is for entertainment purposes only-

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Just he only modder on? Oh yeah, Allene Mauder Drove blithe Goar for Find what you know You know of Amazon.com. It started with my 10th grade English teacher

Mr. Baldwin, Show up late for class. Before his arrival, several of my classmates had made the usual joke About being legally allowed to go home If Mr. Baldwin didn't show up after 15 minutes. minutes. Kids had been making that joke as far back as the 80s. But after 15 minutes, Mr. Baldwin still hadn't shown up. A sense of her knees started to creep its way into the classroom.

No one left or got out of the desks. We simply sat there and watched the clock tick away. I guess teachers play hockey too, my best friend Owen said to me. Owen Filder was a sardonic and sometimes aloof boy, with dark hair and fair appearance that I was envious of. What do you suppose English teachers do when they play hockey, do you think Mr. Baldwin is curled up with a dictionary somewhere? It's not just him, I said, suppressing a laugh and hugging a thumb behind me. There was an empty desk there. Larson never came today either. Hal Larson was a quiet boy. He was genuinely good-humoured, but always so quiet. I had run into hell outside of school over the weekend, and he had said something strange. But I tried not to think about that. No one had showed

much concern about his absence. After all, students were absent all the time. Kids got sick or played hockey. But teachers. Well, teachers were always there, weren't they? And when they weren't, there was always a substitute teacher there in their place, ready to prove themselves. Maybe they're both dead, a boy sitting behind me said. His name was Caleb Summers. Not that I would mind. One less boring teacher and one less numb-nuts in the world. No, I wouldn't mind at all.

Good riddance. Have a nice trip. See you next fall. Shut up, Rat Boy, Owen said. Once in ninth grade, a rat had found its way into the school. When Caleb saw it, he screamed a hyped scream and nearly fainted. Since then, only got into calling him Rat Boy. Normally, I wouldn't be one for calling names.

but Caleb, a shrewd, and a good, had a tendency he had a mosquito that kept buzzing at you wouldn't stop no matter how many times

you swatted him away. The nickname was well suited for him. Bite me, Fielder, Caleb said, as he gave Owen the finger. I'd rather bite into a cyanide capsule, Owen said, flipping the bird in return. You shouldn't say things like that, Caleb, another boy said.

He had a not so subtle, southern droll that I was his name was Chester Higby. What if they really are hurt? Ah, screw off Hick, Caleb said. I'm sure they're both fine, probably making out somewhere. The banter eventually died down and a terrible silence had taken over the class. Then, approximately 35 minutes after class was supposed to have started, Mr.

Baldwin stepped into the room. His face was pale and sweaty, and he looked nothing like the cool and hip teacher I was used to sing at the start of every day. He looked tired, so very, hey, hey, Mr. Mr. Baldwin said in a pallid voice. Hey guys? Normally, Mr. Baldwin would start the day with a hearty morning class, and whenever we didn't respond enthusiastically enough, he'd say in an even louder voice, I said good morning class. I don't know any other way of saying this, so I'll come out with it. Mr.

said. Your classmate, is dead. I was just in the with the rest of the we're cancelling school for the day. You're welcome to use the phone

in this room or in the main office to call your parents if you need to. We'll also have grief support later this week for those of you that need that. I'm so sorry guys. I'm just so very sorry. A sort of dumb shock

had taken over our class. Mr. Baldwin started sobbing and it was weird. seeing him cry. You never saw teachers cry. Occasionally you saw them at the supermarket, and that was strange enough. But you never saw them cry. No one said anything for what felt like an eternity, and then a girl started sobbing as well. Other students had similar reactions, and some asked Mr. Baldwin what happened, but he wouldn't say, most of us just hung our heads in a kind of numb sorrow. This was the first time I'd experienced death disclosed.

Sure, I had distant relatives that died, but I saw hell Larson every day of the week. And now? Now, he was dead. It felt unreal. I thought of the encounter I had with Larson outside of school. I tried to forget it, but it was hard to forget now. The memory rang loud in my head. Pete, you're not going to believe it, Larson had said, running up to me a couple days ago.

His face was sweaty. and he had a very energetic than usual. He had a very intense look in his eyes. I just saw my dead dog, and he was glowing. He was glowing. I missed him so much. I saw him, I swear it. Before I could even respond, he ran off. I shook away the memory and looked back at Caleb. When our eyes met, a defensive look came over his face. What the hell are you looking at Pete? It's not like, I didn't think he was actually... But his voice trailed off and he simply looked away in shame. Of course, rumours immediately started flying about how Hal Larson had died. The sort of low and nasty kind of gossip that only high schoolers can make. It wasn't until the evening news that we found out more details. Hal Larson's body had been found near a pond, completely lifeless. There had been no signs that he had drowned and there were no signs of a struggle.

The police said they were treating the case as a potential homicide, but weren't rolling out drugs or some kind of illness. It was all the information we were given. School resumed the next day, but it wasn't anything but a normal day. The school had brought over grief counsellors and experts who spoke to us at length about dealing with death and letting it all out. The police came as well and asked if anyone knew anything. I told them about my encounter with Hal what he said about his dog. But the officers just looked at me, and then dismissed me, like I was some annoying child. In between classes, as kids walked to and fro in the hallway, more rumours spread.

Aliens, man, it was the aliens that got him. He obviously ODED. I got a cousin that Odeed. Hey, you got any more pills? What if there's really a killer out there? Oh Jesus, oh Jesus! I swear I saw him the other day. He said he saw his dead dog. Isn't that kind of strange?

said his dog was into some weird stuff, man. He was such a sweet guy. He was in with the wrong people. Oh Jesus, oh Jesus, what if I'm next? It's wrong, Chester said in one of our afternoon classes. All these terrible things that people are saying about Larson, he's just not right. But he's savages, Owen said. Guy hasn't been cold for more than 24 hours and people are piling on him. Makes you want to hurl. But what do you think happened? I hated, I hated the gross rumours, but there was a part of me that deeply wanted to know why Larson had died. His death was a total mystery. It was almost as if the life had been sucked from his body. I told Owen and Chester about my encounter with Larson, and neither of them could make sense of it. I don't know, Owen said sadly. I don't want to know.

I hope it was peaceful. Chester said, I hope, he went peacefully. no one dies peacefully, Caleb muttered, under his breath. Shut up, rat boy, Owen said, turning toward Caleb and disgust. Nobody asked you, and stopped saying creepy stuff like that. Caleb made a face at Owen, but said nothing else. It seemed to me that he was still dejected and ashamed of the comments he had made the other day, back when we all thought Larson was alive.

To make matters worse for Caleb, more and more people, were finding out. maybe they're both dead. Not that I would mind. No, I wouldn't mind at all. High school gossip was like a terrible game of telephone. Someone said one thing and that one thing was stretched and pulled and changed until it no longer resembled the original thing it once was.

Words were like wind, always flowing and changing direction. It was Summers, man. It was Summers that did Larsonin. You hear what Summers said? He said, wish I'd kill. Larson. No, he said, he did kill Larson. Did you hear? Summers hated Larson. He had been planning this for years. Summer's messed up in the head. He's a freak. Glowing. Said his dog was glowing. How did Summers do it? Oh Jesus. Oh Jesus. What if I'm next?

Summers is going to get it. It didn't matter what Caleb actually said. His words had taken on a new life. And word eventually reached the adults about Caleb's little joke. or one of the telephone versions of it, and the police came to speak with him. Nothing came out of it, legally at least. But from that point on, whenever Caleb walked the hallways, people stepped away from him, like he smelled, rather plague. People would sneer and sometimes pushed him into a locker. Caleb Summers had become a leper.

I almost feel sorry for Summers, Owen said one day after school. We were watching Caleb leave the school. Some kids were heckling him. almost. Come on Owen, I said. Caleb, he sucks, he doesn't deserve it, Owen said, irritated. This is Caleb Summers we're talking about here. The same Caleb Summers that laughed at Molly Hansen when a cat went missing. The same Caleb Summers that called Darren Lower, you know what? The same Caleb Summers that cut Larry McDaniel's bicycle tires. Far as I'm concerned, rat boy, he's getting what he deserves. I guess, I said.

said, but he didn't have anything with Larson. This is high school, Owen said, matter-effectly. So a rat boy will get hazed a little bit. No one actually believes is the killer. By next week, people have forgotten all about him. I could do nothing but shrug and hope that was the case.

A vigil was held for Hal Larson on Friday night. It was a beautiful ceremony that took place in the high school's athletic field. Larson's parents spoke, and many of his teachers and many of his students, were scheduled to speak as well. everyone lit candles and the whole field was bright

with little orange flames. I was with Owen and Chester near the back. I hope I never see my mom cry like that, Chester said. God, that was hard to take. I feel so bad for his parents. I don't know if my mum would be happy or sad if I died, Owen said.

I couldn't tell if he was joking. It was hard to tell sometimes. I wonder. her if I would get a vigil like this, I thought morbidly. Mr. Mr. Baldwin had taken the stage and was giving a speech, but his voice faded away into the background because of what I saw. I saw three people who were walking away from the vigil. Even in the dark, I could tell one of them was unmistakably Caleb. The two other figures were leading Caleb into the school. No, forcing him was more like it. I nudged Owen and pointed at the three figures moving in the dark.

Oh, Chester said in that southern drawl of his... We have to check it out, I said urgently. Ah, do we have to? Owen said, but eventually sighed. All right, let's go. The three of us put out our candles, made away to the school entrance and slipped inside the building. We walked down the school's darkened hallways.

It was eerie In school after dark It didn't take long to find them They were in the gym It was the screaming that gave them away When we walked into the gym Caleb was on the ground in tears And his nose was bleeding

Two students were standing over him One of them was kicking Caleb kicking him hard The student who wasn't doing the kicking was Alex Hux He was the quarterback of our football team Alan unlike most jocks

He was an all-round He was nice He hung out with the other jocks But he'd also play cards With the nerds He'd a vast commie book collection Aced every test And would sling a football

60 yards without even trying He was a total boy scout But tonight He'd towered over Caleb Like some sort of vengeful Greek god The other boy was Trevor Materson If Alan was Superman Trevor was his Lex Luthor. He was fond of leather jackets, he didn't care about school-spirits or football games, and he flunked almost everything.

I don't think he had ever read a comic book in his life. He was the one who was King Caleb. Alex Hux and Trevor Materson were both on two opposite ends of the high school spectrum, and seeing the two of them standing together was a surreal experience. Superman and Lex Luthor had joined forces. There had been so much heat on Caleb this week, so much frustration taken out on him. And now it had all come to this boiling point, where two students stood over him like a pair of lions ready to pounce on a gazelle. What the hell is going on here? I said. Alan and Trevor turned around. Caleb looked up, but there was no relief on his face.

What's it looked like, Trevor Matterson said. and there was a maddeningleam in his eyes. We're giving him what he deserves. I didn't do it, Caleb said out of breath. Shut up! And Madison gave him another kick. Stop that, I yelled. Come on, Alan, this is insane. He didn't do anything. What about you, Fielder? Alan said darkly. And his face, which was normally so cheery, was a cold slab of stone.

You hate Summers as much as anybody. You don't think he deserves an ask him. I think, There was a slight hesitation He looked at Caleb's pathetic form on the ground And gave another sigh I think Pete's right Much as I don't like Ratboy He's no killer

We were all there when he said what he actually said It was just a dumb joke It was in poor taste but that's all He didn't even know Larsson was dead at the time You boys are taking this way too far Chester said softly. You didn't hear what he said, Alan said, on, tell him, Trevor said. Tell him what you told us, you freak. At first, it didn't seem like Caleb would say anything. He simply rubbed his bloody nose on his shoulder and spit on the gymnasium

floor. Then he spoke. His voice was pallid and pitiful sounding. I saw him. I saw Larson. I saw him tonight. He was glowing. No one said anything He simply stared at him In the back of my head. I thought of my I could tell Oren were thinking the same thing Glowing

Larson had said his dead dog was glowing And then Alan spoke He came running up to the vigil saying this nonsense Larson's alive, Larsen's alive Can you imagine? It's bad enough what's been said about him this week He couldn't just stay away tonight couldn't just leave it alone. He had to come and try roll everybody up with his BS. Had Larsen's vigil for crying out loud. Imagine if Larsen's parents had heard him,

you should have stayed away summers. No one wants to see your face. So Hux and I got the idea of bringing him in here and giving him some justice. Trevor said, and again, there was that maddening gleam in his eyes again. We got him away before anybody could hear him. I got to admit, I didn't know Hux had it in him. Alan He simply looked down at He simply looked down I saw him

And there's no hysteria in his voice He spoke as if every word was true Trevor brought up his leg for another kick No wait I said and bent down to get eye level with Caleb His face was a mess of blood Snot and tears I had gone to school with Caleb for years

He had not been a nice kid. He lied, poked at too many people. But there was something about what he said. Maybe he was lying. But what if he wasn't? What do you mean you saw Larson? I saw him, Caleb said, hoarsely. I saw him by the park, not too far from the pond. He was glowing and smiling. He waved to me. I swear, I swear he did. I know he's dead, but I saw him. Oh, Trevor said, and he connected Kaleb's stomach. Caleb groaned, and it seemed to me that

Materson was enjoying all this a bit too much. Stop that, I said, and then shoved Trevor. What the hell's your problem? Trevor said in response. He raised one of his fists and his knuckles were flaked with scabs and dry blood, probably from his countless other fights. You want some of this too? Why are you defending him? Alan said. Well, what if it's telling the truth? I knew how ridiculous it sounded the moment the words came out of my mouth, but there was something about Larsen's death I couldn't ignore.

His body had been discovered by a pond, completely lifeless. There had been no signs of struggle, and so far no official statement on his death. What if something had gotten, Larsen, something terrible like I'd have a nightmare or a campfire story. Something that lurks in the dark, glows when it wants to be seen. I know this sounds crazy, I said, but I ran into Larson before he died. He said, he told me he saw his dead dog. He said his dog had been glowing. You started that, Alan said, raising an eyebrow. I thought he was just another BS rumor floating around. It's true, I said defensively. I did run into Larson, and he did tell me that. and now, now Calab is saying something similar.

Because he heard the rumour, Trevor interjected. He heard about what Larson said, and now he was trying to spin his own BS on it, to rile people up. I don't doubt that you did run into Larson, Alan said to me, and I believe he did tell you that he saw his dead dog. Maybe he was under something. Maybe he was messing with you. Who knows?

There's a lot we don't know about how Larson, only that he didn't serve to die. But Summers here. Summers, I don't believe. Somers is a parasite and he's trying to disrupt the vigil. But what if Caleb's telling the truth too? I said thoughtfully. And what if Larson really did see his dead dog and he went looking for it and then it got him?

And maybe. Maybe now the same thing that got Larson is pretending to be Larson. Again, I was painfully aware of how ridiculous it all sounded. You hear what you're saying? "'Lasson got done him by something, "'to be his dead dog. You're worse than Summers. "'At least he knows is full of crap.' "'I admit, it sounds far-fetched,' Chester said.

"'But I've heard of strange things like this back in Louisiana. "'There are folklore, legends and such.' "'Yeah, and maybe the boogeyman is real too,' Trevor said mockingly. "'In fact, I think I saw Santa Claus last year. "'Only he wasn't a living presence. "'He was stooping a hooker behind the convenience store. ho, ho, I don't buy any of it, Alan said. You're just trying to prevent the inevitable. Somers was going to get his ass beat sooner or later. Stop protecting him. Well, why don't we just go and check it out? Owen said. He had been quiet for a while. I could tell he was having trouble with this situation. He didn't like Summers, but Owen wasn't a bad guy. And he wouldn't want someone getting beat up like this, especially if they were telling the truth. Maybe summers is lying. There's only one way. There's only one way. Let's just go to the park and see if anything's there.

No one said anything. The only sound was Caleb's pitiful wheezing. Then a look came over Alan. It was a look of regret and shame, as if he finally realized what he and Trevor had been doing. He looked down at Caleb's bloody figure and winced. He looked more like the Boy Scout I knew him to be. Fine, soberly, We'll check it out. Even bent down and helped Caleb Kaila'd try to push away, but Trevor latched one of his arms around him.

But if there aren't any dead dogs or glowing boys, Trevor said, and another mad smile crossed his face, then we'll really give you something to talk about, Summers. The six of us made our way out of one of the school's side entrances. We were away from the vigil, I could hear the sound of the school choir On this side of the neighbourhood There wasn't anyone else in sight

We walked on with Alan and Trevor in the vanguard Chester and Caleb in the middle And Owen and I in the rear For all the beatings he had taken Caleb was walking strong He seems more composed now Alan and Trevor would continuously look back at Caleb To make sure he didn't try to run away

Do you really believe this? I don't know, I said. But it didn't sound like Caleb was lying. Yeah, okay. But Pete, if he isn't lying, what the hell are we going to do if you run into this thing? Oh, I said a little pathetically. I guess I don't really know.

Owen gave a wild bark of laughter. Shuck his head and we walked on. Eventually, and it was an eerily quiet night. so quiet, that not even the crickets were chirping. Well, here we are, Trevor said. You-hoo! Are there any glowing monsters here?

I saw him, Caleb said. He was here. I swear, it was right here. We looked around the park, but there was nothing but darkness. Trevor and Alan began closing in on Caleb, like sharks drawn to blood. Could summers really have been lying about it all? Is he really just a pest, trying to stir things up?

Did he come to the vigil just to mess with everybody? To dance on Larsen's grave? You said he was glowing, Summers. You said you saw Larsen, and he was glowing. Show us, damn it. Show us. Well, these guys are going to break you in two. Well, there ain't no one else here but us, sunshine.

Trevor said. We're tired of your lies, Summer. Alan said darkly. He was here. I saw him, Kalyp, Kalyp said in a panicky voice. Sweat had broken out on his face and the rivulet streaked

through the dried blood. Guys, come on, I said but Owen placed the hand on my shoulder and shook his head. Hux was six-three and nothing but muscle. Madison had years of experience of getting into dirty brawls. I wouldn't be able to stop them

any more than I could stop the sun from rising each morning. And now Caleb Summers was going to get What's going on here? We all turned toward the sound of the police. There was a policeman down the road toward us. Caleb didn't waste a moment. With Alan and Trevor distracted, he immediately ran the other direction into the dark. He was gone in seconds. Alan Hux, is that you? The officer said when he finally got near enough. Every cop in town knew Alan Hux. He was the star of a high school, the pride of a little perfect

town. Madison, is that you too? Every cop also knew though, though obviously, for different reasons. It's me, Alan said. What are you boys doing out here? The officer said, eyeing the five of us suspiciously. He seemed just as surprised as I had been to see Hugs and Materson together. We just left the vigil, Alan said. We're all heading home. Is that right? The cop said. scratching his nose. It was that other boy, the one that ran off.

Other boy? Mattison said innocently. What other boy? You fella see another boy here? He looked at us and there was a glare in his eyes. A glare that said, Don't you say a damn thing. All right, all right, enough, Mattison.

The officer said, somewhat darkly. I sure is I don't know what's going on here, but you boys go home now. There's no curfew yet, but that might change. go on now. The officer made a the back of his hand and the five of us started down the road. Eventually, Alan and Trevor split off from us and disappeared like wraiths in the night.

You almost maybe believe Pete, Owen said when he was just the three of us left. Can you imagine if something had shown up in the park? It'll get worse for Summers now, Chester said, bleakly. Hugs and matters and won't let this go. They'll tell others what Summer said tonight. it's going to get real bad for him. He needs to stop stirring things up, Owen said. I mean, coming to Larsen's vigil tonight, saying the things he said,

what did he think it was going to happen? At that, Chester and I merely shook our heads. What a careless someone's been thinking? What did he hope to achieve by being such an annoying pest? Was it some kind of retaliation for the way he'd been treated by others this week? Didn't he realise they was making things infinitely worse? Why would he lie about seeing life? Larson in the fervourn't you feel the fervour the school?

The town even, didn't he know, people were upset about Larson's death, not just the tragedy, but the mystery of it all. Didn't it understand that Larson's death was a blotch on our perfect little town, and people were screaming for answers, screaming for justice? I saw him, he was glowing. Things did get worse for Caleb's summers after all. Hugs of Matteson told people about Caleb's antics of the vigil. and words spread very fast.

If he hadn't been already, there was no doubt that Caleb was now public enemy number one as far as our high school was concerned. More and more people started shoving him in the hallway. Teachers who would normally put a stop to that simply looked the other way. Once, while walking down the hall, I even saw Mr. Rathers bump into Caleb.

He bumped in so hard that Caleb nearly fell over. Mr. Rathers didn't even acknowledge Caleb. He simply kept walking. And as for Caleb himself, well, he looked like a walking ghoul. His face and body were bruised from the beating Alan and Trevor had given him the other day. His skin had gone as sickly pale from all the stress, and his eyes were constantly narrowed as if he was always expecting some sort of attack. He didn't speak much either.

He simply kept his head down, only darting his eyes up every once in a while to make sure no one was coming behind him. Caleb He was once a lively Who would often He would often say terrible But now Like a scarecrow

A walking scarecrow that said Nothing A scarecrow That constantly looked over its shoulders For fear of having His straw ripped out Did you hear what Somers said at the vigil

Can you believe it? He said he killed Larson Admitted it right out in the open I heard he had a bomb on him He was planning on taking everyone out Right there and then Summers said he's going to you think we'll you think. Summers,

Oh, oh, oh, Jesus, glowing. He was glowing. Worst of all, Caleb Summers was alone. He had no friends, no confidence, no one to protect him in any way. He was on an island, surrounded by sharks, hundreds of them. Owen and Chester had cautioned me against trying to comfort Caleb or help him in any way,

for fear that some of Caleb's would turn their attention to me especially since I was the one the rumour about Larsen saying he saw his dead dog no grief ever got back to me though it only ever was targeted at Caleb I still felt bad for him even though he had lied about seeing Larsen in the park

did he lie though are he still sure that he lied Pete are you okay with what's happening right now I wasn't okay with it It was a part of me, Kelleb, believed that he had seen Larson in the park, days after he had died, the same way Larson had seen as their dog. There was something lurking in our town, lurking in the shadows, and he was praying on people, but no one was noticing it. No one but Larson and Caleb. It was Caleb versus the rest of the school for days on end.

Caleb couldn't even take the school bus anymore. The kids in there were crowd around and, gang up on him. And the bus driver would simply whistle. He had to run home at the end of every school day. Some kids would follow him on bikes and throw things at him. It was terrifying how quickly people had turned on Caleb. We know it was you, Summers. We know it was you. What were Larsen's last words, Killer? What did he say? Why did you come to the vigil, Summers? Why did you come to the vigil? Oh Jesus, oh Jesus, I'm next. I'm next. Glowing. I swear he was glowing.

Someone should put an end to summers. Throughout it all, Caleb Never thought back. He took their And punches on, he simply trucked on, like a scarecrow Floating down a river. It didn't matter how many stones the scarecrow ran into, or how many branches it got snacked on. It simply kept floating down the river, even as it lost all its straw. Eventually, Caleb ran out of straw.

He was found dead, just to be found dead, just to the river. a couple of how Larsen had died. His body had been found not too far from the park, where he claimed he saw Larson the night of the vigil. According to the reports, his death was eerily identical to that of Larson as well. Though no indications of how he died, no signs of a struggle. He had a couple of scrapes and bruises, from his continuous tormentors, but other than that, it was as if the life had been sucked out of him. At first, I thought that maybe one of my claspses. Lastmates had taken things too far, that Hooks or Madison had finally decided to give Caleb what he deserved once and for all. I decided to put an end to Caleb Ratboy Summers.

But I knew that wasn't true. No one from my school killed Caleb, not directly at least. Caleb had been killed by the same thing that killed Hal Larson. A thing that lurked in the shadows. It seemed to glow as well. A thing that could take the appearance of a dead dog, or a little. dead schoolboy. But, maybe my school was still responsible. Maybe they had picked on Kailab one too many times. Maybe Kaleb went searching for that thing that lurked in the shadows,

hoping he would put him out of his misery. In the end, it had. Kaleb's Summers was dead. After Caleb's death, our school closed down for a couple of days, and a strict curfew was put in place. A strange thing happened after his death. It was as if the violent fervor everyone had broke And a sort of shame and disgust had overcome my classmates Shame for how they had treated him Yet, even though their shame was clear to see on their faces None of them would admit to how badly they had treated Caleb

Poor Caleb, he was such a nice guy He was an angel, wasn't he? Can't believe he died? I hung out with him at Larsen's vigil nicest guy in the world. Let's pour our toasts to Caleb's Oh Jesus, oh Jesus, I'm next. They're pretending like it never happened, Owen said to Chester and I one day. We were hanging out in my backyard. The curfew wouldn't be for another hour.

Like Summers wasn't on top of everyone's hit list for weeks on end. We're guilty in all this, Chester drawled. We should have listened to you, Pete. We should have stuck up for Caleb. It all went too far. It doesn't matter, I said glumly. Do you think whatever got Larson, got Caleb, the, glowy thing? Chester asked, and there was a clear fear in his eyes. I simply nodded.

After that, Chester left, saying he had to be home. It was just Owen and I, and for a while, neither of us spoke. Then Owen said, Did I ever tell you I was best friends with summer when we were kids? I shook my head. It's true. Back in elementary school, before you boys moved here, I used to hang out with him all the time on the weekends. Our houses aren't that far apart. He got me a pop gun for one of my birthdays. Can you believe that? I still have it somewhere, buried in my room. The strange thing is, I can't remember why we stopped being friends. It's just a blur to me, Pete. One day we were friends and the next day we weren't. One day I was hanging out with him and the next day

I was hanging out with you and Chester. Why? Why did a kid stop being friends with each other? Why did they stop Pete? When did he stop being Caleb Summers to me and become rat boy? I wish I could say sorry to him. God, I am sorry. I'm sorry too, was all I could say. Eventually Owen left. It got dark and curfew set in. The stars were out and the moon was bright. It was a small, open. and field behind my house. I was going to go inside when something caught my eyes. There was someone standing in the field. It was Caleb Summers and he was glowing. Caleb, is that you? I said in shock. I hopped my backyard's fence and ran into the field. It was Caleb. His skin was white and there was a glow to him. He was waving at me and he was smiling, gesturing for me to

come closer. I felt as if I were in a trance. I needed to get closer to him. I had to get closer. Caleb. And then it happened. Caleb's summer's vanished. I was standing in the field instead. Was something black and oozy like tar with tentacles like a squid. It had red eyes and they glared at me hungrily. One of his tentacles made a swoop at me, but I quickly jumped back. I gave a shout and then ran back to my house. I jumped over the fence, ran inside the back door of my house and locked it. I fell against the door, gasping. I knew instantly what I had just encountered.

It had been the thing that killed Hal Larson and Caleb Summers, the thing that lurked in the shadows of our perfect little town. I had only survived because it had mistakenly dissolved its illusion a moment too soon, had it pretended to be Caleb for only a second longer. Eventually, a little, went back to normal. and life resumed. No one died for the rest of the school year,

and during the summer, I found out my father had gotten a job in California. We moved away from that town. Owen, Chester and I said we would always stay in touch, but eventually that stopped, and I lost contact with them. I haven't spoken to them in years. I never forget about them though, or about Hal Larson or Caleb Summers. Summers. Part of me wants to go back to that perfect little town, see if Owen and Chester are still there.

I wonder what they've been up to all these years. But another part of me is afraid. Afraid that when I walk those streets at night, I'll see something glowing in the dark. And it'll be Caleb Summers, waving at me. Caleb Summers smiling and glowing. Thank you.