The Screaming Tree

He should have known better than to drive that road.  Most times he could resist.  The stories were awesome though and on a night like tonight? Cold, dark, rainy? Oh the pavement was beggin for a visit.  He turned and slowly ventured down the winding old street.  Fog from a near by pond loped along the dark rough road.  There were no street lights; not then when it happened and not now.  A girl by herself would have been scared.  Hell, he thought he had swallowed a few butterflies himself tonight.  So the movement along the shoulder startled him.  A young girl. Alone. Tired by the way she walked (well- barely- it was more like staggering)

William pulled over; hesitantly. "Gotta watch kids these days.  They'd sooner kill ya than look atcha"
He stretched across the bench seat and opened the door.  She raised her arm to shield her from the fierce glow of the tail lights.  He was a little shocked that she got in.  She closed the door and pulled herself against it.

"Where ya headin?" Willie asked all  too pleasantly.

"Stonequarry Road" she squeaked.

He gripped the wheel a little tighter.  She must be pullin his leg. Nobody went out that way at this time of night.  Not since....he shrugged it off, the story as well as the slimy chill that crept along his spine and decided not to let this stupid little weirdo get the best of him.

"Oh no sweat. I'm headin out that way too."  He gave her a quick slash of a smile. "What's your name Girl? Why're you out on a night like this?  Don't your parents worry?"

"KJ. I just wanna go home.  I uhhh snuck out and I need to get home." she twiddled her long pale fingers.

"Where ya comin from?"

She sighed and looked sideways at him.  The glow from the dash made him appear ghostly.  His eyes were like black empty pools in his skull. She pulled herself in tighter.

"Cold?"

she shook her head.

"Scared?"

She nodded and looked at him. Her face seemed frail and sad.  Her thin lips seemed to quiver from cold or the brink of tears.

"Not wise KJ, to be out here.  Not on this road."

"This road?"

"Well, that's what they say." he cleared his throat and felt a warmth inside him at getting to tell the story.  "I heard it years ago.  I drive out this way a lot, you know.  A young girl was killed out here; at least one. Maybe a bunch."

"Dead?"

"Only kind of killed I know, lil girl." He chuffed at her ignorance.  Foolish. Kids were truly stupid.

"What happened?" she asked rubbing the sprinkle of goosebumps away.

Willie bit the toothpick in his mouth and rolled it; he enjoyed the tension between them.

"Do you know what happened?" she asked again, confused by his dramatic pause.

"Seems a little girl not too different from you was a-walkin home. Dark night like this n all..." he slid a greasy glance her way, admiring her willowy arms and slender legs.  He liked how she looked; frightened.  "She was picked up."

".. by someone like you?" she asked quietly, never taking her eyes off the road.

Touche' he grinned, nodding her direction. "Well, I guess they set n talked a spell or whatever n she got scared and took off."

"So he tried to rape her." KJ said quietly, flatly.

"Noooo... I think they was just talkin and she misunderstood."

There was the silence of the lie between them; thick and dangerous.

"So I guess the lil girl ran." he continued.

"Good."

"Well not really.  It was a dark night; bad weather.  He ran after her to help her."

"Help her... understand?"

"I guess so. maybe"

"And did she?"

"Don't think so.  She was never seen again."

"So what happened when she misunderstood?"

"How should I know?" his voice was tight and defensive.

'Well that's a shitty ghost story." she said at last.

Willie stopped the car and looked at her.  He laughed.

"I heard it different." she said softly, tugging at the soggy hem of her shorts.

Willie straightened behind the wheel.  "Z'at so?"

"Yeah." It was KJ's turn to sit back.

Willie admired her shape under her wet tee.  He flipped his toothpick and bit down.

"I heard he tried to rape her but she scratched his face with some tool from his truck." Willie turned and rubbed at his cheek.  "He backed off cause he was hurt, but only for a second.  She fell outta his truck and ran into the woods."

"Hmmm- that's different." he said, stifling a yawn.  His body was getting warm inside.  He turned to face her.

"He chased her.  Caught her."

"Did he explain the misunderstanding?"

KJ snorted and glared at him.  "No. There was no misunderstanding. He beat her. Raped her.  Tied her to an old sycamore tree and left her."

"Alone?"

"Nah. He visited her again and again.  He drove out this way... a lot.  He just kept at her until she was beggin to die."

"Beggin? Shewwee. Sad it ended like that.  Sad story KJ ~ Yours is shitty too."  He looked at her.  Through her as he remembered that night.

"Her parents couldn't find her.  Lost her forever."

Willie clucked over his toothpick tasting the cheap splintery wet wood give in to pulp inside his mouth.

"Shame."

"They had a second daughter though.  Everyone thought she was crazy.  Talked to herself, mutterin all the time.  So they kept her under lock and key until she ran away one night. A night not unlike this."

"To find this man?" He smiled

"Yep."

"And do what, Little Girl?"

"See for herself."

He grinned again and scooted toward her on the seat.

She waited.

"So you see?"

"Yes I do."

"And?" his voice was velvety and soft.  His breath tickled at her skin.  "You gonna slice me? I don't have no tools on the floor ... no more." he snorted quietly.

"Nope." KJ never moved

"No?"

"Deliver you." she whispered and turned to flash her own toothy smile.  It was white and crooked.  Her lips seemed to peel across the whole in her face that was a mouth.

"From evil?"  he roared and grabbed her.  "I'll introduce you to evil" he grunted, pulling at the ropey muscles in her legs as she struggled against him.  He yanked her down along the bench seat and ripped at her clothes.  not a sound did she make, but she fought him.  She swiped at his face and eyes, clawing along his throat.  He was amazed how easy it was; then and now.

He fantasized the grunting and pushing she made were from desire; until she brought her knee up catching his rock hard erection with a force that caused him to cough, almost vomit.  He raised his fist to punch her, but she rolled and swept at the door.  It flew open and she plopped out in to the silent horrified night.  Willie began to drag himself along to the open door.  KJ jumped up and ran.  Willie was close behind though winded and sore.  He was afraid he  might lose this one.

KJ skimmed over the ground and suddenly stopped.  She waited.

"Where ARE you?" she screamed; her voice appearing as an anxious mist.

Wille chuckled and came to her.

"Why... I'm right here Darlin."

"Not you...." she laughed

The leaves crackled. There was a watery sigh.  Willie smelled the stink of dead mud and rot.  He shuddered as an icy breeze puffed along the back of his neck.  He didn't see KJ until it was too late.  She bashed the side of his head with a rock? He didn't know.  It just caused a white flash of pain and he saw stars of confusion.

When he came back around KJ was kneeling in front of him.  He heard soft laughter and the words "You're welcome"  He kicked and tried to move but realized he'd been tied.  To a sycamore tree. The monster squatted before him and reached to touch his face. It found the scar along the cheek and grinned.  Willie kicked and tried to scream. No one heard... not her back then and not him now.

KJ whistled as she left Willie with the legend of the screaming tree; more comfortably known to her as her sister.