Werewulf part 4
#4 of Werewulf
So here we go, part 4. gotta ove NaNo!
Chapter 4.
Looking back on it, it was scarily easy for Duke to walk away with Kyle. He gave a customary nod to the men, a smile and a "Thank you Mrs. Lane," to his mother; and a brief summing up of walking to the park, followed by his mom not wanting him out too long as it was already after midnight.
It was another chilled autumn night, the street lights seeming to cast the last trickles of light the earth had to offer upon itself. Shadows didn't dance in times like these, they sat and waited, they were the majority, the mass of darkness waiting beyond the light, unseen, carrying harbingers of nightmares and soldiers of terror. You always wondered what lay there, and what you wondered was always the stuff of horror stories and slasher flicks.
At the moment though, Kyle wasn't paying attention to his own fear. It was absent, or more accurately it was replaced by the larger fear, the figure guiding him into the dark just two feet away from him. He had a natural feeling of both comfort and intimidation, like you wanted to approach him, but he himself was driving you away.
It came as a surprise that Duke was sporting a terribly used and abused pair of sneakers, his lack of any footwear the night before the first impression Kyle had, so already him having them on was different.
The pair were marching towards the park, Kyle had not asked, but he knew they were headed there, the place of their meeting, the place the kid most certainly wanted to 'play' his interesting games and hopefully leave Kyle alone thereafter. He didn't know why he actually agreed to follow and didn't just call the cops, or even his mom; but Kyle was stuck with his decision. He was walking with someone known to carry weapons and take sadistic pleasure in watching others run screaming through the woods away from him...great.
"How long are you going to make me play your game?" Kyle asked, feeling his forehead which started to hurt again like at school, hopefully the headache would pass like before, because that was the last thing he needed at the moment.
"We haven't even started yet, and I'm not making you do anything," he clarified. "I see you following me. Why not turn around if you want to go?"
"Cause you'll follow me back to my house like a freaking creeper AGAIN!" Kyle retorted, "I just want to get this over with, until your content enough to leave me alone?"
The large boy stopped and turned, his expression was hidden by shadows but his voice was clearly regretful, "I'm sorry if you feel that way, but I really do just want to be your friend like I said before," he paused, "What would make you want me as a friend?" he asked plainly, "We'll do that, I'll start there."
And there it was again, that almost pathetic innocence that shot all fearful pretences out of the water. For the briefest of moments the previous night didn't matter, Duke was big but he was like a little kid...A big Teddy bear really, just wanting fun.
"Look, Duke," Kyle didn't know exactly where to start. He had questions and then the whole not wanting to have anything to do with the kid and such. It was conflicting and annoying to have to deal with. It was amazing how differently Kyle's mind worked when Duke didn't have the knife. There was no way in hell he would have thought of Duke as a sweet innocent kid even for a nano second if Kyle wasn't sure where the knife was.
The large boy was looking at him in the dark, Kyle was certain if there was light he would see a hopeful grin, a fearful anticipation of what was too come. "Duke, I don't know anything about you. Okay, let's start there."
The shadowy form nodded and kept walking, "Let's get somewhere better then." He pulled out a phone and began typing away at it. Only after he finished his (presumably) text, he even consider Kyle again, "Oh, umm, want my number?" That was the polite way of asking for one.
The lanky boy rolled his eyes and shared his number, Duke already knew where he lived so it's not like privacy mattered anymore. Soon after the sharing of info they started passing the gate into the park and followed the road.
Kyle had walked through the trails of the park at night on several occasions, but never on the actual road. It was surprising how evil nature seemed from the outside, he knew the inner trails like the back of his hand but from the outside they made him uneasy. There was something off putting about the idea that someone could be watching and you didn't notice, something that was erased when you weren't apart of the foliage.
He also couldn't get over the fact that this Duke guy, if that was his real name, had so casually infiltrated Kyle's life. Kyle had always felt unique in a way, he was in control, he did exactly what he wanted when he wanted, no one would usually deny him. He was in a way free of the social bonds many others lived by. He thrived on the outside.
Then Duke came in and burst is bubble. You couldn't get more on the outside then Duke, freer, or seemingly more in control. Duke had successfully chased Kyle down, destroyed his jacket, walked into Kyle's home and then bedroom, and walked him out of there with seemingly minimal effort. It was impressive, infuriating, but impressive.
It was a long walk, and at no point did either boy make an attempt to talk to the other, although Duke did often look back at Kyle, as if to see if he was still there. He would flash a toothy smile and continue walking through to wherever it was their destination was located.
It made Kyle uneasy not to know what was happening, and once again he found himself ill prepared for the night. His shoes were crap, he didn't actually remember socks at all this time, his shirt was thin for night wear, and he chose only now to zipper the jacket and preserve his heat. He was once again greeted by the strange comforting, earthy smell of the coat.
"Are we almost there?" Kyle asked Duke after they had passed the rec centres, "Where are we even going anyway?"
The other boy laughed, "Sorry, we're going back to the swings is all, you know, 'Your area'." He mocked playfully, air quoting the name. "You said you wanted to talk right? We can talk there, we can do that first and then play." He seemed so confident. It made Kyle frustrated as his confidence; Duke didn't seem to know what failure was. It was like Duke KNEW for a solid fact Kyle was going to walk out of there his friend; he knew it like any basic fact. Two plus two is four, it was night time...Kyle is going to be my friend.
"You're so weird," Kyle breathed out, watching his breath float away in a puff.
"Why do you think that?"
"Your obsession with games, the way you talk...there is quite a list actually," Duke laughed, "What's so funny?"
"I think you're weird. People in general are just all so strange," He answered in an almost dreamy tone, like he had to imagine what it was like to be like everyone else.
"I gave you a short list, care to elaborate?" Kyle asked. Duke was crazy as hell, but he was interesting to say the least. Even the way he walked, if was carefree, lazy almost, like he had nothing better to do so he made every step matter.
"Well I personally just don't see a point to living at all if you can't have fun and mess around," he answered. "Why do people try so hard to make themselves unhappy?" he let it hover there, his breath disappearing but the question still remained.
HE didn't want to, but Kyle asked, "How are people making themselves unhappy with hard work?"
"Well think about it, adults never seem to have a lot of fun. The only cool uncle I ever had, the one that actually participated in my life didn't have a job, he didn't go to college, he didn't do any of that stuff, but he was the happiest man I ever met." Duke stated, most likely with one of those grins that never seemed to go away.
"How did he get food or anything?"
"You might call it bumming around and begging, he called it living life," Duke stated as a matter of factly, "I just don't understand why people put emphasis on where you go to school and your salary if they never have time to enjoy themselves. I've heard of people going to school for years and years in college just to get a job that offers a week vacation a year and one day off a week. Hell by that day their probably tired as fuck anyway and just want to sleep so they can start the working week again. Its bullshit," he added with a bit of contempt.
Kyle couldn't help but let out a little laugh and grin. It was so childish, so innocent and sincere. No one talked like that, even if they thought it they kept it to themselves because no one could function in society like that.
"Why is that funny?" Duke asked, never stopping walking, "I'm serious."
"I don't mean to laugh but that seems a bit fantasized. Life doesn't work that way."
"Why can't it?" the larger boy challenged, "Why is it so alien and impossible to think that enjoying life all the time is a fantasy?"
"Well, how would that person function? Did your uncle even have a roof over his head?"
The reaction was instant, Duke was towering over Kyle in a flash, eyes staring into his, fist clenched in Kyle's coat. It was terrifying and all together it seemed...off, like Duke had been replaced. There was not a single hint of his face that he could ever smile, there was nothing calm or playful in his eyes, or anything innocent about his large meaty fist.
But all of that, all of that primal rage, it only lasted a single second, terror barely had time to register in Kyle's head before Duke's expression lightened again and he released the lanky kid. "Don't...don't talk about him like that okay? That's my one rule, don't talk about my uncle...he was a good man," he reiterated, "He was...he was a good man."
And that was all. Duke didn't walk different, he didn't huff or puff; and he didn't yell again. "That's it?" Kyle asked in disbelief.
Duke turned to him a bit confused, "What's it?"
"That, that was your rage?!" Kyle burst, "I've been terrified of you all day and you're telling me that is the worst I had coming? You just told me not to bring it up again, that all?" he asked. It was outrageous that this was all the day was leading up to. He was more scared of his step dad on an average day than the knife wielder at his worst...
"Well...why would there be more?" Duke asked curiously, "It wasn't your fault, you didn't know, and I want to be your friend, remember? Exactly how is beating you or anything like that gunna help that cause?" It was simple and to the point, there was a lack of almost any passion or vendetta, this night's true and only purpose in the strange kids mind was to befriend Kyle.
"You're so..." Kyle couldn't find the right word, he had already said strange.
But at last the good playground came in site, Kyle's previous safe haven, the moon in the sky illuminating the dewy grass in a ghostly glow that somehow felt welcoming from the close proximity to the woods moments before.
"Different doesn't mean scary Kyle; there is a difference you know," It was a side note, almost accidental. Although he mentioned Kyle's name it didn't even seem to be aimed at him, but the whole world.
They got a sit on the swings; it seemed weird to sit there with Duke after the previous night. Kyle still wasn't one hundred percent sure why he was even there. Duke was a good enough kid, at least it seemed so, but why Kyle had bothered to give him a chance was beyond him.
"So what did you want to talk about before we play?" Duke questioned, starting to sway back and forth on the swing, eyes averted to the moon. It was strange how it was so cloudy before but had cleared seemingly just for the night, for the sake of déjà vu.
The lanky boy shrugged, "I'm not really sure, well, I am not sure where to start that is," he admitted.
"The beginning is always a good place to begin, why don't you start at the first question that comes to mind. Don't think about it, just ask." He offered.
Kyle cast him an annoyed look, all the answers were so basic yet effective. "Fine, where did you come from? Because I know for a fact that you haven't lived I this town before."
Duke offered a small chuckle, "How do you know you just haven't seen around?"
"Everyone knows everyone here, and no one mentioned people moving in around them, so what gives? You visiting family or something?"
"Sure, I'm visiting," Duke said, "Next?"
"Okay, that's bullshit. You can't just say what I said and not make it sound convincing. What are you doing in Sweeton? Nothing EVER happens in Sweeton."
"Well what's wrong with a peaceful little town? I bet no one locks their doors, everyone trusts everyone, or at least knows them enough to think they are safe." It was a dreamy explanation, "I can't see anything wrong with that. My family and I are just passing through; we got a house on Winter road, it's all old people so you might not know we moved in."
It sounded believable enough; Winter road WAS the solitary old folks neighbourhood. But Kyle was still skeptical "What's your house number?"
Duke smiled at him that impish smile, "Whose the stalker now!?" he laughed, "Three twenty six. Why would I lie about that?"
"I don't know, it just still seems weird that new people move into Sweeton and it isn't all over the grapevine of information you know?" Kyle defended. "Okay, next question. Why did you freaking chase after me and cut my stuff with a knife?!"
Kyle didn't yell it or say it angry but put emphasis on the destruction of is property, "Well the chase was the game we were playing-"
"I didn't say I was playing, I was running for my life," Kyle interrupted, "You're a pretty intimidating guy okay?"
"Do you want me to answer?" Duke asked calmly, like a parent talking down to a child, yet like a child still saying exactly what was on his mind. Kyle nodded frustrated as all hell. "As for the clothes I gave you a new coat, your last one was crap and that coat is special."
"Special? You have a carbon copy on you right now," Kyle pointed out their matching coats, making Duke laugh.
"Touché. Any more questions from you?"
Kyle felt like he wanted to say yes, but he couldn't think of anything else. The questions he did ask had confirmed that he was in fact new to town and his re-iteration of the 'game' that they had played was still annoying the second time. "Not really," he admitted.
"So we can play now?" Duke asked excitedly.
"I guess," Kyle breathed out, his heart racing faster. What had he gotten himself into? He didn't want to tell the massive kid 'No' that might not end well.
"Cool. While we were walking my family set up flags in the woods," he started, pulling a flashlight from his pocket and tossing it to Kyle who fumbled for it before dropping it. "I'm finding the red one; you're finding the blue one. First one back here with their flag wins," he clicked on his own flashlight, his face now literally and figuratively lit up, "Ready?"
Kyle clicked on his own light with a heavy sigh, "Where did...wait when did they have time to place flags?"
"When we were walking, just go with it."
"How does that work, were they waiting too-"
"Kyle just, never mind, I placed them earlier today for the game. They are in the woods, are you ready?"
Kyle's mind was muddled, "Can I get a hint?" What was he saying; as soon as he was going into the woods he was going to run home...Right? A normal person would.
Duke frowned a moment and thought, "Your flag will most likely be...damn it," he pulled out his phone and started a quick text...And then just stood there.
Kyle waited a moment, but finally after a solid ten seconds of silence he asked, "Well?"
"One more second..." Duke said eyes running over the woods.
A whistling sound broke through the nocturnal lulling's of the night. Kyle turned and watched a small firework glow over the woods about half a mile off.
"There's your flag," Duke said with a smile, "Ready now?"
"I...guess?"
"Go!"