The Mannequins

The party was settling down and people started going home. The beer was gone and the pretty girls had left, so there was not really any reason for me to stay. My ride had gone to take some girl home, so I was forced to wait until he came back.

"Sarah," I yelled into the kitchen. My best friend Sarah, the host of the party, was busy cleaning up. I suppose I should have been helping, but I claimed I was too drunk.

"What do you want James?" she yelled back playfully.

"When did Sam say he would be back?"

"He said he would be back by 3."

"But it's only 1:30," I exclaimed with frustration. "I wanna go to sleep."

"Then sleep on my couch, I don't have a car, so I don't know what to tell you." I thought about it for a minute. I really wanted to go home and there was no way in hell I was waiting for Sam to come back.

"I think I might just walk." As soon as the words left my mouth I heard dishes clanking in the sink. the next thing I knew, Sarah ran from the kitchen into the living room.

"What are you crazy!" she yelled at me. "You live like 5 miles away, and it is the middle of the night." She looked out the window. "And it looks like it is going to rain." She looked very concerned, but I didn't know why.

"What? I figured I would just walk down the side of the road and see if I could hitch a ride." She closed her eyes and pinched her nose.

"James, you could get yourself killed. There is no way I am letting you go out there alone!" She looked at me with a raised eyebrow and folded arms. I just smiled. She looked so cute when she was being assertive.

"Sarah, I am an adult and I think I can handle myself." I stood up and pushed her out of the way. "Besides, the road is lined with miles of corn fields. What's gonna get me? The scarecrows?" I headed towards the door, but before I could open it, I felt her hand grab my arm.

"Fine," she said defeated. "You are right, you can do what you want, but at least take some water and call me when you get home."

"Okay Sarah." I smiled at her. "Since when did you become my mom?" her concerned expression turned into anger as she walked back to the kitchen and got me a bottle of water. She handed it over begrudgingly. "Thanks, Sarah." She still looked angry. "And don't worry so much, I'll be fine. And I promise to call if anyone tries to murder me."

I laughed as she smacked my arm and said, "I'm still going to worry until you call me telling me you are safe, okay?"

"Okay. I'll go as fast as I can." I walked over to the door and opened it. I turned around and looked into her eyes. After a few moments she rolled her eyes and pointed out the door.

"Get going already, the murderers are waiting," She said. I smiled and then walked out the door and started down the road. I had no idea why she was so worried about me.

*****************************************

I was a little ways down the road when my first pair of headlights came racing towards me. I stopped walking and stuck out my thumb. The headlights reached me and them were gone in a second. I didn't care all that much, so I put my hands in my pocket and kept walking.

As I continued down the road, I saw a flash of lightning followed by a loud crack of thunder. There wasn't any rain, but I was afraid that it would start before I got to my destination.

"Dammit," I said aloud to myself. "Sarah was right. Again." I rolled my eyes at the thought and continued on.

I was about a third of the way to my house when I realized that Sarah might have been right, and not just about the rain. I started to feel really sick and exhausted. I felt like I should turn around and head back.

I stopped to catch my breath and take a drink of water when another car came driving up behind me. I quickly stuck my thumb out and when the car got to me, it kept going.

I pulled out my phone and saw that it was 2:14 A.M. I took another swig of my water and considered my options. I put my phone back in my pocket and saw another car's headlights in the distance. I tried one last time to stick my thumb out and as the car came up, it did not slow down.

I was about to take out my phone to see if Sam would come pick me up when the car came to a stop several yards ahead. I started walking towards the car, but before I got there the driver side door opened. The man driving the car got out in a way I can only describe us unnatural. His movements were stiff and inhuman.

He started to walk towards me with those same stiff and short movements when a bolt of lightning lit the road for a split second. In that second I saw the face of what I could only describe as a mannequin. It had a neutral expression, it's entire face was the same color, and his skin looked more like plastic.

I stepped back in fear, but assumed I was just drunk, tired, and seeing things. That's when the passenger door opened and the silhouette of a woman got out of the car in the same strange manner as the other one. Another flash of lighting illuminated her face, and it looked the same as the man's: not human.

They both took a straight legged step towards me and on instinct I bolted into the cornfields. I dropped the water Sarah gave me, but I didn't stop running. I kept going and going until I tripped over something, I couldn't tell what it was.

I heard the corn rustling and the sound seemed to be getting closer to me, but then it stopped. I slowed my breath and tried to stay as silent as possible. I closed my eyes and tried not to scream. I heard some slight rustling close to me and then the worst thing possible happened: my phone rang.

I heard the rustling get more intense again as I pulled my phone out to try and silence it. I saw that it was Sarah, probably trying to check up on me. I heard steps that sounded right behind me, so I threw the phone and ran. I kept running and running for what felt like a long time, but I really have no idea how far I was from the road when I collapsed as my adrenaline rush turned into a crash.

I heard rustling again, but this time it seemed to be getting farther away. Eventually I heard the faint sounds of car doors slamming and wheels screeching on the asphalt.

My memory of how I got home is blurry, but I think I continued walking on the road and Sam found me and took me home. I didn't sleep that night. I couldn't sleep that night.

When I saw Sarah again she yelled at me for not calling her. Sam had told her, but she was still mad that I hadn't informed her that I made it home okay.

"It made me so nervous when you didn't pick up my call," she said.

"I lost my phone," I said blankly.

"What? Where? How?"

"I'm not really sure."

******************************************

A few years had passed and I had pushed the memory of that awful night out of my brain. I convinced myself it had been a dream.

Sarah had dragged me to go shopping for our wedding that was going to happen in a couple months. We needed to look for decorations to finish off the tables. She wanted my opinion even though I just wanted her to be happy and pick whatever she wanted.

She was busy looking at some napkin rings when something in another store's window caught my eye. Even though the sight of it made me feel sick, I felt drawn to it. I walked over there in what felt like a trance.

In the window stood two store mannequins wearing what looked like traveling clothes. I wasn't paying attention to what the store was selling. I looked in the hand of the woman and she was holding an empty water bottle. I looked at her face and stared for a moment.

Then, I looked to the hand of the man and he was holding a phone. It looked like a phone I used to have. A phone that I lost. I looked at his face and when I did my fiancée came and asked me what I was doing.

'What?" I said without looking away from the man's face.

"What are you doing?" she asked again, a little more concerned this time. I ignored her and the face of the man turned to look at me. I jumped. "What's happening, James? Are you okay?"

I looked at the other mannequin and though I did not see her move, her head was turned toward me. I could have sworn it had been facing out.

"We need to get out of here," I whispered and took off. She followed calling my name, asking what was wrong, but I couldn't explain it. I walked out of the mall and to the car and never went back.