I drive home, my back stinging from being dragged, my white shirt now having red stains on it.
I kept checking the mirrors every few seconds, checking to see if he was following me, but I never saw him.
I tried to calm down the whole drive home, but the adrenaline was still coursing through me.
I didn't calm down until I got home.
I put my backpack on to cover the blood on the back of my shirt. I didn't want my parents to ask me what happened.
I head inside.
"Oh hey, Conner. How was your day?" my mom asked.
"It was good," I said.
I walk past her and up to my room.
I walk into the bathroom, taking my shirt off.
"Ah."
The blood on my shirt had dried against my skin. I could feel it separating as I pulled my shirt off.
I try to clean the cuts up as best as I could.
Once I finished, I put on a new shirt, then sat down in my room, scrolling on my phone for a while.
I got a text from Joel. He wants us to go over to his house.
I was hesitant at first. I didn't want them to somehow find out about what happened, but I decided that was stupid. How would they find out?
I grab my keys and head out to my car.
I made it to Joel's house.
I went inside and up to his room.
The rest of the guys were already there, and Clover was too, which was unexpected.
Joel and Clover explained how Clover had also seen the puppets he talked about.
They talked about it for a while, but eventually it got late and we all went home.
I got home and went straight to my room.
I walked into my bathroom and turned the shower on, letting it heat up again.
I got in, my back stinging as the hot water hits it.
"Stupid freaking Bryan," I mumble.
The room is steaming up like it always does.
"YOU'RE THE REASON HE'S DEAD, YOU WEAK LOSER."
Bryan's words keep replaying in my head.
"I wish he would just never talk again," I say.
I turn the water off and get out, wrapping a towel around my waist.
I hear a squeaking sound, like a finger rubbing against glass.
I look at the mirror and see the fog was getting wiped away by something.
"What the..?"
It was spelling something.
"We heard your wish."
It said.
I thought I had to be imagining things.
It started again.
"We can make it come true."
"How?" I said.
Nothing else happened.
No response from the mirror.
Then I got an idea.
I write in the mirror.
"How?"
It started again.
"Just tell us your name."
It spelled.
"Conner."
I write.
"Now who did you wish would never talk again?"
Something felt wrong about this.
"Bryan," I wrote.
Then suddenly there was a loud squeak, and the whole mirror was wiped clean.
"What the heck just happened?" I said.
I have to just be tired, I thought.
I get ready for bed, then go to sleep.
The next morning, I didn't feel as rested as the previous day.
I got ready and went to school.
I head inside.
Bryan was there waiting for me.
He grabs me and pushes me into a locker.
"Meet me in the gym after school. Don't be late."
That was all he said before walking off.
The shove made the spot on my shoulder hurt again.
I hold it while walking around the corner.
My friends were all there.
"Woah, dude, you good?" Joel asks.
"I'm fine," I say.
I don't say anything else.
I just start walking to class.
The whole class I kept thinking about the mirror last night and what it could have been, and the fact I had to meet Bryan in the gym after school.
Class ended and we all went to lunch.
Joel talked more about the magician that went missing.
After school got out, we all met up in the parking lot like we planned.
"So what's the plan?" Clover asked.
"I was thinking you could ask Layla to hang out tonight?" Joel said.
"Yeah, I can do that," she said.
I kept looking at my phone, constantly checking the time, making sure I wouldn't be too late to meet with Bryan.
"Something wrong?" Ken asked me.
"No, I'm fine," I said.
"Okay, so what do we do while Clover is with Layla?" Adrian asks.
"Well, I guess we just wait for her to find out anything," Joel said.
I check my phone again.
I got to leave or else he'd be mad.
"I gotta go. I'll meet up with you guys later," I say before walking into the school.
The halls were empty.
It was kinda creepy.
I had never been in here when it was this empty.
I made it to the gym.
I walk inside.
It was dark. Only half the lights were on.
Bryan was standing in the middle of the gym.
"Look who finally decided to show up," he said.
"Any longer and I was going to go out and find you myself."
I step further into the gym.
"What's that supposed to mean?" I said.
He puts his hand in his pocket.
"You know exactly what it means."
"What is this about, Bryan?"
"You already know exactly what this is about!" he said, the rage in his voice starting to grow.
"This is about that little move you pulled yesterday."
I'm now only six feet from him.
"You decided to be Mister Tough Guy yesterday," he said.
"Where was that when a certain someone needed it?"
"Be quiet," I said.
He laughs a little.
"Oh, but you know it's true."
He starts to pull his hand out of his pocket.
"If you want to act so tough, you need to look the part."
He pulls out a knife from his pocket.
"Woah, hang on, dude."
He takes a step forward.
His eyes were filled with anger, and they were locked on me.
He takes another step.
His breathing growing heavy, almost like this was something he's wanted to do for a while.
He's now just a few feet from me when he stops.
Something changed.
His eyes.
They weren't full of anger anymore.
There was something else.
Fear.
He was no longer looking at me, but past me.
He takes a step back.
A faint buzzing sound filled the room.
"What the..?"
He takes another step back.
Then I felt it.
Something was behind me.
I could feel it move.
It entered my vision just barely.
I couldn't see all of it.
It was silent as it moved.
I was completely frozen.
My head stuck in place.
It took another step.
Bryan taking another step back as whatever it was moved forward.
I could finally move my body and looked over.
It was a puppet.
He kept walking towards Bryan, and with every step it took, Bryan took one backwards.
Then suddenly it jerked forward and grabbed him by the arm.
He dropped his knife, it landing and letting the sound of it hitting the ground echo throughout the gym.
It looked over at the knife and picked it up.
Bryan was screaming, trying to break free, but it was no use.
It grabbed his head and started to force his mouth open.
He kept screaming.
He was punching and kicking at the thing but it was no use.
My legs still stuck in place.
It got his mouth all the way open.
Then it held up the knife and started cutting.
Bryan's screams turned to bloody gargling as the puppet cut his tongue out, then dropped him on the floor.
Bryan lays there, body limp.
"Wish granted."The puppet said, its voice sounding like it came from an old radio.
Its back still turned to me.
My head started to spin.
Its head snapped to the side to look at me.
Finally, I could move.
I ran towards the fire exist.
I hear the metal from the knife hit the groun. I try to run faster.
I reach the door, but it grabs the back of my shirt.
I try to fight it, but it was strong.
I see the fire alarm and barely pull it before I'm dragged out of reach.
The alarm goes off, and immediately the puppet lets go.
I throw myself through the door and run to my car.
I start the car and drive home as fast as possible.