The Killing Moon

I had picked up all of the clothes and my mom volunteered to help me wash them, so really there wasn’t much left to do. I was making my bed when he walked in.
“Knock knock,” He said before setting his bag on the floor. He walked over and helped me tug the sheet on without being asked.
“Thanks.” I said with a smile.
“No problem, this doesn’t look that dirty…” He arched a brow as he looked around, clearly he was expecting something more disastrous.
“I got a head start.” I assured him.
“Makes sense.” He shrugged.
We finished making my bed with the fresh bed linens and then he hooked his VCR up to my measly flat screen that was positioned on top of a chest of drawers.
“So, Night of the Living Dead, The Shining, Pet Semetary, or Christine?” He asked as he looked through the stack of tapes.
I was sitting on my bed with a bowl of popcorn I’d made while he was setting everything up.
“Pet Semetary all the way.” I said with a cheeky grin. It was my favorite novel by Stephen King and I loved the film too. I’d never seen it in all its VHS glory, so this was a treat.
“I should have known.” He slid the tape out of its withered cardboard case and arched a brow.
“What is it?” I asked.
“I don’t think it’s Pet Semetary…” He turned and walked toward me, his eyes never leaving the tape.
“It looks like a home movie? Or maybe someone recorded something off of cable?”
I took the tape from him and examined it, there was no label or anything indicating what it was.
“A mystery…” I cooed.
“Shall we explore?” He asked as he made his way back to the television. He slid the tape in and grabbed the remote before quickly walking to the other side and sitting down beside me.
The screen was filled with grainy snow and a loud buzzing, we looked at each other a little bummed.
“Seriously? We hyped it so much…” I said with a frown.
“Maybe it needs to be rewound?” Landon suggested, he was about to press his finger to the button when suddenly a scene popped on the screen.
It was still blurry, it looked like it was maybe filmed under water. I sat forward instantly, my hand reaching over to clutch the blanket as my heart began to race.
I could hear muffled screams, someone was drowning. I wanted to look away, but it was like I was hypnotized. I saw random bits of flesh as the person struggled in the water. The screams came slower and with less effort, soon there were no more bubbles, just a stillness.
Within an instant the opening scenes of Pet Semetary began playing and I finally blinked. I looked over at Landon who was happily munching on popcorn.
“What? Are you okay?” He asked, looking at me with alarm.
“What?! No! Did you not just see that?” I asked in disbelief.
“I saw the tape rewinding and then this clearly recorded version of the movie came on?” He was looking at me like I was crazy.
“You didn’t see the water?” I asked, wondering if maybe I’d imagined it all.
He shook his head slowly, popping a piece of popcorn into his mouth.
I exhaled, maybe I did need to get grief counseling.
“You want to watch something else?” He asked, realizing I was truly bothered.
“No, no this is fine. I think… I think maybe I’m having a mini breakdown?” I anxiously laughed as trying to calm down and also to reason. Why else would I have just seen my sister dying on some VHS tape that was older than me?
“Okay space cadet, eat some popcorn. You look too thin.” He shoved the bowl into my lap and I forced a laugh, but I was cold all over and couldn’t shake that ominous feeling that I’d just seen something I shouldn’t have seen.
*
I calmed down finally about halfway through the movie, I told myself I had just imagined it from all my grief and my mind was being tricky. There was no possible way I could have seen that.
When the end credits were rolling, I looked over at Landon who was looking down at his phone.
“Am I keeping you from something…?” I asked, feeling a bit hurt that he was not as into the movie as I had been.
“No, it’s not that. My mom was texting me, we’ve got new neighbors and she feels like she needs to give me live updates.” He laughed, rolling his eyes slightly.
“Oh, she’s neighbor watching. How exhilarating. What has she said so far?” I asked, happy for the distraction.
“Apparently it’s a single mother and her son who is about my age and wears extremely tight lady jeans.” He laughed, his mother was the nosiest person in the neighborhood, that was for sure.
“Sounds dreamy, I love a man in lady jeans.” I laughed.
“Oh, they have a dog too. This is very upsetting for my mother because you know how she feels about people who don’t pick up after their pets. She is sure she saw the ‘mutt’ looking at our yard.”
“She sure is paranoid, do I smell a rom com a brewing? She thought he was trouble, but somehow Mrs. Campbell fell for her sworn enemy, The Mutt Next Door, coming to theatres near you!” I laughed at my joke, because it was so clever after all.
“But how will Mr. Campbell feel? Will he stand in the way of true love?!” He added, just as dramatically.
We were both laughing, clearly pleased with ourselves, when my mother knocked on the doorframe.
“It’s nice to hear laughter.” She said with a sweet smile.

*
The rest of the week flew by and Landon was a wonderful distraction. He had accompanied my mother and I on our back to school shopping adventure, I think he was the only reason why my mother didn’t cry every time we passed by a store that Carmen loved. She dressed trendy, because she was a trendsetter. I dressed in vintage dresses and high waisted jeans I got at the second hand store. We were opposite, but the same.
We got dinner at my favorite Greek place and when we got home my mother went straight to her room, the day had taken its toll on her.
I walked into my bedroom, followed by Landon, and began taking my new clothes out of the bags and hanging them up.
“Is she okay?” He asked before sitting down in the chair at my desk.
I thought briefly and then I nodded.
“I think so. She will be.” I wasn’t sure I believed myself, I wanted to say she was getting better every day, but that would have been a lie and he would have known. He always knew when I was lying.
“She’s very withdrawn. She hasn’t cooked in days…she cries a lot.” It seemed weird to say it out loud, like I was betraying her and spilling her secrets.
“I think that’s natural…especially losing a child.” He was no expert, but he is saying what they all say.
“Right, it’ll be okay once school starts and she gets back in the swing of things.” I agreed.
My mother taught at an elementary school not too far from where we lived. She’d loved her job and her students, that would definitely be the pick me up she needed.
“Speaking of, when does she go back to work?” He asked.
“Um, three days? She has to go get her classroom early so she goes back this Monday.”
“Ugh, then we go back the next Monday. I am so not ready…” He groaned, spinning in the chair as he spoke.
“I know. Me either…” I paused, chewing on the fleshy inside of my lip as I dreaded the return “Hey, did you ever meet your neighbor?” I asked, remembering that he said he was our age.
“Oh, yeah. He’s foreign. Very weird.” He spoke as if all foreigners were weird, which to him they probably were.
“Where is he from?” I asked, moving to sit on my bed since almost all of my clothes were put away.
“England? United Kingdom, something I don’t know.” He shrugged.
“Oh, an English boy in lady jeans. I love it.” I teased, nudging his knee playfully.
He laughed awkwardly and then rolled his eyes. “Yeah, whatever. He’ll have no problem fitting in so I don’t see him sitting at our lunch table.”
“Defensive much?” My face scrunched up in a bit of disbelief. He was not normally rude.
“I mean, he just seems like he’ll be hanging out with the stoners and the ‘musicians’” He said with bunny ears.
“Gotcha.” I said and cleared my throat, still a little offended by his comment.
“Yeah, well… I need to get home; my dad needs my help cleaning the garage in the morning so I have to wake up early.” He said as he stood up, the air had grown a bit uncomfortable.
I stood up as well and smoothed my hands down my dress, “Yeah, sure. I’ll walk you out.”
I walked with him to the door and he gave me a smile, “Sorry. I’m no good with speaking…only writing.” He offered and I gave him a reassuring smile.
“It’s all good, see you Sunday, don’t forget.” I said as I nudged him out the door.
“How could I?” He asked before walking to his car.
Sunday nights in the summer we always ate take out and binge watched a random television show we both liked. This was our last Sunday before school started so we were going to watch the finales of our top five shows as a way to end the summer.
I sighed and locked the door while I waited for his headlights to come on. I turned off the lights and turned to walk towards my bedroom. It was almost 8:30 according to the clock in the kitchen.
I paused and looked at the fridge, debating whether or not I should get something to drink before going to my room. I decided yes and walked over to the cabinet and grabbed a glass. I pressed the glass to the water dispenser on the refrigerator while my eyes stared at the picture of Carmen and me for the billionth time. I had seen it every day for years, but it looked different now. Something felt different, like the air had gotten heavier and colder, while my arms became covered in chill bumps. I felt the water dripping on to my finger and quickly pulled the glass away.
“Shit…” I said under my breath before setting the drink on the counter and turning to grab a dish towel that was draped over the sink. I cleaned up the small spill and threw the towel into the laundry room.
When I turned around, the hair on my neck stood up instantly as I saw a figure in front of me. Water dripping from her stringy hair, her lips were blue, and her skin was drained of all color. I felt the scream building up in my throat as she looked at me with foggy eyes, there was no iris in sight. It was just a milky white nothingness. Her hand outstretched to me and I couldn’t hold it in any longer, I closed my eyes let out the most blood curdling scream I’d ever mustered and within seconds the lights were flicked on. I opened my eyes to see my mother walking towards me with concern written on her face. I looked down and saw no clue that my dead sister had just been standing in front of me, but my heart was racing.
“Selena, what is it?” My mother asked quickly, grabbing my shoulders as if she needed to steady me.
I blinked a few times and swallowed before I spoke.
“Nothing, there was a spider. It ran off though…” I lied, I couldn’t put this on her. Not while she was on such a steep and quick decline.
“You screamed because of a spider? You scared the heck out of me!” She said, laughing. She was obviously relieved to find I was safe, but I could tell from her quick glare that she was annoyed.
“You need to get over your fear of spiders, sugar,” she said with a sterner tone.
“Yes I do, I’m sorry. Drama queen.” I said pointing to myself with a fake laugh, one that she bought thankfully.
“Get some rest.” She said as she turned on her heel and went back to her bedroom, I felt tense again when she was gone.

What was going on with me?

**

Notes

That's all for tonight, let me know what you think?