Southern Comfort

Jenny Walkins as it turns out, is one of the honor students at the school. Head of most of her classes and incredibly dedicated to volunteering; the young girl was on the fast track towards being a successful career woman.

Duke sees pictures of her in the days that follow. Memorials to her hung around the school; flowers left underneath, stuffed bears, and candles are now a common appearance. He realizes she was in his anatomy class but that’s the extent of his knowledge of her. Duke hasn’t been here long enough to get to know many people, the football team not including.

The town is rocked, literally and figuratively. It’s all anyone can talk about and in some cases, not talk about. People are stunned into silence. The school orders mandatory counseling for anyone even remotely friends with her and an assembly is called to discuss grief and the manifestations. Mostly, there is a lot of constant reassurance that they’re going to find whatever monster did this.

“Hey man,” Duke greets, bumping shoulders with Red as he sidles up next to him in the hallway. Red very nearly jumps out of his skin, teeth bared defensively in a way that has Duke backing up quickly. “Woah, woah, Red!” The teen instantly settles, eyes swinging to the left to see his friend.

“Shit!” Red pauses, swiping a hand over his eyes and sighing heavily, “I’m so sorry, I’m just a little wound up.”

“No problem, everyone is,” Duke placates, stepping closer once again. “Besides, I kinda came up out of no where, so that’s my bad.” He should of known better than to come up on someone after what’s happened.

When Red finally looks up Duke realizes he looks like absolute shit, his eyes are bloodshot and there are dark bags underneath. His hair is messed up and his clothes are wrinkled.

“You not sleeping?” Duke questions seriously. He lets his hand fall onto Red’s shoulder to keep him from turning away.

“I think I’m just a little sick, nothing crazy, I just haven’t been sleeping well because of it,” and Duke really wants to believe him, but Red’s answer rings a little hollow. Whether he’s not letting on to how much the death of Jenny Walkins has actually affected him or there’s something else going on in his personal life, Duke doesn’t know. He doesn’t think anyone’s really 100% okay. It’s impossible, with what’s happened.

“Okay man, should you be going to practice tonight?” Duke’s not sure if it’s wise for Red to practice while he’s sick, they couldn’t have their captain at half capacity. Besides, maybe it would be better if Red just went home and crawled into bed.

Red looks up through his lashes, “actually, I’m leaving early to head home.”

Duke grunts, “that’s good, feel better man!” He refrains from pounding him on the back as is per his usual, considering Red’s not feeling too great.

“Yeah thanks—fuck,” Red cuts off, growling lowly and proceeding to stuff his face into the crook of his elbow. “—fucking smells horrible, fucking pubescent assholes—“ Duke’s not completely sure what he’s mumbling about because the bell rings for next period and drowns out Red’s grumbling. The man just continues walking out through the front doors of the school, only glancing back long enough to give Duke a reassuring grin.

||

Duke pants lightly as coach wraps up practice. Dusk has fallen over them before they even realized and the lights on the field are bright in contrast to the ring of darkness around the field. The forest backing their school looks ominous in the darkness.

He catches himself staring at it for some reason, eyes sweeping the shadows like there’s something out there to be seen. Maybe it’s just paranoia from the murder, maybe it’s the full moon currently shining brightly in the sky, or maybe it’s the way the hair on the back of Duke’s neck is standing on end. He realizes a little too late that everyone has left him on the field. It’s just him and the silence, there’s the buzzing of the stadium lights and—nothing. No other sounds. Duke’s skin prickles, eyes making wide arcs of the forest like he expects something to come running out at any moment.

Duke jumps when the first set of stadium lights goes out, obscuring half the field in inky darkness. Another set, this row at the fifty-yard line, getting closer to Duke with each second. He turns just as the last set goes out, plunging him into darkness as well. If his skin was prickling before, it’s screaming at him now. Goosebumps have broken out along his skin, his hair is all but standing up, and a cold stab of fear ices through his chest.

There’s something there. Duke starts jogging towards the school, towards the welcoming lights that beckon like a beacon in the night. Something darts in front of him and he trips over his own feet, falling face first into the damp grass. He’s almost afraid to look up, sure that there’ll be someone standing over him. A growl sounds from somewhere close to him, two growls if he’s correct, different in pitch, but tandem in their sound.

Duke’s imagination is running away from him, he’s not sure what he’s hearing. Does the killer have trained dogs that he sicks on his victims? Was the monster that killed Jenny just that, a monster? He’s not sure, but he’s certainly not going to wait around to find out. Pushing himself up quickly he takes off with a sprint leaving the danger behind him. He thinks he hears a cry but the blood is pounding so loud in his ears he can’t be sure. The school doors have never looked so welcoming. He yanks the heavy door open frantically, near clawing his way inside. The door slams with a clang, a barrier between what is out there trying to kill him. Duke sprawls on the floor, panting harshly as he tries to gather himself. One look down makes him realize that he’s covered in grass stains and scrapes. Hopefully he can just play it off as normal wear and tear from practice.

||

The guys are all joking around in the shower; Xander’s been making the rounds snapping towels at everyone’s butts. Duke’s heart is still pounding fiercely in his chest even though he has since stripped down and hopped in the shower himself. Whatever was out there, it almost got him, he’s sure of that.

His mind wanders to Red, who’s at home sleeping off whatever’s up with him, and he decides he’ll text him to see if he needs anything. Thinking about what just happened reminds Duke of the silence that came the night of Jenny’s death and it puts a chill in Duke that the heat of the shower can’t cure. He also kinda wants to make sure Red’s okay…and Greyson.

He makes sure that he doesn’t dawdle and leaves with the group of guys as opposed to alone this time. “You guys just going home?” Duke feels the need to ask his new small group of friends. Jimmy and Stevie say they’re heading over to Xander’s house to study, and Tyler and Marc are just going home, while Bobby says he has a big date planned. Duke wishes they were all just going home and not leaving until the morning…but he really can’t ask that of them. “You guys be safe!” he adds lightly, making it come off as a joke but feeling better just having said it. With the murder he knows they’re not going to be stupid and take unnecessary risks, but after what just happened to Duke he’s not sure they’re safe even when they’re being careful. They all get into their cars and wave goodbye as they pull out. Safely in his car, Duke feels comfortable taking out his phone and shooting off a text to Red:

To Red:
Hey man, you feeling better?
Need anything?

Message completed and sent, Duke starts his car and buzzes home, pushing the speed limit the whole time. He near races into his house, more than happy to have several doors and locks between him and whatever monstrosity is currently prowling his new home.

It’s too quiet with his mom on night shift, so Duke clicks on some music to fill the air while he cooks something quick on the stove. He’s constantly checking his phone; a little more worried each time he doesn’t hear back from Red…but then again, he could just be passed out. Duke tries to push his worry out of his mind, but it keeps coming back to him. Even some late night cartoons over dinner doesn’t take his mind off it. Not after what had happened to him on the field.

Maybe he’ll just stop by, Duke starts thinking, assuming that Greyson will be home to answer the door anyway. He could just check up on his friend and make sure he wasn’t more ill than he’d originally thought. Put his mind at ease that his friend isn’t in any danger.

That decided, Duke hops back in his car and drives the short ride over to Red’s house. There don’t seem to be any lights on, but Red’s car is in the driveway, so that’s a good sign. He hops the steps of the porch and rings the doorbell in one smooth motion. The sound echoes through the house but no lights come on, Duke can’t hear any footsteps in the entryway, no one comes to the door. He rings a second time, just to be completely sure, and still winds up with the same response. Either both brothers are dead asleep or no one is home. Duke hopes that with Red’s car in the driveway it means they’re just heavy sleepers, but there’s really no way of knowing for sure.

Duke grunts softly, this isn’t putting his mind at ease, if anything; it’s worrying him more. However, with no one answering the door, there isn’t much more he can do. Besides, the darkness is causing the same goosebumps to break out along his skin. Duke slides back into his car before whatever’s in the shadows can try to come and get him again.

The moon lights the streets on the way home, but Duke still feels like the shadows are reaching out to claw at him.