What is Waiting in the Dark

It was midnight.  Me and a three friends just finished our weekly poker game.  Since my car was in the shop that day, I needed a ride home.  My best friend, Ronald, says that he has to be home in the next five minutes or his wife will kill him.

That's fine.  "I understand that", I say to myself.  Ronald's a big puss anyway.  I look over at my other friend Jackson.  I'd forgotten he was getting a ride from his mother.  Twenty-two years old and still getting rides from his mother.  Still living with his mother for that matter.

That left Mike, my only black friend.  I didn't know him that well, but I knew he lived in a bad part of town.  I made one last look at Ronald, the puss, and gave me a look that plead, "Look I have to go home, you'll be alright".  "He's a good man."

Everyone began putting on their jackets, and I acted as if everything were cool.  I grabbed mine as well.  We said our goodbyes and I found myself in the car with Mike.

The engine on his Nissan roared as he turned thekey.  From the dashboard speakers, Nelly was singing a song I had never heard before (I say that because it wasn't "It's getting hot in here"'). 

Mike immediately turned down the knob from the ear-piercing level.  "You wanna listen to something".

"Nah, it's ok.  I listen to everything." I proclaimed.

I sat quietly with my arms folded over my chest.  I watched intently as the scenery unfolded in front of me.

Sulphur streetlamps carved out yellow circles on city streets, sidewalks, and yards.  House after house, row after row, they all looked the same.  Funnily, I thought of the line from the night before Christmas.  "Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse".

And there wasn't.  At least there didn't seem to be.  But I knew that crowded behind several of these bushes were people dressed in black.  Sitting there, waiting for the opportune moment to spring on someone walking to their car.  Or perhaps they were waiting there, gathering the nerve to take a crowbar to the door of their neighbor.  Readying to load pillowcases with their ill-gotten goods.

He was taking to short route.  Which is exactly what I knew he'd do.  I had always taken the highway around this part of town.  Sure it takes a few extra minutes, but this is really a part of town that you don't want to blow your tire on.

"I just have to get something from my house", Mike said, turning onto what was probably his street.

Soon the car and slowed and Mike got out.  I followed him around the car.  Mike lived in an old two story with a large fenced in yard.  The front chain-link fence had a pad lock on it, even though the fence was only four-feet high.  Neverless he locked it behind us when we both passed through.  I couldn't help but look around as we walked up toward the house.  Shadows abounded everywhere, and the sodium vapor streetlamp must've conked out because there was no yellow glow to be found everywhere. 

Two houses butted up against mikes chainlink fence, and where each met the chainlink fence, the shadows grew darker.  I had the earie feeling that prowlers were gonna scale the fence and attack us with guns drawn, as if they were a swat team.

When we climbed the front porch steps the shadows began to move.  Mike fumbled with the lock a bit but fournd his key and married it with the lock.

I looked around terrified, as from the north and south, shadowy forms scaled the fences.  They were definitely human.  Mike had the door open, as one ran across the lawn.  I backed into it, as he bolted up the stairs.  "Let me in!" He roared, followed closely by his compatriot from the other fence.  He stuck his foot in the door as we were closing it.  When I looked up at him, through the terror panick and darkness, with just the sliver of light available through the doorway, I saw the face of a seven year-old.  The face was dirty, his clothes were torn.  Mike yelled from inside the house, "Kick him!"

So from the door, I kicked through the breach, and hit him in his rib cage.  Not hard, it was more of a push.  It was enough to get him to let go of the door.  He tumbled across the portch, and hit his head on the railing.

I closed the door immediately behind me.   A few seconds later the boy and his compatriot were banging on the door.  "We want food!"  The other boy yelled "We just want food!"

I was still leaning against the door breathing heavy, when Mike emerged from an upstair bedroom.  "Found it."  He was smiling.  I wasn't sure what he was smiling about.

When we reemerged the night stalker kids had vanished.  We got back in the car and nelliy began playing again.  This time it was "it's getting hot in here".  I resumed my cross-armed posture, until we had arrived at my house.  I thanked Mike for the ride and left.

When I got in my house I immediately headed for the bathroom, stripped off all my clothes and took a long hot shower.  I felt dirty.