Story cover:

This is based on the prompt: Not Really Dead of the Halloween Vault 2 contest on sport profile.

"Being the new kid sucks," annoyance coated his words. Making friends wasn't his strongest forte and ever since they moved in, people regarded him with narrowed eyes each time he passed them with the secondhand bat that he purchased from their creepy neighbor who sparked unease in Erik with the intensity of his gaze, prompting the boy to scurry away only to end up in an open space behind his new school, autumn leaves scattered everywhere.

Ever since that day, the abandoned baseball field became his sanctuary. Erik frequented it too much to practice which irritated his mom who wanted him to focus on studying. But, he made new friends who, despite their lack of verbal communication and expressions, were all on the same page when it came to baseball.

The mother, however, grew worried. Her son's behavior planted wariness in her for sometimes he'd started acting strange and she'd find him at times with a blank face standing in the middle of his room, gaze fixated on his bat while clutching it tight. Yet, the more she argued with him, the more he stayed out.

One day, the creepy neighbor visited. Erik tried to avoid him as much as he could until his mom glared at him so hard he gave up and went to say hello. The guy, Mason Thatcher, noticed the bat by the door and proceeded to tell a story that was so creepily bizarre, Erik was sure it was a figment of his imagination.

The bat once belonged to a kid, the golden star of the town who had a bright future as a baseball player. Then, one day, fifty years ago, the kid was found at home, bat drenched in blood, his parents' heads bashed in bed, his little brother trembling in the closet.

He refused to surrender and tried attacking the police in a craze of a high-pitched continuous scream. The police shot him dead and since then the town avoided anything related to baseball, including the field.

The story sounded far-fetched to his ears.

On Hallows eve, another fight prompted him to seek solace in his expressionless friends. However, they seemed almost angry, too agitated and violent. One of them approached his sprawled form on the ground. The closer he got the clearer Erik could make out an engraved B.T on his shirt, similar to the one on the bat.

Realization flitted across his face when the cold-eyed boy smirked. "I thought you were dead." He croaked, a chilly breeze scattering the leaves before a hollow scream pierced the air.

Mason closed the windows, hoping his warning could make a difference this time and prayed the bat wouldn't appear in the garage again.

That night, the mother awoke to Erik slamming the bat continuously on walls, proceeding to ignore her calls before dragging himself to his room. Frustrated, she went back to bed only to be woken up by sounds of wood grating wood and a high-pitched scream following before hers erupted.

Word count: 500.

The idea of this story was suggested by a friend of mine and for that I am grateful.
My first thoughts when I read the prompt were: surfing or..something that swings. And, so, when this idea was brought up I was thrilled.

500 words is limiting,really, but I hope this came out alright.

The GIF is from an Indonesian movie called: The Raid 2, the link to that scene can be found at the external link below. The dude is so badass, lol.

Hope y'all enjoyed reading. 💜

Dreams. Xx