Born to be a LeadHER

NO TRESPASSING
Private Property
Violators will be prosecuted to the full extent of…

My legs are starting to fall asleep as I’m folded into the small space between the boxes of kitchen appliances in the dark warehouse we are trespassing in. I’m a known claustrophobe and yet every time I play hide & seek, I hide in some small dark place that constricts my breathing and makes me feel trapped. Breathe in, breathe out. I can hear Jacob banging on the storage containers and shaking the metal shelves. He has to be at least 100 yards away from me. The echo of his shouts bounces off the walls and I can almost hear the smile on his face. He is trying to scare us, but it’s not really working. He just keeps yelling “Here’s Jacob!” like we would scream and run from our hiding places if he gets too close. Oh! I’m so scared now that you’ve referenced the “Shining.” I’m really frozen in fear! I don’t even know why we started playing hide & seek in the dark. It’s a kid’s game and I’m getting tired of sitting in this cramped little space. He is closer to me now, maybe 40 yards behind me. I saw Lily hide between two storage containers over there. She slipped her thin body between the two ends and wedged herself against an overlapping container in the back, totally engulfed by the dark. There are probably so many spiders lurking back there. She is going to be the first one found and the spider bites won’t even be worth it.

Jacob moves past her, I think. He is quiet now. That’s odd. I can hear something beeping close to the corner I’m hiding in. I don’t remember what was back there, it was too dark for me to see, and I didn’t have enough time to look. Maybe a forklift? Lights suddenly illuminate the ceiling above me just enough so I can see how high it reaches. Damn, this warehouse is huge. I can’t even see the other 3 walls. The lights start to move. What is he doing? The rumbling sound of a motor moves slowly around the mound of boxes I am squished in and beelines for the crates Lily is hiding in between. Hailey, Luke, Ellen, and Theo are somewhere on the other side of the warehouse. The light stops. I swear it is right at the spot where Lily is. They flicker and turn off. God, he is overcommitting to the bit. Typical youngest child. A couple of moments pass as the silence becomes deafening. My head is throbbing from staring at the moving light and then being thrown into complete darkness again. After Jacob finds Lily, I’m moving hiding spots. My legs

are really starting to hurt now. I am trying to readjust them without making any sound and Jacob speaks again. This time he is a lot quieter, and his voice sounds different. It sounds almost dangerous. He sounds so unlike his usual, annoyingly childish self. So dramatic. He always takes everything too seriously. He whispers, “Found you.” Immediately, the sound of metal scraping against concrete screeches from where he is, and someone is screaming. It’s Lily. Why does she sound so scared? He really isn’t being that scary. A huge bang echos through the warehouse and everything stops. It’s silent again. Did I just hear a crunch?

The air around me thickens and my senses are overwhelmed by the sound of my heart beating loud and fast. The silence is broken again by shifting metal on the other side of the warehouse. The lights flicker back on. I hear the echo of Luke asking, “What the fuck was that Jacob?” followed by his thundering footsteps as he runs closer to my hiding spot. I second that. Who even is this guy? Jacob laughs and says, “found you Luke” and the silence is once again broken by ear-shattering screaming. It is Luke’s screaming this time. Why is he screaming? He lost the game, it’s not like he is dying. I should peek out from the boxes, just to check on them. But this is surely a strategy to make us all stop hiding. His screaming gets louder. He really needs to stop. This isn’t tricking anyone. Unless he’s actually in danger? No. Jacob wouldn’t do that. I hear a loud squelch and then another. Luke’s screaming louder and louder. He is begging Jacob to stop. Why isn’t he running away? What is that sound? Luke’s screams bounce off the walls of the warehouse and shake the boxes around me. I should look. I am going to look, just a small peek.

Breath in, breathe out. Be quiet. STOP BREATHING SO LOUD. I need to become invisible. The image of Luke’s deformed legs burns into my mind. Only flesh is hanging from crushed bone where his legs should be. Pieces of his decimated legs are smeared on the cold concrete floor of the warehouse. And the blood. Why is there so much blood? Chunks of his bloody flesh are splattered across the crates he lays still next to. Why is he so still? Another pool of blood is seeping from under the joined ends of two of the crates. Wait. Lily was just between those two crates. The warehouse is filled with an overpowering metallic smell. I can’t breathe. It’s the smell of blood. Lily’s blood. Luke’s blood. I am trying to understand what happened, but my heart pounding in my ears is making it difficult. The boxes closing in around me are making it increasingly difficult to breathe, but I need to stay hidden. Breath in, breathe out. The silence in the warehouse is louder than anything I have ever heard. What is happening? How do I get out

of here? The lights shut off. Shit. My eyes struggle to adjust to the darkness as Jacob’s steps echo around the warehouse tauntingly. Damnit, why can’t I move? It’s like these boxes are crushing me into place. Breathe in, breathe out.

Jacob’s eerie laugh echoes as he sneers almost playfully, “Who’s next?” Is he having fun?

His footsteps stop near me. Don’t look up. Don’t move. God, I hate hide & seek. Breathe in, breathe out. “You…” I look up shaking and stare back into his cold, dead eyes. “Found you,” he smirks viciously. Shit.