Picture Prompt #8

I’ve been slacking in these posts of late… are you surprised? *Puppy dog eyes.* I missed last week’s post altogether, but I’m so on the ball this week that I’m posting this one a day early. Also, I have big things taking precident tomorrow… oh, you know…EVO Shift’s release!

The purpose of these posts is to write a short story each week based on a picture I have taken during that week. I plan to do a year’s worth of posts which may take a little longer than 52 weeks knowing me. However, I promise to complete my 52 posts!

Field Trip

Petra reluctantly leaves Beth’s side and heads over to Tobias Franley. He watches her approach through his greasy fringe; neither acknowledging her or totally ignoring her. She can smell him before she is within fifteen feet of him, and the sight of the dirt under his finger nails turns her stomach, but she won’t be that girl. She won’t be like the others who laughed when her name was called to partner Tobias; the ones who have relentlessly bullied Tobias for as long as she can remember.

“Hey, I’m Petra. I hope you’re good at orienteering because I’m useless.”

He brazenly studies her entire form. His face reveals little of what he’s thinking, and she coughs nervously. No, she never made a conscious effort to speak to Tobias or to include him in anything ever, but he never showed an interest in making friends. She didn’t like him, found him a little creepy even, but she wasn’t one to be mean for the sake of being mean. After all, everyone has their struggles, right?

Tobias extends his hand for the resource pack that Mr Gregg had handed to her. Even the teachers avoid Tobias where possible. He makes everyone feel uneasy. For a quiet guy, he can outright stare at you and not show any shame. He is a watcher- watchers make Petra edgy.

“This way,” he grunts, wiping his nose on his sleeve.

Petra composes herself and follows. Unable to keep a good distance without appearing rude, she takes shallow breaths to try and avoid smelling the stench of old sweat. Beth throws her a look laced with pity before heading out with her own, less socially awkward partner.

***

“So, you live by the bowling alley, right?” Petra asks, making conversation. They have been walking for the best part of an hour- Tobias trudging ahead, following the map, and Petra writing down the letters at each marker.

“Yes.”

“Did you know I work there on the weekends? I’ve never seen you in there before. Is bowling not your thing?”

“No.” He stops suddenly, examining a fork in the footpath. “This one,” he says, not bothering to glance back at her.

Petra looks to the mine chimney in the distance. “Are you sure? Mr Gregg said that if we get lost we should head to the mine. This path takes us back on ourselves.”

Tobias doesn’t stop. “The map says this way.”

He clearly wants this ordeal over as quickly as she does, so she doesn’t protest.

The light dims as black rain clouds gather overhead and fat raindrops drench them through. The gorse gets thicker and the ground muddier. The further they walk down Tobias’ route, the more dense the trees become. An anxious feeling grips at her gut. Mr Gregg said the orienteering would only take about an hour and a thirty minutes. They were no closer to the mine chimney, and they had been walking for nearly two hours.

“Tobias, no offense, but I think we’ve taken a wrong turn back there. This can’t be right.”

He huffs, spinning in his wet trainers. “There’s a marker,” he says pointing to a pink tag tied around a tree nestled in the overgrowth.

Relief washes over her. “My bad. Nice navigating,” Petra says, setting off through the brush towards the tree. As soon as she steps from the beaten track, her foot sinks into the mud. Her boots disappear beneath the sludge that runs down her legs, pooling around her feet in a gooey mess.

“Shit. This is a bog, Tobias.” She tries to pull her foot free, but is sunctioned further into the mud. With each movement she sinks further. “Tobias, I can’t move. You’ll have to help pull my legs free.” She looks to Tobias, but he stands motionless. The mud drags her down further. She’s up to her knees, now. “Tobias, help me!”

Tobias watches with a sick intensity that chills her to her core. He smiles with his eyes. Petra looks to the marker. It’s pink like the rest, but the wrong shape. The others were square, laminated bits of card. This one is a rectangle parcel tag. She starts to scream as realisation washes over her body like ice water. This was set- up.

“Tobias, stop playing. Please, help me!”

He chucks the map into the mud beside her. He neither smiles nor panics, he just watches her the way you’d watch a ready meal go around in a microwave, or the way you’d watch clothes spin in the washer. She’s dying and he’s observing.

The mud shifts around her, sucking her in up to her waist. “Please, Tobias! I’m sinking. Help me. I’ll do anything.”

He removes the flare gun from the resource pack and fires it into the air. The red glow does little to appease her fears. By the time help arrives she’ll have been sucked under.

“What did I ever do to you?” she cries at him. The mud bubbles around her, and she slides further into it’s grip. “Why, Tobias?” The mud continues to suck her in deeper. One shoulder is totally submerged, and she flails the other arm helplessly.

“Because I wanted to see what would happen?” he says, casually.

He greedily watches the mud swallow her into its belly like a snake swallowing it’s prey, and as her mouth and nose disappear under the mud, she sees him shrug.

Written works and images are the property of K.J.Chapman