By Shaina Merrick
“Dude, I am beginning to rethink this idea.” Tyrone shifted uneasily from one foot to the other as he stared at the fence towering above them. “These signs look serious.” He pointed his flashlight to a neon orange “Keep Out” sign that was practically screaming at them.
“Now you notice?” Grant rolled his eyes, an annoying habit of his. “You’re the one who smashed the cameras.”
Tyrone winced. At first, he had been ready for adventure. But now he was starting to feel a little guilty.
“I can’t see,” Preston grumbled. “Little light?”
Tyrone and Grant shifted their flashlights back to their towheaded leader with the top-secret pass code. Courtesy of his dad, who had no idea his son would use the information to play tag in a construction zone.
The lock clicked. Preston swung the gate open with a large grin. “Come on. Dad said the electromagnetic generator isn’t installed yet. Without an energy source, the gateway is unable to reach into the space time continuum.”
Grant rolled his eyes again. “I heard ‘generator’, and ‘can’t,’ Mr. Scientist. Can we go in now?”
Preston bowed. “Of course, your high and mightiness.”
Tyrone trailed behind the two other teenagers as they entered the construction zone, covered in steel framework and orange signs. However, as Preston explained it, the whole thing was just a blind for the real project. The gateway.
“Who was It last time?” Grant’s voice was much too loud for the dark.
“Me.” Preston grinned. “Ready, set…”
A few minutes into the game, Tyrone forgot why he’d ever been scared. The site was the perfect place for tag. Beams lying every which way begged to be climbed on, wheelbarrows were perfect for vaulting over, and orange signs doubled as extra obstacles if thrown right.
With a shriek of laughter, Preston slapped Grant on the back. “You’re It!”
Tyrone looked back just in time to see Grant reaching for him. Tyrone burst forward. He ran until his lungs burned, then glanced back. Grant was nowhere to be seen.
Tyrone leaned his hands on his knees, sucking in gulps of air. His flashlight’s beam bounced with every breath, illuminating an orange electrocution warning sign… a tarp stretched over a pile of dirt… a steel beam… a big, wrinkled troll face.
Tyrone jumped, accidentally turning his flashlight off. Everything went pitch black.
“Excuse me, where am I?” asked a soft voice from somewhere in the dark. Tyrone opened his mouth, but it had gone dry.
“I can’t find my way home,” the voice continued. It was closer, though there was no sound of footsteps.
“And I am ever so hungry.” The voice was just above his head.
Tyrone screamed as he sprang into a run. He managed to turn his flashlight back on while he ran. His side ached, but he didn’t slow down until his friends’ flashlights were blinding him.
“Where’d you go?” Grant laughed. “It’s tag, not hide and seek.”
“What’s the matter?” Preston asked, frowning.
“What a charming scene,” said a soft voice behind them.
Three flashlights whirled around to point at the voice. Tyrone could see him clearly now. The troll’s green skin was wrinkly and mottled, and two large tusks grew out of his large mouth. He towered over the boys, just brushing the beams above them. Tyrone swallowed and took a step back.
“You have a nice smell.” The troll smiled grotesquely as he breathed in. “You should come to my house. Your smell would go well in it, I think.”
“You shouldn’t be here.” Preston’s voice shook like Tyrone’s knees. “The gateway isn’t finished yet.”
“Is that what it’s called? I forgot to ask the little man.” The troll licked his lips. “He smelled nice, too.”
This time, there was no countdown. Without a word or glance at each other, the boys bolted.
Tyrone ran with a speed he didn’t know he had left. He risked a glance behind. The troll could cover the length of a man in one step. And he was rapidly gaining. The troll was It, and Tyrone wasn’t going to be tagged, but eaten.
He racked his brain for some way to slow down his pursuer. Some kind of obstacle. Like the warning sign he’d just passed.
Tyrone dropped his flashlight and grabbed a neon orange sign in front of him. Without giving himself time to think about what a stupid idea it was, he chucked it at the troll. And missed. Now Tyrone was almost within grabbing distance.
Gulping, Tyrone snatched up another sign. Don’t think. Just throw. The sign arced through the air. A corner hit the troll square on his nose. The creature clutched his nose and howled.
Tyrone screamed at the other teens, “Throw something!” Hoping they heard him, he hurled a wrench. At the same time, Preston threw a sign. Both struck the troll’s head.
Yet he didn’t slow down. Then Grant hoisted a chunk of cement and lobbed it at their pursuer. It collided with the troll’s knee, making him stumble. That was all the edge they needed.
The boys dashed out of the building as if trolls were hiding in every shadow. Once they escaped, Preston slammed and locked the electric fence.
Moments later, the boys huddled under the glow of a streetlamp, staring at each other’s pale faces.
“They should call a SWAT team for that thing.” Grant shuddered.
“Who was it talking about?” Tyrone asked. “The ‘little man.’ Your dad isn’t here, right?”
“Not now,” Preston said. “His weird assistant is short though. And he was always trying to rush Dad.” He shuddered. “Poor guy. What a way to go.”
The boys nodded.
“I suppose we owe you for saving our lives?” Grant nudged Tyrone.
“I guess so,” Tyrone laughed a little.
“What do you want?” Grant continued, “Ice cream, money, my firstborn child?”
“Ice cream,” Preston decided for Tyrone. “We should reward our hero properly.”
Tyrone couldn’t stop a small grin from spreading over his face.
“Let’s do it.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
There’s a “Goonies” / “Monster Squad” innocence about this story that really appealed to me.
Love it!
I love the light tone paired with the horror elements. Great story!
was there something about the security fence that kept the troll inside? or is it loose in the world? hmmmm…
Gadzooks. No more games in construction zones for me. Nicely done.
jdoran, thanks! I really enjoyed writing the relationships between the boys.
Rosie Q. Addams, thank you!
krystatawlks, thanks so much! I enjoyed writing in that style and I am glad you enjoyed it too!
SC Steamer, that is a great point! One would hope the electric fence would keep it out, but those boys had better watch their backs…
go2thebook, I know! I will definitely refrain from construction zones at night… Thank you!
Love it! Great work, Shaina!
That was a fun story! Also – nice that it didn’t turn out with everyone getting eaten, which I was genuinely afraid that might be for a minute there lol
This paragraph was pure brilliance:
Tyrone leaned his hands on his knees, sucking in gulps of air. His flashlight’s beam bounced with every breath, illuminating an orange electrocution warning sign… a tarp stretched over a pile of dirt… a steel beam… a big, wrinkled troll face.