Spooks & Specters: A San DeLain Short Story Collection

Chapter Three

HIS MONSTER had the absolute worst timing ever.

Austin had showered, cleaned the cuts as best he could, and was now lying down in bed, groaning softly because everything hurt.

“Austin? What’s wrong? Why do you sound like that?”

Of course. The one time he was hoping his monster wouldn’t be there, it would show up.

“It’s nothing.”

“Do not lie to me. Never lie to me. Your heart is pounding, and you groaned like you’re in pain. Are you in pain? Why are you in pain?”

“Please, it’s nothing.”

“Which means it is something.”

Austin closed his eyes. The worry in his monster’s voice was so very obvious.

“Austin, please, tell me what happened. I’m worried. Let me help you. Please.”

No one had ever cared about him, but here was this creature that he had never seen, practically begging him to tell it what was wrong. Why couldn’t the humans in his life do the same for him?

“Promise me you won’t get mad?”

“I can promise I won’t get mad at you.”

Biting his lip, Austin told the whole awful story about Travis, Travis’s friends, the bullying, the attacks in the locker room, the things that were said, other little incidents that weren’t quite as bad but were still painful, and finally how they had jumped him tonight.

The more Austin talked, the madder he got.

He had done nothing to deserve any of that. Travis seemingly targeted him for no reason and out of nowhere. Maybe Travis was in the closet, but that didn’t give him a reason to treat Austin how he had, and now to do this?

Austin was well aware he’d gotten lucky tonight. They could have seriously hurt him. Maybe even killed him. And for what? Because Travis was possibly attracted to Austin? Any sympathy he might have had for the other guy evaporated with every kick that connected to his ribs, back, and legs.

Why was it Austin who always had to suffer? They needed to pay for what they had done to him, although with their money, and the family history Austin had, he was doubtful anything would be done to them.

If anything, they’d probably make it seem as if Austin had made a pass at Travis and Travis had retaliated, somehow making it all Austin’s fault.

They should pay. Travis had made Austin’s life a living nightmare. Maybe it was time Austin made Travis’s life a living nightmare.

“Do you hurt others?”

Austin’s voice trembled slightly with this question.

“Only those who wish harm upon you,”

the monster replied, its tone almost protective. “Your father learned that lesson. He put his hands on you.”

A small smile flickered across Austin’s face. “He did, didn’t he?”

“I can stop them—stop the bullying.”

Was it worrying that his monster understood indirectly what Austin was asking? “You can?”

“I can.”

“But you won’t kill them, right?”

“Would you care?”

That was the question, wasn’t it? He was angry, furious in fact, but did he want Travis and his little group dead? No. He wasn’t that type of person.

He didn’t want their deaths on his hands, but he wanted them to know what he felt—the fear, the dread, the sickness in his stomach, the helplessness. He wanted them to leave him alone. He’d asked Travis to do just that, several times in fact, and what had that gotten him? Nothing.

In fact, Travis had escalated the attacks.

Would Travis eventually hurt him badly? Austin felt like he would. He could’ve done that tonight, in fact. One well-placed kick to the head could have resulted in something horrible. Something deadly.

“Austin?”

“I don’t want them dead. Travis is the main one, the other guys just follow his lead.”

“Give me their names,”

the monster under the bed said.

Austin rattled them off. “If you can make Travis quit, the other ones probably will too.”

“They will all stop bothering you, I promise you that. I’m allowed to do whatever I want short of killing them, correct?”

Austin took a deep breath. Again, he knew exactly what his monster was capable of. He had terrified Austin’s dad into a psychotic break.

“Yes.”

And he refused to feel bad about it. Travis should’ve stopped when Austin had pleaded with him.

The room grew colder. “So be it.”

Austin lay back against his pillow, his body aching but his mind somewhat relieved. The darkness of the room seemed to thicken, absorbing his whispered thanks to the invisible force that shared his space.

Sleep, however elusive on most nights, came surprisingly quickly after the assurance from his monstrous guardian.

THE FOLLOWING Monday, Travis and his crew were not at school. Whispers fluttered down the halls like leaves caught in a gusty wind.

Something had happened over the weekend.

The rumors of Travis and his friends having a psychotic break spread like wildfire throughout the school. Austin watched from a distance, not wanting to get caught up in the chaos that was sure to follow.

During lunch, he overheard snippets from a cluster of students huddled around a table. The story was that each boy had experienced some sort of terrifying vision, something to do with seeing a monster coming out from underneath their beds.

Austin did not feel guilty. He knew exactly what had happened and who was responsible for it. If he felt anything, it was relief that they would no longer be bothering him or anyone else. Travis, known for his bravado, had apparently been reduced to a trembling mess, barely able to speak about his experience without breaking into sobs. His friends were no different.

As Austin absorbed the reality of his monster’s intervention, a complex mess of emotions boiled in him. There was relief, undeniably—a lifting of the oppressive weight of constant bullying.

There was also fear, a cold line tracing down his spine at the realization of what he had set into motion. Wasn’t there a saying about how great power came great responsibility? His monster was quite real and quite capable of horrifying things.

But more than anything, there was an unsettling satisfaction.

For the first time in months, Travis’s table was empty. Despite himself, Austin smiled faintly, savoring a moment of peace as he ate his food. He, and anyone else bullied, had the right to exist without torment.

As classes resumed and days turned into weeks with no sign of Travis and his clique returning to school, they were slowly forgotten by Austin and his classmates.

Fitting, wasn’t it?

Austin had once walked these halls filled with dread. Now he didn’t. Simple as that. The days went by without any incidents. The halls were quieter than usual, as if everyone was still reeling from the news. And for once, Austin felt like he could walk through them without fear.

THE ARROWHEAD-SHAPED pendant appeared on his dresser soon thereafter. Apparently, his monster felt guilty that it had been unable to help Austin that night he got jumped. The creature had nearly drowned in guilt.

Rubbing the pendant somehow summoned his monster. Austin wasn’t sure what type of stone it was, but his research hinted it was obsidian. Only problem was that there seemed to be a black swirling mass inside the stone, and nothing he’d found explained that. It was as creepy as it was fascinating.

Austin didn’t know what his monster did or said to Travis and his gang, and he didn’t care. Did he feel bad? Nope. Not at all. Call him heartless, but he didn’t care. One less bully in the world. He could live with what his monster had done.

Austin wore the pendant every day, the stone warm against his chest, a constant reminder of the unseen friend he had in the shadows.

The burning need to see his monster began to consume his thoughts now. And not just to see, but to also know about it. Every night, Austin would lie in his bed, holding the obsidian pendant, whispering into the darkness. He’d ask questions, hoping for answers. Sometimes he would get answers, but sometimes his monster would refuse.

Austin’s curiosity raged, as did his interest in the paranormal world, which obviously existed. He started spending hours at the library after school, digging through old books about folklore, mythologies from around the world, trying to understand what his monster might be.

None of the creatures in those pages fully matched what he knew about the entity who lurked under his bed, yet each book seemed to feed his curiosity. Then he ran across a paranormal romance book in a secondhand bookstore, and a whole new world opened up to him.

He found a website where he could post stories for free. Werewolves? Vampires? They all fascinated him, and he did his dead level best to bring them to life in his stories.

OVER THE next year, his stories gained a following of dedicated readers who were captivated by the mysterious worlds he created revolving around vampires and werewolves.

Comments poured in, praising his vivid imagination. Some even wondered if he had experienced supernatural events himself to write with such authenticity. If they only knew. Some even encouraged him to try publishing them, but he was not ready for that. For one thing, if his grandparents ever found out, well, Austin didn’t want to consider the repercussions.

The attention was exhilarating, though.

As his online persona grew, so too did his connection with his monster. The friendship was still there, but a new element had been introduced, at least on Austin’s end. Suddenly his monster’s growly voice sent tingles through his body.

Even though he had never seen what was under his bed, he began to fantasize about the creature and what it looked like. But no matter how many times he asked, the creature would not show itself.

Austin tried to hide his feelings, but he couldn’t help but wonder if his monster knew about his crush, as most nights, under the soft glow of his desk lamp, Austin would scribble down questions in his journal, half hoping for some sort of revelation.

The pendant would occasionally grow warm against his skin, a silent acknowledgement or a comforting gesture, he wasn’t sure which.

The world around Austin seemed to shrink in importance compared to the burgeoning connection he felt with this mysterious entity. School became a blur of mundane tasks and social interactions that barely registered in his mind.

His true passion lay in uncovering the layers of his monster, understanding its essence, and perhaps, understanding his own feelings.

THE YEARS slid by, and Austin’s stories became increasingly popular. His bond with the creature under his bed continued to deepen, though it remained faceless and formless, a mystery wrapped in shadow. The monster’s presence was a constant now—hovering just at the periphery of his reality, always there, yet never fully revealed.

One year, as autumn turned to winter, a chill took over the air, and with it came a strange occurrence. Every night, as Austin lay whispering with his monster in the dark, the air around him would grow inexplicably cold, and he would feel a faint brush of something like fingers along his arms and neck. It was both thrilling and terrifying—an intimate gesture from an unknown entity.

On a particularly stark evening, as the wind howled outside like some lonely beast, Austin decided it was time for another direct conversation with his protector. Clutching the pendant tightly, he whispered into the darkness, “Are you there? Can you hear me?”

“I am always here,”

came the low rumble from under the bed in response. The voice was laced with something new this time—perhaps a hint of warmth or maybe amusement.

Austin swallowed hard. “I... I think about you. Not just as my guardian but as someone... someone I might....”

He faltered, unsure how to continue.

There was a long silence that stretched so thin, Austin thought perhaps he had crossed some invisible line. Then softly, but clearly, the voice said, “You are very dear to me.”

Flustered by the admission and feeling bolder than ever, Austin once again asked if he could see his monster. The silence returned, thicker this time, filled with unspoken words and feelings that buzzed like electricity in the air.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity but was likely only a few moments, the voice returned. “It is not... time.”

“Why not?”

Austin pressed, a mixture of disappointment and desperation flooding him.

“You are unprepared for the changes that will come with seeing me. It is not time yet, Austin. Enjoy being a child while you can.”

“A child? Are you kidding me? I’m nearly eighteen! I’m leaving for college soon!”

“And I am much, much older. Do not chase after adulthood, with its stresses and responsibilities. It will be here soon enough, but the time is not now.”

“But one day?”

“One day.”

Austin sighed deeply, feeling both rejected and strangely protected. “I don’t understand,”

he said quietly.

“I know that you don’t. But…”

the creature added slowly, as if choosing its words carefully. “Though you cannot see me as I truly am, I am always by your side. In every shadow cast by your light, I am there.”

Encouraged by these words, yet still hungry for more substantial contact, Austin tried to stop pushing the monster for what it wasn’t willing to give. He shifted his focus to graduating and preparing for college. Pouring his emotions into his writing, he found solace in the eager reception of his readers. Their enthusiasm helped ease some of his longing.

And he delved into research, determined to uncover the identity of the creature lurking beneath his bed. As soon as he turned eighteen and left for college, Austin took his first step towards independence by reaching out to Lanny Brookes, a renowned literary agent. Much to his delight, he was accepted. And not long after that, his paranormal romance book was published.

One day he would meet his monster, one way or another.

Mischief at the Halloween Bash-monthly