The Backyard

We had just moved into our new house in Gunnison, MS. I was mad at mom for moving out of the city into the country. It was only 5 houses on this stupid block, I had nowhere to go, and I would have to make new friends My Last Year of High School. I can't wait until I'm 18! Why on earth would she do this to me? I have 2 younger brothers, Kenny 16 years old, he was a suck up and Nicholas, my youngest brother was 13 he had always been stuck to my hip, I practically helped mom raise him. They were upset about the move but not as much as me.

Kenny passes by, "Get over it already Jackie." UGHHH! Jackie slams her room door.

My mom and uncle Isaiah had just left to go get the next truck load of our things and wouldn't be back until 11pm, it's 4 now. I walked around the house getting familiar with where everything was. I walked outside to see if the neighbors were out, nobody. I guess everybody was gone, I noticed no cars in the driveways. I wondered if they had kids; girls my age at least, or this last year would be hell. I began walking back and forth, first kicking rocks, then throwing them into the woods across the street. I was so...

Nick yells " Jackie, Jackie, Somebody". I immediately ran into the house, down the hall to Nicholas' room. Kenny was there with his hand raised whispering "Stop" shushing me with one hand and pointing down towards the floor in Nick’s Room with the other. I slowly stopped and started tiptoeing. I peeked my head inside of the room. I was startled; it was the biggest snake I'd ever seen. I looked up to see where nick was, he was on top of his dresser. My heart began racing, I pulled my phone out and searched how to do catch a snake on google.

I would need a bag… Kenny interrupts whispering, “Jacks …keep an eye on nick, I’ll be right back". He goes into his room and 2 minutes later Kenny comes out looking like he's Crocodile Dundee, with a samurai sword mama had bought him for Christmas last year.

I began Laughing " Kenny, why did you change clothes?". "I'm sure that's not going to help catch it"."

Kenny replies, "Catch it? We're Having Fried Snake Tonight Jacks!” He says with a big grin. “Now, go get the fireplace poker, pitchfork stick."

Still Laughing, I made my way into the living room. I stopped in my tracks. Looking into the living room there was so many boxes, I didn't know which box they were in. So, I began pushing boxes over until I heard a clank. I immediately went and shook the two boxes I heard metal clanking from I ripped open the boxes. I grab the poker and ran back towards the room. "Here", I said giving Kenny the stick. The snake was wrapped like a coil with its head elongated turned towards nick. Kenny began easing his way into the room whispering, “Nick, when I pin him to the dresser with the poker, you run towards jacks ok”. “ok” says nick. “Jacks I want you” … He stops talking, as he stopped talking, he stopped moving, the snake slowly turns its head toward Kenny.

Thinking to myself, I should just run. My heart begins beating faster. The snake raises up a little bit higher with its body turning towards Kenny, suddenly, it was as if time began to move slower. The snake pounces at Kenny, Kenny begins stepping to the right, his right arm shifts swiveling the sword counterclockwise with a flick, it was so shiny a glare of light reflected from it. The poker in his left hand aimed at the snakes’ head, with perfect form he slices through the snake’s mouth. Blood dripped from the tip of the poker and on to the snake’s body that seem to still be alive. I swear in this moment, I truly believed my brother after all these years Kenny was an Actual Samurai. His right arm came charging across fast, he slices the lower half of the snake apart from its body. Blinking my eye, my brother was gone, the glaring from the sun shining in through the window hitting the tip of my brother’s sword. Working my eyes down towards the floor there he was, my brother, kneeling to the ground with his sword raised behind him. Four blinks later, the bottom half of the snake fell to the ground behind my brothers back. Wait for it!!! Connecting to the poker stick half of the snake.

Nick jumps down from the dresser and runs to Kenny yelling loud, filled with excitement “Bro, That Was So Freaking COOL!!!” Jumping up and down, “Man, How Did You DO That?!” Nick begins acting out what Kenny just did. Laughing. Kenny begins to stand dropping the poker and casing his sword. He looks back at me. I’m standing still in awe about what I’d just seen. Kenny smiles and says “Sis, fried snake”, while shaking his head up and down. I laughed, “Bro, who taught you how to do that. That was Crazy Live!” Giving him a hug, I was so scared. Kenny Replies, hugging me back, “Well, Jacks If I tell you, we would be eating you too,” he begins to laugh. Pushing me off he heads towards the hall. Nick yells, “Hey, who’s going to help me clean this up.! I yell “Kenny Stop! Go get some bags, you pick up the snake because I’m not touching it and bring me some towels and cleaning supplies so I can get this blood up. Nick when I’m finished, I want you to put all the dirty towels in the washer.” Clapping my hands twice. “Let’s Go” Kenny says, “who put you in charge”.

We were almost finished cleaning up when mom and uncle Isaiah had called to check on us. Immediately, Kenny goes off and tells them what had happened. I couldn’t get a word in. I yell from the background since I was pushed out by my brother “I’m glad that we’re okay to mama!” I head back into nicks room to finish cleaning what was left of the blood from the floor. Nick grabs the basket of bloody towels and heads to the laundry room. I began checking to see just how the snake got in. I couldn’t find a hole anywhere around the house. I thought to myself, so how did it get in? Confused, I walked outside and around to the back of the house. I realized all five houses shared one big back yard, No Privacy! But there was a big, beautiful lake.

As I began walking towards the lake, I noticed an older woman around my mom’s age making her way out of her back door. But she suddenly stops. Doesn’t speak but looks as if she wants to tell me something. I raise my hand waving “Hi, my name is Jackie, I’m one of your new neighbors.” I watched as car pull into her driveway. She looks towards the front of her house and runs back inside. I drop my hand as a very short man exits the car with his head down. I turn to continue walking towards the lake. Laughing, I ask myself myself “now we she scared of me or?” … The man yells, walking fast towards me “Excuse me young lady, please be careful back here, there is a lot”, he stops in his tracks turns around and makes his way to his back door. “Sooo, that was creepy.” I said looking out at the lake. I pull my phone out taking a selfie and posting to my snapchat. I head back towards the house; I see Kenny peek his head around the corner as if he was looking for something.

“Kenny you won’t believe what just happened?! Our neighbors are freaking weirdos.” I was trying to get a selfie of me and the lake.”

“Wait what lake?” Kenny interrupts.

“The one in our back yard, bro but wait, listen. I seen the neighbors from the fourth house.”

Kenny chimes in “Yea, I know dude passed by sitting tall extra tall, but when he got out of his car dude was mad short. I seen him run into his back yard. I was just about to go to the back there did you see what he was doing? I heard him shouting and slightly jog but couldn’t understand him. I didn’t see anybody else. Then I couldn’t find you. So, yea”

“YEA!!! Kenny that’s what I’m trying to tell you. I seen his wife as well. She came out first but from her back door and when he pulled up, she ran inside. I thought he was trying to introduce himself. He said something, then stopped and walked back inside of his house through the back door. It was as if there were trying to warn me about something. His wife didn’t say anything but, but she acted as if she did.”

“Jacks” Kenny says as I lift my head in confusion about what just happened. Now don’t get all “Get Out!” on me. you been in the heat for too long. Go get some water and let’s get the boxes broken down before mama gets back.”

Yea, Okay. I said, while making my way into the house through the carport door that’s attached to the kitchen. “Kenny”, I said. “Yea”, Kenny Replies. “Where is nick?” “He’s laying down I think the snaked scared him tired,” laughing as he locks the door behind him.

After getting the house in order, Kenny went to wake nick we all ate dinner and watched a movie until mama and Isaiah got back. We were halfway into the movie when we seen lights pull into the driveway. Nick runs to the window “They’re Back” he yells while running to the side door opening it, letting them in. I don’t know what was going on in this town, but I was so freaked out earlier. I didn’t know if I should tell mom or just sleep it off. I gave mom and uncle Isaiah and hug and headed to bed.

I woke the next morning at 4am, I just couldn’t get the neighbors out of my head. I got up and headed to the kitchen for a glass of water, filling my glass I begun to raise my glass to my lips when suddenly; I seen someone standing out near the lake. I shut off the stove light to get a better look. It seemed that all our neighbors were standing out by the lake, just standing there! No one seemed to be saying anything, just looking out at the water. I went to wake Uncle Isaiah from the living room, startled he looked at me with one finger on my mouth waving him to follow me with the other. We made our way into the kitchen I pointed out of the window. He went to look he turned around “Jackie what am I looking at? It’s to early for this?” I moved him out of the way. Looking out the window no one was out there. “Isaiah, I swear all of the neighbors were just standing outside all creepy like and earlier when you and mama were gone, the neighbors in the fourth house were acting extra weird when I was in the backyard.”

“Alright baby girl, calm down. Just head back to bed we’ll talk about this in the morning.” Said Isaiah.

“I’m not lying they were just out” …

“Baby girl, baby girl I’m tired and I think you are too. You guys killed a snake and it’s a lot hotter here in Mississippi. You might have just had a bad dream.”

No, Isaiah I didn’t ask Kenny, he’ll tell you. I said as I walked back to my room.

“Okay, baby girl throwing his hands up and dropping down onto the couch.

(Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep)

Turning over to turn off my alarm I was so upset at Uncle Isaiah for not believing me. I open my door, walked across the hall to the bathroom knock “occupied” yells Kenny. I make my way into the living room. Mom is cooking breakfast; Isaiah was bringing in boxes from the truck. I waited for Isaiah to head back out. I walked into the kitchen hugging mom from behind. “Mom, there is something I have to tell you, but I really need you to believe me, okay?”

“Yea, sure hunny, are you okay?” Mom says as she turns around looking at me with concern.

“Yesterday, when you all were gone. I met the neighbors from the fourth house, but they acted all weird and the husband was trying to tell me or warn me about something. Then he stopped and ran into his house, his wife was also weird. She didn’t say anything, but it gave me the chills because she was just standing at her back door and when her husband pulled up, she ran inside. I didn’t think to much of it until this morning. I was getting a glass of water when I’d seen, with my own two eyes: all the neighbors standing boarding the lake behind their houses. I got creeped out, so I went to wake uncle and when uncle got up to go and check they were all gone. He told me I was still in shock from seeing the snake and it was hot.” Mom reaches her hand to my forehead as if she was checking my temperature. I push her hand down and walked back to my room, passing Nick and Kenny on my way. Reaching for my arm Kenny asks, “you okay jacks?” brushing him off I enter my room and close my door? I lay back down in frustration. I seriously don’t want to be here anymore.

(Knock, knock, knock)

Someone was knocking at the door, I wondered who? I rose from my bed making my way into the living room. Uncle Kenny had just sat a box down when he walked to the door and opened it. There was a woman standing there with a cake it looked like she had baked. “Hi”, she said with the biggest smile on her face. “My name is Martha and I’m your neighbor to the left in the first house.” She steps to the left and the rest of the neighbors are behind her. If this wasn’t creepy, I didn’t know what was. “Here”, she says handing Uncle Isaiah the cake. “Now, that’s from us all. We wanted to properly welcome you all to the lake. I mean to the neighborhood.” Martha smiles.

“Well, we are all having a gathering today at the lake behind the house.” You mean like you all had this morning.” Jackie interrupts. Martha laughs “last night we were all in with our family’s young lady. But we hope you all enjoy the cake and come out today.”

Thanks, we will make it, thanks for the invite. Isaiah closes the door.

Jackie, you don’t know for sure if that is true. Don’t let me here talk to your elder like that again, says mom.

Well, I’m not eating that death trap of a cake. I leave and go to the restroom to freshen up. They all sit down to eat. I begin hearing a loud humming sound coming from outside. I stood on the tub to look out of the window and there they were surrounding our home. “Mom!! look outside they are surrounding the house humming. I ran into the living room. My uncle opens the door to ask what was happening. (whoosh) Isiah rocks back. “Uncle Isaiah,” Nick calls “are you ok? Uncle Isiah turns around. There is a knife in the middle of his head. He drops to his knees and body thuds on the floor. My brother screams and my mom rushes to my uncle crying.” There is a yell from afar. “We wanted you to be family”. The humming continues. Mom drags our uncle’s body into the house.

“Mom what are we going to do? says Kenny.

I heard trickling near the door. And it seemed as if they had moved closer. I watched as the doorknob jingle. Mom cried Nicholas. I grabbed nick and Kenny yells “let’s go to my room. I must get my sword. We all run to his room but as we were running, glass begins shattering from the living room windows, I hear them open the doors. Kenny blocks his window off with a small shelf fitted in between his bed and the window. The humming gets closer. They begin banging on the door to the room. Kenny pulls his sword. The doors bust open. Orange darts fly in hitting Kenny in his neck. Another hits my mom, then nick, they fall to the floor. I begin to cry out “Please, don’t do this.” They ran in and placed a cloth bag over my head. I’m crying and pleading. A man yells “Shut her up” that’s when I felt a stick. Everything goes dark…

To be continued…..