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midlands

5ixes and Lights

i

“I have to show you something. ”

The trees outside the window hissed and rustled in the warm August night. Leaves and twigs skittered across the paved yard, chasing the wind. A three-quarter moon glowed bright through gaps in the blanket of cloud that hung over the Midlands.

Heather was standing at the window of Luke’s bedroom, looking down. In the yard, a black tomcat sat perfectly still, looking back at her.

She turned away from the window. It was a typical boys room, just like her brothers. Plain, cream white walls, a few dog-eared posters of bands she didn’t care about, crumpled clothes strewn over various surfaces. Luke was digging through a drawer, searching for whatever it was he wanted to show her. She watched him while his back was turned. Skinny, red-haired, popular at school. Everyone liked him, but he’d been her friend first. They’d played together since they were five.

Downstairs, all was quiet. His mom was out tonight. They had the hopse to themselves, so he’d invited her over. He had a secret, and Heather loved secrets.

He shut the drawer and sprang onto the bed, freckled face alive with excitement. He had something hidden in his arms.

“Come here,” he said, patting the bed. She scrunched up to him excitedly, crowding in to see what it was.

Then he showed her what he’d taken from the drawer, the secret he wanted to share, and she felt herself go cold.

She took it from him and stared at it. It was a flat rectangle of black wax paper. On the front was an elaborate emblem in red. Six points, arranged in two V-shapes, one on top of the other. The points were joined to form an M, and surrounded by a hexagon.

It was still sealed, but she knew what was inside. She’d heard about Malice.

“Where did you get it?” she asked him.

He nudged her with his shoulder. “Don’t worry about that. Open it. ”

She glanced at him uncertainly, then at the comic in her hand. She was suddenly aware of how the silence had deepened in the house. Like the building was holding its breath. Even the wind outside had died.

She handed it back to him, a little too quickly. “You open it. ”

Luke gave her a strange look and shrugged. “Okay. I’ll open it. ”

He carefully unsealed the wax paper sleeve and slid out the comic. Heather looked away.

“Whats wrong?”

She didn’t reply. How could she tell him, without sounding stupid? She had no words for the creeping unease that was making its way up her spine.

“You want to read it together?” he asked.

She nodded. There was nothing else she could do. She didn’t want to admit that she was afraid; not to him, anyway. There wasn’t anything to be scared of, no matter what the rumors said. After all, it was just panels and pictures, ink and paper.

The first tale was about a girl caught in a labyrinth of glass and wire. She was trying to find her way into the center, where there was some kind of prize waiting for her, but the wire kept twisting around and trying to entangle her, and the walls shifted continually. A mannequin made of sharp pieces of metal was limping after her through the maze, leaving a trail of oil behind it. It was catching up to her fast.