Sheep's Clothing by Gary Lewis (dark books to read TXT) 📗

the only way she could convince her mom she'll be inside tonight, with the curfew and all.”

Sarah blew out a frustrated huff. "She's eighteen now. You'd think maybe she could make her own decisions for once." Sarah's rant was cut short by a soft knock at the door.

"That must be her," David said, jumping to his feet.

"It's my place, you know," Sarah said, rising to cut him off at the door.

"Who is it?"

"Sarah?" A meek, familiar voice came from the outside the heavy wooden door. "I told Mom I was staying the night at your place. I hope you don't mind," Janice said.

Sarah shot one more look in David's direction as she held the handle and attempted to dig out a smile.

"Hey, girl! It's good to see you," Sarah said after swinging open the door to hug her with a huge smile. Janice seemed to hesitate before finally stepping inside. Sarah wondered what David might have said to her. "I know. The place is still a mess. I haven't had time to straighten things up since we had our last monster meeting." Sarah air quoted the last words.

"I understand," Janice said. "Cleaning house has been the story of my life for a while. It sure feels good to get out." Sarah watched Janice's eyes wander to a far corner of the room as her words grew quiet. "But now I'm afraid to even be at home."

"I'm going to step out a minute," David said as he drifted out the front door with his phone pressed to his face. "I'll try Terry and see what's going on." His voice faded from the open front door as he stepped off the porch.

Sarah sat in her recliner as she watched Janice find a place in the center of her sofa. Her light brown hair draped over her shoulders. "I think it's some kind of curse," Janice said.

Sarah pressed her eyebrows inquisitively as she leaned forward. "What do you mean?"

After a moment devoid of any sound aside from the crickets outside, Janice spoke again. "Why did you and David break up last spring?"

"Just how it goes," Sarah said, looking toward the open doorway, beyond the bright porchlight, into the dark void between the stars.

"We've all been so distant since then,” Janice continued. “You even dropped out of college."

Sarah's heart beat faster as she glanced around the doorway for any sign of David.

"It was right after my dad died," Janice said, now speaking up.

Sarah returned her eyes to where Janice sat up, leaning slightly forward on the couch. “Well, Jan, it was a tough year for all of us.”

"I'm sorry about Brad," Janice said softly with eyes as big as the moon that hung in the sky outside.

A pool of guilt filled Sarah's vision and she quickly glanced away toward the kitchen. "It's nothing compared to what you've been through. I've been closed off, trying not to think about it."

"Well, I missed you," Janice said. "After dad died, I tried to reach out, but that was about the time you had your problems."

Janice glanced toward the floor as she spoke with a light laugh. "At first I thought you were mad at me or something." Her voice stopped as Sarah watched her turn her head to the side and stare away out the open doorway.

"All that happened not long before the fire at the old rec and now all this," Janice said, slowing her voice to her usual quiet tone.

"What are you trying to say, Jan?" Sarah held her breath as she awaited an answer. Just say it already and get it over with.

Janice stared back. "Just what I said. It’s some kind of curse," she said, breaking the eye contact that seemed to have lasted forever. “You asked what I meant. I was just trying to explain.”

"Yeah... A curse," Sarah said, taking a huge sigh as she walked over to drag down a section of the blinds. "Sure seems more plausible than anything we've come up with."

There was still no sign of David as she watched the front yard for movement. The occasional headlights of a car rolled down the street, sweeping shadows from the wildly shaped bushes to slide across the overgrown grass of her yard.

A loud clank came from outside. Sarah's heart took a jump that landed it into her stomach as Janice leapt to her feet and stared toward the wall with wide eyes.

In a slow whisper, Janice began to speak. "Should we call someone?"

"I don't know," Sarah said in matching tone.

Janice turned her head toward the doorway. "It seems like it stopped. I'll go check it out."

Sarah couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Not alone, you're not." She reached under her couch and pulled out a machete and a taser. "Make sure I'm finished before you start chopping," Sarah said, turning the plastic machete handle toward Janice. "Fifty thousand volts." She pointed the taser skyward.

After snatching a banded headlamp dangling from the key hook on the wall, Sarah cautiously opened the front door. Janice walked ahead and Sarah noticed how high her grass was around Janice’s waist as she stood firmly planted with the machete in both hands.

"I'm scared," Janice said as she pressed the tall, wet grass down with every step she took. The long blade she wielded glinted with the light from her front porch as she pointed it out in front of her into the darkness.

"Not too far," Sarah said as she quickly stepped ahead at Janice’s side. Their backs closed in together as they turned in a slow circle through the thick vegetation.

A deep, distant bark caught their ears. "Do werewolves bark?" Janice whispered.

"I think it's the pit-bull down the road," Sarah whispered.

A loud thud sounded from the direction of the back yard. Sarah took aim, pacing methodically toward its source.

"Wait," Janice whispered. "Please don't."

Sarah could understand Janice's fear of losing someone else, but that was precisely what drove her steps. "Don't worry, Jan. I'm going to keep you safe."

Sarah finally mustered up the courage to find her loud voice. "David!" She shouted while Janice's back jolted against hers. "Sorry," Sarah