The car followed the road laid out for them. They were both thankful for and unsettled by its presence. Black silhouettes of distant houses loomed like sleeping giants.
Eric pulled into the driveway of the first house they came to. Two stories of sun bleached siding panels reflected back at them in the moonless night. Vines pulled at the panelling and wormed their way up to the roof, which had caved in at the center. The windows were long gone. Not a single pane of glass remained, leaving the building completely open to the outside. A laminated orange notice had been fixed to the front door.
“We’re here.” Eric relaxed back into his seat. He took out his keys, killing the engine.
“Finally, ” Josh sighed, untucking a joint from the side of his boot.
“So, what's the backstory on this place?” Vic asked. The hesitation in his voice betrayed his anxiety.
“Yea Matt, I’m surprised you picked, ” Josh gestured vaguely to their surroundings with his lighter, “this.”
“Eric picked this time,” Matt admitted reluctantly. His thumb was almost completely cleared of black paint. Josh and Vic shared a knowing glance with one another. An unspoken oh no was felt between them.
“Didn’t Eric pick last time?” Vic asked.
“Allison said the place Matt found was “pussy shit”,” Eric explained with air quotes. Clear contempt tainted his tone. Matt hunched over his nails, finding flecks he’d missed near the cuticles. Josh and Vic let out a simultaneous,
“Ah.”
Josh ran his thumb over the lighter until it caught. The light briefly reflected in his eyes, and Vic could have sworn he saw a bitter hatred simmering beneath the surface. He felt it too. So did Eric. The moment passed as soon as the lighter went out and the joint was lit. Thick skunky smoke filled the car.
“She didn’t even come this time,” Josh said. His eyes rolled in a nearly audible thank god. He held the joint out over the front seat.
Eric was the first to take it. “I’m surprised she let you come without her,” he said flatly and without hesitation.
“She had a migraine,” Matt said. He wanted to defend Allison but didn’t know how. On some level, he’d known they didn’t like her. They’d always managed to be friendly while she was around; and she was always around. They went everywhere together. “What's up with this place?” He asked, deciding it was easier to change the subject. Eric exhaled a fog of smoke into the windshield before clearing his throat.
“Since I had to find something last minute, I couldn’t do much research. I initially found this place mentioned in some old newspapers. The land was owned by a development company that went bankrupt. They were turning this area into a neighborhood but only got three houses to sell.” Eric passed the joint to Matt.
“Spooky nonsense again?” Vic asked with a heavy sigh.
“Wait, let me guess!” Josh shouted like he already knew which obscure cryptid had enthralled Eric this time. When the silence stretched on, it was clear that he hadn’t. “…Bigfoot scared them off?”
“You mean Eric's cousin?” Matt asked, exhaling through his nose. He passed behind him to Vic.
“I’m part yeti?” Eric asked, part of him entertaining the idea.
“Explains a lot,” Vic and Josh said together.
“Fuck off! It wasn’t Bigfoot, it was arson.”
“Who says Bigfoot can’t set fires?” Josh added unhelpfully as he eagerly waited for Vic to pass back to him. Vic took a second drag before completing the rotation. He drew it out, letting Josh squirm as payback for the incessant leg bouncing.
“They think whoever set the fires forgot which houses were occupied, or didn’t care,” Eric continued, ignoring the peanut gallery.
“Occupied,” Matt reiterated under his breath. A sinking feeling settled in his gut.
“I don’t think anyone was charged. If they were, the library didn’t keep any record of it”
“People didn’t die here,” Vic began to ask, feeling his skin prickle with the threat of goosebumps, “right?”
“Only two,” Eric said, debating whether or not to conceal the full truth. “Families.”
“You’re kind of a sick fuck, you know that?” Matt asked.
“It’s not like I look for places with a body count. Besides, those houses are at the back of the lot. We'll stay on this side.”
“Uh-huh.”
“You’re not gonna ditch us to fuck a ghost?” Josh asked.
“What? No.” Eric said, feigning ignorance. He opened the driver door, letting the captive smog drift out. “None of them are even my type.”
Josh followed after him. “See, when you say shit like that I can’t tell if you’re joking,”
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