The Mystery

    It had been a long week. That was something the members of both the boys and girls soccer teams could agree on. It was full of school and games. The games were all tuff fought. Many differing outcomes for them all. School had the usual groggy lunches and monotone lectures.  All they had had to look forward to was their time in the bursting sunlight and 90 degree weather.

    Sara had gotten to the small building by the edge of the open field. The metal goals at the ends shined against the light. She sat in the shade to put on her cleats. The small shaded area was packed with the members on the girls soccer team. What small bit of shade that was available was cool compared to the light.

    When Coach Rison pulled up beside the girls they all knew it was time to begin their long hours in the sun. Sara got up from her spot by Cia and Marsha. The rest of the crowd was slow to stand. Cia urged the team on up to the field anyway. Sara and Marsha followed close by Cia as she stepped off the cracked concrete onto the ragged field. There was very little green on the field that was actually grass. Most of it was overgrown weeds. Everything else was dirt so dry that if you breathed too hard it would blow a cloud of dust. But this was home to many of the athletes. 

    From around the corner of the building came the yells of Carrie. “Wait up guys,” she shouted and broke away from her boyfriend, Jack’s, hand, leaving him only with his cleats. She blew past the rest of the team stumbling slowly along. Marsha could see Jack smile at Carrie between passing faces.

    When Carrie met with the others, Cia snickered “Come on Lovebird” to her. Carrie just smiled with her head down. Deep down Carrie knew Cia was happy for her. Jack treated her well, which was what made everyone happy. Carrie had been known for mispicks of mates in the past.

    Marsha turned back to walk on. When she did her head caught her feet. Her cleats that were a notable pink had been smothered with a slimy substance that matted the shininess of them. She recoiled back. “Ewww! What is this?” Marsha shouted. Everyone looked down at their feet. “Ew”s and gags were heard all around. The tops of everyone's cleats had been covered in chunky green goo. When some of the girls would shake their feet the goo would not move but remain still as if it had been glued on. Sara began to wipe her cleats against the grass. Cia grabbed a leaf and scooped as much as she could off. It came off thickly and left a tingy residue. Those around them began doing a variation of wiped and scooping, but avoided at all cost touching it with their hands. No one could get it all to come off.

    “What is that stuff?” Carrie asked, mainly addressing Sara.

    “I couldn't tell you.” Sara responded. She had been thinking the same thing herself. It was unlike anything she had seen before. “It was probably just slug goo or something like that.” She added on. It was mainly for her own peace of mind. She didn’t want to think of any other slimy textured thing being on her new cleats.

    Cia, Sara, and Carrie got to the part of the field in the far corner where they warmed up everyday. Here there was enough shade because of the tree line guarded by a wire fence. Everyone else was stopped in different places looking around the field. Cia couldn’t help but notice the different places everyone huddled at, and seemed to make a line, heading toward the boys end of the field, where most of them had started their running and the others finishing their stretches. Cia called for all the girls to come back so that they could start warming up. She needed the goo off her mind. It was normal for them to find strange things on the field, but this time seemed different. It was uncomforting. 

The team had all come to the back corner except for Marsha. She was squatted over a small chunk of grass that seemed to be flatter than all the other spots. Cia explained it away to herself to just being a hole she hadn’t noticed but Carrie retreated to herself. The air had seemed to change. It was still burning up but a cool feeling rushed over her as if she was in the presence of a dead body. Sara on the other hand wanted to get closer. “Did you find something?” Sara asked as she walked towards Marsha.

“It’s everywhere here.” Marsha said. She said it in a more concerned voice than she usually had, which boiled down to still not being too serious.

Sara looked at what Marsha was leaning over and saw the goo, that yet again covered her shoes, all over crushed blades of dried grass. It was splotchy. The places with more goo on them seemed to be more dry and brittle than the other parts. After a booming yell from Cia, Marsha and Sara were sucked back into the reality that they had a practice they had to attend.

The warm up went as it usually did. Drawn out and slow, but there was more talk. It was mostly about the goo. Most people decided it was slugs. Cia was one of those people who agreed, but she knew it was only half heartedly. Everyone forgot about it when drills began, except for Cia. It had been in the back of her head while sending passes across the field.

She made a point to get as close to the boys side of the field as she could during the drills. She needed to ask Lucas if it was on their side too. Finally, she was able to find Lucas and Jack talking at the perfect place for her to get to them. “Lucas!” She said as loud as she could without drawing too much attention to them.

Lucas shuffled a little closer with Jack. “Yeah Cia.” He knew what she was gonna ask him.

“Do you guys have that slime all over there too?” Cia asked. She checked over her shoulder to see if Coach Rison had spotted her yet.

Lucas did a quick check over his shoulder. “Yeah, it has covered my cleats.”

“And there’s something else too.” Jack added. He said it soon after Lucas. He saw Coach Rison and knew he had seen them. Before Cia could urge him to elaborate however, Coach spoke up. Cia turned back to the drill. She made eye contact with Marsha, Carrie, and Sara. They all had a dark feeling in the pit of their stomachs.

 

Gone Over the Fence

 

It wasn’t till after practice that the boys talked to Cia. They were between Sara and Jack’s cars, leaning on the sides. Marsha sat on the floor and took off her cleats with utmost precision to not get the slime on her. Carrie leaned her head on Jack’s shoulder and stared out into the emptying parking lot while Lucas spoke. “So the goo goes in a straight line right?” He questioned. They all nodded. Marsha more aggressively than the others from her spot on the ground. “Well, where that line leads is exactly to the ripped part of the fence… and it’s all covered in whatever that stuff is.” Lucas paused. “Like if something was dragged through it.”

Cia stopped leaning on the car. She now stood straight up with her arms crossed and paced the length of the cars. “It was probably just a trash bag with something in it that leaked. That has to be all it is?” Cia urged.

    “I don’t think it is Cia.” Sara spoke up. “The only thing that’s back there is a creek. Why would someone want to bring a weird slimy bag out there?”

    Cia didn’t want to accept it, but she did. Sara didn’t want to either, but all the facts point to it being more. Marsha was up for an adventure, and so was Lucas. Carrie won’t leave her friends and Jack won’t leave Carrie.

It was decided.

They were gonna come back to the field and get some answers.

After dusk,  they all met up at the same place. They had on dark jackets and noticeably older shoes, the kind you had when you were little to play outside. Sara brought three flashlights. Jack brought a small boy scouts knife with a “J” etched into the side in the worn blue wood.

Up to the field they all followed Sara. She led them by the line of goo towards the far side of the field. The light against the slimy substance reflected on every blade of grass. Just in the last hours, even more pieces have lost their color and wilted. Closer to the fence the reflections showed brighter and, although they were alone, the kids grew quiet. 

One by one they climbed over the fence. They went to a far side where the wiring was clean. Jack was the last one over after boosting Carrie over. The other side of the fence was dark. The foliage didn’t let the light from the stars and moon seep through.

“So are we gonna spread out or what?” Lucas asked. Carrie immediately grabbed Jacks and Cia grabbed Sara. Marsha looks up from digging in her nails. “Just me and you it looks like,” he said to her. Marsha looks up then continues to chew on her nails.

The three duos split up. Sara and Cia went left. Marsha and Lucas went right. Carrie and Jack went forward. Each had a flashlight. Jack had his pocket knife.

 

Sara and Cia

 

“Stay close to me.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice.”

Cia moved close to Sara. They walked simultaneously keeping the light just ahead of their feet. For many paces everything seemed fine. It was a normal patch of woods at night. Still creepy in general nature, but Sara nerves had settled. Maybe everything is fine, she kept telling herself while taking long deep breaths.

In-

Step. Crunch.

Out-

Step. Crunch.

In-

Step. Crunch.

Out-

 Step…

The base of a tree enters the light. It’s frail with low hanging limbs. There’s a pool of goo in the tangle of roots. Sara stopped her foot mid step.

“Oh God,” Cia said. She knelt down to look closer. The substance ran the length of the tree. The small branches already were losing strength. What little leaves they had weighed them down. Cia leaned in close to it and stuck out her finger. 

Sara immediately pulled her back by the neck of her hoodie. “Don’t do that!” she said in a loud whisper.

“The slime isn’t gonna kill me.” Cia started back towards the tree for Sara to pull her back

“Look at what it’s done to the grass,” Sara snaps. “And look at this little tree.” She points the flashlight to branch above their head: drenched in goo and falling apart. Cia stared for a moment, then stepped away. Sara had a good point and Cia wished she didn’t.

 

Lucas and Marsha

 

He had never heard Marsha so quiet. There were no out of pocket comments or odd gestures. A macabre silence covered the woods. Further down, the creek ran ever so slowly. Trickle, trickle. 

“Sooo,” Lucas whispers.

After a long pause Marsha responded, “Soooo what?”

“How ‘bout this weather we’re having?”

The flashlight eased up and down with Lucas’ steps. Every other pace the goo had made its home. Marsha kicked a pebble. Straight away, it landed in the puddle. It stuck. It sank. It was consumed.

“This is weird.” Marsha said. “I don’t like it here.”

“Stop acting like a baby.” Lucas sped up, taking the night with him. 

There Marsha stood. The summer night turned cool. A gray fog fell over everything. She couldn’t see where the goo was. Lucas was now forever away. The light was forever away. Safety was forever away.

For moments, she stood there afraid to move. One step would have her foot in goo, or her foot on a stray root, to her face planting in goo. So she stood, still and alone.

Marsha couldn’t see anything except the dark outlines of trees. She pivoted around and still only saw trees. They began to contort as she spun. 

Brush became legs. 

Trunks became a chest.

Limbs became arms.

Marsha closed her eyes. Nothing can hurt her when her eyes are closed. When she’s in her head she is safe. She is her own light now.

Her light doesn’t extend to her physically. She feels something. Senses something. It's getting closer and closer. The cool becomes cold and silence doesn’t feel so silent. 

Marsha lets out a shriek.

​

Jack and Carrie

 

The couple had followed oozing tracks to the creek. Jack looked around the trees and Carrie looked in the water.

“AAAAAAHHHHHHH”

Carrie spun around on the creek bank. “What was that?”

Jack pulled out his knife and held the flashlight tight. He steps closer to the scream. Are the others okay? He thinks. He keeps his thoughts to himself. Carrie doesn’t need to be worried.

Without a second thought started to hoist herself up. “We have to check on them.” As she got her first foot on the solid ground, her other gave in. Jack moved to catch her. He was too late. Carrie’s had fallen into the null. As she sat up she was covered. Her legs, her arms, her face… it all was covered in the goo. 

“Carrie,” Jack whispered. 

She looked down to herself. Then touches her mouth. “Jack.” She collapsed to the ground and slid into the water. Jack jumped down to her. He held her in his arms. “I can’t feel anything.” Her mouth went numb and her words were slurred together.

“Come on, Carrie.” Jack cried. “We got to get you up. You need help.” 

Carrie mumbled something, but her life was fleeting. 

“We got to get you up, Carrie! Come on!” His screams filled the night and his tears covered his face. The goo was on his arms now. He could tell the feeling was being taken away. Carrie’s limp body laid on his own. Her eyes gazed towards him. Her tears left clean tracks down her face. With Jack’s leaving energy he wrapped his arms around her, making sure they could look into each other's eyes.

 

Back Together

​

“Run”

“I’m trying, Cia!”

Sara sprinted through the trees. Her flashlight danced across the night. That cry was Marsha, she thought.

In seconds they had reached the scene of the scream. The sharp light shone onto Marsha. She stood in a clearing. Lucas was there, too. He hugged her. “You're safe. You’re safe.” he kept saying. 

“No, no, no, no,” Marsha replied. “There was something there.” She looked around and saw Cia and Sara out of breath. “It was big and cold. It almost got me.”

“It didn’t get you, Marsha,” Sara insisted. “You’re fine.”

“But it almost did!”

Lucas turned to the others. “I only left her alone for a second.”

“Did you see anything?” Cia asked.

Lucas shrugged. “Can’t really see much.”

Suddenly Marsha cried out, “Carrie! Where’s Carrie?” She finally moved from her spot and frantically walked around. “It's gonna get her. And Jack. It’s gonna get Jack.”

“What’s going to get them?”

“I don’t know!” she screamed. She fell into her friend's arms. Her skin was hot and moist, yet she was shivering. They left her there for a moment crying on their shoulders. Eventually, she stood straight again. 

“She’s right,” Cia said. “We need to find them.”

“You don’t really think she saw something, do you?” Lucas asked.

Cia scoffed. “Have you ever seen Marsha so stunned? No, I haven’t either. There is something here.” She stopped and looked around. “You can feel it.”

The group reorganized and decided to stay close together. Marsha clung to Lucas’ side. Sara led them the way Jack and Carrie went. The trail of glowing goo led them to the creek bank. 

“Where are they?” Cia asked.

Sara stepped closer to the bank. The water flowed slowly still. Trickle, trickle. Except, now the water trickled over something other than rocks and sand. A fallen flashlight pointed to a foot. The foot connected to a body wrapped in another. Sara gasped and stepped back. “No” The others moved forward. Simultaneously, cries entered the night. 

“I told you they weren’t safe,” Marsha cried. “I told you. None of us are.”

Lucas held Marsha tighter, squeezing her the way he wished he could to his best friend once again.

The four stood above the bank. They held each other close and carefully. The sight of the once number one goal scorer and the pretty defensive back wrapped up together, their young love eternalized in their open blank eyes will forever be burnt into the beholder's eyes. 

A sudden whoosh broke the silence of mourning. Across the creek, meer yards away, stood a figure: tall, lanky, gray. 

From the river bank, Jack released one more dying breath. “Run.”