Midnight On The Thirteenth

It was a night of untold mysteries, the soup like fog seemingly crawling hand by hand toward him, as he approached, the semi-transparent lengthening shadows of the streetlights giving an ominous impression of something sinister ahead.

In all honesty he really should turn tail and head in the opposite direction.

But a determination had overtaken Jett, the incessant sensation of importance was crushing in his chest.

Increasing his pace to a jog, keeping the black cat in view as it moved stealthily down the sidewalk.

He couldn’t afford to lose sight of the feline, the jingle of metal hitting against his wrist a constant reminder.

Unperturbed that it was being followed, she often stopped to confirm his presence, as if willing him to continue.

A lone figure walked on ahead, a misty figure only just preservable in the murk.

Hurried footsteps echoed from behind Axel, the sound becoming louder. Startled the hairs on the back of his neck rose. He quickened his pace; he should have bought his skateboard. His trip home would have been faster, and he would have had a weapon on hand. Was he about to be mugged?

A movement at his side, had him looking down. A sleek black cat was keeping time with him, weaving side to side in a graceful movement not unlike a dance.

Without warning it ducked between his legs, causing him to stumble. Loosing balance, he fell to his knees on the pavement.

She stood and smiled at her mischief for just a moment before striking out at his hand claws outstretched.

A muffled curse, sounded loud in the still night.

Axel nursed his injured hand; the red streak dotted with blood stung. But the thing that startled him most was the swaying chain of gold that was tightening on his wrist.

His eyes bulged as it shortened of its own accord, links dissolving in a sparkle of golden dust, while a whirring came from the spinning charm that hung from a single ring of metal.

He held his hand outstretched as though frightened of his own limb.

An unearthly yowl shattered the night, gradually fading away into a hissing flowing swirl of mist.

He watched as the spinning slowed then stopped. The chain now snug against his skin. His heart pounding so hard, the pulse at his wrist seemingly wanting to reject the disturbance.

Jett had heard the commotion ahead and slowed his pace.

So, she had found another victim?

Was this night truly cursed?

Friday the thirteenth, had always seemed like a mythical night for terror. Depicted in Movies and folk-law as such. But he had never believed it existed until this very night.

His attention back to the footsteps, Axel rose to his feet and moved to stand under a streetlight, the light cutting a pathway through the fog giving him a slight sense of security.

The figure that approached was dressed all in black, the dark hood of his jumper pulled tightly around his head concealing his face.

The fear was only growing stronger, and he clenched his fists at his sides. The chain tightened as his nerves tensed and he loosened the slack.

He shuffled backward when the stranger was within arm’s reach, hitting his back with a thud against the pole. Staining his eyes, he searched for a face beneath the hood, praying to find a human within.

This guy was scared shitless! Jett could understand why, and he was flooded with sympathy. He had better say something, because by the look of those fists he was about to be thumped.

‘Hey, it’s OK!’ - Jett raised his palms in the air, in surrender. - ‘I am not going to hurt you!’- He then pushed the hood from his head, revealing a mop of tousled dark hair and a crooked smile.

It was a familiar face, even though Axel’s muddled mind could not instantly place it. He sucked in a breath, letting it out on a sigh of relief. His hands relaxed, the odd feeling of metal bumping against his wrist returning.

He raised his left hand. - ‘What the hell?’ - He frowned.

Jett nodded. - ‘So, she got you too!’ - He lifted his mirroring hand, so that it hovered a mere half a foot away. The charm swinging.

They both stared at the identical offending item at their wrists, and the blooded streak of red. They considered the strangeness of their shared situation.

‘What the fuck is it?’

‘I don’t know, but it won’t come off. I already tried!’- Jett twisted his hand under the shadowed light. Glints reflecting on the shining metal - ‘No clasp!’

Things became suddenly stranger, as under their scrutiny the charms began to sway then spin, picking up pace as a hum became a whir. Soft sparks of golden light shafting outward. The world shifted, then fractured. Blackness!