Without answering, he bolted from the car and ran across the street, walking behind the trees. No one was there. He stood quietly, listening to see if he could hear anyone breathing. Nothing, just the normal sounds of the neighborhood: kids squealing, mothers yelling, lawnmowers whirring, cars humming. Ears pricked, he tried to pick up the slight rustle of leaves, or a twig snapping. Nothing.
Reluctantly, he went back to the car. “I thought I saw someone.” He started up the car again and drove slowly by the trees, then around the block. He came up from the opposite side and parked halfway down the block, his gaze fixed on the cluster of trees.
Raven laughed. “Take it from me, if you stare too long at the trees, they start morphing into people. I know that from experience.”
Still staring at the area, he asked, “What do you mean? Have you seen someone behind the trees staring at the house?”
“A couple of times. It’s been at night, and I do just what you’re doing. I stare and then move away, pretending to have lost interest, but I’m still looking.”
“What happens?”
“Nothing. No one walks away. It’s just the same as always. I just chalk it up to my eyes playing tricks on me, or it’s the shadow people. I’ve seen documentaries on that subject. A lot of people think they see someone from the corners of their eyes, but when they look full-on no one’s there. It gives me the chills.”
“Yeah, well, I know my eyes aren’t playing tricks on me. And it’s not some damn shadow person. What I saw was real. My gut’s telling me the same thing. I can’t believe the person disappeared so fast.”
For the next twenty minutes they watched the trees, but nothing ever changed except the lighting. The sun was in its final descent. The gurgling of Raven’s stomach brought Muerto out of his trance. He turned to her and leaned over, kissing her cheek. “Sorry, sweetie. I get carried away at times. We’ll go to the restaurant.”
“I’m sure it was just the way the light played on the trees. Sometimes that happens too.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right.” He drove past the trees, taking one last look.
As they headed to the restaurant, a nagging feeling gnawed at him.
Something definitely isn’t right.
