The Haunted Traveler Vol 1 Issue 2

22
and collecting candy. Benny was placing a handful
of treats into a little girl’s bag when he noticed that
both Tom and Jared were missing from the group. He
handed his basket off to someone and excused himself
to look for them.
Benny wandered out the back exit of the
school, pausing to listen for any sign of his friends.
After a few seconds of silence, a shout echoed out
from the football field, followed by laughter. He
hesitated for a moment before bolting back into the
building and grabbing the nearest teacher. “I think
something bad is happening on the football field.”
The teacher nodded and let him lead the way. They
jogged out to the dark field, stopping at the edge of the
bleachers. At first, there didn’t seem to be anyone in
the area, but Benny caught sight of a person-shaped
lump at the center of the field.
Panic rose in his throat as he ran towards the
shape. “Jared?” he called out. The person shifted,
groaning in pain. Jared was curled up in the fetal position,
crying. “Jesus, what happened?” The teacher
caught up to him, already on his cell phone to call an
ambulance. In the dim light, he could see blood trickling
from Jared’s nose. “Who did this to you?”
“Too many people,” Jared explained. “I
couldn’t see all of their faces…”
Glancing over at the teacher, who was busy
relaying information to the dispatcher, Benny leaned
forward and whispered, “Was Tom involved?”
Jared frowned as he tried to think. “Yeah. I
didn’t see him, but I know I heard his voice.”
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