"C'mon!" Quinn shouted home. "We're going to miss the movie!" Quinn and I were running to the movies after managing to sneak out of our house. Not that it was hard. We were going to see that new zombie movie, that had come out last week. Of course, our town was the first to preview the movie, since we live in San Francisco.
"I'm coming!" I replied. I kept thinking about how leaving home was a bad idea. People were going missing- I didn't understand how the authorities weren't noticing. My Dad, had gone missing just a couple of weeks ago. He was a gardener, and he had been working in the yard of a very odd and ancient house. He hadn't come back for dinner that kept saying how it would be okay, but I knew she was lying.
I ran up to Quinn's side. "Do you ever have that feeling, that someone's watching you?" Quinn asked me.
"All the time." I replied, heaving.
"Hey!" Quinn shouted pointing at a store next to the movie theater. It was one of those stores where they sell statues and gnomes and whatnot. "Check out that awesome statue!" It was a beautifully engraved statue with long, wings waving behind, the statue's arms were covering its face.
"It's definitely something." I replied, staring closely at it.
"What's weird, is how I've never seen this thing before." Quinn said walking past the theater and toward the statue. "It's like, it had just appeared here out of thin air."
"That's ridiculous." I ran to Quinn's side again. "It has probably been here all day. We just didn't see it."
"You could say that." Quinn started. "But I think there's something odd about this statue."
"You always say that." I said, rolling my eyes. "You wanted to see a movie?"
"Nah, let's skip the movie." Quinn said, staring at the statue mesmerized. My face turned down.
"But you were the one begging to go." I pointed out. "And now, you're distracted by a statue?" When Quinn didn't reply I went on. "Fine then, I'll just go by myself." I turned my back on my friend, and walked towards the movie theater in slow motion. "I'm walking towards the movie theater- without you." I narrated. "I'm opening the door, without you. I'm walking inside, got one foot in the building! I'm almost there! I can smell the popcorn!" Quinn ignored me the whole time and finally, I had enough and walked in. Later, I'll regret leaving him back there.
I got a good spot in the movie theater. I sat down with my popcorn, getting comfy in the chair. I figured that soon, Quinn would come running in and hog the popcorn, like he usually did. But as the lights dimmed, the trailers started, Quinn didn't come. I didn't completely pay attention to the doors anyways, I was transfixed by this one trailer, one I have never seen before.
"The Weeping Angels." I read aloud, quietly to myself. Then a man popped up. He was wearing a trench coat, glasses, and his hair stuck up in odd places. This trailer looked centuries old!
"Hello," The man on the screen said. "I'm the Doctor." His voice had a tint of a British accent in. "And if this is playing, it means you're in grave danger." I knew it was only a trailer, but I still had a feeling deep in my gut that there was something more to it. "There's something outside. Something dangerous. They're called The Weeping Angels." I looked across the aisle, to see a man taking notes. "They may look like mere statutes, that appear to be weeping." The Doctor said. "But they are very much alive. If you look at them, they are statutes." He leaned forward, towards the camera. "But if you look away, or blink, they will transport you." He sat back in his chair. "They will bring you back in time, and feed off the energy you were supposed to live in the future." This was getting less real by the second to me. "What I'm trying to say, is if you come in contact with a weeping angel, then do not turn your back on them, and do not blink." The screen turned black.
The theater was silent, as you should be when you're watching a movie. The next trailer came on. I knew that the trailer was fake, but I still had that scary feeling. I was worried that Quinn won't be there when the movie was over.
I started to watch the movie, pondering the thought that something was not right. Then, I had enough. In the middle of the movie, where the man was almost infected by a zombie, I walked out of the theater, just to make sure Quinn was still there. I threw the door open and got hit by a wave of chilly air. I looked at the garden store, Quinn wasn't there, but that statute was.
"He probably just went home." I said to myself. I kept my eyes open and stared at the thing. Worried that it would transport me back in time. I knew it was fake, it was just a trailer, right? Still, I stared at it as I walked back into the theater. I opened the door without turning my back on the statute and walked in. Pulled out my phone and texted Quinn.
'Where r u?' I wrote. Usually he would send right back, or be five minutes late if he's asleep. I waited... and waited... no reply. I could hear clapping and cheering as the movie ended. Man, I missed the ending! Was the first thought that went through my head, then I remembered how late it is. And my mom may notice I'm gone. I ran towards my home. Why would Quinn just leave like that? I thought. By the time I reached my house I came to a decision, if Quinn wasn't at school tomorrow, I would check with his parents.
Of course, Quinn wasn't at school the next day. I had tried to call his parents, but they just suspected that it was a prank, something I was in on as well. Suddenly I remembered, the store.
I went running across town to the garden store next to the theater. When I got there I was out of breath, and the angel was still there. I walked over to it, my heart pounding. I made sure not to blink as I approached it. It didn't move. When I was close enough, I crossed my arms and glared at it.
"You know," I said. "This is all your fault." It didn't reply. "Now I'm going through all this worrying because of you." Look at me, I am talking to a statue. I really am going insane with trying to find Quinn. A little bell rang when I walked in, although nobody came to me. "Hello?" I called. No reply. "Is anybody here?" Again, no reply. I suddenly took in my surroundings, other than the lawn mowers. There were more statues, all of them had their arms covering their face. I turned around, and gasped in shock. There was the statue, glaring at me, her arms wide in a defense position with talons stretching from her gray hands. In other words, she was terrifying. I ran out of the store, careful not to touch the thing, and ran down the path. I whipped around, just to make sure the statues weren't actually moving, and screamed. She was only a few yards away from me.
I started running backwards. Only tripping once, before I got around the corner. There, I ran head-first into Tori.
"Hey!" She shouted.
"Sorry, Tori." I said quickly, "But there is a statute- or, what I think is a statue, that killed Quinn and now I've gotta get out of here before we all die." I said it so fast she probably didn't even understand me.
"What?" She replied blankly.
"Never mind," I said, looking over my shoulder. "You probably wouldn't believe me." I looked back at her. She stared at me, not blinking. And I stared back, before starting to run again.
"Tucker!" She yelled after me. But I was already too far away.
I slammed my bedroom door closed and spun around on my chair for a couple seconds. Finally, I got to work, opening up my computer and going onto google. From there, I decided to search up the strange statutes. What did he call them? 'The Weeping Angels'? It immediately came up as "The Weeping Angels were a species of quantum-locked humanoids," I stopped right there. Too many words, can't complete paragraph.
Suddenly, my phone went off. I quickly picked it up, the caller ID said 'Quinn'. I held the phone up to my ear cautiously. "Hello?" I asked into the phone.
"Thank goodness you picked up," A raspy voice on the other end said.
"Ah... who is this, again?" I asked. This can't be Quinn.
"Don't tell me you don't remember me!" He exclaimed, quickly followed by a series of coughs. "I'm Quinn, remember? Your old pal."
"Do you actually think that I was born yesterday?" I snapped into the phone.
"Of course not." He replied. "But I need you to come to me."
"Like I would listen to a stranger." I replied, sarcasm deep in my voice.
"I just need you to come to the hospital." He said, his voice cracking.
I pondered that option. At least people would see us if this was a prank. "Fine," I agreed, "but if this is a trick, then I will not be happy."
"Don't worry." The voice agreed. "I'll see you soon." And then I was left in an eerie silence. I sat there, with the phone in my hand. Should I actually go? It could be dangerous, and going past the theater and that store, more danger. It's practically calling my name!
I ran out of the room and skipped down the stairs, only to be met by my Mom. "Where are you going?" She asked.
"The hospital." I answered honestly. I didn't give her anytime to respond, I was already out the door. I hopped onto my bike. When I went past the garden store, I stared it down. Although it wasn't necessary, the statute wasn't there now. "Where did it go?" I thought aloud, still staring at the store. I dismissed this change and kept riding towards the hospital.
I made my way into the hospital after parking my bike. I stalked up to the reception desk and rang the tiny bell. The lady looked up with an annoyed look. "Are you ever going to be done here?!" She sighed.
I frowned, "Someone called for me." I replied ignoring her comment. She looked at her screen for a while before nodding.
"Go to floor 6," She said, before looking into my eyes and adding, "be respectful, he's a very old man." I frowned, this guy was told to be my best friend.
"Thanks." I said before walking over to the elevator. On the 6th floor most of the beds were empty, but I noticed the one with a man motioning for me to come. I walked forward hesitating, suddenly not wanting to be here. It smelled like hospital, sickness, and death. I got a good look at the man, he had no hair, deathly pale skin, and his bones jut out of his body.
"I'm glad you came." He rasped.
"Why?" I whispered. "Who are you?"
"I'm your friend," He said, his eyes became sad. "Remember the day that I disappeared mysteriously?"
"No," I said suddenly. "That was only yesterday!"
"But when you went to the movies, you saw a trailer. Something about the Weeping Angels." He pointed out, and I gasped.
"But... that's just a trailer!" I replied.
"But it did talk about the going back in time," he repeated the trailer, I was silent as I sat on his bed. "Here." He handed me a photo, it was a black and white photo that showed Quinn, as a man. It actually looked like him. He had his arm around a beautiful woman.
"Is this you?" I asked dumbly.
He smiled understandingly. "Yes," he took the photo back. "That was a long time ago."
"Now," he tried to sound serious, but ended up coming into a fit of coughs. "I need you to understand me, the Weeping Angels- they're real." I nodded but stayed silent. "And you have to stop them."
"But... how?" I asked. "You cannot defeat them! It's impossible! You can't even blink when you look at them!"
"Never say it's impossible." He said, giving me a stern look. This man seemed more like my great grandfather than my best friend. "It is possible.
"Do you know why they're weeping?" He asked me. I shook my head 'no'. "If one looks at them, they are stone, and so they cannot look at each other, in fear that they will be stone forever." He gave me a small smile, as if he knew the puzzle pieces were coming together in my head.
"So I just have to get them to look at each other." I said staring outside the window. "But how to I-" I froze when I saw him again, his eyes stared without seeing, his kind, fatherly smile still etched upon his face.
I choked back a sob suddenly. I barely knew this man- if he even was my best friend, which I doubted. I took a couple steps back and ran away, not able to stay here. I flew down the stairs, not wanting to wait for the elevator and ran out into the lobby.
"I hastily got onto my bike and rode away, not noticing the statue that had reappeared at the garden store.
"Need a plan, need a plan." I muttered walking into Target with a shopping cart. I walked into a random isle. "Sunglasses!" I exclaimed. "I'll take that." I picked one off the rack randomly and continued down the aisle. I saw a lantern and took it, then continued to the next aisle. There I found a couple of mirrors that I took instantly. "What do I need, to kill a Weeping Angel?" I thought aloud. I suddenly felt eyes on me. I turned around to see Tori staring at me closely. "What?" I asked defensively.
"Nothing." I heard her say quietly. So quiet, I barely heard it.
"Tori," I said. She rolled her eyes and walked towards me
"Fine," She said suddenly, "I'll be honest with you. I heard all of your conversations, starting with the one with the old man at the hospital."
"Wait," I said slowly. "You've been spying on me?"
"Not necessarily." She said. "I was right next to you. So how could I not hear your conversation?" She asked. I glared at her.
"That was private."
"You were shouting."
"Haven't you ever heard of something called, 'minding your own business'?"
"Not my fault."
"Actually, it kind of is."
"Think what you want," She said, leaning against my cart, "but I am going with you."
"What?!" I exclaimed. "But you don't know anything!" She made a noise, I couldn't tell if it was a laugh or a growl.
"I think I have heard enough," She replied. "I've seen that trailer, I know that Quinn is missing, and- well, you know the rest."
"That's just what I call snooping."
"You know, I probably know more about the Weeping Angels than you do."
"Oh yeah?" I asked raising my eyebrows, she nodded. "Prove it."
"The Weeping Angels could move their victims back through time with a touch. They would then consume the potential energy from the lives the victims would otherwise have led." I stared at her in shock, how could she know that? "Would you like me to continue, or is that enough?"
"If you know how to kill one, you're welcome to join." I said moving along the aisle.
"You can't kill a Weeping Angel, though." She protested, coming to my side.
"Thanks for the support." I retorted.
"I'm serious." She stood in front of the cart, preventing me from moving.
"So am I!" I protested. She glared at me,
"Can I finish?" She asked, her voice tinged with anger. She didn't wait for my answer when she started. "You can't kill them, but you can freeze them."
"What does that mean?!" I yelled. She held her hand up to calm me down, it didn't work.
"Remember how you if you look at them they're stone?" I nodded slowly, starting to understand. "Let's use that to our advantage."
"I'm not good with puzzles." I said honestly.
"You don't need to be, all we need to do, is get them all to look at each other."
"How do we even make them do that?" I asked, my voice lowering slightly.
"I don't know!" She snapped. "Lure them with something? They seem to have a very big interest in you!"
"Hey!" I protested. "I don't want to be Angel food!" I suddenly froze, there was a woman staring at us. "Fine, but you better listen to me." I stormed over to the cash register, angry with having to work with Tori.
I was standing back in the garden store, "Remember, keep blinking!" Tori's voice rang out in the walkie-talkie.
"I don't take orders from you." I shot back into the small box. I started blinking fast, hoping they wouldn't kill me now. "Are you going to get in here?" I whispered.
"Quit your crying." Her voice called. I kept my eyes opened wide as an angel made its first move. Good, now for the rest. I couldn't find myself the courage to blink, I was too terrified to.
"Tori." I muttered. The door slammed shut suddenly, and another Angel was ahead of me. I glanced behind myself. There was one, staring at the other, they couldn't move. I sighed in relief, and closed my eyes. Right before I opened them a millisecond later. Remembering who I was with. There were the other two, staring at each other. I held the walkie-talkie up to my mouth. "I've got four down." I said.
"Took you long enough." She replied.
"Hey," I protested. "I'm the one getting my hands dirty." I walked out, happy with what I've done. I walked across the path, taking one look back at the store where the angles were trapped. There was one, staring at me from outside. "Great." I muttered. I stared at it, it was like having a staring contest with a wall.
And I lost.