A Light within the Darkness

The day was very bright and warming. So much unlike the neighborhood it shined upon. The block of houses was indeed not one to be admired by first sight. Flower gardens were unkept and withered. Paint on houses chipped and peeled. One house in particular was less homey than an abandoned beach shack. It was hard to forget with the address number 777 slightly tilted beside the door. Whether or not someone lived in it did not change the fact that it wasn't very pleasing to look at. It looked as though the lawn was never mowed once. It was a blessing that this wasn't the house she was directed to work at.

A tall and thin girl walked apprehensively down the uneven and slightly crumbled sidewalk. Whenever she passed through this neighborhood, she felt chills pull at her skin. It was just so scary. Last time she heard a muffled scream she prayed came from a television set. She passed the dark, dilapidated house and turned into the walkway the friendlier house beside it. Not much, but much nicer than the house next door. Before knocking on the door, she tugged on her lean denim jacket and brushed the invisible wrinkles out of her breezy pink skirt. It fell to her knees so she looked conservative and professional instead of flirty or trashy. She really didn't want to disappoint her new employer. A few strands of dark chestnut hair fell over her eyes, which she tucked back behind her ear. She was called for a one night babysitting job from this couple that recently moved in to watch their son.

She gently pressed the little white doorbell. She could here a tiny ring within the house. Two sets of footsteps, a loud one and a quick soft one, approached the door. It squeaked loudly as the door smoothly swung open, revealing a tall man with glasses that was slightly shadowed within the dark insides of the house and a little trembling boy with a teddy bear beside him. The child looked rather nervous and was definitely shy. He hugged his bear much tighter.

The girl wasn't even given the chance to introduce herself when the man spoke gruffly, "Are you the babysitter?"

She replied with a forced smile, "Yes."

The little boy was roughly shoved outside and he stumbled into the girl's quick arms to break his fall.

The father spoke again as he grabbed the doorknob, "There you go, be back by eleven."

She called before the door closed, "Wait! Does he have any allerg…?"

The door slammed shut and the footsteps within faded away from the door. She looked down the trembling child before her. He didn't look up. Perhaps he was ashamed of his father, or nervous from being away from him. She kneeled down to eye level with him.

Putting on a friendly face, she talked to the boy, "Hi, my name is Rose, but you can call me Rosie."

His huge rounded eyes looked up from his bear as he responded, "I'm Todd, but my neighbor calls me Squee."

Rose tilted her head a bit, "Squee? That's a funny name. Do you want to be called Squee?"

He nodded. He didn't seem to mind the odd name, perhaps even favoring it above Todd.

She gently took his hand and stood up, "Well then, Squee, I think an ice cream sounds god right about now."

His whole face lit up when a concurring smile spread across it. His eyes may have even grown a bit wider too. Rose smiled a bit too. She believed that this little friendship of theirs might work out just fine.

Disgusting pigs. They just sit there on that blench flirting with each other while anyone can run up and snatch their little sisters. Stupid teenagers, they don't care about anything but themselves. I sort of feel sorry for those little kids they are supposed to be watching…

A very sullen young man clothed in complete black was standing in the shade of the lush elm tree he was leaning against. His mouth was occupied around the straw of a Cherry Doom Brainfreezy as his sunken eyes glared upon the people sharing the park with him. His eyes kept moving from the two little innocent girls playing with Debbie Dolls in the sand box to the teenage girl and boy talking on the bench. He was disgusted when the guy was trying to act smooth and cool.

The young man leaning against the tree scowled. His skin was ghostly pale in contrast to his dark attire and hair, which didn't seem to matter which direction it went in. His shirt, which said 'Smile you Jerk' was all black with the exception of the sleeves which were alternating thick black and white stripes. But were half covered by long black gloves. The matching black pants were cut off at knee length and were followed by tall thin black boots with heavy silver buckles.

The filth of this world is still so thick. And even though my selection to purify it does thin it out, my own soul becomes even more unclean…

Thunk!

His little fantasy world was interrupted when a flat flying disc soared his direction and struck him right above the eyebrow. He cursed madly as his grip released on the iced cherry beverage.

"Who threw that!" He shouted as his skinny hands clenched into tight little fists.

A small crowd of little boys with ragged jeans and skate boards snickered not too far away.

The man's eyes narrowed dangerously "Get over here!"

The chase began. The boys stole off on their skateboards and zipped away with the agile stick figure of darkness chasing them. His speedy feet were almost caught up to them. The skate rat in the back was close enough to him. His hood was within grabbing distance. He reached out his arm and…

Fwham!

The scene was only filled with the man's face planted in the ground, the toy dump truck he tripped over, and the ungrateful maggots getting away and rolling down the street. Imaginary steam poured out his ears as he stood up and brushed the dirt off his face and front. His teeth were fiercely locked and his eyes a flare with anger and defeat. His disappointment so overwhelming that he couldn't even catch a bunch of rotten kids.

"Johnny!"

His ears pricked to the sound of a young child's voice call his name. Approaching behind him was his little neighbor friend hand in hand with a girl of about nineteen, both of them carrying Moose Tracks ice cream cones.

"Hello, Squee." Johnny's face contorted into a smile to greet his little friend whom he seemed to scare more than please. He noticed there was something different about Squee today. Could it be the happy look on his face? Or did the child merely love ice cream? And who was this young lady accompanying him?

Johnny gave a strange look of curiosity towards her, "And who is this?"

Squee looked up to his guardian before turning back to Johnny, "That's Rosie. She's my babysitter."

Rose transferred her ice cream cone to the other hand and extended her free one, which Johnny shook in greeting, "I suppose that you are the neighbor that Squee has told me of."

"Yep, that's me. Johnny, but you can call me Nny for short." His coat tails quivered in the wind a bit as he gave a courteous bow. His spine cracked a few times in the process heard by all three of them. Squee twitched a bit.

Rose tilted her head a bit as a confused eyebrow was raised, "That is truly odd. Most people who abbreviate Johnny just want to be called John. Nny? Creative, but odd."

"Hmm. Well. I have some business to take care of, so, I will see you later Squee. And perhaps you to Rosie."

He nodded his head before walking towards the direction the skate boys escaped in early. He seemed to disappear if you didn't watch him the whole time, which Rose did. She couldn't help but find him fascinating in such a strange way. It was almost scary. It was probably his choice of attire. The last she saw of him was his fading shadow.

Rose asked, "I wonder what he's up to."

Squee shrugged before licking up some ice cream dripping down the side of the cone, "Probably going to kill someone. He does that sometimes."

She started laughed with a light heart, "You're a funny kid, Squee."