Horror Fan Fiction / Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Bright Pessimism ❯ Chapter 2

"Kristopher!"
Ten-year old Kristopher walked into his father Jim's office in their home. Jim sat at his desk as he leaned back in the overstuffed chair. He looked up at his son.
"Kris, could you go get me a Coke from the fridge?" he asked.
"Yes, Dad," Kristopher answered.
He walked through the house and to the kitchen. Kristopher tugged at the heavy refrigerator door with effort before it swung open. He picked up a can of Coca-Cola out of the door's shelf before swinging the door closed. Kristopher then jogged back to the office.
"Here you go, Dad," he said chirpily as he set the can down on his father's desk.
Jim mouthed a thank you before opening the can. Kristopher could easily hear the man on the other line talking endlessly.
"Dad, when will you be free? I want to throw the football," Kristopher told him.
"In a minute," Jim grunted. He then spoke into the phone, "I'm sorry, I was talking to my son Kristopher. Oh, no, our baby boy hasn't been born yet. He's due in a few weeks–"
"Dad," Kristopher whined. "C'mon."
"Kristopher!" Jim growled. "I'm sorry again; my son won't leave me alone. Damn, I've been hurting in my chest for about an hour–"
Suddenly, Jim dropped the corded phone and clutched his chest. Kristopher could only watch in horror as his father fell lifelessly forward in his chair onto his desk. The boy's lip quivered as he stepped cautiously toward Jim. Kristopher softly nudged him, and when Jim did not move, he burst into tears.
"Daddy, stop it," he blubbered.
Kristopher shoved Jim harder, though he knew it was useless. He could faintly hear the man on the phone asking questions wildly. Kristopher sunk to his knees as he sobbed uncontrollably.
"Daddy!" he screamed. "Come back!"

Kristopher shot open his eyes and sat up, his body saturated in sweat. He glanced around; it was still pitch-black in the room. He then looked down at Mattie, who slept peacefully next to him. He wiped his brow, telling himself it was only a flashback.
He stood up off the bed and crossed over to his backpack. Kristopher took out a hairbrush and raked it through his black locks. He then placed it down on the dresser. The cool air made him shiver, so he took his black tank out of the hamper and put it back on.
Kristopher walked out of the room, through the house, and into the kitchen. He opened the freezer and looked at the contents. He then took out a carton of vanilla ice-cream and closed the door of the freezer. He also opened a drawer and took out a spoon.
Kristopher sat down in the floor and tore open the carton. It seemed the only thing that could soothe his fiery emotions was anything sweet. He ate ice-cream until he was sure his shrunken stomach would rupture. Kristopher somehow found the energy to put the carton back in the freezer and the spoon in the sink.
He stumbled into the living room, and out of the corner of his eye he saw a sliding glass door to the right of him. Kristopher opened the door and stepped out onto the small wooden porch, closing the door behind him. The warm summer air was stifling, even at night. He swung his legs over the edge of the wooden railing and sat on the edge.
Kristopher did not know what to think of the woods almost immediately behind the house. He was only accustomed to tropical trees, but not a palm tree was in sight. The backyard was not fenced in, and it extended about twenty feet back when it immediately turned into a thickly wooded forest. The neighbors on either side were far from them. He was amazed by how different was from
He heard the flapping of wings and glanced around. Suddenly a bat swooped down at him. Kristopher jumped out of his skin and ducked down when another bat whipped past him. He sat up and shivered, looking about him.
Kristopher stood up from the railing and walked back to the door as more bats flew around him. He did not quite expect a whole colony of bats to suddenly surround him when he reached the door. Kristopher swung his fists at them, but it seemed the number of them multiplied. The bats got in his long hair and pulled at his tank as he tried to fight them off. He never made a conscious effort to scream for help, but his unconscious thought it necessary.
"Kristopher!"
He could barely see his aunt through the swarm of bats. Debra quickly slipped out the door as she also swung at the bats. They quickly fled, and Kristopher and Debra ran through the door. He breathed deeply as she locked the door.
"What the Hell was that?!" Kristopher gasped.
"I haven't seen bats around here before," Debra replied quietly. "Did they bite you?"
"I don't think so."
"Let me turn on the light and look, Kris."
"I'm fine–really." He backed away quickly, holding out his arms.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah."
"Go back to bed, Kris, okay?"
"Yes, Debra."
Kristopher walked back into the bedroom. He saw that Mattie was still sleeping, which he was thankful for. Kristopher lay down next to his little brother again and hugged him close.
"Fucking bats, ruining my life," he grumbled.

"Wake up, you two."
Kristopher felt a hand shake his shoulder gently. He pried open his eyes and rolled onto his back to see Debra hanging over him and Mattie. Kristopher, sometime during the night, had slipped off his tank due to the unbearable heat. He groaned as he pulled the sheets over his head while Mattie sat up slowly and yawned.
"Did you two sleep okay?" Debra asked.
"Krissy cry," Mattie sighed tearfully.
"Oh? Why?" She tugged at the sheets that Kristopher had taken refuge under.
"Leave me alone," he muttered.
"C'mon; get up. I made breakfast."
"I don't want breakfast." Kristopher sat up, pulling the sheets down.
"Well," Debra retorted, "you'll have it anyway. You're not going to starve yourself."
"I don't want it," he growled back.
"You'll have it or I'll send you off. I'm not going to put up with this." Debra tugged at his arm. "Now get up."
Kristopher jerked his arm away from her and stood up. "Fine," he spat before stomping out of the room. After trudging through the house, he sat down at the kitchen table, resting his head in his hands, when someone tapped him on the shoulder. Kristopher looked up to see Kay.
"Good morning, Kris," she remarked. "I hope you like homemade waffles."
"That's fine," he mumbled. "Where's Selena?"
"She's still in bed." Kay idly looked down at the table. "Do you think there's something wrong with her?"
Kristopher sat upright. "No… why?"
"Selena always looks so sad, especially with those gray eyes. She hardly spoke to me last night."
"She's shy. Give her time."
"Kris, I don't think she's shy. I think she's been affected by your mother's death as much as you. She's eight; she understands what's happened."
Kristopher bit his lip nervously. "No, she wasn't affected as much as me."
"Kris…?"
"She didn't watch a semi-truck plow into my mother's car. She didn't watch my father have a heart attack–but I did." Kristopher's eyes welled up with tears, no matter how much he willed not to.
Kay softly stroked Kristopher's shoulder. "It'll be okay. Okay?"
"No, it won't." A tear streamed down his cheek.
"Kris?"
Kay snatched a tissue off the kitchen counter and handed it to Kristopher. He grasped it, quickly blotting his eyes. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and hugged him.
"I can understand somewhat," she whispered. "My father died driving his motorcycle, but I didn't see it happen."
"I'm sorry," Kristopher blubbered.
"Let me get you a plate of waffles; I think they're finished cooking. It'll make you feel better."
Kay walked away from him and to the kitchen counter. She took out a plate and set it down next to a waffle-maker. She opened the waffle-maker and took two square waffles out. After drenching them in maple syrup and taking out a fork from a drawer, Kay placed the waffles in front of Kristopher.
"I'm going to go get Selena now," Kay told him before walking out of the room.
Kristopher indolently stabbed the waffles, mutilating them. After a minute, he finally took a bite. The warm, crisp waffle had a mellow, sweet flavor–and anything sweet made Kristopher happy. Before he knew it, he was shoveling hunks of mutilated waffles into his mouth.
"Well, I see you're eating."
Kristopher looked up to see Debra walking into the kitchen. He nodded at her before continuing to devour his breakfast. Debra smiled at him before walking back over to the waffle-maker.
"I've got to make more of these for everyone," she explained. "This maker only makes four. Will you be wanting any more?"
"No, this is fine," Kristopher replied.
At that moment, Mattie stumbled into the kitchen, yawning. When he smelled the waffles, he glanced around wildly, looking for what smelled so good. Mattie crawled into Kristopher's lap.
"Goo' mornin', Krissy," Mattie said quietly, leaning into Kristopher's chest. "Breakfast?"
Kristopher cut off a corner of his waffle and held it up to Mattie. The little boy eagerly bit the piece off Kristopher's fork, licking at the maple syrup on the prongs. Kristopher then set the fork down.
"You like it?" he asked.
Mattie squealed and clapped his hands cheerfully.
"Debra, Mattie likes the waffles," Kristopher called over to his aunt at the waffle-maker.
"Good." Debra placed a waffle on a plate, drenched it in maple syrup, took out a fork, and placed it on the table. Kristopher lifted Mattie out of his lap and set him down in the chair next to him, where the waffle was. Mattie giggled as he stabbed the waffle, trying to break it into pieces.
"Mattie," Kristopher said, "cut it with the side of your fork."
"Cut?" Mattie looked up at his older brother.
Kristopher reached over and took the fork from Mattie. He then sliced the waffle with the side of his fork and handed it back to him. Mattie smiled, giggling.
"Cut!" Mattie again clapped.
Then Kay and Selena walked into the kitchen. Selena silently took a seat next to Kristopher, staring downward.
"Good morning, Selena," Kristopher said to her. "Did you sleep okay?"
She looked up at him with sad eyes and shook her head slightly. Kristopher frowned as he reached over and stroked her thin hair.
"You'll be okay," he whispered.
"Will you?" she asked almost inaudibly.
Kristopher tried to smile at her but failed miserably.
"Good morning, sweetheart," Debra called to Selena. "What do you want for breakfast? Kay and I made some waffles–we have one, and then we have four more cooking."
"Do you just have cereal?" she inquired.
"We have Rice Krispies. Is that okay?"
"Yes, Debra."
Kristopher pushed his plate, now covered in waffle crumbs saturated in syrup, aside and rested his arms on the table, slowly placing his forehead on them. He was still tired and wanted to go back to bed, but he knew his aunt would not let him because she feared he would make it a habit.
"Kris," Debra remarked, "remember that we're going to the pool. You need to help Mattie get his sunscreen on."
"Am I being forced to go?" Kristopher asked, lifting up his head.
"Yes," Debra declared. "I can't leave you here alone, Kris."
Kristopher puffed up his cheeks and sighed.
After breakfast, Mattie herded Kristopher into their room to get ready to go to the pool. Kristopher closed the door, sighing dramatically.
"Let me find your swimsuit," Kristopher grumbled.
He kneeled down in front of the dresser on the wall opposite of the door. Mattie quietly watched him as he thumbed through endless piles of garments. Finally, Kristopher took out a pair of bright-blue swimming trunks.
"I can't wait until you can dress yourself," Kristopher muttered under his breath as he changed his brother into the trunks.
After he had finished, he stood up and rummaged through his backpack. Kristopher took out two bottles of sunscreen and set them down on the dresser with the mirror. He kneeled next to the dresser and, after a minute, found his pair of black swimming trunks. Kristopher slipped them over his boxer shorts and then picked up his black tank off the floor and slung it on the bed before picking up one bottle of sunscreen.
"Come here, Mattie," he said. "I have to put this on you."
Mattie obediently walked over to his older brother. Kristopher opened the bottle and began rubbing the contents over Mattie's body. The sunscreen was cool, and Mattie shivered as Kristopher applied it. After he covered Mattie's body in sunscreen, Kristopher took the other bottle of sunscreen and used it on Mattie's soft face. He repeated the same process on his own body before he put on his tank.
Kristopher silently walked back over to the dresser and took out a white tank for Mattie. He put it onto the little boy before searching for a pair of little sandals. Kristopher found a pair and slipped them onto Mattie's feet. He then found a pair of black sandals with skull details for himself and put them on. Before exiting the room, Kristopher grabbed the two bottles of sunscreen.
When the brothers walked into the living room, they saw that the other three were ready to go. Kay wore her clothes from the day before over her swimsuit, and she carried a large beach bag full of towels and snacks.
"I have our sunscreen," Kristopher informed Kay, handing her the two bottles.
"Thanks," she replied, taking the bottles and putting them in the bag.
Kristopher looked over at Selena, who looked somewhat less sad than at breakfast. He kneeled down next to her.
"Did you put on your sunscreen?" he questioned.
"Yes," she sighed.
"Did you get the bottoms of your feet?"
"Yes."
"So I guess we're ready to go," Debra announced.
The group of five packed into Debra's small car uncomfortably. Kristopher knew they had to have driven twenty minutes down the highway, through the small town, and down some residential streets before they came to their destination.
It was actually a nice place where they were; green grass and trees surrounded the area, and the pool was surrounded by a large fence. The pool was oblong, but on one of the long sides it extended like a square; this area had the deeper water, two regular-height diving boards, and a tall diving board. On the other side of the pool was a small building that contained a snack bar and the bathrooms. To the right of this small building was the kiddie pool.
Kristopher and his family walked along the trail starting from the parking lot and wrapping around the pool, leading them to the small building. To enter, they had to walk through a shadowy arcade and pay for each person. After paying, they entered the pool area.
Kristopher was pleasantly surprised to see that the pool area was not heavily occupied, like a normal pool in the late-morning would be in . He held Mattie's and Selena's hands as they, Debra, and Kay walked around the left-side of the pool to a bench. Kay set the beach bag down next to the bench.
"Does Mattie know how to swim, Kris?" Debra asked as she sat down on the bench.
"Of course," Kristopher responded. "We did live in He turned to his siblings. "Alright, Selena, I know you can swim, but if you go over to the deep side, I want you to let one of us know, okay? If you do go over there, watch for the kids jumping. Go ahead and do the diving boards; just tell me if you go over there."
"Yes, Kris," Selena replied.
"And Mattie, I think the right side of the pool is deeper, so I only want you to stay on this left side where Debra can see you. Don't think of going into the deep water."
"Yes, Krissy," Mattie answered.
After everyone shed their clothes they wore over their swimsuits, Kristopher sat on the edge of the pool, swishing his feet in the water. He watched his younger brother splash wildly at the water, trying to keep his head above the surface. Kristopher fanned himself; he could not remember being in such high humidity. He could have literally sliced the air with a knife; it was like a sauna, except it was not.
Kristopher was suddenly pushed off the edge of the pool and into the water. He grabbed at the water as his head went under, and he immediately jumped to his feet, standing up. Kristopher spun around to see Kay.
"What'd you do that for?!" he spat.
"You looked hot." Kay pursed her lips. "Well, you still look hot, but still, you looked hot."
Kristopher blushed as he walked through the waist-high water to her. He brushed back his jet hair and pointed over toward the beach bag.
"I have a hair-band wrapped around the cap of one of the sunscreen bottles. Get it for me," he requested.
"Okay."
Kay fetched the hair-band and gave it to Kristopher. He swept his long hair back into a ponytail at the nape of his neck. Kristopher wrapped the band around his wet hair that went everywhere.
Kay slipped into the water. "It feels good today."
"Yeah, it does." Kristopher glanced over to Mattie, who grasped as the edge of the pool. "Do you want to play with Mattie?"
"That's fine."
Kristopher curled his lip as he ducked down into the water and quietly swam over to the little boy, who did not notice him. He jumped up, grabbing Mattie's waist. Mattie squeaked and waved his arms in the air.
"Krissy!" he squealed.
"I'm going to throw you," Kristopher chanted in his ear, holding him up in the air. "I'll throw you."
Mattie grasped at the air, happily giggling. Kristopher tossed him gently a few feet away, careful to not hurt him. As soon as Mattie went under the water, Kristopher walked over to him and, reaching under and holding him under his armpits, lifted him back up. Mattie clapped cheerfully.
"Kay wants to play, too," Kristopher told him as he walked over to her with Mattie swimming beside him.
"You two are so cute," Kay giggled.

Kristopher spent the day at the pool, actually enjoying himself. He felt freed by the cool water running through his hair as he swam expertly across the pool. Seeing his little sister socialize with other children made him feel better, and Selena seemed a bit more cheerful after the day.
In the afternoon, when the heat became unbearable, the group again packed into Debra's car. On the way back to the house, both of Kristopher's siblings fell asleep out of sheer exhaustion. However, the car stopped in front of a Target store on the way.
"I need to pick up a few things," Debra told them. "Who wants to stay in the car with Selena and Mattie?"
"I don't wanna go in," Kay mumbled, leaning against the window.
"I'll go in with you," Kristopher volunteered.
Debra and Kristopher exited the car and walked into the Target store. It was air-conditioned to the max, and Kristopher, still wet from the pool, was all but frozen over. The store itself was "hip" in a preppy way.
"Can I look around?" Kristopher asked, turning to Debra.
"Sure," answered Debra.
Kristopher wandered around the store idly. He found himself going from the make-up section to the music section. Kristopher eventually wound up in the toy section, where he searched for something that his siblings would enjoy. He found a plush of Spongebob Squarepants for Selena while he found some sort of Pokemon-Teletubby-hybrid plush for Mattie.
He debated the odd plush for Mattie. It was blue and round with a google-eyed head stuck to its fat body. Kristopher thought of the plush as nightmare-generating, but he reluctantly agreed that he would much rather have some malformed Pikachu chase him through the night than have flashbacks of his parents' deaths.
Kristopher then wandered to the stationery section. There, he picked up some silky pastel-purple ribbon. After this, he found his aunt.
"What is all of this?" Debra inquired him.
"I thought I'd buy something for Selena and Mattie," Kristopher explained. "I don't have my wallet with me, but I'll pay you back when we get back to the house."
"You don't have to pay me back, you know."
"It's fine. I have enough money. And I was thinking I could go look for a job tomorrow."
"Okay, if you want."
After going through the checkout, Kristopher wrapped the plushes each in several plastic bags. He and Debra walked out to the car, both putting their bags in the trunk. They then got into the car out of the smoldering heat.
"What did you have to get, Mom?" Kay questioned her mother.
"I had to get some stuff for laundry," Debra responded, "and a few other things to accommodate more people in our home."
Once back at the house, Kristopher took his two bags and the ribbon and retreated into the bathroom also with a pair of scissors. He took the plushes out and carefully cut the tags off. Afterward, he cut some ribbon and gave Spongebob a bowtie and Teletubby-Pikachu-Nightmare-Generator a bow that barely fitted its small head. He then wrapped the plushes again in the bags before leaving the bathroom.
Selena and Mattie sat in front of the television again. The little girl had found her Spongebob Squarepants DVDs and was now playing them in a loop. Kristopher sat down between her and Mattie, and they glanced down at the bags he held.
"I got you something," he said in a falsely playful voice as he handed each a bag.
Mattie and Selena tore into their bags. Selena's face lit up when she saw her plush, and Mattie squealed excitedly at the macabre what's-it. They each wrapped their arms around Kristopher nearly at the same time, and he kissed both of their cheeks.
"I'm glad you like it," he beamed.
"Kris! Come here!" Debra called from the kitchen.
Kristopher stood up, ruffling his brother's and sister's hair, and walked into the kitchen. Debra was putting up what she bought while Kay hung over slabs of pork in a pan. His aunt turned to him, taking a small black notebook out of a bag.
"Since I know it's hard for you to talk about what you're feeling," Debra said, "I thought it would be easier to write down what is going on." She held out the notebook.
Kristopher took it in his hands. "Are you going to, like, read it?"
Debra rummaged through her shopping bags. "The only men I've had to deal with were your father and my husband. Even though I grew up with your father, kids these days are so much different from our generation. I mean, I'm old. I just don't understand. I do understand going through grieving… but you've grieved since you watched Jim die."
Kristopher felt a tear stream down his cheek. He wiped it with his wrist and hugged the notebook to his chest. He sniffled quietly.
"It's going to be okay, Kristopher," Debra assured, softly rubbing his shoulder. "You're my brother's son; I would never let Jim down by disregarding how you feel."
"Thank you," Kristopher whispered.
"I know that before this, I only saw you about four times. You were such a happy young boy when I first met you–but then at your father's funeral–"
Kristopher bit his lip. "The only thing I remember about my father's funeral was sobbing the entire time and getting hugs from various random people. I screamed through the entire service. Selena was three and didn't understand, like Mattie doesn't understand that my mother will never come back."
"On the phone, you never told me about your mother's funeral."
"Some people came by to take us there. I had gotten Selena and Mattie ready, but I didn't want to go. Mattie didn't understand where he was going dressed up, and he began crying because I told him I wasn't going. So because of him, I went. It was pretty much a repeat in history.
"We all stood up next to the casket–it was closed because her body was horribly mangled. Even then, Mattie didn't understand. He kept on asking me where our mother was, and he didn't realize that she was in the casket next to us. Selena looked so sad… she was crying but wasn't trying to, you know? I don't think she spoke the entire time.
"When the service began, I couldn't hear a word that was said; I was completely disconnected. It's just… It's just…" Tears soaked his cheeks, and he could not catch his breath.
"Kristopher?" Debra blinked, staring at him.
"No one could understand the pain I've been through!" Kristopher cried. "No one can understand, and they never will!" He lowered his head timidly, trying to steady his heart. Sweat saturated his body as much as tears soaked his cheeks.
"Calm down, Kristopher," Debra whispered. "Sit down."
Debra pulled out a chair and directed Kristopher to it, but he instead ran out of the kitchen, still clutching the notebook. He ran past his brother and sister, who stared up at him as he rushed into his room and slammed the door shut. Kristopher flung the notebook down on his dresser before collapsing on the bed. He screamed nonsense into the pillow while clawing at the sheets.
Kristopher felt a small hand run down his arm. He sat and looked up, teary-eyed, to see Selena standing next to the bed. She held her new plush in her arms, and her eyes overflowed too. Selena outstretched her arms, and Kristopher pulled her closer, cradling her in his arms.
Crying with Selena helped Kristopher realize he was not alone and also aided him in feeling less alienated. She ended up lulling him to a calm state, and he was glad for this because he knew he was on the edge of a panic attack. They wiped their eyes and waited a few minutes before going out.
"Are you feeling better, Kris?" Kay asked as he and Selena entered the kitchen.
"Yeah, I'm okay for now." He sat down at the table, and his sister sat down beside him.
Kay crossed over and leaned against the table. "Mom told me that you got attacked by bats last night when you went out on the porch."
Kristopher bit his lip nervously as Selena glanced up at him oddly.
"What about bats?" Selena inquired skeptically.
"Oh, the bats…" Kristopher looked around. "I stepped outside last night, and some bats just flew at me–like, a whole colony of the things."
Kay raised her eyebrows. "That's strange–but I've heard a story like it. It's like an urban legend though now."
"What? Tell me."
"I'll tell you later, okay?"
"Why later?"
"Because dinner is ready," Debra interrupted from across the room.
"Dammit," Kristopher growled under his breath.