Foreshadowing, Foreshadowing, Foreshadowing

The Waving Man

The sun began to set as Billy Loomis’ blue Jeep bumped down a long, dirt road. Overgrown bushes spilled onto the road, and Billy had to navigate around fallen branches. Billy turned a corner and a small cottage came into view. The paint on the porch was chipped, and the window’s were caked with dirt.

“God, Billy. I thought you said this thing was a fixer upper. This place looks straight-up haunted.” Said Sydney Prescott from the passenger's seat, staring at the run-down cottage.

“Yeah, Billy. Are there even beds in there?” Questioned Casey Becker, leaning between the two front seats.

“Chill out you guys. You said you wanted to go to the cottage right?” Billy mumbled back at them. He felt embarrassed; the cottage was way more messed up than he thought it was. Is this the right address? His thoughts were interrupted by the laughter of the two girls. Billy had invited Sydney to the cottage to impress her, but she insisted on bringing Casey. Billy actually liked Casey, she was pretty cool, but all he wanted was to spend time alone with Sydney. Tough luck. He thought as he parked the car in front of the dark cottage.

“You know guys, these woods are supposed to be haunted.” Casey warned, her tone turned serious. “ Last summer, they found a bunch of kids' bodies out here. They never found the guy who did it.” Sydney turned around and punched Casey in the arm.

“Shut the fuck up, Casey. This place is already creepy enough without your horror movie bullshit.” Sydney warned her. The three teens stumbled out of the Jeep, grabbed their bags and headed up into the cottage. The floorboards creaked and groaned until their feet as they marched up the staircase. Billy opened the door with an old brass key, and they stumbled around in complete darkness until Billy flipped on the light switch. Dust covered furniture filled the room in the dim light, and there was nothing but darkness in the long hallway that led to the two bedrooms.

“Well,” started Casey as she dropped her giant duffle bag to the floor, “it looks even more haunted on the inside.”

Casey unzipped her bag and dumped its contents on the floor. Bottles and cans crashed to the floor, and Casey had a delirious smile on her face.

“Haunted or not, let’s have a good time!”

...

The night grew darker as the moonlight slipped over the cottage. Twisted shadows leaped and danced between the trees; an animal howled in the distance. Billy, Sydney, and Casey stumbled off the rickety porch, their arguing cut through the silence of the forest like a knife.

“God, Casey. We aren’t smoking in the house, my parents are coming up in a few days, they’d kill me.”

Casey dragged her feet behind Billy; “But it’s scary out here. I wasn’t kidding about the kids who disappeared out here.” Casey whined.

Billy and Sydney marched on, and Casey sulked behind them. I wish she would just stay at the cottage. Billy thought to himself bitterly. All he wanted was time alone with Sydney, but that wouldn’t happen with Casey tagging along. When they got far enough away from the cottage, Casey pulled out the weed and the teens began to smoke. Billy wasn’t really enjoying himself; the woods were scary at night. There were no cottages in sight, and no gas station for miles. The trees in the forest surrounding the cottage were gnarled and bent; they seemingly grabbed at you with long, twisted hands. A chill ran down Billy’s spine as he caught a horrified look on Casey’s face.

“Who the fuck is that?” Casey said in a shaky voice. She pointed out into the depths of the forest, and a tall man came into view. Billy’s heart dropped. The man stood, perfectly still, completely engulfed in the sinister darkness of the forest. The man stood still a moment longer, and then began to wave. He waved slowly, periodically, and it seemed to cut through the forest. The dim moonlight slipped through the trees and lit up the man’s face. He had a sick grin stretched across his blood caked face. His eyes were bloodshot, and he stared directly into Billy’s eyes. He opened his mouth, the sick smile sat undisturbed on his face, and an eerie laugh escaped his lips. The low, monotone laughter floated through the forest; Billy fell out of his trance and grabbed Sydney’s hand. Her bright blue eyes had gone a dark grey, a horrified look was plastered to her face.

“We have to go,” Billy said shakily to the two girls, “Now!”

The three teens sprinted towards the cottage, weaving in and out of the lunging trees, not daring to look behind them. An upturned root grabbed at Billy’s Converse, which sent him spiraling onto the hard forest floor. Sydney and Casey blew by him as he scrambled off the forest floor. Sprinting up the broken steps, they slammed the old door behind them, and Billy locked it with the brass key.

“Lock the windows!” Billy yelled breathlessly.

As the girls locked all the windows, Billy peered out the dirt-caked front window. The waving man was gone.

…

“What do you mean you can’t find your car keys, Billy!” Casey screamed, fear bubbling in her voice. Billy was throwing cushions around the cottage, and panic began to set in.

“Fuck off, Casey! I didn’t lose them on purpose!” Billy yelled back in rage. Sydney stood quietly, ignoring her two friends, and was staring out the window. Billy and Casey baderged back and forth when Sydney suddenly swung around.

“SHUT UP, both of you.” Billy and Casey had never heard Sydney yell like that. She began to pace in front of the window, thinking hard.

“So, we have no keys, we can’t call the police, and there’s a crazy guy in the forest. We have to stay here tonight, we have no choice --” Sydney’s voice cut off, fat tears began to roll down her face. Billy ran up to her and grabbed her hand.

“It’s gonna be okay, Syd. I’m sure that guy is long gone by now.” Billy said, trying to comfort her. Little did he know, the horrors of the night had only just begun.

...

After ensuring that the windows and doors were locked, Billy walked quietly down the long hallway that led to the two bedrooms. Billy knocked on Sydney and Casey’s door, and found Sydney crying alone on her bed. Billy ran to her side, sitting on the side of her bed.

“If you're too scared, Syd, you’re welcome to stay with me in my room.” Billy offered hopefully.

Casey swung around the door frame, laughing obnoxiously; “Not a chance Romeo.” She continued to recite Romeo and Juliet as she threw herself onto the bed next to Sydney. Billy backed away, his cheeks burning red, and stood awkwardly in the doorway.

“Seriously guys, if you hear or need anything, let me know.” Billy stated, trying to ease the tension. Sydney nodded her head slowly as Casey attempted to hold in a laugh. Stupid Casey. Thought Billy. Even when we are in danger she can’t help but crack a joke. Billy was met by complete darkness as he shuffled across the hallway to his room. The room was tiny; it only fit a twin size bed and a small cabinet in the corner. The lights were dim, casting odd shadows on the off-white curtains that hung loosely in front of the window. After checking that the window was locked, he climbed into bed, the frame groaned beneath him. Despite the horrors of the night, Billy began to drift off into a restless sleep.

…

Billy wasn’t quite sure what woke him up, but he awoke with a feeling of dread that was rooted deep in his soul. He lay there petrified, staring up at the shadows that danced on the popcorn ceiling. A cool breeze tickled his face; he turned to the window and saw the curtains moving in the sharp breeze. The frame of the bed groaned as Billy felt something cold as ice touch his foot under the thin sheets; it sent a chill of terror through his soul. Billy shakily turned his head to the side of his bed, when his breath caught in his throat. The man from the forest lay next to him in his bed; his body was covered by the same blanket Billy was under. The man’s face was caked with blood and dirt; the whites of his eyes glowed ominously in the infernal darkness. Billy leaped up and got tangled in the thin sheets, crashing to the hardwood floor. The man shot up and stared deep into Billy’s soul, not uttering a word. His smile was strung tight across his face, his teeth were chipped and covered in blood. Billy sprinted out of his room, barging into Sydney and Casey’s room.

“HE’S IN THE HOUSE! GET UP NOW!” Billy screamed at the two girls as they awoke in confusion. Billy pulled them out of bed and the three teens ran out of the cottage. As they stumbled down the old decrepit poarch, Billy turned to face the doorway. The man stood in the doorway, waving back and forth in his slow rhythm. Billy ran and didn’t dare to look back.

...

Billy, Casey, and Sydney walked for an hour before a car finally picked them up off the side of the lonely highway they stumbled down. They finally called the police, and when they arrived at the rickety old cottage, the waving man was long gone. The police brought the shaken teens back to the cottage to gather their belongings, and Billy found his car keys wedged between the couch cushions. Nobody spoke on the long drive home. Sydney rested her head against the window, watching the trees roll by in a blur of green. Even Casey refused to speak, sitting silent for the first time in her entire life. As for Billy, he couldn’t get the haunting image of the waving man out of his mind. His sickening grin, the whites of his eyes; Billy knew that the waving man would haunt him for all of eternity.

…

The night Billy arrived home, he stayed up until the late hours of the night, terrified to rest his eyes. He was laying right next to me. This thought sent a shiver down Billy’s spine. When Billy couldn't stay awake any longer, he slipped into his bed, staring at the curtains blowing in the summer breeze. He inched off to sleep, engulfed in the darkness that covered his room. As he drifted off to dreamland, he felt something cold touch his foot.