The Broken Bicycle
The sun set over the suburban streets as Nancy Thompson rode her bicycle towards Aldershot High School. A cool breeze swayed through the trees as the summer slipped away. One last summer bash; that’s where Nancy was headed off to. Her brow was fretted in uncertainty; normally they would go to drink in a parking lot or Glen’s basement, but tonight was the night Glen Lantz would put his ingenious plan into action. She peddled into the parking lot of Aldershot High, gazing down the sloped hill that came to a stop at a deep ravine. The ravine went on for miles, the neighborhood kids loved to explore it. Nancy, who was 17, told Glen he was childish when he proposed the idea of going to the sewers he found down there. In reality, she was scared. Something felt off about tonight, something she couldn’t quite put her finger on.
“Nanc! What took you so long.” Glen’s bike skidded to a stop behind her, his red hair simmering in the late summer sun. Rod Lane pulled up behind him. What was that asshole doing here? She thought to herself.
“I had to sneak out.” Nancy replied, bottles clattering in her backpack.
Rod led the way, bombing down the hill to the edge of the ravine on his bike. He waved frantically to Glen and Nancy as they walked their bikes down the hill.
“Glen, what is Rod doing here? Don’t you hate him?” Nancy asked in a near whisper.
“He brought the weed. I’m sorry Nanc, I should’ve told you.” Glen looked away sheepishly.
“It’s fine, just don’t fight with him like last time. Promise?” Nancy asked hopefully. Glen didn’t say anything.
…
Glen led them through the slanted ravine. Shadows danced on the ravine floor; the temperature seemingly dropped 10 degrees. Nancy was relieved she had brought her windbreaker, but the harsh air nipped at her knees that were exposed from her ripped jeans. They went deeper and deeper into the ravine, when Glen suddenly came to a halt. Nancy looked up, and saw a large cement drop off with 3 sewer openings. The concrete walls were covered with graffiti, and she saw nothing but darkness within the vast openings. Glen turned to Rod and Nancy with a grin. “Now, we climb.” He announced as he pulled himself up a steep dirt path. Nancy hurried up after him; the bottles in her backpack had gotten really heavy, so she stopped about halfway up. She looked at the dark ravine water below, and noticed something strange. A rusty, red bicycle, half submerged in the water, glistened in the evening sun. The frame had been heavily damaged; a jagged edge stuck straight up towards the sewer landing. Nancy shuddered. The frame had been twisted and bent so it was as sharp as a knife.
“C’mon Nanc! Get up here!” Glen called down from the concrete slab.
Nancy turned away from the broken bicycle and continued the climb. She couldn’t shake the feeling of dread that began to overtake her that summer night.
…
Everything happened so fast. After only a few coolers, Glen was completely wasted, and accidentally dropped Rod’s meticulously rolled joint.
“What the fuck Glen!” Rod screamed, his face twisted in furry. “What’s your problem?”
“ Fuck you Rod, nobody actually likes you,” Glen started, his words slurred. “They only talk to you because you have good weed.”
Something clicked in Rod’s brain, and he threw the first punch. To Nancy’s surprise, Glen caught his flying fist and hurtled him onto the wet concrete. Rod was covered in the muddy water that slowly flowed out of the sewer openings, and he scrambled to his feet. With a shrill scream, he ran full speed at Glen.
“Rod, No!” Nancy screamed helplessly. “ The edge--”
At the last moment, Glen jumped out of the way, pushing Rod off balance in the process. The moonlight lit up the fear in Rod’s eyes as he slipped over the edge; a terrified shriek left his lips. Nancy heard the sick sound of flesh ripping as Rod landed half submerged in the water. She stood frozen as Rod’s shrill cries filled the ravine, the wind seemed to amplify the terror in his voice. The screams died down; silence enveloped the ravine, and was only broken by the sound of gurgling, and the drop of water falling into the depths below. The sound of death filled the air as Nancy became unfrozen. She stumbled to the edge of the concrete slab and terror overcame her. She opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out; only a sick moan. Rod’s lifeless body lay half submerged in the creek below, impaled by the frame of the red bicycle. Blood flowed in the water around him; the creek had turned a deep shade of red. Blood was pumping out of Rod’s chest; his body twitched and flopped in the crimson water. His lifeless face stared blankly up at Nancy; his bloodshot eyes burned deep into her soul, and his mouth twitched. Nancy turned away, and began to gag. Did he just smile at me? Nancy’s head was spinning when Glen grabbed her harshly by the shoulders. He pushed her up against a graffiti stained wall, his wide eyes flickering in the moonlight that seeped through the trees.
“Did you tell anyone what you were doing tonight?” Glen questioned, his words filled with anger. Filled with fear.
“N-no.” Nancy stammered. The look in Glen’s hazel eyes scared her. What is he going to do to me? Her thoughts ran wild, imagining him leaving her here with Rod’s lifeless corpse.
“He tripped Nancy, that’s all.” Glen spoke quietly. “It wasn’t my fault. No one can know Nancy. You get that, right? If I get arrested, I’ll lose my scholarships, they’ll think I’m a monster.”
“ You are a monster! You killed him! You-” Nancy was cut off as Glen threw her into the wall. Her head slammed on the concrete, the trees spun around her.
“We didn’t see Rod tonight, Nanc.” Glen hissed through gritted teeth. He hesitated for a moment, then knelt down and picked Nancy up.
“I-I’m sorry, Nanc. I’m just scared. We have to go.”
Caked in the muddy residue of the sewer water, Nancy silently got up and followed Glen down the steep dirt path. Neither of them said a word as they trekked out of the ravine; the wind was much sharper now. Nancy seemingly floated out of her body on her bike ride home. She prayed that it was all a dream, that she’d wake up and Rod would be standing there with his brown hair and lopsided smile. That night Rod plagued her nightmares, as she tossed and turned in her bed. She pictured him staring up at her, his mouth in a wide-open grin, as millions of bugs crawled out of his mouth. Maggots infested his eyes, and dark crimson blood pumped from his ears. That sick, sick smile never left his face, and that was all Nancy could bear. She awoke in a cold sweat, and sobbed silently into her pillow. Sadly for Nancy, the horror had only just begun.
…
The first day of school came too soon, as Nancy struggled to get out of bed after the rough night she had just had. Her head spun. Maybe it was only a nightmare. She thought sheepishly to herself. She knew it hadn’t been a nightmare. Rod was dead, and soon the whole school would be wondering what happened to the guy they loved to hate. Nancy put on a pair of vintage Levis and a grey crew neck and put concealer on to cover the dark bags under her eyes. It was a cool morning, and she began her walk to school. She normally would get a ride from Glen, but she didn’t think she could look him in the eyes. He was a murderer after all. Nancy decided to take a short cut, walking alongside the ravine at the back of the school. Her heart raced as she passed where Rod’s body laid deep in the trees, half submerged in the creek water. Suddenly, she was thrown up against the wall of the school, and the wind got knocked out of her. Struggling to catch her breath, she looked up into Glen’s hazel eyes, who had her pinned against the brick wall. Other than the rage that flickered in his eyes, he looked relatively normal, wearing a Vans crew neck and tan joggers.
“Don’t blow this Nancy.” He whispered through gritted teeth. His head swiveled as footsteps approached on the gravel path. He suddenly let go, grabbed Nancy’s hand and dragged her towards the school. As they trudged up to the paint chipped doors, he squeezed her hand so hard she lost feeling in it and whispered in her ear, “If you tell, I’ll call the cops and say you did it. You’ll be forever known as the Aldershot Killer.”
…
The day flew by in a blur, and Nancy found herself sitting next to the window in Biology class. She gazed out the window to the view of the sloping hill, which had a track at the edge of the ravine. Rumors flew around her; “Where is Rod?” There were rumors about a suspension and a drug bust, but she knew the horrible truth. As her bald headed teacher rambled on and on about the syllabus, something caught her gaze out the second-story window. A boy with brown hair stood on the field, waving slowly up at her. She sharpened her gaze. What was that in his chest? Her heart dropped, and she let out a sharp gasp. Blood dripped from a broken bicycle frame that impaled the boy's chest. Rod’s chest. He stood eerily still, waving rhymically back and forth. Nancy shot up from her seat so fast her chair crashed onto the floor behind her.
“Ms. Thompson, what is the problem?” Her teacher sneered at her from in front of the chalkboard. Nancy sprinted past her startled classmates and into the hallway, and didn’t stop running until she reached an empty washroom. Gasping for breath, she splashed her face with water. “It’s not real.” She repeated to herself over and over, but the guilt inside her grew larger. As she looked up into the mirror over the sink, she saw Rod standing directly behind her. She spun around to face the intruder, but the washroom stood as empty as it had been when she arrived. Shaking, she turned slowly back to the mirror and Rod came into view. Blood dripped silently onto the floor from his tattered chest, and muddy water created a puddle on the linoleum floor. His eyes. His eye. One eye was missing, leaving a dark void that stared into Nancy’s soul.
“So nice of you to see you again Nancy,” Rod sneered. His voice sounded like gravel. “I was getting so, so lonely.”
“Rod,” Nancy started with a shaky voice, not daring to look him in the eye, “I-I’m so sorry. I didn’t know what to do. Glen didn’t mean to -- it was an accident --” a sob escaped her throat, and she looked away from the mirror.
“Oh, dear Nancy, it’s not all that bad down there. Although the crows have found me, they seemed to have plucked out my eye.” He pointed at his void of an eye and grinned, revealing rows of bloody teeth. “The bugs have found me too, but I’m sure you already knew that.”
“What can I do Rod, what can I do to make this end?” Nancy sobbed, hot tears streaming down her burning cheeks.
“Well, if you are offering, you could do something to make this right.” An evil grin spread across Rod’s face, and his bottom lip split, a black liquid erupted from the cut. “Bring Glen back to the sewers, I want to teach him a lesson. I’ll make it stop Nancy, I’ll make it all stop.”
“But, what are you going to do to him --” Nancy looked up at the mirror and Rod had vanished. All that was left was a trail of muddy footprints leading out the washroom door.
…
Getting Glen to come back to the sewers with her was easier than Nancy had expected. She cornered him in the parking lot after school, saying that they had to hide Rod’s body. A ridiculous notion but in Glen’s state of mind, he agreed. Now, Nancy danced from foot to foot on the top of the path twisted into the ravine. A full moon shone down through the trees, casting shadows that danced and twisted around her. The wind pierced like a knife, and she pulled her windbreaker tighter around herself. A figure made its way down the sloping hill towards Nancy, who she recognized as Glen. She didn’t trust him, not after he threatened her. She felt in her pocket a knife she had brought just in case, praying she wouldn’t have to use it.
“Ready?” Glen questioned as he walked closer, a flashlight in his right hand.
Nancy nodded, and they silently marched down the dirt path. Further and further they trudged through the ravine in the midnight hours. Nancy’s breath caught in her throat as the sewer came into view; Rod’s body was gone, only the bicycle was in the place he used to be. Glen sprinted towards the water, stopping abruptly on the rocky shore.
“What the fuck Nancy! What did you do with the body!” Glen lunged at Nancy in rage, his hands gripped around her throat. She choked and struggled as he pressed harder and harder, and she began to lose consciousness. Will he kill me too? Nancy thought as Glen’s eyes stared angrily into hers. Suddenly, a hand caught him on the shoulder and he flew back. As Nancy struggled to catch her breath, a shriek pierced the silence of the ravine as Glen turned to face a decomposing Rod.
“Glen, so nice of you to come back! You’ve already killed me, what were you planning on doing next?” Rod sneered at Glen in a menacing tone. “Thank you, Nancy.” Rod turned and dragged a screaming Glen up the steep hill to the sewer entrances.
“Nancy -- Nancy PLEASE --” Glen looked at her with pleading eyes, and Nancy felt a pang of guilt. What was Rod going to do to him? Rod’s stiff body mechanically walked up the hill, his grip on Glen’s shoulder didn’t budge. Nancy noticed the bicycle frame had been removed from his chest; all that was left was a bloody hole. In horror, she realized she could see his black, lifeless heart through the hole in his chest. Nancy began to crawl up the steep hill, dirt slipping out from under her white sneakers.
“Rod-- Please don’t do anything to him.” Nancy called out desperately as she pulled herself onto the concrete landing. She grabbed at the knife in her pocket and lost her grip, watching it fall into the water below. Glen’s terrified screams filled her ears as he hung by his fingertips off the concrete landing. Rod looked back at her, a sick smile on his face.
Over the screams and pleas for mercy, Rod looked into Nancy’s soul and asked, “Ready for the sequel, Nanc?”
Nancy screamed as Rod stomped on Glen’s fingers with a mud caked sneaker, and sent him falling into the abyss below. Falling to her knees, she crawled to the edge of the landing through the muddy water and saw Glen’s twisted body being impaled by the bicycle frame. Glen twisted and thrashed as blood squirted from the hole in his chest. The creek water turned a dark crimson once again, and Nancy pulled herself onto her feet. I have to go. Now. She thought in a panic. As she turned to face Rod, she saw him walking slowly into the dark, sewer entranced. When he turned to look back at her, black blood gushed from every available orifice, and a sick smile covered his face. Nancy slid down the hill, running at full speed down the dark path. She never looked back.
…
The next few weeks were relatively normal for Nancy. She prepped from the homecoming dance, which she was going to with Wes Craven, the quarterback of the football team. The police searched for Glen and Rod, but came up empty handed. That was the nice part about small towns, the police gave up before they even started trying. The nightmares that had plagued Nancy’s dreamworld had begun to cease, as she forgot what happened that dreadful summer night. At the homecoming dance, she sported a gorgeous black floor-length gown, and was crowned homecoming queen. As she stood up on stage, blinded by the spotlights, she spotted a boy standing at the back of the gym, waving at her slowly. As she squinted into the light, she saw the boy had tousled red hair. Her gleaming smile faded, as she noticed his mud caked sneakers, and his chest. His chest was impaled with a bicycle frame. Nancy screamed as a sick smile spread across Glen’s lifeless face.
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