September 1965

Bill had just finished his cake and went back to playing
with his magnets.For some reason they fascinated him.
  Gomer Pyle was on the T.V. in the background. It was a normal
Friday night. His mother usually let him stay up later on
Fridays. Lee worked late and went out for a few beers.
Bill made sure his chores were done so he could get an
early start Saturday. His father would be there at 7:30
to pick him up. They were going fishing at Blue Lake
with his aunt and uncle. That was always fun.
  Bill was still a bit hungry and asked his Mother for
a piece of fried chicken, which was the usual for Friday dinner.
She said he could but don't touch the breasts, those were Lee's.
He jumped up and went to the kitchen and helped himself to a leg
making sure to clean up any mess he made so as not to raise Lee's ire.
  Gomer Pyle was over and Bill decided to get to bed, he would need to
be rested for tomorrow. While he loved to fish he knew he would
spend more time running and playing with his brothers and cousins.
There was never a dull moment at Blue Lake and the weather was
going to be perfect.
  He had just gotten into his pajamas when he heard Lee drive up
in his Chevy pick-up. Lee was really proud of it. He had never owned
a new truck before. 1964 Blue short wheel base stepside. It really
was nice.
  Lee came in carrying 2 bags and went to the kitchen. He came
out and immediatey asking Bill "Why havent you taken out the trash"?
  "I have" replied Bill.
  Lee backhanded him in the face and told Bill to "take it out now"!
  Bill held back from crying and dutifully went to the kitchen,
wiping a trickle of blood coming from his nose. His Mother handed him
a wet towel to stop the bleeding.
  The backhand didn't bother him as much as the thought of taking
the trash out tonight. He had made sure it was done but Lee brought
2 bags of beer cans in instead of putting them in the trash himself.
He always did things like that just to push Bill around. But to
go out there at night terrified Bill. He knew it would be there. It
almost always was, standing by the fench, under the pecan tree.
He had to hurry though because Lee would whip him and he would still
have to go out there.
  With the trash in hand he opened the side door and slowly
exited the house.It was only a few more steps and a right turn then he would see it.
Three more steps and he paused.A bead of sweat rolled down his cheek and the
hair on his neck bristled.
  He turned right an walked between the garage and fence. He could see it now.
But no one else ever did.  
 Bill tried many times to convince himself
that it wasn't there, but it was there, almost mocking him, watching
him intently.He could feel its presence. It was if it was trying
to tell him something.
  He slowly backed to the trash cans,Keeping his eye on the shadow.
Gently he removed the lid from the can and emptied the trash remembering
to replace the lid when he was done.
  Suddenly the shadow seemed to move! It was walking, no glideing toward him.
Bill stood frozen. It was next to him now, touching him. A numbness surrounded
Bill and he seemed to be in a daze.He smelled something....something burning.
In his mind he saw people being gunned down by the hundreds. Men in Dark uniforms
with body armor and gas masks were shooting anything that moved. Men, women and
children.They slaughtered everyone.
  Now he saw streets littered with dead bodies. People in plastic looking
yellow suits, with gloves and masks were loading the bodies onto large trucks.
They rolled by continously, full of bodies. The ones still in the streets
were pale white, their eyes blackened and bulging, rotting from disease.
  Now Bill was hovering over a slightly wooded area. People were skinning
small animals, mostly rodents.Then cooking them over a smal fire.
 They looked emaciated. Food was apparently scarce.
  In the near distance he could see troops gathering for a pincer move.
These people would too be slaughtered. There was mercy for no one.
  Bill!! Get in here!! Lee shouted.
Bill regained his senses and saw no shadow. He bolted between the fence and garage,
around the corner and slammed into Lee. Bill fell on his butt.
  He immediatly stood up and met a smack in the face.
  Lee yelled "Quit playing and get in here"!
Bill stood up and realized he had urinated his pants. He went to the kitchen
and used the towel his mother had brought him to stop the bleeding, It was
flowing more this time.  His mother took him to get a bath as Lee quipped that
Bill must be retarded.
  Bill didn't sleep much that night. The visions he had seen kept
running through his mind.
  But something else happened, he was no longer afraid of the shadows. It was like
he knew what it was, had felt them before.
   At 2:15a.m. Bill fell asleep.