It was fall and the weather was starting to get chilly outside.
“Don’t forget your coat, Jack!” Andie said as he started out the door to get to school early.
Jack went through the door and stopped abruptly, grimacing.
There on the ground was a crushed nest of baby birds covered in ants.
“Must’ve been a cat,” Jack said.
Joey woke up late. She yawned and then looked at the clock.
She was supposed to meet Jack at the school library in less than 20 minutes.
“CRAP!” She said, hitting her alarm clock. The stupid thing never worked when she really needed it to.
“Hey, Jo! Breakfast?” Bessie asked as Joey rushed through the kitchen, passed her and out the door.
She quickly headed towards the truck, a million things running through her mind that she and Jack needed to go over when once at the library as she searched her pocket for her key, when something made her stop and turn around.
“See ya later, Grams!” Jen called out as she opened the front door and stepped out onto the porch.
“Hey, Jen.” Dawson said as he stepped out from his porch.
“Yeah, Gretch, whatever!” Pacey yelled sarcastically at his sister as he walked outside chewing his Pop Tart
Big deal. So he was a little late for first period. No biggie. Its not like anything important was happening anyways. Pacey growled when he couldn’t find his key.
‘Its gonna be one of those days,’ he thought.
Released from class to lunch, Joey found Jack, Andie, Jen and Dawson all sitting at a table near the window, all smiling and giggling.
“Hi guys!”
“Oh, hey Joey!”
Joey slid down into the chair opposite Jen and set down her lunch tray.
They looked up to see Pacey standing there.
“Nookie,” Jen giggled.
Pacey stared out and the others followed his gaze. Out across the courtyard was a flock of about thirty crows just sitting there staring at them through the glass.
“In folklore, a flock of crows mean someone is going to die,” Jen said as she walked backwards at the front of the group while they made their way to their classes after lunch.
“RUN JEN!” Dawson screamed. He and Jen ran down the asphalt at top speed, their faces red and their chests heaving to catch their breath.
“God, I hope those creepy birds aren’t waiting for us,” Jack grinned as he and Pacey made their way from the library out to the student parking lot.
Pacey and Jack stopped.
Big black crows were covering every inch of Pacey’s truck.
“Oh my god.” Jack mumbled, watching the birds, who watched them back, silently.
Cautiously at first, the two boys began to shoo the black birds away.
Quickly they climbed into the truck and fastened their seat belts. Both looked up at the sudden sound of feathers and flinched when they saw one lone crow perched on the hood of the truck just outside the windshield.
The bird jumped, startled at the noise, but instead of flying away, it angrily lunged at the window, squawking and pecking in a rage.
Pacey and Jack were silent.
“Spooky, huh?” Jack finally commented.
Gail Leery was cutting vegetables in the sink when Dawson came running through the back door.
Gail picked up the knife and started cutting again as Dawson started up the steps to the second floor.
The parakeet started chirping angrily, and suddenly jumped at the glass.
“Oh my,” Gail gasped as the bird began pecking at the window pane.
The bird pecked harder and harder until the glass started to shake. Dawson and his mother leaned forward in horrified fascination as the bird grew more and more violent on the outer side of the glass. They even held their breath.
Suddenly there was a loud crack as the bird’s beak chipped and blood gushed from its face.
Dawson and Gail flinched. The bird took off out of sight.
Suddenly there was a loud bang and broken glass showered over them. Gail grabbed Dawson and shielded him as the glass rained to the floor. Both looked down horrified at the twitching, bloody body of the parakeet, in the center of the floor, its skull crushed in by the collision with the window.
++++++++++ “I think that bird’s still following us,” Jack said nervously, glancing out the passenger’s side window.
“Holy crap.” Jack whispered as they came around a bend and found a the road blocked by a flock of crows.
++++++++++ “Jennifer, I just don’t understand it,”
Jen lifted her teacup with trembling hands. She was still frazzled by the chase home.
She went upstairs and stopped in the bathroom to start the tub.
Jen sighed as she sat on the edge, feeling the warm water with her hand as it started to fill the bathtub. She started to feel better already.
She walked in and went straight to her dresser, again pausing to look in the mirror at her scratch.
Jen moved towards it carefully.
It was so delicate and silent, and innocent. She shrugged off her fear of the terminator she had the run in with on the way home and went to the window. The dove sat cooing on the edge of the sill.
She sat and watched it for a moment.
Jen rose, remembering her bath, and taking one last look at the bird, she headed towards the bathroom.
“Mitch! What are you talking about!”
Dawson listened as his mother frantically spoke with his father on the phone. They had gone into the living room after the incident with the parakeet when Dawson’s father called from the restaurant. Dawson started to grow worried at the look on his mother’s face.
Dawson sat forward, his eyes never moving from hers.
++++++++++ “Well, do you have any idea of when he’ll be here?” Joey asked Andie, feeling frustrated at the sudden lack of Jack she had in her life. “We have too much work to do and not enough time to do it in!”
The phone went dead.
“Andie?”
++++++++++ “Joey??” Andie looked down at the receiver and shrugged. She hung up the phone and skipped down the hallway to the stairs to head down to the kitchen for an afternoon snack.
“Andie??? Andie! Are you there???” Joey sighed and slammed down the phone.
“Pacey! Watch out for that tree!”
The truck came careening around a turn and nearly slid off the road. Pacey held the steering wheel in a tight grip as he struggled to keep control. His way was blinded by the swirling black mass of crows that had swarmed about the truck, and Jack was holding his breath.
“We’re almost there,” Pacey grimaced, as wing after wing hit the windshield and snapped, gushing blood and feathers all over. Finally reaching the B&B, Pacey jerked the wheel down the driveway. As the truck hit the gravel it went into a skid and slammed into the side of the Potter’s truck.
“I TOLD YOU PACEY WAS A BAD DRIVER!”
“GET INSIDE!” Pacey yelled as he and Jack climbed out of the truck.
Suddenly, the air was filled with a horrible noise. Joey and Bessie stepped back in surprise, staring up into the sky in confusion. Pacey and Jack reached the porch just as the horizon grew black with crows.
“OH MY GOD!” Bessie and Joey screamed.
The door slammed behind them, and Pacey put his weight against it while Jack looked for something to block the door. Jen had almost fallen asleep in the tub as she relaxed. Startled at it, she opened her eyes as she felt a cold blast of wind on her face. She sat forward, the water swishing around her, as she listened.
Jen pulled herself out of the calm, warm water, and quickly slipped on her robe. She started to dry her hair with her towel when she heard a stifled cry. Quickly she opened the bathroom door.
“Oh my god-”
A dozen crows sat perched around her room. In the center of the room was one, which stood, feeding off the body of the dove. The birds watched her silently, and the one in the center kept eating as if she weren’t even there. Slowly, and terrified, Suddenly the crow in the center of the room cawed at her.
Jen froze, looking back at it with wide eyes. It watched her now, forgetting the bloody white bird at its feet. Again there was a silence.
Jen could hear her heart pounding in her ears. She hadn’t breathed in so long, she thought she might pass out. Eyes never leaving that of the bird’s, she leaned forward and gripped the door handle. The crow in the center started to flap its wings angrily and again cawed. Jen paused again, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. As she exhaled, she heard the angry flutter of feathers and without a second thought, swung open the door and ran down the hallway screaming for her Grams.
“Dawson…the restaurant was attacked by birds.”
Will the birds get Dawson Leery? Will Jen trip and fall as she runs down the stairs?
What will happen next??? Stay tuned . . .
“Oh!” He said, turning back and heading towards the closet. “Thanks!” He said slipping it on.
“You’d forget your head if it wasn’t attached,” She said.
“Yeah,” Jack smirked. “Whatever. Gotta go.”
Again he started towards the door.
“Oh, Jack!”
“What!”
“Aren’t you forgetting these?”
Andie held up the keys to her car.
“Nah,” Jack said, shaking his head as he started out the door. “Pacey will give me a ride,”
“Okay, see ya.”
“Bye,”
“What?” Andie said, coming up behind him in the doorway. “Ew!”
“Oh, that’s so sad! Why would you think it’s a cat?”
“Because,” Jack said, pointing across the lawn at the neighbors gray tabby. It sat on the wall cleaning itself; the half eaten remains of the mother bird in front of her.
“Ew.” Andie said again.
“Oh well, nothing we can do now,” Jack said, stepping over the desecrated remains of the nest and moving from the patio.
“Yeah,” Andie said looking sadly down at the dead birds. She turned and closed the door behind her.
“Oh my god!”
She jumped out of bed and ran to her closet. She pulled out a clean pair of jeans and a sweater, and then hastily slipped them on. “Oh man,” She huffed, looking at the clock again. She threw on her socks and shoes, ran her brush through her hair, then grabbed her book bag and started out into the hallway, forgetting to even brush her teeth.
“No time!” Joey called back.
There on the opposite bank of the creek sat a large group of sea gulls just sitting there watching her.
“See you after school, Jennifer!” Grams called back from the kitchen.
Jen pulled the door closed behind her and went down the porch and outside. She started towards the Leery’s when she noticed a white dove perched in a tree.
“Hey,” She said, not moving as she watched the dove.
“What are you looking at?”
“Ssh,” She hushed him, smiling as he came up to her side. “Look,” She whispered.
“Is that…is that a dove?”
“Yeah…isn’t it beautiful?”
“Yeah.”
“I must going to fall in love today.”
“Why’s that?” Dawson asked, smiling.
“Because…I was the first one to see it.”
“Oh…well, love or not, we’re going to be late.”
“Okay,” She said, eyes still glued to the delicate little bird in the tree. She followed Dawson up the walkway and out to the street. As they reached the curb, Jen was surprised to see another dove swoop down and perch beside the first. “Oh!” She exclaimed.
Dawson turned around.
“Maybe they’re in love,” He joked.
“Maybe,” She smiled.
“I mean it!” She yelled back through the screen.
“Yeah, yeah! Whatever!”
“Whatever!”
“Stupid…*mumble mumble*” Pacey dug into his pocket looking for his truck keys.
First period was boring as hell anyways, and besides, he wasn’t failing that class.
“Crap.” He sat his folder on the hood of the truck, and his Pop Tart on top of that and started back towards the door, his hands still searching his deep pockets.
“Hey Gretch!”
“Yeah?” She called from inside.
“Did I leave my keys…NEVERMIND!” Pacey found them and turned immediately back to the truck. He stopped short when he found a pair of beady yellow eyes staring back at him.
“Get away from there!” He yelled at the crow perched on his truck over his Pop Tart. The large black bird squawked at him then bent its head and started gobbling up his breakfast.
“HEY!” Pacey said, running over to shoo it away. The bird grabbed up the pastry and flew away. “Mother-!” Pacey cursed. He watched the bird fly off, then turned back, picking up his folder and wiped the crumbs to the ground. “Stupid bird…”
“Hey Joey!”
“Hi, have a seat!”
“Did you and Jack get a lot of work done this morning?” Andie asked.
“Yeah,” Joey said.
“Half way done,” Jack confirmed.
“Good,” Andie smiled.
“God, I am so tired!” Joey said, opening her milk. “I didn’t get any sleep last night.”
“Alex?” Andie asked.
“No…he’s actually been sleeping through the night.”
“Do you have a lot of guests?” Dawson asked.
“No,” Joey rolled her eyes. “Just one couple…they’re newlyweds.”
“Ahhh,” Jen laughed. “I think I get it!”
“Yeah!” Joey blushed. “Oh my god, it’s so annoying. I think they do it all night long,”
Jack, Andie and Dawson chuckled.
“It’s this constant banging on the wall…its so gross.”
“What’s gross?”
“Nookie?” Pacey asked, smiling questioningly. Joey scooted her seat over to make room for him and he took a seat.
“It’s icky.” Joey said, going on. “I mean, how could two people go at it like that? I swear! Sometimes, I think they’re hanging from the ceiling.”
“Are we talking about what I think we’re talking about?”
“Yeah,” Jen laughed.
“I don’t want to talk about it anymore,” Joey said. “By the way, is there a storm coming? There were a whole bunch of seagulls on the creek this morning, it was kinda weird.”
“Sea gulls are weird?” Jack teased.
“Yeah…they were staring at me.”
“Me and Dawson saw a dove.” Jen interrupted.
“Two, actually.” Dawson added. Andie cringed.
“Ew, me and Jack found a nest of baby birds,”
“Aww,” Jen started.
“They were smashed.”
“Ew.”
“Yeah,” Jack grimaced. “Gross. I think the neighbor’s cat got them.”
“Oh, that’s so sad…”
“Enough about birds,” Pacey said remembering the crow and his Pop Tart. He turned to Joey. “So tell me some more about that sex-hanging by the ceiling thing?”
“Ew, Pace!” She said, wrinkling her nose. “That’s perverted.”
“I think it sounds like fun,” Pacey smiled, glancing out the window.
“I think it’s creepy...”
“That’s not all that’s creepy, guys…” Pacey’s tone suddenly shifted. “Look at that.”
“Is that a fact?” Pacey scoffed.
“Oh yeah,”
“Yeah, I heard that too,” Andie said.
“Someone’s been watching too many Hitchcock movies,”
“Shut up, Pace!” Andie said, socking him in the arm.
“Well, let’s just hope they’re not waiting for us when we go to leave,” Dawson said. “Flocks of crows scare me.”
“I don’t like flocks of anything,” Joey said.
“Doves,” Jen said. “Why couldn’t there be a flock of doves?”
“Yeah,” Dawson agreed.
“Don’t crows eat doves?” Jack asked.
“Crows eat Pop Tarts,” Pacey grumbled.
“What?” Jack laughed.
“Nevermind,” Pacey said as they reached the end of the hallway. “So I’ll catch you guys later…Jackers, I’m still driving you to Potter’s after practice?”
“Yeah,” Jack confirmed.
“K, I’ll be in the library,” Pacey said, turning and heading off alone.
“Later, Pace!” Jack called out as the group went on.
“Bye Pacey, see ya later!” Joey called. Pacey turned and waived and everyone else waived back and then he disappeared around the corner.
“I like doves,” Jen said again as she and Dawson started off in their own direction.
“Maybe we’ll see another one on the way home,”
“Maybe.”
“AH!” Jen screamed, ducking again mid-step. “WHERE THE HELL DID IT COME FROM!”
“I DON’T KNOW!” Dawson yelled. “DON’T LOOK BACK!”
“I WONT!” Jen cried covering her head as she ran.
“WE’RE ALMOST HOME!” Dawson yelled, his house coming into view.
“THANK GOD!” Jen cried.
“No shi- oh crap.”
Pacey laughed nervously, but he couldn’t hide it; the birds freaked him out.
“It seems you are going to die today,” Jack whispered sarcastically.
“Yeah,” Pacey said uneasily, eyes glued to the birds. “Come on, help me get them off.”
“Go away!” Pacey hollered at it, but it just sat their; beady yellow eyes staring black blankly, and then it took a step towards them.
“GO AWAY!” Pacey yelled again, this time honking the horn.
“Good god!” Jack balked.
“Freaking bird,” Pacey growled, flipping on the windshield wipers. One struck the bird, and it fell back, startled. The boys gasped nervously. The crow stumbled back to its feet, and recovering quickly, it glared back menacingly before spreading its wings and taking flight.
“Very,” Pacey said, starting the engine. He revved the gas and started out of the parking lot, a chill running up his spine as he looked back in his rear view mirror and saw the crows gathered on the fence, just watching.
“Hi honey…” Gail started. Dawson dropped his book bag to the floor in a heap as he frantically swatted at his hair and clothes. “What’s wrong!” Gail cried, forgetting the vegetables and going to her son.
“A bird!” Dawson spat, exasperated and out of breath.
“What???”
“This bird was attacking me and Jen the whole way home!”
“What kind of bird!”
“This little yellow parakeet!”
“Oh, honey!” Gail laughed.
“I’m not kidding, Mom!” He said in all seriousness. “I’m telling you, this parakeet followed us all the way home, swooping at us and pecking at us…look!” He said, touching his cheek. “It clawed at me! I swear! We had to run the last mile!”
“A little yellow parakeet followed you and Jen Lindley all the way home from school?”
“Yes!”
“I find that hard to believe!” She scoffed, turning back to her vegetables.
“Mom! I’m telling you the truth!” Dawson said, stalking over to her. “Mom…that bird was out for blood!”
“Oh Dawson,” Gail said, starting to tire of her son’s overzealous imagination. “You’re paranoid. It’s just a little bird, get over it.”
“Fine,” Dawson huffed, wiping at the tiny claw mark on his face. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you if we wake up tomorrow and find “Killer Tweety Rampant In Capeside” headlining the news!”
“Don’t worry, Dawson, I wont,” Gail said, smiling to herself. Dawson scowled at her.
“Fine! I’m going to my room.”
“Good,”
“Ah!” Gail jumped as she looked up and found a little yellow parakeet staring at her through the kitchen window. The knife slipped and nicked her finger, and Gail winced aloud, dropping the knife into the sink with a cling; fresh red blood spurting from the surface of her skin.
“Damn!” She hissed, sticking her finger in her mouth to stop the bleeding.
“What’s wrong?” Dawson said, coming back down when her heard the commotion.
“It looks like your little friend is here,” She teased gesturing at the window. She smiled, feeling foolish for letting the bird scare her like that.
“Oh my god,” Dawson mumbled, stepping forward to peer at the little beast. “What the-”
“See! I told you! That bird is crazy!”
“It sure is,”
“Ew!” Gail cringed, peering at the blood-spattered windowsill. Dawson stared in shock; utter confusion and nervousness plastered across his face. “That bird is possessed!”
Dawson gulped.
“I don’t know what the hells going on, but I don’t like it,” Pacey muttered, shifting the truck into higher gear and going faster down the road.
“Freaking birds,” Pacey mumbled angrily, punching down on the accelerator. Jack grit his teeth as the truck rolled over the asphalt. Some of the birds scattered...some of them did not.
Pacey felt sick at the crunch beneath the tires but didn’t look back.
“Well, it happened Grams, I’m telling you. Why would I make up a story like that!”
“I’m not saying you did, dear,” Grams said as she sat down a hot cup of tea in front of Jen. “Its just that…”
“What grams?” Jen bit.
“I don’t see how one of gods tiniest and most gentlest creatures could just go mad like that.” Jen rolled her eyes.
“More like Satan’s Minion! That bird was freaky! It had mad-bird disease or something,”
“Oh, Jennifer,” Grams said distastefully.
“I think it would do you to go upstairs and take a nice, hot bath.”
“Hmn…maybe you’re right…”
“I know I am. You’ll feel remarkably better and then when you’re finished we can sit down to a nice hot meal…I’m baking chicken.”
“Okay, Grams,” Jen said, tiredly getting up from the sofa and making her way towards the stairs.
“Weird bird,” She sighed as she stood looking in the mirror. She picked at a scratch on her cheek and ran a hand through her messy hair. “Oh god,” She sighed. She walked from the bathroom to her bedroom to get a fresh change of clothes.
“OH MY GOD!” She jumped when she caught the reflection in the mirror. She spun around and looked at the window, a little white dove sitting outside the windowsill.
“Hi, little bird,” Jen whispered as she slowly opened the window. The dove looked curiously at her.
Smiling, Jen slowly reached a finger out to touch it.
“Hi,” She murmured. She grinned as the bird let it stroke back the soft feathers on its head. She reached out to take it in her hands and the bird flinched. “Okay, okay,” She said, jumping too. “Its okay, I wont hurt you…”
“Gail! Just listen to me! Stay in the house,”
“But why!”
“Gail!”
“Yes,” She said. “Yes….I…I understand,”
“He’ll be there…Pacey was giving him a ride. Don’t worry about it, you know Jack… You also know Pacey, maybe they stopped to pick up a hitchhiker, or a prostitute, or something,”
Joey laughed at Andie’s words.
“Don’t worry Joey, he’ll-”
“What happened?”
“Bessie! Did you forget to pay the phone bill?”
“No!” Bessie said defensively, looking up at her troubled sister from the kitchen table where she was feeding Alex in his highchair.
“Are you sure!”
“Of course I’m sure!”
“Because the phone just went dead, and-”
“Well, maybe there’s a problem with the line! Don’t blame me!”
“Sorry,” Joey said reluctantly leaning on the counter.
“What’d she say about Jack?”
“She said he’s on his way. Pacey was driving him after practice.”
“Well there’s the problem,” Bessie smirked knowingly as she wiped the babies mouth.
“Bessie,” Joey rolled her eyes. “Pacey is not a bad driver!”
“I don’t know about that one, Jo…I’ve heard those tires squeal more than once when he comes charging into the driveway…”
“Bessie!”
“Okay, okay! Jo, Pacey’s not a terrible driver, satisfied?”
“Yes,” Joey smiled triumphantly. “Thank you.”
The wipers worked hard, sloughing the gore away from the outside of the glass providing some visibility for the road ahead. Pacey punched down on the gas again, and slowly pulled ahead of the crows.
Frantically, Pacey and Jack struggled to free themselves of the wreckage as the Potter sisters ran to the porch to see what was going on.
“OH, SHUT UP, BESSIE!”
“What???” Joey and Bessie demanded in unison.
“GET INSIDE!”
“GO IN THE HOUSE!” Jack screamed.
“HURRY!” Pacey ordered, shoving them inside.
The sound of flapping wings grew deafening as they stood there in the sanctity of the house. Bessie ran into the kitchen and snatched up Alex, cradling him in her arms as she rejoined the others in the living room.
The stood back to back in the room, watching the walls in horror, listening to what sounded like a freight train about to bust in.
“What is it?” Bessie whispered, looking at Pacey.
“Birds.”
Nothing.
Jen gasped and almost fell back against the wall.
Jen inched her way towards her bedroom door, afraid to make a sound, afraid she might disturb the stillness and set them off. As she reached the bedroom door, she reached towards the handle.
“What!” Dawson gasped, unable to believe what he was hearing.
“Your father’s okay…so is Gretchen and Bodie, but I guess…well, I’m afraid some people were killed…customers. And some of the local fishermen who were out on the dock.”
“Mom-!”
“I…I can’t believe it myself, honey,” Gail said, clasping her hands together as tears sprung into her eyes. “Your father wants us to stay inside and board up the house until he can get here. The police have blocked off all the roads and aren’t letting anyone in…or out…of the area,”
“Oh my god,” Dawson whispered.
The mother and son sat idly, staring into space
Will Pacey and the gang go up stairs to investigate that eerie silence??? Who is going to die?