I’ve never really been an outgoing person, I mostly just kept to myself majority of the time. That all changed when I gave the new kid at Northwood High a tour, his name was Erin. It all started at the beginning of the school year when I moved to this town in the middle of butt effing nowhere, Idaho. I made the idiot decision of signing up to be a teacher's assistant instead of just taking a gym class, from the first day of school they actually made me do work. It started off with just having to deal with lost people in the front office, but it gradually transitioned to the office people trusting me enough to deal with paperwork in the office (hahah). Honestly I never did anything I wasn't supposed to in the office.
There were rumors about him having lots of fake identities because he was cooked up in a lab and is super aggressive and rips people's throats out with his teeth, which is why he can’t stay in a place for too long, I had no idea if any of this was true or how anyone would ever come up with those things, but I played along for the fun of it. When he walked into the office that day he had the strongest cologne on, the smell suffocated me. Mrs. Namus, the troll of the bunch-o-front ladies always gave me trouble, so naturally she assigned me to walking the multi-identity Erin around. He didn’t talk much or have any questions, he just went with everything I told him, to be honest if I told him on Wednesday we bathed cows in the courtyard he probably would have went with it unamazed. It got annoying fast, I didn’t have time for anyone who doesn’t care about anything, I thought, maybe he was cooked in a lab. At the end of the tour when I started walking away he finally spoke, “Where are you from? I heard you just moved here a few moths ago.” I stood there shocked, how did he know that, he’s only talked to two people in the building. Before I could say anything the bell rang, second period, the halls filled with the creatures I have to call peers, I looked around for Erin but he was already gone.
Later that day at lunch Erin found me even though I have the best hiding spot there is in the school, under the stairs in the E wing (don’t let this get out). When he found me he just stood there staring at me, I told him he could sit down, he did robotically. We both sat there for a few minutes in silence, after a few minutes he finally spoke,

“I’m waiting for your answer.”

“What?” I replied.

“The question I asked you this morning, I’m waiting for your answer.” he said blankly.

“Oh, well I moved here with my some random ass people who like to help kids with family issues. I don’t have any family which was the issue.”

“What happened to your family? Why would they leave you?”

“Well they were killed, it was really scary but I’m okay now, didn’t really have a connection with them since my mom loved to travel with a new guy every month and my dad was a drunk. But I won’t tell you what happened it’s pretty gruesome and like I said, scary.”

“Tell me, I like gruesome.” He said with a slight smile that he was trying to hide.

“Uhm okay.” I said awkwardly, “So I was asleep in my room and there was a super bad storm outside, and I hear scratches on my wind but I didn’t think anything of it, I just thought it was a tree or something because it was really windy. A few minutes later I wake up and move the blinds from my window to see scratches that read, “I let you live this time.” I froze for a second but I unwillingly screamed at the same time, I ran downstairs, I heard a tap on the window in the hallway near the staircase, I turn to see this guy standing there, he was wearing a really bloody mask and had the biggest knife I have ever seen. I quickly ran to my parents room, the door in their room that leads to the back yard is wide open and my parents are lying in bed, stabbed to death. I screamed and ran as fast as I could up to my room, I grabbed my phone and dialed 9ll, “I’m sorry this number has been disconnected.” I though, “How is this happening? How in the hell can 911 be disconnected?” So I called Adrian, “I’m sorry this number has been disabled.” I called everyone in my contacts, each time hearing the same phrase. “What is going on?” I thought to myself. I turned around and saw the guy standing in the doorway of my bathroom. But at the same time I hear the front door burst open, before I could move the police were coming up the stairs and banging on the door.”

He just sat there, looking at me, but not really looking at me. A few minutes pass and we just sit there, then the bell rings, lunch is over. I stood up and grabbed my bag, then he finally says, “Who’s Adrian?” I just stand there looking at him, out of all the things he could have asked, after everything I just told him, THAT’S what he says? I sit back down, ready to tell him my life story and to skip third period. I told him about how I loved Adrian since I was a little kid but he never notice, I told him about the abuse in my family, I told him about how I cried because I was scared for my life instead of crying for my parents lives being taken. Something about him made me want to tell him everything, I couldn’t control what I was saying. After what felt like forever talking about me I asked him share something about himself. He said instead he would tell me a “vision” that he has everyday, he said it would make more sense then telling me about real life. It didn’t. Here’s what he said: “I’m working at this army base in my backyard, that looks like a desert. My job was to work on with computers and take care of the lawn. My Lieutenant orders me to go out and water the grass, and to patrol the base because they suspect something is going to happen. So this other guy and I go out in our uniforms and water the grass, when suddenly I see an explosion and some of the buildings collapse, I think “What’s going on?” Then fireballs start coming towards us and land in the lawn, we try and put them out with our water hose. He says “We gotta get out of here!” He’s a sucker we’re here for the action, “No we have to put them put or they’re going to burn down the house base” I explain but he leaves anyway, when suddenly the four horsemen appear, but only the horsemen of death is riding towards me, I throw the hose and I ran inside but I forget to close the door and he comes inside, I found a blanket and hide on my couch with my blanket over me. I hear the footsteps of the horsemen of death then a shriek from his sword.” I wonder if he expects me to believe this or know what he’s talking about. Before I could say anything he stands up and says, “Meet me at that ugly brown barn on Maple Road tonight at nine, I want to hear more stories.” He walks away, it occurred to me that he didn’t even ask me what my name was.
I get to the barn at nine thirty, Erin’s already there sitting in the grass. I sit next to him, I was determined to get him to tell me more about him. So I started some small talk, “How was your first day at Northwood High?” I clearly remember everything when he replied back to me, he was intently staring at the dead grass, there was an ant on his shoe and his hair was messed up by the wind, “I kept having this daydream, I arrive at school, and walk into Mr. Minks classroom with a knife, I was showing the class my knife like I just won an award, I run towards Mr. Mink, ready to end his life.” I worried about my safety for a split second and thought about that rumor, maybe he was dangerous, or maybe he’s just some emo kid. “Anyways!” I nearly yell, “I want to know more about you, you’re so mysterious.”

“That’s okay.” He says, “tell me about your parents.”

“Well I don’t really have too many memories with my mom since she was never home, but with my dad, oh my god, I have so many and they’re all bad.” I confess.

“Then just tell me about your dad, I don’t have parents I want to what it’s like.”

“Okay well I told you how dad was a drunk, and he did not care about me at all. I have this one memory of when he drugged me.” Erin showed no emotion, all I was thinking was “What’s wrong with this kid?”, “So when I was about seven my dad took me to this abandoned high school, we were going to go to this party, but it was weird because I don’t understand why the hell we would be going to a party in an ABANDONED building. Anyway when we go there, it had this really nice food spread, it all smelled really but all the food was enchanted. (I was drugged remember this, the food was just laced not enchanted). My dad didn’t realize this and he started going crazy and was like “ahh I need more food” and started eating all the food. Everyone at the party was like “What’s wrong with your dad?” and I stuttered, “I- I don’t Know” I then went to the balcony, where I then watched him from up top, when water was coming through the walls, starting three floors up, I immediately thought “I need to get out of here” but I couldn't because the water was so powerful, then this man started to chase me, he looked exactly like Gollum, I think it was a guy my dad was in debt with. Anyway I was trying to get to the auditorium because it had really tall bleachers, when I see this other man on a dragon coming for me. But my dad comes out of nowhere, picks me up and runs to the car. The last thing I remember is being on the backseat floor and hearing  =my dad apologize over and over again because he (once again) messed up. I’m okay though I think it might have been shrooms that he gave me.” For some reason Erin looked really hurt, “I’m sorry. Parents shouldn’t do anything like that to you, I wouldn’t know because I don’t have parents, I never have but I know that’s not how you treat people.”
“HE WAS MADE IN A LAB” I thought, but all I said was, “I’m sorry to hear that Erin, everyone deserves to have a parent” I put my right hand on his shoulder, he leans in and kisses me. I admit it was nice but I didn’t like him and he showed no emotion, how am I supposed to know what he’s ever thinking? I stood up and brushed off my jeans and tell him I’ll see him tomorrow at school.
The next morning I decided not to go to school, but soon enough Erin was at my window throwing rocks. I let him inside the front door and walk upstairs, the strangers already left for work. When we get to my room he leans in and kisses me, I just stand there. I didn’t know what to do, I stayed up all night thinking about why the hell he kissed me.
Erin told me to sit down because he had something important to say. He tried to jog my memory, “Remember that time that man was in your house with all your friends and chases you?” I had no idea what he was talking about but then I remembered, I was eight, I was having a slumber party with about nine friends over, it was super wild. We were, playing hide and seek, running all around my house, but then there was a knock on my window, I walked over and look to see a man, who didn’t have any skin, just muscles, who was holding a paper that read, “I’m gonna get you.” The next thing I know we are running around my house looking for places to hide that will save our lives. We heard “Ready or not here I come” and some of my friends and I were in my mom’s closet and I peered out the crack to see the man walk into the room, luckily he doesn’t see us. This muscle man was running around the house trying to find us, and we kept hiding and hiding and hiding. But all my friends left me and I was alone hiding in my pantry, he comes into the kitchen, turns, looks right at me and smiles. But he ended up just running out the house. Erin looks at me and says, “Ken that was me, I’m so sorry.” The only thing I could think of to say was, “How do you know my name? I never told you it.”
I don’t know if it was the same day or the same week, but I woke up and I was trapped in this house bunch with a bunch of people in there, including my family. I was trying to get out, franticly running around the house. I found a window with a screen on it, I rip off the screen with all my strength, I climb up to the top and jump off and ran away. But then I tripped and all I can see if Erin but he looked just the same as when he didn’t have any skin.