Toxic Friends

Xavier Butler ‘23

Kevin and Demetrius’s last night together began the same as many nights before. They weaved together through the forest with Demetrius in front leading them through the thicket of trees as he had done many times before. Kevin followed behind him. Even though he knew the way to their destination, he preferred to stay in the back. It was safer that way. Kevin knew what dangers lurked in the woods at this time of night. It was safer to let someone else lead. This is how their relationship has always been since they first met in elementary school. Demetrius took charge while Kevin followed. For Kevin, it was easier to allow Demetrius to make the decisions than bear the weight of making his own. They participated in all the same clubs and extracurriculars and they even went to the same college and lived together all four years, but now Demetrius is going somewhere Kevin can’t follow. Demetrius was offered a job in Alaska, a place miles away from their home in Massachusetts leaving Kevin at home spinning his wheels since he still doesn’t know what to do with his life. Tonight would be their last night together for a while so they decided to go back to where it all began on the banks of the Charles River. They found this spot as children exploring the woods together. The woods were always teeming with life and they loved playing in the river. They used to watch the river herring run in the spring. They also loved to go swimming in the Charles even though they weren’t supposed to. These experiences helped forge the unbreakable bond they have today, but as they approached the river Kevin noticed something was off. The ground around the river was still wet with dew from the rain earlier that day. The forest was alive with not just the sounds of wildlife, but there was also an ambient unnatural sizzling sound. The most surprising thing of all was the state of Charles River. In all his life Kevin had never seen it like this. The water was acid-green in color and was bubbling. Kevin also realized the sizzling was coming from the water itself. Kevin knew that due to the town’s old plumbing, untreated waste was able to flow directly into the river during periods of heavy rain, but this was on another level. Despite these signs of danger, Demetrius was taking off his shoes and shirt preparing to swim. He called back to Kevin, “hey what are you waiting for slowpoke, we came here to swim.” “I don’t think it’s a good idea man the water looks wonky,” Kevin replied. “Suit yourself,” said Demetrius before Kevin had a chance to reply, he dove in. As his body touched the water the sizzling sound evolved into loud cracking and popping. Kevin watched as Demetrius’s skin bubbled and cracked and his smile morphed into an expression of pure agony. Kevin ran to the edge of the river to drag his friend out, but as he reached for his hand, the flesh of Demetrius’s arm fell off like the meat from a well-cooked turkey leg leaving Kevin holding nothing but the skin and tissue from his dear friend’s hand. This was far too much for Kevin and he passed out to the sounds of the river bubbling and Demetrius screaming. Kevin woke up as rain drizzled from the sky. The remains of his friend were nowhere to be seen in the river. He looked around and saw a trail of death and decay winding through the undergrowth. All the plants along the riverbed had died in a pattern that looked like footsteps. Unsure of what to do next Kevin followed the trail of steps. As he approached the end of the trail, he saw a vaguely human-looking shape huddled under a tree. As he got closer to the shape, the smell of garbage and sweet decay crept up his nose. It was almost enough to make him sick but he pressed on. What seemed like the shape of a man from far away turned out to be a foul-smelling sludge creature. When Kevin was directly in front of it, the creature spoke, “Kevin is that you?” Kevin’s heart dropped as he recognized the voice of his oldest friend Demetrius. “I should have listened to you,” Demetrius said to Kevin as his sludgy form was washed away by rain. Kevin left the forest that day as a new man determined to stop combined sewage overflow and to make sure all bodies of water are safe for human use. No longer a follower, Kevin lead himself out of the forest with a newfound purpose.