The Dog Days of Summer

“There is love in me the likes of which you've never seen. There is rage in me the likes of which should never escape. If I am not satisfied in the one, I will indulge the other.”

― Mary Shelley, Frankenstein

1

Katie and Jason rolled their bikes through the thick forest. Their shoes crunched over the fallen pine needles, and the sweltering August heat slipped through the tree branches like boiling water. Cicadas sang their dying songs in the fading daylight. “I don’t think I can handle this for much longer,” Jason gasped. His T-shirt clung to his skinny torso. “It’s too hot in here.”

“Just a few more minutes–” Katie said. But the words faded when she spotted the treasure on the nearby tree trunk. “There it is. The last one,” she said breathlessly.

“Thank God,” Jason said.

They dropped their bikes near the tree and marveled at the tiny object on its branch. The cicada skeleton was a masterpiece–more beautiful than Katie could have imagined. She lifted it gingerly from the bark and held it up like a piece of amber. Long rays of afternoon sunlight filtered through the cicada’s opaque skin.

Jason watched over her shoulder with wide eyes. “It’s beautiful,” he whispered.

The exoskeleton’s skin was a translucent brown–the same muddy color as Katie’s hair and eyes. Its milky eyes bugged from the small head. The legs curled up on themselves like a child snuggling into its mother’s arms. Katie smiled and turned the skeleton to look at it head-on. The massive eyes stare at he, seeming to accuse her, as though she were somehow responsible for its untimely molting.

Jason shifted impatiently on the uneven forest floor.

“Do you think it will work now?”

Excitement fluttered in Katie’s chest. “I sure hope so.”

The trees whispered around them as a merciful breeze moved through their branches. Buttery slices of sunlight melted between the trees and spread across their bare arms. The woods brimmed with life and light. Katie was hopeful for the first time in a year.

“Beautiful thing,” she whispered. “You’ll look perfect with the rest of them.”

She opened the purple fanny pack around her waist and pulled out a small box. Flipping the lid with her thumb, she carefully placed the exoskeleton inside. She and Jason looked at it, hoping to see what they had seen so far with the others. But the exoskeleton was motionless on the red felt. Katie watched it so intensely that her head began to throb. After several minutes, her stomach grumbled. She frowned and looked at her watch—7:30 p.m.

“This one might be a dud.”

Then, as she started to close the lid, she saw the legs twitch.

“Did you see that?” she asked, her wide brown eyes locking on Jason’s blue ones. His mouth fell open, the faint evidence of a permanent retainer twinkling behind his bottom teeth.

“Holy shit.” 

She closed the lid and pressed the box against her chest. “Thank you,” she whispered.

She put the box in her fanny pack, and they mounted their bikes and headed home.

“Why do you like collecting those disgusting things?”

Katie frowned at her tomato soup. Alice rolled her green eyes at her little sister from across the table. “Where do you keep them, by the way? You must have, what, a million by now?” Katie looked up in time to see Alice shudder. Alice’s blond hair caught the dining room light and shimmered like bright, irritating sunlight. “And that Jason kid freaks me out,” she continued, her pink-tipped fingers wrapped around her sweating glass of lemonade. Katie fought to reach across the table and slap the glass out of her grip.

Golden-haired Alice. The perfect girl with the perfect life. 

Katie hated her sister. But it hadn’t always been like this.

When Katie was a newborn, Alice would stay up hours past bedtime, waiting for her crepuscular baby sister to wail. At the first cry, she’d bound out of bed before their mother and rush into her sister’s room to comfort her. Over time, the girls became inseparable. Katie, until a few years ago, worshipped Alice.

But high school had changed Alice from a devoted playmate to an intolerant snob. Alice was now the most popular girl in her sophomore class. Not only was Alice popular, but she also had a boyfriend. This fact makes Katie flare with jealousy. Katie had a boyfriend once. He was the only person she’d ever let close to her–the only person who ever understood her. 

Tears sting her eyes.

“Those bugs even smell weird,” Alice continued. She tucked a thick strand of hair behind her ear. Her silver starfish earring caught the overhead light and reflected a rude visage in Katie’s face.

“And they feel—”

Katie cut her off. “Why do you care?” she demanded, dropping her spoon loudly into her soup bowl. Their mother sucked in a breath across the table. “Girls, please,” she said in a tired voice. She rubbed her temples in slow circles. “I can’t handle your bickering tonight.” 

Alice stared daggers at Katie. “Sorry, Mom,” she said, her voice dripping with insincerity. “I just wanted to learn more about Katie’s hobby. That’s all.”

Katie saw red. Instead of screaming, she grinned at her sister. 

“I hope you die,” Katie said through bared teeth. “I hope you get buried underground and never see the sun again.” Shock hit Alice like a slap in the face. 

Their mother slammed her hand down on the table. The salt and pepper shakers quaked. 

“ENOUGH,” her mother roared. Alice jumped in her chair. Her green eyes were two wet emeralds on her face. Katie’s hate intensified, but she didn’t break her gaze.

And she didn’t stop grinning.

Alice cornered Katie in the hallway after dinner. 

“What is going on with you?” Alice demanded. Katie’s horrible words rang in her head. They had fought plenty of times before. But Katie hadn’t ever said something as sick as that. 

Katie stared straight ahead. Alice sighed. “I’m serious. What is happening with you? You haven’t been the same since—” 

“I’m fine,” Katie snapped. “You don’t have to worry about me because I’ve finally figured it out.” She shoved Alice aside and headed to her room. “What does that mean?” Alice called. Katie stopped and turned with that leering smile on her face. All the hairs on Alice’s arms stood straight up.

“They are going to show me how to do it,” she said. “They live for seventeen years underground and emerge stronger than ever. They can bring themselves back. I’m going to have them help me do the same.” 

Before Alice could speak, Katie darted into her room and slammed the door behind her.

Alice tossed and turned in bed for hours. Finally, she shoved aside the covers and grabbed her phone from the nightstand. It was only 3:05 a.m. Groaning, she dropped the phone and pressed both hands against her face. She knew the last year had been hell on her sister. But, she had no idea the extent of the damage. Alice was sure it had something to do with those gross exoskeletons. 

She took a deep breath and settled back into her pillow. She would follow her sister into the woods tomorrow to find out what she was doing. But fear gnawed at her ribs. Katie had become a different person. Did she even want to know what Katie was up to? 

Whimpering, she pulled the covers over her head. 

2

The morning was bright and cloudless–a perfect day for hiking. Katie watched from her window as her mother left for work in her Honda CRV. When the driveway was empty, Katie let the curtain fall back across the pane. 

Her phone vibrated from the bedside table. Her eyes flicked down to the teal tabletop. 

Jason. Today? 

Adrenaline surged through her as she typed. Today.

She listened for footsteps in the hallway. Alice hadn’t yet emerged from her room, but Katie didn’t have much time to slip out unnoticed. She threw her clothes on and grabbed the book bag she’d packed the night before. Holding her breath, she stepped down the hardwood stairs, being sure to not make any noise. As Katie snuck toward the back door, Alice followed closely behind—with a single question burning in her mind. What are you hiding, Katie?

She followed her sister out the back door and into the woods.

After a twenty-minute walk, Katie stopped near two thick doors on the forest floor. She lifted one door with a grunt. The leaves fell down the ancient surface like golden spiders. Grimacing, she lifted the other and let it hit the dirt with an unceremonious thud. A rotting smell rushed past her like a screaming escapee. Katie wrinkled her nose and unzipped her book bag, producing nose plugs and a small flashlight. After securing the plug on her nose, she turned on the flashlight. Light poured into the cavernous, abandoned basement.

Her heart thudded. Although she had been down these eldritch steps many times before, the journey never failed to excite her. Would it be different this time around?

On the tips of her toes, she stepped into the basement’s mouth and disappeared down the steps. 

Alice watched her sister from behind a wide oak tree. Her mouth fell open as her sister disappeared into the familiar basement. They’d found the abandoned cellar together years ago. But after one look into its oleaginous, eerie guts, Alice vowed never to return. And here Katie was, going down by herself. 

“What the fuck,” she whispered as she tapped the box cutter in her pocket. Sweat popped on her forehead and dampened her shirt. Now or never. 

She peeled away from the wide oak and walked to the open doors. 

The smell wafting from the basement was overpowering. Alice pressed a hand against her mouth and gagged. Breathing out her mouth, she stepped down the dusty concrete steps. An odd, low buzzing sound vibrated through the darkness. When her feet hit the landing, a cobweb wrapped itself around her face in a soft embrace. She stifled a scream and tore it from her damp face. Once her breathing was under control, she reached into the book bag’s side pocket and pulled out a red flashlight. Light filled the narrow hallway, and the buzzing sound intensified. 

“Katie?”