The sorrow we know - Chapter 1
The living nightmare
SUMMARY
Nicholas is a bullied high school student that is kept restless by a monster haunting his dreams. He finally gets a break when his bullies disappears in a series of missing children. Things get complicated when his best friend, Kiri, decides to investigate as the monster instills itself ever closer to them.
Nicholas brushes his teeth while looking at his black eye. He spits in the sink and analyses his face, wondering why his third year of high school started like this. Is it his big nose? His giant brows? His crooked teeth? Or is he just that ugly? He shudders at the fact that the human brain makes you look more attractive than you really are. He then shuts off the bathroom lights as he exits the room.
He plugs his phone into a charger before it lights up the dark bedroom, showing notifications of cruel messages geared to hating him and his life. He clears them all and activates his morning alarm clock; can't be late for his nightmare called school. If it weren't for his best friend Kiri, he wouldn't know if he would still be walking on this earth. Nicholas sometimes wishes he could live with her, nothing bad ever happens when she's around. There really is no one sweeter than Kiri. Nicholas sends one last message to his friend before closing his phone and slopes into his bed while trying to empty his head for a good, temporary sleep. He's so tired of everything: Tired of death threats, tired of teachers doing nothing, tired of Jason bullying him, tired of...
Nicholas's train of thought stops as a shadowy figure stands in the corner of the darkroom. The darker-than-black silhouette is shaking in place as if it were having a seizure. Nicholas's breathing shudders while the figure's upper body starts to bow up and down like the antenna of an insect. He then realizes he can't move; This pressure paralyzes him as if the air itself dropped on him, holding him down. He looks at this being, unable to even blink while hyper-ventilating. As the creature takes a step, it lets out multiple shrilled hootings. At every breath, incomprehensible sounds slip out of Nicholas, mute of all speech. The silhouette expands into this incomprehensible form of a multitude of limbs and heads that are not heads. It jumps onto the bed with a loud hoot, sensually climbing Nicholas's leg. He can feel this cold viscose member like a tongue suctioning his leg. He cries out this one-note voice expressing his anguish. The being's hoot turns into a shriek before it snakes itself around, disappearing under the bed. Nicholas's heart continues to fight his rib cage, keeping the silence at bay with his breathing.
Suddenly the room is brighter. Nicholas sits up, just noticing now the morning light through his window as if there was a time skip. It was dark just a second ago, did he fall asleep? He only remembers the awful, cold... thing. Nicholas rubs both of his legs. He notices the one that was touched by the being felt smoother than the other leg. It could also just be his mind giving that impression. This isn't the first time Nicholas deals with this recurring night terror, but feeling its cold touch is a first. He places himself on the edge of his bed and looks under it. A shiver passes through his body as he sees only darkness. He unplugs his phone for a flashlight but the feeling of that shiver still lingers around his skin, too scared to look back. He flips his phone upside down and takes a photo, flashing under his bed. As his hands shake, he looks at the photo he took that only shows dust and hair. Nicholas takes a breather before dressing up for school and starting his morning routine.
After his preparations, Nicholas joins his parents in the kitchen with his backpack in hand. His mother is on her cell phone for work, not noticing Nicholas's presence as always. He lays the bag beside the kitchen table. He then makes himself a bowl of cereal and sits down at the table with it. Sitting across from him, his mother's boyfriend reads the news on his phone.
- Nicholas, I euh... I don't want to put you on the spot here.
- What?
- It's just... If you're going to... "play", you should put headphones or something.
- What are you on about?
- Just forget it, never mind.
Nicholas shakes his head in confusion while the boyfriend continues to check his phone, caressing his chin as if he found something interesting.
- What are you even saying?
- We heard moaning the other night Nicholas, just keep it quiet, okay?
- I wasn't doing anything!
- Watch it! All I'm asking is to keep it quiet, your mother needs to work and you bothered us all night.
Nicholas wanted to flip him off, but the last thing he needs is to get grounded over a finger. He hates him and his dumbness. To think this is the guy who is supposed to be "better" than his dad, ludicrous. Nicholas only answers with a heavy sigh before getting up and leaving his bowl behind.
He takes his schoolbag and hears the boyfriend yell something before Nicholas slams the door behind him. He walks up to the corner of his street and looks at the different colored houses in his suburban neighborhood. Nicholas wouldn't dare go further without Kiri. There's no need to take his chances with Jason again. The place wasn't rich, but it wasn't dilapidated either, it was just very colorful in this lively spring.
After a couple of minutes, he sees a car on the other side of the road with both of Kiri's parents inside. Kiri comes out the back in an oversized hoodie and is about to leave before her mother steps out. The mother tightly hugs her daughter before letting her run to Nicholas. The mother exclaims at Kiri.
- Kiri! Look both sides of the road! Do-
- Yes, yes, I just forgot! Sorry mom.
There was something special about Kiri's carefree smile; it could disarm any situation. The mother puts a hand on her heart before answering with a sigh.
- Have a nice day sweety, you to Nicholas.
Nicholas waves goodbye before walking with Kiri on the way to school.
- Nick, you wouldn't believe what my dad did this morning, I was going to be late, and he unplugged my PlayStation mid-game! He didn't even let me save! I'll have to redo the whole Gardara section.
- Hohoho! That sucks.
- Yeah! And...
It's more than wanting to live with his best friend, Nicholas wants her life. She has parents who care about her and her biggest worry is her new video game. There's this quiet jealousy that simmers under his conscious mind, but his love for Kiri outweighs these thoughts.
*
In class, Kiri and Nicholas sit down beside each other at the chipped desks next to the usual window at the back of the class. Even before they have time to take their books out, other students gather around Kiri. She welcomes them with open arms while having animated conversations. Nicholas is unable to follow these conversations but smiles when there's something supposedly funny. Not that it matters; he's invisible to those students as if he was Kiri's annoying shadow. At least when he's with her, nobody bothers him.
As the course is about to start, the class is filling in, but the teacher is still not present.
After a couple of minutes, the bell rings, and the seats are all filled except a couple of them. Nicholas already knows the rumors about David's disappearance, not a big a lost, but now Jason is missing as well. Soon after, the teacher arrives and begins with a message to the class.
- Everyone, euh... It has happened again in our class. The police have informed the school that Jason is missing... If you have any information, please inform local law enforcement, it would help enormously... This is the fifth student to...
Nicholas sees a police officer standing in front of the class entrance, taking notes as the teacher explains the situation. The bully and his henchman are now missing. Coincidence? Nicholas doesn't care. His life just got a whole lot better now with them gone. Maybe now he'll be able to breathe again; without Jason's influence, maybe people will accept him, and maybe he can finally be someone. He then notices Kiri tremoring beside him. Nicholas puts a hand on her shoulder, but Kiri gets up asking for the bathroom, and leaves distraught. He doesn't get why people care so much about these two idiots. Well, Kiri has always been too kind for her own good. Sadly, she never came back to class.
*
Later in the afternoon, Nicholas is inside a stall in the men's restroom. He tends to ask for the toilet five to ten minutes before class ends to make sure he is left alone. He looks at his phone, waiting for Kiri's response. Nicholas has been texting her all day with no answer. Only the sound of the neon lights can be heard until suddenly, a group enters the restroom in screams and laughter. Nicholas curses to himself. One of the classes must've ended sooner. His leg jumps up and down, hoping he doesn't get noticed. The students are too invested in their theories and jokes to be aware of their surroundings.
- Dude! That party was crazy! Jason-
- Jason! Bro, bro! Do you guys get what this means?! We could be the last people to have seen Jason!
- Nah, we're not, Kiri is.
- What?
- I saw them together.
- Yes! I saw them as well!
- That girl was wild! She lit that party high bro!
- I heard she went in a "room" with Jason and they were all over each other.
- It's possible, Cedric made all the drinking games happen.
- Alexander also said-
- Alexander?! Don't listen to that guy, he's always full of crap-
- But...
While the group continues to bicker, Nicholas is confused, completely gobsmacked. They were talking about Kiri, his Kiri being a wild party girl? Impossible. Kiri hanging out with Jason? Inconceivable! A person like him and her can't, they just can't. She knows how bad he is. She especially knows how terrible Jason has been to Nicholas. There's no way she would betray him like that.
Someone enters the bathroom and informs the group of a fight happening on the second floor. They all run out of the restroom. Shortly after, Nicholas walks out and washes his hands, pondering about Kiri. He then looks back at his conversation with Kiri on his phone, only seeing his bubbles of questions fill the screen. What if Kiri was taken like the other students? No, she can't, Nicholas needs her. Just the thought of Kiri disappearing from his life turns his stomach upside-down.
Suddenly, he hears a haunting hoot behind him. He looks in the mirror and sees his stall that he just came out of closed. He puts his phone in his pocket, before closing his hands into fists. He turns towards the hooting, his body rigid and reluctant to move. He then sees a shadow under the closed stall. Suddenly banging on the other side of the stall makes him jump backward, holding himself against the sink. The shadow falls on the ground and spreads across the whole room filling the floor, walls, and ceiling with this cold shadowy skin. Nicholas turns to run but stops in his movements, seeing no exit, only darkness. A group of dark silhouettes grows around him. He turns on his every side but has nowhere to run. The shadows that keep multiplying are starting to get bigger as they walk toward Nicholas, hooting at him in a creepy stutter. Suddenly, they all stop and stare. They then hiss at him as if they were mocking him. The hissing painfully vibrates inside of Nicholas's being as he drops on the cold dark ground in anguish. All the silhouettes fall onto Nicholas, morphing with each other as they warp themselves around him. It isn't a nightmare; the monster is real; how can this be real? Unable to move in this blinding darkness, Nicholas screams into the black void. He sniffles, before tearing up, realizing this is what happened to the other students. To Kiri. He is all alone now, she's gone.
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Copyright© - Jessie William Foster, 2024