Chapter 5

Something Wicked this way comes.

Halfway back to the house we stood still, staying quiet, not knowing what to say. I could feel a presence on me again like I was being watched. Stopping to look around, I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. "Are you okay?" Bastian says as he turns around facing back to me. "I don't know. It's like, it's like I can feel someone or something watching me. Looking around I don't see anything though. It's driving me up the wall. I can feel the hairs on my body stick up kind of like static electricity in the air." I frown. "Come on. I will protect you if necessary. I don't see or feel anything around. Maybe you're just tired?" Bastian asks as he waves his hand in a direction letting me know to follow close. I walk up to his side while Bastian lifts up his right arm to put it around my shoulder. I tensed for a brief moment before relaxing my shoulders. Luckily Bastian couldn't see my face or he would be able to see the light flush of embarrassment on it.

I start to feel my body become warm as my heart starts races from the embrace. Why do I feel like this with Bastian? I have never felt like before, it's like I'm drawn to him, like I can't be away from him, like I can't get enough of him around me at all times. As I continue to get lost in my thoughts, we both stop abruptly hearing something in the distance. "What the hell was that?" I said, tensing up. "I don't know but I think it's probably just a wild animal or something. No need to be alarmed." Bastian stops talking as we both hear the same noise again.

"HAHAHAHA. I finally found you." A booming voice says in the distance. We both freeze up not knowing what to do, not making a sound. We looked in the same direction and I could see the same red eyes I saw earlier. "It's there!" I point while my voice pitch becomes higher in fear. "I don't see anything Mathias. Are you sure there's something out there?" Bastian says then looks at me in a confusing manner. "Yes, I'm positive, didn't you hear something speak and then the red eyes?" "No, I don't see or hear anything. The only reason I stopped is because I heard the same shuffle noise as before." I could feel my body pail at the statement in fear and confusion. "Shit! Am I going insane? What do I say now? He's going to think I'm some crazy person and push me away. I can't have that, I don't want that, I don't want to be alone again. What do I do! "Mathias?" Bastian says while putting his other hand on me while looking at my face. My face was completely pale, eyes dilated so wide that you couldn't see the color in them anymore. Bastian starts to panic when he gets no reaction from me. "Hey! Mathias, what's going on? You're scaring me!" Bastian says with a raised voice. He tried to shake me out of this frozen state, but I couldn't snap out of it. I just stared blankly in the distance, no color, no sound, and no movement.

Everything starts to dim to complete darkness around me as Bastian's voice fades away. I could hear footsteps echoing around me. The volume of the steps stays the same. I'm frozen in fear. I try to speak but my mouth won't move but could hear my thoughts echoing around me in the dark space. "What's going on?" The footsteps stop and everything becomes quiet. Red glowing eyes in the distance appear, swaying back and forth like a smear, like the light from sparklers moving back and forth in the night. I trace them with my own eyes. They become bigger, then stop, just looking at me and not blinking.

"Hello me, it's me again." The voice says. "What are you talking about?" I asked in confusion, mouth still not moving but my thoughts projecting outward in the darkness. "Just like I said before. We are one in the same don't you see?" I don't give a response to the voice in fear, "Cat got your tongue?" The voice laughs like he made a funny joke. "Oh man, you would laugh too if you knew only how true that was, but I digress. You have to remember who you are, Mathias. You are not as weak as you think and feel you are. Everything will come to fruition in due time, in due time. Just don't forget!" The voice stops, glowing red eyes disappear, the darkness becomes light again like nothing happened. I blink in confusion and finally hear Bastian's voice as I come out of it.

"Mathias! Hey, hey, are you okay?" I blink at him before responding. "I don't know what happened." I said in a whispered voice. "Come on we need to get back to my place, I don't know what goings on but maybe my dad knows something." Bastian pulls me along with one arm to get me moving. As I lifted my leg up to take a step my knees gave out and I fell to my hands and feet on the pavement. "Hey! I got you. It's going to be okay." Bastian says in a soothing voice while helping me back up on my feet. "We're almost there, not too long now." We both continued walking in silence while Bastian held me close to him. Not long after, we reach the door of Bastian's place. He opens the door for both of us and locks it behind us.

I collapsed on the ground once again. "Dad! I need help quickly!" Bastian yells for help as I'm on my hands and knees breathing hard. Hearing footsteps running towards us Mark comes into view with a worried expression. "What's going on!", "I don't know, he just collapsed almost as we got here. Before he was just staring at nothing, he eyes seemed empty and he wouldn't respond saying he saw something." Mark kneels down and puts his hands on my face, lifting my head up to look at him. "Hey, everything is okay, it's going to be alright. You're safe, just relax." Mark says while trying to soothe me from this frantic fever. I look at him in his eyes. "I don't know how to explain it, I can hardly breath.", "Mathias, it's okay you don't need to explain anything right now just calm down." "I .." I stopped and started to feel my body shake.

"Bastian get me some ice please I need to get his fever down. I have an idea what's going on with him." Bastian just nods to his father while rushing into the kitchen to find some ice or an ice pack. Mark pulls me into his arms and picks me up from under my legs holding me close to him. I don't say anything or respond, only continuing to shake. Mark brought me into the living room, sat himself down on the couch and held me on my back, laying down on Mark's lap. Bastian hurries into the living room to give his father the ice pack with a washcloth wrapped around it to keep it from sticking to his skin. Mark takes the ice pack and holds it on my forehead lightly.

I look up at the ceiling and then at Mark. I try to speak but nothing comes out of my mouth. I then close it and try to relax from the cool sensation of the ice pack on my head. I'm scared, I have no idea what to do and why can't I speak? I don't know how much longer I can even stay awake. I feel so tired. My eyes start to close in exhaustion. Bastian kneels next to us by the couch worried. "Is he going to be, okay?", "Yes. Everything is going to be okay. We just need to let him relax. I bet his body is exhausted from everything." Bastian opens his mouth to ask why but his father shakes his head, and he closes it. Mark mouths the words "Later". After a couple of minutes, I stop shaking and drift off to sleep.

*****

I could hear noise around me but couldn't exactly place it. Opening my eyes all I could see was darkness. It felt like I was floating in water. I tried to move around but couldn't move a limb. It feels like someone sitting on my chest or my entire body. All I could do was look around in the darkness. I could start to feel myself panic but something warmed my body. The noise comes back from the distance. It became louder until I noticed what it was. I could see eyes looking at me again, staring at me but this time I didn't feel fear. The eyes were much lower than before. "Who are you?" I said to it. He only response with whimpering noises and then it started howling. Is that, no it couldn't be. It's a wolf, wait!

I felt my muscles tighten then realization flooded through my mind as I relaxed. "Are you inside of me?" The eyes move up and down as if it's nodding to me. The next moment it was gone, I could see color swirling around me and then speeding past me as if I was floating through a sea of stars. It all became a blur as it started to change into nothingness. I could hear my heart beating at a slow pace but realized it wasn't my heart. I couldn't figure anything out and was so confused. As the beating noise became louder and louder, I started to feel myself fall. I still couldn't move a limb as I fell further and further into the darkness. I tried to scream but nothing came out. I felt myself hit something hard and felt my eyes close as my consciousness faded away.

*****

My eyes open and I set up at a speed pace then realizing where I was. Still as Bastian's house laying on the couch. Looking around I don't see anyone around. I open my mouth to ask if anyone was here, I stopped at hearing noises in the distance. Closing my eyes, I try and listen. I hear it again but this time it sounds like voice arguing and then I heard a bang like something hitting the wall. My eyes shoot open, and I look around frantically in fear feeling like something is wrong.

I lift my legs off of the couch and stand up. I get a little dizzy while trying to collect my thoughts while I stand there in the living room. I walk towards the kitchen slowly in a daze trying to figure out where the noise is coming from. "No!" I heard a voice cry out. Bastian?! My mind races as I scurry towards Bastian's room. Coming to a halt down the stares I see his room cracked open. I walk up to it slowly then peak through the crack. But what I see is something I would have never been able to prepare myself for.

I see Bastian's father Mark on his knees, his back facing me shaking. I don't say anything as I'm confused as what's going on. Is Mark crying. Maybe I should go and call out to him to ask where Bastian is? As I'm about to open the door to his room I freeze. Mark start to slowly get up on his feet grunting. He walks towards the computer desk pulling out a pen. But I see someone laying on the ground not moving until I realize it's Bastian on his back not moving. I open my mouth to speak but nothing comes out, so I close it. I open my mouth once more but all that comes out is a squeak from my throat instead of words. My eyes shift to the left where Mark is writing something down, but he stops at my pitiful squeak. I hold my throat trying to feel why nothing else will come out of my mouth. Still standing there, Marks back clenches and he turns his head slowly looking behind his back and me.

I see his face and start to slowly back up until a low growl comes out of Marks mouth. But his eyes are anything but normal. They're bright green, glowing with anger. He is snarling at me with his teeth out but realize they're not normal teeth but sharp fangs, his mouth is protruding out, extended out like an animal. I low musky laugh comes from Marks mouth, his eyes crinkling around the edges. I can hear him breathing deep, fast, and out of control. In the desk next to the paper, he was writing something on I notice a rope, but it's in a knot like a nose. My mind comes to realization of what he is doing. What is he doing … My thoughts stop as I look at Bastian's body still laying there not moving. I notice he isn't breathing, and I know deep down Bastian is dead. "Shit" I squeak out in a low whisper. I'm still frozen, can't move in fear. I need to get out of here now! I hear a voice in the back of my head yell "RUN!" That's all it takes for my body to move from my spot.

In the next instance my feet move from under me. I don't feel in control of my body, but I go with it. Running up the stares and towards the front door. I grab the handle, yank the door open in a rush and run. I run for my life not knowing where to go, what to do in fear of my life. I don't look back, I just run wherever my feet lead me. I think I hear movement behind me. I don't care, I still don't look behind me and just keep running faster than I have ever ran before.