5 Chapter Five: Silhouettes

Chapter Five

Silhouettes

We all went to Borris' funeral. His coffin was never opened up because of his family's request. None of them wants to see what had happened to him.

Josh and Felix haven't been able to utter a word after they found him in his bathroom, dead. They were questioned by the police, but they only said that he was fine and had asked them that he was going to the loo. Nobody asked them to tell the whole story. The shock was enough for them to be traumatise.

I stood up from the chair I was sat at and I headed to the back door. Borris' dad was entertaining every people who came to their house to pay their respect and condolences. Borris' mum was upstairs and was sleeping. She needed it though. She was totally devastated about what had happened to her son.

I took a deep breath once I was outside. It felt like my lungs can properly function now that the air wasn't stiff. I sat under the shade of the tree and closed my eyes. I let myself put down my defences and let the wave of vulnerability hit me.

I may have not known Borris for long, but he was innocent. He didn't deserve what had happened to him. None of this would have happened if I didn't kicked that old camera. Tim wouldn't have retrieved it from the floor. Felix wouldn't have taken Borris a photograph. We-

I opened my eyes in an instant. I stood up and walked back to the Jacobs's house. I dodged all the people who were standing and talking to the person next to them. I found my dad talking to Mr Jacobs, Borris' dad, and I composed myself first before approaching them. Mr Jacobs noticed my presence and told my dad. Dad turned around to look at me.

"I was just going to take something in the car," I said. He didn't asked me what it was. He gave me the car keys and continued to talk to Mr Jacobs.

I headed out of the front door. Before I could even reached the door, someone held my arm to stop me from walking away. I looked to the person who owns the hand that held my arm firmly. Tim looked at me with pure concern in his eyes.

"Where are you going?" he asked. I held his gaze and said in a quiet voice, "Our photograph."

He didn't let me go and instead walked with me as I guided the both of us to my dad's car. Unlocking the doors, I opened the door to the passenger side and grabbed my bag. Taking the photographs out of it, I placed the bag back to the seat and I closed the door. I didn't say anything and I just searched for Borris' photo and our group photo.

"Look at this," I said, Tim moved closer to me to look at what I'm holding. Both of us eyed Borris' photo and the two silhouettes that we saw before were gone. Like it wasn't there.

"It's gone," I whispered.

I took our group photo from the pile of photographs to look at it. My insides were lurching like I'm about to puke. My heart hammered loudly in my chest and I bet Tim can hear it because of how close he's standing to me.

I didn't even moved nor have I gasped. All I felt is the sinking feeling in my chest accompanied by a strong sense of dread. Tim noticed the sudden change in me and asked what was wrong.

I turned to look at him and I swallowed thickly as a lump formed in my throat. I handed the photograph to him with shaking hands and he took it.

"The silhouettes. They're- They're in our photograph," I said, my voice came out weak as I felt like all the air in my lungs were suck out of me.

*

Tim told me to wait in the local park as he called for Wren and the others. He also told me that he will inform my dad that we'll be in the park to get some fresh air. I handed him the car keys to give it back to my dad before he walked away.

I sat in the park bench, the old camera settled in my lap along with our group photo and Borris'. I stared blankly as my mind keeps reeling in different scenarios. What was to happen to us now that it transferred to our photo? Why did it moved? Who are these two silhouettes? Why did it have to be us?

I buried my face in my hands as questions keeps on popping in my head. I don't even know what to do. We couldn't even do anything to stop what will happen to us. Heck, we don't even know what we're dealing with. None of us wants to tell someone that we went to the abandoned manor and happened to take a picture to an old camera that we found in there. For sure, none of our parents, especially Borris' parents, will be happy about our stupidity. One of us died mysteriously. Even though the police ruled it as an accident, we know that it isn't just a simple accident. Something followed us out of that manor and it has a connection with our photographs.

I removed my hands from my face when I heard footsteps approaching me. I turned to look at my right, and saw Tim and the our friends walked towards my direction. I wanted to stand up and face them, but my knees were too weak. If I stand, I would just fall down to the ground.

Tim sat down beside me as the rest of them stood in front of us. I took a deep breath as I closed my eyes for a moment. I felt Tim put his hands in the small of my back as he silently encouraged me to say what I needed to say. I met all of their eyes and I handed them the two photographs that lied in my lap. Wren and Marlene took it and gave me a confused look.

"What are we supposed to find here?" asked Wren, the confusion evident in her voice and in her face. I turned to look at Tim and he nodded grimly. I returned my eyes back to all of them as they wait for me to answer.

"The silhouettes in Borris' photo is gone," I said. All of them moved to look at the photograph Marlene was holding and I cleared my throat as I continued my sentence, "and it moved to ours."

All of their heads snapped up to look at me before it moved to look at the photograph at Wren's hand. Marlene let out a gasp and Wren's eyes went wide at what she saw. Tristan has this unreadable expression in his face while Josh and Felix were rooted in their spot. We were enveloped in a still silence until Felix burst in a humourless laugh. All of us looked at his way and he was just standing where he was, his head was looking upwards as he continue to laugh.

"D'you find our situation funny?" said Tristan, he looked angry at Felix's sudden action. None of us spoke. Felix sobered up and straighten his crumpled long sleeved shirt.

"Do you know what had happened before Borris turned up dead in his bathroom?" asked Felix, he ignored Tristan's question and he met all of our eyes. No one dared to answer his question but all of us were waiting for him to continue. Josh, on the other hand, lowered his head and clenched both of his hands tightly.

"He was scared about what would happened to him. He kept on thinking if he could survive for one more day just to tell his parents and his older brother how sorry he was for all the stupid things he did and to tell them how grateful he was for their love and patience that they gave to him," he laughed humourlessly as he lowered his head to stare at his shoes, "Josh and I told him that he will live and he will tell all those thoughts to his parents and brother himself. He kept on muttering, you know. About how he felt that something will happen to him. That he will die. He wrote a letter just in case and placed it underneath his pillows. What a stupid idiot. Because of that letter, the police said that maybe he committed suicide, but considering what he looked like when we saw him in there, in his bathroom, it wasn't a bloody suicide," Felix said furiously, his face red in frustration and anger.

"What. . . What does he look like when. . . you know. . . saw him?" asked Marlene a little hesitant. We watched the two boys standing in front of us. Waiting for them to acknowledge the question.

"He just said that he was going to the loo while Felix and I fixed the blankets that his mum gave to us," said Josh. He was looking down while still clenching his fists, "a minute gone by and then it became two and three. I told Felix that we should check up on him. It was unusual for Borris to take long in the loo since he always do his business rather too quickly," Josh heaved a deep sigh and lifted his head to meet our eyes.

"We knocked. Twice. No answer. I turned the knob expecting it to be locked, but it was open. Without thinking twice, I pushed the door opened and there he was. Lying on the bathroom floor, blood coming out of the side of his head. The side of the toilet had blood on it and we knew. We knew he bumped his head in the toilet, but d'you know what shocked us and left us terrified for what's to come?" Josh fiddled with one of the buttons in his coat while looking in either side of him. Afraid that something or someone might jump up and scare him to death. He returned his gaze to us and spoke in a quiet and terrified voice.

"His neck was twisted so that it was facing back. His eyes and mouth were open. He had," he gestured to his face with his hand, "this look in his eyes and face like he was terrified about what he last saw. He looks like he was about to scream for help but was unable to."

"Whatever 'thing' he saw, it wasn't human and it certainly is driven to kill all of us," said Felix.

"Be careful with what you say, Felix," said Tristan, his voice was firm as he warned the boy who spoke up. Felix turned to him looking very irritated.

"It's the truth, Tristan! We came in there and they followed us out. It might have been caused by that bloody camera Hannah's still holding on to," Felix exclaimed rather furious. Tim stepped up as he put a hand in front of me as if to shield me from Felix's words.

"Don't vent your anger to her," said Tim firmly. Felix snorted.

"You know, it was probably your fault. You and Hannah. If you haven't touched that bloody thing, nothing like this will happen!" Felix shouted, his face red from anger.

Wren stepped in between and threw her hands in the air. Her eyes darted back and forth to Tim and Felix who were having a silent conversation as their stare at each other angrily.

"This is what that 'thing' wanted. To drive us apart. Come on, you guys. We should set aside our anger and focused on how to find the answer to what is happening. We're not going to wait for someone, one of us, to die before we start taking our heads in our arses, are we?" None of them said anything to contradict Wren.

"Now, are you done arguing? Great, let's go and figure things out. Whatever thing that followed us out of that manor wants something. Let's find it out together," said Wren encouragingly. Tristan, Marlene, Tim, and I nodded in agreement. A little while later, Josh and Felix nodded too.

*

I stared blankly in the window as my mind wander far away from me. A voice in the back of my mind keeps on telling me to focus on my homework, but with the thought that something might happen to us in any moment, I can't concentrate in any of my pending homework.

A knock in my door pulled me out of my thoughts. Dad popped his head inside and he smiled gently at me. "Timothy's here," he said.

"Tell him to come up here," I said. Dad narrowed his eyes playfully and I let out a little laugh. "He's trustworthy, dad."

"It doesn't change the fact that he's still a boy," he argued. I rolled my eyes as I try to suppress a smile from breaking in my face. I failed.

"We're just going to talk about school stuff, is all," I said.

"That's what I told my parents when your mother went to my house before."

"Dad," I said exasperated and a bit embarrassed.

"Okay, okay. I'll tell him to come up," he said before walking away. I buried my face in my hands and felt how warm my cheeks were.

Moments later, I heard approaching footsteps and I moved my face away from my hands. Tim appeared in the doorway wearing his pyjamas while he was holding his coat. He didn't stepped inside my room as if waiting for some kind of permission first. I sighed quietly and gestured for him to come inside. He did, although a little hesitant, before closing the door behind him.

"Are there any improvements in your findings?" I asked. He sighed and shook his head.

"Wren said that she'll try searching in the Internet if there are no clear record in the library," said Tim, he sat on the edge of my bed and wandered his eyes through the entirety of my room.

I put down my pen and turned my chair around to face him. It's been over three days after Borris' funeral and our plan on finding out about the manor and, if we're lucky, the real owner of this camera.

"Have you found something interesting?" He asked after a moment's silence. I sighed and rubbed a hand to my tired face. "I only found some information regarding the family. Nothing more," I answered.

"If only we can set foot in the deepest part of the library," said Tim, he laughed hesitantly at his words. I stiffened in my seat. Of course.

I removed my hand from my face and stared at him. Tim looked at me, his confusion written in his face.

"What?"

"I think I can find a way for us to enter the archive section," I said, hope started to blossom in my chest. A phone ringing shattered the peace that resonated around the room. Tim gestured it's not his. I stood up and approached my bedside table where I placed my phone. I checked who it was before answering the call.

"Hello?"

"Han, we're too late!" Tristan exclaimed in the other end, his voice held fear and panic.

"What do you mean?" I asked even though I knew what caused him to feel that way. I knew it but I'm hoping that I might be wrong. That what I'm thinking is wrong.

"Felix," said Tristan, his breathing was shallow as if he was having a hard time learning how to breathe properly, "Felix is dead. He's dead, Han and we're next!"