Vanished

Dread

I'd been unable to shake the uneasy feeling that had started in Memphis. And, unfortunately, it had only gotten stronger. Something was wrong.

Well, most of the things in my life were wrong, but this was a feeling that something was coming. But I had no idea what.

I'd woken up with a tightness in my stomach and an all over unease. It differed from the normal dread I felt on an everyday basis and it made me anxious.

I took Bear out for a long run, hoping both of us would burn off some energy. The nervous kind for me, and the regular puppy kind for him.

I chose the long route. The one that took us away from the center of town and out on the rural roads lined by cornfields. There were barely any people in sight, and I only saw a couple of cars going in the opposite direction from us. It felt good to take some of the stress out on the pavement and let the morning air clear my head.

Bear kept an excellent pace with me and didn't bark once until we got back to the house. There he barked at my brother, like he was letting him know what he missed out on, and then proceeded to fall asleep right on the kitchen floor.

"I guess it was good?" my brother chuckled as he eyed Bear's sprawled out form on the floor. He filled his coffee cup and brought it over to his computer and sat down on the worn out fake leather chair, which squeaked every time he moved.

"Yeah," I agreed. It had been good, but as soon as I stepped back into the house, the anxiousness was back.

The computer screens flicked on behind me and I turned towards the kitchen. It was quiet in the house. The only sounds came from the old window air conditioner and from my brother's occasional tapping on the keyboard.

I downed a couple of bottles of water and a few cups of coffee before my brother yelled at me from behind his computer screens. "Stop pacing! You're driving me insane."

I hadn't even realized I was doing it. There was just this dread inside of me that wouldn't go away, like I was waiting for the other shoe to drop, and it was only a matter of time.

"Fine," I told my brother. "I'll go shower."

I needed to get the sweaty clothes off of me anyway, and hopefully, the hot water would help me relax.

"Thank god," he responded, and I was almost sure he meant that sarcastically.

The atmosphere was different once I exited the bathroom, dressed in a pair of shorts with a towel in my hand to dry off my short hair. But not in a good way.

My brother was no longer seated in front of his NASA looking computer screens. Instead, he stood in front of the living room window, his spine straight as a rod, and his eyes focused on something outside. Bear was next to him, with his ears pointed up, like he was also sensing some kind of trouble.

"What's going on?" I asked immediately and dropped the towel I used for my hair to the floor.

When he didn't answer, I stepped closer. A quick glance out the window showed me there was nothing there. But my brother kept staring, and I soon realized it was unfocused. That whatever it was that was going on was all in his head.

"Sport," I urged. "What happened?"

He finally blinked and looked back at me when I touched his arm.

"I got a message from dad."

It was about fucking time, but I didn't say that. Instead, I attempted to joke. "Let me guess," I said. "It was another number, right? Maybe a seven this time?"

My brother didn't even bother to attempt a smile, and all he said in response was "no."

The angst I'd been feeling all day multiplied. "Come on, tell me," I urged, "you're freaking me out."

He cleared his voice and turned to meet my eyes. "All it said was 'be careful.'"

"Be careful," I repeated. "That's it?" I asked, even though he'd just told me that was all the text said.

Instead of responding, he opened his phone and handed it to me. The most recent text read "have to be careful."

What the fuck did that mean?

We were careful, and we hadn't been in Kansas long. There was no way they knew where we were already... was there?

"Fucking hell," I grumbled.

"Yeah, that."

"What do you make of it? What does it mean for us?"

My brother leaned his head back on his shoulders and groaned in frustration to the point where Bear growled, clearly feeling the tension in the room.

"I don't know."

And I didn't either, but the dreaded feeling in my stomach only grew.