Invisible

Chapter Six: Uninvited

The bedroom was dark and cold, the only sound that could be heard was the creaking of the hardwood floors. Miles was pressed against the corner of the room, posture slumped and head bowed down; eyes closed as well. He wasn't sleeping, the dead couldn't sleep. He was waiting for dawn to arrive, going over every detail that had been learned earlier that day. Missing, I had gone missing. Did I run away from home? Was I kidnapped? He had last been seen at school, by one of his teachers. Mr. Whitlock. The name was familiar, he had a blurry image of a male in his head. The only detail he could remember, Whitlock wore glasses. He liked vests too, it was his first year teaching. The more he discovered, and thought about it, more memories would slowly seep back into his mind.

"M-Miles.." A petrified whisper had pulled him from his thoughts, ".. Miles, h-he's back..."

The sound of the bedroom door creaking open made his head snap up, blinking his eyes open in that direction. Slowly, the wooden door was pushed open, revealing a figure on the floor. The Entity immediately backed himself more into the corner, skin around his mouth tearing to let out a hostile growl; tendrils curling around his form in his own defense. His black gaze remained on the creature that was in the doorway. He didn't have to see Ryder to know the boy was downright terrified, the vibe leaked from him like a waterfall. He didn't blame his host for feeling that way, even he was scared of this creature. Even if he wanted to protect the boy, there was nothing he could actually do. This being, this demon, it was much stronger than him.

".. Hil egingo naiz..." The inhumanly creature sneered, slowly starting to slide across the floor in a crawling manner, "Zure bizitza lapurtzen dut . Arrastatu dut behera infernua nirekin, hil egingo dut. Hil egingo zaitut. Hil egingo zaitut!"

The way this thing moved, the way its muscles and bones cracked and popped with every little movement, it was unsettling. Its tone was chilling, the language unknown; followed by stray gasps, and small screeches. Miles kept as still as possible, watching the form approach his host's bed. There was nothing he could do, nothing he could do to fend this creature off. It wasn't like Isla. This thing was something different, it never lived. It didn't know what life was.This thing, he considered it a demon. He couldn't watch this, he couldn't watch this thing taunt and terrorize Ryder. Turning his back on the two, he just closed his eyes with a miserable sound that was released from the tear that he had created moments ago. It was hard to block out the sneering voice, and the broken sobs coming from behind. There was nothing he could do.

...

The day had been colder than yesterday, and the ground was covered with more white powder. Miles waited by the parked vehicle, not paying much attention to Noah and Ryder. His stare was trained on a small house just in front of the three. Mr. Whitlock's house. His head tilted to the side with a small sound, he felt like he recognized the place. Maybe I came by once, or even twice?

"Let's just keep it friendly, and the questions light," Noah hummed, shutting the car door and starting to push Ryder to the house, "If we start attacking him with questions, he might get overwhelmed. If he gets overwhelmed, then he could throw us out."

"Or, call the cops on us," Ryder scoffed, slumped in his chair.

The Entity had avoided looking at the boy, guilt eating away at his chest. He couldn't remember the last time he had actually felt guilty, all these emotions were new to him. The sorrow, the pain, the confusion, the guilt. All of it, he had only felt bitterness for the longest time. Though, he wasn't complaining, he didn't feel numb to his boiling hatred for humanity. There was a different side to their selfish antics, and these kids were showing him that side. Miles was snapped from his thoughts by the sound of knocking, keeping his stare on the screen door. A few minutes later, and an elderly male opened the door. Mr. Whitlock. The name had melted into his mind, yes, he had remembered this male. He remembered how kind he had been, he had been one of Miles' favorite teachers. From what I can recall, at least..

"Hello, can I help you?" His raspy voice spoke up, visibly looking between both boys, "Wait a minute, you're Noah, aren't you? You're the young fellow that called me yesterday. Come in, come in."

Miles blinked twice at the older male, taken back by his kindness. He didn't hesitate to follow the two boys into the house, surveying the pace with a quick sweep of his gaze. It was a tight living space, but it felt homey. I've definitely been here before, I remember making a few jokes about his place. He slowly followed the others, watching them settling down in the, what could be considered as, living room.

"Uh, I'm guessing you already know my friend, Noah," Ryder spoke up, breaking the sheet of silence, "But, I'm Ryder, It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Whitlock. Also, thanks for giving us your time with this."

Finally, he spared his host a glance, before looking right away again. He didn't like seeing those dark bags under his eyes, it reminded him of last night. Useless. Something new to feel, and he didn't like it one bit.

"Uh, can you tell us about Jacob?" Noah questioned from his seat on the couch, having a notepad and pen clutched in his hands, "Anything you can remember, it would be really helpful."

".. Ah, the Price kids.. Jacob, he was a good kid, a good student. He was at the top of my class, he made the honor roll. He was the youngest of the three, he had two other siblings. Hmm.. He was a good kid, never caused any trouble. Heheh.. He used to come over, and help me rake the leaves every Saturday morning..  Jacob kept to himself, I only remember seeing him with one other boy," Whitlock sighed out while adjusting his glasses, "His case was closed after a few months of searching, there was no trace of where he had been taken to.. If you ask me, Martinez didn't do much about the case, he sat back on his ass."

Siblings? His eyes narrowed slightly, trying hard to recall that memory. Miles remembered his parents for the most part, but, he couldn't remember having any siblings.

"So, you don't think he ran away from home? Maybe, he had family problems?" Ryder questioned after a long pause of silence.

"No, no, I've personally met his family, they were nice. They were nice people, it was a nice home. Close family, the parents said he was a happy child. He was the happiest of the three, his mother said. He was a good kid.." The elder trailed off, tone hinting at his sadness, "I went on every party that was sent out, to see if I can help make a difference. The.. The sad thing is, not many kids missed him, only a few. Uhm.. Hm.. His close friend, the one I mentioned before, uh.. His name was Cruz.. Mmn.. I can't remember the last name, there was also a girl.. Nicole. They can probably tell you more than I can. I.. I am curious, why are you kids asking about this case?"

Cruz and Nicole, those names had made his posture straighten up immediately. He knew them, those names. Cruz, the image of a dark-haired boy came to mind. My best friend, my only friend. He, himself, he had been an outcast in the school. His friend and him, it was them against the world.

"Because, Mr. Whitlock.. We're gonna do what the police couldn't.. We're going to solve this case, and we're going to find out what happened to Jacob."