Fear Games

1. Let the Games Begin--Again

The knock on the door startled me, just as I was drifting off to sleep. At first I thought it was at my bedroom door, so I stayed quiet. I needed my sleep. I heard the knock again, then realized it was coming from downstairs.

Someone was at our house.

At 11:55 at night. That couldn't be good.

Did Mom and Dad hear it? I pressed my ear against the wall beside my bed, listening. I heard someone getting out of bed, someone I guessed was my father. They opened their bedroom door and walked down the stairs.

My curiosity piqued. I was no longer tired, so I climbed out of bed, heading to the hall, where I tried my best to listen to the conversation going on downstairs. I heard a deep voice, which I quickly noticed belonged to a police officer.

"He's not here," Dad said. "At least not as far as I know. Would you like me to go check?"

"Yes, please," the officer replied.

My father retreated up the stairs, where I hurried back to my room, jumping back into bed, pretending to be asleep. Dad knocked on my bedroom door, then opened it a second later. He always did that. What was even the point in knocking if you'd just walk in anyway?

"Josh," Dad whispered. "Are you awake?"

I rolled over onto my side, pretending to just be waking up. "I am now," I muttered.

"Is Damien here?" Dad asked.

My heartbeat suddenly picked up. "What are you talking about? Why would Damien be here?"

"What's going on?" Mom asked, appearing beside my Dad. "Is everything okay? Why are there police downstairs?"

"There are police here?" I asked, trying to sound like I didn't already know. "Dad, did something happen to Damien?"

He said nothing as he turned away and walked back down the hall toward the stairs. I climbed out of bed and followed my parents. We met the officer back at the door, who was writing something down on a notepad.

"He's not here, sir," Dad said. "May I ask what is going on?"

"Damien went missing earlier this evening," the officer said. "His mother reported it about an hour ago. She said he was supposed to be coming here, which means that since he's not here, he went somewhere else."

My heart felt like it was ready to explode out of my chest. "He's going to be okay, right?"

No one answered my question. Damien was my best friend. Had been since we were little kids. The idea of something happening to him...

"I'm afraid I have to get going," the officer said. "I may come back and check in with you tomorrow. If you hear anything before then, give me a call." He handed my Dad a card with a number scribbled on it and said, "Have a good one."

Have a good one? How were we supposed to have a good evening when we had just learned that Damien was missing? There had to be some logical explanation.

"Josh," Mom said. "Do you know anything about this?"

"I don't know anything," I whispered. "How should I? I haven't really talked to him today. I guess I just thought he was busy."

Both my parents looked as though they didn't believe me.

That's when the reality set in.

Damien was really gone.

***

One Week Later

Word of Damien's disappearance was hitting our town pretty hard. But I knew that no one was mourning the loss of him worse than me, aside from his family, that is. Our friends were taking it badly as well, but no one understood how I felt.