The Shadow Creature

Chapter 21 - Decoded Message

The night quickly turned into morning. The sun rose once again, only to be consumed by grey clouds. The streets were peaceful and quiet as gentle wind lifted leaves upon the ground.

The leaves brushed past several houses. They landed on the ground in front of the haunted house that the group had encountered before. The house was untouched and roots grew all over the wood.

A boy stormed onto it's territory. As he approached it's door, the message scratched on the window observed him. The reflection revealed Ivan opening the door. Bagged furniture greeted him as he stepped inside.

Ivan closed the door behind him and the dull living room became all too familiar to him. Flashbacks of him and William filled his head as he looked around. Voices filled his ears as he visioned his and William past selves run up the stairs.

Ivan walked upstairs and looked down the hallway. A cracked open door met the corner of his eye. William was inside, sitting on the bed that his younger self slept in.

A framed picture of his family held in his hands. The glass frame was cracked, only showing him and his mom. William set the picture aside. He looked up and saw Ivan next to the door. William got up and looked away.

"How'd you find me?", he asked, walking to a table where his laptop stood. "I had a feeling", Ivan said, closing the door behind him. William typed away on the laptop. He tried opening a file from Derek's computer. When no results came up on the screen, his fist banged against the table.

A hint of hesitation was seen in Ivan's eyes as he debated walking toward him. William put his head in his hands. A whimper escaped his mouth as he moved his hands. His cheeks turned red and tears formed in his eyes.

"This is all my fault", his mouth shook uncontrollably as he spoke. He shook his head and tears streamed down his face. "I just wanted him back-", his voice cracked between shaky breaths.

Ivan walked to him and wrapped his arms around him. William did the same and cried into his chest. Ivan laid a hand on William's head. He brushed his hand through his hair. "It's okay", Ivan whispered to him.

"It's okay".

Derek's fingers typed away to a computer. He put in specific temperatures, but the map showed no location. Derek tried other locations, but the same results popped up. He sighed and looked over to his side where Cindy observed him.

"What are you even doing?", she asked. "I'm trying to look for the creature's thermal energy", he explained. Cindy raised a brow and shook her head. "You just love to raise that eyebrow, huh?", he asked with attitude.

"Excuse me for not being as smart as you guys", she snapped back. "We're looking for any abnormal energy signals and since the creature has a different anatomy than humans", Devin began. "You could use those specific differences to track him?", Cindy asked.

Both Devin and Derek nodded. "Wouldn't you need a satellite for that?", Cindy asked. "Yes", Derek stuttered, looking away nervously. "Which is why we hacked into one", Devin said. Cindy scoffed and the boys shifted their attention back to the map.

The door opened and they turned their heads. Ivan and William walked into the room. "Any luck?", Ivan asked. "No, it must be in human form, so that's why we can't track it", Devin explained. William looked at Derek and they gave each other small smiles.

"Wait, I have an idea", Cindy said. "What if we can use Derek's mind powers to find it?". Devin struggled to come up with words as Derek shook his head. "Even if I could, how would I do that?", Derek asked.

"Same way you brought me back to life", William began. "Just focus really hard on one specific person, in this case, the creature". "Yeah, but it only worked for you because I could touch you physically. Not the same thing here", Derek explained.