The tension in the air was palpable, every nerve in Lucy, Tao, and Oscar’s bodies was screaming at them to run, but they remained stationary. Something in Tao’s head told him he was safe contrary to his body.

Jacob Mayland stood before them, his face a mix of eerie calm and suppressed anxiousness.

“Jacob,” Lucy finally managed to say, her voice trembling. She tightened her grip on her flashlight, ready to use it at a moment’s notice. “What are you doing here? You’re wanted for murder.”

Jacob slowly tilted his head, a motion that sent chills down their spines. It seemed that something clicked in his head. “I see. So those bastards really did it?” he muttered to himself, his voice but unnervingly hollow. His gaze snapped back to Lucy, and his tone shifted. “As for your question, I was summoned here.”

“What?” Tao blurted out. He stepped forward, his baseball bat raised slightly. “What do you mean, summoned? You wrote that letter about Sarah, didn’t you? You shouldn’t be here!”

Jacob looked at Tao, a flicker of something–-regret? No. Confusion? Not quite. Sadness? —passing across his face. He opened his mouth to speak, but before a single word was said, the night erupted in a blinding green light.

It burst from behind Jacob, flooding the area with an unnatural glow that made the darkness seem like a facade. Lucy instinctively shielded her eyes, stumbling back. Tao and Oscar both jumped backwards, hitting each other midair, and thumping down onto the street.

“What the hell is that?!” Oscar yelled, his voice cracking.

“I don’t…I don’t know!” Tao yelled back as his grip tightened on the bat.

As the green light dimmed slightly, Tao and Oscar’s vision readjusted back into the darkness of the night. The silence of the night returned, and the street lights flickered faintly.

“Lucy?” Tao called out, his voice hoarse. He whipped his head around, scanning the area around him. “Lucy?!”

“Sh…Sh…She was right there,” Oscar stammered, his voice shaking. “She was right here with us!”

But not only was Lucy gone but also Jacob.

Tao stumbled forward, his chest tightening as panic set in. He searched the ground for any sign of her—footprints, her flashlight, anything. But there was nothing. No sign of Lucy anywhere. The street was empty, quiet as if she’d vanished into thin air.

“No, no, no,” Tao repeated, his breath shortening. He turned to Oscar, his eyes wide with desperation. “We have to find her. We have to find her, Oscar!”

Oscar held up his hands, his face pale. “Tao, I don’t…What if she’s—what if that light took her somewhere? Like…not here?”

“What? That doesn't make any sense!” Tao snapped, his voice shaking. “She’s here. She has to be!”

Oscar opened his mouth to respond, but before he could, Tao sprinted towards the gap in the fence. The sound of rustling leaves broke through the stillness as Tao parted his way towards the fence, shoving aside the overgrown weeds.

“Wait! Tao!” Oscar called as he stumbled after him.

But Tao wasn’t listening. He frantically put his eye on the gap and began scanning the area for any sign of Lucy. There was nothing. Well, almost nothing. At the very far back of the property, Tao could see a green hue similar to the blinding light. He either was going crazy or his eyes weren’t lying.

“Screw it,” Tao muttered. He had made his mind up.

He grabbed a branch that was poking out from the fence and hoisted himself up. Tao continued until he was at the very top of the fence, overlooking the entire Garrison property.

Oscar finally caught up, panting as he shouted from below. “Tao, listen to me! This place—it’s not right. I have a really bad feeling about this.”

Tao glared down towards Oscar. “Fuck your feelings. I won’t abandon my sister. Now I have just one question for you? Are you with me?”

Stolen story; please report.

Oscar hesitated, his gaze matching Tao’s eyesight. “Fine,” he simply responded, climbing up the fence until the pair were now looming over the Garrison property.

The two boys ducked down through the tree that allowed them to get into the property. Their movements were clumsy as they stumbled onto the overgrown floor. The air felt colder here, a light mist covering the property made their noses tingle.

Ahead of them, the Garrison house loomed like a monster cowering in the dark night. Every single window of the house was covered with rotten wood, clearly signaling outsiders to stay away.

Oscar broke the silence. “Listen, it’s been forty years and clearly what we just saw isn’t normal, but this has to be a joke, right? Like there’s no way that Lucy just disappeared into thin air? That’s not possible?” His tone was full of uncertainty, but more so like he wanted to convince himself of the impossible.

“The logistics don't matter right now, Oscar. What matters is making sure Lucy is okay,” Tao said sternly, his whole demeanor changed.

The pair moved cautiously towards the house, the porch in clear view. Their steps were slow and calculated although the ground beneath them betrayed them. The faint rustling of the leaves crunching with each footsteps caused more uneasiness between them.

They finally reached the porch, Tao in front while Oscar walked behind him. The wooden steps groaned under their weight, the bat feeling heavier on Tao’s hands with every step.

Tao placed his hand on the doorknob, feeling a sudden surge of nervousness. He shook the feelings away as only one thing mattered to him—Lucy. Oscar placed a hand on Tao’s shoulder and nodded. “Let’s get this over with.”

The door creaked open as Tao and Oscar stepped inside the Garrison house. The air inside felt…different. It wasn’t as thick or dirty as they had imagined. Instead it was oddly calm and easier to breathe than outside.

With his free hand, Tao reached out in search of a light switch. Oscar found it first to his left, and the entire room erupted in white light just as the door behind them closed shut, the sound of a lock breaking the silence.

“Shit,” Oscar breathed. “We are so screwed.”

“Calm down. I didn’t plan on leaving so soon anyway, “ Tao calmly said.

The pair found themselves standing in a living room, but the atmosphere was completely different to the outside. They expected cobwebs, ripped furniture, dead bodies, at worst.

Instead, the living room was pristine.

The hardwood floors reflected the light as if they had just been polished. The sofa that stood in the middle of the room looked freshly cleaned. The carpet had the smell of being recently vacuumed all of which made Tao feel more uncomfortable.

Oscar gawked at their surroundings. “Okay, what the actual hell is happening?”

Tao’s grip on the bat tightened as unease growled at his gut. “This doesn’t make sense. This isn’t normal.”

“Yeah, you bet,” Oscar said, plopping down on the sofa. He ran his hands over the cushions feeling the leather through his fingers.

Tao ignored him, his focus shifting to an open doorway that led to a set of stairs leading to a basement. The living room was definitely unsettling, but Lucy wasn’t here. They had to keep moving.

It didn’t help that the entire house felt like it was frozen in time. There was no sound emanating from anywhere apart from the lock that had happened earlier.

“Come on,” Tao demanded as he moved to descend down the stairs. Oscar jumped from the couch to follow close behind.

As the pair went deeper downwards, the house felt more wrong. It was too clean, too orderly. The walls were bare, and the stairs were freshly swept. There was no dust, no signs of decay. The way down felt like an eternity until the stairs led to a singular door.

Suddenly, a soft, rhythmic thumping reached their ears.

Tao stiffened. “Do you hear that?”

Oscar nodded slowly, his heart pounding.

The thumping was clearer now as Tao swiftly opened the door. It echoed through a narrow hallway. The sound didn’t seem mechanical or electronic—it was human. It was a voice, repeating the same melody over and over.

Tao fingers tightened around the bat as they reached a set of double doors at the end of the hallway.

The thumping was coming from inside.

He exchanged a glance with Oscar, who was just as scared as he was. He looked like he wanted to throw up, but he held his backpack straps with determination.

Tao took a breath. “Lucy could be in there,” he whispered.

“I know. I’m with you,” Oscar said.

Tao nodded, and with all his strength pushed the doors open.

The thumping suddenly stopped.

The room was empty.

But in the center of the floor, perfectly placed on a velvet cushion—

Lucy’s flashlight smeared with wet blood.

Still warm.

Still on.

Tao felt his stomach drop as everything around him became one messy blur.