Oak Ridge

Chapter 2

Sheriff George Jameson returned home late in the evening and was greeted at the door by his wife, Julie, and their son, Conor.  The Brills’ boy was the same age as Conor and when he went missing, it had hit close to home. It made the Sheriff appreciate his family even more. Being in law enforcement, he had seen more than his fair share of tragedy and always took extra precaution to keep his family safe.

“How was your day?” Julie asked, giving her husband a kiss.

“Interesting,” he replied, not wanting to dive into all the issues at that moment. “Soup smells good,” he said, removing his hat and jacket.

The family gathered at the dinner table as they did every evening and talked about their day.

“Conor, sweetie, I told you, no cellphones at the dinner table,” Julie said. “You get one warning. If I see it again, I’m taking it away.”

“Fine,” Conor grumbled, shoving his phone into his pocket.

“So what made your day so interesting?” Julie asked.

Letting out a deep breath, the Sheriff began with the most perplexing mystery he had experienced in all his years on the force. He wasn’t really sure what to make of these strange events, and was equally unprepared to put it into words. In the past week, four people who were presumed dead had returned. They showed no signs of aging and did not seem to be aware they had ever died.

“Another one returned,” he said.

“Who?” his wife asked with keen interest.

“The Brills boy.”

“Charlie?” Conor asked.

The Sheriff looked at his son and nodded.

“Did he say anything?”

“About what?”

“Oh, you know, about where he was. I mean, his disappearance was a mystery, right?”

“The boy was in shock, didn’t even say a word. He didn’t seem scared though, just… I don’t know how to explain it. I was probably more anxious about the situation than he was. Thought I was seeing a ghost.”

“Maybe he didn’t die and he’s just been living in the woods this whole time,” Conor suggested.

“Doubtful,” the Sheriff responded. “He was clean, clothes and all. And if I’m not mistaken, his family moved here from the big city. I doubt a boy his age could survive on his own in the woods, especially considering the time of year he disappeared. We had an unusually harsh winter last year.”

“Maybe he’s been living in someone’s house here in town. They were keeping him prisoner until he managed to escape.”

“Again, I think those are very logical conclusions to draw, but considering the others who’ve come back this week, I think we’re dealing with something entirely else.”

“Surely you have your theories?” Julie asked.

The Sheriff took a spoonful of soup and shoved it into his mouth before answering. His family eagerly awaited his response.

“I think it’s one of those supernatural occurrences that happens to be affecting our community.”

“What do you mean?” his wife asked. Meanwhile, Conor was on his phone, texting. He was holding the device under the table, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. His mother saw what he was doing, but turned a blind eye as she wanted to hear what her husband had to say.

“I did a search on the Internet and the only results that came up regarding people coming back from the dead were in fiction. So whatever’s happening here doesn’t seem to be happening anywhere else… unless people are not reporting on it.”

“I don’t blame them, but it would be a hard thing to keep under wraps, especially in this day and age with all the stuff that comes out in the news… and with people constantly on their cellphones! I imagine someone would have leaked the story by now, either by writing a blog about it or posting a video online.”

“While I respect the family’s right to privacy, people have a right to know what’s going on in their community. I met with Fred down at the journal to let him know that another one has returned.”

Conor’s mother snatched her son’s arm to catch him in the act. It nearly caused Conor to hit the ceiling.

“Give it here,” his mum said.

“What?”

“Don’t play games with me, Conor. Give me the phone.”

“But I was only—”

“Dinner is for family time,” his mother interrupted, “not for you to be playing on your phone.”

Conor reluctantly handed his phone to his mother and she set it aside. “Now finish your soup before it gets cold.”

Feeling sick to his stomach about the news of Charlie Brills’ return, Conor hardly touched his dinner. His face was flush and his posture suggested he was worried about something. He twirled his spoon in his soup and on occasion took small sips. George took notice of his son’s peculiar behaviour. Just moments before, he was acting normal, and now suddenly he was acting strange.

“Is everything alright with you, Conor,” his dad asked. “You’re looking a little pale.”

“I’m not feeling well and don’t have much of an appetite. May I please be excused from the table?”

“You may, but you’re not getting your phone back,” his mother said.

Without saying a word, Conor rose from his chair and went up to his room.