Dream Catcher

Chapter 5

Jack stared at the body. At first glance, it looked like someone had passed out drunk. It wouldn't be the first time. But the longer Jack stared, the clearer it became that he was not looking at someone sleeping. There was a stiffness to the limbs, and the head was bent at an odd angle. More than anything, it was the cold fear that swept through Jack's body that told him something was very wrong. He turned and half ran, half stumbled down the hill towards the school. He'd reached the bottom of the hill when he saw two boys walking up the path from the gate. They must have just got the bus back from town.

"Hey!" Jack called. "Help! Please I need help!"

One of the boys looked over in alarm as Jack ran over to them. "What's going on?" He asked.

Jack recognised them both. They were in the year above him.

"There's someone up there- In the bushes- I saw someone-" Jack scrambled to get his thoughts together enough to explain the situation. The boys' alarm was slowly turning to annoyance.

"What are you talking about?" The taller boy asked.

"Dane I think he's high or something," said the other boy.

Dane regarded Jack with amusement. "If that's true I would change dealers man. You look like you're having a bad trip."

"I found a body," Jack gasped.

Dane's smiled faltered. "What?"

"Up there," Jack said, pointing behind him. "There's a body in the trees. My phone battery is dead. We need to call for help."

The shorter boy, Nate, looked behind Jack. "I can't see anything," he said sceptically.

"I wonder why Nate? Maybe because it's pitch black. Dumbass," Dane snapped.

"We need to call the police now!" Jack insisted.

"If there's a dead body there, I want to see it for myself," Nate said casually. He started walking towards the hill. Jack looked at Dane helplessly, who shrugged and started following Nate.

Jack considered running down to the school to get help instead, but a part of him wanted to be wrong. It wouldn't be the first time he saw something that wasn't there. He followed the boys up the hill.

"Where is this body then?" Dane asked. He had his phone out and was scanning the trees with the torch. Jack watched as the beam shone up and down the line of trees. Most hadn't grown all their leaves back yet and the branches cast twisted shadows against the grass. Jack ignored the shiver that ran down his spine as he scanned the ground. There was nothing there. Maybe he had just imagined it.

Jack started to feel relieved when Nate suddenly said, "Wait. I think I saw something. Shine the light over to the left again." Dane's did so and the torch light fell on a shape.

"Shit," Dane whispered.

Jack's blood froze. He was right. It was a body. But it was a body he recognised. Jack gulped, "It's Grayson."

The next few hours were a blur. After the initial shock wore off, Nate had called the police while Dane scrambled back down the hill to get Headmaster Doyle. Pretty soon there were at least four police cars in the school courtyard. Some students had seen the commotion from their dorm rooms and went to investigate. Most of the faculty were present and were trying, unsuccessfully, to get everyone back inside. A few were staring at Grayson's body in shock. Jack had been led away to give a statement about how he found the body. It felt like everyone was trying to talk to him at once. When did you discover the body? What were you doing so far away from the school? Did you see the body when you initially went up the hill? That last question made Jack stop and think. It had still been light when he'd gone to his spot. Jack hadn't realised at first, but the body was in the exact place he usually passed through the trees. He would have seen it. The policewoman taking his statement looked at Jack oddly when he said no he hadn't seen the body at first. She told him he'd probably have to go down to the station in the morning to give a proper statement, but for tonight he should go back to his room. Jack didn't get to do that though. As soon as the policewoman let him go, Doyle pounced on him. He fired question after question at him until Jack's brain started to feel numb. Eventually, after what felt like an eternity, Jack was allowed to go back to his room. As he passed by, he caught wind of a number of hushed conversations from the other teachers. Most were looking at him with sympathy, others with apprehension but one stood out in Jack's memory. Miss Grey didn't look sad or empathetic. She looked scared.