Father Like Son

Chapter Twenty-Six

Nightmare heard nothing but a glass shattering silence in Chris's room for around thirty minutes now. It was a deafening silence, to say the least. So he teleported to his door and knocked on it. He wanted to just teleport in there but he knows that Chris needs his privacy. No response so he knocked again slightly louder than before. 

"Chris open the door. I need to talk to you about what happened earlier. Can you open the door please?"

He had enough and just teleported in there not wanting to pay for another door replacement. 

"I get that you're mad at me but- no, no he fucking didn't!"

He started to check the room under the covers, under the bed, in the closet, his bathroom. And nothing. The window was left open which only meant one thing. 

"BOYS! We have a runaway!" He shouted unlocking the door and waiting for them to show up.

Eventually, Dust, Horror, and Killer show up confused about his choice of words. Did he actually run away? He could've been anywhere. Why now run away from them?

"So he ran away? Just like that?" Dust said acting surprised.

"Yes. And I need your help in finding him. We need to act fast so let's get on with it!"

"Got it, boss." Killer replied.

They went outside and split up. Dust and Horror going where Chris usually goes and Nightmare and Killer going the opposite way. Chris was almost into town until he heard them coming his way. That only made him run faster not stopping for air. He made the next turn as he heard them come closer. He remembers that he forgot about Lantern. She would've been beneficial for him so he could hide better that way. He found the ledge that he usually goes to and looked down. It was a long jump but better now than never. He looked behind him and saw the other two. Dust was the first one to notice him. Chris crossed his arms and walked off the ledge falling in the process. He closed his eyes not wanting dirt in his eyes. Dust and Horror tried to reach him but it was too late for that.

"Kid no!" He heard Dust cry out to him.

Chris used his power to get onto the ground safely. All he needed to do was get out of this place and find shelter. He'll be safe soon. He just knows it. As soon as he made it onto the dry ground he found the exit out of there. He saw the blaring lights of the city still on. That wasn't good for him he needed to blend in. He took his hood down and straightened his hair out a bit before walking into the city. No one was out at the time. A few cars passed but not too much to cause traffic. He walked into town having his head down the whole time. Then he heard something in front of him. A soft noise from a kitten. He hasn't really had a cat before but one of Michel's friends did. It was only a baby so it could do much harm. Chris knelt to its level and put his gloved hand out. It responded by letting him pet it, purring softly. Chris felt like it was a while since he smiled like that. Not out of killing things or people, just smiling felt nice for him. It was a small grey kitten-like any other.

"Heh, you look like a small storm cloud. Al least we'd have something in common. We're both lost. We don't even know what we're doing. I don't know what I'm doing..."

There was a bit of sadness in his tone when he said the last bit. What was he thinking? He shouldn't do this. Sure it was bad but they took good care of him. No. Nightmare made him hurt Delilah. It's not forgivable. 

"It's stupid how I agreed to kill her. I have no one to blame but myself for that. There's nothing left for me. I'm probably going to get either punished or killed for all of this. I probably deserve it though. Unlike you, I'm not as innocent as I once was."

He continued to pet the small creature and then eventually stopped because he heard people coming his way. He got back up and went to walk around town. To his surprise, the kitten followed him. Chris wanted to keep the kitten as his own. So he agreed to the name Cloud as his name. It suited him well so why not. He found a nearby pet store and decided to get him stuff for him. He went in and the sign said pet-friendly so Cloud could follow him inside. He grabbed a shopping basket and went around the store looking for essentials. He tested some cat toys on the kitten and he got a mouse toy and a thing of yarn. He also bought food, food and water bowls, and a collar with a tag that looked like a cloud. He paid for it all and left the store. He got the kitten over to him and clipped the collar onto him. He wanted to pick him up but he didn't want him to run away from him. He put the stuff for the kitten in his bag. So instead he gave Cloud a treat or two before walking back. He took a different route so he wouldn't be caught by Dust and Horror. He thought that Killer and Nightmare were on the same side of the forest. Instead, he heard a familiar voice from not so far away from where he was. He gulped softly picking up the kitten. It snuggled up in his arms, he found it strange that it didn't meow much. It was like it could read his own mind. He was grateful he isn't making much noise right now, or else he would've been caught by now. He was doing good going around them until he stepped on a stick. It made a loud snap that alerted the other two almost instantly.  Chris's eyes widen as everything went silent. He pulled up his hood and covered the kitten with his hands before making a break for it.