One after Another

Chapter 6: It's real!

"So, sticking together doesn't work anymore," said Natalie. "Let's video call every twenty minutes to ensure safety." They all nodded in agreement. Although video calling invaded their privacy, it seemed like it was the only way. Nowhere was safe, even home. Shaken by the event just now, they went their separate ways.

Bearing the twenty-minute call in mind, Patrick went home in fear. Not that he feared dying at the hands of the Grim Reaper, he was more fearful of his abusive father. His father left them after knowing that his mother was pregnant. Enveloped in despair, she married her stepfather, praying for new hope. His mother died shortly after giving birth. Living in the darkness all his life, Patrick knew nothing about his parents.

He felt absolute hatred for his step-father, almost wishing death upon him, who had been bringing dozens of girls to his room ever since his mother died. There were occasional moans of pleasure coming from the room. Patrick knew what they were doing and pleaded with his stepfather to stop. But all to no avail, his stepfather kicked him and beat him up, telling him to mind his own business.

"I DO WHAT I WANT! YOUR STUPID MOTHER WAS ONE OF THOSE GIRLS! ARE YOU THAT DUMB TO BELIEVE THAT I LIKED HER?" His voice boomed and echoed throughout the melancholic room. His strident voice and the beating had made Patrick afraid to speak. This problem lessened after he had found his friends. He believed they would all die, but he was grateful to them for caring for him.

This day was like another. After he got back home, "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN, LITTLE TWIT?" His stepfather's voice boomed behind Patrick's figure. "TIDY UP THE SHED! NOW!"

Then, he turned to his new girlfriend, using his softest voice, "We will have SO MUCH FUN tonight!" He placed a few seductive smiles and touches in his words.

Patrick scowled, his stepfather was utterly revolting, but he went to tidy up the shed like he had told him to. He transported the rubbish outside, running back and forth. Sweat was dripping down his face from all the running. As he bent down to collect the last pile of trash, Natalie called.

Natalie and Kenneth had their camera turned on, except for Ali, who claimed she was going to the toilet.

"Um, Patrick? Why are you sweating?" Kenneth asked. He was always there for his friends.

"Oh, it is nothing. I was doing some work," Patrick replied, panting.

"Why don't you open the window?" Natalie asked.

"The window is locked, and the key is gone. No one can open it," said Patrick, wiping the sweat off.

"Oh well, good luck! See you all twenty minutes later," said Natalie, ending the call.

Patrick put his phone away and turned to the pile of dust that his stepfather probably purposefully made for him. He was finding a brush to sweep the mess up when a shadow appeared behind him. It was holding a long-ended weapon. The shadow crept closer and closer. The moment Patrick turned around, it slammed him full on the head. The shadow then striked again, piercing Patrick in the head. Blood flooded out of the wound and trickled down the floor. Patrick staggered backwards and finally collapsed on the floor with his eyes wide open.

Meanwhile, it had already been twenty minutes since the last call. Annoyed at the flow of the time, Natalie called her companions again. Kenneth and Ali joined almost instantly. Both did not turn on their cameras. Five minutes passed and yet Patrick did not show up. With the fear of the unknown, Natalie quickly took a taxi to Patrick's house as fast as she could. Along the way, she met Kenneth, who hopped into the car without hesitation. Natalie, along with Kenneth, reached Patrick's house in a hurry. They both ran over the enormous pile of dust in front of the porch, trying to enter the house. Instead, they saw something that they will never forget, it was very unpleasant to the eye.

On the front porch, his stepfather was drinking his cup of beer, fiddling with his new girlfriend. He reached out to his girlfriend's waist, slithered a hand around it, and lowered his head to kiss her inner thigh. He became more and more passionate and slid his hand into her shirt.

They were embarrassed about what they saw. Kenneth cleared his throat in awkwardness and asked, "Um, s-sorry for disturbing. But may I know where Patrick is?"

His stepfather was furious at breaking their moment. "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING HERE? THAT TWIT SHOULD NOT BE IN THE HOUSE! HE SHOULD BE IN THAT FREAKING SHED!" He boomed like a volcano.

Afraid of his sudden temper, the two bowed their heads and raced to the shed. They saw Patrick at the end of the hut, blood slowly spreading and seeping across the floor. He was ripped naked and hanged on a cross. Ripped clothes had soaked in the blood that was splattered. The wound on his head was still bleeding. They both wanted to rush in and save Patrick. But their last straw of hope backfired. A jet of fire ignited at the entrance, sizzling and hissing. The fire spreads rapidly. The fire area is getting bigger and bigger. Soon, the spreading fire had reached Patrick.

As the two covered their faces in fear, something caught their attention. Slowly removing the hands from their faces, they squint their eyes to spot the figure properly. There was a black cloth sticking out of the corner. It swung from the left to the window on the right with a loud swish. They inspected the unknown silhouette and realised that the textile was a hood.

"Are you t-thinking what I am thinking?" Kenneth's teeth chattered in fear.

Natalie couldn't even bear to watch or answer him. It couldn't be real. But it was.

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Author's note: Do you think the Grim Reaper is real? Vote and Comment if you like this chapter!  Thanks for reading! See you next time!