Book of Faith

Chapter 4: Abrichene and Abernathy

Somehow, Brody had made it through the rest of the day without anything more out of the ordinary happening. He had sat silently through every class, not able to take in any of the lessons as Miss Smith's instructions remained in the forefront of his mind. The day dragged on with a fierce perpetuity unlike anything he had ever experienced before.

What was his mother going to say when he got home? She was always worrying over him, especially when it came to his condition. If she found out he hadn't been taking his medication, she would be deeply beside herself with worry. He wondered exactly what Miss Smith was going to tell her. What did she mean that she was going to tell his parents what to do next? Did they know anything about what has been happening to him? Surely not.

Finally, the school bell rang. Brody immediately made for the bus to take him home. He would've gone to find Seth as usual, but if what Miss Smith had told him was true, he didn't want to put his friend in any further risk like he had the previous day.

The bus ride felt just as slow-moving as the rest of the day had been. Brody half expected Sarah to find her way back onto the bus as well, but there was no sign of her snowy blonde hair anywhere in the rows of sitting students.

When at last the bus arrived in his neighborhood and has driven away after he was offloaded, everything felt extraordinarily quiet. It was late in the fall season, so the sun hung dangerously low in the sky as he made his way along the curb back to his house. The breeze even felt threatening with a harsh chill, causing him to shiver.

He was only a few steps away from his driveway when it hit him. The all too familiar sensation at the nape of his neck. He turned his head to look behind him, but once again no one was there. The porches and yards of the surrounding houses were empty and all the blinds in their windows were closed. Unsure of himself, he resumed his tread towards his home.

Whatever chills the temperatures outside were causing him was nothing compared to the icy grip that seized his heart when he arrived at the top of the driveway to a slightly ajar door. As he took in this sight, there was something in the back of his mind that told him to exercise dire caution.

He made his way inside, the darkness of the garage only serving to deepen his concern. Both his parents' cars had been outside, yet the house felt eerily still and lifeless. He didn't dare call out to them until he was sure that he wasn't going to alert his proximity to an unwanted presence. Quietly, he made his way across the length of the garage towards the door that led inside. Whatever doubts that something was wrong were immediately washed away when he found this door was too cracked open. Stealthily dismounting his bag from his shoulders and setting it down by the outside refrigerator, he quietly grabbed a baseball bat from the sports shelf they kept next to the outside refrigerator and crossed to the door over the threshold.

Every light was off. The large living room, which was usually a sign of relief and warmth, felt like a desolate cavern with its ceiling as high as the house itself. A small fire had been going at some point, its embers glowing softly in the hearth now a specter of misgiving. Peering around the door into the connected dining room and kitchen, Brody saw no trace of any other presence than his own. The light outside the house was steadily creeping into dusk, adding to the menace brought over the would-be comforting residence. Continuing his sweep of the house, he made his way throughout the first two floors of the house. There were no signs of anyone, not even his parents.

With every fiber of his being, Brody knew that he had to search the basement. His heart was in his throat, his pulse blasting in his ears. He was afraid that if there was anybody in the house, they would surely hear the pounding in his chest. Standing at the top of the stairs, a gloom seemed to press down on his chest as he took the first step of descent into the darkness of the basement below. The landing five steps down was decorated with a small tabletop, and above it was a clay pottery mask that had always terrified him as a child. But suddenly, the mask seemed almost friendly in contrast to the feeling of dread the darkness of the floor below instilled in him.