Forgotten memories // Finney Blake

Chapter 16

I turned to my other side where Finney sat. He was flashing the light from his rocket pen.
I yawned as I pulled myself to sit up. There was a low ominous noise.

Drip.. Drip.. Drip.

"Do you hear that?" He whispers. I nodded as I looked around the room.

Drip.. Drip..

My eyes followed his light until it landed on a spot.

I slightly jumped back as I saw a boy, floating. He was on his back, his arms and legs dangling. His throat was slit. The sound we kept hearing was his blood slithering down his face and arms until it tapped the floor.

He was dead.
A ghost.

My breaths were unsteady as his arm slowly rose. He pointed to a spot beside us.

We slowly turn our heads before standing up and Finn raises the phone to his ear. "Hello?" He asks before quickly whipping himself around to see if the boy was still there.

He wasn't.

"Hello? Hello?" The only thing audible on the phone was static until a boy's voice answered. "You don't have much time. The Grabber hasn't been sleeping. He thinks this might be it, that he's gonna figure it out."

"Who's gonna figure it out?" Finn asks as he looks at me. "His brother upstairs." His laugh sent chills down my spine.

"Are you Griffin?" Finney asks as he turns around and walks towards the wall. "Who?" The boy asks.

"Griffin Stagg." He turns to walk back towards me.
"Probably, it's all a little hazy but I imagine you know all our names." Griffin sounded sweet, I can't believe he's dead.

"Every kid does.." He replies still pacing back and forth. "I didn't know you." He states.

"Nobody did. You spend so many years invisible and then every kid in the state knows your name.. you don't have much time." He repeats.

"Why hasn't he killed us." Finney asks as his pacing comes to a stop. "You won't play the game. You have to play the game. If you don't play, he can't win."

"What game?" He asks as he tilts his head slightly down, the darkness in the room cast a shadow over his eyes.

"Naughty boy. She already played but if you don't play Naughty Boy too, The Grabber can't beat you. And if he can't beat you, he can't move onto the next part. And the next part of Naughty Boy is his favorite part."

"What's the next part?" Finney asks.

The boy just laughs "You don't have much time." He says once more.

"You said that." Finn recalls.

"He's not been sleeping."

"You said that too." He begins walking a bit forward. "Yeah, well, he is now. In his chair, he passed out waiting for you to play."

"What good does that do us?" We both glance over at the door. He raises his pen's light to shine on the door. "Wait, the door is still unlocked." I say.

"The door is still unlocked." Griffin repeats.

"Do we just go?" His voice was a bit shaky. "There's a combination lock on the inside of the storm door. It was my bike lock."

"Your bike lock?" Finn asks with a bit of hope. "Yeah, he took it when he took me."

"What's the combination?" He asks, still gripping the phone in his right hand. "I don't remember."

"Griffin!"

"I remember being afraid I'd forget it. That's why I wrote it down." Griffin states. "What? Where?" He looks around the room. "I carved it with a bottle cap in a wall."

"Which wall? Which wall!?" He raises his voice as he scans the room.

"The one to your right. About shoulder height when you're sitting down." That was all he needed to hear before dropping the phone and walking over to the wall.

I follow him and sit down to help look for the carved numbers in the wall. "2-3-3-1-7" I call out. "Two. Three. Three. One. Seven." "Two. Three. Three. One. Seven." He repeats trying to memorize it.

We both get up and run back to the phone. "Two. Three. Three. One. Seven?" He asks as he raises the phone to his ear.

"If you say so." Griffin replies. "But is it 23-31-7 or 23-3-17 or 2-33-17" He questions.

"I can't remember." Griffin calls out. "Griffin!" Finney cries out. "I can't remember. You'll have to try them all. And you'll have to be very quiet about it."

"Yeah. Okay. Thanks." He hangs up the phone. We nod at each other as we walk to the unlocked door.

I slowly pull the door open and we quietly creep up the stairs, he was in his chair snoring.

His shirt was open, revealing his bare chest that rose and collapsed with each breath. We slowly walk around him as we headed for the storm door.

Griffin's bike lock was there, like he said it was. I gripped the lock with my left hand as I turned it with my right one. "2-33-17" I whispered as I slowly turned the lock.

I gently tugged at it but it didn't open. I gently exhale as I try another combination, 23-3-17. I pulled the lock but it still didn't open.

I bit my lip as I tried the last one, 23-31-7. I pulled the lock open but the click sound set off his hound. "Shit." I whispered as I opened the door and grabbed Finney's hand.

I pulled his hand as we ran down the sidewalk. "HELP!" The van quickly sped up to catch up to us before turning right in front of me. Our bodies hit the van with all force but I managed to turn around and run.

"Run!" I heard Finn's voice call out as we turn around and run the opposite direction. The Grabber got out of the van and ran after us. "HELPP!! THE GRABBER!" I yelled as I ran as fast as my legs could.

His strong arms dragged me onto the grass, before I could yell again. I kicked my legs and swung my arms in an attempt to get away from his grip.

A few porch lights turned on.

I stopped moving as I felt a hot sting on my neck. My knife. He must've taken it from my bag.

"You say one fucking word.. and I will gut you like a pig right here in the street. And strangle you with your own intestines."

Some more porch lights turned on and he looked around hoping they would turn back off.

Unfortunately.. they did.

His grip on me loosened, I coughed a little as I finally was able to breathe.

He crept over to Finney. "Nighty night Naughty boy." He says as he lands a blow to Finney's face allowing him to fall unconscious. A single tear strolled down the side of my face before I passed out too.