Time- Vance Hopper

Chapter 19

Anyways, I gotta new book, go read if you want (:

(It's the Stu macher one, it was originally from last year and just sitting in my drafts but I rewrote it lmfao)

Finney went to open the door, but the phone rang once again. He picked it up.

"Hello?"

Nothing but static.

"Bruce? Billy- paperboy?" He corrected himself. But nothing but static, and then a click. He put the phone up again.

The grabber sat upstairs, belt in hand and waited. He closed his eyes and almost started to fall asleep, but quickly waking back up. He looked around, and went back to sleep.

Finney decided to lay down. After a while he sat up again, and messed with a flashlight. He directed the light to the phone, then to the walls. The walls had streaks of red, of which he hoped wasn't blood. And the dirty floors.

Then his eyes landed on of part of the floor. He saw a bloodied and messed up boy, bending over, he could see the blood dripping from his body. His hand slowly raised and pointed to the phone. Finney was obviously freaked out about it, but he wanted to survive.

Finney went to the phone, he picked it up.

"Hello?" He turned around, and the boy was no longer there. "Hello?" He repeated.

"Hello?" He said for a third time

"You don't have much time." The boy spoke over the phone. Finney was confused at his words.

"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?"

"His brother upstairs." The boy laughed, and it was sort of creepy.

"Are you griffin?" Finney asked.

"Who?"

"Griffin Stagg."

"Probably. It's all a little hazy. But I imagine you know all our names."

"Every kid does. I didn't know you."

"Only one person did. I dont remember her name either, but I remember her being kind, her hair was black, with yellow in the front, she had a nose piercing and... she always wore a butterfly necklace."

"Marie?" Finney said, he didn't know that she had known Griffin.

".... Yeah. That sounds right. You don't have much time."

"Why hasn't he killed me?" Finney asked.

"You won't play the game. You have to play the game, if you don't play, he can't win." Griffin said.

"What game?"

"Naughty boy. If you don't play naughty boy, the grabber can't beat you. And if he can't beat you, he can't move on to the next part. And the next part of naughty boy, is his favorite part."

"What's the next part?" Finney asked, but regretted it. He wasn't sure he even wanted to know.

Griffin just laughed and repeated "You don't have much time" again.

"You said that."

"He's not been sleeping."

"You said that too."

"Yeah, well, he is now. In his chair. He passed out waiting for you to play."

"What good does that do me? Wait, the door is still unlocked." He pointed his flashlight to the door.

"The door is still unlocked." Griffin said.

"Do I just.. go?"

"Theres a combination lock on the inside of the storm door. It was my bike lock."

"Your bike lock?"

"Yeah. He took it when he took me."

"What's the combination?" Finney asked, hopefulness in his voice.

"I don't remember."

"Griffin."

"I remember being afraid I'd forget it. That's why I wrote it down."

Finney looked around the room "What? Where?"

"I carved it with a bottle cap in the wall."

"Which wall? Which wall?"

"The one on the right, about shoulder height when you're sitting down."

Finney went over, and looked around with his flashlight on the wall. He found the numbers.

"2, 3, 3, 1, 7. 2, 3, 3, 1, 7." He repeated.

He picked the phone back up.

"2, 3, 3, 1, 7?" He asked.

"If you say so."

"But is it 23-31-7, or 23-3-17, or 2-33-17?"

"I can't remember."

"Griffin." Finney said, slightly aggravated.

"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 put the phone up.

He got ready, and repeated the code as he went out the door. He opened it as slowly as he possible could, and went up the stairs carefully. He opened the other door up slowly, it creaked but it wasn't enough to wake him up.

Finney stood across him for a while, and then slowly went past him. He reached the front door, and opened it. He saw the lock and tried the first combination, which was wrong. He looked back when he heard the grabber snore. Then he tried a second combination, which was also wrong. He tried the third one, and the lock opened.

The dog started barking, and the grabbers eyes shot open. He got up, and ran outside. He got into his car quickly as Finney tried to outrun him.

"Help!" Finney screamed. The car went in front of him, and it knocked him down.

The grabber opened the door and ran out, Finney tried running away, screaming, but the grabber just knocked him down and tackled him to the ground.

It was a grown man, against a 13 year old boy which was not the most fair.

The grabber pulled out a knife, as he held Finney in a chokehold, he put it to his throat.

"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." He spoke in a low voice.

Finney closed his eyes, pure fear overtaking him. He stayed quiet as he feared for his life. After a little bit, the grabber sat ip.

"Nighty night, naughty boy." He punches Finney in the face