Calm In the Storm

So Close, So Far

"Want to hang out over at my place tonight?" Nick asked his girlfriend when their lunch was over. They were gathering their stuff to leave. With a mysterious killer on the loose, they only had a half day.

"Sorry, I can't. Tatum and I cheerleading practice. Remember I told you about that in study hall?" Heather told him, shooting a side glance at him.

"Oh, yeah, sure, must've forgot." Nick lied, trying not to let his disappointment show too much. He watched as Sidney walked away, her hips swaying gently with each step while she boarded onto the bus with the other kids.

He felt a pang of jealousy course through his veins as he remembered the way she had been looking at him earlier, the way her eyes seemed to light up whenever he spoke. It was infuriating, and he couldn't help but feel like he was losing her. To his own brother.

"Maybe I'll might call you when I'm done?" It sounded like Heather was uncertain herself. She didn't want to miss out on any time with Tatum and their friends at practice, but she didn't want to be rude to Nick either. He was her boyfriend after all.

Nick smiled reassuringly. "Sure, that'd be great. I'll be at my house when you're done." He leaned in and kissed her lips before walking away to his car.

Nick couldn't help to notice that Billy left with Stu as usual. He wondered what they were always up to.

Nick drove to his house and just relaxed. He crashed down on his bed and took a nap after a long day. His dreams were filled with Sidney and how he could protect her from anything that might happen.

Then the landline rang, and Nick got up to answer it from his nightstand.

"Hello?" He tried to cover his yawn.

"Hello, Nick." Greeted a dark and raspy voice that seemed to echo through the line. Nick glanced around, his heart beginning to race. It wasn't Heather. And it definitely wasn't Sidney.

He took a deep breath and asked, "Who is this?"

"The question is not 'who am I' it's 'where am I'?" The raspy voice continued. Nick felt his heart racing, his palms sweaty as he tried to process what was happening. "You see, you're in a bit of a pickle, Nick. A very dangerous one, at that."

The fact that the mysterious caller knew his own name and he could've been anywhere made Nick's blood run cold. He struggled to keep his voice steady as he tried to process what was happening. "Alright, where are you supposed to be then?" He asked, his heart pounding in his ears.

There was a long pause on the other end of the line before the raspy voice responded. "That's the thing, Nick. You're never supposed to find me. But I've got my eye on you, and I'm not going to let you go that easily." The voice chuckled darkly. "You see, your little friends... they're not as innocent as they seem. And neither are you."

Nick felt a chill run down his spine as he listened to the voice. He tried to think of who it could be, but the more he tried, the more he realized that he had no idea. He glanced around his room again, feeling helpless and alone. "Look," he said, trying to keep his voice steady, "I don't know who you are or what you want, but you've got the wrong guy. I don't know anything about any of this. If this is you Randy, then just fuck off. I'm not in the mood for your shit right now."

The voice on the other end of the line let out a dark, sinister laugh. "Oh, you don't know anything, do you?" It hissed. "You're just as much a part of this as they are. Maybe even more so. And this is not Randy."

Nick felt his stomach drop. If it wasn't Randy, then who was it? And why were they toying with him like this? "Look," he managed to say, trying to keep his voice steady, "I don't know what you want from me, but I'm not giving it to you. Just leave me alone."