Whatever spoke drained all the color from Poe. His face stark white, he stood right inside the doorway cemented to the floor by an invisible force. Someone was in that room, and the young boy couldn't escape finding out. Turning at the waist to warn the others, it took Poe a moment to regain the use of his voice.
"Leave now. It doesn't want you here. Go," he demanded.
"Not without you," Mary chirped.
"Come on Poe. None of us are leaving," Vanessa added.
Before Tommy could respond, the muscular teen bolted for the front door, not stopping until he stood on the outside of the house. He didn't want to be there anyway. All of this was Vanessa's ideal, so if she wanted to stay, he wasn't going to stop her. All of them could rot in that house for all Tommy cared.
"He fucking left us!" whispered Mary, her mouth wide open in shock.
Turning as though he had no control of his body, Poe reached for the door, giving one last warning to the girls.
"Leave, now!"
Without effort, the young boy pushed the door shut, locking it from the inside. Poe turned, walking toward the voice. It was male, that he was sure of. Not old, not young, but enchanting in a way that you can't deny yourself being in its presence. Slowly, in a trance like state, he moved closer to the person, stopping as the shadow loomed over his tall lanky frame. That was the first time that Poe felt completely at peace in the dilapidated old house.
"I'm Silas Thibeaux. I've waited a long time for you to arrive, Poe," said the male.
His voice deep and tranquil, the older male moved not an inch. Standing in the corner of the room he let out a very unneeded breath.
Shoulders slumped, Poe watched the shadow, confused at what the man was saying. "You know me? How? I've never been inside of this house before," he said.
Softly laughing, Silas moved for the first time. Taking a seat at a table by the window. The moon suddenly illuminating the room enough for Poe to see the outlines of the larger man.
"Sit in the chair across from me," Silas said.
Shaking, Poe moved a few feet to the table, his hands now on the sturdy wood. All he could feel was the presence of dust. It was as though the tips of his fingers sunk deep into the table. Pulling the chair out, the legs scraping the floor with a scratch, he sat. Not because he wanted to, but because his body was out of his control.
"Good boy. Now, let me tell you how I know you," Silas said, his voice soft.
Crossing his hands over one another, Silas closed his eyes as he began to speak. There was no need to alarm the boy, though the elder male had waited a long time for this moment. Some would say a lifetime, though it had only been a few years. For Silas, time was nothing. He had lived a very long time.
"I remember the first time I saw you. A waif of a child standing at my gate with nothing but the look of fear on your face," Silas laughed.
What he remembered most was the creature that stood next to him. A woman way past her years clutching the book of lies. Mortals called it the bible, but for Silas, it was complete rubbish. The kind of thing that humas use to make the younger generation fear everything. He had existed long enough to know that nothing in the book was the truth, and the sickness it created repulsed him.
"You came with an elderly lady. You called her grandmother, I presume?" Silas asked.
Every drop of air in Poe's body suddenly was sucked from his lungs. How could anyone know that. He hadn't even told his friends about that trip to the old mansion.
"Yes, but I was a little boy when she brought me here. No one lived here even then," Poe stammered. "I was only 7 years old then," he added.
"A waif of a child, but even then, I knew you would be back. The house called you, just as it called me years ago," Silas said. "A man can tell these things," Silas added.
Reaching over the table, the older male grabbed a stick match from the table, lighting what was left of an over-burned candle. The small room illuminating, this was the first time that he came out of the shadows in years. The first time he would allow anyone to see his face without ending them on the spot. Silas leaned back in the chair, but his face fully visible. Hair as dark as the Raven, his skin a stark contrast. If that wasn't enough, his eyes like glass and the deepest cerulean shade of blue. His features that of a man in his mid-20's, but biologically, he was many moons past his appearance. He was mesmerizing to all, and his voice like the high of a tranquilizer. Everything about him was made to attract others and hold their minds captive.
"You saw me with my grandmother. She was punishing me for stealing something. She said this house was filled with horrors, but most of all. She said the Devil lived on the other side of the doors," Poe said. His voice suddenly cracking, he watched the other male, unable to pull his eyes away, "Are you the Devil?"
A sudden burst of laughter erupted through the room, the male placing a hand on his stomach as to ease the sound. "No, but I must say, he is a hell of a guy. Not much of a sense of humor though. He takes everything so seriously," Silas chuckled.
Bang, Bang, Bang.
"Poe, open the fucking door. What are you doing in there? We heard another voice," Vanessa screamed through the closed door.
"Tell the two females to leave the house. You don't want them in any danger," Silas directed.
Poe stood, walking to the door of the room. Slowly opening a door that seconds before was sealed, he whispered through the crack, not fully opening the door.
"Please go. I will see you both tomorrow. I will be fine, but you two are not welcomed here," Poe said, the door closing on his last word. "They will leave now. Do not hurt them," Poe added, once again taking the seat across from the man.
"You've done well. Shall we continue?" Silas asked.
"Yes!" Poe replied.
YOU ARE READING
A Boy Named Poe
Mystery / ThrillerVanessa, Tommy, and Mary all grew up in the small town, but Poe, he was the outsider. The son of the English Professor, and he didn't fit in. Tight jeans, his dark hair always hung in his face. When he pushed his hair back, his eyes were the shade o...