The Missing Boy

Chapter Three - The Investigations Begin

The heavy morning fog hung low over the town as Alex made his way to Ethan's house. His mind raced with a mix of anxiety and determination, the events of the past few days refusing to settle. Simon was still missing, and now, Alex couldn't let the weight of his guilt hold him back anymore. He had to do something.

As he approached Ethan's front door, Alex hesitated. Their relationship had always been complicated. After years of drifting apart, Ethan's reappearance in his life felt awkward, but Simon was the thread that tied them together. No matter how tense things might get between them, they shared one common goal now: finding Simon.

Ethan answered the door before Alex could knock, his face weary but resolute. "You ready for this?"

Alex nodded, though his stomach twisted with uncertainty. "Yeah. Let's figure this out."

Inside Ethan's room, the air was tense. Papers and notes about Simon's disappearance were scattered across the desk, maps of the woods pinned to the wall. Ethan had clearly been working tirelessly, diving into every detail since Simon vanished. Alex couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt—he should've been doing the same.

Ethan gestured for Alex to sit. "I've been gathering whatever I could. Talked to a few people, but no one's taking this seriously."

Alex leaned forward, scanning the messy pile of notes. "No one saw anything?"

Ethan's jaw tightened. "The last person to see Simon was that jogger near the woods. After that, nothing. The police think he's just a runaway. Hell, most of the town couldn't care less. No one really noticed him when he was here, so why would they care now?"

Alex felt his fists clench under the table. The indifference from the town—the same apathy they had shown when Simon was struggling at school—was eating away at him. It wasn't just about Simon disappearing. It was about everyone pretending like his life didn't matter.

"We'll find him," Alex said firmly. "We can't let them forget him."

Ethan looked at Alex for a moment, something unreadable in his eyes. The tension between them simmered, unspoken words hanging in the air like a storm waiting to break. Alex knew that Ethan blamed him, at least partially, for what happened to Simon. And Alex couldn't deny his role in letting things get this bad.

But for now, they had to put their differences aside. Simon came first.

They spent hours going over the timeline of Simon's disappearance, piecing together whatever fragments they could find. They visited the library, digging through news reports and online forums, hoping for any clue, any hint of something they had missed. The town itself wasn't helpful—most people didn't even know Simon was missing. The few that did just shrugged it off.

At school, Alex and Ethan were met with the same cold indifference. Some kids whispered as they passed, others rolled their eyes. One of Simon's old bullies, a tall guy named Ryan, leaned against the lockers with a smug grin as they walked by.

"What's this, a rescue mission for the ghost boy?" Ryan snickered. "Good luck with that."

Alex's blood boiled, but Ethan grabbed his arm before he could do something stupid. "Not worth it," Ethan muttered, his grip firm.

Alex glared at Ryan but kept walking. His thoughts darkened with every step. No one in this town cared. They'd all let Simon suffer, let him disappear without a second thought. But Alex couldn't afford to let his anger distract him. He needed to stay focused on the investigation. Simon needed him now, more than ever.

Back at Ethan's house, the tension between them finally reached a boiling point. They had spent hours chasing dead ends, and frustration was setting in.

"This isn't getting us anywhere," Alex muttered, throwing his hands up in frustration. "We need more information—something real. We can't just keep guessing."

Ethan leaned back in his chair, eyes narrowing. "You think I don't know that? I've been trying to figure this out since the moment he disappeared. Maybe if you'd been paying attention before this happened, we wouldn't be in this mess."

The words hit Alex like a punch to the gut. He stood there, stunned for a moment, the weight of Ethan's accusation settling in. "You think this is my fault?" he shot back, his voice rising.

"I didn't say that" Ethan replied coldly. "But maybe if you'd been there for him when he needed you, we wouldn't be in this situation."

Alex's hands balled into fists. He knew Ethan had a point—he had pushed Simon away, ignored the signs, and now he was paying the price. But hearing it out loud stung more than he expected.

"I know I screwed up," Alex said, his voice tight. "But we both did. You weren't exactly around for him either."

Ethan's jaw clenched, and for a moment, Alex thought they might actually come to blows. But then, just as quickly as the tension had risen, it seemed to deflate. Ethan sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah. I know."

The room fell silent again, the weight of their shared guilt hanging heavy between them.

After a few minutes of uneasy silence, Ethan stood up, pacing the room. "We're missing something. Something big."

Alex looked up, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Simon... he wasn't just struggling with the bullying or the isolation," Ethan began, his voice quiet. "He told me he felt like he was being watched. Like someone—or something—was after him."

The words sent a shiver down Alex's spine. He remembered the eerie feeling in the woods, the sense that something was lurking just beyond the trees. He hadn't taken Simon's warnings seriously back then, but now, with everything happening, it didn't seem so far-fetched.

"Do you think...?" Alex began, but trailed off, unsure of what he was even asking. Was it possible that something more sinister was at play? That Simon hadn't just run away, but had been taken by something?

Ethan shrugged, though his expression was grim. "I don't know. But I think we need to start looking at this from every angle. We can't rule anything out."

Alex nodded, feeling the chill of uncertainty creeping up his spine. Whatever had happened to Simon, they were running out of time to find out. And the more they dug into the mystery, the more it felt like they were uncovering something far darker than they had anticipated.

Later that night, Alex lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. His mind wouldn't stop racing. Ethan's words echoed in his head: "He felt like someone was watching him." The idea that Simon had been stalked, maybe even hunted by something in those woods, made Alex's skin crawl. What if it wasn't just Simon's mind playing tricks on him? What if they were up against something far more dangerous than they realized?

The investigation had only just begun, and already, Alex could feel the weight of it pressing down on him. But no matter what happened, he wasn't going to stop. He couldn't fail Simon again.