The Summoning (Sleep Token FanFiction)

XVIII - When The Bough Breaks

It was the night before the tour and I had the feeling of being watched as I sat with the laptop in the main chapel of the church. I hadn't trusted myself to look up anything else related to the disappearance of the college girl or to the band members' supposed deaths. It felt as though there was something they didn't want me to know or was deliberately omitting something. It made me wonder if I had put too much trust in these men. But they hadn't harmed me; much the opposite, actually. My hand was nearly completely healed and the dissolvable stitches on my leg had almost fallen out.

I was finally able to walk without the crutch, at least without Vessel reprimanding me, without any pain. 

Sighing, I opened the laptop once more and checked my surroundings to make sure I was alone before returning to the news article I'd found the other night. 

Manchester University student disappears from apartment. 

It seemed the article was published two days after the last time she was seen with anyone. The picture of the mangled car and her college photo was at the top of the article and I could have sworn I had seen the car before. 

Elizabeth Davies was last seen at a classmates' party near St. Margaret's Bay before leaving the party with her boyfriend, Oliver Moore, who has also been missing. The only evidence found at the scene was a roll of duct tape with no finger prints in the bathroom where the mirror was shattered.

I made a new search for Oliver Moore and nearly dropped the laptop when a familiar face came up.

It was Vessel. That was his real name. 

Was Elizabeth in the accident? This seemed to raise more questions than it answered. 

Looking more thoroughly into Oliver Moore, I found nothing but more missing person announcements. This time, I sifted through other article archives to see if there was anything else familiar.  

Three college students' presumed dead after car found off Dover Cliffs.

My heart leapt as graduation pictures came up for the victims...

It was II, III and IV.

"Working hard?" 

I nearly dropped the laptop before snapping it shut as I shot my eyes up to find IV standing in the doorway of the church. Making quick work of finding a reply, I made my voice sound as casual as I could. "As long as I'm going to get paid."

"Hmm." I wasn't sure if he believed my front as he narrowed his eyes minutely before uncrossing his arms and starting across the room.

Please, God, don't let him ask to see what I was doing...

"I think II wants to go into town to make sure you have everything you need to go on tour with us." IV leaned against the podium as he raised an eyebrow, "Unless you want to keep wearing our clothes." 

My heart was pounding so hard that it hurt, but I managed a huff of a laugh before nodding. "Is that today's plan? I don't want to take time out of your guys' day when you're busy packing."

He shrugged, crossing his arms again. "We pretty much have everything packed that we need. We just need to meet with the tour manager tonight to get things squared away. We leave tomorrow morning."

I nodded, casually setting the laptop to the side. 

"You seem... high strung, Hayley." The suspicion returned to his eyes as he studied me, tipping his head to the side with a small quirk of his lips. 

I had to look down to avoid his icy gaze. "I just don't know what Sleep could possibly want with me."

"Are you coming with us, Hayley?" II was zipping up a black and grey hoodie as he stood in the church's doorway.