Among Us (boyxboy) [ON HOLD]

Chapter 40 - Speculations

I was still not quite functioning properly by the time mom smashed the door shut behind me. She was furious. With everything and everyone, even my dad. Although, I guess now it shouldn't have come as a surprise anymore.

"Are you alright?" Dad's voice was timid, a very rare notion for him to show.

I looked up at him, not really knowing an answer to his question.

His face fell the moment he met my eyes.

"Oh Duncan." Immediately, I was in his arms, where he pressed me to himself as if I needed him to do that in order to not fall apart.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." It was an honest apology, but I didn't know what for. He didn't have anything to do with what was going on, even if I didn't really know what that was.

Only now I realised that I was shaking a bit, probably very close to another panic attack, but I willed it to go away, not wanting to succumb to that again.

"Dad?" My voice was quiet, controlled, as I feared if I showed any emotion at all, I would not manage to keep myself together.

"Do you know what's happening?" I felt like a little boy again, asking my father why my hamster had died.

Dad hesitated and that was enough of an answer for me.

"Tell me."

"It's not my place to tell." The only reason I didn't continue pressing him for answers was because I had told him the same thing when I had first found out about Oliver.

Mom never came home that night, or the following night, or any time during the next three days. My dad and me lived in a heavy silence. We gyrated towards each other, if for different reasons all together. My reason was easy, I feared being alone because of the thoughts that would resurface then and because being close to someone I loved calmed me down. My father's reason I didn't know. But I was sure it wasn't because he didn't want to be alone, he had always been able to fend for himself very well. I guessed it had more to do with the fact that he wanted to keep an eye on me.

The nightmares had gotten worse as well. I had had several in one night, keeping me awake for hours for fear of having to revisit them should I fall asleep again.

I did, however, force myself to go to uni. There was no way I was risking losing another year and repeating it, not again.

On my way there, my eyes kept going all over the place, looking for something, or rather, someone. There was an erratic need to see Matthew. Or, at this point, it would already make me feel better if I saw Oliver or Citty. They were all gone, all without a trace. Although I technically knew where Matthew was, I had no way to get there or contact him.

There was a flicker of movement on my right side and I immediately turned my head in that direction, looking at absolutely nothing. There was a park, with a few dogs going on walks with their masters and a couple of benches where the sidewalk led into the grass field, but none of that could have been the flash I had seen.

I shook my head, hoping to get away with being too worked up, but that was exactly when I heard the steps again. It was the exact same sound and feeling I'd had the other time, when there was absolutely nothing there and I was still convinced I was being followed. Even now, I knew there would be no one there and still I stopped and turned around to check. No sound of steps, no sign of any person whatsoever.

I continued walking towards the uni, and immediately, the invisible follower fell into step behind me. I gulped and kept my hands in fists by my side.

I just had to hold out until I would reach the uni. There, there would be too many students for me to hear who ever was or was not following me.

At lunch, I was sat alone on a table far off. A few of Citty's friends tried to sit with me, but I told all of them off. I didn't want anyone's sympathy, let alone company.