Gone

Chapter One: The Nightmare Goes On

"Elysiaaaa!" No... Don't go in there.. "Elysia honey call the police- AAHH!" Snap. That had to be her neck.. Don't go in there.. Daddy's in there. Why isn't he helping Mommy..? Maybe a peek won't hurt..

"NO!" I suddenly jumped up and shouted. Sweating and panting, the air felt cool on my skin, like an Autumn breeze a week before Winter. I checked over to see the clock, hoping it wasn't too early. I should've known better.

"Shit. 3:33 A.M., again," I sighed. The dreams came back almost a week ago. It's odd though as I'd been fine for a few months now, almost a year even. I'll have to call Dr. Edward again. I thought to myself, knowing I didn't want to. Later anyway. Right now I just wanted to drink some water, throat was a bit dry anyway.

After dragging my half awake self towards the kitchen, I had found myself a cup and filled it with some tap water to drown out the soundscapes of my dream. Of flesh and bones being ripped apart and broken with the sound of me gulping the cold liquid to block it out. The lukewarm drink had distracted my thoughts for a bit and I felt somewhat relieved after I finished. A thought still was plaguing my mind though. This was more vivid than any of the previous nightmares, and unlike the rest, I remember from start to finish. It made me more confused than anything in all honesty. As boredom began to take over and mind had nowhere else to go, it turned back to those dreams, I decided to find some way to distract myself. Most of my entertainment here wasn't exactly alluring at the moment. I had just finished reading most of the books I had again, (which also happened to be slightly overdue). Out of options I naturally went to turn on the TV. Maybe the noise and visuals would distract this repeating nightmare. The news was playing when I heard something particularly interesting.

"The body of Riley Thompson was found yesterday buried in the forrest up in Michigan," the Anchor Girl read as a video of dirty, broken, mud covered bones being dug up played in the background, "... Riley Thompson was last seen by his friend and partner, Matthew Basalisk who used to run a Private Eye before closing the doors for good after the disappearance of his partner..." She droned on for a bit on where Riley was found exactly before she uttered something. Something that made all the hairs on my body rise and a chill rushing up my spine. She droned on with the same deadpan tone as she read the reported details of the remains- "... 'The vertebra is completely shattered and there's signs of predation on the body, likely from wolves or foxes who happened to find the corpse' Forrest Ranger Frank told our-" I turned off the TV.

Eaten. I ran upstairs and looked through my old clothes from two years ago for... I knew that name. I knew that face they took from a stock photograph. I knew it all. I remember his smile, and I remembered his friend. More importantly, I remembered what they gave me the last time I saw them. Found it. The card Investigator Riley had gave me when investigator Matthew and him took on the case against my.. Howard. He's not my father anymore. Against Howard when that all took place, suffice to say my 15 year old heart was devastated when I saw him walk free after court, then just up and vanish. I read the number carefully and after waiting for a bit to collect my thoughts, I called.

"Hello? It's Elysia..."