FLESH covered LIES

The Missing of the Absent

There was a touch of something new in the air. A feeling I hadn't felt before, an atmosphere that had only just started to linger. It felt like an odd mix of exciting suspense, and anxiety, spreading its roots over the house.

I stretched and sat up in bed. It was the first proper sleep I had had in a while. I tried to push the memory that I had taken sleeping pills the night before to the back of my mind. The way I thought about it - that technically counted as cheating. I opened my eyes sleepily and glanced over at my phone on the table beside me. 11:30. God, I had slept for a long time. 

Despite finally feeling mildly at peace, something didn't feel quite right. The house sounded oddly quiet, a chilly air had settled all around me. I swiftly pulled on a jumper, slippers, and ran a hand through my hair. It needed to be washed, but that was the least of my problems right now. Looking over into the mirror I glared at my spotted face, blurry without my glasses. The bags under my eyes were still there, even after my long rest. I squinted at the chubby cheeks, the grey, dull eyes. I had never liked my appearance, but right now, it wasn't really that important. I scrambled around for my glasses, and eventually found them after the bed throw on the floor. Pushing them up my nose, I rushed from the room, not bothering to close the door behind me. 

After checking the library thoroughly, I realised that I hadn't seen anyone this morning. I hadn't even been woken with the tiny yet irritating screams of Tyler. Something was up, but I wasn't quite sure what yet. Uncertain, I made my way downstairs towards the kitchen. To my relief, everyone seemed to be in there, even Jonathan and Harissa.
"I've decided I might..." I started, but stopped myself right away when I saw the expressions of their faces. It was almost like someone had cloned their emotions and pasted exactly the same little wrinkles on their foreheads, the same wide scared eyes into their sockets, and that same overall expression of worry, onto each and every one of their faces. My mother ran a hand through her hair. I remembered her doing that when I was younger, when I was screaming too much when dad was working, or she couldn't find her car keys before one of my school poetry competitions.

That's how I knew something was up.

Harissa put her head in her hands as I stood there, confused. 
"Gerda. Tyler's gone." my mum said. 
The whole world around me went still. I stared blankly at my mother, for a good 20 seconds. But I still didn't quite understand. 
"What do you mean he's gone?"
My mum lowered her head. "We can't find him anywhere. This morning he wasn't in his room - I haven't seen him since last night." She paused. "None of us have."

I felt faint, so I chose a chair at random, and slumped into it. I wasn't crying. I was more in shock. There was a short silence. And then I started firing questions at them all. 
"Have you checked the whole house?" and "Have we searched the whole garden?" and "Have the police been called?"
"Yes." Harissa said suddenly, only just managing to get a word in edge ways with my constant questioning. "They are on their way. Should be here within the next 20 minutes."
I breathed a sigh of stress, trying to let it all out in that one single mouthful of air.
To my dismay, it didn't help much. With what had happened to Sherlock, and all the strange and odd things I had seen, everything built up into a massive ball in my stomach, writhing and twisting like a restless soul. 
I swallowed. 
"And what are we supposed to do now?"
"Wait." Jonathan said. "We'll wait for the police, and wait to find Tyler. He can't have gone far."
I frowned at him, and shook my head. 
"I'm not gonna sit... idly by while whatever that thing is has Tyler." 
Jonathan looked directly into my eyes, and said bitterly, "There is no thing."
I stared right back at him, unblinking and angry. 

My mum broke the uncomfortable, sincere silence, with a wave of her hand. 
"Everyone carry on looking. Check everywhere again. Gerda, since you can read so fast, maybe you should have a quick scan of the books in the library - keep reading up on anything you think might be useful"
I admired how calm she was. I could see the stress building up inside of her, but she was managing it well, and doing what had to be done. 

So we got to work. I tried to ignore the looks Jonathon was giving me every time I brought up the possibility that something had taken Tyler. 

The books were long, hard and tiring, but I continued reading, however exhausting it was. And looking back, I'm glad I did.

Years of research still haven't completely reassured scientists that the creatures actually exist, but currently, it stands that there is a completely legitimate chance that they are. Rumours have said that the monsters hide away in a den or lair, before taking their victims to be tortured or held. The lairs are normally close by to the persons family or friends, so that there is easy access to the real world when needed. 

I squinted, and read that same passage over and over. The words echoed eerily in my mind. hide away in a den or lair, before taking their victims to be...
Jonathon burst into the room his curls bouncing around his face. He reminded me of an excitable puppy, except this time, he was visibly not quite as happy as he could be. 
"Gerda, I think you were right, I was just talking to the gardener out there and..."
"Secret lair." I interrupted him. "There's a secret lair somewhere on the grounds."
Jonathon sank into a chair, nodding.

"But where...?"
I shrugged at him, and put my head in my hands. 
"Jonathon. What if Tyler is already...."
"Don't think like that."

So I tried not to.