Gone (Short Story)

Chapter 4

It's been a week since her death. The police said Mavis really did kill her family and committed suicide after that because of guilt.
But the three of us knew better than that. We knew Mavis didn't do it.

For the past few days, Jemma has been quiet. The experience probably shook her too hard. Althought it was very strange. While Athena and I kept trying to lighten the mood, Jemma wouldn't react or say anything.

She was usually the one who talked the most. She talked about anything and everything so it was weird to see her so quiet.

Sometimes, she would smile like she wanted to laugh but couldn't or she would open her mouth like she wanted to say something but always retreated.

Athena and I decided to talk to her about the matter.

We walked down the corridor of the school, searching for her. She was probably near the faculty. Jemma always hung out there for stronger wifi signal.

We stopped in our tracks when we heard crying coming from a classroom near the faculty.

We peeked into the room and saw Jemma sitting in a corner, hugging her legs towards her chest.

We quickly entered the room and walked towards her. She saw us which caused her to cry harder.

"Jem... What's wrong?" Athena asked.

"Please talk to us. We miss you." I said.

Jemma opened her mouth. We thought she was going to say something but she started coughing, and blood gushed out.

"Jemma!" Athena exclaimed.

We tried to help her but we didn't know what to do.

"Call a teacher!" I yelled. "Hurry Athena!"

She rushed out of the room as I layed Jemma to her side. After a few minutes, she lost consciousness and I noticed something on the floor.

It was covered in blood. When I examined it, I saw that it was a tongue. I stumbled back in shock. Where did that come from?

Maybe...

I hesitated for a moment but I opened Jemma's mouth and just as I thought, her tongue was cut off.

~*~

"This isn't normal anymore." I told Athena as we sat in Jemma's hospital room.

"I know. First Mavis, and now this." Athena muttered in frustration.

"All this started when we saw the big eye." I whispered to myself.

"There you go again, talking about the big eye. Be serious for once, Prex!" She exclaimed.

"I'm not joking!" I yelled back as I balled my hands up into fists. "We did see it!"

She rolled her eyes, indicating that she still didn't believe me.

My face started heating up and my body shook with anger as tears escaped my eyes. I was about to do something I would regret later on but the hospital room's door opened.

"Hey." A guy said as he stepped into the room.

He was tall with silky black hair. He had small eyes, indicating that he was either Korean or Japanese. His skin was pale as well.

"Who are you?" I asked with a cracked voice.

"You don't remember me?" He retorted and walked closer to me. "My my, why are you crying?"

That voice sounded awfully familiar. "Haru?"

He nodded in response. "I came here to visit, and to talk to you about important matters. I told you I would see you again."

"This is about the eye, am I right?" I asked as I wiped the tears away.

"Yes. It seems like you noticed why this is happening."

I looked at Athena only to find her staring at Haru like she couldn't believe a person like him existed.

"How do I stop it? And what exactly does it want from us?" I asked.

Haru sighed. "There's a ritual that you have to perform but we can talk about that later. Is there anything strange you hear or see in your dreams?"

I nodded. "The word that resounds in my dreams is fear."

Haru snapped his fingers. "Bingo. It uses your greatest fears to eat you up."

Then I remembered what Mavis said.

Losing them is what I'm most afraid of and I can't believe I killed them!

"For Mavis is losing the people she loves and for Jemma is..." Haru trailed off.

I gasped in realization. "Not being able to talk."

"Right. This thing, creature or whatever, needs people like you to become bigger. When you give in to your fears, you feed it and it becomes more powerful." Haru explained.

I recalled the eye. It was already so huge so that meant alot of people went through the same thing we did.

"Wait, Haru. Why do you know so much about this? And why can't you be the one to perform the ritual?" I asked.

He ran his hand through his hair. "Because... I was a victim as well."

My eyes widened. He didn't seem like one.

"And I can't perform the ritual because, Prex...

I'm already dead."