Thanatophobia (H2OVanoss)

Chapter 28

The phone kept ringing, and with every passing second Evan felt a piece of his courage chip away. And just as he thought it was hopeless, Luke picked up.

There was a silence on the other end, but it was eerie without the usual background noise that accompanied a call. It made Evan nervous, but he ignored it.

"Luke? I need to talk to you."

There was no reply. Evan checked his phone, making sure that there was an actual call, and the time counter ticked on. He tried again.

"..."

No reply. But he heard a very faint sound. Turning his phone on speaker and increasing the volume, he could hear a steady beat, as though someone was hitting something soft, over and over and over. It just kept going.

Unnerved, Evan felt his heart rate increase. What would make a noise like that?

"Luke!"

There was a moment, and then the sound stopped. There was a faint rustle as the phone seemed to be picked up off of something, and then a grunt was heard.

"Evan."

"Luke! Look, I need you to listen to me, I need you to understand."

"I already understand. I know what you did to him."

"Wait, hang on. It was a misunderstanding, I didn't give that girl anything! I don't know what happened."

"Sure. That's why Jonathan called me, crying. Because of some misunderstanding."

"Luke..."

"If you want to talk to him, then you need to prove yourself. Wait, and maybe in a few years he'll forgive you. Jon was always too nice..."

"Luke, I love him. I won't be away from him this long. Please!"

"If you love him, give him time. I don't want you near him right now."

Evan felt his temper flare.

"Luke, let Jonathan get on the phone. I won't let you speak for him, he has his own mind, and he can make his own choices. Let him hear what I have to say."

"No."

"Luke, I swear-"

"I said no. Jonathan is mine, I am the one who will protect him. I would never betray him, unlike you!"

"Luke, I told you, I didn't! I would never-"

"It's too late now. Stop calling me, and Jonathan doesn't have a phone any more so don't try to bother him."

"Did you take his phone?! I won't stop calling. I need to talk to him, to see him again! Put him on the phone!"

"This is your last war-"

A soft cough was heard as Luke cut off. There was a scratching sound, and a weak voice could barely be heard from somewhere away from the phone.

"Ev...Evan..."

"Jonathan! Look, I'm sorry, it was a misunderstanding!"

"Eva-"

There was a thud.

"Jonathan, go back to your room."

"Luke, what's going on? Give him the phone!"

"Excuse me, Evan, but I have business to attend to."

An insane lilt crept into his voice.

"Don't bother us again."

"Wai-"

Luke ended the call. Evan dropped his phone, his hands shaking. He was in shock, his entire reality shattered. Tyler, who had made some pasta from the fridge in the kitchen, knocked and opened the door.

"How did the call go?"

When Evan looked up, Tyler knew something was wrong. His eyes were so bloodshot his scleras was almost completely red. He looked panicked, deranged almost, and desperate.

He ran to Evan as his legs shook with his own weight. He caught him as he was about to collapse, and realized that Evan was shaking.

"What happened?!"

"Jonathan...Luke...I can't...We, we need to get to Jonathan!"

Tyler didn't question, and ran back to Evan's open laptop. Using Google Maps to find the nearest airport, he got tickets that would get them there by the next day. The flight was in thirty minutes.

Running back to the bedroom, Tyler grabbed Evan's arm.

"I got tickets. Let's go."