Pisanthraphobia (H2OVanoss and Others)

Chapter 8

  The box wasn't necessarily filled, but it might as well have been. The first thing seen was a stack of papers, written in some sort of coded script that scrawled randomly across the page. It was strikingly similar to the 'fake' writing in Evan's notebook.

Passing them off as illegible, Tyler used his fingertips to gently grasp a small black cube. Examining it, he found two buttons on opposing faces, which clicked inward. Nothing happened, so he released, but then it shifted in his hand, becoming a sphere.

Confused, he played around with it some more, but nothing seemed to get it back to its original state or change it again. Mini had found an exact replica that was white instead, both having the same function.

Underneath the papers there were multiple halves of what appeared to be coloured pencils, the wood scratched and chipped but completely smooth at the ends. And then there was a small soft toy.

Frozen in thought, the object seemed to bring back so many memories from all that time ago. It had soft grey fur, a striped tail, and two blue eyes that seemed to pierce right through the air. The tiny raccoon somehow reminded them of Jonathan.

Tyler gently cradled it and lay it to the side, taking Craig's hand into his own. There was nothing else in the box, but something wasn't right. He tilted it to the side, putting his finger on the bottom and one on the side.

Flipping it over, he hit the edges of the top opening against the ground a few times until he heard a dull noise. Overturning it again, the false bottom stayed on the floor.

Underneath it, secured by a strap made of some sort of Velcro held in two things; a bible and Evan's laptop. The two smiled at each other as they retrieved the elusive computer, and they took their time on the drive home.

It took another week before they initiated the plan™. Ever since the notebook had directed them, they had been getting up earlier in the morning just in case Tyler was called again.

When it was finally time, it took him all of his patience to not answer immediately. The phone call was the same as always, and Tyler replied in his usual fashion.

Though he had considered taking Craig with him, the lone drive was lonely, an empty feeling settling in his chest like a premonition. Of what, he had no idea.

He went in like usual, his computer bag banging against his leg as he made his way up the stairs. When he first went in, it was the same as always, but he could never believe it was the same reality. Evan's sobs and cries almost made him stop in the doorway, but he played it off with a sigh.

He moved to take a seat on the couch, placing a hand on Evan's shoulder and letting him relax into him. As they sat he glanced down at Evan and slowly moved his bag to the floor, rubbing his shoulder and side because of the uncomfortableness.

He closed his eyes and listened to Evan's symphony, letting his mind slip and his thoughts wander to some other place. The lights overhead made the room have a sickly pallor, and the room reminded him of a horror movie.

Feeling antsy, he forced himself to stay strong for at least another hour, before laying the sleeping body next to him onto the couch. He let his thoughts guide him out on autopilot, and only as he drove home did he let himself cry.

Evan had been listening. His hearing picked up the footsteps, the barely-there taps that almost seemed like an illusion. At first he had thought it was just him listening to hard to nothing at all, or maybe he really was going insane, but they were random.

He had spent days listening, even though his episodes were becoming more and more genuine, and for once he didn't question. Somehow, he was able to hear his jailers watching the cameras.

He had spent a few days learning the layout, knowing how many seconds I took between them switching out and how it varied each day. When Tyler left the bag, he knew when to move.

With swift tenacity, he grabbed his computer and opened the command block. He activated his program, the same one he had used oh so long ago, and he hacked the system. Holding his breath, he listened to the footsteps. Not a single one was different.

He sighed and finally relaxed, knowing that soon he would be free from this psychedelic construct and back to the closest thing he had to a home, even if nowhere felt that way anymore.

His bag lay on the floor off to his side, left there carelessly. He stood up to go hide it, because even at this stage he couldn't afford to jeopardize his chance. He went to his computer and sent an email to Tyler, telling him that things would continue like usual until he could figure out what to do.

He got a reply back almost instantly, and he felt a rush of warmth in his chest at the affection of the words, a feeling he hadn't felt in a long time. Knowing that a meal would come soon, he set the camera loop to turn off on a timer and hid his computer away.

As he lay on the bed and closed his eyes, he let himself fall into a restful slumber, almost forgetting to wipe the small smile off his face. It was almost time.