Life Is A Nightmare

Chapter Fourteen: Believe Me

(Gavin)

I let my dad's words sink in as I stood there in more confusion I had in the past month. My head was spinning, my world taking another turn I didn't expect to take. For a split second I thought I misunderstood him but glancing down at the newspaper on the counter it made perfect sense. He went on talking about a recent teacher who died he thought did it but I tried to explain to my dad that's not possible. I know he's wrong because I just saw the person wearing the scarecrow mask watching me. Jenna saw him too as he walked away and he was very much alive. Not only that but he kept watching me after I left my dad's.

An hour after I left my dad's I was sitting on my bed with my laptop out as the hours passed. Eyes starting to get tired the more time passed and I started reading old newspaper articles about Jayden and then my dad. Besides watching my dad stay entangled in the past by still talking to Jared my dad never spoke much of his past. He's always said Jayden is innocent on repeat and spoke here and there of Vivian. His life as a teenager into his twenties is a matter my grandma filled in. But his words started to make me wonder how many more secrets are buried? 

Right before I decided to leave my dad's he mumbled, "Please stop looking into it."

"Why? I thought you wanted Jayden to be proven innocent?" I retorted but was told a completely different response than I thought I would receive.

"There's a reason why I haven't done much Gavin. There are things in the past that need to stay there."

"Like what?" I asked wondering what did he do?

"Jayden knows." his words kept replaying in my head that night as I clicked onto another article about Jayden's trial. It went on comparing the crime to his father Jared. And in the middle of the many words to describe the events that were said to have taken place that night was a mention of an attempted interview with my dad.

-----

When asked about his son following Jared's footsteps Jonhathan had no comment. He simply didn't want to discuss the matter at hands with a somber look in his eyes. Quickly he raced into his house with his husband Chris.

For years, Jonhathan Kohl has managed to remain out of the public's attention. No problems have risen in the past ten years as he appeared to move on with his life after spending six years with a man who held him against his will. Nothing shocking brought attention on him until his son's crime.

The prosecutor is calling the murder a vicious act done by a monster. She compares the murder to that of his father who killed several people years ago and buried them behind his house. Multiple stab wounds ended Jayden's ten-year-old sister's life in the same house he grew up in. Many are now questioning what good can come from such a tragic event. What can we do to prevent another killer's child from following his father's footsteps?

-----

It was then after I read it I heard a tapping sound that wasn't part of the song I was listening to. I suddenly looked up panicked with the lights off and only my laptop lighting up the room. I didn't hear anything more besides the movie my dad was watching in the living room. I thought about brushing it off, pretending it didn't happen but there it was again.

Another tap and then another at the window and I dared to look up to meet haunting eyes watching me as I sat on my bed. His head tilted and I knew then he was smirking at me. He found it funny as if he knew I saw my dad and no one was going to believe me.

There I was frozen in utter disbelief. I had wanted to believe if only I could shake off what I saw and what I talked to my dad about maybe just maybe I was under too much stress. Maybe there was a glimmer of hope I was imagining things but it was too clear to be mistaken and I couldn't forget his appearance earlier that day.

Twice in one day I seen him, caught him watching and as much as both times I wanted to find out who he is there was this fear growing inside me. I was scared. I was honestly second guessing if I wanted to know who he was when my dad stepped into my room. He snapped me out of my trance and by the time I looked back about to tell him someone was outside my window the person was gone. He left and my thoughts of sleep disappeared with him.

I haven't slept much in the past week. I haven't wanted to out of fear that the moment I do he will be there watching me. Depicting everything about me as he thinks of a way to make me suffer while I regret my first visit with Jayden which started all this.

"I'm surprised you wanted to talk," Cole says taking a seat across from me at a burger place close to my house.

I asked him to meet me here to talk but now as I glance around at the people chatting away maybe here was a mistake. Maybe asking him to meet me was a mistake altogether but I didn't know what else to do.

I need someone to talk to, someone to believe me when I say I'm not losing my mind. "Like you said we have things in common."

"Yeah I guess." he doesn't sound thrilled with my choice of words. I could have said something like, 'I thought it would be nice to get to know my best friend's boyfriend' but that sounds too fake. I mine as well say my real reasons from the start and get the awkwardness over with if he wants to continue talking to me or not. "About what I said last time, I just said what I thought might help. Kalen did bring it up and it was just a weird coincidence my uncle was sent to the same institution as your older brother. I didn't mean anything else. I only know what my family has gone through and what helps me. To be honest I really don't know much about you and I'm not trying to find out."

"We're half siblings but it doesn't change the parent we do share in common. Most people know my dad and some still whisper about him. Talk about how sad it must be for him to have two kids from the monster who kept him in his house for six years brainwashed then have the normalcy he had ripped away from him again."

"People always like to talk, always gossip and spread rumors. Nothing ever changes but what can is moving on. Shutting the people out and moving away from dwelling in the past helps." he says.

"I used to be on the fence of hating my brother. Hating how my dad spent so much time consumed in worrying about him than me. I always believed my grandma was right telling me my dad needs help. He's more messed up than she thought he was and no one can fix him. No one can save him since he went back to the person who hurt him. It's a tragic family story but then I started to think maybe she wasn't right about everything." I go on rambling on about everything.

"Like what?" I have his interest.

"I don't think my brother did it," I say so quietly I don't know if he heard me. "I think people assumed he would turn into the person he's always sought out not to be and they judged him. They overlooked the evidence that wasn't there and it's starting to become more clear."

"What wasn't there?" he asks believing me less and less. I regret this entire idea of thinking maybe he would understand, maybe he would believe me.

I look out the window, "I know how this sounds. I know I look less sane the more I talk but I know what I saw. There's someone following me, watching me from the first visit I had with Jayden. Ever since I walked out of the building there was this uncertainty of what he said. I wanted to try to forget about the visit and move on but then I saw someone that looked a lot like the person he described was in the house the night Vivian died."

Fear rises inside me once again. I become terrified just thinking of how often I've seen him in the past few days. Each time I'm headed into the dark depths of what I unknowingly got myself into. Split down the middle wondering what I'm supposed to do next. "I need someone to tell me this isn't in my head. I need someone to believe me." I finally say after his silence becomes too much.