Trapped 3#: The Hollow Creek Murders (bxb)

Chapter 2: The Two Opposite Brothers

"Whew!" Tanaka sighed out as he carefully placed a giant box down. "This is the last one!"

I shot him a long, somewhat annoyed glace. "You guys didn't need to help me," was all that I mumbled. "I only scraped my arm, not cutting it off."

I didn't mean them to hear me, but Lucas laughed loudly. "You're quite salty, aren't you?"

I refrained from rolling my eyes and instead closed the door that led to the outside. It was now completely dark outside, and dreadfully cold as well. I leaned up against the door, defeated, and sighed heavily.

In truth, I was incredibly grateful for their help. After all, if they hadn't come along and helped me, then I still would have been out there, but they didn't need to. In fact, their mom had left us after Tanaka had declared that he would help in the first place, stating that she had something to take care of. I wanted to tell her that I would give her the grand tour of the house instead since she had seemed so interested in it, but I stayed quiet instead.

But now, as I was staring at both of the boys more clearly, I noticed that they seemed almost nothing alike at all. Tanaka, first of all, had deep black hair that swallowed up any light that touched it along with deep green eyes. They seemed to gush out with life, and was a lot more prominent with his perfect snow-like skin.

Meanwhile, Lucas didn't seem to be anything like him, and it wasn't just in the features. I couldn't shake off the feeling that there was something off about him. It was almost as if he was a ghost, or just something that seemed added to the picture in a crude way. A bright, neon strike of paint across a neutral canvas.

"So..." I said slowly, not knowing what I was saying as I was saying it. "I'm sorry for intruding, but are you two related?"

Tanaka grinned. "Well, kinda," he said with a small chuckle. "We're actually step-brothers, but we've been together so long that I would consider us two brothers."

"Oh," was all I replied, my mind turning. That did make sense. Being step brothers meant they didn't need to have anything alike, so it looked like I was wrong.

Wrong? But what had I been wrong about?

"And you?" Lucas's smooth voice filled the room and traveled into my ears, causing me to almost shutter. "Do you have any siblings?"

I shook my head. "No, I'm an only child."

"And where are your parents?"

"Work," I replied. I was starting to get annoyed, but I didn't want to be rude.

"Hm, I see."

"Lucas," Tanaka rolled his eyes. "Quit being so noisy and let's get going. We need to finish up that project."

"Oh shit," Lucas suddenly lurched forward in alarm. "You're so right. God, if I get another failing grade, mom is going to kill us!"

"Don't you mean you?"

"Nope," Lucas replied smugly before heading towards the door. Towards me. He held out his hand and smiled brightly. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Neil, and I hope we can be good friends in the future."

I forced myself to shake his hand while giving him a weak smile, but no words were able to come out of my mouth.

His lips twitched before he opened the door and walked out. Tanaka groaned and patted my shoulder. 

"Sorry about him. He can be a little strange, but he's a really good guy. I promise." He said before smiling. "I'll see you tomorrow, new kid!"

And with those words, he quickly ran after his brother and disappeared into the night.

I closed the door as fast as possible before sinking onto the floor.

"That was horrible," I muttered into my knees. "I am the worst socialble person in this whole, god-forsaken universe."

I wanted to curl up into a ball under some covers and cry, but I knew that I couldn't.

Looking back up, I stared at all of the boxes in front of me. All of the boxes that I had to unpack.

"Looks like this hell is going to continue, after all."

***

Spidery legs.

Spidery eyes. 

The spidery woman scrambled across the floor, desperately trying to flee whatever seemed to be behind her. 

But there was only darkness. There was only the spider woman as she continued to run for her life. To run from what lurked within the void.

Streaks of unattractive sweat poured down her white, ghost-like skin and her spider-like hair was a mess. Eyes, small and black, darted around for anything within the darkness to help her, to save her.

But her fate had already been sealed.

The unknown force violently thrashed her into the void, and a blood-curdling scream soon followed it.

Blood poured down onto the floor of where she once was.

She had been squashed.

Like the little bug that she was. 

Awaken.