The Figure: A Rhett and Link Horror Story

The Nightmare

Sunday, March 18, 2018
   It had been 13 days since Rhett was taken, and 12 days since Link was. Jessie hadn't been sleeping well, and she guessed that her kids hadn't been, either... not since Rhett mysteriously disappeared.

   At the moment, they were sitting around the dinner table. They grabbed hands, said a prayer for Rhett and Link, and started eating. "Mom... mom do you think that they're gone?", Locke looked up longingly from his plate of meatloaf and into his mom's sorrowful eyes. "Well, they're gone for now. I don't know where they are. Mrs. Christy and I have sent out a search party. They've been looking for quite some time. Dad and Link will come back", Jessie smiled at her two sons. Shepard shook his head. "No, mom... I think he's asking if they'll be gone... forever.", Shepard took another bite of his meatloaf. Locke looked at him, nodded, and looked back at Jessie. Her smile transitioned into a frown. "Um... let's not focus on that right now. How do you boys like the meatloaf?", she playfully smiled. "It's great!", Shepard exclaimed. Locke nodded and grunted in agreement. Barbara was sitting beside Locke's feet, hoping that a chunk of meatloaf would fall down her way.

   "Awesome. I mixed ketchup into the meat this time, as well as drizzled it on top. Gives it that extra sweetness.", Jessie said matter-of-factly. "Nice!", Locke took another bite.

   The three sat there, ate, and talked for the next hour or so. They laughed together, and even gave Barbara the leftovers. After the dog was done eating, she laid down on her small, purple bed and went to sleep. "I think Barb's got the right idea. It's 9:00, Shep. That's your bedtime.", Jessie smiled at her youngest son. "Aww man! Why doesn't Locke have to go to bed yet?", Shepard furrowed his brow. "He's older than you. When he was your age, I made him go to bed earlier than you have to. Besides, he doesn't stay up very long after you go to bed", Jessie told him. "Okay", Shepard sighed. "Thanks, bud. Love you", Jessie softly said. "Love you too, mom", Shep hugged her and bolted up the stairs. Locke and Jessie could hear him brushing his teeth and shutting his bedroom door. They heard the flick of the light switch in his room. Locke wanted to talk to his mom about something, but he waited a few minutes to ensure that his brother was deep in the realms of sleep before he started talking.

   Locke and his mom were now sitting on the couch together. He turned his head to look at her, and she looked right back at him. "What's wrong?", she asked him with sad eyes. Then she realized what it was that was bothering him. "Oh. It's dad, isn't it?", she said. He nodded with watery eyes. "Yeah, it is. I know we've been praying about it, and I believe that God can do wonders, but do you really think that there's a chance that he and Link are actually coming back? I-I mean, when we went to go hang out with Lily, Lincoln, and Lando yesterday, Lily told me that... that she had a dream a few days earlier. A dream that she had seem her dad. She said that he had looked panicked... almost like he didn't know where he was. And when she, her brothers, and her mom tried to run towards him, he-he faded away", Locke finished. Jessie cocked her head and had formed a curious look on her face.

   "That's weird. It probably was just a dream. I hope it was just a dream. Who knows... it could've been a vision... anyways, to answer your question: Dad and Link have only been gone for about two weeks, and I also believe that God can do amazing things... but still... anything could've happened to them by now", Jessie sniffled and wiped away a tear from her tired eyes. Locke was shocked at everything that his mom was telling him, and she could see the shock in her son's eyes. "Sorry Locke, but I'm being real with you. I'm telling it like it is. You're old enough to handle it. You're 14, after all.", she said to him.

"Yeah... I-I can handle it. I want to hear it like it is", Locke said with as much maturity in his voice that he could conjure up. "Good, Hun. I know it's hard to hear, and I know that you get a lot of questions at school. Your friends watch Good Mythical Morning... I know they do. I also know that the mysterious disappearance of Dad and Link has been on the news for the past week", Jessie was proud of her oldest son for being so mature. Locke nodded; both of those things were true.

   "I honestly don't know where they are," she started sniffling ,"or if they're e-ever coming b-b-back", she wiped away a few more tears from her eyes, and Locke wiped a few away from his. Jessie took a deep breath and composed herself. "All we have left to do is to wait... and not lose hope", she solemnly smiled at Locke. "Yup", Locke replied in his gruff, 14-year-old voice.

   About thirty minutes had passed.

   "Alright, bud. You should probably get ready for bed. Don't worry right now, and get some sleep. I love you so, so mu-", she was cut off by urgent screaming. It was coming from upstairs. Jessie and Locke looked at each other with wide eyes. Shepard was screaming. They couldn't hear exactly what he was saying because his door was closed, but he was definitely screaming words.

   Locke jumped off of the couch. "Shepard!", he yelled; worried. He went up the steps three at a time until he got to the top. Jessie followed close behind. Locke quickly opened the door, and him and Jessie ran into Shepard's room. Shepard was still asleep, but he must've been having a nightmare. They didn't wake him up yet, though. They wanted to hear the words that Shepard was screaming in his sleep. "DAD! N-NO! DON'T LET HIM, DAD!!! I MISS YOU! TRY TO ST-STAY HERE! PLEASE! DAD!", Shepard screamed over and over again. Locke and Jessie were horrified.

They quickly ran over to him and shook him awake. Shepard opened his eyes. His breathing was quick, and he was uncontrollably shaking out of fear; he looked traumatized. As soon as he realized that he was awake, safely in his room beneath his warm covers, and his mom and older brother were standing right beside him, he calmed down a little... but not much. He pulled both of them into a big hug, and they could feel how much Shepard was shaking.

"Dude... are you okay? What's wrong? We're really worried...", Locke urgently asked his younger brother. "D-dad. I miss him. Wh-where is he.... I miss him so much... he's not okay.... I know he isn't.... black, scary shadow man in my dreams... dad's not okay... he's not.... he may be okay, but I don't think he is... is he coming back..... I don't know.... is he okay... I don't think so...", poor Shepard rambled on and on about Rhett. Jessie had to calm him down. She put her a hand on his back. "Breath, buddy. It was just a nightmare. It's okay. Dad's okay, and the black shadow man is just a figment of your imagination", she glanced back at Locke and gave him an unsure look, as if to say "what if this shadow man isn't just a figment? What if he's real? What if he's the thing that was responsible for Rhett and Link disappearing?". She quickly decided that the shadow man that Shepard had mentioned was just a monster in his dreams, and nothing more. She looked back at Shepard.

"I don't think that dad is okay.", Shepard hesitantly said. "Why do you think that?", Jessie asked him, scared to hear what he had to say next. "Well, he wouldn't just leave. He just wouldn't. Not without telling us. Something had to have taken him... but that can't be possible. No one would've been able to sneak in to the bedroom and snag him without you waking up. But that shadow man in my dream... he told me something... well, not exactly. All he said was 'Rhett'. What... what if he took Rhett?", Shepard looked scared now.

Jessie and Locke exchanged glances. Locke spoke up. "Nah. That couldn't have happened. Those types of monsters aren't real. It's just your imagination making you think crazy stuff.", Locke reassured Shepard. "Your brother's right. Don't worry about dad right now. It's 10:00 at night.", Jessie ordered. "I guess you guys are right. Monsters aren't real", Shepard remarked. "Love you", Jessie kissed him in the forehead and walked out. Locke gave him a fistbump, turned off Shepard's light, and closed his door. Him and Jessie got into the same bed together, which they had been doing for the past couple of weeks since Rhett had gone. Jessie turned off the light. "Love you", she said. "You too. G'night", he said. Nothing else was discussed, and the McLaughlin house was dormant.

Sure, monsters aren't real; but this one was. The figure was very real, and both Rhett and Link were in its grasp.