The Nobody Chronicals

Chapter 8: Siren and Soundwave

Grace was walking outside the music room when she heard Mr. Ging speak. “Great job, once again, Zach. Soon I won’t be able to teach you anymore.”

    “Thank you, Mr. G., I’ll see you next week,” Zach said backing out of the classroom. He turned towards Grace, surprised. “Oh! Hey Grace.”

    “Hey, Zach. I didn’t know you took lessons. What do you play?”

    “Guitar,” Zach said. “Do you play anything?”

    “I actually sing.”

    “Oh, that's cool.” They continued to talk until they passed the art studio, where they heard a crash.  They stopped talking and started in the studio where Kyle and Skylar emerge from a canvas, which clattered to the floor. Kyle picked it up and hastily ripped it in half. “The hell,” Zach started. Skylar and Kyle looked at the two in surprise. “What the hell happened.”

    “Uh, nothing?” Kyle said, playing it off.

    “Nothing?! We just saw you two come out of a painting!” Grace quickly ran to where the halves lay. “What was this anyway?”

    “Wait!” Grace picked up the blood-red canvas but screamed before putting them completely together. She threw them to the floor. Zach was there faster than lighting.

    “What?!” He asked nervously.

    “It’s the hallway. How,” Grace said trying to catch her breath. “Where have you seen that?”

    Skylar was shocked. “Wait you’ve seen it before?”

    “We both have.” Zach said with a grim look on his face.

    “We aren’t the only ones,” Skylar said to Kyle, both were shocked.

    Kyle looks at Zach, eyes narrowed. “Zach, where have you seen that?”

    “When I met Grace. When our hands touched.”

    “That’s what happened to us.” Skylar looked at Grace for answers, but she had none. The four heard sweet humming from down the hall. Melody appeared in the doorframe, smiling.

    “Oh! What are you guys doing?” She asked happily

    “Uh, Hey Melody.” Grace and Skylar said.

    “We were admiring all the hard work students put into this beautiful art,” Zach said, cringing afterward.

    “Speaking of which, Skylar where is your newest painting?”

    “No!” But Melody was already past them looking at the broken canvas on the floor. After a few seconds of realization, Melody gasped and darted out of the room, muttering something that sounded like “I have to go.” When Skylar and Grace, they found nothing and returned to the art studio.

    “She’s gone,” Skylar said. Both the boys looked shocked.

    “I think we should leave before they close the school”

    “Yeah, it’s getting late.” Grace checked her watch. Almost 4 o’clock. She shuddered. “I need to be somewhere.” She waved and quickly exited the school and to her car.

    “See you later man,” Zach said waving to Kyle as he walked out of the school. Hours later, Grace checked into the hotel. She hated this part. Facing the people at the front desk. She knows she looks young to be going to a hotel alone. She keeps to herself, they keep to themselves. She went to the hotel room as two young men walked in. Zach was still confused to why his father was taking him to a hotel. But he knew he couldn’t hurt him. People would hear the abuse taking place. He also couldn’t predict what he would do. His father’s snicker was to much for Zach to handle.The two were told the room and given a key. Zach’s father walked him down the hallway and knocked on a random door. A women wearing only lacy undergarments pulled his father in, quickly shutting the door after him. Zach was shocked. What was he doing here if his father was with this women? Zach decided it was best to just go to the given room. Grace was sleeping on the couch, exhaustion taking its toll. Zach was shocked. He silently shut the door. “Grace?” Zach called. Grace stirred. “Grace, what are you doing here?” Grace sat up at the familiar voice. Her eyes widened when she saw Zach.

    “Zach?” Grace was terrified. “What are you-”

    “I just asked you that.” Zach wasn’t mad, only confused.

    “I-I,” Grace was so scared. She didn’t know what to say to him. “This is my job,” she said quietly.

    “What do you mean by that?” Zach sat next to her on the couch.

    “My father was let go. They replaced him with a robot. I had to find some way to support us. He became an alcoholic, not caring about his or my well being anymore. Those stupid minimum wage jobs weren’t doing any good. I found a women one night. She offered me a job. She took me to her so-called office and explained it to me.” She took a deep breath and turned to Zach, giving him a sad smile. “The only job with a nice pay and reasonable times is a slut, a whore, a prostitute, whatever the hell you want to call it.” Grace said, a tear running down her cheek. Zach could tell how ashamed Grace of herself. He turned her towards him and hugged her. Grace was of course surprised, but soon relaxed into the embrace. A few minutes later, an angelic voice called out.

“Siren,” Grace looked around the small hotel room. “Soundwave,” Zach narrowed his eyes and looked at the door. He got up and looked outside into the hall. A shadow crept closer to their hotel room. The closer it got to the door, the more Zach realised it wasn’t human, for no body was attached to the thing. It was a shadow. It was a monster. It multiplied, one becoming two, two becoming four, four becoming eight until an army was charging the door. Zach stumbled back and slammed the door shut, quickly grabbing Grace and pulling her away from the door. The monsters slithered underneath the door clawing at the two. Grace couldn’t hold her terror back anymore. She screamed so loudly and high pitched, it broke multiple glass cups within 10 feet. The shadowy monsters crawled back, the sound of the blood curdling scream too much for them. Zach noticed that the vibrating waves of Grace’s scream surround them. He reached out to one and touched it, making it, for only a second, louder. As Grace’s voice gave out, the shadowy creatures had all disappeared, never to return. For that night.