Mesmerized | ✓

21

May, the 15th, Stonetown News Express

Stonetown on Lockdown

Yesterday, the mayor released a statement regarding the recent disappearance of the two female students of the Stonetown Community College and then a few days later another two students along with an older fisherman. Due to that along with other mysterious disappearances and deaths the town council had decided that it would be best to close down all educational establishments of our town until the situation is resolved. In addition, people that don't have to leave their houses are asked to stay inside, and work from home if possible.

The police keep quiet about the Stonetown Vampire but we have serious reasons to believe that he may be behind all the disappearance. We hope we are wrong. Stay save and stay tuned.

Mark Webber

*****

A few hours later there was a shy knock on the door. It was a tall, chubby man with a mustache that he was very proud of and little eyes hidden behind a pair of thick glasses. "Hello, Carl." He said nodding at his son. "Yuli." Robert was a man of few words that rarely spoke his opinions and often just let his wife speak for him because he always agreed with her. "Are you ready?"

Carl looked at the one bag on the floor that he had packed for the both of them. "Yep. That would be it." He said and the man proceeded to pick up the bag, swung the strap over his shoulder and walked out of the apartment, not having been inside for even two minutes. "But this is really unnecessary." He added automatically even though he knew his father wouldn't listen to his reasoning.

He felt Yuli's hand on his shoulder. "Don't." He said quietly. "We're suffocating in this small flat. A change of scenery will do us some good." An evil little smirk was playing on Yuli's lips because he knew how much Carl loved the fact that they slept in the same bed and that being in two different rooms would make his heart hurt that much more.

And he was right. It was pathetic but it was also a large reason as to why Carl didn't want to move. The apartment had been their safe space, their own little world where Carl could fool himself into thinking that things were better than they actually were, that when he slept in Yuli's arms it meant more than it did. Now there would be no safe space and Carl would have to keep himself on guard, always prepared that Yuli could decide to have one of his family members for dinner.

They walked down the stairs and got into Robert's car. The drive to the house was quite short but never having been inside a car before, Yuli was absulutely enchanted by the whole process. He kept looking out of the window with his face pressed against the glass. Despite the hopeless situation Carl couldn't help but smile at Yuli's curiosity. It was like watching a dog.

The trio arrived at the house where Karen and Robin were already waiting for them. The mother pulled both of them into her arms. "I would go crazy knowing that you were somewhere out there while that killer roams the streets." She said while she was hugging her son. Carl didn't know if he felt more like crying or like laughing at the irony. By trying to keep her child safe from a murderer the woman was inviting said murderer to live with her family.

Robin didn't seem as thrilled to have her brother back in the house. She didn't say much and when she was asked direct questions, her answers were one-worded and emotionless. The family ate dinner together and then they all went to their separate rooms. Yuli was shown to a guest room and Carl looked after him longingly as he went to his own childhood bedroom.

Once he was away from Yuli and left alone with his childhood memories (or rather nightmares) he felt more sadness than he could handle. Carl sat down on his bed, angry at himself that he was more sad about not being in the same room as Yuli than worried about Yuli murdering his whole family. He closed his eyes trying to calm down his racing heart by taking deep breaths.