The sound of heavy breathing and pounding footsteps echoed through the long, dark hallway as the children fled for their lives. They prayed they wouldn't be caught by the masked man gaining on them or fall victim to the traps scattered throughout the manor.
Though two of their group had already been lost, and the boy’s legs ached with exhaustion, he pressed on, running as fast as he could until they reached the end of the hallway. Just as he was about to stumble into one of the traps, the young girl grabbed him, pulling him back. He nodded his thanks, and the two managed to find an empty room to hide.
Unable to risk turning on the lights for fear of revealing their position, he carefully felt his way through the room, trying not to bump into anything as they searched for a safe place to conceal themselves. They knew they weren’t safe—not from the masked man, nor from the house itself, which seemed to be watching their every move. As they ventured deeper into the room, the girl stumbled over something on the floor. Luckily, the boy’s quick reflexes prevented her from falling. Curiously, he used the last bit of battery on his phone to shine a light on the object she had tripped over. He immediately regretted it.
Lying cold and lifeless on the floor was the body of their fallen comrade. The girl gasped in horror, and the boy quickly covered her mouth to stifle her blood-curdling scream.
Despite the weight of grief pressing on his heart, there was no time to mourn. They had to keep moving, and fast. The boy couldn’t believe that a vacation meant to be fun and carefree had turned into his worst nightmare. Unfortunately, he would soon learn that things were about to get even worse as the night went on. If only he could turn back, return to the beginning. Before all of this madness had begun.
***
Chapter song: Kids in America - Kim Wilde
Alesus was in the middle of putting his books away when his best friend, Jarvis, suddenly pushed him over, clinging to his back as if he were a tree. Jarvis’ joyful laugh rang in his ears, and though Alesus felt a spark of irritation at his friend’s unruliness, he couldn’t help but shake his head. He decided to let it slide this time since he was in a good mood.
“You seriously need to learn about personal space, man,” the boy said, shutting his locker and swinging his school bag over his shoulder.
“Sorry, I’m just so excited for school to be over. I’m tired of roaming these annoying halls,” Jarvis whined as he finally let go of Alesus.
“You and me both,” Alesus muttered.
The two walked down the hallway and out of the school, stepping into the warm summer air. Around them, other teenagers laughed and talked excitedly about their summer plans.
“Is your dad making you go to another training camp?” Jarvis asked as they strolled toward home.
Alesus shook his head. “No, not this time. Apparently, my parents are going on a business trip for three weeks, so I might join them.”
Jarvis raised an eyebrow in surprise.
“Seriously? You usually spend half the summer at camp and the other half working with your dad. I don’t know how you put up with it every year.”
Alesus shrugged. “It’s not that bad. I like the training, and it’s cool to see my dad in action.”
“You’re not seriously thinking about becoming an agent, are you?”
Alesus regarded his friend as if he had two heads. “My dad isn’t an agent, he's a Special Forces Officer, dummy. And no, probably not, but it’s nice to have the experience.”
“You’ve been training since you were five years old, and you’re seriously telling me you don’t want to follow in your old man’s footsteps?” Jarvis asked, clearly bewildered.
Alesus fell silent, his expression turning thoughtful. Jarvis, starting to worry that his words might have offended his friend, was about to apologize when Alesus finally spoke.
“I don’t want to follow my dad’s footsteps right now. Who knows, maybe someday I will. At the moment, I’m just grateful we have something we can bond over.”
“I see. Well, as long as you’re having fun, that’s all that matters, I guess.”
“I am,” Alesus assured him. “So, what are your plans for the summer?”
“Hmm, well, aside from finally getting a break from tests and assignments. I’ll be working part-time at that arcade I told you about.”
“The one across from the burger place?” Alesus asked, raising an eyebrow.
Jarvis nodded. “That’s the one.”
“I can’t believe they let you work there, especially after you broke one of the claw machines,” Alesus said, shaking his head.
“It was an accident! Not my fault the machine was poorly made,” Jarvis grumbled.
Alesus couldn’t help but laugh. It was a miracle Jarvis managed to function normally with his monstrous strength. The boy was a walking contradiction—despite his small stature, he was incredibly strong. You wouldn’t guess that he could lift fifty pounds in each arm without breaking a sweat, not with his 5’4” frame, noodle-like arms, and a terrible bowl cut that, oddly enough, suited him. They’d been best friends since elementary school, and in all that time, Jarvis had always been stronger than anyone would expect for his size.
“Have you finally worked up the courage to talk to Marlene?” Alesus asked, teasing.
Jarvis’ cheeks flushed a deep red as he stammered, looking everywhere but at his friend. The innocent reaction brought a smile to Alesus’ face.
“Y-You know perfectly well I haven’t, and it’s cruel of you to bring it up,” Jarvis pouted.
“You’ve sat next to her for a year and only managed to say five words to her. I’m honestly impressed,” Alesus said, shaking his head.
“That can’t be right! I’ve definitely spoken more than five words!” Jarvis yelled.
“Sure you did. Now you’re going to spend another summer without seeing her, and next year you’ll come whining to me about how you were too scared to make plans with her. You guys are neighbors.”
“Whatever. I can always try again next year,” Jarvis mumbled.
“That’s what you said last year,” Alesus teased.
As they approached their neighborhood, Alesus spotted his house in the distance. He glanced at his watch, remembering how his mom had asked him to come straight home since they had things to discuss. He sighed in relief when he realized he was still on time.
“Well, let me know if anything changes with Marlene,” Alesus said. Raising a hand in farewell as he started running toward his gate.
“I gotta go. Talk to you later!”
Jarvis watched as his black-haired friend disappeared down the street, at lightning speed, shaking his head. He knew it was hopeless for him to try and get things started with Marlene—he’d never be her object of affection. It was clear to everyone that Marlene Simmons had a crush on Alesus Worheves. The only person who didn’t know was Alesus himself.
Jarvis pursed his lips as he walked up the steps to his house, wondering when the day would come that Alesus would finally figure it out.
Note: Worheves is pronounced with a V. It’s written with a W, but phonetically it's pronounced Vorheves
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