"...marking the third disappearance this month, authorities are urging parents to remain vigilant. The latest case involves fifteen year old Sofia Reyes, last seen near the intersection of—"
The voice in the radio buzzed faintly, warped by static and the echoes of early morning silence. Every now and then the signal cut out, replaced by a soft white noise akin to that of a hiss. Then it returned colder.
"...still no leads. Parents are demanding answers. Some residents have even begun speculating about connections to the earlier disappearances, all students of Saint Jude's Academy..."
A boy stirred beneath the comforts of his blankets, his room looked the same. cluttered, cramped and scattered with sketches, photos and pencil shavings across the room to the point that it looks somewhat like debris after a storm finished.
"Javi. Wake up."
A soft knock, then another. louder this time.
"Javier."
He groaned and buried his face in the pillow, hoping the blankets would just swallow him whole. The knock turned into a full thump.
"Javier Montana, you're going to be late—again!"
A few seconds later, Javi who had woken up groaned, "I'll be right there mom. just give me a few mins." the door creaked open and light spilled into the room. His mother's shadow stood in the doorway hands on her hips.
"alright, but you better be ready in a few minutes or you're done for buddy." a scary grin painted on his mother's face.
His mom said jokingly. Javier sat up with a grunt squinting at the bright morning light that bled to the curtains. His hair was a mess. his face looked like he hadn't slept—which he hadn't again.
downstairs, the radio buzzed softly through the walls broadcasting a voice too calm for what it was saying.
"...still no leads in the disappearances of local southwake street, juveniles. families continue their plea to the public for any information regarding the subject. this marks the fifth week of no credible sightings of—"
click.
the radio went silent. By the time Javier dragged himself down to the kitchen, the smell of scrambled eggs and toast filled the air. his mom was at the stove tired but forced into a neutral look.
"sit. eat." his mom sternly said.
he did, but slowly. the chair creaked beneath him. she slid a plate towards him without looking.
then Javier muttered, "why'd you turn it off.?"
his mom glanced over. "because I don't want that garbage playing first thing in the morning."
"That wasn't garbage. They were talking about Elijah," Javier said, his voice tight like something was stuck in his throat.
She turned to face him, a spatula still in hand. "It's about some kids, Javier. And the cops said it again last night. they're probably runaways. You think you know your friends, but—"
"He didn't run away." he croaked, his voice shattering like glass.
His mother paused. Her face softened, but only a little. "Honey, I know you miss him—"
"No, you don't." Javier's fists were clenched at his sides. "You didn't see how scared he was the week before. he was saying things.. talking about shadows in the corners of his room, about dreams that weren't his. he was terrified."
She shook her head and turned back to the eggs. "And that's exactly the kind of thing people say when they're about to run. Drama. Escapism. The internet's full of that crap."
he stared. "you don't even care do you?"
His mother turned back to the stove, lips pressed tight. The pan sizzled in awkward silence. Then, without looking at him:
"You're spiraling, Javi."
He scoffed. "No. I'm paying attention."
She spun back around, frustrated now. "You don't sleep. You don't eat. You skip homework, barely talk to anyone else. All you do is draw those damn faces and read about disappearances like you're going to be the next Detective Conan or something. It's not healthy."
Javier stood from the table. "Maybe if you listened instead of pretending everything's fine—"
"No. Maybe if you didn't make someone else's tragedy into your personality!"
The words hit like a slap.
Javier froze. "I didn't mean—" she started, but he was already storming out the door visibly upset.. even forgetting his winter wear.
"tsk, that kid." his mom visibly upset aswell.
Javier's warm breath fogged the morning air, as he trudged down Southwake street. backpack slung over one shoulder, hoodie doing a poor job against the biting cold. the street had that eerie feeling to it like a silence that only neighborhoods where something was missing.
Like kids. Like Elijah...
He shoved his hands into his sleeves, jaw clenched, trying not to think about the conversation he just had.
"Yo!" a voice called out from behind.
Javier turned, and there was Dez trotting up to him in a heavy coat, his scarf wrapped up past his nose like a coiled blanket and thick gloves on both hands. His breath puffed out like smoke.
"You good?" Dez asked, falling into step beside him. "You look like you've been chewed out."
Javier didn't answer.
Dez raised an eyebrow, tugging his scarf down. "Your mom again?"
Javier nodding stiffly.
"Damn. Dez muttered, I heard the radio. another.. one."
Javier nodded. "yeah," voice nearly lost in the wind "Sofia."
They kept walking for a few seconds. Then Dez stopped suddenly.
"Here, you're going to freeze ur ass cold if you keep walking like that."He yanked off his gloves and pulled the extra scarf from his bag.
Javier glanced down at his thin hoodie and shrugged. "Maybe I like being cold." he muttered.
Dez rolled his eyes "You're gonna freeze to death before you find your friend," Dez said flatly, tossing the scarf at him. "And y'know, Elijah wouldn't want you turning into a popsicle before you figure this all out."
Javier caught it, awkwardly. "Thanks."
Dez smirked as he walked ahead. "You're still an idiot, you know that?"
Javier snorted, wrapping the scarf around his neck. "Yeah, well... I'm your idiot."
"Gross," Dez laughed, shaking his head. "That was the gayest thing you've ever said."
"Shut up, you liked it," Javier shot back with a crooked grin, nudging him in the side.
Dez didn't reply, just laughed into the cold air. The silence after wasn't uncomfortable. just filled with the rhythm of footsteps, a shared weight between them.
After a while, the school gates came into view, crowded students wrapped in coats and muffled chatter. St. Jude's looks the same.
A hulking building made of stone and glass, worn with age. posters of missing students plastered everywhere. each embedded with a frozen face staring silently from the paper.
Inside the day dragged.
Class was dull. teachers droned on, pages turned, pencils scratched. Javier found himself staring out the window more than anything. His sketchpad remained unopened.
He was pulled back to attention when someone smacked the back of his head.
"Earth to Montana," came a voice behind him. Reggie, a classmate with too much energy and no sense of boundaries.
"Don't," Javier warned.
Reggie grinned anyway. "You've been spacing out all week, man. You going emo or something?"
Javier rolled his eyes, and turned back around. Deciding not to entertain that nonsense.
But Reggie didn't let up. "Or wait—wait—is it about your missing boyfriend?" he said, snickering.
Javier froze.
"Hey," Dez barked from the next seat, voice suddenly sharp. "Back off."
The room went quiet.
Reggie scoffed, raising his hands like it was a joke. "Chill. Just saying."
"Say less," Dez muttered.
The bell finally rang, and the flood of students rushed out of the classroom. Javier and Dez made their way into the cafeteria, weaving through the chaos.
Javier slid into a seat beside Dez at the far end of a long table. Dez had already pulled out a sandwich and was peeling off the plastic wrap.
Javier pulled out one of his own. a simple sandwich wrapped in wax paper but didn't touch it. His appetite had vanished hours ago.
"So," Dez said, his tone lighter now, "what's the plan? You gonna dig through the rumors again tonight?"
Javier shrugged, staring down at the sandwich. "I don't know. I just... I have to do something. I can't just sit here waiting for another friend to disappear."
Dez nodded, chewing thoughtfully. "Yeah, me too. Maybe we should actually look for some clues, instead of just listening to the news."
Javier's eyes flickered with a spark of hope. "You mean, like... investigate? Seriously?" both his hands on the table showing how intrigued he is about this idea.
"Why not? If the cops aren't doing their job, someone's gotta step up. Besides," Dez smirked, "you're already halfway there with all those sketches of those missing kids." Dez said while finishing his sandwich.
Javier exhaled, a bitter smile tugging at his lips. "Yeah... maybe."
"You gonna finish that?" Dez's finger fixed on Javier's sandwich, eyes hopeful
Javier blinked, then smirked weakly. "Knock yourself out."
"Godbless you," hands already reaching across the table for the sandwich, unwrapping it like it was treasure.
Dez took a huge bite like he hadn't eaten in years, eyes closed in exaggerated bliss. "Man. Your mom makes the best sandwiches," he mumbled through a full mouth.
Javier gave a tired laugh, shaking his head. "Don't let her hear that. She might finally adopt you and kick me out."
"Deal."
They sat in comfortable silence for a bit. The noise of the cafeteria buzzed around them trays clattering, chairs scraping, laughter echoing off the high walls. But for Javier, it all felt far away. Like he was watching from underwater.
His fingers drummed against the table. A thought tugged at him.
"What if the rumors aren't just rumors?" he asked quietly.
Dez looked up mid-bite. "What, like the demon stuff?"
Javier nodded. "People have been saying things. That they saw… things. In the woods. In the alleys. Heard voices. That the missing kids were talking about dreams before they vanished."
Dez paused, chewing slowly. "Dreams like Elijah?"
"Yeah. He said they weren't his dreams. That something was watching through his eyes. And he kept drawing these… symbols. I didn't think much of it at first but—"
"You still have them?" Dez cut in.
Javier hesitated. "Some."
Dez leaned forward, voice low now. "Bring them tonight. We'll look through them. Maybe there's something we're missing. Some pattern."
Javier nodded. "Yeah. Okay. Tonight."
Later that evening, the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows over Southwake.
Javier sat at his desk, old sketchbooks spread around him. his lamp flickering every now and then casting the room a brief of darkness before coming back to life filled with light.
He flipped through page after page, portraits of Elijah, of the other missing kids. But then... there were the symbols. Strange, looping lines. Circles nested within circles. Faces with no eyes.
His pen was in his hand before he even realized it, his fingers started moving on their own. Lines spilled across the paper. Fast. Messy.
When he stopped, he stared at the image in front of him.. it was a door; black, cracked, barely visible in a swirl of ink.
something thudded in it, not on the paper. In the room, then.
knock knock.
He turned towards his bedroom door. But it wasn't that kind of knock. It didn't come from the hall.
It came from the windows.
Javier's breath caught. The room felt colder suddenly, the shadows in the corners stretching like fingers.
The thumping grew louder, more urgent.
Then. soft scraping from the glass.
Javier's eyes darted to the window. A shape crouched outside, obscured by the pale light of the streetlamp.
Javier's heart pounded like thunder. body frozen from fear, while instinctively taking a step back not taking his eyes away from the window.
Then, the window latch began to turn. click click… slow, deliberate, like a hand that knew exactly what it was doing. Javier didn't move. Couldn't. His breath caught in his throat as the shadow outside pressed closer, its shape becoming clearer, almost human, but not quite...
Javier took a shaky breath. But before he could scream—
——————————————————
TO BE CONTINUED.