Chapter 3 The Mystery Revealed

(A/N the ending of this chapter was inspired by a combination of a dream I had, and several movies I saw recently. See the note at the end of the chapter for a full explanation. Again I only own my OCs.

-Zack's POV-

"Zack! Pancakes!" I heard Cody yell. Oddly, I was ok with him waking me up, especially on a saturday. I hadn't slept well all night. I couldn't stop thinking about how Cody had acted since he got home. He was fine last time I talked to him, why was he so spooked? He's too smart to think ghosts or any like that exists.

I climbed out of bed and walked into the living room. I saw Cody was sitting on the couch watching the news. Its summer not to mention the weekend, and he's watching the news! I'll never understand him.

"Zack you want chocolate chips?" My mom said to me as I walked to the kitchen and poured myself a glass of juice.

"Yea sure.. How 'bout you Cody? Cody?" It was no use, his eyes were glued to the TV. Even though it was Cody, I turned to the TV, maybe I could figure out what was more interesting than chocolate chip pancakes.

"…we go to Andrew for the story. Andrew." The announcer said. The screen cut to a reporter in the park. When Cody saw this, his eyes seemed to widen. What? I thought to myself.

"Thank you Tom. Parents you may want to turn the kids away for this one. Boston police believe they have found the body of fourteen year old Matthew Pike."

The TV cut to a school picture of a fourteen year old boy. He had dark brown hair that was worn in a mushroom cut. His brown eyes seemed to be looking outside the TV, almost as if he was looking right at whoever was watching the broadcast. His smile seemed almost devilish. It was the same smile I used to pick up girls. This kid must have been great with the ladies. I thought to myself.

Suddenly I heard a loud clicking sound. I looked down at my brother. The remote was shaking violently in his hands. His mouth was wide open. With each passing second he seemed to get more and more uneasy.

"The boy had been missing for just over a week. He was presumed dead, but search efforts continued. Today's finding has confirmed the family's worst fears. He was found in a shallow area of Revere Lake, located next to Liberty Park. It was apparent he died after suffering dual gunshot wounds, one to the chest…the other to the head. Forensic investigators will be on the scene throughout the day. If you have any information regarding Matthew's disappearance or his killer, please contact the Boston Police Department as soon as possible. From Liberty Park this is Andrew Metcarno, signing off. Back to you Tom."

"Boys! Breakfast!" Mom yelled as she set down two stacks of pancakes on the table. "I'm going shopping. Be back in awhile. Love you."

"Love you." I called back. Cody just nodded.

I took the remote from Cody and turned off the TV before bolting over to table. I grabbed the syrup and began drowning my pancakes. I looked up, Cody continued to just sit there, staring at the TV. "Hey Codster, pancakes!" I called between chews.

"What? Oh yeah." He said as he walked over to the table and sat down. He poured himself a glass of orange juice and poured some syrup on his pancakes. Slowly, he began eating his breakfast.

"Well I'm full." He said two bites and a drink of juice later. He pushed his plate away, but stayed firmly seated in his chair. His face had a distant look on it. It seemed even though he was right next to me, his mind was worlds away.

"Cool!" I said as I grabbed his plate and began dowsing his…well mine now, pancakes in more syrup. "I guess you won't mind if I finish these." I

"Huh?" He said, finally back with me. "No you can have them. Just take it easy on the syrup."

"Yea, ok" I snickered back. "Hey you want to go to the park today and check the crime scene out?" With that I thought I saw Cody shiver, but he was as still as a statue.

Cody then raised an eyebrow. "Yea let's go botch up the investigation so you can have fun with other peoples' misfortunes! No."

"Aw come on" I coaxed. "You always talk about how much you love science. This is your chance to see some real stuff in action!"

"No."

"Fine. So you wanna hit the skate park then? Or is that gonna freak you out too?"

Cody just shook his head. "Look I'm gonna go take a shower and get dressed. If I watch you eat anymore I'm gonna puke."

With that, Cody stormed across the room and went into our room. The next thing I knew, he was bolting for the bathroom. He ran in and slammed the door shut. Moments later I heard Cody scream followed by a loud thud.

"Cody!" I ran over and tried to open the door. It was locked. I pounded helplessly on the door. "Cody! You all right? CODY!" I had to get to him!

"AHH! Leave me alone!" He screamed, his voice filled with terror. "ZACK! HELP ME!"

"CODY!" I ran into our room and dug through my bottom dresser drawer. "Come on where is it? Here. HANG ON CODY!" I grabbed my woodshop screwdriver kit, and ran back to the bathroom door. I heard Cody scream one last time then silence. Seconds passed like hours as I picked the lock. CLICK. I got it! I whipped the door open and my little brother fell forward into my arms. He was unconscious, and his skin was ice cold


What happened to Cody? Read on to find out and please review/shoot me some feedback also.

(A/N).The ending event was inspired by The Sixth Sense, The Devil's Backbone (pretty good movie, even though its in Spanish) and a dream I had a little while ago. While the events from Zack POV sway further towards The Sixth Sense, what actually occurs between Cody and Matt is drawn from an idea I got after watching The Devil's Backbone. The main ghost (Santi) of that movie also is the visual inspiration for the ghost of Matt, however, Santi was much younger and drowned to death after being knocked out.