Silence Brings Pain: Chapter 10

I actually wrote ten chapters for this? I'm so happy! Let's say that this is a not-super-serious-but-still-important-to-the-plot chapter!

Enjoy!

The rest of the week went by without any major problems. Ryu was able to get some rest even though a couple of scars showed up. This morning he was up earlier than he usually is due to a weird dream he had before he was injured. He couldn't make much out of it and barely remembered what it was about. He got up to take a shower and decided not to think about it now.

When he was done, he put on a simple shirt and a pair of sweatpants before going downstairs. Joe was in the kitchen making breakfast with his back turned to Ryu. "Good morning," Joe greeted while grabbing the spatula next to him. Ryu got the juice from the refrigerator and poured some in two cups before setting them on the kitchen island.

He sat down and watched his father make breakfast. I haven't eaten in days because of that shot. He still didn't know the purpose of that shot, but that won't make him get over what it did to him.

"It's been awhile since we talked, hasn't it? Maybe there's some things we need to catch up on," Joe said, placing a plate in front Ryu before he sat down with his own. Ryu nodded in agreement and started eating. Nothing happened lately, but he enjoyed having these conversations with his father. He thought about the past few days and chose to tell his father about the dreams.

'I've been having some weird dreams. I can't remember some of them, though.'

Joe paused to put his cup down. "Dreams come from your subconscious mind. Maybe what you see or do in your dreams is based on reality."

'The main thing I remember is a dense fog that I constantly walk around in. How could that come from reality?' he replied before finishing his food. He didn't understand where his father was going with this conversation.

Joe finished his food and took a minute to get his thoughts together. Ryu stood up to put the plates in the sink then sat back down to see what his father would say. Joe leaned back a little and shared his thoughts.

"The fog could be leading to something bigger in your dream, Ryu. What do you think when you dream about the fog?"

'I always wonder why I'm in the middle of this fog before I wake up with scars.' Ryu shrugged his shoulders and rubbed the back of his neck. He couldn't think of anything else from the dreams; it was mostly about why he's there and lots of confusion.

"Hmm. I'm sure you'll find out what it means. Not every answer to a question is straightforward, you'll have to search for it. I'll see you later since I have to help with a presentation," Joe said while standing. Ryu gave him a thumbs up before Joe left out of the kitchen. His mind kept replaying their conversation while he sat in the kitchen. There were plenty of questions running through his head, he just didn't know where to start looking for the answers.

He decided not to waste any time thinking about what question to answer first and went to his room. He put on some shoes and a lightweight hoodie before grabbing a sketchbook, some pencils and his keys. He flipped through the sketchbook to make sure it was the one with the drawings of all the scars he had-even the most recent ones. He put the sketchbook and pencils in an extra backpack. The morning news caught his attention before he left.

He sat down and listened after he put his wallet in his pocket. Those wounds are in the same areas as my scars. I know it's not a coincidence, but none of this is making sense. Ryu turned off the television before grabbing his stuff and walking outside, locking the door along the way. His car door was already unlocked, so he got in and started driving around the city.

...

After a hour of driving, Ryu found himself across the street from an abandoned house. He wasn't sure why he's there, but something didn't feel right when he got out the car. The house was dirty and old bottles were all over the tall grass. He put on his backpack and walked towards the door. It was already open a little, so Ryu pushed it the rest of the way and stepped inside.

The interior of the house had dust and spider webs everywhere. Ryu turned on the flashlight on his phone so he could see better. The floor creaked with every step he took and there were several holes in it, too. There was a hissing sound in the corner of what looks like the living room, so Ryu went to see what it was.

It was a small snake trying to move up the wall but it fell, making Ryu back away some. This house is older than I thought. He strode over to the door on his left and reached for the doorknob. Once he touched it, it broke and fell into one of the holes on the floor. While looking at the floor, he absentmindedly leaned against the door, making it open and no longer support his weight. He fell and landed on his back, causing dust particles to move around in the air.

Shaking his head, Ryu started to pick himself up and get most of the dust off him. The room was full of boxes and papers, but his eyes were focused on the storage chest in the middle of the room. He opened it and found some newspapers and two journals. The newspapers dated back to almost a year before Ryu was born and the latest one was from two years ago. The headlines were about murders kind of similar to what the news has been talking about lately.

I should look through these, but I'm not staying in this house longer than I have to. After debating with himself, he figured it wouldn't hurt to take them home since the house might fall apart at any second. He put the journals and newspapers in his backpack and stood up to leave the house.

When he came out the house, he noticed that the sun was starting to set. I was in there for hours. While he was driving, he saw a diner and decided to stop there. As soon as he entered, a waitress greeted him told him to sit wherever he wanted to. He saw a booth towards the back and went to sit down. Ryu was surprised to see was a screen at the end of the table to place the order, but he wasn't about to complain about it.

He wasn't in a mood to eat, but his stomach growled a little so he ordered a sandwich and a Dr. Pepper. He watched people walk around outside the diner while thinking about what he found so far. Those newspapers and journals should give me some insight. I might be the only one going through this, but not the only one who realized how strange these murders are.

"Hey there," the same waitress from before greeted. She had short hair that was black with a darker shade of red on top. She set his food and drink on the table and leaned back to get a good look at him. He was uncomfortable under her curious gaze and glanced around the diner.

"Sorry, I just never seen you around here before. My name is Mila, let me know if you need anything."

She left quickly to continue working, so Ryu started to eat his food. Something told him that he was being watched and he turned to see almost everyone staring at him. He didn't know what to do-he just stared back with wide eyes. A few girls were whispering to each other while young boy with his mother waved at him. He shyly waved back and finished his drink before he saw how dark it was outside.

He gave Mila the money for the food and left to go home. He decided on coming to the diner more often despite some of the customers watching him. I need to read these newspapers and journals tonight. Screw sleep, my life might depend on this, he thought while pulling into the driveway.

As he was entering the house, Ryu heard something fall in the kitchen. There weren't any signs that his father came home, so he quietly walked towards the kitchen to see who was in there. He leaned against the doorway when he noticed his father standing in front of the stove. "Damn," Joe said while throwing away whatever that was in a pan. Ryu kept watching since he wanted to see what his father was up to.

"I knew I shouldn't have listened to that idiot," he complained. Joe sat down at the island and frowned at the stove. The was a faint trail of smoke in the air then Ryu noticed the burning smell. He lifted his hand and knocked four times on the wall to get Joe's attention.

"Hey, Ryu. I was cooking dinner, but this jerk I work with lied to me about something for revenge and I was distracted. Anyway, how was your day?" he asked.

'It was okay. I went exploring and ate at a diner.'

"Exploring? Did you find anything interesting? Wait, where did you go in the first place? Work has my mind all over the place," Joe questioned, mumbling the last part to himself.

'I was driving around when I saw an abandoned house and decided to go look inside.' He reached in his backpack and pulled out the newspapers. 'This is what I found.'

Joe looked over the papers and read what most of the headlines were about. "I see you took my advice and found some possible answers. This could be the beginning of the solution," he stated while placing the papers down. He patted Ryu on the back, happy that his son might find out the reasons behind his scars.

'I always take your advice. I'm going to read them all tonight and see what they're about. Good night,' he replied before standing up and grabbing the newspapers. Joe wished his son good luck before Ryu made it to the top of the stairs.

After changing clothes, Ryu sat down and got ready to read everything. The journals were next to him and the newspapers were spread out over his bed though they were still in order. I won't figure out anything if I sit here and stare at them. He didn't know what was in store for him, but he picked up a newspaper and started reading.

...

Thanks for reading! Please review!