Chapter 9: Searching For the Cause
Clyde was sleeping on his bed peacefully. The moon was up and the sky was decorated by many stars up in the night skies. He begins the shift in his sleep, which he slowly woke up much to his annoyance. He wakes up to see Lincoln standing next him. Clyde was about to scream from his unexpected guest, but Lincoln covers his mouth. Clyde stops screaming and notice that his friend looks a bit afraid and lost. He was wearing his hospital clothes and his mouth was covered by a red liquid.
"Clyde, I need your help," said Lincoln, who sounds very terrified. "Something is wrong with me."
"What do you mean buddy?" asked Clyde as he put on his glass to get a good look at him.
He looks at his friend to see he had dirty stain and blood on his mouth. He was about to scream, but Lincoln covers his mouth again.
"Please Clyde, you're the only one I could talk to," Lincoln whispered before he let go of his friend's mouth.
"Lincoln, what happened to you?"
"I don't remember Clyde. I was at the hospital and I heard a voice. Then a nurse came in and... Well that's all I could remember."
Clyde watches his friend shaking as if he commits a terrible deed. Lincoln walks up to the window to look at the night sky.
"Lincoln, when did you begin to feel like this?" asked Clyde as he could help Lincoln.
"I remember it happened right I was in that cabin. I remember that old guy do something to me, but I don't know what he did that made me like this. I think we need to go back there."
"What? We can't go back there," said Clyde. "I have already suffered almost dying from there. What makes you think that I want to go back there?"
"It's because you might have the same thing I have and I don't want you to be like me," Lincoln inform him as he walk up to his friends and place a hand on his shoulder. "Please Clyde, come with me."
Clyde was thinking of coming since Lincoln did say it has to do with both of them. It sounds like a serious situations that he can't ignore. Now Clyde find himself getting dress and walking with Lincoln to the same woods they found the old man. Clyde was wearing his usual clothes with a gray sweater on. He looks at Lincoln to see he didn't have other clothes to warm him for this walk on the cold night. He did clean his face, but it had nothing to do with his warmth.
"Hey Lincoln, aren't you cold?" Clyde asked to see his friend not minding the coldness of the night.
"No thank you Clyde, I'm good," replied Lincoln.
The two friends continue to walk around in the woods before they spot the cabin at the distance. They begin to run to approach the small shelter. They take a good look to see the door was covered by police tape. The two boys look at each other to make the decision to rip the tape out and open the door. The door opens slowly as the two friends sees the familiar scene in front of them. They walk in and look around in the cabinet.
The two boys see nothing was on the living room as it was just a couch and a small wooden table. They then look at the hallway and they head to it. The two boys look around the hallway to see pictures of the old man. Lincoln was clenching his fist to ignore the urge to punch it. They begin to open each of the doors of the hallway to see if they can find anything. Clyde open the first door to see it was the bathroom he was in to escape from the window. Lincoln looks at the restroom to feel like he had been in it before.
The two boys move on before they open the second room. The second room had a bed and a small T.V. across from it. They believe it was the old man's room as they see some picture frames of him on the walls. They move on to the next room. They open the door and they realize it was the same room they were put in when the old man kidnap them. They look away and turn to the last door they didn't check. Clyde reaches for the door and tries to open it, but it didn't. Lincoln decides to try to open the door for his friend, but it didn't budge. Lincoln then kick the door opens with Clyde surprised by his kick.
"Wow, I didn't know you could do that," Clyde said in amazed.
"Me either," said Lincoln as they look to see stairs going down.
The two friends look at each other before they begin to walk down the stairs. Each step was louder than the first with the preteens afraid of what was going to be down there. Clyde felt like this is where Lincoln went to be used by the old man as he remembers his friend getting out of the door only to be attack at the next room. As they step the last step of the staircase, they were surprised to see many weird things in the basement.
In the basement was many cryptic messages the walls, many dead dogs and cats in the floor, a small table in the middle with blood stains and many bones on it. But what caught Lincoln's attention was a large black book on the table surrounded by the remains. Lincoln walks forward while not stepping on the dead pets. Clyde watch as his friend went to the small table and grabs the book. He walks back to his friend and hand it to Clyde.
"Clyde, I need you to give this to Lucy," spoke Lincoln with a smile.
"Why Lucy?" he asked.
"Because she understands dark magic and voodoo, and plus she's into a vampire name Edwin. She can help me what's wrong with me."
Clyde looks at Lincoln to see smiling at him. For some reason, Lincoln was hiding something from him, which he was doesn't feel comfortable about. If he has something bothering him, then he needs to talk with him. Clyde wants to help him out but he needs to know what is going on with Lincoln.
"Hey! Who's in here!" shouted an adult voice as the two boys look at each surprised. "Police are here."
In the house were two police officers. They were assigned to further investigate the room that the police didn't go to as it was lock for them to get access. When they got to the cabinet the door was open. They pull out their guns and have their flashlights to search whoever broke in the cabinet. Back in the basement, Clyde was looking for a place to hide, but Lincoln just look at the door from upstairs.
"What are going to do Lincoln?" asked Clyde as he was still looking for a hiding spot.
Lincoln turns to his friend and look at him with secure.
"I'll distract them. When they focus on me then you can start running out of here," said Lincoln as he starts to walk up the stairs.
"No Lincoln, I can't leave you again. What's going to happen to you when they get you?"
"They won't get me."
The two officers were looking at each room. Each of them was empty and isolated, yet they look at the last door to hear footsteps approaching. They aim their guns and point their flashlight to the door that leads to the basement. They wait to whoever was coming up. As the figure appears the officers were confused.
"Hey, aren't you one of the kids that was-"
Before the officer finished, Lincoln ran pass them and they begin to chase after him. They tell him to stop, but the preteen went out of the door and into the woods. The police officers decide to follow the boy, not knowing that Clyde came out of the basement door and run away in a different direction.
"Are you going to drink their blood?" asked the voice in Lincoln's head. "You already done it with that nurse and you did bury her somewhere around here."
"No I'm not. I'm just going to distract them and then leave them alone," spoke Lincoln as he was running through the woods.
"I don't know Lincoln; you need to feast off blood now. Are you sure you can skip two meals that's-"
"I'm not hungry right now."
"Sure you are."
Lincoln continues to run in the woods as the police officers were far away. They were still chasing him, but they were running out of breath. Lincoln could hear their heart pumping fast, but he ignores it as his other self might want them for a midnight snack. The officers stop running and watch as the boy run off to the mist.
"My God that kid can run fast," said one of the officers.
"He might, but we need to investigate him," spoke the other officer. "I feel like he's hiding something."
Lincoln stop running as he was tried. He looks around to see he was back in his neighbor. He thought it was odd. He has to go back to the hospital before people will search for him and those police officers will question. He needs to leave.
"So you say that you have a sister that's into vampires?" asked the voice. "I wonder if you can make her your bride."
"Hell no, I would never force my sister to become what I am," said Lincoln before he fell in his knees and clench his head.
"That's too bad Lincoln, but I need to take over now."
Lincoln tried to resist, but he suddenly stood up and run to where his house was at. His eyes turn black and he lick his lips in hunger.