Chapter 8
The Bogey Man appeared before Grinsworth the Gnome, who was just leaving Tyrone's place. Upon seeing the little man, The Bogey Man's eyes widened and he clenched his teeth.
"Enchanted Salt." he said under his breath.
"The kids are protected from your reach, you child snatcher! That's what your kind does! Bogey Men take what isn't theirs!" cried Grinsworth.
The Bogey Man folded his arms. "I can wait. The end will be the same. I can wait." he said.
He then continued speaking, while looking down at the gnome.
"I only care for one thing only. That boy, Tyrone, is the key. I will have him serve me!" said the Bogey Man.
"You need a hobby." Grinsworth grunted.
The Bogey Man turned around, while his cape flew under Grinsworth's pointy hat.
"The salt won't keep them safe forever. I have other ways." he said aloud.
….
The following day, Tyrone got up early and prepared breakfast. He quickly made some eggs with ham and got some orange juice he had left. He then looked at his watch and quickly went upstairs to wake Matt up.
"Morning Matt. I need you to wake up buddy. Come on down." said Tyrone from the bedroom door.
Matt woke up slowly and managed to get up. He was wearing a plain white t-shirt, and he wore boxers with squares on them. He quickly went to the bathroom and got himself ready while Tyrone waited for him.
"I'm getting ready for school, then afterwards, I'm going to be working," said Tyrone.
"Right! So what are we going to do?" asked Matt.
"Let me think. Why don't you meet me at work at four in the afternoon. That way, you won't be alone at home most of the time." said Tyrone.
Matt raised an eyebrow and joked. "In other words, you don't want a Mexican kid to be walking around your house."
Tyrone chuckled. "No! Not that. I just want you to be safe."
"I'll be safe. I used to punch this one guy who stole my lunch money at school." said Matt as he puffed out his chest.
"Will you be strong enough if that freak show somehow sneaks in here?" Tyrone asked.
Matt folded his arms. "That sissy can try. I'm not afraid of him." he said.
"Well, I am. And if what the gnome said was true, then the salt's power will protect you. Gosh it sounds weird when I say it out loud." said Tyrone.
"I know. Everything is weird now." said Matt.
"I'm not sure what is going on, but while things calm down, we should do that," said Tyrone.
"Yeah. Until the Mothman finds a family for me." said Matt solemnly.
Tyrone ruffled Matt's hair. "Hey, don't worry about it. I'm sure the Mothman will find you a safe home. I'm sure he knows about your family history. He might have seen visions of you or something." said Tyrone.
"And is that supposed to give me comfort?" asked Matt.
Tyrone shrugged and he grabbed his backpack.
"Okay, here are some ground rules," said Tyrone.
"Here we go," said Matt.
"Don't leave the house until four in the afternoon," said Tyrone.
"Okay." nodded Matt, folding his arms.
"You can watch TV or play on the laptop that used to be my Dad's. He downloaded some game emulators. You can try them out. Absolutely don't go in my room. That's off limits. There are things I don't want you to see if you catch my drift. And that's about it. Oh, and no ordering take out." said Tyrone.
Matt chuckled. "That's it? No stealing, no playing loud mariachi music?" asked Matt.
Tyrone couldn't help but smile and laugh. "Yes, anything to be quiet and out of sight."
"What's in your room?" asked Matt.
Tyrone shook his head nervously. "Off limits!" he said quickly.
Matt nodded and Tyrone turned around to open the door. He suddenly stopped and turned to see the boy.
"For the record Matt, I'm sorry if my Spanish sucked yesterday. I wanted you to feel welcomed here." he said.
"Dude, I know you're a good guy!" said Matt.
Tyrone turned to see him and smiled. "You are such a weird kid."