Chapter 1
March 21st, 2021
Joey snuggled under the warm comforter, relieved that spring break was finally here. He nested, cocooned in fabric, on his worn, fluffy, gray couch, quietly watching TV in the dark. The volume was low; however, the vast main living room made it audible. A female anchor was describing a recent murder that had occurred across town. Apparently, it was a link to a few other murders that had been happening recently, and now fifteen victims shared the same fate: they were torn to shreds and likely eaten.
Killed by cannibalism. Joey shivered at the thought.
The woman then spoke about lost pets in the nearby forest. Joey stopped listening. He already knew this story, as every other news outlet talked about how cats and dogs have been fleeing into Endsfield’s forest, the next city over, for some reason. And while he does hate the idea of losing a pet, he personally wouldn’t let them run free to begin with.
Suddenly, the TV shut off. Joey blinked, then narrowed his eyes. A shadowy figure stood in the hall. Joey retracted back into his cocoon blanket.
“You know you really shouldn’t watch so much TV…” a gruff voice said. “It’s bad for your eyesight.”
He’d recognized it; that voice came from his older brother John. And when the lights turned on, he got a good look at that nerd. Of all their siblings, John was the shortest at 5’7“, which served him right, as he was the only one gifted with hyperintelligence.
“Why are you watching this crap? You should be preparing for college.”
“It’s spring break, leave me alone.”
John sighed, shaking his head, stepping into the living room. “When I was your age…”
“—You already had several scouts wanting to take you. I get it, you’re smart.” Joey looked away, huffing in response, and tightening his blanket cocoon. “You don’t have to worry about me. Once I finish high school, Dad wants me to move back to Virginia to join the family business.”
“You don’t want to study at Endsfield University? I’m sure you could get in, and they have dorms on campus.”
“Fuck no. I can barely handle the academy. How the hell did you manage to…oh wait, I know why. And I don’t think school is for me, and besides, I don’t have your gift for learning.”
“Well, I guess it’s not the worst thing you could do.” John twiddled with his fingers. “I didn’t really know how to tell you this, but I got a new job.”
“What do you mean?”
“Once you finish school, I’ll be moving out of here. A good friend of mine wants me to go to this Island in Thailand. This company wants me for my skill set.”
“That sounds…weird.”
“Yeah, it did at first when he told me… But then, when I was told about the money,” John seemed to be salivating at the thought, “I made the deal. So… Sorry to break it to you, but you’re not coming with.”
Joey breathed, then nodded. It wasn’t like he wanted to mooch off his older brother anyway. But this was the cheapest option, since he couldn’t afford to live in the academy dorms. And he sure as hell wasn’t going to ask his dad for help. At least John was kind enough to let him stay for free.
However, John’s moving out of the States felt a bit too strange. And who was this friend who made the suggestion? Joey didn’t know; hell, he didn’t even know John had friends. Obviously, he had to, but Joey never met them. And John rarely talked about his personal life. Despite living with the guy for almost four years, he didn’t even know what he did for work; only that whatever it was, it happened in a lab in Endsfield.
BUZZ! BUZZ!
John glanced down at his pocket and pulled out his phone. A quick read from the ID, and he immediately answered it. He then put his finger up, prompting Joey to hold off the conversation. It was likely work. He’d often watch as his older brother took several phone calls—even on weekends; that man never stopped working. But so long as he came home alive, that’s all Joey really cared for.
Joey listened in, well, tried to. The person on the other end of the line was talking fast. It was remarkable to watch John keep a steady poker face as the other guy freaked out. Joey squinted his eyelids, focusing on his brother as he tried to soothe this other person. But even as he tried, Joey could see that John was losing, as the other person seemed to have infinite air to ramble. But he didn’t try to stop the person on the other side from rambling. As he listened, John grabbed his keys off the counter, his jacket, and moved to the front door. Once the call ended, he finally returned his attention.
“I gotta…get back to the lab,” John said. “Something happened…and I…”
Joey shrugged and responded, “Just go; we can continue this when you get back.”
John nodded and quietly exited, leaving Joey alone, again. His work was on the other side of town. And he likely won’t be back until tomorrow. Wonderful. It wasn’t the first time he’d leave like this, and it definitely won’t be the last. And although he didn’t fully understand what John did for work, Joey knew he worked in a lab.
At least I won’t get nagged again tonight.
He knew his older brother meant well. Especially when compared to his other brothers, John was far from the worst. However, even he can be somewhat annoying, too. He chuckled to himself: Jack would by far be the worst. Not only was he several years older, but he was bigger and stronger—
—and he acted like dad.
He did offer sound advice, though, and at least he would listen to problems. Jack wasn’t so bad; he was tolerable. The other brothers, though, Joey tensed his shoulders. He didn’t want to think about them anyway.
A slight yawn escaped Joey’s mouth. His eyes grew heavy; each blink took longer to do than the last. It was only mid-afternoon, but he didn’t mind taking a nap. He stretched, crawled out of his blanket cocoon, and headed for his room. After he closed the door, Joey walked over to his desk and snagged a half-empty water bottle. As he drank a bit of it, he pulled out his phone and headphones. Music was his escape, and a bit of heavy metal helped ease his mental state.
Finally, he yawned again and got into bed. The sun rays slowly fell through the cracks in his window blinds. He placed the empty bottle on the floor and let the music guide his mind to a state of peace. He rolled to the side, facing the wall, and snuggled himself under the soft blue blankets as the melodies intensified. His eyelids slowly closed; sleep was the only thing on his mind now.
“Hopefully, tomorrow will be better,” he whispered. And before he knew it, Joey was out like a light.
