Hide & Seek 2: The Return of Mr. Harmon

Chapter 4: Caleb

I didn't stay at Carmen's house too long. My aunt always wants me back inside before sunset. For some reason, that makes me feel like Princess Fiona.

Anyway, Carmen let me keep the Ouija board. I thought it'd help me learn more about what is going on. Carmen also said she wanted to do some research on this "book." I doubt she'll find anything.

I walk into the house to see my aunt and uncle arguing about something. I try my best to pass without them noticing me, but Uncle Wayne sees me and points a finger at me. "You. Where have you been?" he slurs.

They're completely drunk. Mary is wearing an ugly red dress that hangs on her skinny body. There's stains on it from God only knows where. She's looking at me and her eyes can't even focus on one point. My uncle has a cigarette held between his fingers that he moves around as he speaks.

"What's that book?" My aunt starts to sway toward me. I try to go into my room, but my uncle stops me.

"She asked you a question, damnit," he spits.

"Let go of me," I say. He has a nice grip on my arm that I have no chance of escaping. I drop the book and Ouija board so I can try and pry his arm off of me.

The book is moving now as my aunt tries to grab it. It's moving and trembling like it's a hungry animal. It opens up a little then closes down hard.

My aunt and uncle stare at it like they're trying to figure out if they're hallucinating or not. I'm trying my best to escape when Mary picks it up. Voices are roaring loudly from the book. You'd think someone would put a book like that down, but my aunt doesn't. She opens it to the first page, and everything is suddenly quiet.

"Don't read it!" I yelled out. "Please!"

She's already reading the first page. Her eyebrows are raised up like she's confused but her eyes are glued to the page. "What is it, Mary? That her dirty diary or something? Notes from boys, perhaps? Let me read it."

"It's talking to me, Wayne," she says.

My uncle lets me go, but when I reach for the book again, he slaps me right in the face.

SMACK

"Sit down!" he yells. His hand is still raised in the air as a warning if I try it again.

The slap hurts but I don't care. I go for the book again. However this time, things don't go too well. My uncle screams for me to sit down once more before-

WAM!

The last thing I remember is his balled up fist descending to my face before the darkness takes me over and I close my eyes.

***

When I wake up, I see my uncle on the couch, shaking. My aunt is no where in sight. I quickly run up to him. His eyes are blank and his mouth is wide open and he's shivering like he has lived in an igloo, naked for years.

"Uncle Wayne? Where's Aunt Mary?" I say looking around. I'm actually looking for the book. When I turn back to my uncle, I notice something that I hadn't seen before. There are blood stains on the couch he is sitting on. There's also a long gash of blood clawed down his neck. I examine it for a few seconds.

"What happened?"

He looks at me. I know it's not possible but he is so scared that he isn't even drunk anymore. He had all his senses knocked back into him.

"Your-She was reading. Then there was a hand. Many hands. Screams." He stutters over each word. "Something grabbed her in, then something else walked out."

I grip his hand. "Where is she now?" I demand.

He stares at me for the longest time, like he hates me for bringing the book into the house. "Something else has the book. Whoever has it, has my wife."

Suddenly, the door opens up, scaring the daylights out of me. I look up to see Carmen. She has papers in her hand. I run up to her. "What are you doing here?" I ask.

She looks at me for second, about to explain, but when she looks in my uncle's direction she drops her papers. When I look his way, I'm shocked, too. My heart stops and my legs feel like noddles.

It's my brother. My supposedly dead brother.

Caleb.