The Disappearing by Jennifer Torres

Author:Jennifer Torres [Torres, Jennifer]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Mysteries & Detective Stories, Action & Adventure, Science Fiction
ISBN: 978-1-62285-174-4
Publisher: Enslow Publishers, Inc.
Published: 2014-10-08T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 8

Where Is Luke?

When he reached the steps of his house, Tim noticed that Luke’s bike wasn’t out front. He’d made a big deal out of telling his dad on the phone that he would ride his bike over right after he grabbed an outfit from home. Since it wasn’t there that meant neither was Luke.

Tim grabbed the skateboard he’d left upside down in the front yard and headed down the hill to Luke’s house. Dusk was falling and even though the sun was still up, it wouldn’t be for long. It made him chuckle a little to imagine Luke’s face once he realized he lost track of time again and it was getting dark.

Besides, he couldn’t wait to tell Luke about the angry guy and his insinuation that they simply hadn’t seen what they claimed. Like he thought they imagined it, or worse, made it up.

He glided down the path leading to Luke’s front door. When he got to the end, he jumped off the board and jogged up the front steps.

Tim knocked—once, twice.

No answer.

He peered in the window. Nothing moved.

He reached for the door and turned the knob. The door creaked open, and Tim walked inside.

The house was silent. He walked in a little farther and called out.

“Luke?”

No response.

He started to head across the house to the stairs but stopped before reaching them.

Something felt weird . . . almost like he was being watched. He didn’t like it.

For a moment he was frozen in the same spot, unsure whether to move forward or go back.

He listened for any sound—almost afraid to hear one.

Why did he feel so uneasy? This was practically his second home.

He was just being silly. Luke was probably waiting for him at his house right now.

He turned and walked quickly toward the front door. In his mind, he envisioned a hand falling hard on his shoulder, grabbing him back into the house.

It seemed to take twice as long to make his way back. When he finally reached the door, he was moving so fast that his heart was pounding and his breathing was labored. But he didn’t take even a second to catch his breath.

He hopped right on his board and headed home.

As he approached his house, he noticed his mom was outside. The sun was just about to set. It would be dark within minutes.

“Where is Luke?” she asked when he was closer.

Tim suddenly felt very cold.

“He’s not here?”

She slowly shook her head and her eyes grew wide.

•••••

The man pursuing him is close; he can hear twigs snap under heavy feet, pounding into the grass just behind him. Ahead, a patch of flowers and a yellow house, if he can just get there, but then he remembers he won’t make it.

He never does.

The rock, hidden in the grass, is steps away. Tim trips, landing on his knees, a strong hand grips his shoulder, pulling him away again.

When Tim opened his eyes, he was covered in sweat.

His heart was racing as it usually did after the nightmare.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.