the man in the attic

7/29/2019 The Man in the Attic

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The Man in the Attic


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Preface

I woke up and my clock read 3:00, ugh three more hours till I have to wake up. I grabbed my

glasses and went to look out the window. Complete darkness. The only sound was the scraping of trees

against the house. I opened my door and walked downstairs. My door and the floor beneath me creaked

with every step I took. I heard a noise coming from above me. It sounded like something big was being

dragged around. I heard foot steps. Thinking that it was my parents I ran back to my room. Little did I

know it was someone way worse than my parents. As I looked around there was nothing there, but

when I looked in the corner of the room, there in the dark was a shadow with blue eyes. I tried to ask

who or what it was, but I couldnt find my voice. I tried screaming, but no sound came out. All I could do

was watch as the figure came closer and closer to where I stood outside my bedroom door.


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Chapter One

That was two days ago. Lets start the story from the beginning. Hi, my name is Luke. My family

and I have just come from the United States all the way to England. Before we moved to this big empty

house in the middle of nowhere I was as fearless as can be. But after moving here, my life got really

complicated. I started hearing strange noises in the night and always felt like there was something or

someone watching me. Ever since my family and I moved here Ive been losing my things. For example I

would put something down and walk away from it and come back five minutes later and it would be

gone. When we bought the house the realtor told us that there was a legend of people coming into the

house late at night but never returning. During the night I would hear weird sounds, like someone

dragging a box or bag across the floor. Ive always been too scared to go find out what caused the noise.

Somehow I knew that the noise was coming from the attic.

********

It was my first night in England. Most of my belongings were still on the moving truck. The only

items in my room were my bed, my side table, my lamp, and my desk. We had to get the rest of my stuff

in the morning. I couldnt sleep that night. I tossed and turned. I finally dosed off at about 2:45am.

When I woke up, I was sweating. I had a nightmare that night. I was being chased by a shadow. All I

could see of it was its eyes. It had a pair of deep blue eyes. In my dream every time I looked into them it

was like I was in a trance. I couldnt look away. It was like it was holding me. When I finally freed myself

from its grasp, I woke up. My body felt limp. I felt like all of my muscles were wrung out like a towel. I

felt weak. At this moment anyone could come up and just poke me and I would collapse on the floor. It

took me an hour to get out of bed. It took me fifteen minutes to climb down one flight of three stairs.

When I finally made it to the bottom, I nearly passed out. I was so weak. My muscles were so stiff I could


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barley lift them. I sat down at the kitchen table where my older brother, Brandon, and my parents were

sitting.

Whats wrong Luke? my mom asked.

I dont know, I said, I just woke up and my body felt really limp.

Are you still tired? Richard asked. Richard is my moms fianc. I still call him by his name

though. Im notcomfortable with calling him Dad yet.

No, I dont think so. But I did have a really weird dream, I told him.

What was it about honey? My mom always calls me honey when shes trying to get

information out of me.

There was this, this shadow thing following me around and when I looked into its eyes, I

stopped there. I couldntbring myself to finish my sentence. Now that I'm thinking back on it, I didnt

even remember the rest of what I was going to say.

Keep on going, My mom urged me.

I-I-I cant. I dont remember what else happened, I stammered.

Thats because youre lying, Luke, My brother said in a stern voice. My brother never believes

anything I say.

I'm not lying Brandon, I really did dream it, I said. See Brandon is sixteen. So he thinks that

even though I'm only two years younger than him, I'm not as smart as him. This actually isnt true Im a

straight As student, while hes a B and C student. Before he turned sixteen, Brandon and I were like bestfriends. But now, its like I'm always bothering him or something. My mom says that its just because

hes older and he wants more independence, but I think its because hes being a jerk. Richard told me

that hes just adjusting to the new move, but the truth is, Brandons been acting like this since before we

moved. Hes been really rude to everyone in the family, but mostly me. Ive taught myself to just tune

him out but its kind of hard when he bothers me 24/7.

Yea sure, whatever, Brandon got up and walked away. I think he went to his room. He spends

a lot of time in his room. He practically lives in there. Literally, he has a mini fridge and a bathroom in

there. Whenever hes mad at anyone, he just goes to his room and doesnt come out for a few days.

Apparently I was still looking drained because my mom asked, Are you sure youre okay Luke?

Yea I'm ok. I think I'm just going to go outside and get some fresh air, I got up from the table,

but I think I stood up too fast. I lost my balance and almost fell over. I felt my body grow weak again. My

sight went away. I felt myself falling to the floor. I couldnt feel anything around me. I heard my

mothers panicked voice call for me. I tried to answer, but just like in my dream, I couldnt find my voice.


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I heard Richard trying to calm my mom down. I heard the panic in his voice. But then I heard another

voice. A voice Ive never heard before.

Luke, it sounded like a whisper. Luke,

I tried to respond. Then I saw something. I wasnt sure, but I thought it was the black figure. I

could feel its eyes pounding into my body. Somehow I knew that this figure was doing this to me. I tried

to tell it to stop, but my body started hurting. My body felt more than limp. I felt like I was dying. Then it

all changed. I felt someone shaking me.

Luke, please wake up, it was my mom.

I opened my eyes. Mom, mom it hurts.

What hurts? this time I knew for sure it wasnt my mom.

I saw my mom standing above me trying to help me up. She had tears in her eyes. I saw the blue

eyed creature move across the room. I could feel it pushing me down. Richard picked me up and sat me

down at the kitchen table. I tried to stand up. But I couldnt find the floor. Richard caught me before I

could fall.

Are you okay Luke? He asked me.

Before I could respond I heard the figures voice, You got saved this time. It sounded like it

was right next to me. I turned my head, but I saw nothing.

What are you looking for? My mom asked.

Nothing, I just thought I saw something. I think I'm going to go lay down now, I said, taking adeep breath between every word.

Ok, just take your time please, mom said.

Ok I will mom. Dont worry, I headed for the stairs. It took me less time to go up than coming

down. When I made it to my room I saw something that stopped me in my tracks. The attic door was

open. The door has been closed ever since we moved here. The door has never been opened once. I

heard the voice calling my name again. Luke, come here. Luke, come here.


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Chapter Two

Like an idiot, I went up the stairs.

It got really cold the farther I walked up the steps. I was still wearing my pajamas so I was really

cold. The closer I got to the top, the louder the voice was. Luke, come here. Luke, come here. I

couldnt tell if the voice was in my head or if there was actually someone following me. I felt the

presence of another person or thing. I stopped walking. I wanted to go back down stairs. Something told

me that going up in the attic was a bad idea. Without my permission, my legs kept climbing up the stairs.

I tried to stop them, but I couldnt. It was like they had a mind of theyre own. They led me farther up

the stairs, and the farther I went the louder the voice got. The louder the voice got, the less I could see.

Everything became blurry as I came closer to the top. I realized then that I didnt have my glasses on.

They must have fallen off when I fell in the kitchen and I forgot to pick them up. When I finally got to the

top, my eye sight was the worst that its ever been in my life. I felt like I was walking through a foggy

tunnel. The only thing I could see was the eyes. They were staring straight at me. I knew for a fact that

they were the shadows eyes. Again I was locked in its powerful trance. I wondered why I could see it,

but I couldnt see anything else.

Its the fog Luke, a voice said to me. It wasnt the voice that I heard in the kitchen or on the

stairs. This was a new voice. It sounded like a boy, no a man.

Whos there? I asked in the direction of the voice.

You cant see me? the mans voice asked.

Well if I could see you, do you think I would be asking? I knew this wasnt a good time to be

sarcastic but I couldnt help it.

Well I guess not, I heard the smile in his voice.

Why are you here, I asked trying to hide the fear in my voice.


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I believe the better question is why you are here?

What do you mean why am I here? Youre the one in my attic. Who or what are you? What is

this shadow thing that keeps following me around? I asked the voice trying to sound more confident.

Im Hunter, the man said.

Ok, well thats a start. What are you doing in my attic and why cant I see you? Why does this

shadow keep following me everywhere I go?

The fog is blocking your sight Luke. You have to concentrate on my voice. Block out everything

and only think about my voice, Hunter told me.

I tried it. At first I thought it wasnt going to work, but then the fog started clearing up. I saw an

outline of a person. It wasnt the same shape as the shadow that led me up the stairs. This one was a lot

thicker. I forced myself to walk towards it. My hand, without my permission, reached out in front of me

and tried to touch the outline. I gasped when I felt a shirt.

Hunter? I asked hoping that I didnt find another stranger in my attic.

Luke, please dont be frightened by me,

No, how could I possibly be scared of some guy living in my attic for who knows how long?

Wait, how long have you been here?

30 years, Hunter said his voice barley a whisper.

30 years? 30 years? How could you possibly survive in my attic for 30 years? No better yet, why

have you been in my attic for 30 years? I said forgetting to keep my voice low. I was shocked. Not onlywas there a man in my attic, but there was a man living in my attic longer than my brother and I have

been alive.

Hiding, he said it with a horrid look in his eyes. That was the first time I actually examined his

features.

Hunter was old, maybe around 40 or 45. He had these bright green eyes that had the same

grasp as the shadows. His clothes looked old, but they also looked clean. You would think that a man

that has lived in an attic for 30 years would need a shave and a shower, but he looked completely well

kept.

Hiding from what? I asked. My fear was now gone. It was replaced by suspicion.

Not now Luke. This isnt a good time. You need to leave before it gets you too.

Before what gets me? Why do I need to leave? I didnt want to leave. I wanted to find out

more about Hunter.


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Go to your room Luke. We can talk later. Its not a good time right now, he stood up and

started going towards to the attic stairs. Its not safe now.

I wanted to say something, but he motioned for me to be quiet. So I walked down the stairs

without another word. When I got off the last step, the door closed. I stood there staring at the door for

awhile.

My eye sight was horrible. I went back downstairs to get my glasses. I looked at the kitchen

clock. 11:14 it was 11:04 when I went upstairs. Only 10 minutes? That didnt sound right. It took me 10

minutes to get up the attic stairs. I decided that I didnt need to worry about anything else right now. I

had enough on my mind already. My parents already left for work, so it was just me and Brandon for the

day. I didnt see him downstairs anywhere, so I was guessing that he was in his room. I grabbed my

glasses and walked back up stairs.

I felt the chill of the fog when I got to my door. I went straight to my bed. As soon as my face hit

the pillow, I fell into a deep, dark, sleep.


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Chapter Three

My dream started like this.

The shadow was chasing me down a long tunnel. I must be the stupidest guy in the worldbecause I kept glancing behind me and looking into its eyes. Every time I looked back, it held me in its

grasp. It was like I was hypnotized. It was pitch black in the tunnel and I kept running into things. I was

doing pretty well before I tripped on an old box. I saw the shadow coming towards me. I tried to scream

and unlike my other dreams, it actually worked. At the time I didnt know if the scream scared it off or if

it just decided it didnt want to kill me, but I flew over my body and kept on going. Only then did I notice

that the shadow wasnt chasing me. I heard Hunters blood-curling scream. The shadow was hurting

him. I dont know why, but this shocked me. I thought the shadow and Hunter were working together,

but I guess I was wrong. Hunter screamed again and I head the voice of the blue eyed figure, I warned

you. Ive kept you around all these years and I can easily end your liferight here, right now

Thats when I woke up.

I looked at my clock. I slept for five hours. I sat up in bed and looked around. I felt the presence

of another person.

Luke, it was Hunter. I spun around and looked into his eyes.

W-W-What are you doing in my room? I stammered.

We need to talk Luke, he has a frightened look in his eyes.

About what? for some reason Hunter made me feel safe in some way. I know thats kind ofweird coming from a guy, but somehow I felt like no one could hurt me while he as around.

Luke, have you come in contact with the thief? He still had a feared look in his eyes and he

was whispering. It was almost like someone else was in the room with us and Hunter feared it with his

life.


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What thief? at this point I was really curious at what this large man could possibly be scared

of.

He hasnt been here?

Dude, I dont even know who or what youre talking about. How would I know if someone has

been here if I dont even know what it looks like?

How could you not know? He's only here because of you. You brought him here. You brought

him and his curse here. He looked at me with urgent eyes. Right when he looked at me, I felt like I

should know what he was talking about, but I didnt.

Hunter, I was frustrated now, I dont know who youre talking about, but I can assure you

that there is no one else in this house besides me, my mom, Richard, and my brother. Who is this thief?

I cant just tell you Luke. This is something you have to remember for yourself,

What do you mean remember? I dont know any of this. Dont you understand this? I cant

remember something that never happened, at this point I was angry that he wouldnt just tell me what

was going on. What was I supposed to remember? Then I remembered the blue eyed shadow.

So it wasnt a dream, I was staring directly into Hunters green eyes.

You do remember, His eyes started glowing.

Are you talking about the shadow? I was scared of his answer.

Yes, the blue eyed shadow. Have you seen it?

Yea, I saw it the other night in my dreams and I saw it when I was going up the attic stairs.

Has it made contact with you? His eyes glowed brighter.

Um well it tried to keep me on the ground when I fell this morning if that counts, I couldnt

keep my eyes off of his. They were too distracting. I watched them get brighter as his curiosity grew.

This is good. This isvery good indeed, His eyes were now neon green.

How is that good? You were just yelling at me to stay away from him,

Nows not the time Luke.This is not a safe place. I dont know if I was seeing things, but Ithought I saw his eyes get slightly darker.

Ok heres a little tip for the future, if youre going to bring up a topic with me, you need to be

willing to finish the conversation.

Hunter stood up and stared deeply into my eyes, Never talk back to me understand? I nodded.

Good, now I will see you in the morning Luke, and just like that he vanished into thin air.


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I glanced at my clock. 6:30. A million questions buzzed through my mind. Where did hunter go?

How did he vanish like that? What was this figure? I decided to think about all of this later. I already

missed lunch and I really didnt need to miss dinner too.

I went downstairs and saw my mom leaning against the counter.

Hey look who finally woke up, she smiled at me.

Hey mom,

You feel any better? Were you asleep all day?

Yeah, I'm ok. I went to sleep as soon as you and Richard left,

Does your head still hurt?

Not as much. I had some really weird dreams though,

Oh yeah? What about?

I was about to tell her about the figure chasing Hunter and all the fog in the attic, but then I

wondered what Hunter would do to me if I told anyone. I really didnt want to make him mad at me, so I

decided not to tell her. Well I dont really remember much. Al I know is that I was being chased by

something. So whats for dinner? I wanted to change the subject.

I think she knew I wasnt telling her everything, but all she said was, Chicken and potatoes.

Have you seen your brother?

Last time I saw him, he was headed towards his room, but that was about five hours ago, so for

all I know he could be out with friends,

Can you go check for me?

Yeah sure, I headed back upstairs to go get him.

I got to the top of the stairs and I noticed the attic door was open again. I went to go close it

when somebody called my name. I jumped and turned around.

What are you doing? it was Brandon.

What are you doing? Mom wants you downstairs,

I saw you go up there a few hours ago and I want to know why you were up there,

Its nothing. I thought I heard something,


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Hmm, sure go ahead and keep to that story, hetook a step closer to me, but believe me, I

will find out why you were up there. Then he turned around and went down the stairs and into the

kitchen. I slowly followed him, being careful to keep my distance.


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Chapter Four

I spent the rest of the night trying to avoid my brother and his questions about the attic. I really

hoped that he didnt hear me and Hunter talking in my room. Hunter had said that we would talk in the

morning, so after dinner, I went to my room to write down some of my questions for him.

I couldnt think of any more questions, so I put the paper on my desk and went to go take a

shower. When I came back to my room, I felt like something was wrong. I went to my desk. The paper

was gone. I opened up all the drawers and looked around every inch of it, but it wasnt there. I started

panicking. If my mom found it she would search the attic and call the police. I sat on my bed and stared

at my desk. Brandon must have done it, I thought. Hes just trying to figure out why I was in the attic. I

decided not to think about this much longer. I put my head on my pillow, and before I knew it, I was

asleep.

I actually slept dreamlessly that night, but sadly I woke up to a nightmare. Hunters eyes stared

straight at me. This time instead of being neon green, they were a deep dark green. I had a feeling that

this wasnt a good sign.

1)Why does he live in my attic?2)What is this figure?

3)Why is there fog in my attic?4)How did he survive 30 years?

5) Is the figure a danger to me orhim?


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Why did you do this? his voice was urgent.

Good morning to you too, Hunter,

Answer the question Luke,

Why did I do what? I was still tired and I wasnt really concentrating on anything he was

saying.

He tossed a piece of paper at me. I looked at it and recognized my hand writing. Where did you

find this? I lost it yesterday.

You didnt lose it. I took it, his eyes got darker.

Well why did you do that? You practically scared me to death, I was relieved that he was the

one that found it and not my brother, but something told me that something else was wrong.

To teach you a lesson, do you know what would have happened if someone would have foundthis? his eyes were black

Calm down Hunter. The good thing is that no one else found it. And what would happen if

someone found it? All I did was write down questions that I wanted you to answer,

Look on the back of the paper, I answered them for you. I have to go now, but we willtalk

about this later, and just like that he vanished again.

I looked at the paper.

What in the world is a soul thief? I said out loud even though there was no one else in the

room with me. At least I thought there wasnt.

What are you talking about? it was Brandon.

1) Safety hideout

2) A soul thief

3) so that only the welcomed can see

4) The figure put a curse on me

5) Both


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Nothing, none of your business, I really didnt want him to find out.

It may not be mine, but it might be moms,

Shut up Brandon. Why are you so interested in my life all of a sudden?

The real question is why your life is so interesting all of a sudden? he looked into my eyes and

I could tell that he knew something that I didnt.

What do you know?

Thats for me to know and for mom to find out, he ran out of my room and down the stairs

before I had the chance to kick him.

I tried to run after him, but I felt myself trip over something and land on the floor. I felt a

throbbing pain in my right leg. Then I saw the blue eyes. I felt it pushing me down into the floor. It felt

like there was something twisting my leg. I managed to look over my shoulder. I might have been

imagining things, but I know I saw Hunters foot crushing my bones. I cried out in pain. I heard my moms

panicking voice.

Luke what happened? Are you ok?

If you answer her, Ill apply more pain, it was Hunters voice.

Luke, talk to me, it was Richard this time.

I could hear my mother yelling at Brandon and trying to figure out what happened. I wanted to

stand up and tell her I was fine, but I could feel Hunters foot going deeper into my leg. Please stop. I

thought in my head hoping that somehow Hunter could hear me. Your really hurting me. I want to helpyou, but you have to agree that if you break my leg now, I wont be able to help.

I slowly felt the weight of his foot move away from mine. I tried to stand up, but I couldnt get

my leg under me.

Luke, dont move. I think your leg is broken. There was panic in my momsvoice. Brandon, go

get in the car now!

Richard picked me up and brought me to the car. The pain in my leg was worse than ever. I tried

to sit up, but the pain was too much. Brandon sat in the car next to me. I heard my mom and Richard get

in the car. My mom was still panicking.

The one thing Ive learned that seems to always happen to my family when were in a hurry is

that, nobody else on the rode seems to get the point that we have places to be and people to see. And

that is exactly what seemed to be happening today. All the cars in front of us were slower than turtles

running through peanut butter. Eventually, my mom got tired of all the traffic, and just cut through

everyone.


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She got honked at a few times, but we made it to the hospital. Richard carried me into the large

building and put me in a chair. He and my mom went to go fill out the paper work and to get a doctor to

check out my leg.

After all the paper work was filled out, we waited in the waiting room for like twenty minutes

before the doctor came out to see us. He took me and my mom into a small room and closed the door.

So what happened here? the doctor asked my mom. He was examining my leg.

Doctor, um, my mom looked at his name tag. Doctor Medley, I think my son, Luke, should be

able to answer.

Dr. Medley turned to me. Well, Luke, what happened?

I tripped trying to chase my brother down the stairs.

Did you fall on the stairs?

I fell at the top of the stairs. I never actually got to the bottom of them.

Did you twist your ankle?

No, I dont think so. All I did was fall.

Well your leg looks broken to me, but lets go get some X-rays done first. He got up from his

chair and walked out the door. I heard him talking to someone. I assumed it was either a nurse or

another doctor.

About ten minutes later, Dr. Medley came back into the room. Behind him was a nurse with a

wheelchair. I looked at my leg. It didnt look too bad. Dr. Medley helped me into the wheelchair. We left

the room and my mom followed us. We passed many rooms and went down three long hallways until

we finally reached a large room. The nurse opened the door and Dr. Medley wheeled me into the large

room.

I looked into the room and the first two words that came to my mind were: Horror movie. The

room had a lot of empty beds. I tried to count how many there was, but my vision started getting blurry

again. Only then did I notice that I didnt have my glasses. The large room suspiciously started looking

like my attic. I looked up to see if my mom saw what I was seeing. She wasnt there. Dr. Medley wasnt

there either. I looked back down and saw the fog. It was the same fog that I saw in the attic.

I felt myself fall to the floor. A hand appeared on my shoulder. I looked up and saw his green

eyes. I tried to stand up hoping that the pain wouldnt resurface. Surprisingly, there was no pain. I stood

up easily and turned around slowly. The first thing I saw was the blue eyes. They slowly dissolved before

my eyes. I knew that Hunter would be there if I turned around more. Before I had the chance to decide if

it was worth turning around, I felt his other hand grab my other shoulder and turn me around.

Luke we need to talk.


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Chapter 5

Hunter, why cant you just leave me alone? my voice cracked.

He completely ignored my question, Luke, we need to talk.

About?

What did your brother hear?

His face looked really serious but I couldnt help but let out a small laugh. Thats what this is

about? I thought this was something important. I couldnt stop laughing. Wow, Hunter, thanks. You

just made my day.

Stop laughing!

It was uncontrollable now. Brandon didnt hear anything. Even if he did, he wouldnt remember

anything. You may not know this, but my brothers brain isnt too big. You could tell him about the

biggest explosion ever, and he still wouldnt remember it.

Luke, you will stop laughing right now,

At that same moment I felt his eyes grab hold of me and pull me in its trance. I chocked on a

laugh and ended up coughing. The grasp pulled me tighter. I couldnt breathe. I tried to tell him to let

me go but my lungs wouldnt agree with my mouth. Hunters stared at me with his green eyes. My chest

burned. It felt like he was looking into my soul. My eyes hurt. I wanted to close them, but something

kept them open against my will.

He started laughing. He slowly loosened his grasp. I started to relax but then he tightened the

grasp again. He laughed again and let me go. I stood there for awhile to make sure he wasnt going to

tighten his grip again. When I was sure he wasnt going to attack again, I carefully took small steps

backwards till there was a good five feet between us.

He didnt come after me, so I took a few more steps back. He kept staring at me.


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Are you done now? his voice was cold.

I dont know. Are you done hurtingme?

For now, yes. I looked in his eyes to see if he was lying. I took a few steps towards him. Then a

thought came to my mind.

Wheres my mom?

Shes safe

That doesnt answer my question. Where is my mom? I tried to sound serious, but I think my

voice cracked.

Does it matter? We have more important issues to handle then your worthless mom,

My mom? Worthless? How could you put those words together in a sentence? I was angry

now.

Like I said, we have more important issues to discuss.

I will not discuss anything with you until I see that my mom is safe. My voice was firm for

once.

We willtalk later,

I was going to ask what he meant, but I barely had time to get the words out of my mouth

before the room changed. I felt myself fall to the floor. I heard my moms worried voice.

Luke! Are you ok honey? Are you hurt?

I'm.fineIjustneed help.getting up, I started breathing slower and slower. I felt hands

grab around my waist. They werent my moms hands. They were too big. I figured they were Dr.

Medleys. Eventually I was back in my wheelchair.

Is he going to be okay? her voice was a whisper.

I dont know if he heard her or not but he looked straight into her eyes ad said, You can go

home now.

There must have been have been some threat in his words because she turned my wheelchairaround, and pushed me right out the door, without another word. We almost went right past the front

desk when a nurse with many papers in her hand stopped us.

Someone needs to sign his release papers. He cant leave without them signed by his doctor

and parent.


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My mom looked like a thief being questioned by a cop. I could tell she just wanted to leave, but I

couldnt figure out why. I motioned for the nurse to hand me the papers. I looked through them. They

all looked alright to me. I tired to hand them to my mom, but she refused to take them from me. The

nurse stared at us. I tried again to give my mom the papers. She refused. I tried to give the papers back

to the nurse. She refused too. I didnt know what else to do, so I dropped the papers on the floor. It was

like my mom knew that I was going to drop them. As soon as the folder hit the floor, she took off. Before

the nurse could react, we were out the door. She somehow went halfway across the parking lot without

stopping for breath.

When she finally stopped, she turned around and looked back. I guessed she didnt see the

nurse running after us, so we walked the rest of the way back to the car. When we were on the rode

again, I worked up the courage to ask the question thats been on my mind.

What was that all about?

She didnt answer for awhile, her eyes fixed n the rode before her. She opened her mouth, but

then closed it again. It was ten minutes before she looked at me.

Luke, not everyone in this town is safe. Dont trust every thing you see. Dont trust everything

you hear. Basically, Luke, dont trust anyone. She said the last sentence with a space between each of

her words.

Whats that suppose to mean?So who can I trust?

She looked me directly in the eye and said slowly, No one.

I thought she was joking. Her face was dark and serious. She wasnt joking. I decided to be smart

and end the conversation then and there. I spent the rest of the drive home thinking of what she meant.


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Chapter 6

We got home about a half hour later. With my moms help, I went to my room and shut the

door. I was so tired; I almost collapsed on the floor. I lay back on my bed. More questions permeated my

mind. Eventually it became too much for my mind to take. I slowly fell asleep, ignoring the pain in my

head.

***

I woke up in a dark tunnel. There was the slightest about of light coming from nowhere. I stood

up slowly half expecting the pain to return to my head. It didnt resurface. I heard foot steps behind me.

Something inside me told me it wasnt safe to stay here. Without thinking, I ran. I didnt know where Iwas going. The farther I ran, the darker the tunnel became. I could hear the footsteps chasing after me. I

ran faster hoping it wouldnt catch me.

As I was running the urge to look back started to occur. I tried to dismiss it, but it got stronger

and eventually over took me. I looked over my shoulder as I ran. What I saw terrified me. I stopped

running and turned around. I looked all around me. There was no one. I laughed at myself for being so

stupid. I started walking forward, stopping occasionally to catch my breath.

The tunnel was getting darker. Then a thought occurred to me. I patted my shirt and pants until

I found it. I quietly thanked my mom for getting me in the habit of taking my phone every where I go. I

pressed the ON button silently hoping that I bothered to charge it before I left. It turned on with ease. I

turned on my flash and started walking again.

After awhile I stopped to take in my surroundings. I noticed there was about fifteen feet

between either sides of the tunnel. I shined the light in front of me. Even with the light of my phone, it

was still too dark to see anything farther than two feet in front of me. I heard something moving behind

me and quickly turned around. I pointed the light of my phone to the ground just in time to see a mouse


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scurry across the ground. I laughed at the mouse and then turned around. Some one was there. I had to

find out who it was. I didnt want anybody to find me. I started walking faster and the foot steps behind

me sped up. A new thought occurred to me. Was it just my own footsteps again? I stopped and listened.

The footsteps continued. It wasnt the sound of me walking. Someone was following me.

I started running as fast as I could. When I thought I was far enough away from my follower, Istopped to listen to see if the person was behind me. I held my breath and listened. I didnt hear

anything. I breathed out a side of relief and began walking again. I walked for what seemed like hours. I

decided to put my phone away to save the battery. Walking in the dark was somehow easier.

I checked the time on my phone, 10:48 pm. I decided to keep walking; I mean how else was I

supposed to get home? The muscles in my legs started to tighten up. I started regretting not going to

the gym with Richard. I forced myself to keep walking; I needed to get out of this tunnel. I walked for

another four hours. I felt my eyelids become heavy. I tried to keep walking, but the tunnel seemed to

never end. I started becoming so drowsy; I tripped over my own feet. My pace slowed and my muscles

tightened. I tripped again and this time landed on my chest. I tried to get on my knees, but couldnt

force my body to corporate. I ended up walking to the side of the tunnel and sliding down until I was

sitting on the floor. I tried to keep my eyes open, but my eyes got heavier and heavier. Eventually

darkness over took me.

I woke up awhile later. It felt like I slept for only five minutes. I checked my phone, 7:46 am. I

slept longer than I thought, but I could have slept longer. I could feel how tight my muscles were. It hurt

to sit up. I lay back down against the wall and closed my eyes. Then I heard the faint sound of a whistle.

My eyes shot open and I staggered to get to my knees. The whistling stopped abruptly. I sat on my knees

quietly waiting for the sound to start again. After a few minutes a let out a breath I didnt realize I was

holding and decided that there was never a sound to begin with. I must have been dosing off and had a

dream about some guy whistling. I bent down to pick up my phone and shoved it into my pocket. I

started walking again hoping I was going in the right direction.

I walked for about an hour when I noticed something. I was surrounded by light. Now dont get

me wrong, the light wasnt super bright or anything, I would have noticed that before. It was a dim light.

Almost like the sun was finding ways to get into the tunnel. A feeling of hope surged through my body.

The light meant that there were cracks in the walls of the tunnel which meant I could try to dig myself

out! I started walking faster looking at the walls for any sign of sunlight. I walked for about a half hour

before I found where a ray of sunlight was coming through. I tried to get through the wall, but quickly

found out that the tunnel was made out of bricks.

I moved to the other side of the tunnel and slummed to the ground. I took my phone out of my

pocket and checked the time, 9:00. I havent walked far enough to stop now. I stood up and started

walking straight ahead again. I walked for hours and desperately wanted to stop and rest, but I forced

myself to keep going. Eventually I didnt have to force myself anymore. My body kept going with out me

telling it to. I let my mind drift. The first person that came to my mind was my mom. Why was she so

eager to leave the hospital? Now that I think about it, she didnt even pay the hospital. And what did she


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mean when she said that I cant trust everyone I see? Questions flowed through mymind for a few more

hours. I was lost in thought when I heard a buzzing noise. I jumped and spun around putting my body in

a pathetic attacking position. There was no one. I heard the buzzing again and realized that it was me. I

reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone. Large words flashed on my screen. LOW BATTERY,

PLUG IN CHARGER. I sighed and started to turn it off when I noticed something in the corner of my

phone. I had a bar of signal! I dialed the first number I could think of, 911. I heard it ring, once, twice,

three times, four times.

911 what is your emergency?

That was the first and last thing I heard before my phone died.


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the man in the attic

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