The Devil Child

Chapter Ten

 Minny clenched his fists.

In front of him stood a person who looked just like a him. A boy that he had given up on years ago, but for some reason, was standing right in front of him.

"What do you want?"

The boy eyed him, then tipped his head back to laugh. "Oh, Benjamin. Oh Benny. There are a lot of things I want. You being one of them."

Minny took a step back, eyes narrowing. It wasn't that he was afraid of his twin brother. It was more that he was weary. He hadn't seen his twin brother in years, and this was obvious as he stared at Lennard.

He was confused. Hurt. Going out of his mind.

His twin looked just like him, with the same haircut and the same style of clothes, which shouldn't have been shocking, but it was. Minny hadn't seen his brother for years. Since they were children.

"Where have you been?"

"You'll think this is funny. Real funny." Lennard tipped his head back and laughed again. "Benny and Lenny, reunited once again. How fucking hysterical."

Minny just watched his brother. There was something about him that was messed up. Something about him that spelled crazy with a capital C. But Minny couldn't put his finger on it. Maybe it was Lennard's crazy expression he wore. Maybe it was his jerky movements.

"How did you find me? I changed-"

"Your name to Minny. Not exactly hard to find you, Benny boy." Lennard tapped his head. "I just know. I know where you are, always. Twin telepathy or some shit."

Minny shook his head, taking another step back. "Where have you been, Lennard?"

Lennard walked around Minny, like a predator stalking it's prey. He wore a grin that made Minny feel uneasy, and almost sick. He walked as Lennard walked, his stride smooth and fluent. But there was something about him that looked jittery and jerky. The way his head moved, and the way his eyes darted everywhere.

He looked uneasy.

"Lennard, I swear to-"

"Don't finish that sentence, Benny. No no no, you know better." Lennard wagged his finger in Minny's face. "You know better than to say the Lord's name in vain."

Minny jerked away. "God? Lord? Since when are you fucking religious-"

Lennard smiled. "Oh, I'm not religious. I'm not religious at all, Benny boy."

Minny didn't understand. He couldn't grasp what was even happening as he watched his brother walk around him. His brother looked so much like he imagined him to look like, after all these years. Same dimples, same freckles, same everything. They were twins, but there had always been subtle differences between the two.

"Don't hate me, Benny. Please don't hate me. I love you, I do. I've always loved you. It's why I have to do this."

And suddenly, Minny was falling backwards to the ground, darkness engulfing him completely as he free fell, right into his bed where he woke up with a start, his heart hammering in his chest.

His eyes opened wide, and he looked around himself, worried that someone was in his bedroom with him. Worried that Lennard was there, watching him.

But his brother was nowhere to be seen.

Minny got up to get a drink of water, and to splash some on his face. He felt disorientated and frightened, like he was a little boy all over again having nightmares. Only this nightmare had been so real that is made his bones rattle in fear.

Minny couldn't remember the last time he had a dream about Lennard. He couldn't even fathom why he was suddenly having one, after all this time.

He was tempted to check the rest of the house, make sure the doors were locked and no one was there, but he forced himself back into his room. Back into his bed. Back where he belonged. He was no closer to finding his brother, and no closer to answering all the questions he had.

He only had one lead, and he went by the name Elliott Cole.

* * *

Polly shivered in her bed. She felt like someone was watching her. She felt like she wasn't safe in her own bed.

She was beginning to wonder if she'd ever feel safe.

She looked in the doorway, jumping when she saw Jenny there. Her cousin's eyes were wide, staring. Just staring - nothing else.

"Jenny?" Polly managed to get out, once her heart wasn't in her throat. But, her cousin didn't answer, just stared at her with wide eyes. Like she was frightened of something.

Polly got out of bed and walked closer to Jenny, wondering what her cousin would be doing awake at this time of night. And more importantly, why Jenny was even in the bedroom.

"Jenny, what's wrong?"

Her cousin blinked slowly. Then, she spun on her heel and ran down the hall, laughter filling in the silence of the night. However, something told Polly that the laughter that followed wasn't due to a joke Jenny was playing.

No, Polly felt something sinister in the air. She felt something was wrong, so she followed her cousin down the hallway, and outside her bedroom door.

There was a drawing on the door, one of Jenny and her parents. What struck Polly as odd was the figure in the back, who seemed to be just there, awkward and distant.

Polly stood on her tiptoes, trying to get a better look at the figure. And when she read the scribbled name on the top, she felt her blood run cold. Mostly because the figure was deformed in a way that screamed dead. But slightly because of the hand on her back.

"I found you," Jenny whispered into the dark.

"Jenny, why did you draw me this way?" Polly's voice shook. There was something malicious about the drawing. Something that told Polly her cousin didn't want her there at all, despite the fact that her presence in Jenny's life was pretty minimal.

There was no response from the elementary school girl, so Polly turned around to find her sleeping on the floor. Just like that - asleep. Like she'd never been awake in the first place.

And later on that morning, when Polly woke up for school, she noticed that there was no drawing of her on the picture that hung from Jenny's door. And Polly began to wonder if she was going crazy, or if last night actually happened.

She was leaning towards it actually happening, but she couldn't shake the fact that she wasn't even in that drawing. That she had made it all up.

But how could she? Polly didn't have any reason to make any of it up. She'd read somewhere that dreams were based off of other things. Things that bothered a person, or things that happened to a person.

But Polly couldn't seem to fathom why she would imagine her little cousin drawing a disfigured version of herself.

It sent chills up her spine. And what made it even worse was that Jenny seemed perfectly fine at the breakfast table, asking Polly is she knew what she was going to be for Halloween.

Polly didn't have an answer. She didn't know how to respond to her cousin. All she could picture was her from last night, with wide eyes and that laughter, following her all the way to her bedroom, and lulling her to sleep.  

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