Miles to Go

Chapter 15

Ethan

For the first time in hours, Ethan took his phone out of his pocket. He looked at his reflection in the dulled black screen for a moment, his face stared back at him, lacking motivation and expression. He turned it on and scrolled through his contacts list, which was in fact, admittedly small. He found Miles name on it and swiped up. He'd made him a contact a little after he found him, deciding pretty soon he wanted to stay in contact with him if shit ever hit the fan.

The phone rings once. He hadn't picked up. The phone rings twice. He still hadn't picked up. By the third ring. Ethan had almost given up till he heard a sharp breath from the other side of the line.

"-Ethan..?" It comes out shaky and uncertain. "Sure" he said smiling devilishy. He repeated his name again with more assurance this time. "Ethan where are you" Miles demanded, but it didn't come out commandingly and rude, no, he sounded very concerned and yet calm instead. What's he got planned?

"Uhm..I don't really know to be honest with ya.." Ethan said as he looked out the window of his new room. The yard was bare and scattered with leaves and the trees stretching out further than he could see. "What do you mean you don't know? Isn't there an address or something?" He said, worry in his voice. "Well, no, in fact there is no address, Miles. There's only leaves and tall trees here at this shitty long-term-stay orphanage" Ethan retorted.

"Orphanage?" He repeated startled by this fact. And technically he was right to be confused. Ethan wasn't technically an orphan. Ethan's dad was alive.

"Well, it's not exactly an orphanage. It's just an abandoned building for abandoned children, and you can't leave" he paused before adding, "I think." This was about the extent of the knowledge he'd picked up about the place. Miles's breathing hitched from the other side of the phone.

"Ethan I..I'm coming for you okay. Just, don't go anywhere" he directed sternly. "Sure, I don't have any plans of prison escape anyways. I'm quarantined here, and the only other dude I've seen here looks like he's been here years!" Ethan laughed, though it was shaky and unconvincing.

"What if you can't leave? Like there's a cure or somethi-"

"Ethan" he interrupts. "Right. Stay put. Stay out of trouble too, I assume?"

"If you can" Miles sighed through the mic, unlike his usual demeanor. "Hey Miles uhm.." Ethan started, sensing his frustration and guilt.

"Yeah?"

"I..I l-"

Ahem

"I hope you can find this place, ok?" He stuttered, some how embarrassed at the thought of comforting him. "Sure.." he said reassuringly. "I..uh..I-"
The doorknob rattled. Its locked so whoevers on the other side can't get in. Ethan guessed it must be that weirdo again. But the door handle started rattling violently, and the door started shaking, getting louder and louder.

"Ethan what is tha-"
He hung up with Miles. Sorry dude, but what ever is pounding at my door, you probably don't want to hear.
"ETHAN" it roared viciously from the outside of the door. I shouldn't have locked the door. He slowly unlocked the door, his heart pouding in his chest.

The door stopped rattling, the pounding stops, and all noise is erased, as if no one had even been there. Fearlessly, Ethan swings open the door. There he is. The creep just standing there, staring vacantly as if nothing had happened.
"What the hell were you doing!" Ethan demands. He remained staring, his gaze above his head because he's so freakishly tall.

"Hello?"

"Memento Mori, Ethan" he snapped at him, his eyes clouded, but scornful, and full of emotion. "What the fuck does that mean?"

"You really shouldn't be so noisy. I could here you banging on the door from across the hall" he said as the light slowly returned to his eyes. He looked down on him to say this. Tall bastard.

"Also, your friend won't find this place. This place doesn't want to be found, it wants to be seeked" he said frowning. Sounds like he's been eavesdropping.

"Meaning..?"

"If he isn't looking for an escape from humanity, he won't find this place"

"What are you talking about? And what are you implying about me then, and for gods sake what is your name!" Ethan yelled, frustrated. None of this made sense. "All of that will be answered later" he paused.

"Except..my name is charles, Charlie, you can know that, I guess" he shrugged, the brown stringy hair falling in front of his eye again.
"Ah, I get it, like Charlie Brown, cause the brown hair, can I call you that, huh Charlie, huh?" Ethan said sarcastically, trying to provoke him out of his own frustration.

"No- I mean..no. Just..no, okay?" He said, his face flushing with embarrassment. That's the most emotion he'd expressed since he'd been here, and Ethan kinda liked it.

Ethan raised an eyebrow suspiciously at him, and he raised one back at him, the pink in his cheeks vanishing. He glared at him and he turned his back on Ethan, walking down the hallway, he slumped down the wall to his room.

"Huh" Ethan exhaled. "I like creep much better."