Black Roses {Skephalo}

Day Twenty-three

————— 1 day remaining ————— Tuesday, January 23rd, 6:27 pm

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Anyone know where the notebooks are now?
It wasn't obvious, and you'd have to remember something from a while back, but it was said.
Enjoy. Love ya <3 ~ Owl

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-Darryl's POV-

"Darryl, we're not going to find them."

I glance over at Zak, his head against the window. He's just sitting there, dull, lifeless eyes focused on the road ahead despite not being the one driving. Rain pours down heavily, only adding to the sadness.

There's a storm brewing, but Zak still insisted on coming outside. He claims that he's over the fear, despite shaking violently the entire journey.

We've been stopping at all the places Zak has seen from those nightmares. The hospital, coffee shop, the lake, even each street that he remembers. We've checked our apartments over so many times they can't be there.

They weren't at the hospital. They weren't at the coffee shop, the lake, any street Zak remembers. We haven't found them, and the deadline is so thin.

"One day..." Zak mutters, vocalising my thoughts. "At the end of tomorrow, I die. That's it. It's the end, and I'm gone forever." He glances at me, once bright mocha eyes hollow. There's no warmth to him, he's empty. A shell of the happy, carefree boy I used to know.

It doesn't make any sense.

Why did it have to be us?

Zak sighs deeply, watching the storm unfold outside and shake in fear. This world is so unfair to him, it's like it's rigged to upset him at all costs. There's no way this can be normal. Three storms in four weeks?!

Something really isn't right. I feel like that demon girl has more power than she lets on.

Annabelle, should I say. The girl behind the notebooks, behind our suffering. She claims she can't choose who the notebooks latch onto, which I half believe.

In the dreamscape we were shown yesterday, she was yelling over the books. Shortly after she killed the boy, in unlatching the book from him. So she can control who she removes the books from, but not who they latch onto in the first place?

Is she trying to make them latch onto someone specific?

How many people has she killed?...

My thoughts are invaded by the sound of muffled sobbing. To my right is Zak, hands clasped over his face as he tries not to cry. He's shaking his head violently, eyes wide in terror.

As quickly as I can, I pull over into the nearest lay-by. Zak has curled into a ball, head between his knees as he rocks back and forth in his seat. I hastily remove his seatbelt, picking him up and moving him into my lap.

He remains in a ball, moving his hands over his ears to block out the world around us. "Zak..." I say quietly, gently caressing his back. "Zak... look at me please..." He turns away, shaking his head.

Zak mutters something about embarrassment, and I can guess the rest. "If you're scared of the thunderstorm, that's totally ok-"

"No" he cuts in. "No it's... it's not that..." The raven-haired boy shuffled away from me, making sure not to hit the handbrake. After realising even he's not small enough to fit in the foothold, he shuffles back towards me.