The door opened, relieving him from his thoughts and the nightmarish creature hunting him. His mother peered in; her eyes blank as she stared into the room she despised.
"Benji?" his mother called from behind the door in a whisper. He rested the side of his head onto his knee, listening to his mother as she continued, "It's time to get up." Without another word, his mother slammed the door, leaving him with the darkness of his room.
She was tired. That was clear.
Bags populated under her bottom lashes, making her once blue eyes dull grey. Not an ounce of color flourished in her cheeks giving them the appearance of being dreadfully pale.
He knew why the spark from her had faded and didn't blame her for being so short with him.
Ever since the disappearance of his older brother, his mother had never been the same. She changed completely, considering her sons were the biggest piece of her in the beginning.
Benji wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, looking at the clear tears through the darkness. He blinked, struggling to sit on his knees to regain his stature.
Reaching outward, he took a hold of the small handle, lifting the blinds, and with a swift pull, light flooded into the room, blinding him.
It was morning.
Though he still had the horrible nightmares plaguing his sleep, he had not woken up from the terrors and that was a win in his book. He had finally had a full night of uninterrupted sleep.
Months ago, when his brother went missing, his nightmares would contain his face. Presently, his dreams evolved, showing him a deeper evil lurking within himself. He could not handle those, the ones haunting him even more than his reality.
I can't do this anymore!" shouted a familiar male voice, taking him away from his thoughts.
Benji leaned in, listening to the voice ring from outside the thin walls of his room. They were muffled. So much that he was unable to hear a thing.
Getting out of his bed, he stumbled, still wearing the clothes from the day before. A black hoodie―entirely too big―and a pair of worn dark jeans draped over his feet.
He walked over to the door slowly, careful not to step on the creaky floorboard always giving him away. Tiptoeing around it, he pressed his ear to the door, listening to what his father was saying, but he couldn't hear his voice anymore.
Instead, his mother's sorrow-struck one replaced it. "They've closed the case."
Benji's small heart thumped knowing exactly what his parents were talking about.
"Dammit!" his father yelled, banging his fist fiercely against the wooden table. The sound resounded throughout their small home then disappeared.
Benji cracked the door open slowly, listening intently. Gently, he pushed against the knob, exposing himself to the small white hallway plagued with photos of his older brother, Noah.
He was not on the wall with his brother, not as if it mattered to him anyway. His older brother was, after all, the perfect child, and the pride and joy of the family.
Staring at the photos, he noticed in each picture was a perfect Noah. His hair whisked to the side in brown mussed locks sweeping across his forehead. The hairs hanging hid away sparkling golden irises while his heart-shaped face stood out. Benji noticed his high cheekbones lifted when Noah smiled, it made him feel like he would be okay today.
Just for today.
Stepping further into the hall, his eyes wandered from the photographs, as he pressed his back against the wall, trying not to remember the nightmare. Being quiet was his mission, only his breathing betrayed him.
Benji hyperventilated as images of the creature crept into his mind. Hiding, he pressed his hands over his mouth—covering it. His panting appeared even louder, finally giving away his hiding place.
"Benjamin?" his mother called from the other side of the wall, using his full name. "Is that you?" she asked, knowing perfectly who it was.
He sighed defeatedly, looked at his mother, and without a word, entered the kitchen, forgetting why he was in the hallway to begin with.
He avoided his mother's gaze, while taking in the image of his father who was settled at the white dining room table, weaving through his newspaper. It was the same thing every morning since Noah had vanished.
His face hid in the depths of it, showing only the black and white lines. Benji tried to ignore him as he moved toward the front door, and gulped, noticing his mother was still staring at him with beady eyes.
She watched his every move, and with each step, her glare sank into the back of his head. He tried to push away the growing itch of wanting to meet her gaze as a lump filled his throat. Swallowing, he suppressed it, and opened his mouth to speak as his mother's eyes bored deeper into the back of his head.
"I was going to school."
Without replying to him, she bobbed her head, making the small, lolled, blonde bun bounce with her movements. She folded her neat, pale hands into her chest as she turned away, attending to the stove.
A rush of relief pressed by him as he no longer felt the itch.
He turned to see his mom staring down at the stove, her hand on the knob. Before she twisted it, she stared at his father with her awful glare.
"I have to go to the office, why don't you go out for a bit?" she suggested, finally switching on the dial. Benji and his father both knew it was less of a question and more a demand.
His poor father had not worked since the day they had discovered his brother disappeared. He often told them he needed to be at home in case someone came knocking on their door with news about Noah. He was hopeful, more than her.
Instead of his usual reply, he sighed, set down the newspaper, and replied with, "Okay."
Benji shook his head and tried not to make any noise as he leaned down to fish out his shoes from the mat near the door. Maybe things were going to change after all. He sat down hard on the tile, splaying his legs out, while placing the shoes onto his feet crookedly.
The thud caught his father's attention and with an irate expression and a stuck-out lip, he shouted, "Do you mind? Some of us are reading here!"
Livid, he waited for his father to retreat into the paper. Benji flashed a sour look at his father and stood, rolling his eyes. He waited for both of his parents to have their backs turned to him, before sticking his tongue out.
Rummaging through the pile on the ground, he made sure to make more noise than the first time and pulled out his backpack. He saddled it onto his shoulder with a huff, and opened the door with a sigh, reluctantly turning to his parents.
"Goodbye," he said, before disappearing out the door, away from the neglect and silence. Once the door was shut and he was alone, he added under his breath, "And good riddance."
The bus stop was three houses down from where he lived. Benji tried to suppress a spreading smile as the grey clouds passed overhead, concealing the sun. He stood at the edge of the tan walkway, before starting down the cracked sidewalk, looking back at the small house looming over him.
It was not the same, at least, it wasn't how he remembered it.
His mother let their little home go. The white paint chipped on the outside while the grass spiked, matching the jagged picket fence boarding the sidewalk missing a post.
Shaking his head, sniffling back the tears, he remembered back to a time when his mother had cared so deeply for their home.
At one time, she was always outside gardening and taking such good care of things around the house. Back then, their once cozy home was so beautiful and welcoming, not just for them, but for everyone in the neighborhood.
Benji pivoted, stepping onto the grimy sidewalk, shaking the tears boarding the corners of his eyes. He walked past the neighbor's colorful houses and stared down at the cracks in the sidewalk until he arrived at the yellow post for the bus-stop.
He played with his cold hands, stuffing them in the pocket of his hoodie. Chatter echoed through his ears as he walked toward the other side of the post.
Stopping in his tracks, he stationed himself next to two young boys deep in conversation. They had not realized he was present, standing so close to them.
Both boys were in his class, yet they never noticed him, not now or even at school. Though Benji knew them. They were grade A bullies picking on most of the kids in his class.
The taller boy beside him wore brown glasses entirely too large for his face. Every time Benji saw him, they were falling over the tip of his nose, barely hanging on his face. Constantly, he would push them back up to the bridge, keeping them from tumbling.
His green eyes twinkled with a sense of joy behind the glasses he wore. A crooked smile stuck, making the lens of his glasses look larger. Benji knew him as Charles Aimons and he sat right behind him in class, never ceasing to shut his trap.
Charles swept his brown hair back and leaned into the shorter boy next to him, whispering poorly. Benji could hear every single word coming out of his mouth. "Did you hear about Jimmy Rawlins?" he asked in a nasal voice.
The shorter boy, known as Daniel Simmons, laughed cruelly. His freckled face and nasty yellow-brown eyes displayed a curt expression.
Daniel stuck out his bottom lip in a pout, before spouting, "That kid! He's so lucky! Pictures of him are everywhere! If I went missing, I wouldn't even get the time of day!"
Charles nodded in agreement and retorted, "Yeah, yeah! It was like he didn't exist before, but now—" he paused, leaned in, sheltering his gossiping mouth with a wide hand. "I heard he is famous now."
Daniel stepped back appalled; his eyes wide. "No way! That little bastard gets fame and isn't even around to enjoy it and what do I get? Barely the time of day!"
Listening to their discussion was eye-roll worthy, irritated with their constant bickering, he tried to tune them out. Tuning them out only caused them to grow louder. They continued to chat about the missing kid from his class, Jimmy, and finally, he had enough. His head pounded while his fist clenched. He released the breath he did not even know he was holding onto.
With a huff, he glanced over to the empty spot on the other side of the post. Holding his hands in his hoodie, he sighed, walking past Charles and Daniel.
Pressure built against his shoulder and he turned back to see the two boys were staring at him in shock. He held his breath when he realized he accidentally bumped into Charles.
Benji watched in disbelief as the glasses fell off of his face and clattered to the sidewalk. The frames bounced on the grey cement before settling.
The glass did not break, but Charles fumed at his mistake. He turned three shades of red and lashed his head toward him in contempt. Charles leaned down, picked up the glasses, and placed them back on his face, shoving them up onto the bridge of his nose.
Benji stared at him with widened blue eyes in disbelief. It was his luck the bullies finally noticed him.
He watched as an alarming smile crossed Charles' face as he stared him down. Daniel caught sight of what was going on and joined him, smirking in unison.
"What's the big idea, kid?" Charles asked him, his voice still wheezing.
With a rush of thoughts, Benji did not think before saying what coursed through his mind. All he could think about was how annoying Charles and Daniel's yammering was.
The words flew out and without catching them in time, they rang. "What's with you not shutting your mouth? You ramble, you know!" he reacted coyly, smiling back at Charles.
The two boys stood there in a surprised stupor. Their jaws hung low while their eyes were fueled by fire. He had picked the wrong day to not shut his mouth.
They were pissed off and Benji knew it.
The words always leaked out, and he could not help himself from saying what he did. They came out so hastily, spewing venom.
Covering his mouth quickly, he wanted so badly to take the words back, but he knew it was too late and now, he had two bullies staring him down like a doe in hunting. Great, exactly what he needed.
The two boys were too stunned to say anything back to him. Instead, they leaned in, pushing Benji to the ground. He fell back hard, landing on the sidewalk. The papers in his pack attempted to cushion his fall, but his elbow hit the pavement. The pain radiated upward and lingered at the joint. Benji winced, watching as the bus quickly arrived with a squeal, the door swinging open.
Both Daniel and Charles jumped onto the bus, snickering as they left him to struggle and get up on his own.
Benji rocked back and forth on his backpack, trying to get off the ground in time. The bus door closed, and he watched as it rode down the street. He was all alone again.
Sad and in pain, he gave up, letting his arms fall back to the sidewalk in defeat. His arm pulsated against the cement and he jerked his head to the side.
In the back window of the bus sat Charles and Daniel and they were sticking up their middle fingers at him. The bus sped away and defeat took over.
Tears and hopelessness overcame him as he slowly slipped off the straps of his backpack to escape. Finally released from the shell of his pack, he positioned himself upright.
He held onto his elbow, nursing the pain away. Instead of standing, he took a moment to tuck his knees into himself and sob in heartbreaking frustration.