I reach the front door and quickly unlock it trying to get to my brother as fast as I can. I don't know what has gotten over him, I am insanely worried.
Once I am inside the house I look around me in an attempt to trace him but nothing indicates that there is anyone here. The windows are all closed and locked and unlike every other day his bag and his shoes aren't scattered around the living room.
Confused I call out his name, without getting an answer back.
I check the kitchen before moving towards the stairs and up to our rooms. I enter our bedroom and although he isn't there I see his bag on the bed. However on top of it I can spot a bandage filled with stains of blood.
I freeze and for a moment I forget how to breathe. Cold sweat starts running down my forehead as I grow more and more anxious about my brother.
I approach his bed carefully and attempt to take ahold of the bandage laying on his bag. I lift it up with shaky hands and examine it closely. The blood on it seems fresh like the wound is new and the bandage was removed not too long ago.
A nausea takes over me and I move to the nearest can throwing it inside without a second thought.
A take a deep breath not only panicking about the sight of the bandage but also freaking out of my mind about what happened to Adam.
Exiting the room I move to look at the bathroom but he is nowhere to be found.
I take a doubtful look at the door to my left once at the corridor. For a single, brief moment I think of opening the door and looking inside but I quickly decide against it.
The thought of it only gives me goosebumps and I shake my head, telling myself that there is no way he is there. No one has been there for years.
Growing more and more scared by the second I quickly descend the stairs, breathing heavily and going to check into my mothers room. There I find a chaos worse than the one I left this very morning. Now along with the papers and clothes on the floor who had been multiplied, there were also shoes laying around and there was a heavy smell coming from under the bed. Taking a look there I discover a pizza box with some rotten slices in it. Who knows how long this has been here.
Disgusted I take the box in my hands and throw it on the kitchen counter, not bothering to get rid of it, since I have to deal with far more urgent and serious problems such as the panicked call from my brother, the information about the magic dryer, his disappearance and the blooded bandage on his bed.
I am starting to feel like I am the lead actress starring in a bad horror movie heading straight for the trap.
Isn't life cool?
Looking around the living room I wonder where Adam could have gone until my gaze lands on the door across the room and it finally hits me. The room with the washing machine.
How didn't I think about this earlier?
With two strides I reach the door handle and abruptly open the door.
Adam who is standing on the floor looking inside the dryer with a wondering look jumps at my entrance and as a result his head bangs on the top of the washing machine. Too relieved to laugh I move towards him and squeeze his shoulder.
"I was worried sick. I looked everywhere for you." I scold him like he is a five year old who has been hiding from his mother.
He rolls his eyes at me catching on my tone but his expression quickly forms into one of fear and confusion.
Looking at the dryer I notice that there is nothing weird about it and I turn to face Adam again with squinted eyes.
"Tell me you didn't pull a prank on me." I beg him causing him to give me a deadpan stare.
"Concentrate, everything that I told you is true, I saw it. I don't know what happened one moment it was there and the other, puff, gone." He gestures to the machine with a freaked out expression and I'm sure I look exactly like that.
"Okay...umm..did you happen to take pills from kreg?" I question him not accepting to believe that a portal was inside our dryer only half an hour ago and has sucked a sock.
Hopefully not one of mine.
"Sky! I am as confused as you are right now. But I know what I saw, and no I didn't take pills, I'm not high, I am not pranking you. I saw this thing, I haven't been more sure about anything in my life." The seriousness around his statement shuts me up and I nod at him while examining him carefully.
"Okay..." I start slowly placing my hands on the counter behind me and looking straight into his eyes. "I believe you, I do. But we have to find out what the hell this means, how is that possible."
Adam nods and sits down again opening the dryer and looking at it.
"Are you hoping that it will break under your stern look and will give you all the answers you are looking for?" I ask sarcastically, pushing myself from the counter and moving to sit next to him.
"And what are you suggesting?" He looks at me with a raised eyebrow and I shrug thinking about it for a moment before moving my hand to the dryer. I don't go far though cause Adam lets out a shriek, sounding like something between a scared cat and an excited thirteen year old, and he slaps my hand causing me to quickly draw it back and look at him with wide eyes.
"What the fuck is your problem?" He shakes his head taking ahold of my hand and standing up, dragging me along with him.
"Just...don't do it. The sock, it vanished. You can't risk that happening to your arm." He explains and I give him a playful smirk.
"Why? I think that'd be fun." I comment earning an eye roll from him and we walk out the room, making sure we close the door behind us.
We make our way to the kitchen where he sees the box of pizza I placed on the table before and gives me a questioning look. I don't answer, I just gesture to moms room and he nods opening the cupboard and taking out two plates.
I open the fridge and reach for the two sandwiches left there from yesterday. Giving one to Adam, I take a seat and start nibbling on the sandwich while thinking about this madness we have gotten our selves into.
"Maybe we should talk to mom." Adam suggests and I stop mid way with the sandwich hanging in the air close to my mouth.
"You are kidding right?" I ask him as I place it on the plate and wipe my hands on the napkin.
"She is the adult here, she knows more than us." He tries again but I scoff.
"With the amount of aspirins and alcohol she has been consuming she couldn't even answer what's two plus two. It's a lost cause. Drop it." I reason with him and he seems doubtful for a moment but ends up nodding in agreement.
"Hey, why is there a bandage full of blood on your bed?" I ask suddenly remembering the bandage I found out while at our room.
"Oh, it's nothing, there was an accident in practice, I scratched my foot on the grass and another kid tripped on me and sprinkled his ankle, that's why coach cancelled." He explains and I make an O shape with my mouth taking a look at his foot, where a scratch is currently at.
"It almost gave me a heart attack." I groan and he smiles only for a moment before becoming serious again.
"I'm so sorry Sky. I didn't think you would find it there..." he starts apologizing anxiously but I wave him off.
"It's fine. Now...what the heck are we going to do?" He shakes his head swallowing the last bite of his sandwich and throwing the wrap on his plate.
"Frankly, I have no idea." I shrug and stand up placing the plates on the sink and throwing away the wrappers.
"How about sleep it off ?" I suggest and Adam snorts standing up himself.
"Don't be so helpful sky." He says jokingly and I pull my tongue out at him like a proper five year old.
"I don't know Adam, really, I haven't even seen the thing. Maybe we should wait, see what will happen, watch for bizarre things. There is nothing else we can do."
He nods and sighs while moving towards me enveloping me in a hug.
"Okay you are right." He says quietly and I laugh giving him a mischievous smile.
"Aren't I always?" I challenge him and he opens his mouth to answer but we are interrupted by his phone ringing.
He gives me a questioning look before reaching into his pocket to get ahold of his phone. We look down and see moms name flashing on the screen with an urgency.
Adam immediately presses the answer button and puts it on speaker.
"Adam!" I hear mom's voice, heavy and worried. "Where are you? Are you home? Sky, what about sky?" She asks frantically bombarding us with questions.
"Yes, mom relax. We are both home. What happened?" I answer her and she sighs visibly relieved. We can hear various sounds coming from the other end of the line and it resembles a lot to a door breaking.
"Holly shit! Mom are you okay?" Asks Adam looking at me with frantic, scared eyes making his way towards the door, grabbing his keys.
I put on my jacket and follow him as we make our way out, locking the door behind us.
"Whatever happens just stay home." She screams into the phone followed by a loud noise resembling a crash before the line becomes dead and the only thing that can be heard is the ringing of the phone.
With this sound echoing in our ears we start running.