-Oliver-
I couldn't believe what was happening. A week went by, and Jack... really left me alone. Every morning I woke up fearing that he would be waiting for me at school. Every time I arrived there I expected him to emerge out of nowhere to grab me and beat the life out of me. Every time I walked out of the classroom I was sure he would be standing outside with hate in his eyes.
But no. I was air to him. I saw him in the hallways, but he didn't pay any attention to me. I wanted to feel happy about it, but I couldn't believe he was done with me. I didn't have such luck. All I could do was try to enjoy the little freedom I had now – for as long as it would last. I had no idea what made him change his mind so suddenly, but I knew he could change it back just as fast.
That was a dreadful thought. Now that I was left alone again, I didn't want to go back to that horror and torment. I would end up dead if I didn't do anything.
It was Sunday evening, and I was helping Mrs. Bundt in the kitchen after dinner. I kept looking out of the windows, hoping I would have a visitor later. The wolf had started to come see me almost every night, and I was really looking forward to it. I had no idea why he kept coming back to me, but at this point of my mental state I really didn't care anymore. I just wanted to see him. Being close to him gave me strength and hope and I actually felt good. Not great, but good.
"Oliver?" Mrs. Bundt chuckled lightly, and I turned to look at her.
"Sorry," I muttered when I realized I was standing in front of a window with six dirty plates in my hands.
"Are you going for a walk around the forest later?" she asked, taking the plates from me.
"Y-Yeah," I nodded. I hadn't told anyone the real reason why I spent an hour in the forest every evening. It just didn't feel like a good idea to mention I had a wolf as my only friend.
"Just don't forget you have school tomorrow," she said.
"I won't," I said quietly, thinking about Jack again. I wished I could forget all about school, even for a moment.
Mrs. Bundt was silent for a moment, when she looked at me. Her expression turned a bit worried just before she spoke. "Is everything all right at school?" she asked carefully.
"Yeah," I mumbled and went to get more dishes from the table.
"Ollie... Please – talk to me."
I let out a heavy breath and stopped by the table. If Jack were to change his mind again... I would end up dead. I would get badly hurt before that. If I didn't do anything... I had to do something, because I couldn't go back to that. I didn't want to be so afraid all the time.
"There's this –" I turned around to see Mrs. Bundt, but suddenly my vision started turning black. It was like the kitchen was filled with black fog. My heart started beating faster and it almost felt like Jack was standing right behind me, laughing silently in my ear.
"There's what?" she asked, taking a few steps closer to me.
"There's... this... guy..." I managed to spit out, but I was too scared to continue. Jack would kill me and everyone else if I told her. He would hurt them, rip them apart while I was watching. These walls would turn red from blood... The fog grew thicker around us, and I could hardly breathe anymore. I heard screams... The kids... Mrs. Bundt and the rest of the caretakers... screaming in horror as they died...
I heard something else as well. Something... really weird. A voice... of a woman... Like a...a... battle cry?
"Ollie?" Mrs. Bundt was suddenly standing in front of me, holding me up on my feet.
And it was all gone. No blood, no fog, no Jack. Just Mrs. Bundt and I, standing in the kitchen. I looked up at her, and then around us, but nothing was out of the ordinary.
"It's fine, Oliver – everything is all right," Mrs. Bundt spoke soothingly. "You don't have to tell me. It's all right."
I nodded and let her hug me. I was panting and soaked in sweat, and the terrible images I had just now were flooding my head. Dead... everyone...
"Just take a deep breath, all right?"
I looked at Mrs. Bundt, and for a moment I thought... I thought I saw something behind her. A blue, radiant light. But when I pulled back to see it better, it was gone.
"Maybe you should go lie down?"
I looked at Mrs. Bundt again. She was sad and worried and... angry?
"No... I'm... fine...." I muttered.
I was still scared and shaken and out of my mind, but I started feeling better already. The terrible images were disappearing, and I was calming down. I wasn't alone. It was strange perhaps, but I felt like I was being embraced, like someone was standing right behind me, but this time, it wasn't Jack.
I could almost hear a wolf, howling somewhere close by.
I turned to look out of the window, but my wolf wasn't anywhere near us. For a moment, I thought about telling Mrs. Bundt that I had gone completely mad. I saw things and heard things and my only friend was a wolf who probably didn't even exist outside my head. And now I was sure I wasn't alone, that someone was standing right next to me.
"You should go lie down," Mrs. Bundt said as if she had heard my thoughts.
She was probably right. I had a terrible headache, and I was in desperate need of being left alone right now. The rest of the kids were still in the living room, so I could get a bit of sleep before they would come upstairs.
I let Mrs. Bundt walk me up to our room, and once I was in my bed, under big blankets, she sat down next to me.
"Everything will be better when you wake up. I promise," she said, and I felt her hand on my shoulder. "Just close your eyes..."
I felt her hand moving up and down my arm, and I started feeling drowsy. I wanted to ask what she was thinking about. I freaked out right in front of her after all, and I was a special case already. Maybe they would send me to a mental hospital. Part of me wanted it. If I was locked up Jack wouldn't be able to get to me, and maybe I wouldn't need to live in this constant fear.
"Take a few, deep breaths for me," Mrs. Bundt said quietly, and I did as I was told. "Good... Everything will be all right when you wake up. You'll see..."
I really wished she was right.
*****
I had no idea how long I was sleeping, but the next time I woke up, the other kids were already asleep. It was dark outside, but when I sat up and looked at the door, I saw lights in the hallway. I peered at the alarm clock on my bedside table. It was only twenty minutes past nine, so I stood up.
Then I realized what woke me up. The wolf was outside! I hurried to the window and looked out, trying to see him. It took me a moment, but I finally spotted him in our yard, hiding behind a toolshed. I smiled when I spotted him.
Thankfully, I was still fully clothed, so I didn't need to waste any time on getting dressed. I sneaked to the door. I assumed Mrs. Bundt wouldn't let me out this late, and after what happened earlier, so I had to be careful not to get seen.
I stepped out of our room and made sure the hallway was empty, before I started making my way to the front door. I managed to get all the way down, and close to the front door, but then I heard voices in the kitchen.
Mrs. Bundt and Miss Washington were chatting quietly in there, talking about a show or something. I couldn't get past the kitchen without being seen, so I had to find a hiding place and hope they would soon move somewhere else. Thankfully, Miss Washington seemed to be getting ready to go home for the day. I just wished the wolf would wait for me a little longer.
There was a closet under the stairs behind me. It was used to store cleaning equipment, so it was a perfect hiding place for me. No one would start cleaning so late in the evening. At least I hoped so. I waited in there until Miss Washington finally left around ten minutes later, and Mrs. Bundt walked her to the door.
"Come on..." I whispered when they exchanged their goodbyes. I was getting restless and worried that the wolf would leave and never come back.
I opened the door just enough that I could see Mrs. Bundt. She closed the door after Miss Washington, but instead of leaving, she pulled her phone out of her pocket. I sighed, when she started typing without moving away from the door. I sighed even harder when she put the phone over her ear.
"Hi, honey," I heard her speak just a moment later. "Are you alone?"
Those words peaked my interest.
"I was right," Mrs. Bundt continued with a lower voice, and she turned around. I closed the door hastily, but I could still hear her words. "Yeah, that's right... Oh, I'm sure... I saw it..." She was silent for a moment, listening to her... husband? Then, she let out a heavy sigh. "Yeah, I tried to remove it, but it's holding on real tight. I have no idea where he got it from, but it's a nasty one. No – Annabel is with him now."
I just stared at the door without understanding a word she said. I couldn't tell if she was talking about a rabid rodent or a bad virus and I had no idea who Annabel was, so I assumed it was a personal matter of hers, and none of my business.
If only she could step away from the door....
"You mean Cedric?" Mrs. Bundt suddenly said. "No, he's still locked up... But there's someone else. He refuses to tell me his name, but I think – yeah, Echo, definitely. He didn't like us poking around... Honey, I'll be just fine without her. I'm a big girl."
I gave up trying to understand her conversation. It was making my headache even worse.
"Anyway, he's safe for now, but we need to do something. I can't remove it all by myself. If you have time, could you please ask around if anyone has seen or heard anything weird. It shouldn't be so strong, so... Yeah... that's exactly what I'm worried about..."
Remove what? This was getting way too confusing for my poor head. I just wanted to go see the wolf already.
"Great, thanks! I'll see you in the morning. Love you! Bye-bye."
Finally, she hung up, and with a heavy sigh, she started walking to the other end of the hallway, where their office was. I waited until she closed the door, before I tiptoed my way to the front door.
The wolf was still waiting for me when I ran across the yard.
"Hey, you," I said and stopped a few steps away from him. "You came."
The wolf wagged his tail and walked to me. I sat down and wrapped my arms around his neck as carefully as I could and took a deep breath.
"I hope your day was better than mine," I muttered.
The wolf let out a silent whine as a reply.