Chapter Three: Why No One Came

Edward Foster,

This time I woke up gradually, with my face on the floor. My eyes were numb and my vision unsteady, because of the pain. I picked my face off the ground and onto my knees. I rubbed my face, sighing in relief. But that didn't last for long, as I turned around towards the window.

It was dark outside, with my electronic calendar in front, blinking at nine. "Shit, How long was I out for?", I asked myself, while trying to stand back onto my feet. Only to stumble towards my desk, with the golden bookcase and Red Cross on it. "What are you?", I said tilting my head and picking it up by the handle.

For sure it was just a glorified dagger. Again suddenly, the Red Gem lit up and I remembered the agony. Immediately dropping it and jumping away from it. The Red Cross fell on the ground, emitting a loud clack. I inspected my hand by gripping them tightly, realizing that nothing had happened, this time.

I went back to it and picked it up and the Red Gem started glowing. This time it didn't hurt, but then another thing became apparent the silence. I turned to my room door which was still closed. Causing me to wonder why my parents didn't check on me? Even when I was screaming.

I placed the Red Cross back inside the golden bookcase. I opened my room's door and peeked outside, concluding that maybe the house was empty. Though I should have realized other possibilities, as to why no one came.

I walked downstairs looking into the Living room, which was empty. I turned to my right and walked straight to the dining room. Passing the door to the basement which was underneath the stairs.

As I turned my head into the Dinning room, I found the bodies of my parents on the floor. The stench of blood was in the air and splattered everywhere. My father with his arm mangled and head bashed inwards from the back.

My mother was next to him, missing her head which it had in his hand. Towering over the bodies was that white mannequin-looking thing. It held my mother's head by the hair with expression twisted in horror. Something was not right with the mannequin, as it turned its oval flat face towards me. Unlike last time, it was now about my size, just a few centimeters smaller than me.

But my eyes didn't pick up that first, as the addition of the breast and an hourglass shape of its body was what took my attention. It was as if it had switched its gender. But that moment ended, as soon as, the mannequin threw Mother's head back. I knew what was about to happen. I turned around and bolted, as that thing started chasing me.

Making a run for the door wasn't an option, since I remembered its speed. Just as I reached the staircase on my side. I grabbed the wooden rail and swang myself towards the stairs while ducking my head. Just as I had predicted, the mannequin had lunched itself at me from behind.

While I successfully dodged it, the mannequin crashed into the door, breaking through it like a wrecking ball. It landed outside, while I quickly ran up the stairs. The mannequin didn't waste time jumping back inside. This time around it acted more human-like with landing on its feet, unlike an insect.

I quickly reached my room and got inside. Turning around only to see it, breaking through the wooden railing, and landing on the stairs. "Oh, hell no!", I said slamming my door close.

When suddenly something came flying at me, In a quick second, I grabbed it. "Excuse me?", I said seeing the Red Cross in my hand. Looking up, my room was empty with just me in it. But I didn't have time to think about it further, since I realized that I should get away from the door.

The mannequin crashed through it, shattering my room's door. Throwing me down on the floor. I turned around to see that thing standing back on its feet. "Fuck", I said, becoming stuck in my room with the mannequin. Which now had an unusually appealing body of women.

I needed to escape, while my hand pressed against the floor underneath me. The mannequin readied itself to again lunch at me. Crouching down on its feet, ready to crash its bulbous head into me.

At that moment I pressed my hand down, wanting to escape through the ground underneath me and then poof, the dust cloud rose. I crashed down on the hardwood floor of the dining, looking up through the hole. Seeing the ceiling of my room, through a hole.

"What the...Fuck?", I said picking myself up, grabbing my back as I walked away from the hole. Imagining pain while there was none and seeing the Red Gem glowing. "So, that was you?", I asked, now speaking to an inanimate object. Only to hear a loud thud behind me, "Oh, fuck", I said as I turned around.

It leaped at me, reaching me in a moment and hitting me in my stomach with its shoulder. The force blew the air out of me and I got thrown back, straight into our Stove oven. The metal bent around my back, as I skunked into it.

Bracing myself for pain and it never came. My eyes again went to the Red Gem on the Red Cross still glowing. Okay, so maybe I am not going insane and it is the doing of this thing.

Only if I knew how it was doing that. But then I quickly switched my attention back to the mannequin. Who was ready to lunch itself again at me. Without a second thought, I rolled out its way.

It crashed into the Stove oven, while I jumped back on my feet and ran away from it. Turning around to see its hand stuck inside the Stove oven. Gas busting and turning upwards and filling the room with gas. I looked behind me and saw the unlit candles and the household lighter which my Mother kept next to them.

I walked past my parent's bodies and grabbed the lighter. Click the flame on and lilted the candle, then picked it up. I turned around to the mannequin, who pulled out its hands-free and my dead parent in the middle.

They didn't deserve this.

I threw the candle over to it, while it just looked up at the flying candle. I immediately turned around and went for the window. Only managing to open it halfway, before everything went up in flames. The blast lunched me out, through the window, and out on the lawn.

Again I didn't feel any pain, or I didn't want to. I picked myself up quickly while inspecting my body for injuries and walking towards the road away from the fire. Completely fine, without a single scratch or broken something. I turned around to see the raging fire inside my house, burning upwards to the night sky.

"Dame it, what the hell is going on", I said painstakingly, not having a clue on what to do. Until the screeching of tires came from behind me. "Edward!", someone called out to me. I turned around to see him inside of the car, seeing Father Sebastian. "Sebastian?", I said in an exhausted manner.

"Come here and get inside the car!", Father Sebastian yelled. Rather than questioning him, I said "Sure". I walked over to the other side of the car and got inside. Finally having a moment of resting, only for a moment. As the figure pulled itself out of the blazing fire. The mannequin was still alive and of course, it was.

Pulling itself out of the house through the same window, I came out of. Both I and Father Sebastian just stared at it. Soon I placed my hand on Father Sebastian's shoulder and he looked at me. "Would you please drive?", I asked pointing at the road with my hand, with a kind smile.

Father Sebastian nodded, stepping on the accelerator. The car drove straight, leaving behind the burning house. He drove the car quickly, aiming to leave the town behind.

"So, I take it you know what's going on?", I asked. "How about you first tell me what is going on with you?", Father Sebastian asked ignoring my question.

I looked at him in confusion, "What?". "Edward, your parent just died...and you look very calm about that", Father Sebastian said worryingly. "I don't know, I have been like that since that mannequin-thing attacked me and Lauren on the highway", I said, finally resting my back on the car seat.

"Wait what. You and Lauren?" Father Sebastian asked surprised. "Hey hey", I said stopping him, "What about my questions. What is that thing huh?", I asked. "Yeah... I don't know", Father Sebastian said, in a regretting tone. "Don't give me such a standard answer", I replied.

"Whether you like it not, it's the truth. I didn't believe Grant(Mr. Taylor) when told me about the creature, well until now", Father Sebastian said.

I sighed, "For me, until Yesterday I was dating Lauren. After she sneaked out for a movie date with me and we got attacked on the highway by that mannequin...I didn't remember making out of that alive and today I woke up in my bed completely fine and my parents and Mr. Taylor had forgotten about our relationship", I said skunking further into the seat.

"I see, that is a tragedy", Father Sebastian said, driving the car out of the town. "So what about this?", I said pulling up the Red Cross. Father Sebastian Looked at it, then looked back on the road, "How about you survive the till morning, then I will see", Father Sebastian said.

"Survive? What the hell do you mean?", I asked. "We are now going to where Mr. Taylor is, to their old house... where it all began", Father Sebastian said. "Oh", I said as I sat back calmly, waiting for the fated encounter.

???,

"Oh my god, what should I say about all that. Your loving parent on the ground, dead and broken. And you didn't shed even a single tear", I said and Edward's eyes flared up with anger.

"Oh my, what reaction. But...again not your fault. Because you were in a sort of trance, which kept your head straight and your will strong. But do you know why he put you into it? Just so, whatever you would choose to do, you would choose with logic not emotions", I explained, but he kept staring at me in anger.

"Just so he, no...it wouldn't feel guilty, because in end all your actions were your decisions and in the end, you will be the one blamed for them. But there is nothing to say or to add more to that since everything has been simple in your life so far. All there's left to see is where this story goes from here", I said sitting comfortably in my seat.