MIND

It's all in your head

Vanessa put her top back on as Dylan was wearing his. She stood up from the bed, fished out her phone from under the pillow and turning to Dylan who was now trying to call Ethan back. “Is it going through?" She asked brushing her hair from her face.

“No!” he grunted, sounding fraustrated. “Its going straight to voicemail” he added, tucking the phone in his pocket.

“You are sure it's the killer you told me about that's doing this?" She questioned.

“Yeah. There's no way he could have got the three of them together at once not when they weren't together. Maybe he invaded their minds again and made them sleepwalk to where he or she was. I don't know, I'm just guessing here but I know for a fact it's the killer. I knew something was definitely gonna happen. It's been too quiet” He grabbed his bike key from the reading table and headed for the door.

“I'm coming with you” She said putting on her shoe.

“Are you sure? You don't have to. Not when you are still recovering from what you've been through yourself” He replied.

“Ethan helped save my life. I want to help in any way I can. Let's go” she brushed past him, walking out of the door. Dylan shrugged it off and followed her. He started his bike and she went behind him. She wrapped her hands around his waist, keeping herself steady as he rode off into the street. “Where are we going?” she yelled so he could hear.

“To the school. He said they were in a basement. So we need to check the last basement the killer used” he yelled back.

He glanced at his watch from his helmet. It was 8:45pm. Truthfully if they don't find them in the school basement, he has no clue where else to check. No leads and the killer didn't drop a hint this time. The killer's promise of picking someone to kill kept replaying in his head. ‘One of them could be his target, maybe he picked the three of them to throw him off the real target's trail, but why not Just kill his target already? Why the games first?" All this thoughts ran through his head as he gripped the throttle of his bike and increased the speed.

***

Sheriff Donovan and two other deputies, brought out their guns as they slowly made their way to the house. He signalled the two deputies to go round the house while he invades from the front. They nodded in affirmation and split off. Sheriff Donovan inhaled and exhaled slowly, creeping toward the front door. He peeked through the window but couldn't see anything. No lights were turned on inside. It was pitch black.

He brought out his flashlight, turned it on and steadied it under his gun. He walked to the door, turned the door handle, surprisingly the door was left unlocked. He pushed the creaking door open and aimed his flashlight swiftly into the house. He scanned the room as he stepped in and no one was on sight. He walked to the living room and the two other deputies came through the back door. “Nothing sir” one of them said.

The Sheriff sighed, glancing at them. “That's because they are right there” he replied and pointed his flashlight to the bodies laying on the ground in the living room.

“Jesus!" The other deputy exclaimed as he stared at the occupants of the house on the floor. Throat and wrists slit. A father, mother and daughter. “This is evil” he added

“Who could be doing this?" The other questioned

“That's our job. To find out. Get an ambulance over here” The sheriff instructed just as Camila came on, on the radio.

“Sir, we have a situation over here at Lori lane street. Officer gone rogue” She stated

“Copy that, on my way” He replied and turned to the deputies. “Take care of these” He concluded before walking off. He was about to walk out when his flashlight caught something hanging by the door frame. He stopped and pointed the light at it. On the door frame, a two-faced sketch was pinned with a knife. “CHAOS” he read the word written under. He instructed the others to tag that as evidence and walked off hurriedly to his car.

***

Dylan hopped off the bike, drop his helmet and headed straight into the school hurriedly with Vanessa following beside him. They hurried down the hallway using their phones at torches, navigating their way through the dark school. Dylan dialled Ethan's number again and it went straight to voicemail. “Don't you have Eva's number or Amy's?" Vanessa asked almost whispering

“No I don't. We never got to that stage to exchange numbers” He replied.

They walked down the steps leading to the basement door. Dylan handed her his phone and forced the steel door open. He took his phone and shone the light inside the creepy dark basement. He still couldn't see anything clearly so he proceeded down the stairs quietly until he was into the room fully. He looked around, searching every corner of the basement but couldn't find anyone or anything indicating they were there. “Dylan!" Vanessa called sounding a bit scared as she still stood outside the door.

Dylan retreated up the stairs. “They are not here” He stated and noticed she was a bit shaky. “Are you...” he stopped as it dawned on him. Being back down the basement was getting to her. The place still holds a traumatic memory for her. “Hey! You are okay. I should have realized bringing you down here was not a good idea. It's too soon for you to be here” He said as he forced the door close. “Come on” he grabbed her hand and led her back to hallway.

”If they are not here where could they be?" She asked after getting herself

“I don't know. They could be in any basement in the town” He sighed, rubbing his eyebrows.

“What if it isn't a basement but a tunnel? You said he said they were in a basement, a tunnel. Maybe it's a tunnel not a basement” she suggested.

“Yeah but which tunnel. It could be any tunnel”

“Yeah but it's a start” She replied, grabbed his hand and dragged him to the library.

She pushed the library door and it was unlocked. “That's weird. Why is the door unlocked?" She asked and then shrugged it off as they made for the bookshelves. She moved from aisle to aisle and from shelf to shelf searching.

“What exactly are we looking for?" He asked

“Found it” she pulled out a book and opened it, flipping through the pages until she saw a folded piece of paper. She took out the paper and closed the book. “This is a map of the town. Found it some days ago while reading through this book. It's more than a map. It's like a blueprint of the town” She explained as she kept the book back on the shelf. She opened the map, pointed her phone torch to it and they both searched the map with their eyes. “Here” She pointed to a section on the paper. “There are only three factories in town that has a tunnel leading to the main tunnel at the middle of the town and only one of them is currently shut down due to pollution. That should be the one if he's keeping them in a tunnel. It's abaddoned so it's perfect” She pointed out.

Dylan grabbed the map from her, folded it and kept it in his pocket. “Let's go check it out” He stated as they hurried out of the library. Miss Caroline came out from the other side of the roof behind the shelf she was hiding and watched as they both zoomed out through the door.

***

The sheriff parked his car and came out quickly, making himself to the front door where Camila was standing with her gun out. “What's going on deputy?" He questioned as he approached her. She turned to him and lowered her gun.

“It's officer Hank sir. He's got the family at gun point and instructed us not to come inside or he'll kill them. Said he has a message to deliver to you personally” She explained

“Alright” The sheriff said, drawing out his sidepiece. He walked to the front door and knocked as Camila and the other officers stood behind him. “Hank! It's the sheriff, I heard you have a message for me” he yelled.

“Come inside Sheriff, just you!” Hank instructed from inside the house. The sheriff turned to the others behind and nodded for them to wait there. He took a deep breath and pushed the door open coming into the house where the couple was kneeling on the floor crying while officer Hank held Mason at gun point, using him as a shield. Hank had the double face sketch pinned on Mason's shoulder with a dagger while mason slowly bled out. “Glad you could make it sheriff” Hank smiled

“Let the kid go Hank. We can sought out whatever you want” Said the Sheriff

“I'll let the kid go. I just need to get the message out first” Hank replied

“And what is the message?" He asked

“Sunnyvale Town is doomed. Chaos is coming. You are all gonna pay for what you did. You are gonna suffer, I'll make everyone of you suffer. I'll make everyone you all love suffer. Firstly I'll make your lives a living hell and then one by one you'll all die” He concluded and then shifted his gaze to Mason who was quietly sobbing in his arms and whispered some words in his ears before turning back to the sheriff. “You'll all pay for your sins. Chaos is coming” He smiled, pushed Mason off of him, took the gun to his own head and then pulled the trigger.

“No!!" The sheriff shouted just as the couple screamed. Camila and the other officers rushed into the house. “Get the kid to the hospital” He Instructed trying to make sense of what just happened.

***

Dylan picked up a crowbar by the side of the fence and struck the lock on the chain sealing the gate. Successfully removing the chain, they continued their journey to the abaddoned factory. Weeds had covered most parts of the compound. They could hear a dog backing some meters away. “I think the security is still patrolling” he whispered as they came up to the front door. He tugged at it but it was shut. He scanned the building until he saw a slightly opened window. He beckoned at Vanessa.

They entered through the window and shone their light all over searching for the entrance to the tunnel. “What exactly happened here?" He asked staring at all the damaged tools and instruments litterd in the factory.

“A riot” she replied. “Here!" She pointed at a small entrance on the floor by the wall.

He forced the cover open. Scanned beneath before climbing down the stairs into the tunnel. She followed behind. They landed on the tunnel floors, stared at both sides before deciding on taking the right path. They moved through the tunnel for quite a while till they came to the end. They turned and headed for the other path. They walked some distance, now beginning to feel the impact in their feet. Soon enough they came to the end of the left side. “I thought you said it led to the town's main tunnel?" He questioned amidst heavy breaths.

“It did and I also said pollution made them shut down the factory. Maybe they also cut the tunnel off from the others to avoid extra damage” She replied.

“Damn it!" He said almost shouting. “We can't find them” they began walking back to the steps that led out. “There's no way we are gonna find them. We can't search the whole town. Who knows, they may be dead already” he complained.

“We will find them. We just need a way to narrow down our search”

They got to the ladder and climbed out the tunnel. They got to the window and noticed light being shone into the compound. He quickly pulled Vanessa down with him as they both crouched under the window. They waited for a while all the while listening to the bar until the bark was becoming distant as the light disappeared. Dylan uttered a sigh of relief and stood up. They jumped out the window and ran out of the compound. “What the hell are we gonna do now?" He questioned, mounting the bike.

“If it's true this killer can control minds what if it's happening now. What if their minds are being controlled and they think they are in a basement but maybe they are just being held in a cabin or sn abandoned house” She pointed out. “Thinking about it, that just widens our search not narrows it down” She added.

“No, you are right” he said squinting his eyes. “The first time we were attacked at the school, Ethan's mind got invaded and he thought there was a giant hole in front of him in the hallway. Maybe that's what is happening now. Maybe they are not in a tunnel or basement. Maybe...” he trailed off. “Get on!” he instructed as his eyes lit up.

“What?" She asked getting on the bike. “Where are we going?"

“Their last known location” He replied and rode off.

***

“We need help. He has been stabbed!” Camila called for help as they dragged Mason into the hospital. Hayley rushed toward them with a carrier and took Mason from them, placing him on top.

“We'll take it from here” she said as she rolled him away.

“please...please you have to help me find Dylan” he said with a weak voice breathing heavily.

“Dylan?" Hayley asked catching on to what he was saying as they pushed him into a room

“Yes. I need to speak with Dylan...” he trailed off, passing out. Hayley helped put him on the bed all the while wondering who he was and why he wanted to see her son.

***

Dylan parked in front of Ethan's house. They ran up to the door and knocked on it rapidly. After some minutes the door opened to Ethan's father standing there looking half asleep. “Good evening Mr Cole" Dylan greeted “Sorry to bother you by this time of the night but his Ethan in?" He questioned.

“Dylan?" He called, slowly coming off from his sleepy state “Yeah I think he's in his room” before he could say another word they both rushed past him into the house. “Hey! What's the matter” he called as he watched them run up the stairs heading to Ethan's room. Getting no response from them he sighed “Teenagers. No respect for their elders” he complained as he closed the door and began heading for his room.

Dylan pushed Ethan's door opened. It was empty. He searched around for anything that could help find him when he noticed Ethan's phone on the bed. He picked up the phone and glanced at Vanessa. “If his phone is here, then how was he calling me with it?" He asked with furrowed brows.

Vanessa who was standing by the door, slowly turned when she heard light gasping. She walked forward to the slightly cracked door close to her. “Dylan!" She called. Dylan walked up to her as she slowly pushed the bathroom door open.

“Ethan!" Dylan called as they saw him curled up in a ball on the bathroom floor. They rushed to him. He was shaking with fear and was mumbling some words. Dylan shook him, called his name, hit him but couldn't get him out of his state. “help me carry him up” he said. They dragged him into his room and placed him on the bed.

“What are we gonna do? He's not waking up. I think he's still being Mind controlled. Still thinks he's in the basement” Vanessa pointed out.

Dylan looked around searching for what could bring him out of his state when his eyes fell on the extension cord. He rushed to the wall socket where it was being plugged. “Drag him down here” he instructed as he ripped the multi-port socket off from the cord, exposing a set of wires still active with current since it was still connected to the wall socket.

“What are you gonna do?" She asked, dragging him to where Dylan was.

“Electrical shock stopped John Oberman from killing us. Maybe it would jolt him out of being mind controlled” he shrugged. He lifted up Dylan's sweatshirt, took a deep breath and touched his stomach with the naked wire. As soon as the shock ran through his body, he jolted awake and screaming. Dylan quickly covered his mouth, so he wouldn't wake his dad again.

Coming to the realization of where he was, he stopped shouting. He was panting. He looked around and saw Dylan kneeling behind him. “Dylan!” he called and turned to Vanessa. “How am I here?" He asked, slowing down his breathing.

“You never left. It got into your mind again and made you think you were being locked up in some basement. We found you curled up on the bathroom floor” Dylan explained.

“And the others? They could still think they are there. Maybe he got to them too cause it felt pretty real” Ethan stated

“Let's go!" Dylan Said.

***

They got to Eva's house, the lights were all turned on. Dylan and Vanessa climbed down the motorcycle just as Ethan got off his car. Dylan pushed the doorbell over and over again but with no reply. “I don't think anyone is home to hear us. Her dad is the sheriff remember? And if it's happening to her too she won't hear us” Vanessa stated. Dylan nodded and turned the door knob, opening the door which was surprisingly opened.

They peeked into the house before making their way inside. “Hello!” Dylan shouted still with no reply. He led the way to her room. He opened the door and they found her curled up also on the floor, quaking with fear. He rushed to her while Ethan plugged in her extension cord. Dylan carried her over there and put one of her fingers into the exposed port and nodded at Ethan who turned on the switch. She jerked awake, shouting and Ethan quickly turned it off. She jumped into Dylan's hands, screaming till he calmed her down. She looked around at all of them.

“What...what just happened?" She asked still with a shaky voice.

“We'll explain on the way. First of all, take us to Amy's house. She's the only one remaining” He replied, pulling her up to her feet.

***

They pulled up at her house and rushed out of the vehicle. Ethan and Eva coming out from his car. They walked hastily to her front door. “Are her parents home?" Dylan asked

“No, they only come at weekends. It's just her and he sister mostly” She replied. Eva brought out a key and inserted it in the door knob but the door pushed open instead. “The door is unlocked” she stated

“You have a key to their house?" Ethan asked staring at her.

“Of course. She's my best friend” Eva replied pushing the door open only to meet a resistance. She poked her head in only to find Amy lying curled up behind the door. “She's behind the door” she announced and squeezed through the small opening and the others followed.

Dylan picked her up and took her to the living room, placing her on the floor in front of the appliances. They repeated the same process as the others. She shot up, awake screaming. They calmed her down and Dylan crashed on the floor uttering a sigh of relief. Vanessa lay down next to him and smiled shifting her gaze to his. “You did it” she said almost whispering

“We did it” he smiled back.

“What happened? Why are you all here?" Amy asked as she recovered.

“Yeah. Can someone please tell us what just happened. What the hell is going on?" Eva added. Dylan and Ethan exchanged glances and then turned to them to explain everything they know.