by Ryan P. Ruiz
“No one is home, Cody, you’re up,” said Zach.
“Did you hear anything at all?” asked Cody.
“Nope, not a peep,” replied Zach.
“Okay, let’s do this,” instructed Cody.
The boys each went separate ways, being careful not to be seen by anyone. Zach found an old Buick station wagon and hid behind it between another car, trying to stay low. If he had to, he could crawl under it to hide.
Cody headed up the driveway and came to the gate near the back. He lifted the latch on the gate and stepped in, closing the gate behind him. The backyard was small, enclosed by a chain-link fence, and there was a little shed toward the back. Trees and bushes surrounded most of the backyard. The yard itself was ugly and not maintained at all. Most of the grass was dead, and a lot of the ground was just dirt. Pieces and parts from cars were scattered around the yard. There were a few piles of debris. It was a very private area, to say the least.
Cody walked toward the shed to get a look inside a small window on the front door of it. The shed had a lock on it. He pulled his flashlight out and turned it on. The window was at the same height as his head. Putting the light up to the window, Cody saw a garbage can filled with yard tools. There were a couple of shovels, a rake, and some sort of powered tool sticking up out of the can. Cody flashed the light left and right to see if there was anything else. The garbage can was all he could make out. The boy focused his attention to the back of the house. A voice came through his radio.
“Cody, you see anything yet?” his friend said over the walkie-talkie, and it startled Cody a bit.
“Not yet, any cars coming?” responded Cody.
“No, but I am under a station wagon in the street one house down. I’ll radio you if I see anything,” said Zach.
“Okay,” said Cody as he released the button on his device.
Cody started toward the back of the house. The house looked abandoned and dark. There were no lights on as far as Cody could tell. It was very dirty and run-down. There were just two windows on the back of the house, and one of them was boarded up. The screen door was missing the screen and had a piece of plywood attached to the bottom of it. On the actual wood door, paint was chipping everywhere. There was a small mirror attached above the door, which Cody found odd. He talked into his radio.
“Zach, there is a small mirror above the back door. Kind of like a mirror on the side of a car that is adjustable,” said Cody.
“That’s weird. He must want to know if someone is coming…”—he paused—“Dude, there is a car heading down the street, I can’t tell what it is. Hide or get out of there!” said Zach.
His voice came across muffled in Cody’s radio.
“What? I didn’t hear you. Repeat,” said Cody.
Cody saw the lights entering a driveway. He ran back behind the shed. His friend came back through on the radio.
“False alarm, dude. It wasn’t the car. It went to a house a couple doors down,” Zach said, relieved.
Cody let out a deep breath too. It was closing in on 7:30 p.m. and completely dark. Cody walked back toward the screen door. Carefully peering through the two windows, he inspected the back of the house as best he could to see if anyone was home. It looked like the back door led to a breezeway. He shined the light in through the left window; there was a small opening on the door leading inside the house. It was some sort of an animal passageway. It looked big enough for him to fit through.
“Does the man have a dog?” thought Cody, with the light still flashing at the opening. “If he did have a dog, where was it? Why didn’t it see the light?” he continued to think.
“I found an opening,” said Cody over the radio to his friend.
“What kind of opening?” asked Zach, coming across clear on the radio now.
“There is a back door that leads to an indoor patio. The door in there has an animal door on it,” replied Cody.
“Will you fit through it?” asked Zach.
“Pretty sure I can get through it,” said Cody.
“Should I come back there with you?” Zach asked.
“No, but get in through the front gate and make a little noise. I need to know if there is a dog in there,” instructed Cody.
“Okay, I’ll get to the front porch and walk around,” said Zach. “Don’t you think if there was a dog, we would have heard it barking when I rang the doorbell, though?”
“Good point. Just stay where you are and try not to get seen by anyone,” said Cody.
“I won’t, but for the most part, the street is pretty quiet. A couple of people have walked by, but that’s it,” Zach told his friend on the radio, inching out from underneath the Buick.
“I am going to find a way in,” Cody said.
Cody inspected all the windows on the back of the house.
“The coast is clear, and I don’t hear or see anything out here,” Zach informed Cody over the radio.
Cody grabbed the handle on the outside back door and turned it. The door was locked, but the handle was loose. The door slightly moved when he pushed against it.
“The back door is locked, but I might be able to pry it open with something,” explained Cody.
His friend didn’t respond. Cody walked around the backyard, shining his light on the ground on the debris piles. He needed to find something long and strong enough to pry the outside door. He searched through the dirty scattered parts. Cody moved a large piece of something then spotted some sort of broken bracket-like object and picked it up.
“It looks thin enough to jam in the door crack,” he thought.
He took it over to the door, leaned against it, and jammed the part into the door. With all his strength, he pried the door, and every time he pushed, the door made a little progress. After a couple more pushes, the door swung open, and the metal bracket he was holding fell to the ground. Cody radioed his friend, shutting the door behind him. Thankfully, nothing on the door broke.
“Zach, I pried the back door open, and I’m in the breezeway,” Cody said.
“Wow. Still quiet up here. Go in,” said Zach, encouraging his friend.
“I am going to try,” said Cody, stepping in the area.
Cody inspected the small room. The floor was covered by a green plastic carpet. An ironing board was leaning against the wall, and lots of shoes were piled next to the door. The room was filthy and had a weird stench. Cody kneeled down and looked at the opening on the door. It would be a tight squeeze, but he looked like he would just barely fit through with some maneuvering. Cody put his head through while shining the light through the passage. The room was a kitchen, and it was pure darkness other than his light cutting through the black.
“Okay, I’m going to try to squeeze through now. The kitchen is on the other side,” said Zach, radioing his partner.
Static was the only thing coming through on his walkie-talkie.
Cody put his drawstring bag, radio, and flashlight through the opening then set them on the floor on the other side of the door. Next, he put one arm over his head, the other on his side, and slithered his head and arm through the opening. Cody tried to drop his shoulder and slowly push off using his feet. Soon, half of his body was through. His radio started muffling again.
“Cod… get…” the voice said, full of static.
Cody reached for the radio, with his body still only halfway through.
“Zach? I can’t hear you,” said Cody, squeezing the trigger on the side of the radio.
Nothing but static came across, then Cody heard a noise in the house. It sounded like a shuffling or someone walking. Panicked by the noise, the boy pushed off and fell through into the kitchen. He gathered himself off the ground and picked up his items off the floor, grabbing the flashlight first. The house was so dark. He took a few steps in the kitchen and pointe
d his light at different objects. The fridge was to the left of him, and there was a square table with chairs in the corner. It looked like a normal kitchen.
Cody’s radio continued to muffle. He walked straight ahead into the living room. There was a window to the left of the front door all blacked out by paint with curtains in front of it. A couch was against the wall with a table on each side. A rotary phone sat on one of the tables, and a lamp sat on the other one. The front door had at least four extra locks on it.
To the right of the living room was a hallway leading to a stairway and two other rooms. Cody walked into the hallway and turned left. A mattress sat on the floor with no box spring or frame. There was another window also blacked out and a curtain. The room smelled horrible, like nasty body odor. Cody gagged a little as he shined the light on the room. The walls had some sort of stain on them, and there was hardly any furniture in the room. A bathroom was across from the bedroom.
More static came over his radio. Feeling courageous and scared, Cody climbed up the stairs between the bedroom and bathroom. He thought he heard noises just moments ago coming from upstairs. As he reached the landing, he heard a vehicle’s engine close by. The Cadillac was home.
CHAPTER XIII
Confronting Evil
Cody rushed up the stairs and found an open room much like a loft. It was at that moment that the boy had confirmation of everything he believed. All the feelings that he had for the past several weeks had come to the surface.
On the far wall of the room were hundreds of newspaper clippings, articles, and missing-persons flyers attached to a bulletin board. Cody even noticed something hanging on the wall that he needed to take a closer look at. He walked up to the wall and studied the object. Butterflies started to form in the boy’s stomach.
In a small frame was a knitted green-and-yellow bracelet that read “Love You Always” on the side. It was the bracelet that once belonged to Sam Jennings, the missing girl from five years ago. Cody was sick to his stomach as he stared at the frame on the wall. It took him every ounce of energy to not throw up as his hands went completely numb.
There was a large black sheet hooked up to the ceiling. It was to cover the wall so no one would see the bulletin board of paraphernalia. The floor was made of hardwood and creaked when he walked. On three sides of the room, Cody saw windows with curtains that were not blacked out. A telescope was in front of one window. As he continued to inspect the room, Cody heard a car door shut.
Zach, who was still underneath the car in the street, saw everything. The black Cadillac pulled into the driveway and idled for a couple of minutes. The car had pulled all the way up to the back gate. The man the boys knew as Melvin Wermer got out of the car and went to his trunk that was popped open. Zach looked at his watch and saw that it was after 9:00 p.m., and his friend was still in the house.
With a worried look on his face, he needed to think of something. Zach crawled out from beneath the car and left all his stuff there. He needed to think fast before the man went into his house. Zach started walking on the sidewalk, yelling his fake dog’s name again like he had done the first time.
“Lu-cy! Lu-cy! Are you out here, girl!” he yelled, his voice sounding shaken.
Zach was right in front of the house and caught the man’s attention as he turned around and shut the trunk gate.
“Hey, mister! You didn’t see my dog yet, did you?” Zach asked the man standing in front of the side door.
“Are you kidding me, kid? You still didn’t find it? What are you doing out here in the pitch-dark?” said the man.
“Um, still trying to find my dog,” responded Zach rather loudly, hoping that Cody would hear him from inside the house.
“I think you’re out of luck, kid, but if you want to come in my house and we can discuss it more, you can.” the man said raising his voice.
“Uh, no thanks. I’ll just keep looking myself. Thanks though.” Zach replied briskly.
The man looked at Zach peculiarly. The boy stared at the man’s house and started walking away. The man shuffled with his keys in a hurry and put them in the door. Zach took off running down the street as fast as he could.
CHAPTER XIV
Part I: Run
In the black night, Zach put his head down and ran faster than he ever ran in his entire life. He needed to get to the gas station where the boys stashed their bikes. There, he could grab the pay phone and call the police. He knew his friend was in the house and didn’t have long before the man would find Cody.
Zach knew that he was racing against time. He flew down Braxton, made a left, and ran toward the store. When he arrived at the store, someone was talking on the pay phone. Crazy thoughts ran through Zach’s head as he waited for the man to get off the phone.
Zack tried to get the guy’s attention, but the guy was too focused on the phone and very rude to the boy.
“Excuse me, mister, I really need to use the phone,” exclaimed Zach with excitement.
The man was in his twenties. He stopped talking on the phone and put the phone to his shoulder.
“Get lost, kid. I’m using it,” the man on the phone said, putting the phone back up to his ear.
“Please! Please, man!” yelled Zach.
The man ignored him.
Frustrated, Zach ran into the store and asked if he could use the store phone. He told the clerk at the cash register that it was an emergency and that it was a matter of life and death. The cashier just laughed at Zach and told him to go use the pay phone outside. Zach ran back outside, and the man was still on the phone.
Needing to think quickly, Zach ran away from the gas station and farther down the street, looking for another pay phone. A few blocks down, he found another phone on the corner of the street. Zach grabbed the phone and quickly dialed 911.
“911, what’s your emergency?” said the operator.
“Hello, my name is Zach Madden, and I think my friend is in trouble,” exclaimed Zach.
“Okay, calm down. What is the problem?” said the operator.
“My friend Cody and I were at this house. We think that the man inside the house is really bad,” said Zach.
“What do you mean you think the man is bad?” said the operator.
“It’s a long story. I need a police officer here now. My friend is in the house,” said Zach impatiently.
“Okay, what’s the location of the house, Zach? We are going to send a squad car there to meet you,” said the operator.
“1291 Braxton Street. When will he be here? My friend is in the house,” said Zach.
“A squad car is on their way. Are you near the house now?” said the operator.
“No, but I can be. I will run to it and meet the officer,” said Zach.
“Okay, Zach. Do not go into the house. Wait for an officer to arrive,” said the operator.
“Okay, I won’t go in the house, but please send an officer right away,” said Zach, slamming down the phone.
He ran as fast as he could back to Braxton Street. While he flew as fast as he could, crazy thoughts ran through his mind: Was his friend okay? Should he have gone in the house instead of running to a pay phone to get help? What if the guy wasn’t bad at all?
Zach wanted to believe the last question so much, but something in his heart told him that his friend was in trouble. In the pitch-black, he ran as fast as he could back to Braxton. Shortly after he arrived in front of the corner house, a squad car was driving down the street, and Zach waved it down. Two officers stepped out of the police car.
“Are you the kid that called 911 about your friend?” said the first officer.
“Yes, I am. Please help my friend. His name is Cody, and he is in that house,” Zach said with urgency.
“Calm down. I’m Officer Harris, and this is Officer Quinn. We are going to help you, but pl
ease explain some things,” said Officer Harris.
The second officer said something into his radio while Officer Quinn started walking toward the driveway of the house with Zach.
They stopped at the sidewalk.
“Why are you guys at this man’s house?” asked Officer Quinn.
“It’s a long story, but I can explain quickly.”
Zach proceeded to tell both officers what he and Cody had been doing over the last month. The second officer radioed for some backup assistance. Zach’s tone became more hysterical.
“We are wasting time out here. Please go check on my friend,” instructed Zach.
“If you are wrong, Zach, you are going to be in a whole lot of trouble. We will go knock on the door,” Officer Quinn replied with an annoyed look.
“I understand. Now please, please go check out my friend!” said Zach.
The officers proceeded to the side door of the house.
CHAPTER XIV
Part II: Hide
While Zach ran for help, the side door flew open, and the man stormed into the house, locking the door behind him. Cody was upstairs when he heard the door open. Cody desperately looked around the room for anywhere to hide. Looking to his right, the boy found a closet and peered in it. The closet was big with more items hanging on the wall. Cody flipped on a light and couldn’t believe what he was looking at. There were locks of hair pinned to the wall. Polaroid pictures of girls tied up were side by side on the wall. On the floor, there was bucket with tools and knives in it. Dozens of jackets were hanging up on a rack. One jacket had some sort of badge logo on it.
Hearing the man moving down stairs, Cody quickly thought of an idea. He turned the closet light off and walked back in to the room. He purposely left the closet door halfway open. He was trying not to make the floor creak as he paced, but a floorboard made a tiny creak. The man stomped through the downstairs of his house as he heard a noise.
