“Hey, Sammy,” he said happily.
“Sammy? Parker, this is Melody,” she replied.
“Oh, hey, Melody. What are you doing?”
“Nothing. Patty and I are just sitting around watching the annual Halloween movie marathon. Why did you think I was Sammy? What’s going on, Parker?” she said, placing the phone on speaker. She made sure to turn the volume down so her parents wouldn’t overhear. She moved over to where Patty was and held the phone up so they could both hear.
“I don’t really know, exactly. Sammy didn’t show up for baseball practice today, and he’s not answering his phone.”
“Why didn’t you call his parents and ask if they’ve seen him?” Melody asked.
“Why would he do that?” Patty chimed in. “He was supposed to be at Parker’s house last night, remember?”
“Oh, yeah,” Melody responded. “I forgot.”
“You guys haven’t heard anything from him?” Parker asked frantically.
“Nope,” they both responded.
“I’m worried, you guys.”
“What for?” Patty asked.
“Sammy is missing,” Parker said in a sarcastic tone.
“Are you two that gullible? This is Sammy we’re talking about. He pulls crap like this all the time.”
“But what if this isn’t a joke?” Melody asked.
“It is. And you two crybabies are gonna fall for his tricks, just like always,” Patty said laughing.
“I doubt that it’s a joke,” Parker said, cutting off her laughter. “Sammy’s my best friend, and I know him. He would have revealed himself by now.”
“If you say so,” Patty replied.
“When was the last time you saw him, Parker?” Melody asked.
“Last night. I last saw him when we were running out of Grady.”
“Same here,” Melody replied.
“Likewise,” Patty agreed.
“We need to meet up. Meet me back at the hospital later tonight,” Parker said. “I have to go home and change clothes.”
“If Sammy is missing, so you say, why would we wait until later, Parker? Does that make any sense to you?” Patty asked.
“I would say let’s go now, but I don’t want to make my parents suspicious. I’m gonna stay in for a while and go about my normal routine. I’m just gonna tell my folks that I’m staying at Sammy’s house again tonight.”
“That makes sense, I guess,” Melody replied.
They all agreed to meet back at the hospital before hanging up. Melody and Patty got situated on their end while Parker did what he had to do.
****
“So, what happened to you staying at Grady Hospital last night?” Marvin asked as he walked into Parker’s room, uninvitingly, again.
Parker quickly jumped to his feet and ran to shut his bedroom door. He pushed Marvin over to the bed and told him to sit down. “Shut up, Marvin. We did go there last night.”
“But you didn’t stay. I saw you when you came in the house last night.”
“You did? How? I was so careful.”
“Don’t worry about it. I didn’t tell Mom and Dad.”
“Are you going to?” Parker asked nervously.
“Nope. I just want to know why you chickened out,” he said, laughing.
“Look, Marvin, something bad happened.”
“Like what?”
“We kind of lost Sammy last night.”
“You did what?” he said loudly. Parker immediately threw his hand over his brother’s mouth. “Sorry,” Marvin said, whispering. “How did you guys kind of lose Sammy, Parker?”
“I don’t know, exactly. When we heard somebody coming we-“
“You guys heard somebody there? Did you see who it was?”
“No, but whoever it was grabbed Patty and-“
“Really? Holy cow. You have to-“
“Can you be quiet for a second, Marvin? Geez.” Marvin got quiet and continued to listen to his little brother’s story. “Like I was saying, something or someone grabbed Patty. We all ran out of the hospital when we heard them coming towards us. I thought we were all together but we didn’t find out until today that Sammy has been M.I.A. We called and texted him. The only answer to where he could possibly be is the hospital.”
“Can I talk now?” Marvin asked when Parker stopped talking. He nodded his head. “Well, I don’t know what to say. Are you all sure that he isn’t playing a prank?”
“That’s the same thing Patty said.”
“It could be possible.”
“Yeah, it could be possible, but I highly doubt it. He’s my best friend. He would have been gloating about it by now. Why would he even try to pull a cruel prank like this anyway? It doesn’t make any logical sense.”
Marvin thought about it for a few seconds. A light bulb went off in his head and he stood to his feet. “It is a prank, Parker. It’s Halloween weekend. Oh, wow,” Marvin said, laughing. “That’s the only explanation.”
Parker thought about it; that could have been a possibility. Every year, Sammy pulls a Halloween prank on him, but never has he pranked the girls, too, especially not Patty. She was the best prankster in the school. She got all of her master prank skills from her father, the original and best prankster of his time.
“I still don’t believe that,” Parker replied. “I think he’s in trouble, I can just feel it. Especially since he didn’t show up for baseball practice today. I think we’re gonna still go and check it out, just to be on the safe side, you know?”
“Yeah, I understand. Sammy never misses baseball practice, at least to my knowledge. One thing I don’t understand, though, is why didn’t you just call his house if you couldn’t get him on his cell phone?”
“Because he was supposed to have spent the night here last night. How would that look, if I called his parents house and asked for him? That would worry them and I would get busted by Mom and Dad. It’s just too risky.”
“That’s true. They would freak if they knew what you had done.”
“Are you gonna tell on me?”
“Oh, no. I’m gonna be in as much trouble as you if I squeal.”
“You? Why you? You didn’t do anything.”
“Um, yeah, I kinda did. I was the one that said something about it and dared you to go there. In all honesty, though, I didn’t think you were really gonna go. When you said that you were, I thought you were bluffing. I just knew you were gonna go over to Sammy’s house and play games all night.”
“Why, because I’m a wimp?”
“No, because you never lie to Mom and Dad about your whereabouts. You pulled that off better than I did the first time I lied to them about where I was going. I’m a little proud,” Marvin said, laughing and wiping away an invisible tear. Parker just rolled his eyes at him. Their conversation was briefly interrupted by their mother.
“Hey, Parker-” she said opening the door after knocking. She paused when she saw Marvin in there as well. “What’s going on now?” she asked with her arms folded.
“Nothing, Mom,” Marvin said. “We were just in here talking. That’s all.”
“Oh, really?” she asked. She looked over at Parker.
“Yeah, Mom. We’re just talking.”
“Mmhmm. About what?” she prodded.
“Just guy stuff,” Marvin said, throwing an arm around Parker’s neck and pulling him closer.
“I guess. Well dinner will be ready in five. Be downstairs, and no rough housing when I leave out this door.”
“We’ll be right down,” Marvin replied. Their mother closed the door. They waited until they heard her going down the stairs before they continued their conversation. They decided to keep whispering, just to be on the safe side.
“Do you think she heard anything?” Parker asked Marvin.
“I doubt it. We weren’t talking that loud. Mom’s hearing isn’t as good as it used to be. I wouldn’t worry if I were you.”
“I hope you’re right. Getting in trouble and grounded is not on my to-do list.”
“I can dig that, bro. I think we should get downstairs before she comes back up here to get us.”
“I think so, too,” Parker agreed.
****
During dinner, the table was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop on the floor. All you could hear were the low voices coming from the newscasters on the television in the den, and the taps of the knives and forks as they hit the porcelain dinner plates. His mother had prepared his favorite meal. Mashed potatoes, broccoli, and boneless chicken breasts adorned his plate. Parker was trying to enjoy his favorite meal, but he didn’t have an appetite tonight. He wanted to act as normal as possible, but right now his mind was elsewhere. His mind was on Sammy. He played with the broccoli on his fork as his mind wandered to unsettling thoughts about his friend.
“What’s the matter, hun?” his mother, Elaine, asked her young son.
“Nothing, Mom. I’m okay.”
“Oh, pish posh, Parker. Something is wrong. You have barely even touched your food.”
“I just don’t have an appetite tonight.”
His mother placed her hand on his forehead. “Well, you don’t feel warm.”
“Hey, Mom, can I go over to Sammy’s house tonight?”
“Again, Parker? You were just there last night.”
“I know, but we have this Fortnite tournament going on,” he lied.
“You can play from your room, Parker. You need to stay home and spend time with your family.”
“I don’t want to spend time with the family,” Parker said, throwing his fork down.
“Pipe down, Parker,” his father, Eliot, chimed in. “You will not use that tone of voice with your mother.”
“All I wanna do is go and hangout with my friend,” Parker yelled across the dinner table.
“That’s it,” his father said, throwing down his napkin and standing to his feet. He pointed his finger at Parker. “You are grounded, young man. Now go to your room, this instant.”
Parker scooted his chair back across the hardwood floor and threw down his napkin. He mumbled under his breath as he stomped up the steps and headed to his room. No more than twenty minutes had gone by before he heard a light tap on the door and Marvin peeked his head in. Parker motioned for him to come in. Marvin closed the door quietly and sat on his brother’s bed.
“So, what are you gonna do now, Park?’ he asked in a whisper.
“I’m not gonna let that stop me. I’m still going.”
“You’re gonna disobey Mom and Dad? What has gotten into you, Parker?”
“Nothing has gotten into me, Marvin. I’m just trying to find my friend. What if he ends up like those people you were telling me about? What if Willie McNair got ahold of Sammy?”
“I don’t know what else to tell you, little brother; it seems like your mind is made up. What time are you leaving?”
“As soon as Mom and Dad go to bed.”
“Just be careful,” Marvin told him.
“I will,” Parker replied. As soon as Marvin left the room, Parker texted Patty and Melody and told them to meet him back at the hospital around 10:30. They both agreed that they would sneak out and be there.
Parker decided that he would probably need some artillery if he wanted to get Sammy out safely. He grabbed his backpack and made sure his flashlight was still in there. He heard footsteps coming up the steps. He heard the light taps on his door. He quickly threw the bag under his bed and stretched out on top. His parents peeped through the door to check on him. Once they confirmed that he was okay, and was about to go to sleep, they said their goodnights to one another and they left back out.
As soon as he heard their room door shut down the hall, he jumped back up. He pulled the bag from under his bed. Gently, he opened his window and, as quiet as a prowler, he descended the built-in ladder and headed to the tool shed around back. He opened it, and the door creaked. He was glad his parents’ room was on the front side of the house rather than the back side like Marvin’s. Parker went inside the shed and closed the door as soon as he turned the light on. Their father had so much stuff in here that he used for hunting. He grabbed some rope, just in case he had to tie up the person that may have taken Sammy hostage. He looked around to see what other supplies he could possibly use. His eyes fell onto a Philips screwdriver. He picked it up and swung it.
“This will work,” he said aloud. He continued to look. He knew that Melody and Patty were gonna need something to protect themselves, as well. He saw a crowbar lying on the workbench.
“Patty would love to use this. I’m sure of it,” he said, placing it in his backpack with the crowbar. He grabbed two flashlights out of the emergency kit that their father had made in case of a tornado or hurricane. Parker was still unsure of why his father had this; they never had natural disasters in Denver, Colorado. After gathering up his supplies, Parker checked his watch. It was 9:30. His parents still weren’t asleep, he knew that for a fact. He climbed back up to his room and sat the bag behind his door. He laid down on his bed and tried his best to patiently wait for his parents to fall asleep for the night.
****
It was finally a quarter after 10 when Parker could hear his dad snoring from down the hall. It never ceased to amaze him how his mother could sleep through that loud and obnoxious snoring every night. He didn’t really have time to ponder this thought, since he was on a mission.
] He got up and grabbed his bag of supplies. He went to turn off his table lamp when he noticed his baseball bat in the corner. He thought for a second before grabbing that as well and stuffing it into his backpack. He scaled down the side of the house like Spider-man and grabbed his bike from the side of the house. Just as he placed his foot on the pedal, and was ready to push off with the other, somebody tapped his shoulder.
“Aahhh!” he screamed. The person put a tight hand over his mouth.
“Shhhhh. Are you trying to get us busted?” Marvin whispered into his ear and released his mouth.
“Are you trying to give me a heart attack? What are you doing snooping around out here, Marvin?”
“I was in my room thinking, and I wanna go help you find Sammy.”
“Why? You don’t even like Sammy.”
“That is a true statement, but I can’t help but to think this is partially my fault.”
“Partially?”
“Hey, that’s all you get, squirt. I’m coming with you. Let me grab my bike,” Marvin said, disappearing to the back of the house. He came back moments later. “What’s wrong?” he asked Parker when he noticed him staring.
“If you’re going, why not just take your car? We would get there quicker.”
“Yeah, and it will also be very noticeable. Everybody in this town knows my car. I don’t wanna be grounded along with you. Sorry, bro, but I have a date for Halloween tomorrow with Macy Crenshaw.”
“That cheerleader I overheard you and your butthead friend talking about on the phone?”
“The one and only,” he said with a big grin.
“Ew, gross,” Parker replied.
“You will be like this one day, Parker, so cut it out.”
“Whatever, Marvin. Let’s just go before Willie McNair starts to feast on Sammy’s skull or something.”
“Lead the way, master,” Marvin said. Parker shook his head before heading away from the house as quietly and as quickly as possible, with his brother riding behind him closely.
****
“It took you long enough to get here, Parker,” Melody said with her hands on her hips.
“And what is Marvin doing here?” Patty asked as she scrunched her face up when she saw him approaching.
“He’s here to help,” Parker said, leaning his bike onto the gate.
“Yeah, I bet,” Melody responded.
“What?” Marvin asked defensively. “I’m just trying to help P
arker and you girls find Sammy.”
“How do you know he’s not pranking us with Sammy, Parker? They could have been in cahoots this entire time,” Melody said.
“I don’t think that’s possible. They can’t stand each other, so there is no way they would work together.”
“Are you sure Sammy is here, Parker?” Patty asked, exasperated as they stood outside the hospital’s gate.
“Where else could he possibly be, Pat?”
“I don’t know, but I definitely don’t think we should go back in there. Especially after what happened last night.”
“I agree with Patty,” Melody said.
“Are you really scared, Patty? I thought you were tough.”
“I am tough, Parker, but there is a big difference between being tough and being stupid. We are smart people, and smart people would not go back into a dangerous situation.”
“Doesn’t seem like it to me,” Marvin said, laughing. “Maybe you little girls should run on home. Leave this to real men,” he said, punching Parker in the shoulder.
“Oh, be quiet, Marvin. If you had never dared Parker to come here in the first place, we wouldn’t be in this mess,” Patty yelled.
“Hey, don’t blame me for this. I didn’t think the little twerp was gonna actually do it,” Marvin said.
“Calm down, Pat. We don’t wanna draw any attention to ourselves,” Parker said to her.
“Why don’t we just call the cops?” Melody suggested.
“And tell them what, Mel?” Parker asked sarcastically. “Hey, 911, we have an emergency. We broke into the abandoned hospital last night. Even though it had a big sign that read ‘no trespassing’, we didn’t listen and went inside anyway. Something grabbed one of our friends and we all ran out. Only thing I forgot to mention though, one of our friends are missing now. Is that what you wanna tell them, Melody?” he yelled.
“Don’t yell at me, Parker. This is all your fault anyway! I told you it was a bad idea from the jump, but did you listen? No!”
No Trespassing Page 3
