Purpose: Whisperer of Night

by Keya Jay

  Chapter twenty-seven: Sidney Fields

  “Mom?” Sidney called as she walked back down her stairs. Her mother wasn’t in the kitchen and she wasn’t in either of the bedrooms, she didn’t have a car it was currently in Hank’s shop because he had convinced her that it had needed some work done, but Sidney was sure it was a way to keep her tied to him. Sidney checked the time on her phone and it was 12 at night, her mother wouldn’t just leave the house like that. She decided that while she had her phone out she’d try calling Nate again, she had already tried three times and he hasn’t picked up. She heard the phone ringing on the other end and then it went to voicemail. Sidney hung up not bothering to leave yet another voicemail and decided to see if he was at their place. It wasn’t that long of a walk from where she lived so she decided that it was worth the trip. It was dark outside and if it weren’t for the street lights she wouldn’t be able to see a thing but because the street lights were on she was able to see a blond chick laying near a tree, no doubt dead from the disfiguration of the young woman’s neck. Sidney moved around the woman’s body and thought about moving it so that no just anyone would be able to stumble upon it but she had her own problems to deal with at the moment.

  When Sidney arrived at the big tree she could see that someone was indeed up their but they looked as if they awkwardly sleeping on the biggest of the tree branches that they liked to sit on.

  “Nate?!” she called to see if she could wake the man and at the same time see if it was Nate who was sleeping on the giant tree. It wouldn’t be the first time, him and his mom and dad got into it a lot. “Nate?!” she called again. When the man didn’t spur she thought that maybe it wasn’t Nate. “Ryder?!” she called instead and still the man didn’t budge. Sidney sighed before slipping out of her heels and grabbing on to the lowest branch so that she could pull herself up. It was hard to see even with the light glow in the night from the street lights so she slipped a few times before finally making it to the top. She knew she was covered in splinters she could feel the slight sting of them. When she sat next to sleeping man she grabbed him by the shoulders and shook lightly trying to wake him she couldn’t see any facial features because it was darker up here then it was down on the ground but she was almost sure it was Nate. “Nate?!” she called again shaking him harder. Three things happened after that first Nate’s head began to loll to the side before falling off completely, and then Sidney screamed the loudest cream she could muster, before she fell out of the tree and onto her ass. Sidney scrambled to her feet and moved to where Nate’s head had fallen. He was dead no doubt about that, his neck looked as if it was cut off of his body only half way before being manually ripped the rest of the way off. Sidney tried to contain her cries as she gazed down at her best friends severed head at her feet.

  Sidney stalked off into the direction of Skylar’s house hoping beyond hope that Ryder was there. She couldn’t help but think that Hank had done this. Hank’s last words before he had left her house played in her head, I have something to get rid of, Sidney wandered what he meant but that before but she’s sure that she had just found out.

  No lights were on in Skylar’s house but there was an orange glow that could be seen through the small window glass of her front door that told Sidney that she was up. Sidney knocked on the door and waited none too patiently for someone, anyone to open the door.

  “Damn Sidney, do you not realize what time it is?” Ryder said as Skylar’s front door swung open. Sidney was beyond happy that he was here but couldn’t bring herself to voice anything as tears trailed down her face. “Get in here,” he said grabbing her by the wrist and pulling her into the house. Sidney stumbled into the front door and all her eyes could see was a blur of orange glow coming from within Skylar’s living room. “What the hell happened?!” he whisper yelled. “What did Hank do?” he asked before she could get her mouth open to answer his first question.

  “Nate,” she breathed out on a sob, trying unsuccessfully to control herself as she fought to get the words out, “he killed Nate,” she managed before breaking down again. Ryder said nothing he just looked at her unbelievingly.

  “He did what?” he asked for confirmation as to what she had just said.

  “He killed Nate, Hank killed him I saw it myself,” she said as she cried harder.

  “You saw Hank do it?!”

  She shook her head before saying, “No, I found Nate’s body.”

  “Where?!”

  “By our place, I thought he was sleeping…I-I tried to wake him and…and…and his head fell off,” she said covering her face with her hands as she continued to sob.

  “What makes you think Hank did it?”

  “Be-Because he was here at my house with my mother and he was trying to look for Aaron’s book of secretes in my room but he couldn’t find it. Nate sent me a text saying that he knew who Hank was and…and I think Hank saw the text. Before he left my house he said…he said that he had something to get rid of.”

  “Damn it!” Ryder swore. “I don’t have time for this right now, its fuckin mid-night Sid,” he said running his hands through his hair. Sidney cleared her face of tears in hopes that she’d be able to see him better.

  “Speaking of mid-night why are you here…at Skylar’s?”

  “It’s a long ass story Sid, one I don’t have time for right now.”

  “Ok,” she said slowly.

  “You didn’t leave your mother alone, by herself again did you?” he asked. At the thought of her mother Sidney began crying again.

  “I-I forgot,” she said as she ran her hands through her short red hair.

  “You forgot what? Sid what did you forget?”

  “My mom, wh-when I went downstairs she…she wasn’t there. She was nowhere in the house, I looked everywhere,” she cried.

  “Damn it!” Ryder growled up to the ceiling. “Shit, shit, shit, shit, SHIT!” Ryder sighed heavily before punching the wall behind him. “Is it possible she could have gone willingly?” At his question Sidney shook her head; her mother was scared of Hank, and wouldn’t have wanted to be alone with him. “And you checked everywhere?”

  “Yes, I checked everywhere.”

  “I’m sorry Sid, damn I’m so fuckin sorry…”

  “But there’s nothing you can do, you have Skylar to worry about correct?” she asked filling in his blank.

  “It’s not like that Sid.”

  “Yea it is Ryder and I am completely ok with that, you’ve taken care of me all my life I’ll be fine on my own.”

  “I’d never let you deal with this shit on your own—never! You hear me? You always have me and you know it, you haven’t hesitated to ask me for my help before so don’t start doing it now.”

  “Fine, but I’mma try to go home and get some rest there aint shit I can do about it tonight let’s just hope she’s still alive by the morning,” she whispered as she headed for the door.

  “Sid stop!” At his command she immediately stopped and turned toward him. “You have nothing to go back to remember, your mother’s not home and I don’t want you there by yourself.”

  “It’s ok Ryder, shit even when my mother was home I felt like I was by myself—”

  “Shut up Sid. There’s a difference between feeling like you’re by yourself and actually being by yourself and God I pray you never learn the difference. You’re staying here got it?”

  “Fine but where am I gonna go?”

  “This isn’t my house so I can’t just let you choose whatever fuckin guest room you want to and Skylar is—”

  “Woke, and is totally fine with you picking a guest room. I’m sorry to hear about your friend and mother. I hope you find her and if you need help I’ll be glad to provide it,” Skylar said from on top of the stairs.

  “Thank you and I appreciate it—honestly,” Sidney said.

  “What the hell are you doing up?” Ryder asked.

  “Yall weren’t exactly quiet; did you expect me to sleep through tha
t?” Sidney smiled at her response knowing that Ryder had finally met his match.

  “Thanks again Skylar,” Sidney said as she moved toward one of the other rooms on the first floor.

  “No problem,” she said to Sidney though her eyes never left Ryder’s.