The Disappeared by Vernon William Baumann Read Free Book Online Page B

place.’ Josh beamed a nice-guy-next-door smile. Hoping
the kid would at least smile at his joke.
    The same blank
look greeted his attempts. There was an endless silence as Joshua waited for
the kid to react in some way ... any way. But he just stared. This kid’s flippen creepy, Joshua thought.
    Insects.
    Joshua lit his
cigarette. ‘Okay. Dude I’ve gotta get moving. So I’ll see-’
    ‘Winston is
not my friend. Winston is my dog. Have you seen him?’ The kid spoke in the same
toneless voice. But this time there was the hint of something else. It sounded
almost like an accusation.
    Insects.
    ‘Your dog?
Sorry kid, no such luck.’ Joshua was trying hard. But – damn – this boy was
starting to irritate him. ‘If I had the time, I would’ve helped ya-’
    ‘Winston is my
dog. And he’s gone.’
    Joshua nodded
slowly. He narrowed his eyes trying to look sympathetic. It was – he was sure –
a miserable failure. He didn’t feel particularly sympathetic at this stage and
he was sure the kid could see right through him.
    ‘I’ve looked
everywhere but I can’t find him.’ Blank words just like his blank face. No
emotion at all. What a psycho kid!
    ‘Yeah?’ Irritation
was starting to seep into Josh’s words. He was finding it difficult to connect
with Robot Boy. Time to get a move on. Josh wanted to open his mouth and
excuse himself in the nicest way possible. But again the boy beat him to it.
    ‘Mr Wessels’
dog is also gone. It’s a Jack Russel. His name is Zeek. But I can’t find him.’
The boy looked straight at Joshua unblinking. ‘They’re gone.’ Then a moment
later. ‘They’re all gone.’
    For the first
time Josh realised the little boy wasn’t looking at him but through him. He moved
his head but the boy’s eyes didn’t follow him.
    Screw this. It was time to be firm. ‘Look here, I’m sorry man.’ Joshua leaned forward and
placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder. The boy recoiled violently, back-peddling
until he was a couple of feet from Josh.
    ‘Who are you?
What are you doing here?’ The vacuity in his voice was now gone replaced with a
panicked urgency. Joshua sensed trouble. He held his hands up in the air palms
towards the boy.
    ‘Hey, relax
dude. Okay?’ Joshua eyed the police station uncertainly. He started backing
away from the panicked boy.
    The boy’s eyes
were wide with fear. He looked around frantically. ‘They’re all gone! They’re
all gone!’
    Joshua looked
up and down the street. Time to make an exit. ‘Go home, kid.’ Joshua spoke as
firmly as he could manage under the circumstances. ‘Your parents are looking
for you. Go home, now.’ Joshua turned and began walking towards the filling
station in the distance. As he moved away, he could hear the boy’s voice. It
was soft. Barely above a whisper. On any normal day it would have filled Josh’s
heart with a measure of compassion. But this was anything but a normal day.
    Insects.
    The boy’s
voice had that same toneless dead quality. It gave Joshua the creeps.
    ‘Winston ... Winston.’
Over and over again. ‘Winston .... Winston ...’
     
     
6:32
     
    ‘Sophia?’
    Minki shrank
from her father gasping at her mother’s name.
    ‘Sophia. Is
that you?’
    She stared in horror
at her father; eyes wide in uncomprehending terror. She began to sob
voicelessly. Against the wall her father stood motionless and silent.
    Minki wanted
to touch her father. To hold him. But she was afraid to go near him. Moments
before in her room she had felt so close to him. As if she could extract his
physical essence from the air. From a mere memory. Now as she stood inches from
him she had never – in her entire life – felt further away from him. She didn’t
recognise the man that now stood before her.
    Minki slowly circled
him. Moving to his right side. She tried to catch a glimpse of his face until
now hidden from her. What she saw shocked her.
    Her father’s
face was pressed up against the wall; unblinking,