Silence. Silence filled the room and Will began to panic. This was supposed to be some kind of weird dream, but he knew he was wide awake. This had to be a trick, he thought. Someone had messed with his brain again. But then he thought of the words they were saying. Help me. Help me. You're my only hope…
Someone knocked lightly on his bedroom door. "Dad? Are you awake?"
It wasn't a trick. Somehow those people knew that he was awake and they were trying to wake him up. It took everything in his power not to scream out loud. He forced a shaky, nervous smile on his lips, hoping his father hadn't heard.
"Yeah I'm awake," he called back, his voice sounding more confident than he felt.
The door swung open and John walked in carrying some clothes, one folded neatly and the others still covered in blood stains. Even in his old pajamas, his son's dad looked ready to fight a war. His hair was matted and he had a nasty cut on his forehead.
"Hiya dad!" Will tried to sound cheerful. "Is your mom home?"
His father didn't answer. Instead he placed the clothes on top of the dresser and walked over to the couch. He sat down heavily on the floor. Will watched him curiously. Something was wrong with his dad and he needed to know what it was.
John didn't say anything, just turned to look at Will. "Look, kid..." he paused for a moment, "something is very important."
Will cocked an eyebrow. That didn't sound good.
"Something big." He continued. "Very big and dangerous."
Will frowned. What big, dangerous thing? He thought back to when he woke up and realised what had happened. Suddenly it all made sense and dread welled inside him. Had something gone wrong? What were the boys trying to do? Did something happen while he was sleeping? He swallowed hard.
"What do you mean 'big, dangerous'? Do you think… Is something going to happen?"
John sighed and shook his head. "I don't know."
"I've never…" Will trailed off, looking down at the ground.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of it."
The words struck his chest unexpectedly and caused him to flinch. "Wait, what?"
His dad looked up. "What?"
"Take care of what?!"
John sighed and shifted uncomfortably. For a brief moment, anger flashed across his face. Then it disappeared and he slumped back onto the floor. He looked tired and exhausted.
"Listen, you' re going to stay here and stay safe until the cops get here. And if there is an emergency you tell them that you found the house. Got it?"
Will looked up at his dad with a blank expression. The fear he felt moments ago had completely disappeared. Now he felt nothing. He was too stunned by the idea that their dad was going to do something to help. He had thought that the guys wanted to kill him but now, that's just it. They weren't going to kill him, they were going to protect him! He almost laughed, which sounded like he was laughing out loud. It made him feel giddy.
John raised his eyebrows and looked annoyed. It reminded Will of his mom when she was mad. He instantly stopped laughing and looked up at his dad. "Are you serious? Do I seriously need protection? Do they want me dead?"
John didn't say a word and just shrugged.
Will's eyes narrowed. Something about him didn't seem right. There was a sadness in his eyes that he didn't see there yesterday, but maybe that's just because they weren't as bright as usual. Maybe he was just tired. Whatever it was, he didn't believe it.
"No. Absolutely not," Will replied firmly. "I can take care of myself. If you want to help me, then fine, but you' re not allowed to go anywhere without telling me. Understand?"
He watched as John's gaze went away for a few seconds.
"Fine," he said, giving in finally. He sighed and then added, "But you better listen to everything I tell you. It will be important."
Will smirked. Yeah, whatever. He rolled his eyes. This whole situation was ridiculous. Why would the police want to talk to him? And how would it help them? He had no clue what was going on.
"What exactly am I supposed to tell the police?"
"Tell them everything you know."
"Okay, then. Anything else?"
"Tell them what you've already told me."
He nodded. "Got it."
There was silence again. Then the taller man cleared his throat.
"Can we come in now?"
Will nodded. "Sure."
After the two men entered his room, Will closed the door behind him. He couldn't help but stare. Everything looked normal, but something felt wrong. How were these guys even real?
A man who looked like his Dad smiled nervously at him and held out his hand. "My name's David."
David? Will repeated silently to himself. The last time he had heard someone call themselves that it had been an actress.
"Nice to meet you, Davey."