บททั้งหมดของ Friendship's Last Bite: บทที่ 1 - บทที่ 9

When I woke up the next morning, I was greeted by my computer's call ended message. Adam's parents must have gotten in early morning and cut it off when they checked in on him. I yawned and proceeded to crawl out of bed.Planning ahead, I grabbed my phone to text Adam as I stumbled downstairs to start a pot of coffee. As it was quietly brewing, I swiftly opened the fridge to grab some eggs for breakfast. I cracked three eggs in a pan and scrambled them with a splash of milk. Setting them aside to cook later, I threw on my running shoes by the back door. Then, with a displeased look, I began turning on the family treadmill to work on my cardio. Normally, I would take a couple of laps around the neighborhood for the fresh air, but the emergency alert came to mind and shot that option down.After a few minutes of warming up, I set up for a light jog until I completed a little over a mile. I slowed down into a walk before hopping off to take a quick shower. Today was supposed to be laid b

Stumbling forward, I land hard. I slowly look up dazed. The panicking awareness didn't set in automatically. No. It crept in like a black panther in the night. To my immediate right stood a doddering old man with huge sweat stains ruining his green button up. Then to my left, a small child stood staring up at a beautiful, blue bird feeder hung high and proud on a tall, wooden post. His curly brown hair slightly danced with the breeze. It looked picturesque and almost tranquil. Until I set my eyes forward to a grey haired woman in cuffed, flower embroidered, denim shorts who stood chewing mindlessly on a slicked garden hose.Altogether, the sheer wrongness of the picture came together. I noticed the blood pooling on the other side of the child. The old man, who was seemingly minding his business, was taking small steps forward almost crumbling with every twitch of movement. It took a double glance to see the object of his advancements was a pile of fly infested meat. I shuddered- refus

 I hadn't noticed how long I had been standing there, lost in thought, until Adam gently tugged on my arm, pulling me back from the depths of my mind. When I looked into his concerned eyes, I almost felt myself getting lost in their swampy depths, so different from the vivid thoughts swirling inside my head. "Adam—" I started, but he interrupted. "Cip—" we both muttered in unison, our voices overlapping in that familiar way. I raised an eyebrow, a silent challenge to him, before I continued, my voice dropping to a softer, more serious tone. "Adam, I need to handle that... well, I don't want you to see, alright?" Each word felt heavy with unspoken weight. He paused, a

Lowering my voice to a near whisper, I exhaled slowly, "Adam, stay calm. I'll be right back, okay?" The urgency in my heart rate quickened as I reluctantly peeled myself from the chair, my eyes fixed on those eerily vacant ones outside the window, devoid of any human emotion. I felt the pulse of anxiety buzz at the edges of my thoughts; the remains of yesterday's horrors hovered around me like a thick fog, blurring the line between reality and some bizarre dreamscape. "Ciprian?" Adam's voice pierced through the tension, laced with confusion and a hint of frustration. "What are you doing?" I placed my empty mug back on the table, cradling it gently with my pinkie to suppress any unwelcome clatter that might break the fragile silence. "I locked the gate," I replied, my voice steadier than I felt. It was as if that simple statement would somehow clarify everything, dispelling the looming dread that clung to the air like a heavy blanket. "I know I did." My gaze remained unwavering