A sharp ringing irritation echoed through Andrew's head as he clutched it subconsciously. He probed his head to find that nothing was wrong with it. The markings of the cut and the boring into his skull was lacking making him wonder.
He vividly remembered the experience, agonizing beyond death could be a perfect summary of it. He hopped off the operating bench to find his clothes perfectly folded on a bench not far from the exit.
After putting them on, a slight muse rang through his mind which baffled him. 'It's already evening and Trevor is buried right outside.' Weirded by the thought which fleeted as soon as it came, he made his way out of the room he was in.
It appeared to be a room which was still in the manor however the difference wast extremely stark between the two. He was able to make his way out with relative ease despite him not knowing how he did it.
As if his body was on autopilot and he was a mere observer in his own mind. Regardless, stepping outside just as he had thought the body of Trevor was lying not that deep into the ground and alongside him was Kevin.
It couldn't be considered a proper burial given how sloppy the dirt was lying all over and the spade was facing up. Unlike before, he simply glanced at the two bodies before realizing that the waterfall of emotions that he was waiting never came.
Distress, fear or anxiety was lacking in his own mind seemed absent. As if he was looking at someone who he had never seen or met in his entire life. The atmosphere grew cold as darkness crept in and still drenched in blood, he made his way back.
A run that would have taken him forty minutes to accomplish took him now twenty minutes given that he never made any stops whatsoever. Impressed with his own physique, he saw the park which was barely populated as people were heading to their home.
"Do you need help?!" He heard a remark which he brushed it off. It was one of the joggers they had met earlier however his mind seemed absent in responding to her, trekking the rest of the way back home.
He caught several glances from observers as some tried to get help however he brushed them off.
...
Lucy who was scared out of her mind walked frantically in her house. She had made her way to Kevin's home only for her to get a response she was ready for. "Kevin'n not back yet either. Along with Trevor."
It was already 7 pm and Andrew was nowhere in sight. There were instances that this had happened however back then, he was over at one of his friends but now, he was completely absent from the entire block he was supposed to be in.
*Creak*
Hearing the front door open, she made her way only to be greeted with the sight of his only son. From head to toe, trails and rivulets of blood had dried on his body, his face was pale and alien while his eyes seemed dead.
"Andrew!!!" Lucy exclaimed as she ignored the state of his son and hugged him tightly. "..." The response Andrew shot back as Lucy now took a closer look at him. He seemed that he was a prop straight out of a horror movie, like a zombie.
"Andrew, are you okay and what happened?! And where are the rest of your friends?" Andrew was bombarded with a barrage of questions.
"Trevor and Kevin are dead. I'm okay for asking though." His tone was dead and calm which terrified Lucy. She probed all over his body trying to find any injuries but none turned up.
"What do you mean they're dead?" A look of shock could be seen on her face as she heard this. "We were somewhere where we weren't supposed to and the two paid the price for it. On the bright side, I think that I don't have my asthma problem."
Lucy was baffled as he readied herself and Andrew to go to the hospital. "There's no need to go to the hospital, there's nothing wrong. Just a bit of blood." Andrew was calm which was a stark contrast to her mother.
And with that he broke off from his embrace and went upstairs. Lucy was left bewildered with what had happened but after thirty minutes, Andrew was done with his shower and looked as if he hadn't been operated on.
"What about your friends?" Lucy posed to which Andrew answered as he made his way to the kitchen. "Their bodies are out in the forest, haphazardly buried but they shouldn't be that far off from an abandoned manor."
Making himself comfortable, Andrew took a bite of the supper that was prepared. Hus demeanor seemed out of place considering the weight of the words that he was delivering to Lucy.
One was indifferent while the other was worried and tense which was reasonable. "I have to tell Kevin's parents about this. Just stay here!" Andrew watched his mother's figure dart out of the house and make her way towards Kevin's residence.
After he was done, he cleaned after himself and went upstairs for his sleep.
...
"It would seem that there is nothing wrong with him." A male in his late thirties spoke as he looked at Lucy's figure.
"It would also seem that his lungs have also been cleaned of his plague of asthma no longer making him vulnerable to dust. No traces of injures could be seen on his body so there is no need to worry."
He was a doctor with a calm and sterile air around him. But what the doctor had left out was a worry that was plaguing his mind because Lucy had brought a sample of the clothes he was in and the blood present was his but there was no form of injury that could be traced on his body.
A mind bending question but given Andrew was safe and healthy, there was no reason to make her worry over something so trivial.
"Also we did some scans on his brain and nothing seems to be out of place. His skull is intact with no part affected in any form. So there is nothing to worry about miss Lucy."
"Have a good day." He mused before walking away from her. She had to postpone the affairs of going to her parents place for a later date as she wasn't assured that Andrew was fine given how he showed up.
Andrew walked out of the room that he was in as he looked at Lucy. " I told you that I was fine." He mused with a slight smile as Lucy wrapped his arms around her.
"Did you find the bodies?" Speaking out of the blue directed at Lucy. "Yes they were found. It's a shame that they died so young." A pair of footsteps could be heard approaching the two and looking at the source, it was an officer.
"Excuse me miss Lucy but I have some questions that I need to ask your son about." His tone was warm and calm with his hands rested on the buckle of his belt. His black uniform standing out in the white halls of the hospital.
The trio made their exit out and Andrew was escorted by the police officer to the police station. It was a calm drive as Andrew took in the sights of the city as Lucy watched from the side.
She could tell that something was off about Andrew ever since he came back. His vigor and energetic personality was replaced with a calm and sombre individual thus she opted for the scan but what took her by surprise was that he was completely fine.
Regardless as a mother that didn't mean that he would care for him any less as they pulled up. Walking in and taken to an office which was considered lavish.
Lucy was seated adjacent to Andrew as he faced the cop who was opposite to where they were.
"Aren't we supposed to be doing this in an interrogation room?" The police chuckled. "No, it's something short and quick. All you have to do is answer the question and you'll she on your way."
"Just tell him what you know sweetie." Lucy reassured him as he gave a slight nod. "Okay..." The police posed as he brought up a clip board and a pen, his eyes boring deep into Andrew's.
"So what were you doing at the manor?" The first question was shot at him. "Kevin posed that he wanted to set it on fire given that he thought that it was Kyle's hideout."
The police officer merely glanced as he gauged the response. "Can you explain how the bodies of your friends came to be in the state that they were?"
Lucy was slightly apprehensive as her body tensed. It was a nightmarish spectacle for a child to see which could develop into trauma. "There was an individual, clothed in a crow mask and black attire. He was the one who knocked me out and operated on me."
"Operated on you?" Similar to Lucy, the police was shocked when he heard this. "Yes, he took me to the basement of the establishment and cut my head open. After that I can't remember as I had fallen unconscious."
"You were conscious during this?" Andrew gave a slight nod. "Without anaesthesia." Lucy clutched hard onto Andrew's hand as she heard this. The pain one had to go through was hellish and he survived.
'Given the blood loss, you should have died but here you are.' The cop mused as he locked with his eyes. He checked something onto his clipboard before resuming. "And when you three went to the manor, was anyone informed? Like your parents or a guardian?"
"No." His response short. The cop went on to check out on his clip board. "Okay, I have one last question. What was the height of the individual who knocked you out?" Andrew shook his head. "I couldn't get a clear image of him given my asthma attack. But I believe he was about six feet."
"Thank you for your cooperation, Andrew. You should consider yourself lucky for surviving such an ordeal." He praised him as he offered some candy to him to which he picked.
The cop let them go as he was left in his office wondering the motives of the individual that had done all of this.
'If he cracked Andrew's skull open, what deal did he have with it? It's not like an organ harvester or anything. As for the basement, it was thoroughly cleared with no signs that an operation had taken place.'
'But to think that such a wretched monster would operate on a child with no anaesthesia.' He contemplated as he sank into his seat.
'And that kid. Something wasn't right with him. No reaction despite the topic of discussion. At least trauma, hesitation or tension but he seemed rather calm with it all.'
He couldn't wrap his head around this case as he placed his clipboard back onto his desk and walked out of the room that he was in.