![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_e_biggrin.gif)
Chapter One
Josh ditched his sweaty shirt in the laundry room and crashed onto the couch, huffing, still exhausted from his basketball game with Tom in his driveway. He kicked his tennis shoes off, flicking them under the coffee table and rested his feet on top of it. The cold air in the house brushed against his damp Nike socks, cooling his feet. He pulled the cuffs if his black shorts above his thighs, feeling the air on his legs as well. Josh combed his sweaty bangs away from his forehead with his fingers and through the rest of his dark brown hair to the back of his head. He took a few more deep breaths, getting his breathing back to normal. The suede felt nice on his back and neck as he slumped down deeper into it.
Spring Break began next week, so he didn’t need to worry about school, and his parents trusted him enough for him to stay home while they went to visit a sick friend. Between him and Tom, Josh was clearly the more responsible one. A simple week of shooting hoops his best friend and playing video games was his idea of a great week. Josh folded his arms across his chest, staring at the ceiling, still breathing heavily through his nose. Although exhausted, he found himself wary of the small creaks and clicks throughout the empty house. His head buzzed with constant shifting thoughts of “What if…” moments that left him unable to fully relax.
He shook himself out of his head and sat up straight. He flipped the television on, filling the room with sound. Maybe some games would take his mind off things. This wasn’t the week to be worried about anything. It was a time for fun. He loaded Mortal Kombat onto the big-screen tv. With the house to himself for the time being, he could plug his PlayStation into the big tv in the living room. Time passed, and his stomach began to growl.
Josh paused the game and climbed over the couch, moving into the kitchen. He considered cooking something for himself, but he was too hungry to start fumbling with the stove and pans, so he opted for the Hot Pockets in the freezer. His fingers pried at the loud crinkling plastic bagging, and for a second, he thought he heard something and froze. But the house was silent. More creaks from the house settling, he thought. He placed his food in the microwave and mashed the buttons. The microwave let out a whirring as the fan on top blasted. Suddenly another sound filled the air, coming from the living room. He went back to see his game un-paused and his defenseless character getting killed.
“Shit!” He exclaimed, craning over the back of the couch and hitting the pause button on the controller again. “I paused the damn thing!” he said to himself. As he straightened himself, something caught his eye. From the reflection in the curio cabinet in the corner of the room, he saw himself standing behind the couch. Himself… and someone else, standing behind him. All the color flushed from his face, turning his dark complex pale. He felt his heart beat in his throat as a figure clad in all black loomed behind him. The figure reached from behind, wrapping his arm around Josh’s neck.
The black figure let out a growl and produced something from his pocket. Josh opened his mouth to scream as loud as he could, but the figure push something round and hard between his teeth, causing him to gag. The figure pulled back on two straps, pinching Josh’s cheeks, and attached the two ends together. There was a soft click at the back of Josh’s head that rang in his ears. A gun click? Panic completely took over, and Josh dove over the couch and onto the coffee table, rolling over it and onto the shag carpet. He flipped the table over on its side as barrier between himself and the intruder. Panicky tears began running down his face from the adrenaline rushing through his body, and his tried screaming again.
“Helph—ahk! Helph meph—ahk! Shomphbdy, hemph--ahk!” Each scream for help was followed by Josh heaving and gagging. Something kept slinging back in his mouth, threatening to fall down his throat and choke him. He pried at the thing stuck in his mouth, but his finger could barely dig between the space between his cheeks and the straps holding the round thing in. He fumbled with the straps at the back of his head and felt something box-like in his fingers. It was cold and metallic… a lock! “Whahph—ahk!?” What the hell did this guy do, he thought. He couldn’t speak or call out without the ball in his mouth slinging back and gagging him. He felt himself ready to cry, trapped by an intruder with no one to hear him. Josh moaned as loud as he could, clenching the ball between his teeth and lips to keep it from slipping. “Mmmph! MMMpph! MMMPPHH!”
A loud cackling laughter echoed in the room, much louder than Josh’s moans. It was a laughter he’d known too well. He peeked from behind the turned-over table to get a good look at his attacker. He was wearing a black hoodie and black track pants, which did nothing for his stick-thin body. A black ski-mask covered his face, but not those bright blue eyes, which confirmed Josh’s suspicions. The panic surging through Josh’s body turned into a burning rage. An angry heat formed in his face, turning his face beet-red. He took a large step over the turned-over table and stomped the floor with his heel.
“Wow, you’re real light n your feet, Joshy-boy! That was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen – I mean, you fllleeewww over that couch! You didn’t break the table, did you? Because that would be super awkward to explain.” The figure’s voice was light and cheery. He clapped frantically, applauding Josh’s performance. “Bravo! Brava! Brav-you! Brav-me!” he chanted. The figure reached up, knocking off his hood and pulling the ski mask off with exaggerated flamboyance.
Tom stood there, spreading his arms out wide and flashing Josh the most shit-eating grin he could muster before proudly proclaiming, “Ta-da!”
To Be Continued...