Chapter #5Go see Caleb by: Seuzz   You tell Martha that you're going to run a few errands, but instead you drive out to the Ryerson's house. His mother answers the door, and you introduce yourself as David's father. She winces and calls into the house to Caleb, then looks up at you sadly as you wait for him. "I'm so sorry," she says. "If there's anything we can do—"
You brush her off with a tight but friendly smile. "It's alright, really," you say. "I just want to hear from Caleb about what happened."
Caleb's face looks bruised when he appears, and you wonder briefly if he's been beaten up. But a closer look suggests that it's just the results of fear, worry, and guilt. His eyes only briefly meet yours, and he looks away with shame as he limply takes your hand.
"I was hoping we could sit in the back yard or someplace, and just have a quiet, friendly talk," you tell him and his mother. "I saw a man named Colonel Lord today, from Fort Suffolk, and he gave us most of the news. I just want to hear about it from Caleb directly. It would make it seem more ... real."
Caleb leads you through their small home and out into the tiny back lot. Not long after you're seated, Mrs. Ryerson brings you both out some sodas. She lingers briefly, but when you ignore her she retreats into the house.
"What were you doing up at the base?" you ask Caleb when she's gone.
"We were just talking about classes and stuff," he says tonelessly. "We were actually out at the state park. But he wanted to—" He catches himself. "But we wanted to go down and look at the base." You know that it was entirely your idea, but Caleb seems to think better of trying to put all the responsibility onto your shoulders, no matter the truth of it. You'd felt a flare of anger when you saw him at the door, but you soften at his willingness to shoulder blame that he doesn't deserve.
"Whose idea was it to go onto the base grounds?" you ask.
His eyes dart about. "Mine," he says at last. Another lie; another lie meant to protect you.
"And what happened?"
He takes a deep breath. "We went into a building. Through a window. We were looking around."
"What did he do to cause the accident?"
"I don't know. I was outside by that point. I wanted to leave."
"If it was your idea, why did you want to leave? Why weren't you there with him?"
He licks his lips. "Look, it was both of our idea. He wanted to do it too. But I ... I got scared before he did. I told him I wanted to go back before we got caught. I left because I hoped it would make him follow me."
You let him stew for a minute before resuming. "And then what happened?"
He looks utterly miserable. "I heard something like a bang. And suddenly there was smoke pouring out of the place. I started to go back to the building, but then I heard voices. I guess I panicked. I just wanted to get away. I didn't want to get in trouble." He twists about uncomfortably. "I ran away, back to my car. Back in the park. But as soon as I got back, I drove over to the base and told them that he was inside. Or would have been inside."
"Why didn't you do that to start with, instead of running away?"
His face is a mix of chalky white and beet red. "I wish I had. Really. But like I said, I just panicked." He closes his eyes; he is about to burst into tears.
"It's okay. I understand," you say gently. "So you went back to the base. What did you tell them?"
"What I told you. It took forever. They just kept asking me stuff, over and over." He makes a face. "They hauled back out there this morning too, and we went over the whole thing again."
"What else did you tell them?"
"Just what I told you." He is beginning to sound a little angry.
"I'm sorry. I don't mean to keep pressing you. But the man who came out this morning and told us about it said that there was a chance David had survived." Caleb looks up at you with sudden hope. "Did they say anything to you like that?"
"No. They— They didn't tell me anything. They just asked questions."
"Did you say anything that might have made them think that? Did you see anything? Maybe something you thought you saw afterward?"
"No, nothing at all! I didn't see anything! I sure didn't tell them I might have seen anything." You're silent as you digest this, but Caleb continues to look at you hopefully. "Please, Mr. Johnson. What did they say? Why do they think he might still be alive?"
You look at him steadily. You're not certain he's telling the whole truth, not because he means to lie but because he doesn't realize what he might have seen. You can see only two ways you might get it out of him. You can tell him who you really are and take him into your confidence; or you can move out of your father and possess him.   indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
| Members who added to this interactive story also contributed to these: |
<<-- Previous · Outline  · Recent Additions © Copyright 2025 Seuzz (UN: seuzz at Writing.Com). All rights reserved.
Seuzz has granted Writing.Com, its affiliates and syndicates non-exclusive rights to display this work within this interactive story. Poster accepts all responsibility, legal and otherwise, for the content uploaded, submitted to and posted on Writing.Com. |
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
More by this author