The Shadow Boys
Chapter 03
Zacky awoke from his fitful slumber, startled by the metallic ringing of the telephone on the end table. The same phone that ultimately assigned his fate to him.
He grasped the reciever, carefully holding it up to his ear, "h-hello?"
"Zachary Baker?" A cold, emotionless voice spoke.
Zacky swallowed hard, "this is he. Who is this?"
"Who I am matters little."
"If you don't tell me who you are, I'll just hang up on you." Zacky spoke.
The man on the other line smirked, amusement clearly evident in his voice. "You can hang up if you'd like, I have the card to get into your room anyway. So, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. I suggest you go with the easy way."
Zacky's hands began to shake as he gripped the receiver even tighter, the nuckles in his hands turning white. "What do you want from me?"
"It's not what I want from you, rather what we want from you."
"Who is we?"
"Zachary, you're testing my patience. You do not want to make me angry."
"Sorry..."
The man chuckled, "sorry? All you ever have to say is sorry, is it not?"
Zacky dropped the phone in shock. The young boy began to panic, wondering how this man knew who he was, knew about his life. Why was this happening to him? Just this morning he'd woken up to a house, a family who may or may not have loved him, and now he was alone being questioned by a strange man whom he'd never met, being threatened by said man. Zacky could hear the man yelling through the reciever, snapping him out of the state he was in.
"Shit," he whispered.
Zacky picked the telephone back up and carefully held it up to his ear. "Sorry. I dropped the phone."
The man was openly laughing now, "I heard."
Zacky wasn't laughing, "what do you fucking want from me!?"
"Now, now little Zachary. I told you not to test my patience. What I need from you is very simple, are you listening?"
Zacky nodded, then mentally slapped himself in the head, realizing that the man on the other end of the phone definitely couldn't see what he was doing, or could he? Zacky cleared his throat, "yeah, I'm listening."
"Good. I need you to come down to the pool in two hours, someone will be there waiting for you. Don't ask any questions, just do what he tells you to do, understood?"
Zacky sighed, "yes, but can you at least tell me your name?"
The man on the other line sighed as well, "fine! You can call me Shadows."
"Why do you go by that name?"
"You don't want to know, kid. You really don't want to know. If all goes well, you'll never have to find out."
"Okay..."
"Just do what you're told and things will be alright. I think you'll be pleased by who you find at the pool."
"Are you going to kill me?"
The man groaned, "two hours." Then he hung up the phone.
Zacky quickly hung up the phone before dropping down to the floor. He crossed his legs like he used to when it was circle time in junior kindergarten. Considering Zacky felt as though nothing could touch him before he'd left the house this morning, the confidence had definitely been drained from his demeanor, replacing them with feelings of fear and paranoia. Zacky didn't know who this person he was supposed to meet in two hours was going to be, he just hoped that luck was on his side in this; the last thing he needed to be was the boy who fell off the face of the earth, he had some serious questions that he wanted to be answered.
He grasped the reciever, carefully holding it up to his ear, "h-hello?"
"Zachary Baker?" A cold, emotionless voice spoke.
Zacky swallowed hard, "this is he. Who is this?"
"Who I am matters little."
"If you don't tell me who you are, I'll just hang up on you." Zacky spoke.
The man on the other line smirked, amusement clearly evident in his voice. "You can hang up if you'd like, I have the card to get into your room anyway. So, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. I suggest you go with the easy way."
Zacky's hands began to shake as he gripped the receiver even tighter, the nuckles in his hands turning white. "What do you want from me?"
"It's not what I want from you, rather what we want from you."
"Who is we?"
"Zachary, you're testing my patience. You do not want to make me angry."
"Sorry..."
The man chuckled, "sorry? All you ever have to say is sorry, is it not?"
Zacky dropped the phone in shock. The young boy began to panic, wondering how this man knew who he was, knew about his life. Why was this happening to him? Just this morning he'd woken up to a house, a family who may or may not have loved him, and now he was alone being questioned by a strange man whom he'd never met, being threatened by said man. Zacky could hear the man yelling through the reciever, snapping him out of the state he was in.
"Shit," he whispered.
Zacky picked the telephone back up and carefully held it up to his ear. "Sorry. I dropped the phone."
The man was openly laughing now, "I heard."
Zacky wasn't laughing, "what do you fucking want from me!?"
"Now, now little Zachary. I told you not to test my patience. What I need from you is very simple, are you listening?"
Zacky nodded, then mentally slapped himself in the head, realizing that the man on the other end of the phone definitely couldn't see what he was doing, or could he? Zacky cleared his throat, "yeah, I'm listening."
"Good. I need you to come down to the pool in two hours, someone will be there waiting for you. Don't ask any questions, just do what he tells you to do, understood?"
Zacky sighed, "yes, but can you at least tell me your name?"
The man on the other line sighed as well, "fine! You can call me Shadows."
"Why do you go by that name?"
"You don't want to know, kid. You really don't want to know. If all goes well, you'll never have to find out."
"Okay..."
"Just do what you're told and things will be alright. I think you'll be pleased by who you find at the pool."
"Are you going to kill me?"
The man groaned, "two hours." Then he hung up the phone.
Zacky quickly hung up the phone before dropping down to the floor. He crossed his legs like he used to when it was circle time in junior kindergarten. Considering Zacky felt as though nothing could touch him before he'd left the house this morning, the confidence had definitely been drained from his demeanor, replacing them with feelings of fear and paranoia. Zacky didn't know who this person he was supposed to meet in two hours was going to be, he just hoped that luck was on his side in this; the last thing he needed to be was the boy who fell off the face of the earth, he had some serious questions that he wanted to be answered.