They Called Me FIVE

LANCE

I jumped on my feet and readied my fist. The voice, whoever it is, laughed. Alpha Beast was up and alert, squinting and darting his eyes across the room.

He heard the voice too. It wasn't my imagination. Someone is here. A ghost? No. A ghost don't talk nor laugh without spirit box. Paranormal investigators from tv channels taught me that.

"Who are you?" I demanded. The empty lunch boxes, suddenly hovered in the air and arc itself towards the nearest trashbin. The table was wiped clean. The kitchen sink's empty dishes wash itself. Ragged clothes wiped the kitchen top, the window sill. The blinds tie itself into a knot, opening the window and letting the strong wind outside rattle the glass.

All this happen in a span of few minutes. Suddenly, the room didn't look abandon at all. It's airy, newly cleaned, the unlimited stack of trash bins dropped itself into the dumpster outside. I just stood there, gaping at all this totally impossible objects moving into life. If only this is Harry Potter I would believe witches and wizards lived here to do this magic with their spells and wands.

But it wasn't magic. It's different. And it's strangely familiar. Almost like.... Its blessings.

"There, there. Now it's clean." The voice clap its invisible hands and exhaled in satisfaction. He has an undertone of a teenage boy same my age.

"Come sit, please. You already settled in my apartment might as well make yourself at home."

A hand patted the sofa beside the table thrice. Alpha Beast and I looked at each other. Trying to decide if it's dangerous to do what the voice told us to do or just go with the flow.

In the end, the curiosity to know what this voice wants win. So we settled down in the sofa. The single velvet couch in front of us creek.

"Wanna eat? I've been watching you for days totally knocked out. I bet you're hungry. Yeah let's order pizza."

My ears perked up at the mention of pizza.

"And some drinks too. The store under the construction road up there only have cokes in their menu. Let's have that."

Alpha Beast and I watched as a smartphone appeared out of nowhere and hovered tilting in the air. He made a delivery call alright.

Soon after the conversation ended, he put down the phone and hummed by himself.

"Err, can I ask you a question?" I started.

"Of course!" His voice beamed. Okay, he's friendly enough. This should turn out well.

"What's your name?"

"Samuel. Sam for short. Call me Sam. I prefer Sam."

"Ham?"

"Sam!" He corrected. Not much difference. But, okay. My bad.

"Okay, Sam. How are you doing that? This turning invisible and the cleaning objects thing. I know you're about the same age as me. I'm guessing you're not always invisible are you?"

The couch lean back and he let out a sigh.

"I don't know man, it just started a few - maybe two months ago? Not so sure. It was on that night pops and I watch a colorful meteor raced in the sky at this very room. And then this tattoo came out of nowhere in my forearm -"

"Tattoo?" My ears might have been playing tricks on me. I need to clarify.

"Yeah. A black circle tattoo with weird scribbles and a big number 2 on it. You don't know how much pissed pops becomes when he saw it. He thinks I'm playing mobster on him and hanging around with skater kids across town. Taking drugs, abusing alcohol, going night out in clubs. I told him he was wrong. He didn't believe me. In his frenzy state, he drove me out. That chick he's seeing wasn't helping things either. She's the reason why I hate women. They're just a bunch of sweet talkers, good at bouncing their tits and seducing old farts and then voila. They betray you."

A lot of bitterness was present in his voice. Although our circumstances were different, I can feel his pain. I can relate to what he feels. That hatred towards women, I know that.

We were on that mess inside the Faery hole for seventy days. Because of Meira. She took Seven as her prisoner. She knew Alpha Beast was a fake. She didn't even tell anyone about it. She used Seven's 'life' blessing to sustain her youth. To attract stupid guys like me and play us in the palm of her hands.

But not everything was her fault. Most of it...was on me.

"What happened?" Alpha Beast got to ask first before me.

"One moment she's all sweet and candy smiley. Next moment, she turned into this super ugly vampire fang b*tch witch with nasty feathery wings and scaly green skin. You know what's the most awful thing that happened? I watch her. I watch her skin my pops alive while I stood frozen in the spot. I watch her teeth sank on his neck and gnash his flesh with her mouth. Oozing out blood. Everywhere. You see those dark spots splashing across the wallpapers? Those are my Dad's blood."

My eyes immediately found it's way on the walls. From the looks of the dried stick blood, it has been over a month since it happened. But something doesn't add right.

"I'm so sorry to hear that. How did you get out alive?"

He fell silent. The atmosphere around us tense. I don't really know where to put my eyes. Which part of the couch should I look? You might say the headboard, but we're not sure if his head is really leaning against the sofa, sitting upright. He may have sitting upside down, making monkey faces, amusing himself because we can't see him.

"I barely did." The couch retracted back to its original position. We can hear soft footsteps pacing around the room.

"She was - after she discarded pops body like a limpy mannequin, - she stands right in front of me. Leering, whispering insulting words at me. Her claws settled and dig itself to my chest. Determine to slice my heart open. I remember standing frozen, unable to breath. And then -"

He wasn't able to finish his words when the doors burst open and a thick grey smoke whisk around like sleeping gas.