Page 79 of Spooks & Specters

Austin didnotfeel guilty. He knew exactly what had happened and who was responsible for it. If he felt anything, it was relief that they would no longer be bothering him or anyone else. Travis, known for his bravado, had apparently been reduced to a trembling mess, barely able to speak about his experience without breaking into sobs. His friends were no different.

As Austin absorbed the reality of his monster’s intervention, a complex mess of emotions boiled in him. There was relief, undeniably—a lifting of the oppressive weight of constant bullying.

There was also fear, a cold line tracing down his spine at the realization of what he had set into motion. Wasn’t there a saying about how great power came great responsibility? His monster was quite real and quite capable of horrifying things.

But more than anything, there was an unsettling satisfaction.

For the first time in months, Travis’s table was empty. Despite himself, Austin smiled faintly, savoring a moment ofpeace as he ate his food. He, and anyone else bullied, had the right to exist without torment.

As classes resumed and days turned into weeks with no sign of Travis and his clique returning to school, they were slowly forgotten by Austin and his classmates.

Fitting, wasn’t it?

Austin had once walked these halls filled with dread. Now he didn’t. Simple as that. The days went by without any incidents. The halls were quieter than usual, as if everyone was still reeling from the news. And for once, Austin felt like he could walk through them without fear.

THE ARROWHEAD-SHAPED pendant appeared on his dresser soon thereafter. Apparently, his monster felt guilty that it had been unable to help Austin that night he got jumped. The creature had nearly drowned in guilt.

Rubbing the pendant somehow summoned his monster. Austin wasn’t sure what type of stone it was, but his research hinted it was obsidian. Only problem was that there seemed to be a black swirling mass inside the stone, and nothing he’d found explained that. It was as creepy as it was fascinating.

Austin didn’t know what his monster did or said to Travis and his gang, and he didn’t care. Did he feel bad? Nope. Not at all. Call him heartless, but he didn’t care. One less bully in the world. He could live with what his monster had done.

Austin wore the pendant every day, the stone warm against his chest, a constant reminder of the unseen friend he had in the shadows.

The burning need to see his monster began to consume his thoughts now. And not just to see, but to also know about it. Every night, Austin would lie in his bed, holding the obsidian pendant, whispering into the darkness. He’d ask questions,hoping for answers. Sometimes he would get answers, but sometimes his monster would refuse.

Austin’s curiosity raged, as did his interest in the paranormal world, which obviously existed. He started spending hours at the library after school, digging through old books about folklore, mythologies from around the world, trying to understand what his monster might be.

None of the creatures in those pages fully matched what he knew about the entity who lurked under his bed, yet each book seemed to feed his curiosity. Then he ran across a paranormal romance book in a secondhand bookstore, and a whole new world opened up to him.

He found a website where he could post stories for free. Werewolves? Vampires? They all fascinated him, and he did his dead level best to bring them to life in his stories.

OVER THE next year, his stories gained a following of dedicated readers who were captivated by the mysterious worlds he created revolving around vampires and werewolves.

Comments poured in, praising his vivid imagination. Some even wondered if he had experienced supernatural events himself to write with such authenticity. If they only knew. Some even encouraged him to try publishing them, but he was not ready for that. For one thing, if his grandparents ever found out, well, Austin didn’t want to consider the repercussions.

The attention was exhilarating, though.

As his online persona grew, so too did his connection with his monster. The friendship was still there, but a new element had been introduced, at least on Austin’s end. Suddenly his monster’s growly voice sent tingles through his body.

Even though he had never seen what was under his bed, he began to fantasize about the creature and what it looked like.But no matter how many times he asked, the creature would not show itself.

Austin tried to hide his feelings, but he couldn’t help but wonder if his monster knew about his crush, as most nights, under the soft glow of his desk lamp, Austin would scribble down questions in his journal, half hoping for some sort of revelation.

The pendant would occasionally grow warm against his skin, a silent acknowledgement or a comforting gesture, he wasn’t sure which.

The world around Austin seemed to shrink in importance compared to the burgeoning connection he felt with this mysterious entity. School became a blur of mundane tasks and social interactions that barely registered in his mind.

His true passion lay in uncovering the layers of his monster, understanding its essence, and perhaps, understanding his own feelings.

THE YEARS slid by, and Austin’s stories became increasingly popular. His bond with the creature under his bed continued to deepen, though it remained faceless and formless, a mystery wrapped in shadow. The monster’s presence was a constant now—hovering just at the periphery of his reality, always there, yet never fully revealed.

One year, as autumn turned to winter, a chill took over the air, and with it came a strange occurrence. Every night, as Austin lay whispering with his monster in the dark, the air around him would grow inexplicably cold, and he would feel a faint brush of something like fingers along his arms and neck. It was both thrilling and terrifying—an intimate gesture from an unknown entity.

On a particularly stark evening, as the wind howled outside like some lonely beast, Austin decided it was time foranother direct conversation with his protector. Clutching the pendant tightly, he whispered into the darkness, “Are you there? Can you hear me?”

“I am always here,” came the low rumble from under the bed in response. The voice was laced with something new this time—perhaps a hint of warmth or maybe amusement.

Austin swallowed hard. “I... I think about you. Not just as my guardian but as someone... someone I might....” He faltered, unsure how to continue.

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