"Mom, I can explain," Felix said, but he was immediately cut off by one of the cops.
"Ma'am, have a seat, would you?" he asked, bringing an extra chair to the interrogation table. "So, you might be wondering why we called you down to our station, but I guess by now you should be putting two and two together."
"To cut a long story short," the other cop chimed into the conversation, "your son here is being held in custody by us because he seriously injured one of the students at his school. The type of injury is of serious concern and may leave the victim at a disadvantage in life. I could say more, but I feel I have made a big enough point. So, Mrs. Lilian Uno, was it? Do you have anything to say about your son's behavior?"
"How much is the bail, and when is the day of his trial?" Felix's mom asked, so nonchalantly and coldly, as if she didn't grasp the gravity of the situation. Deep down, she knew that Felix was in a serious problem, and she played calm to try and deescalate the situation.
"Ma'am, I don't think you understand the gravity of your son's crime."
"You're quite wrong, officer. I am fully aware of the severity of his crime, but it isn't the job of the police to judge or give punishment to offenders, am I correct?"
This woman, one of the officers thought to himself before immediately voicing out his frustration. "But still, ma'am, it is our job to interrogate and find out the cause of any crime, especially special cases like this. And as far as I am concerned, I haven't gotten an answer to the cause of young Mr. Felix's crime," the officer said, trying to find a way to break Felix's mind even more.
I can't believe what is happening right now, the other officer, baffled by how much Felix's mom was protecting her son.One of the major reasons we called her down to the station is to make this case easier for us because most teens tend to be more open when their parents get involved, but the absolute opposite is happening.
"Call it drug influence, call it gang wars. Call it whatever you want. All I know is that you cops can't do anything without a court's ruling in a situation like this."
What is up with this woman? the passive cop still thought. Wait, could it be? "You are a lawyer, aren't you!"
"Is there a problem with that?" she asked.
"All I know is that you guys have gotten all the information you need, and the matter will be settled in court. So, I ask again. How much is his bail?"
"It's free, ma'am. He has no previous criminal record, so we can't charge him for bail," the first officer stated. He was calmer than before but still despised Felix's actions. "His trial date is not yet confirmed as well. We need to gather more evidence from other sources, and when we're done, we have to take the case for pre-hearing by a judge. If the trial is approved and a date is set, we will inform you. Oh, he is also indefinitely suspended from his school till the investigation and trial are over. The results of the trial will determine the next course of action. As for now, you two can leave."
As Felix walked out of the station, he couldn't help but feel terrified.What's Mom going to do to me? I am so screwed; how did it all come down to this? He entered the front seat of his mom's car, and before she could say anything, "Mom, I can explain—"
"Stop talking, would you? I didn't ask you for an explanation," she murmured as she hugged him tightly and wept softly. "I know my son too well to believe that all this happened without a reason. Try and get some rest; you look exhausted. We will talk about this matter properly when we get home," she declared as she started her car and drove out of the station.
On the road, Felix zoned in and out of reality multiple times, his mind still racing, and not just because of what he did to Richard. The humanoid silhouette monsters that he saw.
What were those things? Should I tell Mom? No, what would she even think of me if I told her? She would think for sure that I was high on something. What do I do? he asked himself, trying to make sense of the madness. But he couldn't.
"Felix. Felix, we are home," his mom called out to him. Lost in thought, he finally snapped back to reality. He got out of the car, his school bag hanging on one of his shoulders.
"My home," he whispered below his mom's hearing. "Doesn't feel much like home to me right now." They both entered inside.
"I am gonna go take a shower Felix. When I get out, you can tell me everything that happened."
After a few minutes, Felix's mom was finished. She was relaxed, and she took a seat in the living room, Felix sitting in the chair opposite to hers, facing her directly.
"So, mind telling me what exactly happened?"
"It was an accident—" Felix tried to explain, but he couldn't find the words.
"Okay, calm down; let's start small. Who was that boy? Was he a friend of yours?"
"No," he replied. "He was just someone I was meeting for the first."
"So, what happened? Was it out of self-defense or an accident? Was he holding a weapon?"
"I don't know." Felix kept stammering; no words could escape his mouth. He was in turmoil, debating whether to tell his mom the truth and what it meant for him or keeping quiet and losing her trust.
"I want to help you more than anything, Felix, but if you can't give me any answers, I am afraid helping you might be impossible. Okay, let's leave this for tomorrow when I get back from work. I am very tired as well, so let's postpone this for a while. Good night, Felix," she stated as she went upstairs to her room.
But Felix still sat there for hours, trying to process what he had been through, the silhouette still flashing through his mind as he slowly dozed off.
Where am I? What's going on? Felix looked around his surroundings, but all he saw was nothing but absolute darkness. He moved around, but he just kept drifting farther into the darkness. What is happening? Is this for real? No, of course it can't be. That's right, I fell asleep. I must be lucid dreaming; that explains why I can move my body at will.
Just as Felix started relaxing, something started appearing from the darkness. "No, it can't be," he muttered to himself as the figure became more visible. "The silhouettes... what's going on?" He tried to move, but he was being held down. He looked at his feet, and thousands of silhouette hands pulled him down, holding him in place. He tried to move his legs, but the thousands of silhouette claws were piercing his leg. As they bled out, the approaching silhouette had reached him. As it glitched through the darkness, it held Felix's face, trying to suffocate him as he started drowning in the sea of the silhouettes, his blood dripping fast with each struggle. This is meant to be a dream; why does it hurt? No, it isn't; this is no dream. He admitted to himself that the situation was far from natural and he might actually die. He began to wail. "Someone, please, anyone, help me. I don't want to die, not yet, please."
As he was drowning and words could no longer escape his mouth, he began to lose hope.
Seriously, was this the reason for your despair? Well, wipe your tears; Devour. In seconds, the silhouettes were gone as a strange white flame consumed them whole, as if it was feasting on them.
So, what brings you here?