The Cause Of The Missing

“It doesn’t work that way,” Trajan said.

“But we buried you,” Lindsey said.

“I told you before the funeral. I’m not what you think. I died years ago, Lindsey.

“Yes, I know. I was there. Where have you been for the last twelve years? And what do you mean, you’re not what I think?”

“I’ve been traveling, living, and enjoying the journey. I died during our senior year in college—about six months before graduation, right after we won the championship. I was taking the long way home along the water and hadn’t even reached the trail yet.”

“You drowned.”

“I didn’t drown, Lindsey. 

“There is no other type of death, Traj. You die; you don’t climb out of the casket and go traipsing around in physical form.”

“Mine is different.”

Lindsey frowned and gave a slight shake of her head. “Different how? What were you doing while the rest of us were mourning you? I know what I saw. I know what the EMTs said, and the doctors and nurses confirmed it. You died.”

“I passed out. When I woke up, they were loading me into an ambulance, but I was watching from the lakeshore. I saw them put the sheet over my head, but I wasn’t on that gurney. 'Who is that?' I asked myself. 'How is this happening?' I saw you, Lindsey, sitting on the ground with your head resting on your knees, and Mom slumped in Dad’s arms. I watched you all for a while, but I couldn’t approach. You would’ve gone into shock and deemed me a monster—just as you do now.”

“You had a lot on your shoulders. 'He needs some time to be alone,' Pop said. 'Give him some space, Lindsey.' And then you went missing. We thought you would show up out of the blue, as easily as you disappeared.”

“Where do you live now?”

“I live in that house on Meadowdale, at the back of the cul-de-sac with the long row of rose bushes in front—the one on the same lake with the short pier in back, across from where I was found.”

“You couldn’t live in that house; someone lives there,” Lindsey said.

“Not anymore. It’s occupied by a monster, and I am that monster, Lin. I can’t be around people. The family that lived there was slaughtered the night I disappeared—by me, Lindsey. I don’t know what happened or what happens to me at any given time. I’m conscious of what I become and what I’m doing, but I can’t control myself. I become angry, bloodthirsty, and evil. I don’t know…”

“You don’t know what, Traj? Are you the reason why members of the families we grew up with are disappearing? I don’t want to believe you. I won’t believe you.”

“It’s true.”

“Where are the bodies—the remains? You didn’t say you were eating them, just slaughtering them: breaking bones, shredding bodies, detaching limbs. Our friends, church members, business partners, school faculty, and hospital staff have vanished without a trace. If it was you, little brother, you covered your tracks too well to be some mindless monster.”

“I am a monster. This thing I embody is not messy; it kills with speed and efficiency. I could slaughter you this moment, and there would be no blood and no body parts left behind, Lindsey. I don’t know why I’m able to talk with you now without the urge coming over me, but it will come. It could be in the next moment or in the next couple of hours.”

“What is this urge?” Lindsey asked.

“I can’t explain it, and I can’t control it. It comes from nowhere, and I don’t know what triggers it. I just felt a surge and was all over that family. Then, a few hours later, I was across town slaughtering another couple. What I did with the bodies, I don’t know. They're out there somewhere.”

“I don’t see it, Trajan. Look at you. You're clean-cut, healthy-looking, and dressed nicely—looking better than when I last saw you. I don’t see a monster that could cause more than a dozen people to go missing. The bodies aren't in the lake or in the surrounding forest. We looked. They searched. Where did you put them? Or are you truly the monster you claim to be? Are you truly the cause of the missing?”

“I’m the cause, Lin. I saw the speed of the surprise attack. I felt the power as limbs were ripped from torsos. One swipe sent a head rolling across the asphalt or the lakeshore. But as for the remains? I have no idea what became of them. I don’t know why I attack—I just do.”

Lindsey took a deep breath and walked around in a circle. “Why do I keep your secret? Are you the Trajan I knew? Are you my brother, or the monster that murdered him?”

“I am your brother. I recognized you that day. I died at the lake. Would the monster have recognized you or felt for you? Would it want to comfort Mom and Pop? No.”

“Mom should know,” Lindsey said. “She still mourns. Your death broke her, and she visits the gravesite regularly. She wants an investigation opened to find out who killed you. Pop supports her, but he’s moved on—gone back to running, fishing, and writing.”

“I know. I’ve seen him out on the water with his backpack, fishing poles, notebooks, and laptop. He seems to be doing it all at once—road running, trail running, checking his poles, scribbling, and typing.”

“Did he see you?” Lindsey asked.

“No, but there were moments he would stop mid-stride along the trail and look in my direction. He sensed my presence, yes, but see me? No. You don’t know how many days I wanted to run beside him through the woods, sit beside him to ask why he used that bait, or ask, 'Does that character remind you of your sister? Is that why they have the same name?'”

“I feel like I’m making a deal with the devil,” Lindsey said. “Telling no one, keeping you and everything you’ve done—or claim you’ve done—to myself. I need my brother back, but what happens if you come across my son or my daughter? And I couldn’t bear returning to the lake only to find out your monster murdered Pop. You’ve spent a lot of time near him, Trajan. I love you, brother, or whatever you are. But the next time we meet, I’m going to kill you before you kill them. I’m going to protect my family.”

“I am your family, Lindsey.”

“I’m not sure,” Lindsey replied, walking into the woods.