Hello, Mom. I Need Help

Hello, Mom. I Need Help

He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster, when you gaze long into the abyss the abyss also gazes into you.
-Nietzsche

"Hello, Mom. I'm calling because I need some help getting home."

Roseline had known that her son needed help since the sharp knife of untimely death severed the life of his older brother and deprived them both of their source of pride and happiness. She had stretched out her hand to help her only surviving son, but he would not take it. Instead, he withdrew himself from everything he loved: soccer, video games, friends and food.

He scarcely touched his food in the weeks leading to that day. So in spite of the fear that she felt in her stomach, she was happy that her son had finally extended his hand for her to help him and she was willing to do whatever it took to get him back to his happy, jovial self. The edge in his voice told her she had reasons to worry.

"Mikky, where are you?" Roseline asked.

"Mom, I am... wait, I am.. sorry I do not know where I am. I think I am.." the phone suddenly went dead.

Roseline was in full panic mode now. She frantically re-dialled the number.

"You've reached the voicemail of Mikky, at the tone you know what to do."

Repeated calls returned the same response.

Did his battery die? What did he mean that he needed help?
Where could he be that he wouldn't know where he was? The questions rapidly came. It scattered through her mind and made it impossible for her to concentrate on a single idea for very long. The recurring thought was that she could not lose her second child that way. She must find him.

Michael and Ralph were two brothers that were best friends. Wherever you saw Michael, you could bet your money that Ralph was around the corner and you would win that bet every time. Michael was a bit socially awkward even though he was brilliant. So he relied on his older brother to navigate the social circles, and Ralph just happened to fit the bill perfectly because he was street smart and a hopeless extrovert.

The police investigated the events that led to Ralph's death, which was ruled as a suicide, and the case was closed. But Michael knew his brother better than anyone, and there was no way his brother would take his own life. But the world did not care.

They were over him and had moved on to other things.

But Michael did not move on; he couldn't. Not until he found out what had happened to his brother. But he was only twelve years old. When he heard that his brother had overdosed on some illegal drugs, he knew that Sammy and his gang of corner boys must be involved somehow even though he could just not put his finger on it.

Roseline waited, hoping that Michael would walk through the door. Six hours later it was 7 PM and still no sign of Michael. She dialled his number over and over against while she silently uttered a prayer that he would pick up but each time got transferred to his voicemail. Then she remembered Maggie, her only sister, that lived three hours away. She hoped against reason that Michael had run away from home and gone to her sister's.

"Hello Maggie, how are the kids? Have you seen Mikky today?"

"No, did he say he was coming over?"

"You know Mike; he hasn't been saying much after Ralph's.." Her voice trailed off as she couldn't bring herself to admit that her son was dead. It was like a bad nightmare that had refused to stop long after she woke.

"Rosy, I know. Maybe he is at his friend's house. You know teenagers, they always have a mind of their own."

"I hope so; it could be nothing. You know I'm not usually worried about these things. But Mikky called and said he needed help to come home. It's now seven hours, and he's not yet home. I just can't reach him on the phone. Maybe I'm making too much of a big deal over nothing."

Then there was a loud knock on her door.

"Gotta go, someone's at the door. It could be him."

"Bye Rosy." She ended the call and hurried downstairs.

The knock sounded again.

"Who is it?"

A masculine voice replied