writtenby_caden (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
writtenby_caden) wrote2014-11-18 10:55 am
writtenby_caden) wrote2014-11-18 10:55 am
Entry tags:
[circle of sirens] beyond the fog lies clarity (the disappearance of caden carter)
It’s been five days since Les went missing, six since the first victim, and they know nothing. Well, Corinne has a clue, apparently. Caden hopes it pans out.
God, victim. That makes it sound too real. It wasn’t too long ago that he was excited by this town’s apparent eccentricities, but this one is far less amusing. People are disappearing into thin air, one or two a day, and no one knows why or when it will stop. If it will stop. It sounds almost like a plot to one of Caden’s novels, but they’re all living it.
The town is quiet as Caden makes his way through it, bundled up against the morning chill. He’d run out quickly to go check in with Corrine and get some food for him and April. Caden didn’t have much to begin with and as hard as they’re trying, they can’t live on coffee alone.
His phone rings and Caden nearly drops the bag of food in his scramble to retrieve it from his pocket. He keeps jumping whenever his phone makes a noise in the hopes that it’s good news, but it never is. Now, it’s his sister’s face grinning up at him as his phone rings, and normally he’s happy when she calls him. But Callie has always been able to read him like a book and he really doesn’t want to tell her what’s wrong right now. He doesn’t want to say it out loud to anyone that doesn’t already know.
But still, it’s very early in San Francisco and Caden is a doting big brother, so he answers and tries not to sound as scared and frustrated as he feels. “Hey, Calico. What are you doing up so early?”
”Doing a walk of glory,” Callie informs him, sounding tired but cheerful. “It’s like a walk of shame except I’m not ashamed of myself at all, because I just had hella good sex and I’m proud of my accomplishments.”
Caden wrinkles his nose but he can’t help but to chuckle softly at her antics. Callie is five years younger than him but she’s always been more gregarious, louder and brighter and funnier. She’s shameless. Caden loves her with all of his heart. “Thanks for the information. Was that the only reason you called?”
“I just called to say I love you.” She sings it, like she always does, and Caden nearly tears up from how much he loves her blending with all the other emotions that he’s feeling. “And I figured that you were either up staring at your laptop or staring forlornly at the ocean because it’s too cold to surf.”
“It’s never too cold,” Caden says on instinct. “I’m a polar bear.”
“You freaking weirdo. You’re gonna freeze one day and someone will find you and unthaw you in seventy years and expect you to save the world. And then what will you do?”
“Not live in a comic book,” Caden replies. He’s nearly back home now, and there’s a thick fog rolling in off of the ocean. “Hey, it looks like Karl came to visit me.”
Karl is the name affectionately given by the residents of San Francisco to the fog that often shrouds the city. Caden smiles as he walks towards the water because the fog reminds him of home, and of his family who he loves. He’s always rather liked the fog.
“Tell him I said to stay there. Oh so hey, mom wanted me to ask you what you’re doing for the holidays. You should call her and tell her because I won’t remember to. And now I’m at my apartment so I’m going to hop in the shower and sleep for three days. Caden, are you there?” He blinks and shakes himself after he realizes that he’d just been staring into the fog. It’s crawling towards him and Caden hears something, he thinks, so he pulls the phone away to listen for it. “Caden? Earth to big bro. Stop spacing out while you’re on the phone with your beloved baby sister, you dip.”
“Callie, I’m gonna go,” he tells her, because he’s suddenly too distracted to carry on a conversation. “Thanks for calling. I love you.”
“I love you too. Are you okay?” Caden assures her that he is and there’s a pause before she continues. “Call me later, okay?”
“I will,” he promises. “Bye, Calico.”
When he hangs up his back deck is in sight and he knows that April is in there waiting for him. He wants to go to her and curl up next to her. He wants Les to be there with them. He wants a lot of things.
“Caden, is that you?”
He tears his gaze away from his back door to see a man walking out of the fog and coming towards him. There’s something vaguely familiar about him, but Caden doesn’t know what it is. But then the man smiles and it hits him, startling him so badly that he drops the bag of hot food he was carrying onto the sand.
“… Dad?”
“Look at that, you didn’t forget your old man,” he dad says, and Caden just stands there with his mouth hanging open. His father left them when Caden was five and Callie was just an infant, and was never heard from again. Not a peep, not even on their birthdays or Christmas. Caden didn’t even know if he was alive.
And now he’s standing here in front of Caden’s beach house in Maine, and he has no idea why. Except maybe a part of him does. Once he started become more well-known across the country, he kind of thought that his dad might seek him out. Probably for money, but maybe just because.
“No, but you forgot us,” Caden tells him, and his father has the gall to look ashamed of himself. He’s had twenty-four years to right his wrong, and at this point Caden isn’t really looking to reconnect with someone who would just abandon their family with no warning or reason given. Caden has family, his mom and Callie. He has friends. He has April inside waiting for him, and somewhere he has Les because goddamnit, Les has to be out there. He has to be okay. “I don’t have time for this right now.”
“Son, don’t be like that.” Caden rolls his eyes and turns away from him, lifting his knee to plant his foot on the bottom step of his deck. He doesn’t need this. His dad can fuck off because he was never there for Caden and he doesn’t even know – “Don’t you want to know why I left?”
That makes Caden pause, because he does. It’s the one question he’s had that’s gone unanswered for nearly his entire life. All he’s ever wanted to know was why. How could his father abandon them? Didn’t he care about them? Why would he just leave?”
The enticing prospect of having a question he’s plagued himself over for more than two decades finally answered is enough to make him turn around, looking hopefully at his father. He really should get back to April. She needs him, he needs her. But maybe Caden needs this too. He needs to know, once and for all. His father smiles invitingly at him as the fog seems to get thicker, and that sound is back. It’s a beautiful sound and Caden drops his phone in the sand, compelled to walk towards his father.
“Come on, kid. Come with me and I’ll tell you everything.”
And so he goes, letting the fog embrace him like an old friend.
--
When he opens his eyes again, he can’t remember having closed them in the first place. His father is nowhere to be seen and instead he’s in the dark. It’s cold and wet and as his eyes adjust he realizes that he’s looking at the wall of a cave. What the –
He whirls around to face the open cavern, eyes widening as his heart starts to pound. “Hello? Is anyone here?”
God, victim. That makes it sound too real. It wasn’t too long ago that he was excited by this town’s apparent eccentricities, but this one is far less amusing. People are disappearing into thin air, one or two a day, and no one knows why or when it will stop. If it will stop. It sounds almost like a plot to one of Caden’s novels, but they’re all living it.
The town is quiet as Caden makes his way through it, bundled up against the morning chill. He’d run out quickly to go check in with Corrine and get some food for him and April. Caden didn’t have much to begin with and as hard as they’re trying, they can’t live on coffee alone.
His phone rings and Caden nearly drops the bag of food in his scramble to retrieve it from his pocket. He keeps jumping whenever his phone makes a noise in the hopes that it’s good news, but it never is. Now, it’s his sister’s face grinning up at him as his phone rings, and normally he’s happy when she calls him. But Callie has always been able to read him like a book and he really doesn’t want to tell her what’s wrong right now. He doesn’t want to say it out loud to anyone that doesn’t already know.
But still, it’s very early in San Francisco and Caden is a doting big brother, so he answers and tries not to sound as scared and frustrated as he feels. “Hey, Calico. What are you doing up so early?”
”Doing a walk of glory,” Callie informs him, sounding tired but cheerful. “It’s like a walk of shame except I’m not ashamed of myself at all, because I just had hella good sex and I’m proud of my accomplishments.”
Caden wrinkles his nose but he can’t help but to chuckle softly at her antics. Callie is five years younger than him but she’s always been more gregarious, louder and brighter and funnier. She’s shameless. Caden loves her with all of his heart. “Thanks for the information. Was that the only reason you called?”
“I just called to say I love you.” She sings it, like she always does, and Caden nearly tears up from how much he loves her blending with all the other emotions that he’s feeling. “And I figured that you were either up staring at your laptop or staring forlornly at the ocean because it’s too cold to surf.”
“It’s never too cold,” Caden says on instinct. “I’m a polar bear.”
“You freaking weirdo. You’re gonna freeze one day and someone will find you and unthaw you in seventy years and expect you to save the world. And then what will you do?”
“Not live in a comic book,” Caden replies. He’s nearly back home now, and there’s a thick fog rolling in off of the ocean. “Hey, it looks like Karl came to visit me.”
Karl is the name affectionately given by the residents of San Francisco to the fog that often shrouds the city. Caden smiles as he walks towards the water because the fog reminds him of home, and of his family who he loves. He’s always rather liked the fog.
“Tell him I said to stay there. Oh so hey, mom wanted me to ask you what you’re doing for the holidays. You should call her and tell her because I won’t remember to. And now I’m at my apartment so I’m going to hop in the shower and sleep for three days. Caden, are you there?” He blinks and shakes himself after he realizes that he’d just been staring into the fog. It’s crawling towards him and Caden hears something, he thinks, so he pulls the phone away to listen for it. “Caden? Earth to big bro. Stop spacing out while you’re on the phone with your beloved baby sister, you dip.”
“Callie, I’m gonna go,” he tells her, because he’s suddenly too distracted to carry on a conversation. “Thanks for calling. I love you.”
“I love you too. Are you okay?” Caden assures her that he is and there’s a pause before she continues. “Call me later, okay?”
“I will,” he promises. “Bye, Calico.”
When he hangs up his back deck is in sight and he knows that April is in there waiting for him. He wants to go to her and curl up next to her. He wants Les to be there with them. He wants a lot of things.
“Caden, is that you?”
He tears his gaze away from his back door to see a man walking out of the fog and coming towards him. There’s something vaguely familiar about him, but Caden doesn’t know what it is. But then the man smiles and it hits him, startling him so badly that he drops the bag of hot food he was carrying onto the sand.
“… Dad?”
“Look at that, you didn’t forget your old man,” he dad says, and Caden just stands there with his mouth hanging open. His father left them when Caden was five and Callie was just an infant, and was never heard from again. Not a peep, not even on their birthdays or Christmas. Caden didn’t even know if he was alive.
And now he’s standing here in front of Caden’s beach house in Maine, and he has no idea why. Except maybe a part of him does. Once he started become more well-known across the country, he kind of thought that his dad might seek him out. Probably for money, but maybe just because.
“No, but you forgot us,” Caden tells him, and his father has the gall to look ashamed of himself. He’s had twenty-four years to right his wrong, and at this point Caden isn’t really looking to reconnect with someone who would just abandon their family with no warning or reason given. Caden has family, his mom and Callie. He has friends. He has April inside waiting for him, and somewhere he has Les because goddamnit, Les has to be out there. He has to be okay. “I don’t have time for this right now.”
“Son, don’t be like that.” Caden rolls his eyes and turns away from him, lifting his knee to plant his foot on the bottom step of his deck. He doesn’t need this. His dad can fuck off because he was never there for Caden and he doesn’t even know – “Don’t you want to know why I left?”
That makes Caden pause, because he does. It’s the one question he’s had that’s gone unanswered for nearly his entire life. All he’s ever wanted to know was why. How could his father abandon them? Didn’t he care about them? Why would he just leave?”
The enticing prospect of having a question he’s plagued himself over for more than two decades finally answered is enough to make him turn around, looking hopefully at his father. He really should get back to April. She needs him, he needs her. But maybe Caden needs this too. He needs to know, once and for all. His father smiles invitingly at him as the fog seems to get thicker, and that sound is back. It’s a beautiful sound and Caden drops his phone in the sand, compelled to walk towards his father.
“Come on, kid. Come with me and I’ll tell you everything.”
And so he goes, letting the fog embrace him like an old friend.
--
When he opens his eyes again, he can’t remember having closed them in the first place. His father is nowhere to be seen and instead he’s in the dark. It’s cold and wet and as his eyes adjust he realizes that he’s looking at the wall of a cave. What the –
He whirls around to face the open cavern, eyes widening as his heart starts to pound. “Hello? Is anyone here?”