The Missing Friend

Kyle was a very average person. He worked at a call center in Manhattan. He had a group of three friends who he spent most of his time with. He lived in a tiny two-bedroom apartment with one of those friends, Billy Childress. They met at school when they were twelve after Kyle invited Billy to his tree house so they could look at Kyle's dad's Playboy magazines that he had hidden in a box.

When they were fourteen, they met Carlos Trujillo at the mall attempting to pick up two eighteen year old girls. After the girls turned him down, Kyle and Billy invited Carlos to have a slice of pizza in the food court.

It was only three months later that they met Patrick "Pudgy-Pat" Carter. His father owned the local ice cream shop that the three other boys decided to go to one afternoon. Three seniors were picking on Patrick, so Kyle, Billy and Carlos rubbed their ice cream cones on the seniors' football jerseys.

Ever since that day, the boys have been inseparable. They spent every lunch period, afternoon, and weekend together. They went to prom as a group. They even convinced one of the prettiest girls in school to go to prom with Pat by telling her he was terminally ill. She threw a fit and told them they were "going to Hell" because of it, but Pat didn't have luck with women at all. Kyle, Billy and Carlos said they would do it again to see him happy.

They graduated together and Kyle and Billy went to a local college for business. Pat got his business degree online and took over his dad's ice cream shop after his parents both passed in car wreck a month after the boys graduated. Carlos dropped out of college after two semesters because he got a woman pregnant and she left their daughter on his doorstep with a note saying, "She's yours now". He became one of the football coaches at their old high school.

They were all in their mid-twenties now. Pat was living in the flat connected to the ice cream shop about fifteen miles from Kyle and Billy's apartment. Carlos and his daughter, Isabella, lived in a three-bedroom apartment in the same building as them. They still spent everyday together. Carlos and Pat both had a key to Kyle and Billy's apartment which they used everyday to be there before Kyle and Billy got home from work. They played video games, drank beer, and watched princess movies with Isabella every single day. That all changed when Kyle went missing during a smoke break at work.

Kyle had been outside smoking for about 25 minutes before Billy started to get worried. Billy went to their boss who didn't seem worried.

"He probably just went home. I'll write him up tomorrow," their supervisor, Fred, told Billy when he voiced his concern. Billy, however, knew something was wrong. After an hour, Billy still couldn't get a hold of Kyle. He tried calling his cell phone multiple times, and after an hour and a half, Billy just left. Kyle had rode with Billy that day because they took turns carpooling to save on gas, which meant that Kyle had just walked off somewhere. Billy drove around town for hours. He didn't find a trace of him at all.

Kyle opened his eyes but couldn't see anything. There was something black over his head, and he was moving. He had to have been in a van or a large truck. He could stretch his legs so he knew he wasn't in a trunk. He sat extremely still knowing he wouldn't be able to do anything with his hands tied behind his back. He waited.

Finally, the vessel came to a stop. He heard a door open and felt a breeze. Then as fast as can be, he was jerked up by his arm. He was being led somewhere probably fifteen feet away before he was pushed to the floor.

Whatever was on his head was quickly taken off. Kyle could see now that it was a black pillow case. He adjusted his eyes to some very bright lights shining down on him. He heard footsteps coming from between two of the lights.

"Kyle Mathers, yes?" he heard a very deep voice ask. Another not as deep voice answered, "Yes, sir."

"He is a little smaller than I expected, but he will do," the first deep voice said while sizing up Kyle.

Kyle finally decided enough was enough. "What the hell is going on?" he yelled. "Why did you bring me here? How do you know me?"

The man with the very deep voice was a little bigger than average size, wore a black suit, and walked with a limp. There were two other men who were a little bigger standing off to opposite sides staring at Kyle. They seemed to be the deep voiced man's henchmen or something. The suited man finally finished sizing Kyle up and spoke.

"My name is Carl Toller. I own a multitude of businesses in New York City. I have recently had a great injustice done to me, and I need to handle it. That's where you come in."

"Me?" Kyle was very confused considering every other man in this room was much larger than him. "Why not get Tweedle-Dumb and Tweedle-Dumber over there to handle it for you?"

Mr. Toller laughed at this. "They are much too large, and I have been keeping an eye on you since your father died."

"How did you know my father?" Kyle was getting very irritated.

"He worked for me long ago. You'll learn soon enough what I am doing." Mr. Toller nodded toward the large men and turned around. Just then, obviously on command, the men threw the pillow case back on Kyle and dragged him up and forward by his arm.

Kyle was pulled down what felt like a very long hallway. He was thrown onto a flat cushioned surface and felt his hands being untied. However, freedom was short-lasting. The men took both of Kyle's arms and strapped them down. His legs followed. Kyle fought briefly, but it did no good. The pillow case was pulled off of his head and there was another bright light. It was an operating room, or looked very much like one. Kyle was now beginning to feel very nervous. He had a sudden memory of a movie where a man was sedated and woke up on the side of the road sans one of his kidneys.

"What is going on?" Kyle was yelling. Mr. Toller walked in with a small, plump man in a white coat.

"This is Dr. Prentiss. He is a," Mr. Toller pondered, "some kind of scientist. He has been helping me tremendously lately."

"What does that have to do with me, and why am I strapped down?" Kyle said very loudly.

"Dr. Prentiss has discovered a serum that I need him to inject in you. I don't want him to miss while you're squirming." Mr. Toller sounded very calm for someone who was heading these insane events.

"A serum?" Kyle chuckled a little. This had to be a joke. It was almost like a movie. "Whoever put you up to this, tell them it's not funny anymore. Let me go."

Mr. Toller laughed a little. "It is probably going to burn a little. You won't be able to move. Just try to remain calm, and it will be over soon."

Dr. Prentiss shoved a mouth guard into Kyle's mouth and wiped his arm with an alcohol swab. Before Kyle could react, the doctor was injecting his arm with some kind of dark red liquid. Kyle's head began spinning. It was dark then it was red. The whole room was just red. It was like he was wearing red sunglasses. His head was pounding, and his ears were ringing. He couldn't think. He wanted to look at everything at once. He moved his arms, and the straps snapped off. He couldn't hear what was happening around him, but he did see the doctor and Mr. Toller panicking. They were trying to run out of the room. Kyle stood up and everything was spinning again. He couldn't tell what was going on until he focused in on a glass with two men on the other side, frightened. Mr. Toller and Dr. Prentiss seemed to be hiding. Kyle couldn't understand why. He didn't care. He wanted to leave. He wanted to go back home.

He ran around looking for a way out. For a second, it seemed like he might be standing on the side of a wall, but that wasn't possible. He felt something hit him, it was a chair. It didn't hurt though. It almost felt like a rubber dodge ball bouncing off of him. Dr. Prentiss left. He dropped something on the floor as he ran out. Mr. Toller looked furious. He seemed to be trying to fight Kyle off. Kyle could not understand what was happening. He didn't feel any bigger, maybe a little faster, but still just as lanky as before.

Mr. Toller was getting more agitated. Kyle's ears weren't ringing as much as before. He could barely hear Mr. Toller saying, "Please, I am sorry. Just go."

Kyle couldn't seem to make the words "I won't hurt you" come out of his mouth. Mr. Toller was backed into a corner. Kyle turned and ran. He noticed the maroon colored bag that Dr. Prentiss dropped on the floor. Kyle grabbed it hoping it would be more of the serum so he could destroy them or an antidote. He couldn't find a door, so he ran toward the window. He took a deep breath and flung himself through it. Next thing he knew, he was sliding down the side of the building. He landed hard on the ground. He caught his breath for a second, then began walking. He was hoping he could find somewhere to sit for a while until he caught a glimpse of his reflection in an office window.

He couldn't believe his eyes. He wasn't really bigger, except for his arms. His muscles were much bigger than before and it looked as though his skin was ripped around the new muscles. Hair had grown on his arms, and the hair on his head was gone. His eyes were no longer green. They were red, bright red. The amount of red in his irises made the whites of his eyes seem much brighter. His legs seemed much bigger now that he looked at them. His pants were almost ripping off of him. He quickly, too quickly, ran off into an alley beside the office building. He looked into the maroon bag, and he gasped.

It has been over a month since Kyle disappeared. The police have almost given up, but Carlos, Billy, and Pat went out looking as often as they could. Everything seemed very calm since he went missing. The police seemed to be bored, and there had been no reports of crime for weeks. Billy quit his job and opened a vintage game and comic book shop. Pat closed down the ice cream shop and moved in with Billy. He is a partner in Billy's shop. Carlos is getting his teaching degree online so he can coach and teach at the high school.

Billy opened the door to his apartment one morning while he and Pat were leaving to open the shop. He noticed a brown box on the floor. Carlos was standing outside his own apartment down the hall holding a box as well. Pat and Billy walked down to his apartment and they went in to open the boxes together. When they opened their boxes, Billy and Carlos simultaneously read two notes "open the bag first." Under that paper, there was a dark blue bank bag in both boxes. They each opened their bags, and they gasped.

"What?" Pat questioned.

"There's a butt load of money in mine!" Carlos exclaimed loudly.

"Mine, too!" Yelled Billy.

"Well, where's my money?" Pat was discouraged.

"There's a paper underneath the bag in mine," explained Carlos. "Maybe that will explain what is going on."

"There's one in mine, too," said Billy.

Carlos read his aloud, "Carlos, it's me, Kyle. I cannot explain how much I miss you and Isabella. I can't explain exactly what happened to me, but I don't want you or her to see me the way I am now. I hope you actually followed the directions and looked in the bag. There is $100,000 exactly in there. I can't tell you what to do with the money, but I hope it helps you and Izzy have a more comfortable life. I have also left information to a bank account I have set up for Izzy to access when she turns eighteen. It has $50,000 in it. Tell her Kylo loves her. You are an amazing father. Make your lives amazing."

Carlos had tears his eyes. He didn't know what to say.

Billy pulled his paper out, and there was a small note on the front. "Billy, I hope you actually picked this paper up. Now, give the second bag and paper to Pat, please." Billy did this, then began to read his note aloud, "Billiam, my oldest friend. I know Carlos likes to be flashy so I know he went first, so I know by now that you know it's me. Your bag also contains $100,000. I hope you can make you life as grand as you have always been. Also in the bag is a folded up picture of one of the girls in the first Playboy we ever looked at together. Enjoy. I love you, man." Billy was full on crying. He pulled the picture out of the bag then laughed.

"Pat, read yours," Billy said with a hint of a smile. Pat unfolded his paper and began to read aloud, "Pudge-man, you are an amazing man. Never forget that. I heard you closed the ice cream shop, and it's about damn time. I have left you $100,000 as well. Make your life as wonderful as your smile. In the bag with the money are two things: 1) Kayla Smith's current number. She's single and you aren't so pudgy anymore. Just tell her everything was our fault. 2) A picture of you with your parents after graduation. My mother took it and I found it in a box at their house recently. No, I am not there. I climbed in a window to get some old things. Be great, man. And since I know you are the last to read, tell the others I will see all of you again one day. Love, Kyle."

Pat was crying now, too. None of them went to work that day. They all just sat in silence.