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“Oh, you know the one,” said his father. “The kid who’s been taking you to school in the morning.”

“...Did he tell you his name?”

“I don’t know.”

“Dad, this is important. Was it Nathan? Or Geoffrey?”

The man smirked. “Son, I honestly couldn’t tell you.”

Hector’s jaw clenched.

“I think he went up to your room.”

He eyed the staircase just beyond the kitchen door.

His father walked around him. “I have to go to work now, but I will be stopping by your school today.”

“What?”

“You have been skipping class, haven’t you? Your school has called several times, already, and I think I should follow up.”

“Uh, that’s not, ah... I mean--”

“Anyway, I will see you later.”

“Dad, wait--uh.”

The man stopped and turned.

“Please, just. Stay there for a minute.” He moved toward the staircase. “I gotta check on something in my room first, but... just... give me one minute, okay? D-don’t go anywhere.”

He folded his arms. “Fine. Just don’t keep me waiting.”

Hector scaled the steps in a hurry, making iron around his forearms as soon as his father was out of sight.

And there was the door to his room. It was closed. He had not left it that way. He opened it.

The first thing he noticed was the stench. And then he saw the body. It was human, limp and mounted on the wall. It had been eviscerated. Blood and entrails spilled onto Hector’s bed.

And perhaps it was because he was too appalled and disgusted, but at first, he didn’t realize who it was. It just looked like a mutilated corpse. But then the face registered.

It was Geoffrey.

He didn’t understand. Geoffrey was already dead? Hector’s head spun, trying to figure out how. Or why. Or anything at all. What the hell had happened here?

And then he noticed the message scrawled next to the body in blood. It read:

~For Hector~
I finally got myself a new body. You can have my old one. ~Love, Dad