Where He Stayed 1

Chapter 4: The Cage

After that night, nothing felt safe anymore.

My mom and I didn’t talk about what we saw — not with words. But we both knew. That storeroom had secrets. And my brother was hiding something. Something serious.

And from the day we visited it, his behavior shifted.

He stopped being the brother we remembered. He started locking us in.

Said it was “safer this way.”

That we didn’t need to go out anymore.

At first, it sounded like care.

But slowly, it felt like a cage.

My sister’s school was suddenly on break.

My job didn’t matter anymore.

Mom’s phone was always “not working.”

We were cut off from the world — and the worst part? We didn’t even realize how deep we were stuck until my sister said something that made everything feel real again.

“I think there’s a key in that storeroom,” she said casually one evening. “In the small room at the end.”

My heart raced.

How did she know?

She must’ve followed them once — when Dad was alive. Maybe saw something. Remembered something.

I panicked.

My brother was in the next room.

I leaned in close and squeezed her hand tightly.

“Don’t say that again,” I whispered.

She looked confused… then hurt. She started crying quietly.

He heard it.

He walked in, annoyed. “What happened now?”

My sister tried talking to him, the way she always used to — cheerful, expecting warmth. But he didn’t smile. He snapped at her. Raised his voice.

Then he moved like he was about to hit her.

I stepped in.

“Go to your room,” I told her firmly. “Now.”

She looked at me with teary eyes and ran.

I stood between her and my brother.

I looked at my sister crying, and I said softly,

“Daddy…”

I don’t even know why.

But when I said it, he froze.

He stared at me. I stared back.

And then, in a soft voice, I said something I didn’t plan:

“You sound just like him.”

His eyes locked on mine.

I stepped a little closer and whispered,

“I miss him, brother.”

For a second — just a second — his face changed.

He broke. And he hugged me.

Tightly. Like he didn’t want to let go.

I closed my eyes. I held on too.

But as I hugged him, a heavy thought sank into me.

This isn’t safe. Not anymore.

We have to leave. All of us.

Chapter 5: The Plan

The next morning, everything looked the same.

But it wasn’t.

After that hug, after my brother held me like he was trying to remember who he used to be, I knew one thing for sure:

He wasn’t fully gone.

But he wasn’t fully here either.

Something was pulling him deeper into something dark — and if we stayed, it would pull us in too.

That’s when I decided:

We had to leave.

Quietly. Carefully.

No fights. No drama. Just… disappear.

I didn’t have a phone of my own anymore, but there were ways. I remembered some of my office emails. I used the computer when no one was looking. Sent a few messages. Got help from someone I trusted.

One day, while my brother was out with his friends, I told my mom and sister the truth.

“We’re leaving. All three of us.”

Mom looked shocked at first — then slowly nodded.

My sister asked, “What about him?”

I didn’t answer. I just looked down.

Over the next few days, we packed little by little. Hiding things inside grocery bags. Wrapping clothes in newspapers. Making it look like we weren’t going anywhere.

And then I made my move.

I told my brother, “There’s been a problem at work. They need me to come in.”

He frowned. “Just resign. What’s the point?”

“I can’t just vanish,” I told him. “I still work there. They gave me leave. I just need to go speak with them.”

He stared at me. For a long moment, I thought he wouldn’t let me go.

But finally, he nodded. “Okay. One day.”

That was all I needed.

I packed quickly. Took my sister with me.

He asked, “Why her?”

I said, “Mom’s been too quiet. I think she needs rest. I want to give her a break.”

He didn’t argue.

That was strange — and it made me even more nervous.