Categories > Books > Stephen King > The Secrets Within
Chapter Seven: Nighttime Controversy
Orion went to sleep that night quite troubled. One of his best friends had just found out he was adopted and that had probably ruined his friend's life. Orion just couldn't live with the pain of seeing someone else in pain. But somehow, that night, he managed to get to sleep.
After what seemed like a few seconds of sleep, he was awakened by arguing coming from downstairs. It was obviously his mother and father - but why? They never argued, except when it came to his dad's job.
Gregory Williams had to go to work at any given time which limited his time at home greatly. As a firefighter, with all of the fires in Wakesville, he was always busy.
Orion, after not being able to fall back asleep, heard a slam on the downstairs door and he felt his heart sink. Oh no! Dad had to leave in the middle of the night again. He knew his mom always had a fit when he was called for duty late at night. He got up and went downstairs to check if his mother was alright.
When he got downstairs, his mother was sitting on one of the chairs in the dining room, obviously upset that Greg left. When she saw Orion, she smiled at him, but Orion could tell it was a fake smile.
"What happened?" he asked, which was obviously a stupid question because he got a stupid answer as a response.
"There's been a fire."
"Where?"
She sighed. "Orion, I wasn't supposed to tell you this, but your friend, Matt, his house caught on fire. You father was sent to put it out."
Orion's eyes widened as she said this. "Matt?" he asked, as if he didn't hear correctly the first time. "Matt Regal?"
She closed her eyes and nodded, as if she was disappointed in herself for telling him.
Orion looked away, but then looked back at her. "I'm leaving," he said before turning on his heel and going to the coat rack. He took his jacket, his mother's car keys, and went out the door.
Lauren looked at him, frowning, but didn't try to stop him. Let him go. Matt is one of his close friends.
Orion rushed to the car, got inside and drove off towards Matt's house, praying everything was under control there. It stopped raining, though. As he approached the neighborhood, he could have sworn his heart stopped for a split second. There was no way you could miss Matt's house. It was up in flames and the smoked danced above the house like fireworks on the Forth of the July.
He parked his car a few houses away, as they had done before, and ran the rest of the way to his house. He stopped abruptly in front of it. There were other people there too. Neighbors who looked on as if they were spectators at a basketball game. Orion ignored them as he tried to look into the flames for any sign of his father or Matt.
A few minutes later, he saw his father running out of the house with Matt running behind him. He let out a breath of relief as he started motioning his dad and Matt over to where he was.
They saw him instantly and went over to where he was. Greg was the first to speak. "What are you doing here? Your mother told you I was here, didn't she? I told her not to!" he said, obviously angry.
Orion looked at Matt who seemed to have a few burns on his skin, but still glad to see his friend. "Don't' worry, dad. I'm fine here. I just wanted to make sure Matt is okay."
Greg nodded to his son. "That's fine. I'm going to go back and try to get Bobby out of there. He's in his bedroom, I presume," he said before turning back and going into the burning house.
Orion looked at Matt, unsure of what to say. "Uhhh...so, I was wonder if...you know...did you start the fire?" He kind of figured that Matt's anger would have led him to attempt to burn down his own house, but he wasn't so sure.
Matt looked startled at Orion. "Of course not! I'm not that psycho! Plus, dad hasn't come out of his room since....earlier today....when your mother was there," he said in a quiet voice. "God knows what he's doing in there for long periods of time." He looked at what Orion was wearing and started laughing. "Nice pajamas."
Orion too started laughing. "I didn't have enough time to change today so I just put on a jacket. I just wanted to make sure everything was alright here.," he said as they both went back to look upon the burning house. It was a bad sight, really. It looked the fire was coming from the roof of the house, but that couldn't be. Fires don't just appear on roofs out of thin air. All they knew is that the fire was working its way down.
After a few more moments of watching the house, they finally saw Bobby sprint out of it. He went over to where the ambulances were to get his burns and cuts tended to.
Orion looked after the house again. There was only his father left in there now. He knew his father would be running out of that house any second now, probably just held up by some falling material in the house - but he didn't. After a few seconds, the house collapsed and Orion felt as if someone had just made his breathing stop.
Orion went to sleep that night quite troubled. One of his best friends had just found out he was adopted and that had probably ruined his friend's life. Orion just couldn't live with the pain of seeing someone else in pain. But somehow, that night, he managed to get to sleep.
After what seemed like a few seconds of sleep, he was awakened by arguing coming from downstairs. It was obviously his mother and father - but why? They never argued, except when it came to his dad's job.
Gregory Williams had to go to work at any given time which limited his time at home greatly. As a firefighter, with all of the fires in Wakesville, he was always busy.
Orion, after not being able to fall back asleep, heard a slam on the downstairs door and he felt his heart sink. Oh no! Dad had to leave in the middle of the night again. He knew his mom always had a fit when he was called for duty late at night. He got up and went downstairs to check if his mother was alright.
When he got downstairs, his mother was sitting on one of the chairs in the dining room, obviously upset that Greg left. When she saw Orion, she smiled at him, but Orion could tell it was a fake smile.
"What happened?" he asked, which was obviously a stupid question because he got a stupid answer as a response.
"There's been a fire."
"Where?"
She sighed. "Orion, I wasn't supposed to tell you this, but your friend, Matt, his house caught on fire. You father was sent to put it out."
Orion's eyes widened as she said this. "Matt?" he asked, as if he didn't hear correctly the first time. "Matt Regal?"
She closed her eyes and nodded, as if she was disappointed in herself for telling him.
Orion looked away, but then looked back at her. "I'm leaving," he said before turning on his heel and going to the coat rack. He took his jacket, his mother's car keys, and went out the door.
Lauren looked at him, frowning, but didn't try to stop him. Let him go. Matt is one of his close friends.
Orion rushed to the car, got inside and drove off towards Matt's house, praying everything was under control there. It stopped raining, though. As he approached the neighborhood, he could have sworn his heart stopped for a split second. There was no way you could miss Matt's house. It was up in flames and the smoked danced above the house like fireworks on the Forth of the July.
He parked his car a few houses away, as they had done before, and ran the rest of the way to his house. He stopped abruptly in front of it. There were other people there too. Neighbors who looked on as if they were spectators at a basketball game. Orion ignored them as he tried to look into the flames for any sign of his father or Matt.
A few minutes later, he saw his father running out of the house with Matt running behind him. He let out a breath of relief as he started motioning his dad and Matt over to where he was.
They saw him instantly and went over to where he was. Greg was the first to speak. "What are you doing here? Your mother told you I was here, didn't she? I told her not to!" he said, obviously angry.
Orion looked at Matt who seemed to have a few burns on his skin, but still glad to see his friend. "Don't' worry, dad. I'm fine here. I just wanted to make sure Matt is okay."
Greg nodded to his son. "That's fine. I'm going to go back and try to get Bobby out of there. He's in his bedroom, I presume," he said before turning back and going into the burning house.
Orion looked at Matt, unsure of what to say. "Uhhh...so, I was wonder if...you know...did you start the fire?" He kind of figured that Matt's anger would have led him to attempt to burn down his own house, but he wasn't so sure.
Matt looked startled at Orion. "Of course not! I'm not that psycho! Plus, dad hasn't come out of his room since....earlier today....when your mother was there," he said in a quiet voice. "God knows what he's doing in there for long periods of time." He looked at what Orion was wearing and started laughing. "Nice pajamas."
Orion too started laughing. "I didn't have enough time to change today so I just put on a jacket. I just wanted to make sure everything was alright here.," he said as they both went back to look upon the burning house. It was a bad sight, really. It looked the fire was coming from the roof of the house, but that couldn't be. Fires don't just appear on roofs out of thin air. All they knew is that the fire was working its way down.
After a few more moments of watching the house, they finally saw Bobby sprint out of it. He went over to where the ambulances were to get his burns and cuts tended to.
Orion looked after the house again. There was only his father left in there now. He knew his father would be running out of that house any second now, probably just held up by some falling material in the house - but he didn't. After a few seconds, the house collapsed and Orion felt as if someone had just made his breathing stop.
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