After a few hours sitting and dwelling on the bathroom incident, I went in to town to get some new clothes and get to know my surroundings I drove out of the cul de sac and down the road for a few minutes then I saw a girl about my age walk and open up a shop, so I parked the car and called after her "hey wait!" she seemed startled and ran inside the store, I followed her and stepped inside the shop, "hey I was calling you." "oh I didn't hear you", whoever this girl was she was an awful liar, "I just wanted to ask you about the town, I just moved here with my mum and wondered, what there is to do in this town?" the girl seemed somewhat at ease by my question, as if she had expected the worst and just dodged a bullet. Then she started to umm and ahh trying to busy herself behind the counter. I wanted to know why this girl was being so strange to someone she didn't know, I certainly hadn't given her reason to be, it was just then I realized she still hadn't answered, so at that point I decided to change the subject "so do you have any shoes in this shop" “oh yeah we have a big range of shoes.
I took a look round the shop, it was one of those stores that made you wonder how it manages to stay in business, it was filled with random outdated electronics and clothes that your grandmother might wear, I found a pair of shoes that I didn’t hate and pretended to show interest in them “do you have these in any other size?” not really bothered by her answer, “oh yeah we have loads out back, what size are you?” “uh a size 13” “wow a 13 I'm not sure if we go up that high in women’s shoes I will have to go out and take a look” “oh you know what I'm not really sure on them anyway so don’t go to any trouble” “ are you sure? Because I can look if you want it’s no trouble.” “No really I think I’ll leave it” I rushed out of there so I would be stuck buying some shoes I would never wear; I just did it to get the girl to stop acting so strange.
The next few weeks at the house went by without incident, and then one night I was woken up by the sound of someone pounding on the front door, I got out of bed and ran down the stairs, through the hall and got to the door. I froze what if it was them, the boys with the black eyes. I didn’t know what to do. “Who is it?” my mum asked standing at the top of the stairs, just her being there put me at ease somewhat. “I dunno, should I open the door. They sound mad” I felt like a child at that moment and I wanted my mum to just take over the situation. “Oh move out the way, let me see” she pushed me aside and peered through the peep hole “its, your father. What do you want!” she shouted though the door. I wasn’t happy that my dad was here in the middle of the night, don’t get me wrong. I was so relieved that it was not those kids. “Just let me in, I need to talk.” He slurred “go home Eric, your drunk, and I have nothing to say to you” “pl- pleassse jusst open the door”, “no Eric leave us alone” “oh Amanda, are you there, pleasse tal- hic- talk to your mum, Amanda, Amanda? Let me in” I stayed quiet and just stared at the door not knowing what to do or say. “She doesn’t want to talk to you Eric”. I did want to talk but I had nothing to say “fine you stupid cow; you twisted her against me, my own daughter. But you can’t keep that door closed forever!”
Everything went silent “I think he is leaving” I said so quietly it was almost silent. “No he isn’t leaving, HE THINKS IF HE IS QUIET THEN I WILL OPEN THE DOOR. BUT I’M NOT AN IDIOT ERIC, DO YOU HEAR? I'M NOT OPENING THAT DOOR.” The lights when out. That sneaky little, He must have messed with the fuse box, Amanda go down to the basement and flick the switch on the fuse box. I need to get my phone so I call the police before this gets out of hand”. I didn’t want to go I hated the dark and the basement is the most clichéd no go area in the house to go in a situation like this, but I knew my mum was in no mood to hear me argue so I just started stumbling around the house trying to find my way from the front door to the back of the house and down to the basement after a minute or two of groping the walls to find the basement I got to the door, as I open the door I take a deep breath and try not to let my fears creep in.
I walk down the stairs and after bumping in to practically every item in the basement I found the fuse box and just starting flicking switches and pressing things at random hoping something would work. It did. The lights came on and the light from upstairs dimly lit the basement just enough for me to see my way out. I walked out of the basement somewhat surprised that there wasn’t an axe murderer ready to chop me up downstairs. The lights went out again. “Amanda I said fix the lights I'm still looking for my phone, the landline isn’t working” my mum called from the other room, but I was too tired to answer so I just walked back downstairs feeling more annoyed by this situation than anything else, I had roughly memorised the way to the fuse box so it was no problem getting the lights back on the second time. As I walked back up the stairs a second time I stumbled on something and as I lifted my foot I saw it was a small disposable lighter, I decided to pick it up and flicked the wheel, it Worked, I decided to keep it with me I thought it might come in handy the next time I have to do this. I wondered why we had a lighter in the house neither me nor my mum smoked and I don’t think before this either of us had been in the basement.
I went upstairs again walked in to the living room and found my mum sitting on the sofa just staring blankly, at first I assume it was just her anger and tiredness had finally got the better of her, just then I notice her phone in her hand “oh you found your phone then, where was it?” just as I say this I noticed the conversation time on the screen was still counting she hadn’t hung up. “mum you need to disconnect the call… mum?” she wasn’t responding or even moving so I took the phone out of her hand and pressed it against my ear, it was her voicemail. “To hear the message again please press the hash key” I press the button not knowing what to expect, “hi Mrs Mccallister this is Officer Brown from the local police department we wouldn’t usually do this over the phone but we have no current address for you I am extremely sorry to have to inform you but your husband has been found dead in his home, and I have been informed by the people at the scene his body had gone unnoticed for at least three days and it looks like alcohol had something to do with it but at this stage we can’t say for certain, if you could please come down to the HQ and I could talk to you further.” He was dead. My dad was dead. The phone slipped from my hand and slowly hit the floor. I looked at my mum. But she was gone she wasn’t in the room; I didn’t even see her leave. The lights went out. I reached in my pocket to get the lighter. Click. I flicked the lighter on. “Mum, mum where are you?” I got no response. Just then I heard the door slam shut. I ran to it and tried to pull it open but I couldn’t. “Mum…I can’t open the door” The lighters flame was going dim so I let go of the button. Click. I heard some movement in the corner I flicked the lighter on, Off, On, off something was there in the room with me I was trapped.
On. I could hear it
Off. It brushed my shoulder
On. It was running
Off. Silence
On… on … on
No gas
I fumbled in the dark desperately trying to click the lighter back on. I dropped it. And tried to run I couldn’t find the doors, desperately I felt the walls hoping for something anything…
The next thing I know I wake up in a field in the middle of nowhere I feel exhausted and I don’t have any shoes, but I just start walking hoping to find someone to get my bearings and some help, I walk for what felt like hours and the sun hurt my eyes, even looking down they felt like they were burning in my head, just then I see a small house and walk up to the door.
Knock, knock
“Hello I need to come in”.
The End.
No comments:
Post a Comment