Close Your Eyes: A Horror Story Collection

by Alec John Johnson

--

  I woke up just after six that morning with a dry cotton mouth and a headache that throbbed rhythmically every few seconds. The headache wasn’t surprising as I had only really had a solid four to five hours of sleep. Jacob was still in bed next to me snoring contently with the blankets pulled nearly over his face. The alarm hadn’t gone off yet and it would not for another twenty-five minutes.

  I sat there with my eyes barely open staring at the wall across the room waiting for the inevitable alarm to sound off. I didn’t want to move, I didn’t want to think, I just wanted to stay here and avoid the day entirely. Sleep weighed heavy on me, but it seemed impossible.

  Ten minutes had passed, and then another fifteen. Still I lay in bed not moving. I could neither sleep nor wake. Eventually, the time arrived for the alarm to sound. It had rang twice before Jacob's hand had landed on it shutting it off with surprising speed. He nearly hopped out of bed and headed right towards the shower without a word. I never understood how someone could be so awake first thing in the morning. After a few more minutes of lying in bed I finally got up and greeted the day.

  The rest of the morning went like any other. The boys left for the bus at a little after seven. Jacob and I had a little time to talk before he too was out the door at 7:30 with coffee in hand. Before I knew it the house was quiet again.

  I contemplated going right back upstairs to the bedroom and passing out on the bed. The prospect of having more dreams and nightmares kept me away. I'd rather suffer from lack of sleep than to suffer while sleeping. I threw on another pot of coffee and watched the local morning news from the dining room table.

  --

  It happened just before the weather report came on the television. At first I didn't know what it was. It was just a loud and constant unrecognizable blaring noise. It repeated and repeated over and over again.

  I flipped the television off and focused on the noise. It dawned on me not a second later. It was Jacob's alarm clock, that twenty year old piece of junk alarm clock that he refused to throw away. For some reason it had started going off.

  I trekked across the living room and began to walk up the stairs to turn it off. The moment my foot hit the first stair a cold chill ran all the way down my spine. It was one of those chills that cause your whole body to twitch uncontrollably.

  I could really hear the sound now, the constant wailing of the buzzer going over and over again. I had never really heard the sound of this alarm clock. At most I would hear one or two buzzes and Jacob would switch it off. But now, now it wouldn't go away. It echoed throughout the walls and the rooms of the house. I had to shut it off. I had to make the noise stop.

  I couldn't help but think of when my childhood dog had gotten a hold of a baby rabbit. The dog had chewed on it, thrown it, and dropped it. The poor thing was screaming and screaming. It made the most ungodly high pitched sound of pain and fear. I remember running over to my dog and pushing him away from the defenseless creature hoping to be its savior.

  The screaming persisted; in fact it intensified when the rabbit saw me. I tried to help it but it had been bitten nearly in half. One leg was barely hanging on by a few tendons, one of the eyes were gone, and the bones of its chest were exposed. I scooped it up and just held it against my chest as it screamed and screamed. Eventually the screams slowly became a whimper and then there was nothing.

  As I climbed the stairs closer and closer to the wailing alarm clock all I could think about was that bunny. Instead of the buzzing I heard the screaming. My heart was racing. I could feel sweat pooling on the top of my head and dripping down my neck. I was at the top of the stairs now facing the long hallway and staring down the gaping open door of the master bedroom.

  I had no idea why I was so frightened or why the memory of the rabbit implanted itself but the alarm clock had to be shut off. I ignored the fear and the screams and pushed towards the bedroom. This had to be done and done now.

  At the threshold of the master bedroom I stopped. I dared not cross into the room. I knew it was just an alarm clock but more than half of me expected to see the rabbit twitching and wriggling on top of the nightstand screaming for help. Its eyes looking at me while it's screams echoed throughout the room.

  I took a deep breath and headed in. The room looked just like it had this morning. There were no nightmares, there were no ghosts, and there were most certainly no rabbits. The clock was flashing 12:17 AM.

  My hand reached for the clock, with some hesitation, and turned off the alarm. Silence filled the air. I never thought silence could feel so good. Not a moment later my head hit the softness of the bed and I was out. The world was blank again, except for my dreams.

  Chapter 14

  It had been three days since my last overnight visit with my family. It was approximately six PM and it was another night of watching. I settled into my chair and began to watch the show through the cracked blinds. As I watched thoughts of the shoes that I left over there last time drifted into my mind. The better part of me says that they will go un-noticed. There was nothing that stuck out about them. They were your typical darkish brown leather loafers. The kind of shoes you would see a white collar worker wearing during the day. They were the kind of shoes that I would wear, the kind of shoes that Jacob would wear.

  I doubt the boys would notice, or care even if they did notice. After all, they were just shoes. Hazel would not think much of them; she would most likely think they were Jacobs. From what I could gauge from afar it seemed that Jacob and I were about the same height so I could only imagine that our shoe sizes were also similar. Hazel was not the threat. My only concern was Jacob. Obviously, he would not recognize these shoes. They were foreign to him. They did not belong in his house. Who knows what would happen if he found them. The only logical conclusion that I could come up with was that another man had been in his house. (Rightfully so.) Would he find out about Hazel and I? Would he find out about us?

  I needed to get these shoes back as soon as I could. The risk was too great. I shouldn't had left them in the first place and I fully intended to retrieve them the previous night but I was so utterly exhausted from the lack of sleep that I ended up falling asleep sitting up in my chair. When I came to it was already about three in the morning. My whole body ached and my neck felt like it needed cracked and popped ten different ways. With sleep bearing over me and the couch looking so comfortable the shoes were the farthest things from my mind. I lurched over to the couch and left the waking world.

  Tonight though, tonight I was fully rested. Tonight I was prepared. Tonight I would visit. As I watched my family have their dinner I noticed that there was a missing piece to the show. Jacob was no longer there. I saw Hazel and the boys having dinner together (Frozen pizza.) but Jacob was not there. This was odd. In the entire time that I’ve been watching them Jacob has only been late to dinner by a few minutes at most, but they were already nearly done with their dinner and it was already past six o’clock. Where could he be?

  I stayed glued to my chair throughout the whole dinner and even afterwards. At any moment I expected Jacob to come through the front door, but that moment never came. I glanced at the clock and it was already seven thirty. I sat and waited for another half hour and still nothing. Where was he? Is he coming home tonight?

  I decided to take a walk around the block and casually pass by their house. Jacob always parked his car outside in the left hand side of the driveway. I could use the walk to check to see if his car was there. Maybe he was working somewhere else in the house?

  I went out the front door and just stood there for a second breathing in the air. I needed to go outside more often; the air was just so perfect. I started down the driveway, met the sidewalk, and began my way down the block. I kept to myself and didn’t acknowledge anyone. I had one goal and only one goal in mind. I passed by an older couple walking side by side hand in hand, a few younger kids riding a mix of scooters and bikes all with no helmets on, and I passed by the joggers wearing their brightly colored s
hirts and shorts. They either acknowledged you with a look or they didn’t even acknowledge you at all. I rounded the corner and headed my way up to the next street where my new family’s house was waiting for me.

  The tunnel of Poplar trees on the main road of the neighborhood created a completely shaded effect on the road and sidewalk. There should have been a sign before you enter the canopy that says, 'No sunlight allowed.' When we first moved in the trees looked splendid and the tunnel looked inviting. Now, now the blackness of the tunnel seemed to lengthen with each step I took. The inviting cooling shade now appeared to be an endless emptiness. The emptiness wasn't just on the street but it was in me wherever I went or whatever I did. It was consuming me and I needed it to be filled. I was lost in my thoughts and turned the corner again on to my family’s street without even realizing it.

  I switched off auto-pilot mode and began to search for their house. Not that I had to search, I knew right where it was, but I didn’t want to walk right past it and continue on my walk lost in my own thoughts. After I passed a few houses I came across it. I slowed down to a near crawl as I passed by their house and just admired everything there was to see.

  There was a large spruce on the left side of the yard that stretched out for five to six feet in all directions and was nearly as tall as the house. It had a bluish/gray color to it. To the right there was a makeshift garden with some rocks used as a rough border. Inside the garden there were a few bushes here and there surrounded by dark black mulch. The mulch looked fairly recent, maybe only a week or so old.

  The driveway was in fairly good shape but had a few cracks here and there where the joints of concrete came together. On the far side of the driveway one of the roots of the Spruce had surfaced and had begun pushing and crumbling the edge of the concrete. As you followed the driveway up a sidewalk jutted out to the right and led up to the front porch. The porch had a overhanging roof supported by two stone pillars with one on each side .There was a small wooden railing going between the two pillars and another railing connecting the far pillar to the house itself. The porch had just enough space for a good sized patio table and some chairs. There was a long black metallic like table that sat long ways going from the porch front door over to the edge of the porch. The table came with matching black chairs with two on each side. The whole family could sit out here and enjoy the weather if they so chose.

  The front door was made of solid oak and had a fresh coat of white paint that accentuated it from the rest of the house. The door was accompanied by a large completely black door handle and just to the left of the front door were two very large windows that looked into their living room, the living room that I watched every night… the living room that I ran through in a hurry a few mornings ago.

  Out of all of the things I noticed while walking past their house Jacob’s car was not one of them. It was nowhere to be seen and it was now past eight. Could he perhaps have gone out of town for a day or two? I certainly hope so. With him gone I could visit Hazel tonight and it would be just me and her. There would be no interference, there would be no risk of Jacob finding out about us. I smiled to myself as I walked past their house and towards the sunset. Tonight we would finally meet face to face.

  Chapter 15 Hazel (V)

  It was circled in red on the calendar. It was only a circle but every day that passed brought me closer and closer to that morning, the morning of Jacob's business trip. Our calendar was hanging just to the right of the refrigerator just above the coffee maker. This month's picture was of some unknown landscape with a snowcapped mountain centered in the foreground overlooking a large lake that encompassed the majority of the picture. Every day I opened the refrigerator or grabbed a cup of coffee there was that red circle staring at me, mocking me. Reminding me that the day was creeping closer and closer with every day that passed and that there was nothing I could do to stop it.

  He had business trips occasionally with his old job but they were infrequent and only a few times per year. This new job with S.K. Corporation was much the same. Jacob was to travel up to Iowa for two days and attend a regional training seminar. (Yes, I know, it sounds riveting.) He was to leave this Tuesday morning and arrive back into town late Thursday afternoon. He expected to be home in time for Thursday's dinner.

  I never liked his business trips, but I could deal with them. It was harder to manage the house with just me but it was only for a couple of days. This latest trip was different. The paranoid feelings that I was experiencing kept worsening with each passing day. The nightmares were a constant companion during sleep.

  I did not feel safe in the house, but with Jacob with us every night I felt somewhat protected from whatever that was out there. Jacob was a large man standing at over six foot. In college he played a few years of football as an offensive lineman before he had a knee injury. In those days he was mostly in shape and dwarfed most other people in a room. He was one of those guys that just looked tough, even if the closest they had come to a fight was a disagreement about who ate their sandwich.

  In today's world he carried the typical body of a former football player turned white collar worker. His muscles and overall stature were still there but time and everyday life had also caught up to him. He had gained about twenty pounds since his football days and rarely did much physical activity besides playing catch with the boys.

  He started losing his hair when he turned thirty and instead of fighting the good fight and trying Rogaine or other hair growth techniques he just shaved it bald. Ever since then he shaved his head completely bald every other week. Occasionally he would grow out a beard during the winter months that sprouted a mix of darkish brown towards the chin and turned to an almost pitch black color as you reached his sideburns. Around the jaw line the black and brown mixed together and speckled in and out.

  He was a fuzzball but could be intimidating when he wanted to be and I had rarely seen him afraid or unsure of himself. His steadiness is what was keeping me sane and protected. With him gone I did not know what to expect. I felt like a police officer going into a heated gunfight without a bulletproof vest. What would happen without Jacob? Would anything happen, or would it be the usual nightmare and then wake up yawning the next morning? Am I just overreacting? Only time would tell.

  "I'm going to miss you guys this week," Jacob said regretfully. It was the Tuesday morning of his trip just before seven in the morning. The boys were dressed for school and peering through the living room windows waiting for the bus to arrive.

  Jacob quietly walked up behind the boys and then loudly cleared his throat. "I said, I'm going to miss you guys this week." Lucas jumped from his seat nearly fell off the couch that he was stooped on. Logan turned towards him and laughed. Jacob scooped them both up and gave them a hug and told them to listen to their mom and that he would be back in a couple days. A moment later the bus came rolling down the road and the boys ran out the front door to the edge of the driveway anxiously awaiting their bus.

  After the boys had left Jacob turned to me. "Are you going to be ok over the next few days," Jacob asked with a tinge of worry in his voice. He must have sensed something.

  I'm not sure why I decided to break down now with Jacob having to leave in twenty minutes, but I did. I didn't say anything. I just looked up at him and started crying uncontrollably. He raised his arms and pulled me in for a hug. A moment later I felt his hand moving back and forth across my back drifting in between hairs and cloth. I stood there crying into his chest for an unknown amount of time.

  In between tears I was able to whisper out, "Please don't go. Something isn't right." Right after I said it I realized how strange it sounded. After all he was only going to be gone two nights. I looked up at him to gauge his reaction. He was stoic as usual.

  "What isn't right?"

  I stammered for a second, caught myself and began. "I'm not sure. I feel like there is something going on in this house. I don't know what it is but I feel that there is SOMETHING here.” I didn't know w
hat else to say.

  We stood there for a second more. "What do you mean something? Like an intruder? A burglar? A ghost," He said ghost with a hint of jest in his voice. I don't know if it was intentional or not but the mere thought that he was making a mockery of it infuriated me. I pushed him away and dried my tears with the dish towel. "Have fun on your trip. Call me when you get there."

  Jacob realized he made a mistake and began to backpedal. "Babe, you should feel comfortable in your own home. What can I do? Is there anything I can do to help you? Is there anything the boys can do?" He seemed heartfelt.

  "Don't go on today's trip," I said sharply. "Just don't go."

  " I can't. You know that. This is a new job and this is a mandatory training seminar. I can't miss it and besides I've already committed to it weeks ago. It's been on the calendar."

  That damn calendar. That damn red circle. Why hadn't I brought this up earlier? Truth be told the date never seemed real to me. I saw the circle multiple times a day but I never predicted that the date would arrive. It seemed distant and fake, but here we are on the day in question and Jacob getting ready to walk out the door with suitcase in hand.

  I knew it was futile. He wasn't going to stay. We couldn't afford him to stay. There was no use being mad at him. I wrapped my arms around his neck and gave him a kiss. After a bit I pulled back and said, "Try to have a good time. The boys and I will be fine. Keep us up to date. I love you."

  His demeanor noticeably brightened and he voiced, "I love you too." We hugged once more and out the door he went.

  --

  It was just before six and I had pulled the frozen three meat pizza out of the oven. The day had moved along normally, which I expected it would. Jacob wasn’t here during the day anyways so it was like nothing had changed. The hard part was when dinner was pulled out of the oven and his chair sat vacant at the table. His lack of presence was eating at me. I felt naked.