--
The stack of blankets greeted me as I reentered the kitchen. They looked like one of those precariously balanced rock formations you see in national parks. Any slight movement and they'd all tumble all over the table and the floor.
With duct tape in hand and the first blanket under my arm I began. I walked over to the far side of the kitchen where the entryway to the second living room lay. I hardly ever saw the family go into this room. It just seemed empty.
The room was a largish rectangle going from the kitchen all the way over to the main entrance way next to the front door. (If you had turned right when entering the front door you'd be in it.) A darkish green carpet layered the floor and a plain white wall with no wallpaper covered the rest of the room. It was basically empty. There were a few chairs and a coffee table centered in the middle of the room but nothing else.
Still standing in the portal between the kitchen and the second living room I opened my arm and let the blanket fall to the floor in a heap. I unrolled the first round of duct tape into two a foot measurement and raised it so that it was just above the entryway. I wanted about half of it to anchor on to the frame and the other half to be floating freely below in the openness of the frame.
Once the tape was secure I reached down towards the blanket and pulled it towards me, straightening it as I went. I raised the shorter side of the blanket up to the door frame and connected the duct tape. It took a few seconds but the tape held and the blanket was now dangling in the entryway like a makeshift door.
I unrolled more duct tape, this time in larger strips than the previous two foot. These were for the sides of the frame. I started on the left side at the very top of the frame and lined the blanket up with the frame and the tape. Once that side was sealed I moved over to the right and repeated. It took quite a few sections of tape to get the whole frame covered, but eventually the entire doorway was sealed. Even the floor had the duct tape stuck to it.
I walked back through the kitchen and grabbed another blanket. This was one of the patterned ones that looked like a clown had thrown up on it. Not the most inviting blanket to use, but oh well. It will have to do. With blanket in hand I trekked across the living room and arrived at the other entry way into the second living room next to the front door. (The stairs going upwards were just to the left of me in front of the main door.)
Before I got to work on this entry way I went back into the second living room and scoured the room for ventilation ducts. I had to make sure that all of the ducts in this room were closed before I sealed it off entirely. There were only two that I could find. There was one on the far side of the room next to the kitchen and one opposite of that towards the front of the house. They flipped shut without any issues but for good measure I went ahead and used the duct tape again and taped over them.
Next was to seal off the room entirely. I pulled out the duct tape once more and taped the top frame, attached the blanket, and sealed the room off entirely. No air would be coming in or out of this room. This was the only room in the house that didn’t have an actual door. The rest of the rooms will be much easier. They all had some resemblance of doors that could be opened and closed.
Over the next thirty minutes or so I went through the main floor methodically taping over all ventilation ducts and closing all of the doors to exterior rooms; the closets, the bathroom, the basement, anything that was lying open. When the doors were all shut I used the remaining blankets that I had and stuffed as much as I could underneath each door. Everything had to be airtight.
The finishing touch was the thermostat. It wasn’t too warm outside, only about sixty eight degrees. I didn’t think they would notice if the air conditioning was off and it was a necessary risk if I wanted to accomplish my goal.
When everything was ready I took a break and pulled out one of the kitchen chairs and sat down with a small thud. My elbows were planted on the table and my fingers began massaging my temple just above the eyes. I’m not sure why but this had always calmed me down. As I sat there the excitement grew. The anticipation of tonight grew from within like a seedling enjoying the first spring rain. The house was ready and I was ready to join my new family.
Chapter 19
It was time. It was time to join my new family. I sat up rather abruptly from the kitchen table and made my way over to the kitchen counter. There to the left on the counter nestled against the wall was a small clay dish that looked like one of the boys had made in school. It was painted with a mixture of red and yellow that had started to blend together and form a sick looking orange color. Inside the dish were a set of keys. They were exactly what I needed.
I grabbed the keys, did an about-face, and then headed towards the garage. I had been thinking about this all day. What was the best way that I could join my family? How could I be with my family forever? How could I prevent Jacob from intruding? The answer was simple.
There it was my salvation, the orange Ford sports utility vehicle. Before I got into the car I did a quick walk around and checked out the back of the vehicle. I was looking for one thing. Was it a hybrid? They usually have those things printed on the back of vehicles as they know their owners love to show them off. I did a thorough inspection but could not find anything that said that it was a hybrid. I did find the model though. It was a Ford Escape, not sure what year.
I stepped towards the Ford driver’s side, opened the door, and climbed in. It was outfitted with leather trimmed seats and was rather comfortable. I took a deep breath and slid the keys into the ignition. The keys turned and the engine came to life, but not with a roar but more of a purr. These newer cars don’t have the same engines as the older ones. Back in the day you’d flip the key and you could barely hear anything in the garage except the constant buzz of the engine. The gas tank was nearly full. Good, this would help things. I opened the driver side door again and stepped out and closed the door.
--
There I sat just outside the hallway overlooking the stairway. I looked like a sentinel standing guard over my family ensuring no one was coming in or out. I was waiting. I was waiting for that feeling to wash over me; the feeling of dizziness, the feeling of drowsiness, the calling to just roll over and go to sleep. It already had slowly started to invade my mind.
I had exited the garage immediately after turning the car on and had left the door to the garage open so that the fumes would come through the kitchen and into the house with little trouble. It also helped that I had sealed off all of the ventilation ducts, closed all the doors, and sealed the extra room in the house. I didn't want to risk this taking longer than I had planned. I had to be thorough. It had to work.
Upon going up the stairs I decided to check on the boys and Hazel one last time. I peeked into the boy’s room and they were still both fast asleep. It looked like they had hardly moved at all since the last time I checked on them. It was much the same for Hazel. The only noticeable difference that I could see was that she was now more on her side facing the inside of the bed than she was before.
Now it was a waiting game. I had to wait until the acceptable levels of monoxide were in the house that the family would not be awakened but not so much that I still couldn't function. It was a fine line and I was mentally monitoring myself to ensure that I was up to task. I would not have myself pass out here at the top of the stairs. No, I had to be with my family when the time came.
Twenty minutes had now passed. The air seemed to be thicker and heavier than it was before. There was no visible smoke or anything like that but it almost felt like I could jump up and start swimming through the air. The room began to feel distant. A dull but constant ache began to grow just above my eyes. My arms and legs felt weak. Ten more minutes, that's all I need. Ten more minutes should seal the deal.
--
"Daddy?" A worried voice emerged from behind me. It was almost a whisper and at first I thought I didn't hear anything. But there it was again.
"Daddy?" I froze, I couldn't move. I wanted to
turn towards the sound but I felt paralyzed. Had I been caught? Is the whole family awake standing behind me just waiting for me turn around and face them?
I sat there staring down at the stairs like a statue. I didn’t dare break my gaze. If I didn’t look at them they weren’t there. A warm hand landed on my right shoulder. My entire body shook from surprise and I nearly rolled right down the stairs. I snapped out of it and slowly turned around to greet the hand.
It was Lucas in all his Spiderman pajamas glory. It was Lucas and Lucas alone. I let out a sigh of relief. Something must have awoken him. He climbed out of his bunk bed and wandered into the hallway and saw me. Even in the dark of the hallway I could still tell that he was half asleep. His eyes were barely open and he had a somewhat staggered walk to him. (That could be from the monoxide though.) Upon looking closer he very well may have been sleepwalking. It was hard to tell. I stared at him blankly.
"Daddy, I don't feel well..." he insisted. There was a little bit of a whimper in his voice, he sounded near tears. I extended my open arms towards him and he came in for a hug.
"Shh... It's going to be ok. Daddy's here. Daddy's here," I said with a smile as I was patting his back rhythmically.
After a few minutes of hugging I scooped him up, much like what I did with Hazel, and attempted to carry him back to his room. He was lighter than I expected, if I had to wager a guess I would say only about forty-five pounds. This was a good thing as I was really starting to feel the effects of the monoxide now. My legs felt like they weighed half a ton each and each step took an immense concentrated effort. I felt like I had just walked through a pile of wet cement and with each step I took the cement solidified more and more.
We made it back to his room and as I carried him he seemed to have drifted off back to sleep in my arms. All he needed was his daddy. I finally made it back to his top bunk bed and carefully dropped him in. He seemed to snuggle right into the mess of pillows and blankets and drift deeper to sleep. I leaned forward, tucked him in, gave him a kiss on the cheek, and then turned to leave the room.
--
Leaving the room was much harder than I anticipated. Even though I didn't have the weight of Lucas anymore bearing down my arms it felt no better. It actually felt worse now than it did a few minutes ago. Halfway across the boy's room I stumbled and fell flat on my face into a pile of dirty clothes. The cement legs couldn’t take any more.
I didn’t get up right away. I laid there with my face stuffed into a pile of dirty socks, underwear, and assorted t-shirts. Regardless of what I was resting my head on it still felt comfortable. It still felt like the most comfortable pillow I had ever laid on. Sleep started to come. One eye closed, then another.
My whole body jerked. I had to snap out of it. My body jerked again, and again. My eyes flew open. I had to join Hazel. It had to be now. I had to be with Hazel forever. I would not be stopped.
I summoned all of my strength and pushed myself back on my knees and attempted to stand. I extended my right leg and put some test weight on it. The leg buckled instantly and my face was greeted by the familiar stench of dirty socks.
Standing may not be an option anymore. I still had to get to Hazel. I had to be with her. I raised my arms into a makeshift push up position and began to crawl out of the room. If I wasn’t walking out here then I’ll be crawling. I didn’t care. I was beyond pride and reason.
Inch by inch I made it out of the boy’s room and reached the hallway. To the right at the end of the hall was Hazel’s room. It seemed miles away, but I had to do it. With each crawl that I moved forward the hallway seemed to elongate and expand almost taunting me, telling me that I would never make it. That I might as well give up.
NO. I would not miss this opportunity. I had to be with my Hazel, my beautiful Hazel. I pushed through the fog and marched forward. I looked like a twisted baby learning to crawl for the first time. My arms trembled and shook, my legs felt like rocks, my face was covered in sweat and wore an expression of deep concentration as well as desperation.
There was the threshold, the threshold into Hazel’s room. I greeted it with much elation as it meant salvation. This wasn’t any normal door frame. No, this door frame looked just like the Pearly Gates. This door frame represented peace.
I’m not sure where the energy came from. It could have been adrenaline, or something else. But, suddenly I was able to stand again. Without a second thought I stood up and looked at Hazel’s bed, our bed.
There she was fast asleep on her side of the bed. She had almost completely switched positions since last time. Now, instead of lying on her side facing the inside of the bed she was on her side facing the outside towards me.
I walked over to Jacob’s side of the bed, fluffed the pillows, pulled the blankets back, and climbed in. The bed’s sheets were surprisingly cold against my skin but it was comforting. I wormed my way across the bed to get closer and closer to Hazel.
Eventually I reached her. I was right up against her. I wrapped my arm around her and pressed my body against her back as softly as I could. I could feel her presence against me, I could feel her warmth. She unknowingly reached for my arm to pull me closer. We locked hands and I closed my eyes.
I was home. I was finally with my new family. I surrendered as the monoxide filled the room and let the darkness take me.
Chapter 20 Hazel (VII)
That same night Hazel had one last dream. At first it seemed like a pleasant dream, unlike the others that she had been having over and over again. This dream took place during the day time, mid-afternoon from the look of it. It was a cold winter day but the sun shone brightly through the windows and lit up most of the house with vibrant rays.
The boys were home from school. Normally, after school they’d be outside playing either in the backyard or down the street on the neighborhood playground with all of the other kids. Today though, the winter cold had kept them cooped up in the living room watching cartoons until dinner time. The cold was no fun if there wasn’t any snow to play with.
Hazel was in the kitchen preparing dinner. From the looks of it she was making a type of pasta with another dish of sauce on the side burner that she was stirring occasionally. The mixture of the sauce and a burning candle across the room made the kitchen smell amazing. She looked up at the oven clock and saw that it was just past five thirty. Jacob would be home soon.
No sooner had she thought that then the front door opened. Jacob she assumed. However, as the front door opened and a man stepped in the whole dream began to darken. The brightness of the kitchen, of the living room, of the entire world began to gradually darken and lessen like the day was rapidly descending into night.
The boys ran over to the man and jumped into his arms for a hug. Hazel could not turn to see. She was frozen in place. She was frozen mindlessly stirring the sauce back and forth. She could only hear the events unfolding around her.
It had sounded like the three of them had all crashed onto the floor in front of the door. There was laughter, giggling, and love in the air. Something was not right, was this Jacob? Why couldn’t she turn around? Why was she still stirring this damned soup?
A moment later the boys released the man from their hold and had moved back to the living room and began watching the television again like zombies watching fresh meat.
Hazel could sense it. She could sense him coming closer. Again she tried to turn. She tried to turn towards the man coming towards her but could not. With each step that the man took towards her the colors of the dream lessened and lessened.
When he was within steps of her the dream had gone all but black and white. The lights had faded. The life had faded from the dream. Not only had the light faded but the sun that once shone so brightly before now had almost set behind the horizon.
Right behind her, he was right behind her now. A second later two arms wrapped around her waist, she wanted to scream but could not. Instead, she found herself looking and leaning her head back and upwards to the man behind h
er.
It was most definitely not Jacob. This man was taller than Jacob with a thin head of brownish hair that went down past his ears in wild wisps and strands. A pair of thick framed glasses sported his face that seemed to give a beady eyed like appearance to him. His cheeks were sunken and long. There were heavy almost bluish bags under each eye that almost looked like a black eye.
In her mind Hazel struggled tirelessly to escape but to no avail. They gazed in each other’s eyes for a moment and then their lips locked for a passionate kiss. Hazel kicked, punched, clawed, and bit trying to get away but her body would just not respond. This dream was much worse than the others.
The kiss ended and Hazel thought it was over but then the mystery man scooped her up, much like a husband does with their new bride, and began to carry her upstairs towards the bedroom. Hazel began to sob. The boys did not move from their television.
The man was efficient. They reached the top of the stairs in no time and were already heading towards the master bedroom. Hazel knew the terrors that awaited but she could not prepare herself. They entered the room and the man slowly and gently lowered Hazel onto the neatly made bed so that she was lying above the covers with her head propped up on one of the pillows.
He loomed over her for a minute and then Hazel reached up with both of her arms and pulled him towards her. They embraced. Inside, Hazel was hysterical. The whole world went black.
--
Hazel awoke, or thought she awoke, with the largest headache she could remember. It made the hangover from the other night seem like child’s play. She was in bed on her side facing the doorway. The doorway was all the way open, which was strange since she had closed it before bed.
That was when she felt him, another presence in the bed with her. At first she thought of her dream, of the mystery man who came into her house and violated her. That was just a dream though, that wasn’t real.
Close Your Eyes: A Horror Story Collection Page 22