by S. Graham
I turn off the flashlight on my phone and head towards the bedroom door, closing it behind me. This isn't the first time I've gotten up after 3 am; for me, insomnia appears every couple of months, but this was different. This was out of fear. After this, sleep is impossible to achieve, and I need to think long and hard about what needs to be done next. This is my home, my safe place, and it feels anything but that at this moment.
Turning the living room lamp on, I hear someone behind me shoveling their feet on my carpet. Startled, I spin around, and my heart takes another sharp pain of panic. It's my mom half asleep. "Becca, my closet and bedroom doors are open."
"I know, Mom."
"What do you mean you know? Were you in my room?"
"No, the boy was. I assume he wanted his balloon." She looks at me speechless and sits on the chair beside me.
I fill her in on what had happened over a cup of tea. We both aren't getting back to sleep. We sit there in silence, just staring at each other, taking all the information in. We hear a door creak upstairs, and we know what room it is. It's Logan's room. We also know it isn't the boys or Dad who just closed it. Staring at each other, not saying a word, we just stay in silence and know.
Chapter 7
There's nothing lovely about your body feeling weak and almost hungover from lack of sleep. Your brain doesn't work properly; it's slowly processing, and some things are foggy. Simple conversations or tasks take more concentration, but my mother and I put on our happy faces and push forward. Mitch has taken the boys off to school before his meeting downtown, and my dad has left for the clubhouse to work out, leaving my mom and me to discuss what the next plan is.
"Becca, I think there has to be a record of an accident or something?"
"Mom, the realtor said there was nothing, but I'll check again with you."
We spent an hour trying to find anything on our address, and not one thing comes up. Thankfully, the house has been quiet this morning, and I'm relieved. My heart can't handle more scares. I've been feeling sharp pains in my chest, and I'm sure it's from the stress. The red balloon is now floating above the front door and almost looks stuck at the windowsill. No one would be able to reach it unless they had a tall ladder. I can't wait until it deflates. Logan's balloon is still attached to a chair off of the living room. The boys aren't playing with it and won't miss it at all, especially me. I am popping the balloon, removing it from the chair, and stuffing it deep in the garbage can. I do not want a replay of last night's occurrences ever again. My mom closes my computer defeated; our search brings up not one thing on this house; it's a dead-end with no answers.
"I don't know, Mom, there clearly is someone in this house, maybe it's time I bring Mitch up to speed."
"Do that after we leave in a couple days, it will be less pressure for him to accept and just the two of you."
I nod. It's a good idea and gives me enough time to figure out how to do this. The front door opens, and Dad walks in. "That gym is great. I even showered down there. It's like a spa." I laugh. I'm glad he's enjoying a normal vacation, what I would do for a normal house.
"Glad you enjoyed it. Shall we head out for lunch before we grab the kids from school?"
"Great idea," Mom says. "I'll grab my things." She gives me a reassuring smile, rubs my back, and walks up the stairs. I'm so glad she can see what's going on in the house; I'm not alone, and I'm not crazy.
I head over to my room and change into a nice summer dress. Right before I open my bedroom door to leave, I stop and talk out loud, "You know, I don't know who you are or what you want, but this isn't funny, and this is my home and family. It's time you move on and leave us alone. You're not welcome here." Standing there in silence, not sure what to expect next. No response, and I'm grateful for that; it's worth a shot. I grab my things and head out. Maybe that's all he needed to hear, but I somehow think that's not the case.
A few hours go by, and we get back with the kids; Mitch walks a couple of hours later from what looks like a very successful day at work. He has a little pep to his step, and there's no way I'm going to bring up anything that may put a cloud over his mood.
"Let's open some wine tonight," Mitch says, "I just got a great promotion at work today and we need to celebrate."
"That's great, babe!" I lean in for a kiss.
"It means I will have to do some more traveling, but it will be completely worth it."
"Congratulations, Mitch!" my dad says.
It's sad that the first thing I think about is I'm going to be alone with the kids in this house. Shaking my head, I snap myself out of it, putting on a supportive smile. I'm not going to think like that now; we are celebrating tonight. He deserves this moment. We have some dinner; afterward, I read a new book to the kids while tucking them into bed. Spending the evening by the pool while watching the sunset and the skies turn into cotton candy colors; brings relaxation and a breath of fresh air. Dusk finally arrives, and Mitch turns the pool lights on, then comes over to light the outdoor fireplace. This is heaven, I think to myself while taking it all in. This moment makes me love this house so much, it's our home, and it is so beautiful. The night insects start singing their tune, and I walk over to the remote and turn the hot tub on.
"I'm going to have a soak; anyone want to join?"
"I will," my mom says, "I'm going to go get changed and check in on the boys!"
"Okay!" I nod. I pour us some red wine by the hot tub and look up at the sky. It's dark now, and her room light turns on; it looks over the pool. There are jet black clouds in the far distance, and I know a storm is rolling in. Nothing beats a good Texas storm, but it could turn bad, including close encounters with tornados. However, I do know what to do and what to expect if one rolls in fast. My mom's room light switches off, and shortly after, she's stepping outside in her bathing suit. She comes over to the tub, and we step in, letting out a sign of pure relaxation and exhaustion. The hot tub heats up so fast, and the hum of the jets just melts all thoughts away.
"Are the boys still good?" I ask.
"Oh yes, fast asleep. I closed their door and got changed as quickly as I could in the bathroom. I just hate being upstairs alone. At least your dad sleeps well, in fact being here has given him the best sleep he's had in months."
"That's good," I reply. We hear the crackle of the storm in the distance, and the sky lights up.
"We have a bad one coming soon," says Mitch looking at his weather app on his phone.
"Under another tornado warning, should be here in an hour."
"A couple more minutes and we will wrap it up and tuck everything away," I say. It's almost pitch black outside, with just the patio light and the outdoor fireplace letting off a warm glow. "Mom, we should get out and get ready for the storm. We may need to move you all down to the first floor depending on the severity of it."
"Good idea, I don't want to become Dorothy." We all laugh and start to step out of the tub, drying ourselves off, when suddenly we hear a loud snap. We find ourselves in complete darkness. All of the outdoor patio lights turn off, along with every light left on, inside the house. We freeze, waiting for some light to guide us.
"What just happened?" my mom asks.
My dad is faintly illuminated by the outdoor fireplace that is still on. It's the only source of light anywhere. He stands up. "Is this a power outage?"
Mitch steps out, "I guess! The storm is still far enough away that you would think we wouldn't be affected yet. Who knows." Mitch shrugs. "I know where some flashlights are." Mitch heads inside.
"Mom, it's dark." A chilly breeze blows past me, causing chills to run down my spine. I get an eerie feeling that someone's watching me, that feeling that something is just not right.
"Becca?" Mom says as she stares towards the house.
"What?" I say, looking at her, following the direction of her eyes.
The lightning flashed in the sky, startling us. As soon as the flash was over, the lights in the house turn on for a split second. Then, the li
ghts start to flicker on and off. There, in my mother's room, we see the boy standing at the window with both hands placed on the glass, looking down at us with a smile—a smile of unimaginable pure evil.
"Becca!" Mom screams and pushes past me.
In the darkness, I stumble on the steps of the hot tub, knocking over the wine glasses, and hear them shattering on the concrete. We both run towards the house. My feet miss the last step down from the hot tub landing, and I fall hard to the ground. When I look back up at the window, the lights flash back on in the house. The little boy is watching us while we frantically make our way to the house. Right at that moment, my mom runs past my dad at full speed. She gets to the open back door right as it slams shut with such force throwing her back on the ground three feet away from the door.
"Mom!" I shriek. Picking myself up, I can feel my knees badly lacerated with the sensation of warm blood running down my cut-up legs. My dad flies off his chair to help my mom lying on the ground, holding her face.
"What the hell was that? Are you okay?" My dad asks my mom as she is still on the ground screaming in agony.
Mitch comes out. "Was that the door? What happened?" He heads over to my parents, and all I can think is the kids and that boy upstairs! I hobble past them into the house running through the living room and to the bottom of the stairs. The pain in my leg is excruciating, but it doesn't slow me down as adrenaline kicks in. My hand is on the railings, and I launch myself up the stairs. A child's laughter is echoing from everywhere on the second floor. The bedroom door to my right slams shut. Taking no notice bolting towards the room my children are in, thrusting open the door. Standing at the door, I look down to see them sleeping undisturbed and unaware of the drama occurring. My legs give out, and my body collapses by the bed in relief. With a slight whimper, I hold back the tears I want to let out. I think I can't bear this feeling any longer. Pulling myself up, I bend over and pick up the sleeping Logan. Then, I softly wake Connor up as well.
"Mommm? What's going on?" Connor asks.
"Baby, a storm is coming, and I thought it would be fun to have a sleepover in Mommy's room." I'm not leaving my kids alone for a single second tonight. We make our way downstairs, and Mitch walks in from outside.
"What are you doing? What's all this blood?" Looking down, I see bloody footprints everywhere. I must have really cut up my feet from the wine glasses when they shattered. "I'll take the kids and put them in our room, you get your dad to check on your feet."
I don't even know where to start. Grabbing a towel, I hobble outside to see my mom sitting in a chair with my dad kneeling beside her. "Mom!" I say, clearly shaken.
"The kids?" She asks.
"They are fine. I grabbed them and Mitch is setting them up a bed in our room." My mom is holding a blood-soaked towel up to her face.
"I think she just hit her face hard on the door, her nose doesn't look broken. Thank God," my father explains in relief. "I'll get a fresh towel and some ice." My dad heads back into the house.
"Mom!" It's all I could get out.
"I know, Becca, I saw him too. He slammed that door so hard it could have killed me. There's no wind, the storm is still coming but miles away."
"I know!" Hot tears start running down my face. "Mom, I'm so sorry."
"Becca, this isn't your fault, but you have to get out of this house. It's not safe."
Dad comes out with a first aid kit and a new towel for Mom. "Becca, let's see your feet." He starts picking out glass shards touching the open cuts; I wince in pain. Then, looking up at the sky, the storm is about to show its ugly head soon. Lightning casts light upon the pool, followed by a loud crack when something catches my eye near the hot tub. There are the wine glasses that had been knocked over and broken on the ground, along with my blood, which had pooled around the glass. But there is something else. My eyes glaze over with tears, tears of terror and defeat. The bloody marks by the hot tub are shaped like child's feet. Footprints stamped in my own blood that look as if a child was dancing—dancing in my own blood around and around. The color drains from my face; everything gets foggy and then black.
Chapter 8
My memory is hazy the next morning. Completely overwhelmed, hoping it was all just a dream or, even better, more like a nightmare. My feet and knees are all bandaged up from being badly cut but thankfully didn't need any stitches. My mom has a huge cut on her nose; it's starting to take the shape of a bad bruise and possibly black eyes to go with. My parents leave tomorrow morning, and my anxiety has kicked into overdrive as I start to think of what's to come.
They're packing their bags, and all I want to do is beg them to stay. I know this is something I have to figure out on my own, but I don't want to. Every time the house has a big night of unexplained paranormal activity, it always goes rather quiet for a couple of days. Almost as if it ran out of energy from the night before. The boy makes no appearances; no doors slam shut or early morning visits in my bedroom. It's the only time I get any rest and really think of what the hell am I to do.
My mom and I go outside to enjoy the peace and quiet before the boys come home from school excited for the weekend. "Becca, I'm serious now. I really don't think it's a good idea for you to stay in this house. With all that's gone wrong with it and what we've seen, I think it's time to find something else."
"I know, Mom, but I just can't get up and move again. That's all we do, and we have just gotten settled. Plus, what the heck am I going to tell Mitch? Babe we need to move because there's a little unknown boy in this house who I have seen from the very first day?"
"Yes," she replies. "Start there."
My mouth is closed; she's right, but I just can't. The front door swings open, and in comes the circus of madness as the boys run right for Grandma. Living so far away from family is hard, especially when in need of them more than ever. We enjoy a nice family dinner together and head to bed early, knowing their flight leaves first thing in the morning. We say our goodnights, and I head to the room to snuggle right in and fall into a deep slumber right away. Days of little to no sleep have finally caught up, and my body couldn't take another second of being awake. Hours later, I roll over to see the alarm clock read 3:39 AM. I'm not even going to look around our bedroom. Rolling over right up to the back of Mitch, feeling his warmth on my body, holding him tight, and keeping my eyes closed. Not tonight.
***
My parents left a couple of days ago, and Mitch is now packing his suitcase for his business trip.
"I'm going to be gone for just three days, but I set up the video surveillance I bought at Costco. Man is that thing cool. Just look at the app I installed on your phone and you have a perfect view of the front and back yard 24-7."
"Yes, Mitch." I roll my eyes. "I will be fine. We live in the safest community in Dallas and my girlfriends are right next door." However, I'm worried about the inside of the house, not the outside.
"Give me a kiss and I'll hit the road." He grabs my waist and pulls me towards him. I let out a giggle, and our lips meet. The love radiates from his kiss, but it breaks my heart that I'm not telling him everything.
"Got to run." He winks, and just like that, he's out the door. I stand in the same spot and sigh. This should be interesting! Grabbing the keys, I head to the front door. Spending the least amount of time as possible in this house alone is what I need to do.
Later that day, we get home from a Mommy and sons' dinner date at the new Italian restaurant not far away.
"That was good Mom, I'm so full I love spaghetti! Like really love it!"
"It was good, Connor." I smile. "Now let's go for a nice swim before unwinding for bed."
"Great idea, Mom!" Connor yells, running upstairs to his room to get changed.
Just like that, every single door in the house slams shut simultaneously with such force it knocked off family photos on every wall. My heart jumped out of my chest and Logan, who was in my arms, immediately starts crying from the noise.
"Connor!" I scream,
running up the stairs.
"Mom, I'm okay," he says as he was standing in the hallway outside of his room.
"Mom, what happened?"
"I don't know baby, maybe the windows are open and the wind just shut the doors. It happens sometimes." I know damn well that is not the case. All the windows are closed and the air conditioner on. All doors slammed at the exact same second. How is that even possible? I open his bedroom door. "There we go, let's get you changed and go swimming."
Getting him changed, I hustle Connor along down the stairs and outside. He dives straight into the pool while my nerves start to settle.
"I have a great idea. Who wants to do a fun sleepover in my room tonight?"
"Yes, Mom! Me! Can we all make a tent and camp like we do at Grandma's?"
"Yes," I reply. Keeping my babies close until Mitch is home is my priority. I can almost feel the energy of the house increasing daily and building like it's a static charge. My cell phone rings, and sleeping Logan jumps high in my arms. "Sorry baby, go back to sleep."
"Hello?"
"Hi babe, how's the pool?"
"The pool? How do y…" I look up at the blinking camera and smile, letting out a cheeky wave.
"Man, this thing is cool. I feel like I won't miss a thing. I can see Connor's cannonball from here."
I laugh. "Yes, he does that well, how was the drive?"
"Good," he responds, "I'm bagged but I have a huge presentation due tomorrow, so I have at least another couple hours of work before I hit the sack."
"Awe, hun, that's no good. At least you're there."
"Yeah I just wanted to check in. Have a good night and kiss the boys for me. I'll call you tomorrow."
"Sounds good, love you." Just like that, I'm on my own again.
"Connor, it's time to get out of the pool it's time for a bath and jammies."
I'm lucky; my little boy rarely gives me a hard time. This is why we wanted another child, and now I feel complete with my two boys. After we make a quick tent in our room out of our king sheets, making a rather comfy bed on the floor. Logan is now lying down, and he's not even aware of his surroundings; he's in a deep sleep.