by Terri Reid
A stray tear slid down her cheek only to be absorbed by the teddy bear.
Hesitantly, she put the teddy bear down as she decided that she should get ready for the day. That was when she looked at her clock.
It read 6:30.
“Well, crap,” she huffed, disappointed at her lack of sleep. “It’s not like I could go back to bed if I wanted to.”
She swung her legs over the side of her bed and let her feet drop to the carpeted floor. She looked at the sun, just barely peeking over the horizon through the tiny opening in her curtains.
Running her fingers through her hair, she stood up and walked over to the door. She flipped the switch and the room burst into light and color.
Stacy flinched away from the new light and shielded her eyes with her hand. “Damn these lights,” she cursed, squinting her eyes to block out as much light as possible. The superintendent had recently installed new lights that were much brighter than Stacy was used to. She closed her eyes for a while longer, and then opened them again. Her eyes adjusting, she now looked at the window, and leaned against the wall as she admired the view of the sunrise. A smile touched her lips as she tried to reason that life could be worse. Her eyes slowly left the window and made their way to the bed, where her teddy bear was smiling back at her with its stitched mouth. A twinge of pain struck her heart as she looked at Brad’s last gift to her. The one the police found in his car on the night of the accident.
She closed her eyes and forced herself to look away. No, she thought to herself. Don’t think about it. You don’t need to think about him anymore.
She turned away from the purple teddy bear and forced herself to get on with the rest of the day.
Chapter Two
The rest of the morning was uneventful. It was a Saturday, so Stacy didn’t have work. The majority of her day was filled with watching TV and eating cold leftover pizza.
Around two o’clock, however, her day became a bit more interesting than she was hoping for.
She was lying on her old and overused couch watching another house rehabbing show when her phone rang. She tilted her head up and looked at her cellphone, which was lying on the small coffee table a couple of feet in front of her, just to make sure she hadn’t imagined it. Sure enough, the phone rang a second time.
Stacy sat up and grabbed the phone to see who was calling.
The caller ID read Amber Hill.
She pressed the “accept” button on the screen and put the phone up to her ear.
“Hello?” Stacy said, bewildered. Why would Amber be calling her now? It was a Saturday afternoon. Doesn’t she have other things to do?
“Hey, Stacy!” A bright and perky voice answered on the other end. “It’s Amber. How have you been?”
“Hey Amber,” Stacy reluctantly replied. “I’ve been pretty good for the most part. Just enjoying my day off. You?”
“Oh, I have been catching up with friends. Danielle told me that she hasn’t seen you in a few months.”
“Well, I’ve been pretty busy. And, when I’m not busy, I’m too tired to want to go out and do anything.”
“So,” Amber said, humor in her voice, “what you’re saying is, you’re a hermit.”
“Exactly,” Stacy replied in an easy tone.
“Well, that sounds exciting,” Amber retorted. “When was the last time you saw some of your friends besides at work?”
Stacy had to think about that for a moment. “I think it was…the last time I spent time with you,” Stacy said as innocently as possible.
“Honey,” Amber replied, dryly, “That was three weeks ago. You’re telling me that you haven’t seen anyone outside of work in three weeks?”
“I guess so.”
“Stacy,” Amber said, drawing her name out. “You need to hang out with people. Get out of your apartment for a while. It’s not healthy. When was the last time you went on a date?”
Stacy let the silence answer that question.
“Oh,” Amber said, reading the silence. “Oh, honey, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to—”
“Its fine,” Stacy said, trying to pull herself back together. “You didn’t mean to. I know. Let’s just say I haven’t dated in a while.”
“Stacy,” Amber said in all seriousness, “You do realize the only way you will ever be happy again is to accept what has happened and move on? You need to start seeing other people.”
“Thanks for the suggestion,” Stacy replied, “but, no, I don’t. I don’t want to, and I certainly don’t need to. I don’t have time to date right now.”
“Well, that’s unfortunate, because you might need to make time.” Amber said, letting the sarcasm back on.
“Why?” Stacy replied, the word being used as a clear warning.
“I got you a date for this evening.”
“You did WHAT?” Stacy exploded, frustration choking out of her words.
“I got you a date,” Amber said, this time much firmer. “Listen, it’s been a year. Yes, Stacy, we all miss him. I can’t begin to imagine what you went through. But, after the accident, you cut yourself off from everyone. We all miss the old Stacy. The only way you bring her back is to move on and finally get a date. Don’t worry, just because you go on one lousy date doesn’t mean you two are going to get married and have fat children together. It’s just a fun activity that you are going to do with a member of the opposite sex that he will gladly pay for.”
Stacy tried to bring her fury back down as she took deep breaths. Finally she said as calmly as she could, “Call it off.”
“Sorry,” Amber said, “I can’t. This is for your own good. He’s picking you up at seven.”
Stacy closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. “At least tell me who it is.”
“It’s Phillip Miller. Do you remember him? He was in a few of our classes in sophomore year.”
“Yeah,” Stacy said. “I remember him. He was the one that was obsessed with ghosts and stuff. He was really awkward. You are setting me up with someone who’s really awkward? How thoughtful.”
“Oh, he’s improved,” Amber said, “He’s actually kind of hot now. And, even if he is awkward, it will be good for you to at least have some human interaction.”
“I hate you.” Stacy said.
“I know.” Amber replied. Then she hung up her phone.
Stacy flung herself backward, letting her head rest at the top of her couch and let out an exasperated breath. Well, I better get ready. She looked at her phone to see what time it was, then placed it on the couch next to her and thought, I’ll start getting ready in a bit.
Chapter Three
Seven o’clock came way too quickly. She had just finished putting her hair up when she heard a knock on the door.
She dashed to the door, unlocked it and pulled it open. The man standing before her wasn’t what she expected.
It was Phillip Miller. But, it wasn’t the Phillip Miller that she had known from high school. Growing up had definitely improved him. He used to have long, greasy hair that would constantly get into his eye, causing him to do the “Phillip flip,” as she and her friends used to call it. He also used to have patchy facial hair that was too long and smooth to be stubble, but too short to be called a beard. His glasses would always be slightly dirty and his clothing had carried a musty smell with them.
However, the Phillip Miller who stood in the hallway had short hair, which was parted to the side. He had thick dark stubble that covered the lower portion of his face. He wore a red tie with a light blue shirt that was just tight enough to show his pecs. The shirt was tucked into dark blue designer denim jeans. His engaging smile flaunted pearly white teeth. He had intense green eyes that she had never noticed before. She stared at those eyes for a bit longer and hoped he didn’t notice.
“Hi, Stacy,” Phillip said, making Stacy realize that she had said nothing to him.
Face red, she replied, “Hey, Phillip. Sorry, I’ve had an interesting day, so, I’m a bit tired.” S
he smiled at him. He smiled back. Something about his smile made her woozy. It was such a charming, calm smile. Yet, she couldn’t help but feel a chill run down her spine as she looked at it. It’s probably nothing, she told herself. This your first date in a while. You probably just have the jitters.
“So, are you ready to go?” Phillip asked.
Stacy paused for a moment. That voice sounded so familiar to her somehow. Where had she heard it before?
“Stacy?” Phillip prompted.
Well, of course it sounds familiar, Stacy told herself. You did kind of go to high school with him. “Yeah,” Stacy said, “I just have to get my purse. Hold on.”
*
This car is really nice, Stacy thought. The seats were grey leather, the dashboard was shiny, and there was a pleasant smell in the air. It wasn’t overpowering. In fact, it was quite the opposite. It just tickled her nose, daring her to sniff in deeper.
The streets were pretty empty for a Saturday night. There were some people jogging on the sidewalks and very few cars on the street. The pavement was damp enough to reflect the beam of Phillip’s headlights, and it reflected the lights of the city that much more. This could actually turn out to be a good date, Stacy thought to herself as she and Phillip conversed.
“Oh, man,” Phillip continued, “High school was the worst.”
“You’re telling me,” Stacy let out with a giggle. “Do you remember that pink sweater I wore on picture day?”
“You mean the one with the stain on it?” Phillip asked with his lips quirked up in a half smile.
“Yes! No one told me, and I took my junior picture with this huge stain on my sweater. Worst yearbook picture ever!”
Laughing, Phillip said, “Well, at least that was only one day. My clothes were always nasty, and no one ever told me.”
“Why were they nasty?” Stacy asked in a joking tone, although she was genuinely curious. She leaned closer and waited for him to speak.
“Well, we didn’t have a washing machine at my house, and my mom never wanted to waste money on things that weren’t important, like sanitation. She obviously forgot what high school was like. Clothes and smell are super important.”
Stacy laughed a little as she said, “Yeah that sounds rough. But, you’re much better now.” She noticed that he made a quick smile back at her, and her heart skipped a beat. Sobering up, she looked out the window and asked, “So, do you still like all of those ghosts and things?”
Phillip shrugged. “Well, I would be lying if I didn’t say they interested me. I really like paranormal stuff.”
“Really?” Stacy said, nodding her head, “What makes them so interesting?”
There was a brief pause as Phillip looked around for the right words to say. “I don’t know,” he began. “I think the idea that something we can’t explain living among us is really interesting. You know, all of these beings that people have sworn they’ve seen or felt. These creatures have had sightings, legends, and religions built around them for hundreds of years, yet the majority of the world doesn’t believe they are cohabitating the earth with us. I mean, I like to think that there are mysteries out there that people still haven’t seen or figured out yet. You know?” He glanced at her, and asked, “Does that sound crazy?”
“No, that makes complete sense,” Stacy said. Leaning back against the seat, she thought about the possibility of things like that out there. She had never really done that before. She had always dismissed the supernatural. Admittedly, her dismissal was partly because she really didn’t want to open herself up to the possibilities. It was hard enough living alone with the worry of human threats. If she added paranormal entities into the equation, she would never sleep at night. However, she couldn’t help but admire his open mindedness.
“So,” Stacy said, “You have books and stuff on them I’m guessing?”
“I actually have more books on those subjects than I should. I put some money into getting books, some of them really old, about a bunch of stuff. Ghosts, the fey, demons…”
“Demons? Like, with horns and a cape and whatnot?”
“Well, from what I’ve read, if they exist, they could probably take whatever form they wanted, as long as they are given enough power.”
“Power?”
“Yeah. Demons alone don’t have power, because they don’t have bodies. They are spiritual by nature. So, someone has to give them power, whether it be through fear, anger, guilt, or signing their power away.”
“Signing their power? Like, selling your soul to the devil?”
Phillip looked at her approvingly. “Exactly. However, I’ve read you don’t just have to sell your soul. There are plenty of things you can do to get a favor done. Sacrifice, worship, things like that. All you need to do is summon it and work out a deal of some sort.”
Stacy looked at Phillip and said, “Well, that’s creepy.”
“It is, isn’t it?” Phillip agreed with a wink. “Let’s talk about something else.”
Stacy saw that he was about to say something, but then his eyes got wide with panic. With one hand, he patted his chest and pants, and then let out a curse under his breath.
“What?” Stacy asked. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m so sorry. I left my wallet at home. I will take just a few minutes to drive back to my place, and then we’ll be on our way. I hope you don’t mind.”
“It’s fine,” Stacy said with sympathy in her voice, “We all have those days.”
Chapter Four
Phillip’s house was a little one-story shack. The roof sagged in the middle and the porch leaned far to the right. The streetlamp on the sidewalk revealed the pillar on the porch speckled with white paint chipping off, and the house itself looked like there was never any paint on it; just light tan, shiny wood. There was a window next to the porch that looked like it hadn’t been washed in quite some time. The damp grass around it needed to be mowed.
All in all Stacy thought to herself as she examined the property, this does not look like a place I would enjoy living in.
Stacy looked at Phillip and said, ‘You live here?”
“Well, yes and no.” He said, apologetically. “My mom used to live here. She left it for me in the will. I am looking for a place to live right now, but, in the meantime, I’m settling here for now and cleaning it up. I don’t really like it, though. There are a lot of memories…”
His voice trailed off as his eyes darkened.
“It’s okay,” Stacy said as she put her hand on his. “We have all had tough times. I get it. You go in and look for what you need.”
“Alright. I’ll be back. I’m sure you’d understand if I asked you to wait here. The outside of my house is embarrassing enough.”
“Its fine,” Stacy confirmed.
As he left the car, Stacy pulled out her phone to pass the time. Phillip walked past her side of the car to walk into his house, and Stacy couldn’t help but glance at him as he did. Those jeans really did look good on him…
“No.” Stacy quietly scolded herself. “I can’t. Not yet. I can’t be with anybody. Just get through this date.” She sighed as she scrolled through her various social media networks.
After five minutes, Stacy became a little concerned. She looked, hoping to see Phillip hurrying out of the door, but, he was not to be seen. Okay, she thought, maybe he just misplaced his wallet or something. I can wait a bit longer. I’m sure he’ll be out soon.
But that didn’t keep her from looking past his house into the black nothingness behind it. The lamplight did a marvelous job of emphasizing certain shadows and making the darkness appear so much darker. Her heart sped up while she imagined what could be waiting beyond the darkness, just out of sight. Someone? Something?
Damn she swore to herself. I shouldn’t have asked about ghost stuff. That was –
A shadow fell over the car and vanished as something passed through the light of the lamp. She turned her head to see what it was, but found nothing.
; Stacy leaned her back against the headrest and closed her eyes. Come on, Phillip, she silently pleaded. Hurry up.
The silence was broken by a light tap on the driver’s side window. Stacy looked over hoping that Phillip had gotten around the car unseen. Chills crawled up her spine as she saw nothing but darkness out the window.
“Forget this,” Stacy exclaimed as she unbuckled herself and kicked the door open. “I’m not having this tonight.”
Stacy rushed to the door, never looking back to see what was behind her. She turned the doorknob, but the door was jammed. Panic coursed through her as she repeatedly rammed the door with her shoulder.
She paused for a moment, trying to swallow her panic and catch her breath when she heard hurried footsteps in the wet grass.
She didn’t know whether or not the footsteps behind her were in her head, but they were getting closer. Letting out a strained yell, Stacy slammed her shoulder into the door one last time. The door gave way and let her inside. Slamming the door behind her, she shoved her back against it. Bending over and placing her hands on her knees, gasping gulps of air.
After a few moments, she took some time to examine what was around her. There was a hallway in front of her with an opening to her right. The hallway continued into another, smaller opening a few feet ahead of her. The only thing illuminating the house was the streetlamp outside working its way in.
Working up the courage, Stacy called, “Phillip! Hey, sorry that I came in. There was something outside and I have no idea what it was. It sounds pathetic, but, I got scared and came inside. I hope you’re okay with that. Is everything okay?”
She waited to hear a response, but was only greeted by the faint echo of her own voice and an overwhelming silence.
Hesitantly, Stacy started walking down the long, dark hallway. She looked to her right and found the living room. There were two old and dusty couches placed next to each other, and a bookshelf behind the couches full of old books. A giant window faced the street. Narrow beams of light entered around pulled shades illuminating the room while still leaving shadows deep enough for something to hide in.