Photo by Sixties Photography on Unsplash
I didn’t know what to do.
My parents, sister and brother have not returned. I called my sister, Annika, roughly two hours ago. She said they crossed the railway bridge and would be at home in twenty or so minutes.
It has been several hours already. I figured they swung by the gas station near the intersection to buy snacks or something at first. Now I wasn’t so sure about that. I couldn’t stop thinking that something bad went down.
Christopher just got his driving license and Dad said he’d let that fool drive back home from their trip to Grandma. She lived in a nursing home in another state and had surgery a week ago. Her surgeon said she’d live another year if everything went well.
The wall lamp on the porch kept switching on and off. I thought they’d arrived the first time it happened an hour ago. But our car, a white Volvo, had not pulled up in the driveway.
Then it flickered on a few more times after this. I counted the time between each switch after the third time – six minutes elapsed between each.
Four minutes passed since the last time it switched on. I’ve locked all the doors. Both the porch and driveway were vacant. No one was there, trying to prank me. So why did the light keep switching on? It was driving me up the wall.
I sent Mum a message fifteen minutes ago and asked if she could call our neighbour, Mr Bourgon, and ask if he could see anything suspicious outside.
Mr Bourgon caught a few burglars red-handed over the years and had a double-barrelled shotgun. Ann and I saw him shoot some rats a few years back even, when our working-class neighbourhood got overcrowded with those gnawers.
It happened again. The light flickered on. Wait, what was that noise? A car pulled up in the driveway. It didn’t sound like our car, though. That girl was almost three decades old and I’d recognise it if it was her.
Dad got her from his broke uncle, who used to sell foreign cars in the ghetto for a cheap price. Mum said almost all parts had been replaced with cheap parts, and that it was most likely stolen from some Scandinavian tourists back in the ‘90s.
Okay, turns out I was wrong. It was our car. But I couldn’t see anyone in it. I called Dad this time. No one picked up the phone.
I refreshed the screen more often than I wanted to admit, but not even Mum replied. Just what was going on? Why were none of them replying to me?
The car’s all right. It was still dark outside since the light switched off again, but I couldn’t see anything wrong with it.
I got a call from Ann. She hung up when I asked where she was. The light stopped turning on and off for good, by the way. Maybe I should call the police?
Annika called again. Someone was breathing on the other end of the line this time. I couldn’t tell if it was her, though. It wasn’t like my sister to do such a thing, you know, pulling pranks on me. She was ten years older and had been an adult the longest, while I was eleven and Christopher seventeen years old.
Chris liked to tease me a lot. He was a fool, though. He never played video games with me but would always scream his head off on the phone while playing Battle Royale with his friends. Online friends, that is, because he was socially inept.
One time I caught him swearing and ratted him out to Dad. Dad took his phone away as a punishment. He wasn’t allowed to be online for two weeks. He got all sulky after that one time and said I was being an idiot and that he hated me.
Ann said he’d grow out of it someday, but he kept getting worse. Mum and Dad kinda gave up on him; I overheard them talk the other day. Dad said he was going to kick him out or something so that he’d learn how to fend for himself sooner rather than later.
My sister was on a visit over the holidays. She studied mechanical engineering out of town and had not paid a visit in the last couple of months. Mum said she’d graduate before the summer break. Dad was stoked, of course.
But I kept hearing Ann cry every night. Our bedrooms were next to each other. Every night, as soon as she thought we were all asleep, I’d hear her raise her voice at someone and choke up. I think she was talking to her boyfriend.
Mum sent a message. It wasn’t a reply, though, just random words that had somehow come together. It looked like something an illiterate child would punch in without knowing what the heck it was doing
I sent her a message and asked why our car was in the driveway. She read the message as soon as I sent it. Then I heard something. It came from Annika’s bedroom upstairs.
The only thing out of the ordinary was a cracked window in her room. I closed it and went downstairs to find the front door ajar. Someone was in here with me.
I picked up our spare keys from the drawer and went outside. I was thinking of waking up Mr Bourgon until another call came through. This time, it was from Chris. I still remember how the conversation went. It was so random. Then again, it all made sense in the end.
“Chris, where are you—”
“You up, kiddo?”
“Hmm. I’ve been up since a while ago. Where are you? There’s nobody in the car.”
“What are you doing outside?”
“I think someone’s in the house. I’m going over to—”
“Wait, what’d just say?”
“Someone’s in the house, and- and I don’t know what to do, Chris! I’m afraid. I want Mum. Where are you? I can’t see you guys anywhere.”
“What do [unintelligible] can’t see me?”
“You’re not—can you see me? Chris?”
“I’m staring right at ya, buddy. Look at the window.”
I looked up at the second window from the left. No one was there.
“You’re not there, Chris, stop fooling around! I said I was scared! I’m gonna tell Mum when she comes home!”
“Dennis [unintelligible]. Like, did you hit your head or something?”
“No…?”
“Then why are you looking at me like that?”
“I’m not looking at you, stupid! You’re not even here! Nobody is! I’m scared. It’s so dark. Where’s Mum and Dad?”
“What are you [unintelligible] holding?”
“The phone, duh! The one you conned me into taking, remember? You said—”
“I know what I said! I’m not talking ‘bout the damn phone!”
“Watch your language or else—”
“I said, stop! Dennis, stop! What’re you doing? Where’d you [unintelligible]—isn’t that Ann’s?”
“Chris? Hello?”
“When did you [unintelligible]? I said—you okay, buddy?”
“Hello…? I can’t hear you, Chris! Chris! Christopher, are you there?”
The line went dead.
Another call came in.
“Mum! I- I think something’s not right with Chris! He’s been—”
“Oh, God! Oh, God! My baby! What [unintelligible] to you?”
“Mum? Are you with Chris? What’s the matter? Why are you crying?”
“[unintelligible] did you? My poor, poor baby!”
“Mummy I’m scared! Please, say something… Where’s Dad? And Annika? Did you see the message I sent you?”
“Dennis, is that you?”
“Yeah, it’s me, I…”
“Where’s your sister, sweetheart?”
“I- I thought she was with you guys.”
“Dennis, please. Tell me where she is. Hmm? [unintelligible] good boy.”
“I don’t know what’s going on. I- I want Dad.”
“Tell me where she is.”
“I- I don’t know. I—hold on, Mum. Ann’s calling.”
“Dennis, wait—”
“Ann, where are you? Mum’s really upset! She keeps asking where you are!”
“Listen, there’s something really strange—where’s Chris?”
“I think he’s in his room. But he wasn’t there when I was upstairs. Did you guys—”
“Scchh! Keep your voice down!”
“What- what’s going on, Ann? Where’s everyone? I’m- I’m scared!”
“Do you see the car?”
“I’m right next to it! I’ve tried to open it, but it won’t budge!”
“Go, open the trunk. Hurry! Dennis, hurry!”
“What’s in the trunk?”
“Just [unintelligible] go!”
“I- I can’t open it!”
“Try harder, for crying out loud! Come on! Think of it as a competition! Whoever opens the trunk first wins!”
“What do you I win?”
“I- I dunno, just keep trying. Did it work? Dennis? [unintelligible]”
“What’s… in those bags? It smells bad. I don’t like this.”
“Anything else?”
“Like what?”
“Dunno, a paper? A quilt, anything, really.”
“There’s a receipt under one of the bags. It’s soaked through, though.”
“Can you see what’s written on it?”
“Uh, I’m not sure. It’s kinda hard to read…”
“For [unintelligible] can’t you just do one thing right? I need you to help me!”
“I am helping you, it’s just—”
“Wait a sec! Did you [unintelligible]. What’s that?”
“There’s another receipt here. I think it’s from that gas station near the intersection.”
“Don’t you hear that?”
“Did you guys buy those trash bags? And some—”
“Dennis, what are you doing here?”
“What do you mean?” I looked around the dark. “Are you here? I can’t see you.”
“No, but you are. How is [unintelligible]?”
“Ann? This is not funny! Not at all! Is Mum and Chris in on this?”
“Dennis, is this really you?”
“I- I really don’t like this anymore! I’m scared! Can’t you just stop? I won’t ever steal your chips again! And- and I’ll be good to Chris too! I won’t snitch on him, I promise!”
“[unintelligible]. Now!”
“What?”
“Go, hide, now! Hide! Get in the trunk!”
I glanced at the trunk full of nasty plastic bags.
“No, I—”
“[unintelligible] just do it! Get. In. The. Trunk. Now!”
“Where- where’s Dad?”
“Oh my god!”
“Ann?”
“NO! [unintelligible] NO! I can’t—can’t breathe! I can’t! [unintelligible]! Stop [unintelligible]! I can’t—Dennis, are you there?”
“Mum?”
“Did you get in the trunk, sweetheart?”
“Where’s… where’s Annika?”
“She’ll be fine, don’t worry.”
“I’m- I’m calling Mr Bourgon over. I think he’s awake now. The lights just turned on.”
“No, stay put. I’ll be there in jiffy.”
“I don’t want to stay here. It smells so bad, these bags.”
“Whatever you do, don’t open them, okay? I’m almost there.”
I studied one of the lighter bags. There was something round inside. Like two ping-pong balls. The lamp on the porch switched on. I let go of the bag.
“Mummy?”
Thus wasn’t Mum. It was a man I had never seen before. He grinned from ear to ear. I looked at the plastic bags. As I opened one of the larger ones, the stranger drew nearer. I recoiled.
My father’s decapitated head rolled down and stopped right at my feet. Gasping for air, I looked up at the stranger whose wolfish face morphed into mine.
I ran for the hills. Behind me, my doppelgänger guffawed like a maniac.
Mr Bourgon’s front door was open. I ran inside and locked the door. I had never been to his house before. But this wasn’t a house. What was this place?
As the creature banged on the door, I turned around. My eyes grew wide. This place, it… it was a lair! The door unlocked. I held my breath. A call came through. It was… from Dad.
“What did I say about opening the door to strangers?”
“You’re… This is not real.”
“I just called Mr Bourgon. He should be over any minute. Don’t let anyone in until he comes, okay? Your Mum’s been on pins and needles since you sent that message! She keeps saying she’s got a bad feeling.”
“You… called Mr Bourgon?”
The door gradually opened, creaking, taking its sweet time and teasing.
“We’re almost there, buddy. I think… Hey, Chris, isn’t that Mr Bourgon’s car? The one next to the green one? No, the other one.”
“Dad, I’m- I’m sorry, I… I didn’t know.”
The door flung open.
The End.
Like this one? You might also like Hide and Seek.