Ghost Story

[Deadly Toxicity]

emotion_awesome  

[Deadly Toxicity]

(11:36 A.M. Monday)

The still air of a cluttered living room broke with the lively ringing of a small, wall-mounted phone. The dark grey screen switched to an almost painfully bright blue, displaying a series of numbers and letters. Seconds passed as the ringing looped and remained unanswered. In the next room over, an open box was knocked from its perch and huffed as its side struck the wooden floor.

Assorted items, tightly bound in bubblewrap rolled out from the lid, only to be hastily picked up by the only person in the house.
She placed them in a temporary space along a shelf before carefully stepping over the box and around the corner. It had to be another person calling to congratulate them on the move. The announcement had been sudden, but the house was on their watch-list for months. She walked the few feet to the phone and squinted at the dark grey lettering. She read the OUT OF STATE and answered, thinking it another relative or friend just now hearing about the news.

“It’s about time you answered. I’ve been trying to get you all morning. This is my last chance to talk before another full day.”
“Hey, Craig. Sorry, I was upstairs getting the bedroom finished. It’s finally starting to look like home here. Were you the one who tried calling last night?”
“Yeah. I keep forgetting about these time zones. Just one more thing keeping us apart.”
“Not for long. I want to have everything ready before you’re back. Did they give you a time for when you can get a flight?”
“With how slow things are going, I might be out here for a while. I’m hoping to be back before Friday. Think you can get things done by then?”
“Well, if you didn’t keep interrupting me, maybe I would have finished by now. I need to get back to work. Can you call back after your meetings?”
“I’ll see what I can do,” he yawned. “It’s too early to be up.”
“It’s almost the afternoon.”
“Not here it isn’t. Anyway, I’ll try to remember, and talk to you when I can. I miss you.”
They talked for several more seconds before hanging up and leaving the room. She turned left and followed the wall to the foot of the large half-circle staircase that led up to the second floor. This house was larger than the small apartment they had been restricted to. The open space was a welcome change for her, and it would be better once all of the new furniture was in place.

She walked down the hallway and turned into the bedroom. There was a calm feeling that dwelled in the room. Caitlin could feel it whenever she entered and crossed the few feet of carpeting to where the bed sat in the middle of the room, along the wall. The tan sheets were piled messily at the foot of the bed, which Caitlin ignored as she sat down on the side and looked around. The closets were still empty, and she thought about how much time it would take to fill them.

With a sigh she leaned backwards and rested on her back. Soon, it almost seemed as if the bed was exhaling something to make her drowsier. Her vision faltered as she lay there trying to get up. It would be a long day, and even though she had plenty of time to finish, it had already been enough work to earn a few hours of rest. Thinking that, she let the bed win and quickly drifted to sleep.

It felt like she had only been in the dark for a few minutes before a shattering noise interrupted her. There was a muffled creak as she sat up and rose to her feet. Whatever had broken was close. Too close to be one of the objects she had placed downstairs. She jumped as the small phone next to the bed rang. She didn’t bother to read the caller ID this time, and simply answered it.

“How’s the new house? I saw some of those photos you posted yesterday, and I think it looks amazing. Just hope to yourself it’s not too perfect.”
“Too perfect? Is this about those movies?”
“You know, like finding the body of the previous owner, or discovering that you now have some mysterious cat around. Strange words appearing on the wall or people in mirrors. All that stuff.”
“The owner was perfectly healthy. I saw him right before we bought the house. I don’t see why he’d want to sell this place. There’s plenty of space here. Also, we don’t have a cat and I haven’t had a chance to put all of the mirrors up yet.”
“Whatever. So how far are you? When can I come over and see?”
“I moved almost everything to the living room for now. The furniture is in and they got the plumbing to work early this morning. You can stop over whenever you want.”

Caitlin paused for a second as she reached over to pick up a small picture frame that had fallen on its leg and flattened. She examined it to see that the layer of glass had shattered and was now sitting on the small table.

“…And after that it will be a long night, so I don’t think it could work that day. Hey, I gotta go take care of something, but I’ll be home later if you want to keep talking.”

“Yeah, and I should get back to work soon,” she commented as she looked at the time. Two hours had passed and she still had half of the house to work on and clean. She hurried to finish the conversation with her friend and was soon leaving the room. She’d get a new frame for the photo the next time she headed into town. The house was a relaxing distance away from the busy city life they had dealt with for years. For once she couldn’t hear cars passing, sirens, or people yelling at each other from opposite sides of the street.

Downstairs, she almost thought that she saw fewer boxes than before. The piles were still there, but it was as if someone else had been helping her get ahead as she slept. She sighed again as she picked a box and started to rifle through what it contained.

(5:03 P.M.)

She stepped away from the wall and looked over what she had been working on. Caitlin could already see them in there, sitting on the large black sofa and watching television on cold winter nights. There were still a few months before that could start to happen, but they’d have time. Warm air blew in through the open windows and filled the house. Birds chirped and the leaves of trees rustled as she moved to the kitchen, just to stare out the sliding glass doors at their yard.

The neighbor’s house was visible at about sixty feet beyond the trees and bushes outside. If there were ever an emergency it would make an easy waypoint. She pulled the door open and stepped out onto the patio with a glass of water in her hand. Once outside she placed it near the edge of the table and looked around. Evening sunlight shined off of every reflective surface she could see.

Caitlin followed the path around the back of the house to the side, where she let herself into the attached garage through a back door. A skylight above her new, dark blue car allowed plenty of light to funnel into the room. Her attitude was in a dreamlike state as she returned to the house. The kitchen was the next room to finish.

(9:42 P.M.)


It had taken longer than expected to finish the kitchen, but almost everything looked finished now. She was now trying to scrub off a small dark mark in the basin of the sink. As she looked around for something else to use on it, the three lights above the counter flicked off. Immediately after she noticed the change, the large main light followed, along with the hallway lights. She could see that the patio light was on, but that ran on an independent energy source. She gazed out the sliding doors, only to find that the windows of the neighboring house were still lit. A shadow moved past one of the curtains as her gaze shifted back to her present location.

She reached for a cabinet handle near her waist, and pulled the drawer out only to find it empty. The flashlight, among other things hadn’t been unpacked yet. Something was mumbled quietly as she slammed the drawer and stepped around the island counter and into the hallway.

“I’ll just have to call the power company,” She told herself with a sigh.

Caitlin walked down the hallway, to the foot of the staircase. She could see the light at the top of the stairs on, but flickering on and off. There was an eerie breeze as she began to ascend the stairs. She stopped herself at the fifth one, to hesitate and consider what she’d do if there was only a flashing light upstairs. Deciding that it would be better to call someone, she backed down and walked to the living room phone. As she was about to begin dialing by the small amount of light present, there was a noise in the distance.

She turned from the phone and listened as it got slightly louder. The phone was placed back in its holder, and she left the room to follow the sound. It led her back to the kitchen counter, where her cell phone was laying on the smooth, clean surface. A shiver and sudden feeling of urgency ran through her as she looked over to see the patio light off. It was a noticeable difference to be surrounded by darkness, with only a small phone as a sign of outside life.

“Hello?”
There was a crackling noise on the other side, replacing the voice she had expected to hear. Its pitch changed to a whine as she asked for whoever was calling. There was a flash behind her, as if someone was trying to take a photo. She dropped the phone and twisted herself around to see what had caused it. The room appeared empty, except for the three or four boxes she hadn’t finished yet.

Another flash, with seemingly no source illuminated every surface of the room with a bright light. This flash was accompanied by the sound of something shattering and hitting a metal surface. She turned back, and as another flash lit everything around her, the three lightbulbs above the sink appeared in small pieces.

There was another whining noise as she shakily abandoned the sink and walked through the darkness. She opened each of the boxes and felt around for a flashlight. Labored breathing echoed from the other side of the counter as she finally found the flashlight. Her fingers desperately pressed into the button but it refused to turn on. With shaking hands she quickly located a package of batteries and ripped the cardboard back off.

Something croaked and sighed as she unscrewed the bottom and slipped the batteries inside. Without reattaching the bottom first, she pressed the button and held the batteries in with the palm of her hand. In the brief seconds before she moved her hand away in shock, she was left face-to-face with the shape of a younger girl. Her dead eyes, set into a decaying, blank face were the last things she saw before the flashlight’s glare went out.
   

[Deadly Toxicity]

(8:10 A.M. Tuesday)

“…and now back to leading story this morning, a local woman was found dead inside of her home this morning. The body was discovered early this morning, after a neighbor reported sounds of a struggle late last night. She was the only one in the house at the time, and so far there are no leads. If you have any information…”

The TV was muted, and the room fell silent. A photo of the victim was positioned in the top corner of the screen. Caitlyn stared at the photo before turning the television off altogether. She had woken up on the floor, and when she checked the lighting, everything seemed to be working properly.

She flinched when the phone broke the silence, and hesitantly walked over to get it.
“Did you call me last night?”
“What? No, I was out at a dinner the company was providing. Why, did you get a call from me?”
“Forget it, I’m just a little tired.”
“Maybe it’s nerves. If you can’t handle being alone, I could try to get an earlier flight back, I just…”
“No. Don’t ruin your plans because of me. I’ll be fine, and when you get back everything will be perfect. I’m sure you’ll love it.”
“If you say so,” he sighed. “Look, if you get scared or anything, just call me. I will answer, no matter where I am.”
“I’m going into town today. I need to stock the kitchen. Is there anything that you want me to get?”
“I don’t need anything special. Just a home to come back to.”
“I’ll try not to burn it down while you’re gone.”

There was a loud click which cut off his response. She waited and tried to call back, but there was no response. After a few minutes, she hung up and tried another number. It began ringing, and one of her friends picked up. Thinking it was a fluke, she hung up and got ready to leave for groceries.

(6:40 P.M. Tuesday)

“Hello? This isn’t another machine, is it? Good. I’ve been having trouble with my TV ever since I got home two hours ago. Can you get someone to come over and look at it? The volume? Of course I tried the mute button.”

She used one hand to grab the remote, and held down the volume button. She watched the blue line slide across the screen, but still heard nothing. Minutes later she sighed and ended the call. The company had promised to send someone on Friday, but she doubted that they would show up until the following Monday. She tossed the TV Guide onto the sofa and turned off the television. The phone rang again, and she stared at it in her hand for a minute before answering.

“Hello?”
There was static on the other end, and underneath it someone whispering.
“Now isn’t the time for this.”
“It isn’t,” the phone asked.
“No. It isn’t. I’ve been stressed all day, and back hurts. I fell asleep in the kitchen last night.”
“Maybe you should sleep in your own bed tonight, instead of trying to stay up and work.”
“That might help, yeah. The wireless is up and working now. I might take my laptop up and play with that for a while.”
“So, how’s the work going?”
“Great. The upstairs bathroom is done, and the bedroom should be finished tomorrow. The truck dropped some more stuff off at 6:40, so I’m moving that up.”
“Cool. How about Friday evening?”
“That’s the night that Craig is getting back.”
“Thursday?”
“Sure. I’ll see you then.”

(2:38 A.M. Wednesday)

“…And it seemed that as the reports kept coming in, more and more people were believing it to be true,” a voice said.
Caitlin jumped awake and dazedly looked around the dark bedroom. She leaned over to the lit radio screen to check the time, then listened to the voice. It was coming through the floor, but sounded as if the person talking was sitting on the bed.
She hurriedly got up and walked out into the hallway, where the voice became louder.
“So that’s why I think that this degree of involvement with the public may just hurt the career further. I don’t think people will be forgetting any time soon.”
“Yeah,” another voice boomed. “I agree, but I think we should let this go for a while and see where it heads.”

Caitlin stared into the glowing living room and descended the last couple steps before hurrying over to find a remote. She tried to cover her ears and fumble through the room at the same time. Giving up, she tightly gripped her ears and crouched behind the television set. With a grunt she unplugged it and submerged herself in darkness.

As she stood up and began to walk back toward the stairs, something ran past. She froze until it had moved out of sight, and squinted into the darkness. She found the wall, and followed it in the direction of the noise.

A door slammed, and as she pursued it to the basement she regretted not getting the phone. She found the dropped flashlight in the kitchen, and grabbed a knife before gently pulling the door open and creeping down. She ignored the lightswitch and with careful footing avoided the steps that creaked.

Someone was crying at the bottom of the steps, and as she prepared to turn on the flashlight something shattered. What she thought to be cardboard boxes tumbled over, and their contents spilled across the cold floor. Her bare feet tingled as the sobbing subsided and the noises ceased.

She held her breath and turned on the flashlight. Three cardboard boxes were scattered across the floor, but she was otherwise alone. She crouched and pushed aside some broken glass, then grabbed something that was sticking out from a box.

It slid out easily, and she stared at the board. A collection of small photographs had been taped or pinned to it, and some of them were wet with tear stains. A few had been ripped to pieces, and she pocketed the shreds before looking around and heading back upstairs.  

[Deadly Toxicity]

(10:30 A.M. Wednesday)

Some of the contents from the boxes now sat on the kitchen table. Caitlin had woken up shivering, and after closing the windows she walked back downstairs to check the basement again. When she looked around, she found a small radio that had been left behind the boxes. It was running, so she turned it off before moving back upstairs.
“Yes, Mr. Dunsaw? I believe that you left some of your possessions in the basement of my new house.”
He was silent, and it seemed like he had hung up until, “Was there an envelope?”
“What?”
“With the boxes, was there a white envelope on top?”
“Hold on. I’ll go check.”
She hurried back down to the boxes and after a few seconds found a white envelope with smudged labels. The return address was barely legible.
“Yeah, I have it,” she said upon returning.
“Is there anything inside?”
She could hear him holding his breath through the phone as she carefully opened it and checked.
“No. It’s empty.”
He went silent, and again it was as if he had hung up. After a long pause, she asked, “Would you like me to come over and drop it off?”
“Are you sure that it’s empty?”
“Yes. I’m sure.”
“Nothing fell out?”
“Do you want me to drive over and drop this off?”
“No. I’ll be over to get it later today. How about 4:30?”
“Yeah, that’s fine. I’ll be here all day. Stop over whenever it fits your schedule.”
He was quiet again, and mumbled something before hanging up. Almost immeadiately after the call ended, the phone started ringing again. She recognized the hotel name and answered quickly.
“Up early today?”
“Yeah. They want us up for some conference. Afterward they’re serving breakfast. How’s the work going?”
“It’s fine. I was just talking to the old owner. He left some stuff in the basement, and said that he’ll be over later to get it.”
“I’m really sorry to just bring this up now, but I’m going to have to stay a short while longer than planned. Is that alright with you?”
“How much longer?”
“I’ll get back late on Sunday.”
She laughed slightly, “Aren’t they ever letting you back?”
“Come on, it’s not that much longer.”
“If you’re away any longer I’ll start talking to the furniture.”
“Why don’t you invite Rhea to spend the night? That’ll keep you busy.”
“Maybe I will. It’ll be nice to relax a bit.”
“Oh, sorry again, but I have to go. It looks like they’re calling people down now. I’ll talk to you soon.”

(2:00 P.M. Wednesday)

“Oh, no,” the voice muttered.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s the rain,” he muttered through the phone.
“What about it?”
“I saw her in the rain. I can’t make it later.”
“Is something wrong?”
“That’s hard to say, since that envelope was empty.”
“Why are you so concerned with it?”
“That arrived in the mail about two weeks ago. It wasn’t with the regular mail. I think someone else slipped it in. Well, my daughter picked it up and opened it. She was different for the rest of the day, and we were about to take her to the doctor but she said she was fine. Overnight she disappeared, with no trace of where she could have gone.”
There was a crash on the other side of the phone, and he whined slightly before continuing.
“We filed a report but the police couldn’t find any traces. Afterward, I started to feel uncomfortable, and being in the house made me feel sick. They said it was stress, but I was seeing things. Lights were on outside of the window, with sources masked by the darkness. I heard noises, like someone was creeping around the house.”
“What are you saying?”
“I don’t know. I don’t even know why I sold you the house. Whatever it was, it followed me here. I have to take care of it myself. If I can, I’ll be over tomorrow. Otherwise…”
He trailed off, and after a few minutes she realized that he had hung up. Taking a deep breath, she called the police and suggested that they go over to check on him. The hours went quietly, and the rain outside persisted until the yard was soaked. Water dribbled off the roof, and in the late evening the phone rang again. There was a pause after she answered, and a sigh before the voice spoke.
“Mr. Donesaw is in a coma. You were the last person to speak with him. Can you give any information about what he was doing?”
“No, why?”
“His house seems ransacked.”

(2:25 P.M.)

“Thank you for your time, and don’t hesitate to call if you have any other information that might help. Have a good day,” the officer called as he slipped back into his car.
Caitlin closed the door and watched through the peephole as he left. When the car had disappeared she looked around and walked over to a shelf. She reached over the tops of some books and silently pulled the empty envelope from its hiding place.
Again, she checked the inside before moving back to the living room. She sunk into the sofa and stared blankly at the wall for a few minutes before reaching for the phone.
“Hey, sorry for not calling sooner. It turns out that Friday will work. What time can you be over? Oh, it’s nothing. I’m just a bit tired. Really, that’s all. Yeah, he said that he’ll be gone until the weekend.”
She felt a cool breeze flow through the house, and shivered slightly. As she turned to look for the source there was a sharp thud. She jumped up from the sofa and paused before walking over to a window that had been out of her sight.
She shifted from side to side, but saw nothing in the yard.
“Yeah, it is. The TV was acting weird but I think it’s fixed now. I might relax this evening and watch a movie for once. Oh, of course it is. You too.”
She shivered as another cool breeze drifted through the room, and turned to look at an open window. As she started to lower the phone, there was a knock at the door. She sat the phone down and quickly walked to the front door. Without stopping to check first, she opened the door to empty air.
Caitlin bent over to pick up a small object that had been neatly placed on her welcome mat. It resembled a small black egg in size and shape, but felt like it was made of metal. It shined in the sunlight, and was surprisingly light. She let it roll around her palm before turning to go back inside.

(7:58 P.M.)

Caitlin had left the egg on the living room table while she went to finish the bedroom and guest room. She eagerly watched the clock, and was carefully shifting the mattress onto the guest bed when she decided that her work was done for the day.
She took a deep breath and let the mattress rest against the frame. The digital clock blinked again, and she obediently moved downstairs to the sofa. The TV guide was a makeshift coaster for a can of soda. She sighed again as she eased herself under a blanket and rested herself against a pillow. Seeing that some credits were rolling down the screen, she decided to look at the egg again.
There was a small switch on the side, small enough for her to barely notice it. She pressed it in carefully and flinched as the egg popped open. Only the top half was hollow. The bottom half seemed to have a dark half-circle device with a fan fixed into the top.
She moved the egg closer to her face and tried to see what was past the narrow blades. As she stared at it, the fan began to turn. It sped up, and soon she could hear the faint noise of it working. Soon her vision became blurred and she could feel something creeping up her arm. Voices whispered, and the letters on the television screen stretched and flickered.
“No,” someone cried from behind the sofa.

She tried to turn, but her head felt too heavy to move. With effort, she managed to rest it on the back of the sofa, with a clear view of the front door. It opened slowly, and closed seconds later. Her eyes watered, and the same voice screamed from the basement.

Caitlin tried to keep her eyes open as two dark shapes walked out from the kitchen and past the sofa. One took a second to glance at her, but neither stopped. Their voices were too distorted to understand, so she shivered and closed her eyes.

“She’s not…remember…keep searching.”

Her eyes flicked open again to see one reaching for the envelope. She wordlessly called out, and tried to reach out, but her limbs weighed her down. The shape turned momentarily, but she couldn’t see a face. With its other hand, the figure grabbed the egg and fixed the cap back on.

As the figures moved out of her vision she started to feel sick. She didn’t know how long she spent laying on the sofa before the feeling wore up. Exhausted, she rolled over and hit the floor. When she woke up, there was no sign of the intruders. There was only silence as she reached for the phone.

(11:00 P.M.)

The police had been quick to respond and search the area. They put out a warning and promised to have someone waiting at the end of the driveway incase the intruders returned. She left the lights on, and silently walked up the stairs. New locks were suggested for the house, and were to be installed on Monday.

She looked outside at the shadowed car before closing the upstairs window and walking over to her bed. Nothing had been taken from the house, aside from the egg and envelope, but she didn’t mention it.  

[Deadly Toxicity]

(9:10 A.M. Thursday)

Caitlin sat quietly in the living room for most of the morning. The intruders hadn’t returned, but she was still too nervous to get back to work. The officer stationed outside had kept watch, and entered the house at around seven for more coffee.
Soon after, a replacement arrived to cover the day shift. They had promised to watch the house until Saturday, when she wouldn’t be the only one at home. It was the quietest morning yet, and every small noise outside made her flinch.
Her memory of the previous night had become hazy, and she started to find herself doubting if it ever happened. There had been no footprints, fingerprints, or other proof that they had been there other than her frantic phone call. She stared into her yard for what felt like an hour, waiting for Saturday to arrive. Eventually she looked up at a clock to see that only fifteen minutes had passed.
“That’s terrible,” Rhea said when she called later on.
There had been a brief report of it on the news, and even the reporter sounded skeptical about whether it really happened.
“They don’t seem to believe me though.”
“You need some time away. Maybe you could come up here for a day and we could go up the hiking trail. It’s really nice this time of year.”
“That’d be great, but it’ll have to wait. The house isn’t ready.”
“I know that you said tomorrow, but do you want me to come over today and stay tonight?”
“No, I’ll be fine. There’s someone stationed outside. I’ll still be here tomorrow. Come over around 4:15, alright?”
“Yeah, see you then.”
After the call she moved to the front door, where a van had pulled into the driveway. She showed the driver inside, and brought out the curtains that she wanted hung. As he began to work, she walked through the kitchen and out to the yard.
There were no birds chirping above or around the house, nor any neighbors outside mowing lawns. She felt isolated in the house, but didn’t want to leave. As she slept, she heard voices warning against it. They said that there were no safe places. Just as she realized that the voice was the same one that had been crying, she woke up and found herself alone.
Every shadow and sound was a possible attacker as she tried to go about her goals. Most of the boxes had been emptied, and the remaining carful hadn’t yet been moved. She was starting to doubt whether the move was a good idea. Her subconscious, or maybe the voice she had heard, was saying to start packing things back up.

(4:32 P.M.)

Caitlin started to feel sick as the day progressed. She could see people disappearing into the air, and objects seemed to move themselves to places that she didn’t remember putting them. As the headaches became more severe, she started to remember things that she didn’t recall experiencing in the first place.
“What is it? I just got out of a conference room?”
“I think you need to come home. I have a bad feeling about this.”
“Why, what happened.”
“Well, I thought someone was in the house, but when the police got here they didn’t find anything. I’m seeing things now, and I have a headache.”
“Calm down and get some fresh air. You’re just not used to the house yet. Some of the floorboards might creak, or the wind might knock something over. It’s nothing to be afraid of. How about you lie down for a while and call me back when you wake up.”
“Alright…”
“I’ll be home as soon as I can, but I don’t know if I can get an earlier flight back.”
“No, don’t bother. It’s probably just stress. How are you doing?”
“It’s tiring. I almost think that they save all of the year’s announcements and promotions for this week only. I don’t know how much longer I can keep this schedule up.”
“Do you know who’s going to get the job?”
“Well, so far it seems like they’ve narrowed it down to me and two others. They’re testing us now. “
“Anything else?”
“Well, I shouldn’t be talking about it, but a few others think that there’s some kind of…issue. Someone did a background check and found some inconsistencies. When he went to report it, he disappeared. This is only for two more days, so we’ve decided to wait until we’re safely home before taking any action.”
“Really? Shouldn’t somebody be_”
“No,” he interrupted. “Just pretend that you didn’t hear it, and everything will be resolved before we know it. The plane will be landing shortly after noon on Saturday. I should get back there by four.”
“Should I order out?”
“Why not?”
“What do you want?”
“You decide. I’ll be fine with anything. Sorry, but I have to go. It’s time for lunch. If you don’t call back later today, I’ll call you tomorrow evening, alright? I should have some time if I pack my bags quickly.”
“Sure, I’ll talk to you then.”

She made no effort to go up to her bed. Instead, she lay on the floor and stared at the blank white ceiling until she fell asleep.  

[Deadly Toxicity]

(7:30 A.M. Friday)

“Just one more day until he’s back,” she said quietly to herself as she got out of bed. She stretched slowly and looked around the bedroom. As far as she was concerned, the house was finished. The few boxes that hadn’t yet arrived were mainly kitchen supplies and books.
The house was still silent, and remained that way as she moved downstairs and slipped two pieces of bread into her toaster. As the inside began to glow, she left it and walked through the hallway to the front door. She looked through the small window and sighed at the sight of the police car.
She could see the driver inside, reading something. The tree limbs around the car bobbed lightly at the breeze. It was too quiet for her to relax. She silently moved back to the kitchen and gathered the rest of her breakfast.

(4:10 P.M.)

She quickly walked down the staircase, past the freshly painted wall and to the front door. The door opened and Rhea paused to look around.
“Wow. It looks great.”
“Thanks. I was just about to pass out from working. I ordered pizza, if that’s okay.”
“Of course it is.”
There was a short pause before “How about a tour?”
“Isn’t that what I’m here for?” She laughed.
The door closed behind them as they moved into the living room.

(8:45 P.M.)

Two plates, each holding pizza crusts, sat on opposite ends of the table. They sat on the sofa and watched as the TV show reached its climax scene. Rhea laughed to herself quietly.
“Sorry about that,” Caitlin said when she walked back over. “I just had to add another layer of paint. Do you want another slice?”
“I don’t mind, and no. I’m good.”
On the screen, someone in shadows was quietly sneaking up on a house. Shadows moved past the lit windows and the camera occasionally moved inside. The phone rang, and the protagonist answered it, unaware of what was just outside of the window.
“You’ve got to get out. We got the wrong_”
Everything went dark. The television clicked off, as did every light in the house. They sat quietly in the dark for several seconds.
“What was that?”
“I don’t know, wait here. There’s a flashlight in the kitchen if you can get to it.”
Caitlin felt her way through the hushed darkness to the front door. She unlocked it and pulled it open to find the driveway illuminated by moonlight. The patrol car was still in its spot, and the window rolled down as she approached it.
“Problem, miss?”
“The power went out.”
“There’s a storm not too far from here. It might’ve taken out one of the lines. Give it a while, okay?”
“Yeah, sure. Thanks,” she muttered as she turned and moved back to the house.
“What did he say?” Rhea called from the kitchen.
“There’s a storm coming. We’ll just have to deal with it.”
“Got any candles?”
“Yeah, in one of the drawers. Give me a minute and I’ll get them.”
They each bumped into things as they tried to navigate the dark kitchen. There was a clicking noise, and a beam of light shot out from the flashlight. Caitlin used the light to find some matches and candles, which she laid out on the counter.
“Probably a bad time to mention this, but I need to go in a few minutes. My brother needs me for something in less than an hour. Sorry.”
“It’s fine. There isn’t much we can do without power, right? I’d rather not be stumbling through the dark. Before you go, could you help me spread these candles around?”
“Oh, of course. Where do you want them?”
“Just one or two in each room. Keep them away from the curtains and furniture though.”
“Sure. I’ll be careful.”
Caitlin took a second flashlight from the kitchen and moved upstairs, where she lit candles in the bedroom and bathroom. She wanted to have one that would illuminate the stairs, but there wasn’t a safe spot to place one.
“Done,” Rhea said as she approached the bottom of the stairs. “I’ll just leave this on the table, alright? I’ll come over again sometime next week and we can do this again.”
“Thanks for the help. Yeah, I’ll see you then, if not sooner.”
Caitlin walked Rhea out to her car, and stared up into the night as she backed out of the driveway. The officer nodded to her as she passed, and then she disappeared into the darkness. Caitlin stood outside for a few more minutes before walking back into the house.
She had never seen the house so dark before. Even the small lights that were barely ever visible were out. Now that they weren’t there, she noticed their presence more than ever. The only light sources were the glowing candles.
As she crossed through the room, she thought that she heard something upstairs. Upon hearing the thud, she rushed to the kitchen and hurriedly searched through the drawers. She took every knife and sharp object, and laid them out across the island counter.
She panicked slightly at the sound, and turned the flashlight out. She kept it in her left hand, and took the largest knife she could find in her right. Her body shivered as she moved back to the foot of the stairs and began to creep upstairs. Once again she avoided the step that creaks, and was soon upstairs. As she reached the top, the noise stopped. She froze in her tracks, and listened for a hint as to what it was coming from.
The silence was broken as the front door clicked and slid open. She covered her mouth and moved into the bedroom. Caitlin lowered herself to the floor and crawled to the nightstand where her cell phone sat. She crawled under the bed and quickly scrolled through her contacts.

Rhea was only about ten minutes away from the house when her phone began to ring. She glanced over and pressed the button for speaker phone.
“Yeah?”
The other end of the call was silent. She asked what the problem was, but still got no response. There was a muffled noise on the other side before the call ended. She held the steering wheel tightly as the car swerved around and made a U-turn. With one hand trying to call back, she sped down the road.

Caitlin dropped the phone and slid out from underneath the bed. She pushed herself up and ran from the bedroom to the staircase. She almost fell from the excitement as she turned and raced out the open door. The police car’s lights were on, so she thought for a second that it might have been him inside.
The car was empty, with no sign of where the officer had gone. She kept herself from panicking too much as she moved back inside and looked around. There were no other sounds in the house, but she felt that someone else was inside.
She strode into the kitchen and past the empty island counter. She gazed through the glass kitchen door at the neighbor’s house. The lights were out in that house as well. It was then that she realized her right hand was empty. Her stomach quivered slightly as she turned around to get another weapon.
Her hand slid across the cold, empty counter. She stared for a few seconds, not believing that they were gone. With a nervous breath she pulled open the knife drawer and found it empty. The headache from the day before returned and lingered in the back of her thoughts as she moved out of the kitchen and toward the phone.
She snatched it from the wall and ran for the steps. As she climbed upward she tripped and hit her jaw against a step. Her chin throbbed as she glanced backward and continue moving upstairs. Hundreds of shapes swirled around in the darkness that was creeping into her house.
Her sore hand grabbed the top of the stairs, and was followed by the rest of her body. She pulled herself up from her knees and stumbled forward, back into the bedroom.

Outside, Rhea pulled into the driveway. The patrol car’s flashlight lights made her squint as she passed. She slipped out and closed the car door before moving inside. Everything became hushed as she stepped through the open front door.
She walked over to the table, but the flashlight was no longer sitting there. With an uneasy feeling she stepped over to a light switch. There was no response from the lights, so she hesitantly called out to the darkness.
No reply came from the house, so she carefully walked into the kitchen. She had seen the type of situation before in movies, and was suddenly unable to remember what came next. The house had no smell, made no sounds, and to her seemed like an empty husk of what she had been inside. In less than an hour the building had changed entirely.
She looked around for signs of life once more before pulling the sliding glass door open and looking out.

Upstairs, Caitlin listened intently to the footsteps that moved through the hallway. She shakily moved through to the bed and tried to dial the cordless phone. It gave no response, so she threw it against the wall and tried to keep from crying.
The footsteps changed direction, as if they heard the plastic strike the wall. She whispered something under her breath and tried to remain upright while moving toward the window. It grunted as she pulled it up and carefully eased a leg through.
Her breath was unsteady as she carefully moved onto the roof and looked around. The trees and surrounding houses were shadowed by the night, and no windows were lit. There wasn’t any source of night aside from the moon, which was starting to be overtaken by clouds.
The last visible light disappeared as she moved across the tiles. She nearly fell twice, but soon managed to reach the lowest point of the roof. The gutter dug into her hands, but offered support as she carefully lowered herself over the edge.
She let go, and braced herself unsuccessfully for the fall. Most of the impact vibrated through her legs, which ached as she stood and looked back up at the bedroom window. She was ready to lay down and rest for a few minutes, but forced herself to keep moving.

Rhea looked into the bedroom, but saw no sign of her friend. Instead, she found the cell phone that had called her, laying inches away from a knife. She picked it up and looked over to the window, which had been propped open by a piece of wood.

Caitlin’s mind was jumbled, but after taking a few short breaths she remembered the cell phone. Her insides once again shivered as she remembered its location. She cleared her mind and moved into the kitchen. The glass door had been opened by someone else, and she wasn’t’ going to let them haunt her any longer. She moved to the cabinet closest to the floor and carefully maneuvered her arm inside. She twisted it slightly and grabbed something that was stuck out of sight.
With a click, she pulled the handgun from its position and gripped it tightly. She slowly brought it out of the hiding place and kept it securely in her hand as she moved through the house. The only sound that she heard was her heartbeat as the darkness surrounded her.
Rhea quietly moved down the staircase, and inhaled sharply as she accidently hit the creaking step. She heard no sounds other than her footsteps as she moved outside. Her left hand held Caitlin’s phone tightly, and her sense of dread grew as she approached the patrol car.

Caitlin moved upstairs without opposition and turned into the bedroom. She looked around uneasily, and discovered that the phone was no longer there. She lowered the gun and felt paralyzed. There were no longer any sounds in the house, or at least until she became aware of a nearly taciturn dripping. The carpet underneath her feet felt like a wet sponge as she moved for the stairs.
A shrill whistling noise that only she could hear pierced the hallway. Behind her, the curtains roared as a flame billowed upward. She could only stare at the crackling light, and watch it dribble down to the carpet. Within seconds the bedroom’s floor was on fire as well. Her face felt warm, and her body ached from the heat as she backed up to the edge of the banister.
She turned and began to walk down the steps. When she reached the bottom, she looked around to see flames spreading up from where the candles had been. Curtains sizzled and fell apart as the red cloth turned to ash.
Every window that she could see was sealed tightly. Even the front door was closed. She moved through the hallway as if it was a dream, and looked at the figure standing near the kitchen doorway. Caitlin dropped the gun and stared into what would have been its face, if it had one.
The fresh paint ran down the wall like water, but she ignored everything except the figure. It made no sounds as it approached her, and if it had said something, the voice was drowned out by the crackling blaze. Her eyes watered, and before it became too hard to see, she read something off of the suit: “Ghost 086.”

Rhea closed the car door behind her and grabbed the car’s radio. As she was about to call for help, something caught her attention. She looked back to the house and heard a distant crackling noise. The windows shattered and fire rose out from the gaps. Smoke poured up into the night sky, even if it wasn’t visible through the darkness.
She nearly kicked the door open and raced from the car to the front door. She grabbed for the door handle and cried out as it burned her hand. Her skin hissed, and she noticed that the doorknob was starting to glow.
She backed away from the house and slipped her own phone from her pocket. Rhea tried to hold in her distress as she dialed and waited for a response. The call was placed, but it didn’t assure her that vehicles had been dispatched. She sat and watched the house as it burned and groaned in pain. A raindrop hit the back of her neck as she waited, and three sets of sirens blared in the distance as the rain started.

“We didn’t find anyone inside,” someone said as they approached Rhea. “Do you know what happened?”
She was unable to say anything. Instead, she watched the rain fall and roll off of her car’s windows. She didn’t like how calm everything suddenly felt.  

[Deadly Toxicity]

...There will be room...
emotion_dowant  

[Deadly Toxicity]

Just one last reserved post to be safe.