Close Your Eyes: A Horror Story Collection Page 16

  After he was gone I gave the locks a little test by closing and locking the back door while I was outside. I tried the old key and nothing. No turn, nothing. I then tried the new copy the smith gave me and bam. It unlocked without a hitch. I repeated the same process on the front door and it worked like a charm. We now had all new locks but I had to spend nearly two hundred dollars to get the job done. Oh well, at least we had peace of mind now.

  Chapter 8

  I had to get back into that house, but I had to be smart about it. I couldn't try anything for at least a few weeks. I didn't want them to get suspicious and take any more drastic measures. Changing the locks was one thing, but what if they got a security system, or worse what if they got a dog? Dogs and I never get along.

  So, I waited, and waited some more. Good things come to those who wait, or so they say. It was torturous. I needed back in that house. The loneliness consumed and the voice of suicide grew with each passing day. The only thing that kept me sane was still being able to watch them have dinner every night. But watching those dinners was torture in itself. I could see them, I could watch them, but I couldn't visit them.

  I had to wait for the opportune moment. I had to wait for that window to be open again or some other kind of opening. Weeks passed. I kept telling myself that the opportunity would come, but my patience was wearing thin. If something didn't happen soon I was going to take matters into my own hands, and that scared me. I don't know how or what I would do, but I needed in that house and I needed in now. I needed to be with my family. Thankfully, opportunity eventually came knocking. It was mid March. The spring season had begun to arrive and it had brought the warmer temperatures with it. Warmer temperatures meant open windows.

  It happened on a warm spring day with a high in the seventies. It was one of those perfect weather days where you could be outside all day and not get hot or cold. It was just right. Most everybody had their windows open to enjoy one of the first days of spring, myself included. One of the best parts of spring is to fall asleep with your windows open. It gets just cold enough at night for you to crawl into bed and feel the cold sheets against your skin. You pull the blankets up and just enjoy the crisp air as you drift off to asleep. It makes you never want to get out of bed.

  It just so happens that I wasn't the only one who liked to sleep with their windows open, my new family did as well. At about ten o'clock I glanced over at their house and noticed that they had closed all the windows closest to the porch and the ground. There were however two windows open on the main floor, one on the far left of the house near the kitchen and one on the far right towards the end of the living room.

  This wasn't the ideal situation but I think I could make it work. I'm in decent enough shape and I'm pretty sure I can maneuver over to one of those far windows. It's just going to take a little what do they call it? Finesse, yes just a little finesse and I'm in. I crept out my back door, scaled the fence, and climbed their deck. When I got to the top I surveyed the two windows on the left and the right. Which was going to be easier? With either one I would have to scale the deck's railing, pull myself over to the first window, gain footing on the window sill, and then reach for the next open window, pull myself over, and then remove the screen, all without losing footing and falling who knows how many feet. The window on the left over the kitchen was significantly higher off the ground than the window on the right. (The walk out basement door was underneath the kitchen which made for a deep drop.) I figured if I was going to fall I might as well do it with the shorter distance not to mention that I would fall into neatly trimmed grass rather than a concrete patio.

  Right it is. I climbed over the railing of the deck as carefully as I could and prepared to reach for the first window. I pushed myself into the corner of the house and deck and while holding on to the deck with my left hand I reached for the window with my right. This window was quite a bit further from the deck then the left window I used last time. This was going to be tricky. It took some stretching, more than I thought possible, but I was able to grab hold of the window sill with my right hand. Immediately after I was sure I had a solid grip I let go with my left hand and swung myself over to the window. I grasped the sill with my left hand as fast as I could. Now I was holding onto the sill with both hands and feet dangling below me. I looked like someone about to fall off a cliff in one of those movies but at the last second a mystery hand came out of nowhere and pulled me back over the cliff. There was no mystery hand for me; I had to do this myself. I was never much for chin ups in high school, let's hope I can do one now or I'm going to be eating some dirt. Put up or shut up so they say.

  I took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. I then pulled with all my strength and began to pull myself up onto the sill, closer, closer, nearly there. The window was coming into sight. I could feel my left hand losing grip, but I kept pulling. I felt like I had more time but my fingers thought differently. My left hand abruptly lost its grip and I nearly fell right from the window sill. I regained my grip but not before I slammed myself right into the side of the house below the window.

  I was back to where I started just dangling there in the air. I'm not going to be able to do this more than a couple times before my arms gave out. My shoulders were already on fire and my hands had almost had enough. I took a few seconds to regain my composure and tried again. Pull, pull, and pull. As I rose I could see more and more of the window, the screen, and inside. The more I saw the more I was motivated to pull. Pull, pull, and Voila! I hoisted myself up to the window frame. I had done it.

  As strange as it may look from an outsider's perspective I was now perched on their window sill fifteen feet above the ground like a pigeon would rest on your balcony. I chuckled to myself at this fact for a few seconds and then got to work reaching for the next window. This window had the prize of the open screen just waiting for me to claim. Luckily, the two windows were a lot closer to each other than the deck was to the first. I was able to reach the second window with my right foot with very little trouble. Once I had what seemed like decent footing I extended my right hand and grabbed the frame of the right window. I now looked like an odd spider that had spread all of its legs while slowly inching its way up a wall. My left hand released from the far window and swung over to meet my right hand on the window frame. Once I had both hands firmly secured I swung my left foot over and I was there. I had done it, and hopefully I'll only have a few bruises to show from it.

  I got to work on the screen and had it off the frame in only a few minutes, I was getting pretty good at that. Once inside I took extra steps to be as silent and clean as possible. I already may have woken somebody by sending myself crashing into the side of their house. I best not risk any more slip ups. I carefully put the screen back in its frame and took my shoes off so as not to make a mess on their floor. (I rolled up my jeans this time before I left so as not to get them wet from the dew.)

  --

  Ok. I'm in. The first line of business was that I had to get a copy of that damn key. They weren't going to lock me out again. No, not this time, this was my house too. I found the key chain lying on the edge of the kitchen counter next to a cell phone. I grabbed the keys and walked over to the back patio door and tested the keys to find just the right one. Four tries later I found it, it was a silver key with a very rigid square shape and had the letters 'OXA' engraved on it. I left the house without making a sound and hit the road. I had a plan. I was going to a twenty-four hour Wal-Mart and I was going to have a copy of this key made right then and there. No more waiting around. Once this was done I was going to come and go as I please. If all went right I'll have the key made and be back in the house before morning and they will be none the wiser.

  I used the same key chain that I had to test the door and took their car that was sitting outside their garage. (They had a car inside the garage as well but I didn't want to risk opening the garage door and waking everybody.) The car was one of the newer Buick models and it had all of the new fanc
y features such as back up cameras, Bluetooth, leather seats, and all of the other frivolous upgrades. Not a bad car if I say so myself, but I've always been a Ford guy.

  After a short drive I arrived at the local Wal-Mart and went straight to the hardware department and waited for my key to be made. I had to have one of the managers paged overhead to come to the station as very little people want a key duplicate made at one in the morning. The manager came down the aisle with a scowl on his face. Or, maybe that was his resting face? Who knows? He was pleasant enough though and started making the copy right away. Very little questions were asked which surprised me, but I wasn't going to argue with him. While I was waiting on the key I went over to the grocery section and grabbed a gallon of whole milk as well as a bottle of Hazelnut coffee creamer. This will fit perfectly in their fridge when I get back. No more of that skim milk crap and maybe I'll teach them how to properly drink coffee.

  Soon my key was done. I paid with cash and thanked the manager for his time. I then headed back to my house along with my bag of groceries. I parked their car exactly where I found it and even readjusted the seat back up to where it was. I took careful note beforehand of exactly where everything was as I didn't want them to think anything was amiss. I did top the gas tank off and cleaned the windshield for them. I felt bad about the gas I took on that trip. It only seemed proper to fill up after usage.

  I went back inside through the back door and set their key chain back on the counter where I found it, exactly where I found it. I even adjusted the silver backdoor key to overlap the unknown golden key, just as it was before. I grabbed the gallon of whole milk as well and put it the fridge, but not before having a glass of it for myself. Once everything was back the way it was I left through the back door and locked the door with my new found key. I walked back home and collapsed on the couch.

  As I drifted into sleep I began to dream. This dream was unlike the others that I have been having night after night. My dreams of family and peace had all but faded away into an indistinguishable mesh of grays and blacks. No longer could I see any details, colors, or even their faces. The family dinner was unrecognizable.

  This dream was different. I began to dream about them, my new family. In my dream it was dinner time and I had just pulled into the driveway. As I was walking up the driveway I could smell the drifting aroma of dinner even before I got to the front door. Hazel must have the windows open. I opened the front door and as I stepped in the entryway Lucas ran towards me saying, "Daddy!" When he got close enough he jumped into my arms and nearly knocked me over right back into the door. Logan just waved and said, "Hello." (He was too old for the running hugs now and was engrossed with some cartoon on the television.) After they settled down I walked over to the kitchen and gave hazel a hug as well as a few kisses on the back of her neck. "Dinner smells great," I said with a smile. "How was your day?" We talked about our days until dinner was ready and called the boys up for family dinner time. Throughout this entire dream Jacob was nowhere to be found.

  Chapter 9 Hazel (III)

  "Whole milk, really Jacob," I said with my head in the refrigerator. "I thought we agreed on using only skim." There was only silence, no response. I pulled my head out of the refrigerator and looked over at the breakfast bar and Jacob looked up at me with a big mouth full of cereal and a stupid expression on his face. "I know you miss using it but it's not worth the extra calories." I said as I yanked the whole milk out of the refrigerator and plopped it on the counter in front of him.

  Jacob looked up at me confused and said, "Don't blame that on me. I didn't buy it. You would have seen me come in with it and scolded me right then and there. This is all you.” He hesitated, and then continued, “Are you sure you didn't accidentally grab a whole while you were shopping the other day, or maybe the boys did?"

  I thought about it for a while. "Yeah... I guess that's possible." I paused, "But I'm pretty sure I would have noticed it. The colors are different. It's not like it is difficult to tell." Did I grab a whole by mistake?

  "I'm betting you just grabbed it by mistake. I'd suggest taking it back for a return but it looks like someone has already drank a glass of it," he said with a half smile. "I thought you didn't like whole milk."

  I ignored him and continued looking for something appetizing to eat. I loved him but damn could he be annoying when he wanted too. It's like a switch that he can flip on an off with ease. He knows damn well that he had a glass of that milk. I may have bought it but he's the only one in this house that even touches that stuff. He brushed by me as he was leaving and gave me a peck on the cheek. We said our goodbyes and he was gone. The house was mine again, thankfully.

  --

  Besides the milk fiasco of this morning things had been going well for us. The boys had been in school for over four months and were now making friends. Logan already had a group of friends that he was hanging around with in the neighborhood. Lucas was slower to adjust, but he had always been more of the quieter one. I'm sure he'll get used to it in time.

  Spring was here and the weather was beautiful. When I had the house to myself I would have most of the windows open and just listen to the birds and other wildlife noises as I wrote. Even though we were in a faux forest setting it still had the sound and appeal of the real thing. The only difference was that I could walk about twenty feet and the forest would end and I'd be in somebody's back yard. Oh well, it still had its niceties.

  When the boys would get home they would either hang out in the basement and play video games all night, (Which I tried to discourage, but it was obviously a losing battle.) or they would go over to the neighborhood playground and hang out with the other kids. Jacob wanted to get the boys their own play set for our back yard. But, he doesn't want to get any of those generic play sets. He wants to get one that will stand out and that will be the envy of the other neighborhood kids. Keeping up with the Jones' type stuff, only problem with that is there is money required.

  Logan started with the spring soccer team. He's still young so it's not too serious of a commitment and I thought it would be a great opportunity for him to make some friends as well as get in shape. We tried getting Lucas to join the younger five year old teams but he screamed and hollered every time we brought it up. I knew I shouldn't had given in but I couldn't stand to hear the screaming and frankly I just didn't care that much. (Don't judge.) It's just soccer. If he doesn't want to do it fine. He will end up doing a sport this year, no matter if he likes it or not. Maybe soccer isn't his thing. There's always basketball as fall rolls around.

  Jacob seemed to tolerate his new job. I say tolerate as he never really liked his old job, but he has the about the same amount of indifference for this job as he did at his old one. This job just pays more. We've definitely seen the benefits of the pay increase. We only splurged once, and that was on our brand new car. I always liked the Buick models but could never come close to being able to afford it. Well, we went ahead and bought one. Bought one with no financing! Yes, it's a Buick but we got last year's model to save some money. I'm not complaining though. It has all kinds of features, knobs, and mechanisms that I don't even know where to begin. Somehow Jacob got to be the primary driver on it while the boys and I were stuck with the old Ford that was tucked away in the garage.

  --

  The feeling was still there, that uneasy feeling. As I said before it moved to the recesses of my mind now a days and I barely noticed it anymore. But, it's still there. It's almost like a hair or scratch on you television. You can see its presence but it is such a small nonevent that it's not even worth your time to fix. I can still see the picture; it's not impeding me in any way. There is no harm coming from it, so I've learned to ignore the feeling. After all I've been having it since we've been here and nothing has happened.

  That being said I've been having some disturbing dreams. Now, I know that they are only dreams and dreams aren't real and all of that other gobbledygook. But, these dreams have creeped me out and the feeling doe
sn't go away after waking. It's like one of those nightmares that you wake up with in the middle of the night and then you can't get back to sleep. The nightmare is still on your mind. It's all you can think about. You're terrified that if you go back to sleep that the nightmare will resume right where it left off. That is how these dreams are except that constant gnawing feeling after you wake up stays with me all day.

  They centered on someone watching us, watching us closely and constantly either from outside the house or in. When there is a shape or a figure it's always a silhouette, a nameless faceless figure. Was it perhaps a ghost, or an apparition or a spirit? I've never been one for ghost stories and I've yet to see anything 'supernatural' occur in since we've lived here but these dreams just seem so real, so vivid.

  The other night I had one where the silhouette was inches from my face as I slept in my bed. I was a third party observer floating above and off in the corner as I watched myself sleeping unable to scream or alert my sleeping self of the danger. The figure bent down on one knee and moved its face, or where its face should have been, so it was just inches from mine. If this was a different situation it looked like what a kneeling man proposing to the woman of his dreams. Something was being whispered but I couldn't make it out. After a minute or so had passed it lightly dragged its hand across my face. It was a bizarre feeling. I was watching this unknown shadow loom over me in bed but at the same time I could feel myself in bed and I could feel its presence right beside me. I could feel the sheets against my skin, I could feel my head resting on the feathered pillow, I could hear its indistinct whispers next to my ear, and I could feel the warmth of its hand as it glided across my cheek.