The Witching Hour Killer

THIRTEEN - THOMAS

Friday, 12th November

Alana and I settled into family life quicker than we expected to. The nursery had already been painted, the furniture built and we were showered with gifts from my mother and our siblings. Gina had bought Noah a tiny baby grow with the words "Touch me and you'll have my aunties to deal with."
It was cheesy as hell, but he suited it. His eyes twinkled as he laid in his cot taking in all of the visitors around him.

"He's so tiny, I could just eat him up!" Alana's sister Emilia cooed at him, wiggling a finger on his belly.

Even my brother Luke was surprisingly sentimental, and I could have sworn I saw tears flash in his eyes as I pulled Noah out of his bed to meet him.
"This is uncle Luke." I waved with one hand, the other cradling my son to my chest.

"He's got our hair. Strong genes, bruv." Luke smiled and attempted to high-five Noah, who only stared vacantly at him with his ocean eyes.

Alana was in better shape now, and although ached from the trauma, greeted our guests with open arms, guiding them up to the nursery to meet the new arrival.
"He's just perfect." She smiled widely at us and I moved Noah's arm in a waving motion towards her.

"Look, it's mummy." I exclaimed in an overly high-pitched voice. "Is it time for dinner little man?"
His eyes grew wide and greedy as Alana pulled him into her arms and rocked him gently.

"If you're whipping your boobies out, I best scram before I get walloped." Luke jested causing me to roll my eyes and the rest of the room to burst out laughing.

"Nice to meet you, Noah. And you know I'm your favourite uncle, ok?"

"You mean only uncle?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Don't be a killjoy, T-dog." He slapped me on the shoulder and headed out of the door. Probably the last we see of him for another couple of months.

As Lana nursed baby Noah, I took the remaining guests to the kitchen to offer drinks, but they politely declined and sensed we still needed our alone time.

"Thanks for inviting us, Tom. You've got a little heartbreaker there. When's he interviewing for a job at the station?" Daniela nudged me and I audibly laughed.

"Never in a million years." I replied truthfully. There's no way I would allow my son to grow up and see the real horrors out there. "He could be a lawyer or something."

"Boring!" Dani bantered back. "Well we look forward to having you back anyway. The station has been too loud without you."

"Too loud?"

"Yeah. No one dares speak when you're around. It's relaxing." We both laughed as I walked her to the door.

In all honesty, I didn't want to go back to the station. As soon as Noah entered this world, it was as though a bright light had been cast on the darkness. I no longer thought of the horrors that plagued me. No longer obsessed over the killer and his evil antics. I was finally at peace, and the looming end to my paternity leave filled me with dread.

As I closed the door to our final guest, I exhaled dramatically, feeling the tension escape. I loved seeing our family and friends, but their presence popped mine and Alana's little family bubble. For the last week, it had just been me, Alana, Noah and Rolo. I wanted to keep it that way for as long as I could.