Apricity #Wattys2016

Chapter Twelve: Victoria

I yawned and stretched my arms out in front of me my eyes still closed sleepily.

*BEEP*

I screamed loudly my whole body jerking with fright which caused my head to connect with the short roof of the car. I moaned in pain while carefully rubbing the top of my head. There was sure to be a bump there later.

That's when my still half asleep brain realized that I was still in my car.

"Shit!" I scanned my surroundings. I was parked a few houses down from Johns. I had been on lookout all night to see if any one came in or out of the house. I must of fallen asleep but it was still too early for the sun to rise. I checked my phone.

4:35 AM

I rubbed my sleepy eyes and climbed out of the car to stretch my legs. That's when I noticed it.

Barely noticeable was a light on in Johns house which I probably wouldn't of noticed hadn't I climbed out of the car. For all knew it could of been on this whole time. I juggled my options. If I stayed in the car I wouldn't be able to see the light to know if it turned off or another turned on. If I stayed out of the car I risked being seen and looking suspicious because who the hell just sits outside by her car at four in the morning? No one, or I could drive a little closer but that's probably the riskiest option.

I decided to get back in the cramped car. My stomach tortured me with noises that only dying whales should be able to produce. Aware of my man like appetite I realized I should've brought some food but I was in such a hurry to get here I didn't think of that.

After a half an hour of poking and prodding at my stomach and a few curse words later I decided to go try and find gas station or somewhere I could buy a snack that would be open this late at night.

I ended up a few streets over out of the neighborhood and into the central town area in a hole in the wall gas station. Never shop on an empty stomach, though I wasn't fully shopping the same rule should apply.

As I walked through the isles a literal arm full of snacks started to form. Rather than putting one thing down for another I got them all. The man at the cash register gave me a weird look as I dropped my armful of snacks on the counter where it made a miniature snack mountain.

"That time of the month." I replied with the easiest excuse and hastily dragged my goodies back to my car.

I had about half of them gone before I got back to Johns street. When I got there I realized the light had turned off. I slammed my steering wheel in anger a few times and drowned my sorrows in my last bag of sour gummy worms. I continued to keep a watchful eye on the house until I couldn't sit still any longer. I decided to move closer to the house on foot.

As I got closer I began to fume. The light I had been looking at was a solar light and had only turned off because the solar energy had faded away. I glanced in a few windows only finding randomly placed furniture. The sun hadn't completely rose yet so I kept to the shadows to stay hidden. After realizing that no one was home I moved to the front porch that had a hole in the side of it leading to underneath the porch. The sun was rising quick so I had to hurry and get out of sight but that hole looked suspicious and I had a bad feeling about it.

I got down on my hands and knees and popped my head into the hole to see if I could make out anything without a light. As I was inspecting a voice called from nearby.

"Are you looking for that man's dog?" I jumped again hitting my head in the same spot I had hit it earlier on the top on the hole.

"Son of a bitch!" I exclaimed as a headache formed. I whipped my head angrily at the direction of the voice. It was a teenager walking down the sidewalk book bag in hand. I stood up wiping off my now muddy knees and walked over to him.

"Dog?"

"Uh yeah his dog gets out all the time from where he is chained up out back. Me and a couple of people around the block return the dog all the time but we've never seen the guy that lives there. He never answers the door so we just re-chain him in the backyard."

I pinched the bridge of my nose between my thumb and pointer finger hoping to dull the painful headache.

"Dog- What no.." I sighed.

"So you haven't seen this guy? I mean he has to leave the house some time or another or walk outside or look out a window maybe."

"Nope that's what you'd think but no one has ever seen him. No sign of life except the dogs food and water bowl always refilled. Trust me my friends have stalked this house because its like the neighborhood mystery."

"Do me a favor, What's your name?"

"Sam."I scoffed how convenient.

"Okay Sam tell your friends to stay away from this house this man is dangerous. Stay far far away from this house. Oh and next time the dog gets loose don't take it back take it straight to a shelter."

"Too late we already did two days ago actually when we realized the food and water bowl was empty."

Two days ago I thought to myself that means he more than likely already skipped town. I was about to shoo the young boy along when a bus pulled up a little way down the street and he took off for it.

"Bye!" He called waving.

"Bye." I said though he was too far to hear.

I waited until the bus drove out of sight to confront the house again. The sun was up now so I had to make this snappy. While thoughts of having to bust open a window and climb in ran through my head as if on instinct I tried the front door only to find out surprisingly it was unlocked. I opened it slowly feeling my heart beat faster as I stepped into the house. I pulled my pocket knife out and opened it before I closed the door quietly behind me and carried on.

It was empty after a nerve wracking scope of the house I decided to dig deeper and started to look for clues of the where he might of went next. I was fumbling through a desk in one of the rooms upstairs when I heard movement come from downstairs. I froze completely my heart dropping to my ass.

The movement I heard was footsteps.