The Whistler In The Night

Chapter 6

I couldn't move for what felt like an eternity. My whole body was paralyzed, pressed against the wall like a helpless ragdoll. My heart pounded in my chest, the sound filling my ears as I stared at Kayla—her empty, blood-streaked eyes locked on me, as if she was seeing something far beyond my existence. I tried to close my eyes, to block out her terrifying gaze, but I could still feel her power holding me in place, as if something much darker than her had a grip on my soul.

Minutes passed, or maybe hours—it was impossible to tell. The only sound was the faint dripping of blood from her eyes, splattering onto the floor like a slow, rhythmic clock. I prayed for anything, something to release me from the invisible chains that held me there.

Then, miraculously, I felt my fingers twitch. My hand began to move, inch by inch, as if I was reclaiming control over my own body. My eyes darted toward a vase sitting on a nearby shelf. Without thinking, I grabbed it, swung it as hard as I could, and smashed it over Kayla's head. The shattering sound echoed through the room.

She stumbled backward, eyes rolling up into her head, and collapsed onto the floor. I didn't wait to see if she was unconscious or just dazed—I ran. I bolted out of her room, down the stairs, and snatched my phone off the couch. My hands were shaking so badly I nearly dropped it. I didn't know where to go, what to do, or who to call. All I knew was I had to get out of there.

It was 11 p.m. as I sprinted down the empty street, my breath coming out in short, ragged gasps. The cold night air burned my throat as I frantically scrolled through my phone. My mind was racing, and I couldn't focus on anything, but one thought kept flashing in my head: Scarlet.

She had told me once, in one of those soft, reassuring ways she always spoke, that whenever I needed her, she'd be there. And I needed her now more than ever.

With trembling fingers, I dialed her number and hid behind the neighbor's house, crouching down in the shadows. It felt like hours before she picked up, her voice calm and familiar on the other end.

"Hey, babe? What's going on?" she asked, but I could hear the worry already creeping into her voice.

"I need to see you. Right now. Please," I managed to say, my voice shaky, barely holding it together.

Scarlet was silent for a moment, but I could almost feel her concern through the phone. "Okay, babe. I'll be ready. Come over and we'll figure this out, alright?"

"Thank you," I whispered, ending the call before I lost control of my voice completely.

I stayed hidden for a few minutes, making sure no one was following me, then made my way to her house as quickly as I could. My legs felt weak beneath me, and my heart pounded in my chest like it was about to burst. When I finally arrived, I stood at her doorstep, my entire body shaking as I rang the doorbell.

The door swung open, and there she was—Scarlet, standing in her pajamas, looking at me with wide, confused eyes. "Evan, what's going on? Why do you look like this?" she asked, her voice soft but filled with concern.

"I... I'll explain everything," I stammered, barely able to get the words out. "Just come with me, please. We need to leave."

Without hesitation, she grabbed a coat, shut the door behind her, and followed me. We walked in silence for a while, her hand gripping mine, grounding me as my mind spun with fear and confusion. After what felt like forever, we reached a bench under the dim glow of a streetlamp, far enough from her house that I finally felt like I could breathe.

We sat down, and for a moment, I just stared at the pavement, trying to figure out how to begin.

"Evan, you're scaring me," she said gently, turning toward me. "What happened?"

I took a deep breath, trying to calm the chaos in my head. "It's Kayla," I started, my voice barely above a whisper. "Something's wrong with her. I don't know what, but... she's not herself. She—she did something last night. I don't know if it was a dream, but it felt real. And tonight, she... I found her with blood coming out of her eyes, and she... she did something to me. I couldn't move. I couldn't..."

Scarlet's eyes widened, her hand squeezing mine tighter. "Wait, what? What are you saying? Kayla? Are you sure this isn't... like, maybe a nightmare or something?"

"I thought it was," I said, shaking my head. "But this is real. I swear. She's been acting weird for days, and I don't know what's happening, but it's like she's—like she's possessed or something. I don't know how else to explain it. I saw her doing some kind of ritual with candles last night, and when I went back to her room just now... she attacked me, Scarlet. She did something to me."

Scarlet's face paled, and for the first time, I saw fear in her eyes. "This can't be happening," she whispered. "Are you sure? Did you call your parents?"

I shook my head. "They're not home. And even if they were, what could they do? They wouldn't believe me. They'd think I'm crazy."

Scarlet fell silent, biting her lip as she tried to process everything I was telling her. "Okay," she said finally, her voice steady but still tinged with fear. "Okay, listen. We'll figure this out. But we need to stay calm, alright? Maybe Kayla's... sick. Or—"

"She's not sick, Babe," I interrupted, my voice rising with frustration. "This isn't normal. There's something... evil happening in my house. And it's not just Kayla. There's this guy, the same guy from my nightmares. I keep seeing him everywhere—in my dreams, on the street, even at the Starbucks where we met yesterday. It's like he's following me."

Scarlet's eyes widened again. "What? You didn't tell me about this."

"I didn't want to freak you out. But I think it's all connected. Him, Kayla, the dreams... I don't know what to do."

We sat in silence for a moment, the streetlamp casting long shadows over us. Scarlet took a deep breath and reached for my hand again. "Evan, whatever's going on, I'm with you. We'll figure this out together, okay? You're not alone."

Her words gave me a small measure of comfort, but the dread in my stomach didn't go away. I squeezed her hand, nodding, but the weight of everything was still pressing down on me like a heavy cloud.

"I think we need to leave," I said quietly. "We can't stay at my house. Not with Kayla like this."

Scarlet nodded slowly, though I could see the fear in her eyes. "Where will we go?"

"I don't know. Maybe a hotel, just for the night. I just need to get away from all of this."

"Okay," she agreed. "Let's go, then."

We stood up, and as we started walking away from the bench, I couldn't shake the feeling that someone—or something—was watching us.