A sharp knock on the front door cause the fifteen year old to glance up from her book she'd been engrossed in for the past hour, dropping her knees from her chest and rising to her feet. She hurried across the elegant living room that appeared to be straight out of a Home and Gardens magazine, pausing swiftly to pull back the curtain covering the window by the door to sneak a glance at the person on the other side.
She spotted the young looking boy immediately, and felt a sense of curiosity as she realized he was staring right back at her. He raised is hand, holding it in the air in a still wave, smiling to her largely, revealing a set of perfect white teeth.
She dropped the curtain, resting her hand on her heart as she contemplated opening the door. After a few seconds of thought, she shoved the feeling of dread to the back of her mind and slide the latch at the top of the door. The boy was still smiling just as widely as she came face to face with him.
"Hi!" He greeted her warmly as though she had been the one to knock on his door.
"Um, hi? Can I help you?" She asked, placing her foot slowly on the backside of the door that she was gripping so very tightly in case she needed to close it suddenly.
He nodded knowingly, pointing past her at the portrait hanging above the fireplace. "This is my house. I'm Eric."
The girl glanced back at the woman and her husband who stood behind the two boys, one much older, and identical looking to the boy at the door. "Oh!" She exclaimed, laughing at herself for being nervous only moments ago. "I'm so sorry! Come in. I'm Amber, the babysitter."
He laughed along with her, nodding a thanks as she stepped aside, allowing him entrance into the house. "That's alright, it's good you're being cautious."
He walked past her, glancing around at the house as though he hadn't seen it in a very long time.
"Sorry, again. Your parents didn't mention you were dropping by, although they were in a bit of a hurry when I got here."
He laughed, a deep guttural sound in the bottom of his chest, turning back around to face her. He stood at a height of about 5'11, easily towering over her 5'1 frame. His brown locks, similar to those of his parents and younger brother, were neatly combed to one side of his head, just like in the picture. He wore a pressed blue button up shirt that was tucked into his kaki pants. Perfectly elegant, from top to bottom, like everything else in this house.
"How's he been?" He asked, breaking the awkward silence.
"Perfect." She responded immediately. "He hasn't left his room all night. I've went up to check every so often because I though something wrong, but every time I peak in he's in the same spot with his toy cars." They spoke the last word at the same time.
"Yeah, cars. He always loved playing with his cars. Always use to carry them around wherever he went."
She smiled as he seemed to relive a specific memory. "Did you want to go see him?"
"No." He shook his head, much to her surprise. "No, no, I should go. I just wanted to check in."
"Are you sure?" She frowned. "I'm sure he's still awake." She leaned around the boy, glancing at the clock in the hall that read 9:45.
"No, no that's alright. My parents don't know I drop in like this. I'll just go. Keep this between us, okay? I just wanted to make sure he was doing alright."
Amber nodded slowly, absorbing every strange thing he was saying. She followed behind him wordlessly as he made his way back to the door. Opening it, he stepped out, only ending their conversation with another heart warming smile as he disappeared into the darkness.
She sighed, pushing the door closed, gasping as a small voice called out to her from behind. "Hey." She laughed. "You startled me. Are you okay?"
The little boy nodded from the top of the stairs. "Who was that you were talking to?"
She glanced behind her. "Well, I was just-"
"Tell me the truth." The boy smiled knowingly at her, and for some reason she could tell he already knew the answer.
"Eric." She spoke quietly.
The boy only nodded, turning to head back to his room before stopping suddenly. "Don't tell mom and dad, okay?"
"Why not? Did something happen between them?" She asked, stepping up to the first step.
The little boy shook his head slowly. "No. They'd just be upset."
"But why?"
He took a few steps down the staircase, coming closer to her before stopping and staring her dead in the face. "Because my brother died three years ago."
YOU ARE READING
creepshow (wattys2018)
HororHe's watching me. That's all he ever does. He stands on the other side of the glass and stares at me. He brings his friends and they join him in the pointing. They tap their fingers against the glass at me, the noise filling my ears, causing my worl...
